Du Qiao, who was more than half a century old, was forced to retreat by the owner of Peach Blossom Manor. No martial arts sect could easily set foot in the wine shop. Instead, the people outside the wine shop were at war with each other, staging old grudges and blood feuds.
In just half a day, several waves of fighting broke out in Taojia Town, and even the soldiers and generals from the temple were involved.
Although it is bloody, it is still a small fight for Jianghu.
In the vast world, hundreds of schools of thought are contending. Apart from the few famous sects, there are only five major families left that can really shake it up.
It consists of the Li and Wu families in the north, the Peng and Pang families in the south, and the Wang family in the southwest.
The five families are all at odds with each other, and their interests are uncertain. Sometimes they fight to the death, and sometimes they drink and talk happily and get married to each other, which makes outsiders really incomprehensible.
Although the Du family is well-known in the northern arena, it is still far from the heights of the five major aristocratic families.
In contrast, the temples seem to be a mixed bag, but in fact they all revolve around several forces in the imperial court, either the prince's party, the Chengwang party, or the emperor's kneeling and licking. There is no one who can stand alone and watch the tiger from a mountain.
The evening breeze was gentle, and the tree full of peach blossoms beside the door of the wine shop was unusually lonely in the dusk. The owner of the wine shop, the owner of Peach Blossom Village, did not drive away the two "disasters", leaving them at a loss in the dusk. In half a quarter of an hour, the sun would set. It was time to close, a wine shop was not an inn, and the two of them had to leave eventually. This night was destined to be difficult.
Xiao, the owner of Peach Blossom Manor in a nine-foot plain shirt, noticed the dilemma of the two of them and said while clearing the tables, chairs and benches: "I can give you two clear directions, but I won't give them in vain."
Green-robed Chen Xiaoyao's eyes lit up: "Master, please tell me, if my brother can escape danger, he will not hesitate to go through fire and water."
Zhao Zhengli is ashamed, he is really a "brother" who sees a friend in need, but the incident happened because of him, so it seems right to go through fire and water on his own!
The middle-aged man who was not confused glanced at the handsome young man dressed in burlap and did not retort: "I am a businessman, so naturally I only want money."
After hearing this, Chen Xiaoyao felt troubled: "I'm not afraid of the boss's jokes. The two of us only have more than two hundred taels in total. How can we get rid of it?"
The owner of Peach Blossom Manor straightened up, his nine-foot plain shirt looked like a waterfall of silk and satin curtains. He brushed his sleeves and touched his beard: "It's not strange to start with credit when doing business!"
Chen Xiaoyao, as if grasping a life-saving straw, hurriedly asked: "Master, please show me the way!"
While talking, Chen Xiaoyao also hinted that Zhao Zhengli would pay for it. Zhao Zhengli always cherished money and cautiously asked: "I wonder how much it will cost in total? Will there be interest on the credit account?"
The owner of Peach Blossom Village and Chen Xiaoyao were stunned. They still cared about money when their lives were at stake. They were really money-obsessed.
The 40-year-old boss thought for a while and said, "Follow me first!"
After saying that, he took the lead and entered the inner room of the wine shop, followed closely by the two of them.
There were no candles in the room, and the light was very dark at dusk. The furnishings were simple, with a bed and a step, a table and a chair, and a wooden door blocked by a cabinet.
The owner of the village, Tao Yanghua, walked straight to the cabinet and opened it. The old wooden cabinet made a tooth-breaking "creep" sound. The cabinet was filled with all kinds of tokens, gold, silver, jade, and glazed wood. The owner looked back and introduced: " There are tokens from various sects here, and different sects have different prices. You two can buy a few more to hide your identity."
Chen Xiaoyao said in confusion: "Now that my brother's portrait is publicized to the world, it is probably difficult to escape with just a few tokens and waistbands!"
Zhao Zhengli also nodded, tacitly agreeing with his statement.
The 40-year-old owner smiled like a businessman: "Of course there are other preparations."
After saying that, he pushed aside the dazzling array of waistbands, making a jingling sound, and pulled the handle of the drawer hidden inside. He pulled it gently, revealing a stack of lifelike leather masks that looked so lifelike that the two of them felt their scalps numb. , couldn't help but take a few steps back, the owner of Peach Blossom Village in a nine-foot plain shirt smiled and waved his hand: "It's just a simulated mask, not real skin!"
The two people who came back to their senses took a closer look at the middle-aged man who scared even the Grand Master. Their first reaction was to wonder if his face was real.
The middle-aged man did not pay attention to the two people's suspicions, and introduced himself: "Gold, silver, jade, and colored glaze come from the five major aristocratic families and famous sects. The price is slightly more expensive, starting from ten taels of gold. Ceramics, iron sheets, and wood are from ordinary sects and families in the world. Cheap, starting at 100 taels of silver. Masks vary greatly in price depending on their degree of realism. The rough ones start at 500 taels of silver, the delicate ones start at 100 taels of gold, and the exquisite ones start at 500 taels of gold. I won’t introduce any more. With this With two sets of disguises, you two should be able to leave my Peach Blossom Town. If one day you are found out, don't say that it was me, Tao Yanghua, who sold you. If you are involved, I will not be lenient."
At this point, his temperament condensed. The two of them felt as if they had fallen into a thousand-year ice cellar. Zhao Zhengli could clearly feel despair at this moment. This strength was far beyond that of ordinary grandmasters. If the true energy were to exert pressure, the two of them would be crushed to the ground. , This is the fear of the strong from the very bones and souls.
Before Chen Xiaoyao could speak, Zhao Zhengli took the lead and said, "Is there any interest?"
He compared the closing trend of "six": "It's the same as the bank's lowest interest rate, how about six percent per quarter?"
Chen Xiaoyao wanted to make a counteroffer, but Zhao Zhengli covered his mouth and said with an apologetic smile: "Deal, six cents is six cents, help me get two cheap Jianghu sect tokens, preferably from the southwest region, and two more on credit Master, do you like Zhang Baijin’s delicate mask?”
"No problem, both noble and humble are guests!"
The owner of the village, Tao Yanghua, looked through the piles of doughs like flipping through a book. The layers of skins of men, women, old and young flashed by quickly. He easily pulled out two middle-aged doughs. The skin texture, pores and wrinkles were undoubtedly the same as those of real people. Even the beards and moles were lifelike. wonderful.
Under the guidance of the owner, the two of them underwent a makeover. They first cleaned their facial features, then used hot towels to stretch their pores, and then applied white lotion to their faces. The lotion was lubricated, slightly cool to the touch, and had a light fragrance. Picking up the skin from the tip of the nose Start to stick it on, and as you continue to stretch the mask, it slowly becomes thinner, and it sticks tightly to the skin as if it has taken root, regardless of whether it is real or fake.
It took about half an hour for the two of them to completely change their looks. They were shocked when they looked at their unfamiliar faces in the mirror. After a closer look, they found that the crow's feet at the corners of the middle-aged eyes were clearly visible, which was really shocking.
Chen Xiaoyao seemed to remember something: "The Jianghu Temple wants you, why should I follow the disguise and change my appearance?"
After the disguise, the middle-aged Zhao Zhengli rolled his eyes unceremoniously: "Then get out, so you don't waste my hundred gold coins!"
After Chen Xiaoyao succeeded in his scheme, he smiled brightly and stroked the beard on his chin proudly: "Hehe! You said this, and the money in your pocket will be yours!"
Zhao Zhengli struck mercilessly: "If you were a woman, no one among the three thousand beauties sent into the harem could defeat you."
Chen Xiaoyao spoke righteously: "It's so boring to serve the emperor in the palace. With that kind of beauty, he should bring disaster to the entire world!"
Two middle-aged rough men exchanged words with each other, completely ignoring the owner of Peach Blossom Village who was in the realm of a great master.
The owner of the shop in a nine-foot plain shirt handed over a receipt and coughed: "The shop is closed, here is your credit list!"
The two of them took it and took a look. On the document, it was written eloquently: "In the sixth year of Xingtong Yuan, on the seventh day of the fourth month of spring, Zhao Zhengli made a credit of 200 gold at the Peach Blossom Wine Shop in Taojia Town, with an interest rate of six dollars per tael per quarter."
Zhao Zhengli broke his hands and calculated: "According to the conversion of one gold equal to eight taels, two hundred gold is one thousand six hundred taels of silver. The interest in one quarter is ninety-six taels, and the year is divided into four seasons, which is 384 taels. Even the principal The interest rate increase totals one thousand nine hundred and eighty-four taels of silver..."
Zhao Zhengli tremblingly turned his gaze to the bearded Chen Xiaoyao: "Why don't you stop wearing the fake leather bag? It's too damn expensive!"
Chen Xiaoyao suddenly became anxious: "You don't know how to trick me, brother. If I run into that old man Du Qiao when I go out, and he threatens me and reveals the truth, wouldn't it hurt you, brother?"
Before Zhao Zhengli could speak, the owner of Peach Blossom Manor interrupted: "There will be no refunds after use." Then he taught in an elder tone: "Money is more important than life? Is it not worth spending one or two thousand silver in exchange for precious time to escape? If If I hadn't been here to suppress you, those great masters would have rushed in. If you don't leave, all the forces will come together, and even I would have a hard time protecting you two. This kindness alone is worth more than one or two thousand silver!"
Tao Yanghua, the owner of the village, remembered something and added: "There are two pieces of farmer's cloth in the house, so let's treat them as extra gifts!"
The words hit the mark and woke up the dreamer. Zhao Zhengli bowed deeply and said, "I will keep my kindness in my heart today, and I will repay it to the owner of the village in the future."
The middle-aged Buhuo was stunned by his sudden bow. He waved his sleeves and said, "It doesn't matter whether you repay those favors or love. If you are really serious, eight thousand real gold and silver will be more valuable than anything else." !”
"..."
Two people pass. He left the Peach Blossom Wine Shop at night. Of course, the last sentence of the owner was a joke, but it also made Zhao Zhengli take notice. The owner of Peach Blossom Wine Shop, who had been seeking immortality for two decades, was also a money-loving owner. It was not enough that the wine shop was so shabby. Strangely, if the owner of Peach Blossom Winery hadn't pointed to the wooden plaque that fell on the roof, the two of them wouldn't have known the name of the tavern was "Peach Blossom Winery".
Taojia Town at night is not as strict as the big cities in prefectures and counties. Although there is a curfew, it is loosely controlled. Many people wander around even after the curfew. Nowadays, temples and temples from all over the world come here to look for the sons of rebellious officials, no matter how deep the night is on the streets. The alleys are still full of people.
No one knew that the two middle-aged rough guys blended into the crowd and slowly disappeared at the end of the street. Du Qiao, who had been waiting in the attic at the alley, stared at the backs of the two rough guys who were drifting away through the night crowd. He was stunned and followed up with Takong. .
When the Peach Blossom Wine Shop was closing, three figures quietly appeared on the roof. It was already dark and it was impossible to see their faces clearly. The owner of the Peach Blossom Wine Shop opened a crack in the door and glanced at him: "Are you three here to ask for someone? Or are you looking for someone? Shall I reminisce about old times?"
The figure in the middle said: "Mix each half!"
The middle-aged man in a nine-foot-long plain shirt refused rudely: "That's unfortunate, he left in the middle of the afternoon, and I have to go to bed."
After saying that, he closed the door with a clang, leaving three silent black figures on the roof in the night sky messy in the wind. They stayed there for half a stick of incense before they dispersed.
Outside Taojia Town, the winding path winds around, and in the peach-blossom-filled night, people come and go in twos and threes. Two middle-aged rough men in commoners are walking on foot. One has a beard, and the other has half an inch of stubble. There is a deep sound on the road. Silently, he hurried on his way, sometimes looking up with interest to look at the peach blossoms in the dark night.
An old man in a black scholar's shirt was hanging in the distance more than a hundred meters away, taking his time.
