Sword of Coming

Chen Ping'an and Xiao Mo stood at the railing of the ferry. Under their eyes, the mountains and rivers of the earth were winding like silk threads.

Raising your sight, if the sky has no four walls, then human vision is like an invisible wall, in which everyone is imprisoned.

Xiao Mo asked: "Master, are you waiting for someone?"

"Waiting for the owner of this ferry."

Chen Ping'an turned his head and glanced at the third floor of the ferry, then withdrew his gaze and continued walking with Xiao Mo on the bow. In fact, the ferry named Liquan under their feet was an immortal magic weapon that could move clouds and spread rain. From the founding of the Song Dynasty in Dali to more than a hundred years ago, the Song Dynasty in Dali had not yet gotten rid of its status as a vassal of the Lu Dynasty. It suffered from internal and external troubles and a weak national power. It often needed to borrow this mountain ferry from the Changchun Palace to deal with local affairs. When there was a drought in the county, they invited immortal masters to cast spells and bring down sweet rain. It is said that the Dali imperial court owed a lot of debts for this, and the Changchun Palace never pressed debts with the Song family. So when the Dali dynasty rose, several Song emperors The monks of Changchun Palace have always been treated with special preferential treatment. If it were not for the fact that Changchun Palace has never had Jade Pure Realm monks, otherwise there is no doubt that joining the sect would be a matter of course. His Majesty the Emperor of Da Li would have made an exception and personally attended the celebration to congratulate them.

Chen Ping'an explained: "We boarded the ship before and came uninvited. If we leave without saying goodbye, it would be rude. It is very taboo in the mountains."

"If we take the initiative to visit the ferry steward, it will be easy to think too much about Changchun Palace."

"It doesn't matter in Luzhou, Beiju. The customs in the two places are still different. It can be said that the water and soil of one side nurture the people of the other."

Xiao Mo smiled and said: "Staying with the young master, you can learn a lot of human skills outside of books."

Chen Ping'an didn't answer the question at all, and just told Xiao Mo about the past of Changchun Palace and the Song family of Dali.

Xiao Mo then took a high look at this native fairy palace in Da Li and said: "We will tide over the difficulties together, and Changchun Palace can wait until the clouds clear and the moon shines."

Chen Pingan nodded and said: "It is indeed a good relationship to help each other in the same boat."

"Xiao Mo, in the future when you leave Luopo Mountain, Haoran Jiuzhou and other places are easy to talk about, but Beiju Luzhou must be visited."

"Okay, Xiaomo must travel north to this place if he has the chance."

Chen Ping'an took Xiaomo from the bow to the stern and looked towards the north.

If a swordsman from Luzhou in Beiju died in battle in a foreign land, as long as he was a sword cultivator, he would have the custom of sacrificing swords on the same continent regardless of whether he was an enemy or friend.

Just like the Ghost Valley in the Skeleton Beach, Gao Chenghui from Jingguan City took the initiative to hand over his fists, even consuming a lot of spiritual energy and opening the restrictions on heaven and earth, just so that the sword repairer Pu Chun could sacrifice his sword and rise higher into the sky.

Just like when it comes to sacrificing swords, Ghost Valley must not lag behind others, and the sword's light must not be inferior to others.

As for Muyi Mountain, which is just around the corner, the Pima Sect, which is a mortal enemy of Jingguan City, will never wait for an opportunity to make any attack on Jingguan City.

But regarding this matter, Chen Ping'an didn't say much to Xiao Mo.

Although the scene was magnificent and touching. But it's best never to be seen again.

In the two foreign battlefields of the Great Wall of Sword Qi and Aquarius Continent, the Beiju Luzhou Sword Immortal who could have stayed out of the battle has really withered away too much.

On the third floor of the ferry, there was a beautiful cultivator who was accomplished in Buddhism and always young. She was dressed as a woman, without makeup, and looked graceful. She just accidentally looked at Chen Ping'an. She forced herself to calm down and sighed quietly in her heart. It was a blessing rather than a curse. It was a curse that could not be avoided. She had to show up in person. The woman was the current steward of the Liquan ferry. If possible, she wanted to pretend that she had not seen anything and let the other party board the boat quietly and ignore it. , swaggeringly getting off the boat without stopping, I blamed myself for not being able to hold back my desire to explore, and looked at the bow of the boat a few more times.

She was really curious about the legendary swordsman in blue.

She took a deep breath, smoothed her hair at her temples, and straightened the hem of her robe.

Earlier, Master Yuhong had a dispute with someone, a martial arts competition, and the ferry boat on the mountain was always dealing with this kind of river and lake affairs. It is always loose on the outside and tight on the inside. But if it is a fight between immortal masters, I'm sorry, please get off the boat.

Then, on the Liquan ferry side, someone discovered that there seemed to be two unregistered Qi practitioners among the crowd watching the excitement. They were both unfamiliar faces. When they looked at it again, they were almost scared out of their wits. One of them turned out to be Chen, the leader of the Luoluo Mountain who broke the sky in Zhengyang Mountain, euphemistically called it Guanli. Not only did he demolish the ancestral hall, but he also erected a monument on the border.

The female cultivator who was responsible for checking for abnormalities on the ferry quickly found the steward and asked the latter to make a decision.

Evict people? Make up money?

Of course, it was left to the steward to decide whether to invite the Sword Immortal to drink or tea.

The female cultivator in charge calmed down a little, then she made a secret and performed a transposition technique. When she arrived on the ferry deck, she hurriedly walked towards the green-robed swordsman at the stern of the boat, who had only one entourage beside him.

It is no exaggeration to say that he must be bold and brave.

Compared to other mountain sects, Changchun Palace can be said to be one of the most well-informed mountains in Aquarius Continent.

She is a Golden Elixir Immortal from Changchun Palace and serves as the enshrined elder. She has a seat in the Patriarch Hall, and the seat is relatively close to the front. Therefore, compared to the genealogy monks in Zhengyang Mountain, Old Dragon City and Yunxia Mountain, she knows more about the inside story of the mountain and has heard more shocking truths.

When she met the young mountain master of the Luoluo Mountain, she folded her hands and knelt down, and gave her a blessing. She said with great demeanor, "I have met the mountain master Chen. My name is Gan Yi, my Taoist name is Wusong, and I am now the steward of this ferry."

The female nun was afraid that her name might be taken advantage of, so she quickly added: "It's the sweet Gan, the refreshing Yi."

Chen Pingan clasped his fists and said, "I've seen Mr. Gan."

Xiao Mo glanced at Gan Yi, who was full of energy and eyes.

This golden elixir female cultivator has bright eyes and good eyesight, and two dimples on her cheeks. So the woman in front of me is a kind-looking person.

Chen Pingan helped introduce: "My family worships Xiao Mo. Big and small, strange Mo."

Xiao Mo bowed in salute, smiled warmly, and said softly: "It's my honor to meet Master Gan Xian."

Gan Yi quickly returned the gift, "Gan Yi has met Immortal Master Xiao Mo."

Who knows if the other party is another hidden swordsman?

Changchun Palace has learned from past mistakes in this matter, and Gan Yi cannot help but be cautious again.

Gan Yi asked tentatively: "Shanshan Master Chen is going back to Luopo Mountain?"

Chen Pingan shook his head and said: "There are two friends on the boat who have known each other for many years. They came here to take a look. After drinking, they were just about to return to the capital. Xiao Mo and I boarded the boat rashly earlier, so I have to apologize to Manager Gan. "

I wanted to say that the Liquan ferry docking fee at Niujiadu can be waived.

This sentence almost blurted out, but luckily I held it back.

Talking about this with Changchun Palace, who has a lot of money, would be too arrogant.

Gan Yi's mind changed quickly and she asked cautiously: "Master Chen's friend, is he the Great Master of Fish?"

In fact, if she didn't want to ask, it would easily lead to complications, so she really didn't dare not ask.

There is no other way. When chatting with these high-ranking monks on the mountain top, the other party often has something to say, but also something behind his words.

It seems like it's all nonsense, but in fact not a single word is nonsense.

She did not dare to regard this young swordsman from a poor background as a simple-minded mountain monk who succeeded only by luck.

If it is a fish rainbow.

The ferry fare for that group of people has been collected. Do you want to pay back? That's too cheap.

But there are other ways to make up for it, such as sending a few jars of Changchun Palace Immortal Brew there in person.

Otherwise, if he is just a great master of martial arts, Changchun Palace really won't have to struggle to cling to him. He is just a nine-level martial artist who is not young but has no hope of success.

Although Changchun Palace is not a sect, it is the local immortal family of the Great Li Dynasty second only to the Longquan Sword Sect, not to mention that the top of the mountain is close to the Longxing land of the Song family of Great Li.

Of course, now there is another Luo Luoshan with the prefix Zong.

Chen Pingan shook his head and said: "It's not Yu Hong, it's Mr. Zhu and Mr. Yu. But it's a coincidence that both seniors are now elders in Fushu Hall."

Gan Yihe immediately realized that he had to give away at least three jars of wine.

Of course, Yu Hong is indispensable, otherwise it will make it difficult for Chen Shanzhu's two "seniors in the world" to live a good life.

Chen Ping'an was about to say goodbye and leave, Gan Yi suddenly said: "Master Chen, it was our Changchun Palace who realized it later. The Changchun Palace is deeply grateful for Mi Dajianxian's protection of the road back then. If there is anything wrong with the mountains and rivers along the way, Zhou Zhizhi, I hope Mi Da Sword Immortal will bear with me."

A few years ago, the Changchun Palace had a female cultivator from the lineage of the Supreme Elder "Lin You". They had experienced traveling to the south, and there were no surprises. Everything went smoothly. I never thought that the only big surprise was the person who was traveling with me right in front of me. .

On the way, they passed by Piyun Mountain and Beiyue Mountain. There happened to be a guest named Yu Mi who wanted to return home, so they went with them all the way to protect the road.

The theory given by Piyunshan at that time was that the ancestor of Yu Mi's family was an old acquaintance of Wei Shanjun. He had not practiced for more than sixty years, and he was a Qi practitioner in the Guanhai realm. He was also a master of swords and talismans, with great combat power. Not vulgar.

It turned out to be all bullshit...

Chen Pingan nodded and smiled: "Okay, I can help with the little things. But I have also heard Mi Yu talk about this matter. I can tell that he has a good impression of Changchun Palace and said that the elders on your mountain are well-protected. , try your best, the younger generation is diligent in practice, and it is very easy to get along with them.”

There was an extra smile on Gan Yi's face, as if she had taken a reassurance.

A swordsman from the Great Wall of Sword Qi with an unpredictable temperament. It really cannot be taken lightly. In the Changchun Palace Patriarch Hall, this matter was mentioned many times and remained unresolved.

Don't take the kind words of Shanzhu Chen in front of you too seriously.

But if the other party doesn't even bother to say a kind word, that's extremely problematic.

Never would I have thought that today's chat, which was not seeking merit but seeking no faults, would also have an unexpected joy, allowing Gan Yi to help his master solve a minor heart problem.

On the way to the south for training, in the Huangting Kingdom, the Changchun Palace impeached a troublesome painting demon from Yunshan Temple, and then freed an old cultivator soldier from his trap, and went to the central part of Aquarius Continent to lead the heroic spirit of a Great Li general back home. Finally, The most important secret matter was to go to Fengxue Temple to buy a small piece of ten thousand year old pine for the then-living general Su Gaoshan.

The Supreme Elder of the Changchun Palace and the ancestor of the Qin family in Dalugou had a "story" with each other, so the Changchun Palace thought that this move was not impossible. However, as soon as the other party heard that they wanted to buy Ten Thousand Years Pine, they turned against each other. I have recognized the person, saying that this matter is absolutely impossible. Because the ten-thousand-year-old pine tree named "Eternal Love" grows on the Immortal Terrace of Fengxue Temple and nominally belongs to the Great Sword Immortal Wei and Jin Dynasty.

Therefore, a group of female cultivators from the Changchun Palace met with disappointment at the Fengxue Temple and returned home disappointed. They were all anxious and uneasy. They didn’t know how they would deal with their master, and how the master would have a perfect relationship with a great Li warrior. The hunting envoy explained.

Unexpectedly, there is another village where the flowers are bright and the flowers are bright. On the way back to Niujiaoshan Ferry, when "Yu Mi" got off the boat, he privately gave Han Biya a piece of ten thousand-year-old pine.

In fact, after the Changchun Palace confirmed the authenticity of the Wannian Pine at that time, it was extremely puzzled and could not understand how a monk of the fifth middle level, who was a guest of Piyun Mountain, obtained this thing.

purchase?

Even if Wei Bo, the tiger king, opened his mouth, he would not nod with Fengxue Temple's temper.

steal?

Who has the ability to cross the landscape restrictions of Fengxue Temple, and still has the courage to climb that "everlasting love" ancient pine?

Later, when the war was fierce in Old Dragon City, an unknown swordsman with outstanding combat power appeared. He had a graceful demeanor and a sword as bright as a rainbow. He liked to either dismember the demons and earthly immortals or cut them in half.

And it seems that this person is an old acquaintance with the sword fairy Li Cai from Luzhou in Beiju.

Changchun Gong checked his own intelligence with the Da Li intelligence and quickly verified the identity of this person, only to find out that it was "Yu Mi" from the "Guanhai Realm".

When the dispute broke out between Luopo Mountain and Zhengyang Mountain, it turned out to be Mi Yu, the Jade Pure Realm Sword Immortal from the Great Wall of Sword Qi who liked to lie drunk in the clouds!

His elder brother, Mi Hu, was a great swordsman who was once expected to reach the Ascension Realm.

There is a saying among the Dali frontier soldiers that the more dead people you see, the more you look at the living on the battlefield, the more you look at the dead. When killing people, your hands will be steady and your heart will be steady.

The battlefield at the foot of the mountain is like this, and the Sword Qi Great Wall must be the same, or even worse.

Therefore, the old woman from the Changchun Palace who was responsible for protecting the Tao, because she often made sarcastic comments to "Yu Mi" during her travels, now she often feels a chill on her neck, as if she has been wandering around the gates of hell.

Chen Ping'an was a little confused. Considering Changchun Palace's transcendent status on Dali Mountain, it had never had any grudges with Luolu Mountain. Seeing herself as the owner of the mountain, Gan Yi logically said that she would not be so restrained.

Actually quite so.

Because Chen Ping'an doesn't know anything yet.

In addition to the sects, monks on the mountain also have various "small hills" that have no mountain boundaries. For example, the ferry stewards of various families who often meet outside will have personal friendships of varying degrees, and there are even special mirrors to communicate with each other. , to facilitate the exchange of some ways to make money.

And he, the last hidden official of the Sword Qi Great Wall, owes his prestige in the loose "gang" of the cross-continental ferry to an unimaginably high level thanks to the "Battle of Chunbanzhai" at Hanging Mountain.

Spreading falsehoods is astonishing.

With the Confucian Temple now lifting the ban on Shanshui Dibao, there are no more taboos, and the spread is even more thrilling...

As a result, among the ferry stewards in the world, a competition from low to high gradually and inexplicably emerged.

The stewards of a cross-continental ferry boat look down upon those who can only fly back and forth within one continent. The stewards of cross-continental ferryboats who are lucky enough to have been to Daoxuan Mountain and "contributed their meager efforts" to the Great Sword Qi Great Wall look down upon those who don't. The cross-continental ferries that have done business with the Jianqi Great Wall, those who have been to Daoxuan Mountain and walked into the gate of Chunfanzhai to discuss business, look down on those poor people who have never sat down in the lobby of Chunfanzhai.

Those who have been to Chunbanzhai and personally participated in the "mountain summit meeting" will look down on those who have not experienced the "hidden official style" in person.

Nowadays, such a small group of ferry stewards, when they are away from home, look above their heads and look at all the other ferry stewards without even saying that you are all rubbish.

After all, how did you know that the undercurrents of that meeting back then were extremely dangerous, that our lives were hanging by a thread, and that the waves of Haruhatasai were rising one after another?

The two sides confront each other.

Yin Guan led a dozen sword immortals and almost closed the door and killed people.

As the steward of Liquan Ferry, Gan Yi had of course heard some secret rumors that were shrouded in clouds and mist.

So Gan Yi knew exactly who she was facing.

He is no longer Master Chen, nor is he a close disciple of the Wen Sheng lineage, but the last hidden official of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

The last time there was a meeting in the Patriarch Hall of Changchun Palace, the palace master said something meaningful.

Our Dali is not far from Beiju Luzhou.

Gan Yi said with a sincere look: "If Shanzhu Chen is not in a hurry, you can try our Changchun Palace wine."

Chen Pingan declined politely: "Forget it this time, Xiaomo and I won't bother you any more."

Changchun Palace was actively listed as one of the candidates for the sect by the Dali imperial court, and there was no effort to fight for it.

In the previous meeting at the Chinese Confucian Temple, Song Changjing also asked for three additional sect quotas from the Confucian Temple. Changchun Palace did not run around like Zhengyang Mountain and Yunxia Mountain, looking for opportunities, and did not think about fighting for a place for himself, probably because he was afraid of the big crowd. The Lisong family was in trouble because of this. It can be seen that Changchun Palace's sense of propriety in dealing with people is not generally good.

Although Chen Ping'an already knew the three quotas, the Dali Dynasty had already made arrangements for the lower sect in Zhengyang Mountain named "Huangshan Sword Sect" by the Bamboo Emperor, a large temple near Longqiu in Yandang Mountain, and another Plus Cao Rong’s Taoist temple.

Therefore, Changchun Palace will not break the rules and join the sect, but the status of a candidate for the sect is not an empty title that is icing on the cake. Once the Great Li Iron Cavalry makes another military exploit in the wild world, Changchun Palace will still be able to do so even if it does not have the Jade Pu Realm. After obtaining permission from the Confucian Temple, we were able to fill the gap. The lower sects of Shen Gao Sect and Yunxia Mountain had to wait until they could take their turn.

Seeing that Chen Pingan was unwilling to stop drinking, Gan Yi was obviously a little disappointed.

She just didn't dare to joke with Chen Pingan casually.

Otherwise, Gan Yi really has a sincere statement that is not a joke, and she really wants to talk to this Lord Yin Guan.

As long as Master Chen is willing to go to the Changchun Palace as a guest, even if he just drinks a few glasses of wine and leaves, those crazy girls will be able to compete for the person responsible for serving the wine to the table, and they don't care about the friendship between the same family.

It should be noted that the female cultivators of Changchun Palace have always been extremely open-minded towards the love between men and women.

Some young female cultivators have already threatened that if Chen Jianxian comes in person, I can show up with a drink. If I don't pay attention, I sprain my foot. I don't expect it to fall into my arms. However, Chen Jianxian stretched out his hand to help me, anyway. There is no escape!

How did Chen Ping'an know about these smoky secrets of other families at the top of the mountain?

But if he really finds out, it is estimated that Changchun Palace will not even think about seeing Master Chen for at least a few hundred years.

Chen Pingan said goodbye.

Wearing a green shirt, his figure turned into dozens of subtle sword lights and disappeared in a flash on the ferry.

Xiao Mo smiled, lowered his head and clasped his fists, said goodbye to Gan Yi, and then disappeared out of thin air.

There was no spiritual energy ripple on the Liquan ferry, and the ferry formation seemed to be in vain, but Gan Yi was not surprised.

At dusk, it's like burning clouds.

Because Chen Ping'an was not in a hurry to rush back to the Great Li Capital City, the sword light condensed his figure in the distance, and then the sword light dissipated again, and they reunited further north, a hundred miles away.

No longer using this escape technique that he had not yet mastered, Chen Pingan walked forward on a sea of ​​​​flaming red clouds. He laughed with the stranger beside him and said: "There is a proverb in my hometown, the fire will burn the big clouds at night, and tomorrow I will travel thousands of miles. In fact, I landed in the Lizhu Cave. Before taking root, very few people really traveled such a long distance, and they always went in circles. The farthest was going to the mountains to cut firewood and burn charcoal, and then they had to go back home. It might be a round trip, which was only more than a hundred miles of mountains and rivers."

The kiln fire on the ground in my hometown has seen countless morning glow and sunset glow in the sky.

Because there was Zhou Haijing first, and then Zhu Fengxian and Yu Cangmang, Chen Ping'an realized something. In addition to having its own Jinghua Shuiyue, Luopo Mountain also needed to collect all kinds of information on Yizhou Mountain through this matter. Therefore, in addition to someone in Luolu Mountain starting to prepare for the establishment of an intelligence agency, just the expense of watching the fairy tales in various fairy mansions, the fairy money is not a small amount. If you want to watch other fairy houses and other fairies' mirrors, you have to buy a lot of spiritual weapons on the mountain. Fortunately, in addition to paying for it, Zhu Lian, Mi Dajianxian, and Chen Lingjun are all very suitable for this matter... among the best.

The mountain-protecting formation of Luolu Mountain is both offensive and defensive.

There is already the true shape picture of the Five Mountains by the old temple master, and in the old mountain temple on the top of the mountain, there is a scroll of the Sword Immortal hanging.

This trip to the hinterland of the wilderness brought a lot of rewards. Speaking of Yunwen Dynasty's Jade Edition City, Chen Ping'an obtained the Twelve Flying Swords from the emperor Ye Bao whose Taoist name was "Dubu".

Coupled with the formation map previously donated by Taiping Mountain, the offensive sword formation that will be built in the Jise Peak Ancestral Hall in Luolu Mountain in the future will be quite lethal. If you can kill Yu Pu, you can scare the immortals.

Just the thought of spending money everywhere can easily make people short of breath. Fortunately, Chen Ping'an remembered that he seemed to be an anonymous guest of the Liu family in Aai Aizhou.

If you have a registered guest, you need to show your face, and the guest guest will have to "click the button" every few years. If the guest guest is anonymous, you don't have to pay this attention, and it is almost equal to getting money for nothing.

On the side, Xiao Mo, with his ingenuity and skill, began to weave a pair of sneaking shoes on the cloud road. They were snow-white and of high quality at first glance.

Above the sea of ​​clouds, as if walking on flat ground, Chen Pingan asked casually: "Xiao Mo, when do you think Wei Jin will be able to reach the Ascension Realm?"

Xiao Mo thought for a while, "Wei Da Sword Immortal's qualifications are quite good, and I got that opportunity. If I don't fight, if I don't sharpen my Taoist heart in the field of life and death, and if I don't fight to the death with swordsmen with higher sword skills, I guess It will take four to five hundred years of hard work before we can see the bottleneck of the Earthly Immortal..."

At this point, Xiao Mo quickly changed his words and said: "Today is different from the past. It can be called the immortal realm."

Chen Pingan asked: "Are all the earthly immortals in ancient times really so powerful?"

Xiao Mo smiled and said: "In fact, it is not too strong, but it is certainly not weak. It is extremely difficult for an earthly immortal to ascend to heaven and become a god. Just the first pass is equivalent to asking a sword cultivator at the peak of the immortal realm. After that, there were two more passes waiting. According to legend, one of them involved the Taoist's character, which was relatively illusory. Therefore, even if there were two ascending platforms, most earthly immortals would not dare to go up them, as if they were seeking death. , if we wait until those human immortals and gods have decayed, and then take a risk to survive, they will definitely die. Therefore, there is a helpless paradox, which ultimately makes the male and female earth immortals at that time, The number of people who successfully reach the sky is extremely limited."

"When Xiao Mo didn't practice swordsmanship and was bored, he would sit near the ascension platform and watch others ascend to the sky. Many times, he never saw anyone reach the highest gate of heaven. Without exception, they all died on the way. Well, those Taoist priests’ skins and souls are like...flowers blooming. They practice hard, but in the end they just add a majestic rain of spiritual energy to the world. Anyway, I think it is quite a pity."

"If Wei Jin had been born in that year, he would probably have successfully climbed to the summit of the Ascension Platform."

Chen Ping'an smiled and said: "With Wei Dajianxian's arrogance in buying wine, it is not difficult to get into the Ascension Realm."

As for the ten-thousand-year-old pine named "Eternal Love", Wei Jin, who was the only monk on the Immortal Terrace, actually had a headache.

If it weren't for the fact that the ancient pines were tied to the mountain roots and were extremely difficult to transplant, the Wei and Jin Dynasties would have had the Big Salaman Valley, Lvshuitan, or Wenqing Peak moved away.

Otherwise, Fengxue Temple will only be tired of dealing with all the favors, because there are too many immortal masters and dignitaries asking for the branches, leaves and bark of this ten thousand year old pine tree, whether they are ordinary women at the foot of the mountain or the red dragon who has not yet been killed on the mountain. The female cultivator used the ten thousand-year-old pine to cook medicine, which was an excellent elixir.

But when encountering various forces that came to buy this thing, Fengxue Temple did not agree to the outsider even once, and it seemed particularly unkind in this matter.

Although Wei Jin had told the sect leader twice that when he was not practicing in the mountains, the Ancestral Master Hall could do whatever they wanted with the "Eternal Love" tree.

In fact, the years Wei Jin spent practicing in Fengxue Temple, after the first time he went down the mountain, were only counted on one finger. Otherwise, Wei Jin would not have even been in the Nascent Soul Realm's life and death barrier in his own mountain. .

So Wei and Jin couldn't help but wonder if Fengxue Temple was unwilling to sell Ten Thousand Years Pine and was deliberately using itself as a shield?

When he returned to Fengxue Temple last time, Wei Jin had the idea of ​​accepting a nominal disciple?

No matter how close I am to Fengxue Temple, the Immortal Platform lineage must be passed down.

So before we met again at the Great Wall of Sword Qi, Wei Jin, a down-and-out mountain guest, asked the mountain master to help him keep an eye out for any suitable swordsmen.

The Wei and Jin Dynasties only had one requirement: their cultivation qualifications could be average, but the child must be a native of Aquarius Continent.

After all, he is the first disciple. As for the future closed disciples, of course Wei Jin still has to choose them himself.

So in addition to letting Chen Pingan help select disciples, he also discussed something with Chen Pingan. If he had any ideas about the ancient pine, he could go to Fengxue Temple to buy it himself. Besides, Wei Jin had already agreed to this matter, so as long as Fengxue Snow Temple has no problem with it, and Luo Lo Mountain can afford the money, so the ancient pine trees can be moved to Luo Lo Mountain.

However, Chen Ping'an didn't have such an idea. Of course, it wasn't that he wasn't greedy or tempted, but it was very possible that Fengxue Temple, waiting for the successful refining of the thousand-year-old pine, might reach the sky in one step, enter the upper five realms, and then become Fengxue. The mountain guard of the temple is worshiped.

Especially after the death of the old mountain-moving ape in Zhengyang Mountain, Aquarius Continent once again had a vacancy for an upper-level five-level elf, and it was even more impossible for Fengxue Temple to sell the ten thousand-year-old pine tree that had a promising avenue.

What's more, since the ancient pine is called "Changqing", it must have some unknown origin.

Of course, Chen Ping'an didn't need to go to Fengxue Temple to ask for trouble.

On the Liquan ferry side, Gan Yi didn't look away for a long time.

Nowadays, all the monks in the continent are regretting that the Great Sword Immortal Wei of Fengxue Temple did not bring one or two Sword Immortal embryos from the Sword Qi Great Wall to Aquarius Continent.

No matter how the other seven continents in the world view these children from foreign lands, they can only walk sideways on Aquarius Continent and Beiju Luzhou.

The mountain monks on the two neighboring continents in the north and south are all their guardians.

Gan Yi actually wanted to ask a question just now. Is there any young sword cultivator from the Great Wall of Sword Qi practicing in Mount Chen's Luolu Mountain?

It's just that she's not a swordsman, so it's not appropriate to ask about this kind of thing.

Before moving, Gan Yi smiled charmingly.

Ha, Mr. Yin Guan has taken his own ferry.

When you look back, you can show off to others.

Go drink.

————

In the early morning of Dali Capital City, Xunqu, the preface class of Honglu Temple, came to Renyun Yiyun Tower again and sent Mr. Chen some newspapers from the six imperial yamen.

After Chen Ping'an returned to the capital last night, he found that Ning Yao was still retreating in the inn. Chen Ping'an spent the whole night reading in the library, while Xiao Mo hung up the "nothing" sign and used his blindfold to wander around casually. After walking through the brightly lit capital city and returning to the alley, he stayed in the yard outside and knitted several green robes.

I'm worried that if I follow the young master to the Luopo Mountain, I won't be prepared enough for the meeting ceremony.

Chen Pingan took Xiaomo out of the alley to meet Xunqu.

Xun Qu found that Mr. Chen had a younger-looking follower beside him today than last time. Xun Qu only knew that the person's name was Xiao Mo and that he was the deity of Luo Luo Mountain.

He is a mountain immortal who looks very friendly and easy-going.

Chen Pingan put the residence report in his sleeve, and as agreed, he and Xun Qu were going to visit a famous tourist attraction in the capital.

The group of people walked to the streets on both sides, which are more than a mile long. Rare books, calligraphy and paintings from past dynasties, pens, inks, paper and inkstones, rare antiques, everything.

This used to be an official kiln, specializing in firing glazed tiles and lapis lazuli bricks for Ouchi. Nowadays, on this street, there are many old shops that are two or three hundred years old. The good thing about this is that they all pay attention to repeat customers. No one is willing to smash their own golden signboards. Even if it is inevitable that some shops will deceive customers, but fake goods There are very few fakes. In the final analysis, this is a place where the capital is an elegant place to visit. If you don’t have any money in your pocket and your wallet is not big enough, you can only stare at it when you come here. You are destined to come in empty-handed and leave empty-handed.

Chen Ping'an got the hint from Xun Xuban's eyes and bought the three favorite books. The paper was as white as jade and they were considered rare books. Ordinary scholars, like seeing a beautiful woman on the road, can really only look at her but not touch her.

Chen Pingan finally gave Xun Qu six books. Three books were recorded in the account of Honglu Temple, amounting to about two hundred and eighty taels of silver.

The other three copies were given by Chen Pingan out of his own pocket to this young official who was in the same year as Cao Qinglang.

On the way back to Renyun Yiyun Tower, Xunqu hesitated and hesitated, but still asked in his heart: "Mr. Chen, aren't you curious about why I am a Taoist?"

Of course, with Mr. Chen's cultivation and vision, he must have seen through this matter long ago.

Chen Ping'an smiled and said: "We all have good fortunes, so there is no need to delve into them."

When you are in your thirties, your level of sea-viewing is actually quite high.

In the old Aquarius Continent, the monks in the middle and fifth realms were all gods and great demons.

Chen Pingan held back his laughter and asked, "Don't you know that Cao Qinglang is a fellow-minded person like you?"

Xun Qu was speechless and shook his head: "I never saw it."

Chen Ping'an said: "Okay, if you meet again in the future, you can have another topic and talk about spiritual practice."

Xun Qu couldn't help but whisper, "Good guy, pretend to be poor with me!"

Seeing Mr. Chen's playful look, Xun Qu felt a little embarrassed, "Mr. Chen, unlike Cao Qinglang, I am really poor and have been unable to keep money since I was a child."

Chen Ping'an joked: "After all, you are still an official, and you are very good at writing. It's better to have no money. In the future, you can write brilliantly and become a high official. When I come to the capital in the future, I will also have an official backer."

Xunqu was speechless.

Unlike his good friend Cao Qinglang, who was in the same year of the imperial examination, although Xunqu was born as a second-class Jinshi, his ranking was very low, so his official career started at a low level, otherwise he would not have been thrown into the Xiaojiuqing Yamen outside the six departments of Honglu Temple.

Xun Qu really didn't think he could be a high official. And no matter how big the official hat is, will it work for Mr. Chen?

Xun Qu hesitated for a long time again, "My master said that he has known Mr. Chen for a long time."

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Can I ask who the master is?"

Xun Qu said: "Master is a doctor in the ancestral hall of the Ministry of Rites and a minister of the Qing Dynasty."

Chen Ping'an immediately realized that this was the case.

Among the many Lang officials in the Dali officialdom, three positions are the most important: the Department of Examination of the Ministry of Personnel, the Department of Martial Arts Selection of the Ministry of War, and the Department of Ceremony of the Qing Officials of the Ministry of Rites. Although they are only the fifth-rank officials, they have great authority, especially The preacher of Xunqu, the doctor who worshiped the officials of the Qing Dynasty in the Rites Temple, was also in charge of the evaluation of the merits and demerits of all the landscape gods in Dali, so he was known as the "little heavenly official" on the mountain.

This old man, who has been in this official position for many years, seems to be an old friend of Li Jin, the water god of the Chongdan River.

The last time he appeared, he went to Red Candle Town in person to find trouble with the Yuye Jiangshui Goddess who had caused trouble.

It's just that this kind of official, similar to the supervisor Cao Gengxin in his hometown, Luopo Mountain is not suitable for taking the initiative to make friends.

In Chen Ping'an's view, a person's so-called "knowledge" is nothing more than "knowing and stopping".

It’s about what you know and what you don’t do.

Xun Qu accompanied Chen Pingan to the door of the inn near an alley.

Along the way, Xun Qu recalled the words of Honglu Temple Minister and asked the same question twice.

Cui Cheng, the national preceptor, never seems to care much about Mr. Guan's staff and the Ministry of Etiquette. As for deserted yamen like Honglu Temple, they are even less visible.

However, the Imperial Advisor has always paid great attention to the Arsenal Department of the Ministry of War, as well as the departments of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Industry.

Therefore, the arsenal doctor is said to be the position where it is easiest to lose one's official position, or even lose one's head.

In addition, it is said that the national adviser will personally review the resumes of minor officials such as the heads of the household and work departments. This is true for sesame officials, let alone the promotion and release of the two officials.

Xun Qu is not sure about one thing now. Because of his master's relationship, his official behavior in Honglu Temple has long fallen into the eyes of the imperial master?

Chen Ping'an returned the wooden box containing the messenger flying sword to Xun Qu, and said with a smile: "Before I leave the capital, I will give the Di Bao that I borrowed twice with Honglu Temple to Liu Gao, who is guarding the alley, and return to Xun Qu Ban just asks him for it directly."

Xun Qu bowed to express his thanks.

Because I know that Mr. Chen is helping himself to create an extra road in the capital without showing off the mountains and rivers.

It didn't seem to matter whether Xun Qu recognized the monk who was responsible for guarding the residence of the Imperial Master, or whether he was a familiar face or not. But it’s actually very important.

Xiaomo is the one who bought the most books today.

Last night he went to the Immortal Inn recommended by the young master. Just like the ferry on the mountain, there would be a pawn shop-like place to facilitate the Qi practitioners staying at the inn to exchange immortal money.

Xiaomo converted the three Xiaoshu coins given to him by the young master and converted them into snow coins and a large stack of silver notes, as well as some gold leaves and silver ingots necessary for traveling in the world.

Especially Xiaomo specially requested that the inn must help give him a big bag of golden melon seeds.

Because in Luolu Mountain, this thing has important uses.

At first, the female ghost cultivator who claimed to be the innkeeper was reluctant, because fancy things like golden melon seeds were indeed not very common, and were mostly gifts given to the younger ones by wealthy families. Not to mention the monks on the mountain, they were just people in the world. , who needs this thing when going out. Just waiting for the young monk named Xiaomo to say that he was a follower of Shanzhu Chen, Gaiyan melted dozens of gold ingots and pinched out a bag of golden melon seeds without saying a word. In the end, she still refused. Collect money.

Today, in addition to the classics of various schools of thought, Xiaomo also bought a lot of miscellaneous books.

We have poetry collections, literati's notes, novels about ghosts and ghosts, and even some examination articles transcribed and compiled into books, as well as some craft books that are said to be "martial arts secrets" in the examination room.

Chen Ping'an joked: "Why, you still want to pass the imperial examination and become an official? Then you are busy. In the county examination and the government examination, you first become a child scholar, and then in the autumn and rural examinations that are held every three years, you pass the examination and become an examiner, and then you become a scholar." The spring examination in the capital, becoming a Jinshi, and finally the palace examination, proceeding step by step, with many hurdles, just like a carp jumping through the dragon gate."

"But if you really have this idea, it's a good thing. You can ask Cao Qinglang to teach you. It's more reliable than buying these so-called secret books on craftsmanship and strategy."

"It's just that the Jinshi of the Great Li imperial court is indeed the most difficult to obtain. There is no one among them. It can be said that it is the most valuable Jinshi in the entire Haoran Jiuzhou. When there are too many people, the seeds of study in the vassal countries will gather here. Furthermore, the questions from the Ministry of Rites are too complicated and there is no fixed formula. Instead, the small countries in the south of Aquarius Island have promulgated some official books, including Yishu and rules. There must be more than a dozen books, but it can It is a shortcut, and it will be useful if you memorize it. Of course, this move has also been criticized by some well-educated scholars, who are very angry. There is a saying that the official compiled the entire book and the scriptures were ruined. "

"So Xiaomo, if you really want to be the number one scholar, you can go to a country south of the capital and stay for ten years. There, the relatives will open Mongolian fonts, that is, practice calligraphy. After that, you can go to a private school and get exposed to Mongolian books. To learn calligraphy and memorize, rich people go to private schools at home, while poor children go to rural schools. As long as the family is not too poor, they can usually afford it. After all, they have a place to read and learn, and then they start to study Confucian classics and study topics. .”

Xiao Mo kept listening to the young master's talk.

Chen Ping'an noticed Xiao Mo's curious eyes, as if he was wondering why he was so concerned about this matter.

Chen Ping'an nodded and smiled: "You're right, I did think about taking part in the imperial examination back then. When I went on a long trip for the second time, in my spare time while practicing boxing, I actually read a lot of related books. I thought about whether I would take part in the imperial examination in the future. If you start out as a child student and strive to be a master of Juren, then you will be satisfied. Silver Jinshi and Jin Juren."

Of course it doesn't matter now, since there is Cao Qinglang among the students anyway.

Xiao Mo sighed.

It wasn't that he really thought about the imperial examination fame, but Xiao Mo really couldn't imagine that books and knowledge in today's world were so cheap, almost worthless.

Thinking back to those days, how rare and valuable was a book full of words in the world?

So Xiao Mo had an idea. When he came to Luo Po Mountain, he would build a library and name it Wanjuan Tower.

Of course it's best to ask the young master to help you choose a good name.

Xiaomo was straightforward and immediately said the matter from his heart.

Chen Ping'an didn't need to think too much and blurted out: "It can be called Liangdaangmanlou."

Xiao Mo briefly browsed through the hundreds of famous poetry collections in Xinhu, and suddenly realized: "Wonderful!"

As a sword cultivator, he is a good collector of books.

There are clouds in ancient poems, and there are two books and swords in the book.

The book and the sword are both indistinct and random. Two dazed floors!

Chen Ping'an said casually: "Of course it's up to you whether to use this name or not."

Xiao Mo said in high spirits: "Sir, the name of this library is so good that Xiao Mo is not willing to make it public."

As a result, the young master held up his sleeves with his hands and looked askance.

Xiao Mo immediately realized what was going on and said, "Then use it. Having fun alone is not as good as having fun with everyone."

In the night, the restaurants on both sides of the Changpu River stretched all the way up and down.

There were lanterns and colorful decorations, bustling and noisy, drinking orders coming one after another, the sound of guessing games breaking the windows, and beautiful singing following.

According to legend, some people who like to drink and are not short of money can drink four or five times in a place like Changpu River from evening to early morning, just by moving a little.

Today, a descendant of the Guan family in Yizhou, who rarely comes here to drink, had a very private drinking bureau.

Pulling Jing Kuan, who was a colleague but not a friend, after leaving the Yamen, the two went straight to the Changpu River.

Guan Yiran and Jing Kuan had completely different backgrounds. They could be regarded as completely different, but now their official positions were the same.

Although Guan Yiran has sufficient military exploits and excellent official resume, and is an unsuspecting candidate for the minister of minister, no matter what, Jing Kuan, who was born in the Han clan, was able to serve as a Qing official in a certain department at the age of only a few years in his early thirties. The doctor became one of the chief officials of the Eighteen Divisions of Household Officials. This shows how broad the road to promotion in the officialdom of Dali was.

Someone in front touched his head, raised his head and cursed angrily. It turned out that he had been hit by spittle falling from the sky.

Jing Kuan whispered: "Yi Ran, I'm a little nervous. When I meet that Chen Jianxian, what should I say so as not to be indifferent?"

Because Guan Yiran left Beijing very early to join the army, he was as unfamiliar with this place as Jing Kuan, so he needed to ask for directions. When he heard Jing Kuan's question, he just smiled and said nothing.

Jing Kuan continued: "What are the taboos? Tell me quickly. Stop pretending to be deaf and dumb here."

Guan Yiran joked: "Taboo? Just one. When the time comes, you will not be able to drink well enough, which will cause us, Chen Jianxian, to not drink to the fullest. We will come here to take advantage of the joy and return disappointed. I will definitely bear your revenge when we look back."

Jing Kuan was still worried, "Are you a mountain god who is so young and has no temper? Are you waiting for me to make a fool of myself?"

Friends of friends are actually not as easy to get along with as imagined.

Guan Yiran rolled his eyes and said: "Mr. Langzhong, you are not very energetic. Stop being like an official. If you have a good meal with proper words and no leaks from beginning to end, then why should we go to the wine table? Today's meal, It’s different from the big and small drinking bureaus you participated in in the past. If you don’t believe me, when you meet Chen Jianxian later, you will say that you never drink, you just watch.”

Jing Kuan is good at everything, but he is too cautious and can't let go. I heard that when he and a group of colleagues from the household department of about the same age went to drink "little meat" wine elsewhere, Jing Kuan would straighten his back. Sitting upright on the pole, if there is a woman leaning against him, it will be like facing a powerful enemy.

Then the two met an acquaintance, wearing a blue shirt, long coat and cloth shoes.

He was standing at the door of a restaurant, seemingly waiting for them.

Jing Kuan recognized the other person at a glance. He was the foreigner who was sitting and drinking tea with Guan Yiran in the Hubu Yamen.

What's more, it hadn't been long since the last time we met at the government office, and the other person was still someone who could joke with Guan Yiran casually.

Let Jing Kuan remember deeply.

It seemed that this person was mistaken for a waiter soliciting business at the door. A customer in front of him actually started asking him something.

The man was not annoyed, he smiled and stretched his hand towards the inside of the restaurant, probably to help guide the way.

Guan Yiran stepped forward quickly and glanced at the restaurant sign, "Tsk, tsk, you really know how to choose a place. There are more than a hundred restaurants, but this one has the best drinks!"

Chen Pingan smiled and said: "Being a vegetarian, the cost of a meal is not low."

Guan Yiran waved his hand and said: "Go to the next door, go to the next door! The Master Jing next to me likes to eat meat but not vegetarian."

Chen Pingan smiled and looked at the young and promising doctor of Hubu. According to Guan Yiran, this person was also in charge of the fish scale album in the north stall of Hubu.

In fact, the last time they met, Chen Ping'an had discovered that behind the young official, there were as many as six red lanterns hung by various landscape gods. On the lanterns, there were the words secretly made by a certain mansion or temple, so they would Let this doctor appear to be rich in literary talent in the eyes of the spiritual watchers. At the same time, even if this person is alone in the mountains and rivers, walking in the mountains and old forests, he will naturally avoid evil spirits, ghosts and ghosts will be timid, and he can make the landscape spirits take the initiative to detour.

Jing Kuan quickly said: "It's fine here."

Chen Ping'an said with a smile: "Mr. Langzhong, are you sure you don't want to change restaurants? We have agreed in advance that if Sir Langzhong is polite to me, I will be really rude."

Seeing that none of them moved, as if the man in green shirt was waiting for him to change his mind, Jing Kuan had no choice but to lower his voice and asked Guan Yiran doubtfully: "When will Chen Jianxian arrive?"

Guan Yiran suppressed his laughter and raised his finger to point at Chen Ping'an, "Chen Accountant, Mr. Jing is asking you, when will Chen Jianxian arrive? Don't blame me for not reminding you, but don't keep us, Mr. Jing, waiting for a long time. He is the chief officer of the Tenth Division of the Qing Dynasty. He is in charge of the money bags of the three states. If you take it easy, even a high-ranking official like the Governor will be a little short when he sees Lord Jing in the Hubu Yamen."

Among the six departments of Da Li, the Department of Cleaning Officials in the Ministry of Hubu has the most number of Langguan. Because they are in charge of the court's purse, they also have the most official nicknames. The Ministry of Hubu is the Sunzi Yamen, so the Langzhong Yamen is the place for scolding. What else is there to say? .

As soon as Chen Pingan raised his foot, Guan Yiran jumped away, pointed at Chen Pingan, and laughed and said: "Master Langzhong, you are far away in the world and right in front of you. This accountant Chen is the one you want to drink tonight. ”

Jing Kuan was stunned for a moment, wishing he could dig a hole in the ground, so he bowed to the swordsman and apologized at the same time, "Master Chen, I have offended many people in the Yamen before."

Previously in the bastard Guan Yiran's house. The other party claimed to be Master Guan's younger brother in the Jianghu. As soon as he arrived in the capital, he rushed over to pay homage to the mountain...

It turns out that this Chen Jianxian is quite funny.

"I'm so brave, but I can't beat him, and I can't drink from him?"

Wouldn't it be funnier to speak for yourself?

Chen Ping'an smiled and said: "If you don't want to offend me, just say it without any proof. I'll see you at the wine table later."

The three of them crossed the threshold together and walked into the restaurant. Chen Jianxian personally led the way. As they climbed the stairs one after another, Jing Kuan secretly gave Guan Yiran an elbow, lowered his voice and laughed angrily: "Guan Yiran, are you cheap?! "

Guan Yiran said seriously: "What are you talking about? The person in front of us is the swordsman."

When they arrived at a private room on the top floor, Chen Pingan came with his own drinks.

However, there is an unwritten rule in the large and small restaurants on the Changpu River. Guests can bring their own drinks, but they still have to pay a fee, and the prices vary.

In fact, it is a rule specially made for the gods on the mountain. Anyway, there is no shortage of money to entertain friends here, and it is not fairy money.

Guan Yiran's so-called "prime" before was actually that in this restaurant, there were no young women called "wine girls" to help the guests warm the wine and pour the wine, and there were no female musicians to add to the fun.

Therefore, the taste of drinks here is notoriously lackluster in Beijing.

After Guan Yiran sat down, he smiled and said: "Chen Accountant, you gave me an inkstone earlier. I heard it came from Shuibang Pit, right?"

Before, Chen Pingan visited Guan Yiran and gave him a copy of the inkstone. Chen Pingan bullied the other party because he didn't know the inside story, so he said it was an old pit on the Yanshan Mountain in Yunku Blessed Land, and casually named it "Shuiban Pit".

Fraudulent me? Chen Ping'an looked puzzled and said: "Otherwise?"

Guan Yiran sneered and said: "Not to mention the old pits in Yanshan Mountain, even the new pits don't seem to have any waterfronts. Accountant Chen is very knowledgeable in giving gifts."

"Why, it was Chen Jianxian who spent a lot of money and paid a high price to Yunku Blessed Land to directly lease a piece of land on the Yanshan Mountain. He named it 'Shuibangkeng' and planned to resell it to our Aquarius Island so that he could raise the price conveniently? "

This hand-copied inkstone was actually donated by Guan Yiran to the minister in his government office out of generosity.

If it weren't for Ma Shangshu's two daughters who looked too much like their father,

Lord Shangshu, Guan Yiran will definitely call him Lord Yue now.

On the other hand, the granddaughter of Sun Mao, the chief minister of Honglu Temple, is a pretty person. Therefore, young people in Yichi Lane and Chier Street, as long as they are a little brave, like to shamelessly call the old temple minister who has a very good temper on the road.

Guan Yiran crossed his arms and said, "Chen Jianxian probably forgot that our household department also has a fat inkstone department?"

Chen Pingan said with a smile: "You said it casually, but you took it seriously. Hurry up and punish yourself with a drink."

Guan Yiran clicked his tongue and said, "You like to rake someone down, right?"

Plates of dishes were served on the table, and Guan Yiran was responsible for pouring wine, mostly chatting.

Jing Kuan didn't talk much, but he drank a lot.

Chen Ping'an suddenly said: "It's actually a good suggestion. I'll discuss it later with Mrs. Jiang from Yunku to see if we can buy the hundred-year purchase of that inkstone. Doesn't your household department happen to have an inkstone service department?"

"I advise you not to make this kind of money. The problem lies here. It cannot be circumvented. There is a turtle over there in the Inkstone Service Department. He makes money and is very cruel."

Guan Yiran shook his head and said: "This Inkstone Affairs Office sounds like a Qingshui Yamen, but it is actually very rich. Anyway, Dr. Jing and I are very jealous. If it wasn't for that bastard in charge, I would really want to find some ways. , try to see if you can get a piece of the pie.”

Jing Kuan smiled and said nothing.

Guan Yiran put one foot on the chair, and suddenly started to curse, probably because he was talking in a hurry, "This kid, also known as Longju, is just a piggy! He is in charge of the purchase of inkstones from other places, and he has a long hand up and down the mountain. . Can't hold him back. He usually talks loudly, and really thinks that he has the surname of Shangzhu Kingdom. I am confused. Speaking of his father, and going back several generations, officials are notoriously cautious. Why? When this kid got there, he started to be fooled by lard, and when he made money, he became famous for being ruthless and ruthless."

Jing Kuan smiled and said, "When he comes to your side, he still speaks very politely."

Here in the capital, no matter how good the yamen is, there will always be a few fly droppings. Doing things is not authentic, and being a person is not particular.

In the words of Guan Yiran and the others, they are shameless.

In the capital city of Dali, the first-class eunuchs in Yichi Lane and the generals in Chier Street were either thrown into the local government by their families like Guan Yiran, Cao Gengxin and Yuan Zhengding, relying on their ancestors. Yin, you may start out in officialdom, but if you can rely on your true ability to gain a firm foothold, rise step by step, your future will be bright.

Otherwise, there are people like Liu Xunmei who joined the army early and fought in the swords and the dead, with their heads above their belts, relying on their solid military exploits.

For example, Guan Yiran joined the army, served as a monk accompanying the army for many years, and then became the governor of Dadu. He was an outlier among the outliers. That's why there are so many old people in the officialdom, complaining that Guan Yiran only wears such a big official hat now.

The second-tier people can also become officials, but the official positions are not big, and most of them are officials from the capital. Whether it is through the imperial examination or the favor of the family, they can gain a firm foothold in the yamen.

The third-level people are not doing their jobs properly, but they can still be regarded as keeping to themselves, at least not causing trouble to the family. The lowest level is proficient in eating, drinking, prostitution and gambling. As long as it can have some relationship with the prodigal family, there is no ambiguity. He is idle, likes to compete with others and is jealous, has no abilities, and has a huge airs.

Guan Yiran snorted, "That's to be polite to my surname. Do you think he was polite when he met you? Did he look at you seriously?"

Jing Kuan said: "It's okay."

Guan Yiran looked at Chen Ping'an with a smile, then raised his finger and pointed at Jing Kuan, "Look, listen, what he said is impeccable. You should learn from it. At a young age, he is already an old man in the officialdom. If this guy It would be unjust if we don’t have a bright future.”

Chen Pingan smiled and said: "It doesn't matter what you say. As long as there is no leftover drinking, the wine will be fine. As long as the wine is fine, the character will definitely be fine."

Guan Yiran thought deeply and said: "That's true."

So Jing Kuan had to drink again.

Guan Yiran suppressed a smile and asked Jing Kuan to learn from Chen Accountant's persuasion skills.

Damn it, those days at Shujian Lake were so intertwined that the person who was invited into the wine vat didn't know it.

Guan Yiran said abruptly: "Jing Kuan may have been released."

Jing Kuan immediately shook his head and said: "If you don't even know your eight characters, tell him what to do."

Guan Yiran rolled his eyes and said: "Fuck you, hold it, you kid, just keep holding it for me. It's a done deal, and you haven't even said a word to me here. In our yamen, if you want to say I, Guan Yiran, have no acquaintances in the official department, so who dares to say that I have any acquaintances?"

Jing Kuan was a little helpless.

Guan Yiran is really drunk.

Otherwise, such words would be very inappropriate.

Of course, the more important thing is that Guan Yiran regards himself and Chen Ping'an as his own people.

In the Dali officialdom, who doesn't know that "the official surname is Guan".

Since all the officials have the surname Guan, it is conceivable that there are many former officials of the Guan family.

The key is that neither the late emperor nor the current emperor has any grudges about this.

After all, Mr. Guan was one of the few officials who dared to talk back to Cui Guoshi in the early years.

When Guan Yiran resigned from the post of Superintendent of Dadu and returned to the capital, unexpectedly, he served not in the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of War, but in the most hated Ministry of Household Affairs. In the officialdom, not to mention promotion, not even promotion. It was a real relegation.

Chen Ping'an nodded, raised his wine glass, and said with a smile: "I wish you, Sir, to go out as an official and benefit the whole country, and become a true father-in-law official who treats the people like his own children."

Jing Kuan was originally worried that Guan Yiran would tell more inside stories, but fortunately he just stopped talking, and it seemed that he was still not really drunk.

Not long ago, the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue called Jing Kuan to ask questions and asked a lot of questions. Although he had no clear intention, Jing Kuan knew that he would most likely leave the capital to become an official.

Moreover, Lord Shangshu also thinks highly of himself.

But Jing Kuan only had a few guesses about where to go.

When Guan Yiran deliberately mentioned this matter to Master Chen Shan, Jing Kuan began to be somewhat sure that the place where he was sent to serve as an official and county guard would most likely not be too far from Longzhou. . Maybe it's even in Longzhou, whose "jurisdiction" includes Luolu Mountain and Piyun Mountain!

The time, place, and people were favorable, and Jing Kuan had everything in place before he left the capital to serve as a local official.

Being an official in Longzhou is recognized as both a huge risk and a huge opportunity in the Dali officialdom. Those who end badly are like Wu Yuan, and those who end well are like Fu Yu.

The three of them drank for more than an hour. In fact, Chen Pingan didn't do much to persuade them to drink. Guan Yiran and Jing Kuan were arguing at the wine table.

After the two household ministers walked out of the restaurant, they staggered, supported each other, and walked by the Changpu River. Looking at the back of the green-shirted man with steady steps walking away, Jing Kuan was filled with envy. He was worthy of being a swordsman, and he had such a good drinker. .

The cool breeze blew, and the alcohol smell dissipated a little.

Jing Kuan said softly: "Thank you."

Guan Yiran burped from wine, "When you get to the place, do more good deeds."

"Being an official in the local area is no better than being an official in the capital. There are more yamen here, the rules are strict, and the boundaries are clear. Anyone who is an official has a general idea. Just talk about our Nanxunfang, what is a doctor? But outside, To do many things, you have to rely on your conscience. You can do it or not, you can do it or not, you can be smart or confused, you can nod or shake your head, you can know or not know, it is up to you to decide. "

"Jing Kuan, my great-grandfather once told me that it is not easy to be an upright official with a clear conscience. It is even harder to be an upright official and a good official at the same time. What does it mean to be a good official, but you have to feel uncomfortable all the time in your heart."

The two of them walked to the arch bridge. Guan Yiran stumbled and hurried to the bridge railing, spitting wine at the Changpu River.

Jing Kuan, who originally patted Guan Yiran's back gently, thinking that he was being implicated, suddenly turned upside down and followed Guan Yiran, lying on the railing together.

In the end, the two of them stopped disagreeing, turned around and sat on the ground, leaning against the railings of the arch bridge, smiling at each other.

Chen Pingan took a walk along a colorful river.

In today's wine party, Chen Ping'an didn't take Xiaomo with him, but just let him stroll around the Changpu River.

Xiao Mo had nothing to do, so he bought a few lotus lanterns from a roadside stall, put them into the river, and then walked slowly along with the river lanterns.

After just walking a few steps here, Xiao Mo discovered that he could almost tell the difference between a native of the capital and a foreigner at a glance. The former had an air of toughness that was hard to conceal. The younger he was, the more obvious it was. Even if the foreigner was dressed luxuriously, , his expression was still somewhat restrained.

Xiaomo stood by the Changpu River and looked at the water.

Fetching water from a bamboo basket, fishing out poems written on the moon through the ages.

Horse hooves shook the ground, splashing out a century-old frontier song.

Xiao Mo was in a daze, and couldn't help but think of the chance encounter ten thousand years ago.

That being, with his hands in his sleeves, looked at the world, and slowly descended from the ascension platform where only earthly immortals should have ascended, "rebellious and unethical", alone.

The world.

The word, at that moment, was not a noun, but like a verb.

Perhaps seeing Xiao Mo sitting not far from the ascension platform, that being looked at Xiao Mo, and then the other person smiled and stretched out his sleeves...

At this time tonight, Chen Ping'an was walking by the river, waving to Xiao Mo not far away.

The drink tonight was not in vain. Guan Yiran is an official who abides by the rules, so the mention of the guy who was messing around in the Inkstone Office was not an unintentional comment at all, nor was it a casual comment at the wine table. Instead, he was reminding Chen Ping'an to say hello to Dong Shuijing, a fellow villager, and to be more careful when doing business in the future. He was already being targeted by a small group of powerful children from the capital who were jealous of his business.

It’s not that the guys in the Inkstone Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Finance who don’t have the surname Shangzhuguo can really give Dong Shuijing a hard time. In fact, the other party is not even qualified to arm-wrestle with Dong Bancheng, but there are many dandies in the capital who also have their own hills. They like to hug each other and stick to each other. In the capital, they may act like turtles, but as long as they leave the capital and go to places, no matter whether it is in the mountains or down the mountains, or in officialdom and business circles, they are very violent. Once Dong Shuijing is targeted by a gang, it will be a big trouble after all.

Of course, this has something to do with Dong Shuijing's efforts to make money behind closed doors, which has resulted in many of his connections in Dali's officialdom never being revealed.

The world is so complicated, and whoever abides by the rules may not be able to stop others from making mistakes.

Just like here, by the Changpu River, a person is walking in an orderly manner, and then a drunkard comes crookedly, unable to give way or hide.

Xiao Mo suppressed the overwhelming ups and downs in his heart and said in his heart: "Master, there is a sneaky guy who just secretly looked at him twice."

"The opponent is an immortal, just like Senior Lu, but he can fight better."

"I originally wanted to wait until the third time to catch him out. But the other party was very cautious and seemed to have noticed my intention in advance. Young Master is right. Sure enough, these fortune tellers need to be treated with a higher level."

Chen Ping'an was a little surprised, but also a little helpless. After falling, it would be difficult to take the lead.

Chen Ping'an thought for a while, a Taoist in the Immortal Realm?

It couldn't be Qi Zhen, the Great Heavenly Lord of Shen Gaozong. Xie Shi in Luzhou, Beiju, is even more impossible. Someone just passing through Aquarius Continent? Or the direct disciple of Lu Chen? This man had been practicing Taoism in the mountains of the old Baishuang Dynasty for many years, and his pseudonym was Cao Rong. The Taoist temple in the mountain he left behind is filled with experts and will be the next sect in Aquarius Continent.

Cao Rong once shone brightly on the battlefield of Laolongcheng.

He produced a book of landscapes, flowers and birds with a total of eight paintings, and formed a formation to protect the entire Old Dragon City.

Bai Yujing's three masters each have their own private seals, which are printed on four landscape albums. The master's "Taoist Master" is truly invincible. Yu Dou is the best in literature and the second in martial arts. Master Lu Chen's "The Stone Is Now".

There is also "Seeing Peach Blossoms Again" by Taoist Master Guan Sun of Daxuandu.

In addition, the four seals on the four flower and bird paintings at the back are also of great origin. They are "a blockbuster" by Fu Lu Yuxuan, "young phoenix" by Zhao Tianlai, the great master of Longhu Mountain, and "chirping and chirping" by Zhenren Huolong. .

As well as the "white eyes" of Cui Xuan, the master of the Great Li Kingdom.

A middle-aged Taoist priest appeared in front of Chen Pingan and Xiaomo. It was Cao Rong.

Cao Rong did not use any deceitful tactics and was very sincere.

Cao Rong called the Taoist sect's chief inspector and asked with a smile: "May I ask Yin Guan, how are you doing now, my poor Taoist master? Have you returned to Bai Yujing?"

Chen Pingan clasped his fists and returned the salute, "Junior, I have met Mr. Cao Xian. If there are no accidents, Master Lu has not returned to Qingming World yet. He may have to visit Osmanthus Island and Yunxia Mountain. Mr. Cao Xian can go to Yunxia Mountain to wait for Master Lu and meet him. The chances are better.”

Cao Rong smiled bitterly and said: "If Master is not willing to take the initiative to find me, I will definitely not be able to see Master."

Xiao Mo looked at Cao Rong.

It seems that Lu Daoyou's ability in recruiting disciples is pretty good.

Gu Qingsong, whose Taoist name is Xiancha, is very respected by his young master.

The Taoism in front of me is not too low.

Cao Rong smiled and asked, "Guan Yin, who is this master?"

Xiao Mo gave the other party a Taoist priest, "The Taoist name is Xizhu. Just like Mr. Cao Xian and fellow Taoist Lu, just call me Xiaomo."

Cao Rong's heart tightened and he nodded, "I've met Senior Xizhu."

This person’s so-called Fellow Daoist Lu is naturally his master.

I used my palm to observe the mountains and rivers twice before. The first time, I didn't notice anything strange. Chen Ping'an obviously didn't know that he was spying from a distance.

The second time, in one moment, Cao Rong's heartstrings tightened for no reason, as if he was facing a formidable enemy. Still not from Chen Ping'an, but from subtle changes elsewhere in the Changpu River.

Cao Rong quickly made an exception and deduced a hexagram for himself, and the result was astonishing.

The "young" monk in front of him, who had no air of superiority at all, was, as expected, an unknown ascendant from the top of Haoran Mountain.

Could it be that the Zhongtu Confucian Temple secretly sent a guardian to Chen Pingan?

Cao Rong showed up tonight just to ask about his master Lu Chen's whereabouts. There was nothing profound about it.

Therefore, I came and left in a hurry, saying goodbye to Chen Ping'an and that "Senior Xi Zhu".

Xiao Mo suddenly laughed out loud and said: "Cao Xianjun, please allow me to say one more word. Friendship is friendship, and rules are rules. Similar things will not happen again."

Cao Rong nodded slightly.

When Cao Rong left, Xiao Mo asked: "Master, what I said just now, was it too unkind? Is there any suspicion of relying on one's elders and betraying one's elders?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head and said with a smile: "No, he is very spiritual and has a noble demeanor."

Tonight’s immortal Cao Rong.

There is also the swordsman Pei Min whom I met in Tongyezhou before.

There are more and more strange people and strangers on these mountain tops.

Chen Ping'an dissipated the smell of alcohol and patted his sleeves.

Xiao Mo did as he was told, and then asked: "Is this the custom at the Beijing Wine Bureau again?"

Chen Pingan nodded and said decisively: "Of course!"