Yan Lingxian said in confusion: "Injured? What injury?"
Qi Ning knew that Ximen Wuhen had been deliberately hiding his injury, not to mention outsiders, even the people in the Shenhou Mansion didn't know about it. He smiled and said: "It's nothing. Lieutenant Yan, the Shenhou left Beijing for a long trip four years ago. Do you know where to go?" Where did it go?"
Yan Lingxian shook his head and said: "When the Lord goes out, he doesn't even ask the emperor. How can we dare to ask more questions?"
Qi Ning lowered his voice and said, "Then can you find out where the god went?"
"My lord, it is not my refusal, but it is impossible to find out the whereabouts of Shenhou." Yan Lingxian said anxiously: "When the Shenhou Mansion is on errands, even if ordinary officials go out, other people are not allowed to ask where they are, so don't tell them. Shenhou is here. And Shenhou has been out for nearly a year, so naturally he won’t just go to one place. He’s all over the world, who can tell clearly.”
Qi Ning knew that Yan Lingxian's words were true. Ximen Wuhen's whereabouts could not be known to others. Even if Yan Lingxian tried his best in Shenhou Mansion, he would not be able to figure out Ximen Wuhen's whereabouts four years ago. Where to go.
"My lord, there are still errands in the Yamen, and I have to go back to find out the whereabouts of that lama. Look...!" Yan Lingxian was on pins and needles and just wanted to leave quickly.
Qi Ning smiled and said, "Wouldn't Colonel Yan have a taste of this table of dishes?"
"I won't taste it anymore, my lord, please use it with caution!" Yan Ling Xianru or Amnesty, hurriedly bowed his hands and bowed, turned around and walked away, the wind blowing under his feet.
Qi Ning watched him leave, then picked up the chopsticks and sighed: "If you don't know how to enjoy good things, you will waste them."
Qi Ning had a very comfortable meal and then left from the back door of the wine shop. Although he had Jinghong, it was too conspicuous, so when he went out he still rode an ordinary horse and turned around a street, but he always felt something was wrong. , turned around suddenly, and happened to see a figure shrinking into the alley, knowing that someone was watching behind him.
He sneered in his heart, still riding forward, and soon turned into a secluded alley, stood up on the horse, kicked off his feet, jumped onto the roof on the side, looked down at the alley, and sure enough, only for a moment Suddenly, I saw a figure entering the alley. The man was wearing a bamboo hat, but he was tall. When he entered the alley, he only saw the horse. He was obviously a little surprised. He looked around, suddenly realized something, and raised his head, Qi Ning had already descended from the sky like an eagle and reached out to grab the man.
Although the man was tall and strong, his reaction was extremely fast. With one step, he was already flying more than a foot away.
Qi Ning landed on the ground, stared at the man with his hands behind his back, and said with a smile: "My friend has been following me, is there any good business he wants to do with me?"
The man lowered his head and his face was covered by his bamboo hat. Qining couldn't see his face clearly for a while.
"Long time no see, Jin Yihou's martial arts seems to have improved a lot!" The man's voice was thick, he slowly raised his head, raised his arm to lift the bamboo hat with his hand, Qining took a closer look, his face suddenly changed, and he lost his voice. : "It's... it's you!"
The man in front of him, with a powerful and tall figure and a beard as sharp as a needle, was actually the Lord Vulcan of Jiutian Tower.
Among the five great lords of Jiutian Tower, Lord Wooden was killed by Qi Ning a long time ago. A few months ago, Lord Water and Lord accompanied Beitang Feng on their mission to the Eastern Qi Dynasty. Because of the Youhan Pearl, Lord Water was taken away by Gong Zhaxi and his gang. , his life and death are still unknown.
During the civil strife in the Northern Han Dynasty, Prince Yu led Beitang Feng around the territory of Chu State, hoping to leave Hanzhong and enter Xianyang. However, he suffered a setback on the way. Prince Yu was captured by Chu State and is still under house arrest. At that time, the fire The Lord Shen protected Beitang Feng in the chaos and his whereabouts were unknown. After the news came, Qining knew that Beitang Feng and Lord Vulcan had really gone to Xianyang and defected to Qu Yuangu, who was Beitang Feng's uncle. , whose purpose was to use Xianyang soldiers and horses to compete for the throne of the Northern Han Dynasty.
The Northern Han Dynasty was now in a group. The fifth prince led the frontier troops to attack Luoyang, while the sixth prince Beitang Hao led the army to fight. Beitang Feng relied on Qu Yuangu's military power to occupy Tongguan and rush to Luoyang at any time.
Lord Vulcan was accompanying Beitang Feng, and he was supposed to be in Xianyang at this time. His sudden appearance in the capital of Da Chu really surprised Qi Ning.
Lord Vulcan took two steps forward, cupped his hands and said, "I've seen Jin Yihou!"
He didn't seem to know that Qining had been granted the title of Duke by the Jin Dynasty and was still addressed as Marquis.
"Vulcan Lord, you are so bold." Qi Ning sighed: "Do you know where this place is? Shenhou Mansion has spies all over the capital. Your Jiutian Tower and Shenhou Mansion are incompatible. They are old enemies. If they are I found out that you might not even have any bones left.”
Lord Vulcan laughed and said: "Master Hou, since I dare to come, I have no intention of leaving alive."
"You have been following me, do you want to assassinate me?" Qining shrugged: "With all due respect, you can't do this alone."
Lord Vulcan shook his head and said: "The Marquis has misunderstood. I have no hostility towards the Marquis. I came here to ask for help from the Marquis!"
"You have anything to ask for from me?" Qi Ning laughed out loud and said: "Vulcan Lord, you are from Jiutianlou in the Northern Han Dynasty, and I am an official of Da Chu. How can you ask for something from me? Even if you have anything to ask for from me, do you think I Can you agree? If someone is accused of having liaison with a foreign country, it will be a serious crime against the Nine Clan."
Lord Vulcan said: "Don't worry, Lord Marquis, what I ask for will be beneficial to Lord Marquis, and even more beneficial to your country of Chu!"
Qi Ning was suspicious in his heart. He didn't know what medicine Lord Vulcan was selling in his gourd. He thought for a moment and then said, "Did Beitang Feng send you here?"
"Exactly." Lord Vulcan waved his arm, and a small bamboo tube flew straight towards Qining. Qining stretched out his hand to grab it. Lord Vulcan cupped his hand and said, "This is where we are. As long as the Marquis goes over, you can see us." Come to us. Originally we wanted to visit us, but we also know that you and I are enemy countries after all. If we come rashly, as the Marquis said, I am afraid it will bring you trouble. So if the Marquis is willing, you can come here. Meet."
"You?" Qining frowned and said, "How many of you are here?"
"To be fair to the Marquis, join me, there are four of us in total." Lord Vulcan said very simply: "The four of us are here now. If the Marquis wants to arrest us, he only needs to hand the bamboo tube to the Shenhou Mansion, and he will definitely capture us. Catch them all in one fell swoop, but if the Marquis thinks about the overall situation, we will welcome him!"
Qi Ning sneered and said: "If you have something to do, you can say it clearly now, but you don't have to be so cautious."
"There are some things that not a little person like me can explain clearly." Lord Vulcan said: "And the matter is very complicated and must be discussed in detail. If the Marquis feels that the place is not suitable, you can mention a place, and we can follow what the Marquis said Go over there and find Mr. Hou."
Qi Ning saw Lord Vulcan looking solemn, and it didn't look like he was joking.
"I really don't trust people from the Northern Han Dynasty." Qi Ning said with a smile: "Well, there is a Wangji Teahouse by the Qinhuai River. You can see me on the second floor of the teahouse at Haishi tonight."
Lord Vulcan immediately raised his hands and said, "Thank you, Lord Marquis. I will be on time for the appointment tonight!" He turned around and left without talking nonsense.
Qining looked at Lord Vulcan's leaving figure thoughtfully. According to his intuition, Lord Vulcan didn't seem to be setting a trap for himself. After all, if he really wanted to wait for an opportunity to assassinate him, there was no need for him to show his true face. Moreover, the meeting place was chosen by oneself, and the other party had no objection. The other party seemed to really have something to discuss.
But he really couldn't understand what could be discussed if Beitang Feng sent Lord Vulcan here.
As the night fell, the birds were singing and dancing on the Qinhuai River as always. The melodious sound floating from the Qinhuai River really made the pedestrians on both sides feel soft all over.
The Wangji Teahouse that Qin Ning mentioned was a stronghold of the Beggar Clan and a place to collect information. It was also here that Qi Ning met Gray Crow and asked him to recruit people to form Night Ghost to collect information for himself.
The lights on the Qinhuai River were bright. Qining sat at the window and looked at the boats passing by on the river, but he felt a little sad in his heart.
For him, the names of Qinhuai River and Zhuo Xian'er are connected together. When he saw Qinhuai River, he had to think of Zhuo Xian'er. However, after that night, there was no news about Zhuo Xian'er, and he seemed to have disappeared from the world. Normally, Qining always feels a little sad and guilty when he occasionally thinks of Xian'er's tenderness, but now that he can no longer see her.
When he was in Huize County, he thought about looking for Xiaodie, but the escort team that took Xiaodie away was robbed halfway, and the clues were cut off, making it impossible to find him. Now that Zhuo Xianer is missing, he still can't find any clues. , which made him feel frustrated.
At Hai hour, it was the busiest time on the Qinhuai River. There were footsteps at the top of the stairs. Qining turned to look over and saw the burly Vulcan Lord coming up from the top of the stairs. He was still wearing a bamboo hat. Behind him, there was Followed by a man wearing a gray gown and a cloth hat. Qining looked at his walking movements and it seemed that he was not a martial artist. Even if he practiced martial arts, his martial arts were ordinary.
This is the stronghold of the Beggar Clan, and there are people from the Beggar Clan downstairs. Qining is naturally not worried that they will set a trap here.
Lord Vulcan stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Master Hou is really a trustworthy person!" He turned sideways and took two steps back. The man in a long gown behind him stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "I am Shi Chai Bozhong, commander of the army under General Qu. , I’ve seen Jin Yihou!”
Qi Ning narrowed his eyes: "Military Commander Shi?"
"My main responsibility is to help General Qu make plans and formulate strategies." Chai Bozhong said with a smile: "Thanks to General Qu's love, I have been following the general for more than ten years, and I can be regarded as General Qu's confidant."
Chai Bozhong was over fifty years old, with a thin figure but piercing eyes, and he had the aura of a scholar all over his body.
"Commander Chai came all the way and couldn't have a big banquet. He could only drink a cup of tea in this teahouse. It's just a neglect." Qi Ning said with a smile. He said he was neglectful, but there was no trace of shame on his expression. He raised his hand and said : "Please sit down!"
Chai Bozhong glanced at Lord Vulcan. Lord Vulcan cupped his hands, turned around and went downstairs without saying anything.
Qi Ning was slightly surprised, but remained calm. The two sat down across from each other. Chai Bozhong said straight to the point: "I came to your country this time because I wanted to pay homage to your emperor. However, our two countries have always been hostile, and we are not the same in Jianye." There is no way to meet the emperor of your country. Jin Yihou is the favorite of the emperor of your country and a pillar of Chu, so he shamelessly asked to see the marquis, hoping that he would help convey the wishes of the third prince and General Qu to your country. emperor!"