"Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain" refers to different things.
The so-called "wind" refers to all kinds of rumors.
Two people form a "forest", so "forest" means looking for partners. There are some shady jobs in the world that are difficult to handle alone. If you can't find a companion for a while, you can ask someone to help you.
"Fire" in Jianghu usually means goods and money, such as bandits smashing kilns (robbing manors). Those with oil and water are called "fire kilns", and those without oil and water are called "water kilns."
In this News Gathering Pavilion, "fire" represents various commissions. Although the rewards are generous, most of them are shady activities such as robbery, murder, and fraud.
As for "mountain", it is Immovable as a Mountain. If something happens to someone in the world, if you need to hide or find someone to treat you, you can do it here. Of course, the price is not low.
These are the "stores" in the world. Some are open to welcome customers from all over the world, while others are engaged in shady business.
If it's robbery and murder, it's a "black shop."
A store with a brand name like this is usually a force, distributed in different areas, very Jianghu Rules, and will not mess around.
"You two, please come inside."
The waiter opened a room and invited the two of them in.
The room was neither big nor elegant, with nothing else except chairs and tables, and even the windows were sealed.
The candle was lit and the light was a little dim.
This kind of arrangement is naturally very particular.
The first is privacy. After closing the door, it becomes a world of its own, indicating that no one is eavesdropping. The second is safety. The layout of the room is clear at a glance, indicating that there are no traps.
After the two sat down, the waiter immediately went out and came in with a wooden tray, a teapot, a small stove, and many teacups.
Then, he walked out the door without saying a word.
Wang Dao Xuan shook his head and said, "People in Ezhou love tea. If you go from east to west and come in for a cup of tea, if you say you don't want tea, they will give it to you."
"Master Dao, you don't know this right now."
Sha LiFei smiled and said, "This is a roundabout way."
Boom, boom, boom!
Before he finished speaking, someone knocked on the door and came in.
But it was an old man in coarse black clothes, with a vicissitudes of life and a smile on his face. He opened the door and said, "Thank you for your hard work, you two came all the way."
The so-called hard work of meeting people must be from Jianghu people.
Since you are in the arena, you are a person with a bad life.
The old man looks ordinary, but as soon as he exits, he is an old man.
After he sat down, he didn't rush to speak. Instead, he picked up the small teacup on the plate, glanced at the two of them, put the teapot and one teacup on the teatray, and placed the other cup outside the teatray.
Wang Dao Xuan As soon as he saw it, he knew that this was going to be a tea ceremony.
The so-called tea formation is also one of the secret words of Jianghu.
A teapot, a tea tray, and several tea cups can produce countless array changes, all of which have their own meanings.
Generally speaking, there are four major categories: testing, asking for help, visiting friends, and fighting, among which there are many formations.
Each formation has related breaking methods.
Don't underestimate this, and don't think it's complicated.
Traveling in the world is inseparable from the sophistication of human nature. It pays attention to having many friends and many paths. If you have more friends, you will have a better life.
I opened the Spring Festival, and I am familiar with Jianghu Rules. Even if I don't have a single copper, I can still go to Three Mountains and Five Peaks, and at least I will have food to eat.
Of course, in Jianghu, it is more important to "only speak truthfully", because there are many favors and grievances, and those who make excuses may have grudges with gang forces.
One second, you are greeted with a smile, and the next second, you are slashing with a knife!
Although Wang Dao Xuan has been in the world for many years, his approach is different. In terms of understanding of this system, not to mention Sha LiFei, not even Li Yan can match it.
But even so, he could see the first wave.
The formation is very simple, called Yangliu Formation.
It is said that there is heaven and earth in the Willow Formation, and there is no outsider in the loyalty of Jianghu. The simplest meaning is that it depends on whether you are the same as Jianghu.
This kind of small formation is naturally not a problem for Sha LiFei. He directly put the outside teacup into the plate, picked it up and made a tea-drinking gesture, then put it back again, raised his hand and said goodbye.
The old man was not surprised and continued to set up the formation.
The subsequent formations become more and more complex, testing both your feet and your intentions.
It seems complicated, but testing has its own meaning.
If you are just starting out in the world and only know a few rules, sorry, the price of some information will increase.
Even if you suffer a loss, you have to hold it in. This is the rule wherever you go.
But who is Sha LiFei? He is a person who talks nonsense and can turn sesame seeds into watermelons. He is also proficient in Jianghu Rules, which can scare the old man opposite him.
Of course, the old man had a rough idea, and he began to wash and cook tea slowly, and then poured it for the two of them. Then he asked, "I don't know, you two, what news do you want to know?"
At this point, there is no need for code words.
Sha LiFei didn't waste any time and asked directly, "We sent the coffin of a Xuanmen senior back to Wu Family Gully, but the whole village was gone, and even the graves of his family members couldn't be found. What happened there?"
"Wu Family Gully ah..."
Hearing that it was something related to Xuanmen, the old man's face suddenly became solemn. He thought for a moment, dipped his finger in tea, and wrote a word on the table.
When the two of them took a look, they saw that it was a "tiger".
Wang Dao Xuan frowned, "Wu Family Gully is in trouble?"
"Not a real tiger."
The old man sighed, "But sometimes, humans are more terrifying than tigers."
"Wu Family Gully It's nothing, just ordinary. If you two hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have known there was a senior Xuanmen hiding there."
"But two years ago, they discovered gold in the ditch. Although it was a small amount, it attracted the attention of the county captain Qiao Sanhu."
"You two also know that the imperial court has rules that gold, silver, copper and iron mines are not allowed to be mined without permission. In order to cover up the news, Qiao Sanhu first silenced those who knew about it, and then used tricks overtly and covertly to force Wu Family Gully, young and old, to move away from their homeland..."
As he spoke, he sneered, "He did this secretly, but how could he hide it from his fellow Jianghu people?"
"That's it."
When Wang Dao Xuan heard this, he sighed, shook his head and said, "Where have all these Wu Family Gully young and old moved to?"
The old man replied, "Moved to Ezhou."
Sha LiFei was stunned, "Why did you run so far?"
"What if I don't run?"
The old man shook his head and said, "Wu Family Gully Someone discovered something fishy and wanted to go to Chang'an to report it. But there is someone at Qiao Sanhu Chang'an."
"After learning the news, I directly asked Chang'an City Fire Bear Gang to take action, tied up the person in the inn, and buried him alive in the suburbs."
"Wu Family Gully can't afford to offend him, so he has no choice but to run away."
Sha LiFei Hearing this, anger arose in his heart, and he cursed, "This dog official is really hateful, why don't any of our fellow Jianghu people do it to him?"
The old man gave a wry smile and said, "You two, you can talk to me about this, but don't mention it when you go out."
"Although Qiao Sanhu is just a county captain, it's not that simple. One of his cousins is a master of Shang Mountain Dharma Lineage. He is quite famous in Chang'an, and he is still worshiped in Prince's house."
"Qiao Sanhu also gained power because of this. In Shang Prefecture, he was able to mix both black and white. He also recruited a bunch of scum and set up a gambling stall at Manchuan Wharf to make money. He has a lot of wealth."
"Even for several consecutive county magistrates, their actions depend on his face. He is known as 'Fengyang Tiger'."
When Sha LiFei heard this, he scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "Well, forget it, I can't afford to offend you."
The old man said in a deep voice, "To be honest, I want to remind all my fellow Jianghu people from outside about this matter, so as not to lose their lives."
"Since you two are sending the deceased back home, you should avoid causing trouble. As for finding the way, although the Wu Family Gully people have moved away, I know that there is another fellow Jianghu who is ferrying on the Golden Coin River and knows everything about Wu Family Gully."
"That person entered Cao Gang and his name is Lu San."
"But it's a bit troublesome to find this person..."
Wu Family Gully Deserted village, old ancestral hall.
The handlebar type Old MengTou and the polemen were drinking. The farmer's Yellow Wine was not valuable, and the food was pickled vegetables and salt beans, but everyone drank happily.
Sha LiFei avoided them after he came back.
A few people didn't care. Although they were also people in the world, they also had their own rules. They didn't listen to things they shouldn't hear and didn't ask questions they shouldn't.
"That's just the way it is."
In another room, Sha LiFei recounted the story, shook his head and said, "Wu Family Gully is the only one left, but it's a bit troublesome to find that guy. I'm afraid you have to take action yourself."
Li Yan frowned, "What's the trouble?"
Wang Dao Xuan said, "I suspect that that person is a warlock!"
"According to the information of the News Gathering Pavilion, this Lu San was not originally from Wu Family Gully. He was abandoned in a barren mountain when he was a child. Later, he was picked up by Wu Family Gully's village guard and was raised at the entrance of the village Land God Temple."
"The people in the village saw that he was pitiful, so they often brought him food. He grew up eating the food of hundreds of families. After the village guard Hanhan died, he stayed at Land God Temple, cleaning it every day, and allocating a share of rice from the village's public land to survive."
"This man has been weird since he was a child. He is taciturn and likes to stay alone. He often talks to himself in front of the mountains..."
"Oh?"
Li Yan was a little surprised, "News Gathering Pavilion knows so much?"
Sha LiFei continued, "Of course there is a reason. After Wu Family Gully moved away, this kid did not leave with him, but ran to Munchuan Pass and joined Cao Gang."
"It's strange to say that since joining Cao Gang, this guy has not followed the boat. Instead, he has been ferrying on the Golden Coin River, and everyone at Cao Gang respects him very much."
"Moreover, he also had conflicts with Qiao Sanhu's men. I don't know where he learned the fists and kicks, but he has actually stepped into Hidden Strength, and his skills are extraordinary."
"Although Cao Gang did not seek revenge on Qiao Sanhu on his behalf, he also made it clear that he would follow suit. Qiao Sanhu's subordinates regarded him as a thorn in his side, and they secretly attacked him several times without success."
"What's even more troublesome is that this kid has no fixed address and is mysterious. Even the people in Cao Gang don't know what he is doing on weekdays."
"He is very cautious. If something goes wrong, he will jump into the river and escape. If we go, we may not find anyone at all."
"That's it."
Li Yan looked up at the sky and saw that it was already sunset. He thought for a moment and said, "That's fine, I'll set off right now."
Sha LiFei was stunned, "It's so urgent, why don't you wait until tomorrow?"
Li Yan shook his head and said, "We still have things to do, so we can't stay here for too long. For me, there is no difference between night and day."
After that, he packed up his things, went out, got on his horse, shook the reins, and his figure became farther and farther away in the sunset...
Munchuan Pass, a hundred miles southeast of Fengyang County city.
When Li Yan arrived, night had fallen.
Among the mountains, I saw an ancient town separated by a river. It was quite large. At night, the town was still brightly lit, with boats on the river like a forest, and fishing fires dotted like stars.
Before we even get close, Official Road is already bustling with activity.
The caravan of mules and horses from the north came all the way, and arrived at night. Dozens of carriages were lined up, and there were many people, all with weathered faces.
A large caravan like this has its own guards. When he saw Li Yan coming on horseback, he immediately pressed the hilt of his knife and was secretly vigilant.
Li Yan glanced at it casually and didn't care.
The road is congested, so you can only go along with the flow of people.
In the caravan, there was a young boy who had just left the world. He looked at the prosperous town in front of him, his eyes full of stars, and said, "Brother, this pier is really not small!"
The senior brother was obviously showing off, "This is the Flood and Dry Land Wharf. Goods from the north take the dry road. When they arrive here, they turn south and take the water road again. This is called the Flood and Dry Land Wharf."
"This Munchuan Pass connects the north and the south. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times, and it is naturally prosperous. You can see that this side is a dry dock, and that side is a water dock. This half is called 'Qin' Street, and the other half is called 'Chu' Street..."
"I know, Chao Qin and Mu Chu!"
"I'm a coward, let's see what you can do! Remember, when you enter the town, don't cause trouble randomly. Gangs from the north and south gather here, dragons and snakes mix together, and people die every night."
"Ah?!"
"Don't be too afraid. Just follow your senior brother. When we get here, we'll have a business trip and we'll take you to have fun later."
"Going for a drink?"
"Idiot, go find a girl to sleep with!"
"Hahaha!"
Seeing the young man's face flushed, the people around him burst into laughter and joked, "Boy Lu, I'm afraid the girl will have to give you money tonight."
"Why... why?"
"The rules are, if you eat a chick, why can't you get paid?"
"Hahaha..."
A group of people laughed to their heart's content. The kid in question was blushing and had a thick neck, and he wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
Li Yan overheard half of it and became a little absent-minded.
The information given by the News Gathering Pavilion is too little.
Just as the people from the caravan said just now, Munchuan Pass Three Religions and Nine Schools gather together, and there are many and mixed people. There are gangs from the north and south, plus the merchants and porters coming and going... It can be said that it is a condensed small river and lake.
It's really not that easy to find someone.
Where should I find this clue...
While Li Yan was thinking, he passed the Munchuan Pass huge archway.
There are no walls here, and there is an old street in front of it. Teahouses, restaurants, brothels and gambling houses on both sides are brightly lit and noisy, which is no worse than the ancient street night markets in previous generations.
Not far opposite is the Mule and Horse Chamber of Commerce.
This is the territory of the horse racing gang, which also runs a business, which is to store horses and collect money according to the stable and feed levels.
Li Yan After saving the horse, he walked towards Qin Street.
He had a vague idea that apart from your relatives, the people who are most familiar with you are probably your enemies.
That Lu San is hiding in Munchuan Pass, often working against Qiao Sanhu's men, probably just waiting for an opportunity to vent his anger on his fellow villagers.
And Qiao Sanhu's subordinates are probably keeping an eye on his movements...
While he was deep in thought, he suddenly smelled a familiar smell, but couldn't remember who it was for the moment.
Li Yan quickly looked up and saw a middle-aged man in a blue shirt striding among the crowd.
He has a thin face and a yellowish complexion, but he has a straight figure and is followed by two men behind him, giving him an extraordinary imposing manner.
He happened to know this person.
It's Xianyang Cao Gang leader Han Kun!