In the drizzle of autumn, the distant mountains look like they are smeared with ink.
Chongqing Prefecture City A few dozen miles southwest, the terrain becomes flat, and unique purple-red sand and mudstone can be seen in the gaps between the vegetation.
Looking around, it's vast.
There is a mountain village hidden in the mist and rain, as if you have arrived in the south of the Yangtze River.
"Gentlemen, the one in front is Shaping Village."
The beggar Liu San was wrapped in bandages and ointment. He nodded and bowed and said, "This place is far less prosperous than Ci Qi Kou, but many people have moved here in recent years. If you walk through Shaping Village and follow Official Road, you can reach Zouma Town before dark."
He was leaning on a cane, with half of his foot dangling in the air, like Iron Crutch Li.
Those Evil Beggars were too cruel. Even though Wang Dao Xuan was treated in time and saved his life, he still became disabled.
"Thank you."
Li Yan nodded and took the lead to move forward.
This Liu San can be considered loyal. He was almost beaten to death and did not reveal their details. Although Li Yan appreciates it, he will not deal with them too much.
Sha LiFei was different. He motioned to Li Yan and others to leave first, and then took out a banknote from his arms, which was exactly the one thousand taels that Liu San was robbed of at that time.
"Uncle, what are you doing..."
Liu San waved his hand quickly, "The thing was not done, and I have troubled you to save me. It's hard to repay a big favor, how can I get any more money."
"Take it!"
Sha LiFei stuffed the banknote into his arms and whispered, "Take this money and do some small business."
"I have already said hello to Wan BaoQuan. If you need help, you can ask him for help. No one will dare to bully you again."
The beggar Liu San held the banknote, his eyes a little red, "Uncle, why are you so nice to me?"
"What nonsense!"
Sha LiFei glared and cursed, then fell silent for a moment and said, "To be honest, I also worked as a beggar for a while and was almost beaten to death. I was about the same as you at that time."
Beggar Liu San's eyes were full of admiration, "Uncle, you are indeed not a mortal. I am not qualified to follow you around, but I will definitely make a name for myself in the future and I will not embarrass you!"
"Have you been kicked in the head by a donkey?"
Sha LiFei scolded, "You have become a cripple, why are you living in the world!"
The beggar Liu San chuckled and said, "I really wanted to go back to my hometown to farm before, but after this experience, my life has been in vain."
"I'm not afraid of your jokes. I only had one thought in my mind at that time. If I can survive, I will never be such a coward again."
"You have also been a beggar, aren't you still as prosperous now?"
"Forget it, let you die!"
Sha LiFei was too lazy to say anything anymore, and then patted Liu San on the shoulder and sighed, "Everyone has his own destiny, and some things cannot be forced..."
He also expressed his feelings.
I thought that with New Style Firearm, I would be proud, but when faced with the monster Huo Jiao, I felt powerless again.
His kung fu is average. Without Divine Ability, he is no better than those ordinary soldiers.
After saying that, Sha LiFei turned and left.
The beggar Liu San behind him finally couldn't help but asked, "Uncle, can you leave your name?"
Sha LiFei waved his hand casually and said nothing.
Seeing his figure gradually disappearing, beggar Liu San knelt down with difficulty and kowtowed three times respectfully.
After getting up, he wiped the mud off his face, flicked his hand, and the pebbles in the mud flew out, landing right in the center of the flower next to him.
After walking on the edge of life and death, beggar Liu San felt something strange. His reactions, feelings, and body sensitivity were all increasing rapidly.
He had heard of this occasionally, named Body Mystical Power.
Touching the banknotes in his arms and looking towards the foggy city of Chongqing in the distance, he felt as if a flame was rising in his heart...
Wearing a Nuo mask on his head and a broad robe, he walked forward with an umbrella in the rain and fog.
The procession passed through the fields and ridges, and the people all bowed their hands respectfully, with a hint of fear in their respect, and stayed away.
Chongqing Prefecture It's over, both sides will play fifteen big boards.
A fast horse sent a message from Lychee Ancient Road that the new governor sent by the imperial court was already on the way, carrying Tiger Tally military orders.
The reason is very simple. The war in the southwest has progressed again. The imperial army has invaded Qian Province, killed several chieftains along the way, and sent people to appease the people.
Replace Tusi with centrally appointed officials's big plan, proceed as usual.
Although Bo Prefecture Yang Family resisted stubbornly, the imperial army became more and more proficient in using New Style Firearm, showing the potential to destroy everything.
Tusi City is strong and can be broken with one shot.
The chieftain's soldiers and horses are good at fighting in the mountains, but the Mohists of the Ministry of Industry have repaired the Lu Ban wooden magpie and sent warlocks to hover in the sky. Any ambush was useless. The New-Style Gunpowder bag was dropped, and there were immediate casualties.
Everyone knows that Bo Prefecture Yang Family won't be able to carry it for long.
But there was also trouble. The fugitive chieftains and their men turned into bandits and hid in the mountains. They even entered Sichuan and robbed cargo ships along the river.
They were dispersed, completely lost their scruples, and became rogues. They occasionally burned down villages, raped and looted, and they became a hidden danger.
Therefore, the new Chongqing Governor also has the task of suppressing bandits.
Everyone knows that this is the emperor's warning.
Chongqing Prefecture does not belong to King of Shu, nor can Open Sea Faction have access to it.
And after all this, only two companies have made a profit.
The first is Commandery Commandant Office, who no longer acts like a coward, but attacks everywhere to suppress nearby Jianghu forces, and his reputation gradually becomes more and more prominent.
The second is the Emei lineage.
According to Li Yan's conditions, their news was concealed, and the credit for killing the demon was equally shared by Wan BaoQuan, City God Temple, and Commandery Commandant Office.
The forces of the two parties retreated, Chongqing Prefecture had a gap, and Emei was no longer afraid of trouble and sent a large number of troops to support.
Dan Hezi This temple blessing finally lives up to its name.
Li Yan They naturally have benefits too.
First, the captured trophies, whether it was "Dragon Snake Plate" or Huo Jiao and Mr. Du's private secret book, were all taken away by them.
Second, the Shu King Residence forces have become much more honest. The Salt Gang Lu Jiu and Commandery Commandant Office Liu Gan who were causing trouble for them have all died.
Shu King Residence was silent and did not bother to track down "Wish-Fulfilling Pearl".
Even so, they were still cautious and continued to pretend to be a "Yang Opera" team on their way.
Along the way, almost no one dared to cause trouble.
As dusk approached, we finally arrived at our destination.
But in the distance, the mountains became steeper, the sky was dark, the rain and fog continued, and an ancient town stood on the hill with bright lights.
"That's Zouma Town."
Sha LiFei held an umbrella, raised his face, and shook his head. "Zouma Town, Divine Land There are not a hundred, but dozens."
"I've seen a few before, but this is the first time I've seen something as lively as this."
Li Yan had already memorized the map and nodded in the same way. "This place was originally a post station. It was the entrance to the post road from Chongqing to Chengdu. It covers three counties in one step. All traveling merchants will pass through here."
"But it's something else that makes this place famous."
"This Zouma Town has been used by merchants since ancient times to tell stories from various places and strange tales from the countryside when they took a rest, and it gradually became famous."
"Later, people from the Jianghu Criticism, Tuan, Diao, and Liu sects gathered here to collect stories, perform Drawing the Circle performances on the ground, or support themselves at the inn. It was very lively at night..."
Speaking of this, Li Yan suddenly thought of the mysterious old man from the Liyuan, shook his head and said, "There are many strange people in the market, and there may be some masters hiding there. Let's rest for two days and just ask for information. Don't cause trouble."
Seeing that it was getting dark, everyone quickened their pace.
When we came to the hill slope, we also saw other caravans on their way, looking like they were in a hurry.
"We're late again on the way, I'm afraid there may be no room at the inn."
"Shopkeeper, why is it so lively today?"
"Well, Zouma Town is like this. All those idle young men from Yuzhou come here to have fun. They spend a lot of money and the prices of the inns they build keep rising."
"Let's find a carriage shop and spend the night..."
Listening to the conversation of these caravans, Li Yan and others looked at each other.
Among the inns, the carriage and horse shop is considered to be the lowest level. They are all coachmen who drive large cars, and they sleep in Datongbu.
Not to mention the environment, the smell alone is unbearable.
The girls in the Bai family love to be clean. After Li Yan awakened to Smelling Mystical Power, they were more picky and particular about food, drink and housing.
Therefore, even if you spend more money, you still have to stay in a good hotel.
Now that it's raining again, is it really necessary to set up a tent and sleep outdoors?
"Let's go, let's take a look first and then talk?"
Li Yan shook his head slightly and led the team to move forward.
Perhaps because of the trade route, there are many caravans coming and going, and they extend in all directions. Even if bandits come, they cannot be guarded, so this ancient town of Zouma is not surrounded by a city wall.
This ancient town is quite old and covers a larger area, and you can see several huge ancient trees with green and dense crowns, covering the buildings below.
The streets are all stacked with bluestones. It must have taken a lot of effort in the beginning, but the traffic and hundreds of years of wind and rain have already made them uneven and even left traces of ruts.
The autumn rain is continuous, causing large and small puddles to accumulate.
Looking around, there are large and small inns, teahouses and restaurants everywhere, with bright lights, the sound of allegro and opera singing, and the sound of shouting.
On both sides of the street, there are also small wild food shops with tents set up. Steam is rising in the rain and mist, and there are many diners.
"Store, do you still have any rooms?"
"I'm sorry, sir, we're full early."
"Is it full here too?"
"Sir, you are late. You will not be available until three days. If you want to stay, I will keep it for you..."
Sure enough, Sha LiFei asked all the way and all the inns were full.
After asking another waiter, he couldn't help complaining. "This is a post road, why can't we even stay in an inn?"
"Sir, you don't know something."
The waiter in the shop was not angry, he nodded and said, "In the past two days, the two gangs of Storytelling School have been fighting with each other and using all their methods. They took out all the stuff at the bottom of the box."
"Businessmen who come and go will not miss it. Even if they are delayed for two days, they still want to enjoy it. Even some young men from Chongqing Prefecture have said hello in advance and booked rooms."
"It's just a story telling, is it necessary?"
Sha LiFei is a little speechless.
The waiter in the store was surprised and said, "You don't know, they are 'Li TieZui' and 'KuaiBan Liu'. These two have their own strengths. Even if they reach Chengdu Prefecture, it is difficult to get a ticket."
Li TieZui...
Li Yan was thoughtful after hearing it.
When he was in Wanzhou, Cui Song once mentioned to him that a strange man from Sichuan named "Gray-robed Mad Monk" asked him in a dream to eradicate evil spirits.
"Gray-robed Mad Monk" is a strange person from Tang Era and a disciple of Xing He Pu.
Even Xing He Pu himself admitted that the divination technique of "Gray-robed Mad Monk" is even more powerful and must not be provoked.
Xing He Pu got Wang Chan Ancestor's Scripture Forest and knows some secrets about the Great Luo Dharma Realm. "Gray-robed Mad Monk" should be the same.
Li Yan came to Zouma Town not only because this is the main road to Chengdu, but also because I wanted to get some news.
According to Cui Song of the Yi Divination Sect, it was at Zouma Town that he learned the story of "Gray-robed Mad Monk" from Li TieZui.
This "Li TieZui" is one of the targets of Li Yan.
Thinking of this, Li Yan took over the conversation and said, "You really can't miss it. May I ask where else we can look for if we want to stay?"
Although the waiter had a good attitude, he was obviously annoyed by the question. He smiled and said, "There must be a place, but I'm afraid you won't be able to live in it, even if you have money."
Sha LiFei was happy, "Tell me, wherever I look, we men can't live in it even with money!"
The waiter pointed to the north, "There is Zouma Post in the north of the city. Although the imperial court needs to reform and merchants can live there, Zouma Post is not short of money, unless you have official documents from the court."
Li Yan's group of people are dressed like Yang Opera Troupe who has traveled around the world. Naturally, there cannot be any official documents from the imperial court.
Sha LiFei said impatiently, "What else?"
The waiter in the shop suddenly felt something in his heart. He knew that his tone of voice was not good, so he nodded quickly and said, "Please forgive me, it's not easy to live with the remaining two."
"One is Sun Family Compound from the east of the city. He is a wealthy merchant from the Salt Gang and a well-known figure in the world. If he is a well-known figure in the world, he will have all the food and lodging included when he comes to the door, as well as some money..."
"The other one is the Chengnan Guild Hall, which is not only Xie Family Ancestral Hall but also Jin Prefecture Guild Hall. It only accepts businessmen traveling to and from Jinzhou."
"Hey, what a coincidence!"
Sha LiFei Yile, "We can really live in it!"
Jin Prefecture Guild Hall, the area is not large, it only looks like three courtyards, and it is a typical Jinzhou building.
High walls, large courtyards, small windows, once the gate is closed, and piles of earth and rocks, it is a fortress that can resist bandit invasion.
At this time, the Jin Prefecture Guild Hall door was half open, and under two huge red lanterns, stood two men, wearing black clothes and red belts, with stocky bodies and sharp eyes.
Li Yan A group of people, all wearing Nuo faces and wearing broad robes.
Seeing them coming from the dark night, rain and fog, anyone would be frightened. The two men immediately pressed the hilts of their swords and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, please stop, I don't know what you are doing?"
Li Yan took out a bronze medal from his arms and said calmly, "Jade Emperor Temple's fellow Daoist Hu Ming gave this sign and said that Jin Prefecture Guild Hall can stay here everywhere."
While in Wuchang, they commissioned master craftsmen from Jinzhou to make firearms, and helped Jade Emperor Temple and Royal Palace of Wu Prefecture connect to purchase treasures.
The other party gave him the sign, but he didn't know if it was of any use.
"Oh?"
The man carefully took the sign and nodded respectfully, "Everyone, please wait a moment. I'll be right back."
After that, enter the courtyard with the sign.
After about half a stick of incense, he hurriedly turned back, followed by an old man with a kind face and gorgeous clothes.
The old man didn't seem to care about the costumes of Li Yan and the others. He smiled and said, "I'm Xie ZhengYuan, I didn't know that a distinguished guest came to my door. I'm sorry for the delay in welcoming you."
After saying that, he raised his hand and said, "Please, everyone, the room has been tidied up. It happens to be relatively empty these days."
"It's time to work."
Li Yan was also a little surprised and led everyone in.
Sha LiFei asked strangely, "Boss Xie, aren't you afraid that we are bad guys?"
The old man stopped, turned around with a slight smile and said, "Young Hero Li, who is famous in Ezhou, how can he be a villain?"