Jianghu people are bold and uninhibited, which is exactly the temperament of wine. Perhaps because of this, wine always has some special attraction for them. Wherever there is wine, they flock to it, and wine shops have always been a gathering place for people from all walks of life. Looking at it this way, Xia Chengyi is really an anomaly here.
This is a very ordinary restaurant, even the name is so casual: come here often. Chang Lai Restaurant has two floors. The decoration inside is simple, the furnishings are old, and the dishes are only average. However, the location is good, at the corner of the street.
Xia Chengyi asked for an outer seat on the second floor, ordered a few dishes, and ordered a bottle of wine. She came here for two reasons: firstly, she was depressed and couldn't stay in the house any longer; secondly, and most importantly, this restaurant was diagonally opposite the "Clay Figurine King", and the seat she was sitting at was exactly the same. You can have a panoramic view of the clay figurine shop.
A plate of bamboo shredded chicken, a plate of braised beef tendon, a narrow-mouthed wine glass, and a pot of old rice wine, these are all the things on the table. There were no chopsticks. She thought they were too dirty and asked the waiter to take them and wash them.
It was already Xu time, the time for dinner, and the restaurant was rarely full. At the table next to her left were two healthy old men. While they were eating and drinking, they quietly looked at the diners on the other eight tables.
"This is an important place in the capital, not as good as our Xuanzhou. You guys should stay safe for me, don't let anything happen." There is a large round table in the southwest corner of the restaurant, with seven people sitting there, all with their Wearing a sword, he was obviously a member of the Jianghu sect. A middle-aged man sitting on the seat called the other six people.
"Yes, Master (Uncle)!" Six people responded in unison.
Zhao Xiaojie handed the chopsticks to the middle-aged man and asked softly: "Uncle Ran, the summons on the sixth day of June has been more than a month away, why are we here so early? I asked the master, but he didn't answer me."
"Alas, our Mr. Liu Jinbei from Xuanzhou is well-known as a good official. The last time he taught Jue people, he was harmed. Not to mention that he has done a lot of favors for us to protect Zhongshan. Just because he is We from Xuanzhou, we should all go to his house to express our condolences first. In addition, there are quite a few Jianghu sects summoned this time, and the situation is unclear. It is better for us to come in advance to get some information early and seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. " This middle-aged man called "Uncle Ran" by Zhao Xiaojie is named Ran Hui. He is the junior brother of Ma Quande, the leader of Zhongzhong Mountain. This time, he led six disciples from the sect to the summons on the order of his senior brother.
Hu Zhongshan was founded by Hou Bojun, the late master of Ma Quande and Ran Hui. It has only been thirty years since then, so it is considered a new sect. However, Xuanzhou's protection of Zhongshan is quite famous in the world, and it relies on Hou Bojun's self-created 49-way "Shadow Chasing Sword Technique". Although Hou Bojun has been dead for many years, he only had four disciples during his lifetime. It can be said that his disciples have withered. However, the reputation of this "Shadow Chasing Sword Technique" in the world has not lost at all, only because of a martial arts battle seven years ago. .
Seven years ago, members of the Jile Sect and Huzhongshan sect formed a dispute on the border of Xuanzhou, and both sides lost lives. The leaders of the two factions did not want the matter to worsen, so they agreed to fight in accordance with the rules of the world. The losing party confesses his fault to the winning party, and from then on, the grudges are eliminated and there can be no further quarreling. In that fight, Ma Quande defeated Le Wushuang, the head of the Paradise Sect, with one move. Ji Le Sect is the largest sect in Cangsheng County, with more than a thousand members, and Le Wushuang is also a well-known figure in the martial arts world. At that time, he was ranked 24th on the master list of Zhaixing Pavilion. Ma Quande unexpectedly defeated Le Wushuang in a situation where no one was optimistic about him. This was a sensation in the martial arts world at that time. Even if you only win one move.
"Master, who are the big names in the martial arts world of Jue Kingdom, and how are their martial arts? I have never heard of them." A young man in his twenties or seventies asked Ran Hui. As soon as he asked, the remaining five people also looked at Ran Hui, obviously very interested in this.
When Ran Hui saw all six people looking at him, he chuckled and said, "The border between Jue Country and Dahua has always been extremely strictly controlled. Very little of what happened there reaches Dahua, so I can only tell you what I know." He paused, went to the table, raised his glass, drank it in one gulp, and continued: "Martial arts are prevalent in Jue Country, but there are not many people walking around in the world, and there are not many sects in the world."
"Ah? How could this... be like this? Uncle Master, do you know?" Zhao Xiaojie asked curiously.
"Haha, the court of Jue State has extremely strict control over the people. It does not allow escorts or illegal salt sales. The customs duties and taxes are extremely high. Therefore, many livelihoods in the rivers and lakes are naturally cut off. If you can't make a living, who is willing to go there? Traveling around the world?" Ran Hui replied. Jianghu people are also human beings. They have to eat and wear clothes every day, and these are all inseparable from money.
Cuo Ayixi smiled and said: "The son of a bitch like the Emperor of Jue is so stupid. Those warriors can't escape the world. Is it possible to teach them to farm and collect firewood? It's not possible! It's weird if they don't mess up!"
Ran Hui shook his head slightly and said: "It is said that the top masters of the Jue Kingdom were invited by the emperor to be guests in the palace, and their status was very noble! Most of the ordinary warriors went to work in the homes of those royal relatives and eunuchs. Guards. There are so many ruthless people in the world, and it soon became silent. The territory is actually more peaceful than ever before!"
When the six people heard this, they all looked astonished.
"... You son of a bitch! You're so crazy!" Cuo Ayixi glared and cursed softly. This method kills two birds with one stone. It not only eliminates internal troubles but also strengthens one's own protection. Even he has no choice but to accept it.
At this moment, a rough voice came from the table next door: "Brother, it's no wonder. The capital city is heavily fortified, and which noble family is not well-protected? Those villains can actually succeed because there are so many masters for them to drive."
"Bang!" Zhao Zijie suddenly shouted: "Why are these friends eavesdropping on our conversation? Isn't this bright enough?"
When traveling in the world, you cannot just listen to other people's comments. If you talk to others without saying hello to them, it is considered eavesdropping. If the other party heard this conversation and came up to say hello and identify themselves, the people protecting Zhongshan would naturally not be angry at all. There are agreed channels for the transmission of information in the world, but these channels do not involve eavesdropping.
"Friends, it's over! You spoke very loudly and it was heard clearly. We definitely didn't eavesdrop on it intentionally." There were three people sitting at the table. At this time, they knew that they were wrong and wanted to settle the matter. A man with gray eyebrows answered in a deep voice.
Zhao Zijie hummed, sat down, and ignored them. As soon as he sat down, Ayixi said to Ran Hui with a look of disdain: "Uncle Master, if there's something urgent going on later, we have to keep our voices down so that those three little turtles don't listen." He said He didn't seem to mean to let the three of them hear what he said, but he was born with a loud voice. How could they not hear clearly?
"You little beast with a bad mouth!" Among the three, a fat-faced man stood up and cursed, walking towards the seven people, obviously wanting to ask for an explanation.
Cuo Ayixi was not afraid at all and said with a smile: "Oh, the big idiot really has a bad temper!"
"That's wrong A Yixi, don't cause trouble!" Ran Hui scolded with a frown.
"Haha, my uncle wants me not to cause trouble, so I won't argue with you today." After hearing Ran Hui's words, Cuo Ayixi said to the big man carelessly. Seeing that he was still staring at her coldly, he asked with a smile : "You're still crying? Do you want to take action?" Although he is rough and careless, his martial arts qualifications are the highest among the second generation disciples of Zhongshan Mountain. This is why he can follow Ran Hui down the mountain to attend the summons. At this moment, facing the big man, he looked confident.
The fat-faced man looked to be in his forties, much older than Cuo Ayixi. Hearing the insults he said to her, she couldn't bear it, so she stretched out her hand and struck at him. Cuo Ayixi suppressed his smile and jumped out of his seat to start a fight with him. After only a few moves, he knew something was wrong. He was not his enemy. At this time, the opponent's attacks were getting heavier and heavier. At first, he could manage to avoid them, but after more than twenty moves, he couldn't avoid them and had to take them head-on.
"Bang!" The two faced each other for the first time, and Ayixi was knocked back four or five steps before he stabilized himself. "Your mother!" Although Cuo Ayixi knew that he was outmatched, he was unwilling to admit defeat and took the initiative to bully himself and attack, with a posture that was not afraid of death.
"Bang!" The two of them exchanged palms again, and Ayixi took seven steps back this time and bumped into the desk before he stabilized himself.
"That's wrong A Yixi, don't mess around!" Seeing this, Ran Hui scolded in a low voice. Obviously, the fat-faced man had always left some power in his palms. He just wanted to teach Ayixi a lesson, but he didn't want to seriously hurt him. Those who work in the world will inevitably have conflicts with others. If it is not necessary, they will usually not be cruel to avoid hurting people's lives and causing trouble.
"The verbal skills are very sharp, but the physical skills are ordinary!" The fat-faced man gained the upper hand, so he naturally wanted to regain his face.
"Your mother!" Cuo Ayixi pulled out his sword from the table and stabbed him with a "buzz" sound. This is one of the twelve ways to detect shadows in the "Shadow Chasing Sword Technique", called "Spiritual Snake Coming Out of the Hole". The sword move is strange, like a snake moving without leaving a trace. The fat-faced man saw that his sword moves were exquisite and cruel, so he didn't dare to take a direct blow and took a few steps back.
As soon as Cuo Ayixi drew out his sword, he forced his opponent to retreat. His confidence increased greatly. He turned around and swung his sword diagonally, suddenly jumping up like a wild cat. The fat-faced man's face darkened, and he jumped four or five steps away. Wrong A Yixi's two moves were both killing moves. They were aimed at the fat-faced man's left chest and throat respectively, which greatly increased his anger.
"You don't know how to live or die! A sword is a killing move. I will teach you a lesson for your master today!" The fat-faced man cursed coldly, and after speaking, he quickly reached out and approached Cuo Ayixi.
After getting closer, the long sword was no longer powerful. When Cuo Ayixi was collecting and sending it out, the fat-faced man grabbed his right arm. Suddenly there was a sharp pain, and he slapped his wrist, causing it to dislocate. The long sword came out of his hand and flew behind Xia Chengyi...
