Dusk, the setting sun.
The last trace of summer heat has not yet dissipated, making it even more sultry.
The guise of the tea shop is fluttering in the wind, selling not only tea but also wine.
The tea is very light and the wine is very cold, which is both thirst quenching and enjoyable. There are also braised eggs and broad beans to go with the wine. The taste is very ordinary, but fortunately it is made relatively cleanly.
This tea shop has been open for several years. The owner of the tea shop, Lao Zhang, has white beard and hair and a stooped body.
When he has nothing to do, he likes to drink a few drinks by himself and brag to others about his youthful bravery.
Lao Zhang is a veteran of Beiliang. He was lonely and helpless when he was young, and fought with Xu Xiao of Dazhu Kingdom for several years.
Logically speaking, during the wars of the Spring and Autumn Period, the old soldiers who joined the army earlier could join the army or become captains as long as they survived. At the worst, they could receive military casualties before retiring.
Lao Zhang is not a greedy person. He has a desperate spirit when fighting, but he has made several achievements. He just had a bad temper, and once he beat his immediate boss while drinking. From then on, he always had to wear small shoes, which made him feel uncomfortable, so he simply left the army and came to open a tea shop like this.
When Lao Zhang was young, he had seen the majestic Dazhu Kingdom from a distance. Over the years, the guests he had received included traffickers and lackeys, wealthy people from all walks of life, and occasionally dandies with bright clothes and angry horses. It can be said that he was well-informed.
But today, these three guests are all like gods in appearance and demeanor. Not to mention that I have seen him before, I dare not even think about such a person. Entering his tea shop, in the words of scholars, it is like "the flowers are shining brightly".
Needless to say, there is no need to say more about the two women, dressed in white like snow, who look like gods descending from heaven.
The man in black took Lao Zhang by surprise and took the initiative to invite him to drink and talk about Beiliang customs. He also had a strange affinity and was not at all aloof like other wealthy people or children from rich families.
"Those scholars are always arrogant, saying that most of the old soldiers who worked hard with Dazhu Kingdom died, and no one had a good ending. In the end, he was the only one who became a king with a different surname."
Lao Zhang drank a few sips of wine and spoke louder, no longer as coy as his little daughter.
It's just that he didn't know if it was because he drank too much, but the three guests in front of him gave him a confused feeling. He couldn't see their true energy and couldn't clearly see their specific appearance.
"What the hell do these stupid scholars know! The injuries on Dazhuguo's body were all fake?! They were all smeared on themselves with knives, bows, arrows, and spears?! If Dazhuguo didn't even think that he was Bei Prince Liang, aren’t the deaths of so many old soldiers who did not hesitate to fight their last breath in vain?”
Lao Zhang, who was already a little drunk, spat and cursed: "Stupid scholars are the most boring. If I were younger, I could slap all their teeth off!"
"If you meet such a scholar, I will help you slap them."
The young man in white smiled slightly, picked up the wine bowl, and looked at the greenish wine. There were unsightly wine residues floating on it, as thin as green ants: "One of the reasons why I came all the way here is to try the authentic wine." Green ant wine, Lao Zhang, you didn’t add water to this wine, right?”
"Fart, you have to be a shady businessman who is obsessed with lard, and you will take advantage of money to mix water with green ants. I am not such a person, Lao Zhang." Lao Zhang blew his beard and glared. If someone else said this, he would point out Maybe they won’t even sell that person wine.
"Haha, just kidding. It is said that King Beiliang also likes to drink green ant wine?" The young man in white drank the green ant wine in the bowl.
Lao Zhang was also generous. He laughed and said: "This is the best wine from Dazhu Kingdom. This is the wine that we men from Beiliang should drink. However, the reason why this wine is so popular is all thanks to the second princess. One of the poems contains a line about green ants, green ants..."
"Green ants have newly fermented wine, and there is a small red clay stove. It's snowing in the evening, but I can't drink a cup without it."
"Yes, yes, you are still educated."
Yu Liancheng poured another bowl of wine on his own. In this simple tea shop, eating simple food, drinking extremely cheap Lu Yijing, chatting with such a weathered old man, it was quite interesting.
The white fox on the side took a sip of green ant wine and his eyes wandered over Yu Liancheng.
This is indeed a strange man. Needless to say, his appearance and temperament often give him a strange feeling.
Sometimes he and Emperor Murong Tong sit opposite each other. They are obviously very close to each other, but the other person becomes ethereal and insubstantial, as if he comes from another dimension, and like a god who lives above the nine heavens. In his eyes, all sentient beings are just like ants. .
But many times, it can exude a strange affinity. Even traffickers and lackeys can blend in without giving people the slightest sense of abruptness, just like a drop of water blending into a lake. In Taoist terms, it means being in the same dust as the light.
Nangong Pushe's eyes flashed, and he suddenly remembered the adventures he had experienced these days.
Emperor Murong Tong killed Queen Guangling, and the Liyang court was shocked. A wanted order was issued and Zhao Gou was sent to pursue her.
Xu Xiao of the Great Pillar Kingdom once rode the rivers and lakes and proposed to His Majesty the Emperor to establish a secret agency that was half military and half martial arts. People in the martial arts world were frightened and called him "Zhao Gou" to specifically target the reckless men in the world who used force to rebel against the ban. When someone causes trouble, they have to deal with the tireless pursuit of assassins in this organization.
In the past ten years or so, countless martial artists who relied on their superior martial arts have been killed and "made famous in the world".
Of course, facing extraordinary masters, such as Cao Changqing, who entered the palace for the third time, Zhao Gou was helpless, and was even killed in pieces.
At the beginning when the wanted order was conveyed, it caused some trouble for the three of them, but as time went by, this trouble became less and less.
This was certainly because Emperor Murong Tong was merciless and Zhao Gou suffered heavy casualties. On the other hand, it's because they don't seem to attract attention anymore.
Although ordinary people can detect the shocking appearance of the three people, few can connect them with wanted criminals. It seems that there is a strange power that blinds their perception.
And this kind of power obviously comes from Emperor Murong Tong.
What a strange method this is, almost magical.
When Old Man Zhang went to get the wine, Yu Liancheng turned his head and smiled at Nangong Pushe and Murong Wuzhu: "Are you curious why I want to drink and rest here?"
Nangong Pushe and Murong Wuzhu nodded.
"I'm waiting for someone."
"Waiting for someone?"
"Waiting for someone who can take us into Tingchao Pavilion." Yu Liancheng's expression moved and he pointed towards the mountain road: "It's coming soon."
Where the finger was pointing, it was clearly Old Huang and the young man. At the same time, the spiritual power covering the three people was spread out, allowing the other party to see their true faces.
"Who are they?" Murong Wuzhu asked puzzledly.
"The best dandy in the world and the best swordsman in the world." Yu Liancheng raised his brows, a strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and looked towards the mountain road: "Besides them, there seem to be guests coming."
As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for the two women to ask, they heard the rumble of horse hooves, and a group of more than ten horsemen rushed towards them with shouts and shouts, each holding a big sword and looking full of evil spirits.
A group of people on the mountain road quickly dodged. The leader in front of the group swept over with a horsewhip with barbs on it, and immediately whipped the pedestrian until they were dripping with blood.
All the knights laughed and praised the knight leader for his "good whip skills." The knight leader laughed loudly, slapped the horse's rear, and rode his horse to the tea shop in the flying dust.
"Okay, Zhao Laosi really didn't lie to me. They are indeed three peerless beauties. This trip was not in vain."
The strong man who was obviously the leader of the horse thieves laughed loudly, his eyes shining with greed and lust.
Not long ago, the leader of another group of bandits sold them a piece of information, saying that three stunning beauties were passing through their territory.
The horse thief leader didn't believe it at first, but the mountain bandit leader swore to God that the description was so beautiful and thrilling that he would get a piece of the pie after it was done.
Hence the current scene.
Lao Zhang hurriedly ran over from behind and handed out a bag in his hand: "Zhai Master Li, these are my guests, just for your convenience." But he secretly thought something was wrong. This Black Cloud Village is not close to here. I may not have visited the tea shop several times, but why did I come today?
If it were a young man, Lao Zhang would have started fighting with bandits, and his life might not have been a concern. But now that he is older, his personality has become much calmer, and he has a family and a family, so he is naturally diplomatic and sophisticated.
"Who do you think you are, you deserve to be a convenience to me."
The horse thief leader with pockmarks on his face smiled evilly, put the knife on Lao Zhang's neck, and shook his head: "You are a first offender. Kneel on the ground, kowtow three times, and call me grandpa three times. It's not that I can't let you go." . If not..."
"What if not?" Yu Liancheng said with a smile.
Seeing that the three people's ideas had been aroused, Li Mazi puffed up his chest and became even more proud: "If not, chop off the head and use it as a chamber pot."
"It's a good idea." Yu Liancheng grinned, and his gentle smile suddenly had a hint of ferocity and terror.
Li Mazi suddenly felt a pain in his neck. His vision suddenly rose and then dropped rapidly. He could vaguely see the surprised and fearful expressions of the brothers and a headless corpse on horseback, which seemed very familiar.
When the scene in front of him rapidly changed from color to black and white, in the last moment of his life, Li Mazi vaguely understood what had happened, and suddenly figured out a question.
Why did Zhao Laosi break an arm, and several of the fierce generals who usually followed him were also missing. It turns out that they suffered at the hands of these three guys and deliberately came to fix themselves...
Unfortunately, by the time he understood it, it was already too late.
"You have an ugly head. You don't want to use it as a chamber pot for me." Yu Liancheng stepped on Li Mazi's head with one foot and bounced it like a ball twice. His expression was calm and calm from the beginning to the end.
A group of bandits looked frightened.
In their eyes, it was their boss's head that suddenly flew up, as if he had been stabbed in the head, and then rolled down at the opponent's feet.
"For people like you, living in this world is a waste." Yu Liancheng raised his head and looked at the bandits, his eyes indifferent but with a kind of simple malice.
It's like a naughty boy killing an ant, just for fun.
As soon as he finished speaking, this group of horse thieves, including their men and horses, seemed to be smashed to pieces by an invisible sword energy, and they were scattered all over the ground.
"Sister, have you seen that bandits are as cruel as the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves? It would be a sin to let one go." Yu Liancheng taught Murong Wuzhu dutifully.
"It's so disgusting. Don't you know how to be more polite when you kill people?" Murong Wuzhu stuck out his tongue and made a gesture of vomiting, but he was both angry and happy.
Yu Liancheng shrugged: "Okay, I'll be a little more nauseous next time."
"I hate you."
"Let's go, it's time to go to Lingzhou."
Yu Liancheng placed a large amount of silver notes on the table, and patted Lao Zhang, who had a dull look on his face: "The green ant wine is good, but the braised eggs are a bit bland."
He took the other two people with him and turned around to leave. The banknotes on the table were enough for him to stay in a decent inn in Lyon. It was considered as a thank you to him for taking care of his funeral affairs.
"My dear mother, I really met a god today." Lao Zhang's legs softened and he almost sat on the ground, unable to recover for a long time.
The three people in Yulian City walked for a while, and there was a sound in the grass next to them, and two people jumped out.
"You three, wait a minute." The young man walking in front grinned, showing his mismatched white teeth: "I would like to ask you three, but you are going to Lingzhou, and my little brother is also going to go this way. I wonder if I can take my little brother with me?"
Yu Liancheng glanced at him: "Give me a reason to listen."
"I...I have the magic book "Swallowing Gold Treasure" here." The young man took out a yellowed book from his arms and grinned: "But it's only the second half, so please accept it."
Yu Liancheng rolled up his sleeves, and the book flew into his hands naturally, and he quickly flipped through it a few times: "It's genuine, but it's a pity that it's of no use to me."
After saying that, he threw the secret book, which is regarded as a treasure by ordinary martial arts people, to the young man.
With the young man's disappointed expression, Yu Liancheng touched his chin again and asked, "Tell me why you want to go with us."
The young man knew that it was best to tell the truth when dealing with such a top expert, so he answered honestly: "This journey is very dangerous. I'm afraid of death."
Yu Liancheng pointed his finger at the toothless old servant who was following the young man, and said: "You have a top master next to you. Although he is no better than me, he is more than enough to protect your life."
The young man widened his eyes and said, "You said Lao Huang is a master?"
Yu Liancheng nodded: "It will be replaced if it's fake."
Murong Wuzhu and Nangong Pushe both looked at Lao Huang, looking left and right, but they couldn't tell that he was a master.
Lao Huang felt the attention of everyone and smiled "shyly", showing his yellow teeth that were missing his front teeth. He was extremely honest.
The young man said helplessly: "My hero, please stop joking."
Yu Liancheng said: "Boy, I am very serious."
The young man patted the servant on the shoulder: "Haha, Old Huang, he said you are a master, did you hear that?"
Lao Huang grinned and gestured with his hands, indicating that he was taller than the prince.
Yu Liancheng held his hands behind his back and looked at Lao Huang with a pair of deep and bright eyes.
Suddenly, these eyes were full of murderous intent and extremely cold, far more chilling than the wind and snow in the far north. And a sense of great terror and destruction spread all over his body, rushing straight towards Old Huang.
Lao Huang's smile suddenly froze, the yellow cloth package behind him buzzed, and a sword light flew out, so bright that it was incomprehensible.
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