The teahouse is not big, with two floors. It is very inconspicuous among the shops along the Qinhuai River. Moreover, there are many wine shops on the riverbank, and most of them are magnificently decorated, so the business of this teahouse is not very good.
When Qining entered the teahouse, there was not even a single customer in the teahouse.
However, Qining also knew in his heart that this was a small den used by the Beggar Clan to gather information, and he didn't care whether there were guests or not. There were only three people in the teahouse, and apart from the teahouse manager, there were only two waiters.
After Qi Feng led Qi Ning into the house, the teahouse shopkeeper saw Qi Feng and immediately showed respect to Qi Ning and winked. A waiter had already gone out. The shopkeeper walked to the stairs and asked Qining With a slight nod, Qi Ning motioned for Qi Feng to stay downstairs, then went over and went upstairs.
Qi Ning knew that since this was the place of the Beggar Clan, he didn't have to worry about being watched. There must be spies of the Beggar Clan all around. Once someone stared at him furtively, he would have been discovered by the Beggar Clan's disciples, and with his With martial arts, it is impossible for an ordinary person to follow him without being discovered by him, and it is impossible for a master whose martial arts is higher than him and difficult for him to detect, to do such a thing.
Although the teahouse is not big, it is neat and clean. When I got upstairs, I saw a person sitting at a table by the window. The person was dressed in gray cloth. He looked very ordinary and inconspicuous. He would immediately be thrown into a crowd. Submerged, he obviously heard footsteps. As soon as Qining came out of the stairs, the man had already stood up and stared at Qining.
Qi Ning saw that the man was slender and unattractive. It was Gray Crow. He nodded towards Gray Crow and smiled slightly. Gray Crow had already stepped forward and bowed deeply to Qining without saying a word. Qining had already He held on and said with a smile: "Are you feeling better?"
Gray Crow solemnly said: "Master Bai has already told me that it was you who came to the rescue, which allowed me to escape from death."
"You're welcome." Qining gestured to sit down at the table to talk. As he walked, he said softly: "You are running errands for me. If something happens, I will always do my best."
"I took your money, so naturally I had to do something good for you." Gray Crow said: "The transaction is fair and no one owes anything. After accepting the transaction, whether life or death, I have nothing to do with you anymore. You saved my life." Life is just another business, life is exchanged for life, and since this life is saved by you, it is yours."
Qi Ning smiled and said: "He is indeed a good man."
"In the world of martial arts, if you don't abide by these rules, you will have died countless times." Gray Crow sighed: "Actually, I should owe you two lives."
"Oh?" Qining walked to the table and sat down, signaling Gray Crow to sit down as well. At this time, footsteps sounded on the stairs. The shopkeeper had already come up with the freshly brewed tea. He picked up the teapot and poured tea for the two of them. Without saying anything, he stepped back. Gray Crow then sat down opposite Qi Ning and said, "If I hadn't made an appointment with you, I would have used Duan Qingchen's money to do things for him. Now I know that those shadow rats They were all serving the King of Huainan. In the incident at the imperial mausoleum, all the Shadow Mouse troops involved in this operation were wiped out. If I had been involved, I would be just a corpse now."
Qi Ning laughed and said: "In this way, sometimes turning from darkness to light can really change your destiny."
"I don't know whether you are overt or dark, and I don't want to know." Gray Crow said very simply: "In my eyes, there are no good or bad people." He chuckled: "People live in this world just to survive. Any means that are beneficial to oneself are clear in one’s own eyes.”
Qi Ning nodded and said: "To hit the nail on the head. I like your temperament. Yes, in order to survive, you must use various methods. If you win, you will be the king and if you lose, you will be the bandits."
"Pilot Bai said you wanted to see me, so I came." Gray Crow looked into Qining's eyes: "I said, this life belongs to you. Whatever you want me to do, just ask."
Qi Ning smiled slightly, reached into his arms, took out a stack of silver notes, and placed it in front of Gray Crow. Gray Crow was startled for a moment, and Qi Ning said: "This is ten thousand taels of silver. It is the beginning of our cooperation. In the future, as long as we do Good job, I will try my best to provide what you need."
"You?" Gray Crow was keenly aware of the strangeness of what Qi Ning said, and frowned: "Who are we referring to?"
Qi Ning said: "Today you are alone, maybe tomorrow there will be two people. How many people are needed is your business. What I want you to do is my business."
Gray Crow didn't understand what medicine Qining was selling in the gourd for a while. Qining stared into Gray Crow's eyes and asked, "Do you know who I am?"
Gray Crow shook his head.
"My name is Qining." Qining said: "My father was once the general of the Qinhuai Army!"
Gray Crow's expression suddenly changed and he stood up in awe, and said in a voiceless voice: "You... are you the Marquis of Jinyi?" A look of disbelief appeared on his face.
Qi Ning pressed his hand and motioned Gray Crow to sit down. Gray Crow looked shocked. He never expected that the person in front of him was actually a powerful nobleman from the Chu Kingdom. He was wandering around the world. According to Shadow Mouse, they were just a group of killers hiding under the shady curtain. , this group of people can be said to have no status in the world, and are not tolerated by the mainstream of the world.
In the eyes of the Jianghu people, this group of people was already considered very despicable, let alone in the eyes of the princes and nobles.
As a tool, Gray Crow worked hard for others and rarely came into contact with real dignitaries. However, the person in front of him was actually one of the four hereditary princes of the Chu State, Jinyi Hou. He was definitely not comparable to ordinary dignitaries. Gray Crow was a Time is a bit overwhelming.
"I'm Qi Ning, I can't be wrong." Qi Ning smiled and said: "I still remember the last time I made an appointment with you, I told you that once you can get things done, I can give you a truly honorable one. Good opportunity. I will never break my promise. You did a good job this time, so I should fulfill my promise."
The gray crow came back to his senses and sighed: "So you are the Marquis. I really... can't see the mountain." He glanced at the banknotes on the table and his expression became solemn. The more money the other party took out, the more money he took out. The more risks he had to do, the more risks he had to do. But since he owed Qining a life, Gray Crow thought that no matter whether it could be done well or not, it would only cost him one life. Without any hesitation, he directly put the wad of banknotes into his arms. Said: "What does the Marquis want me to do?"
Qining said: "I need eyes and ears, and I think you are the most suitable to be my eyes and ears."
"Eyes? Ears?" Gray Crow was puzzled.
"I am an official of the imperial court. When I am in the imperial court, there will always be a lot of right and wrong, and there will also be many enemies." Qining said very straightforwardly: "Some people don't want to see me living a good life, and I don't want my The enemy lives more comfortably than I do."
The gray crow nodded slightly.
"Only when you know yourself and your enemy can you win every battle." Qi Ning looked into Gray Crow's eyes: "So to prevent my enemies from posing a threat to me and at the same time find opportunities to make their lives uncomfortable, I have to keep track of their movements at all times. Now do you understand what I mean?"
Gray Crow nodded and said: "I understand, the Marquis wants me to keep an eye on your enemies. If they make any special movements, I must let you know."
"It's always comfortable to talk to smart people." Qining smiled and said: "The Beggar Clan has good ears and eyes, but they are not my people, and some people the Beggar Clan dare not get involved in." Pointing to his nose: "What I need is my own people, who are absolutely loyal to me, just like my own eyes and ears."
"Master Marquis, do you think I can be trusted?" Gray Crow asked.
Qining said: "If you say that I completely trust you, and you don't believe it, I won't believe it either. But for now, I am willing to believe you, and I think you are a trustworthy person."
Gray Crow was very happy: "Hundred Ghosts Night Parade, this kind of thing is not too difficult for me."
"Well said." Qining smiled and said: "Hundred Ghost Night Walk, I need more than just you, because I have many enemies, so my eyes need to see many people, and my ears also need to hear many Thing, I need Hyakki!"
"It takes time to find a group of people like that." Gray Crow said, "But I will find them as soon as possible, and I can also assure you that everyone I find is worthy of trust."
"I don't need to trust them. It's your business to trust them." Qining said, "I just need to trust you. Do you understand what I mean?"
Gray Crow nodded and said, "I completely understand."
"What I can guarantee is that I can make you have no worries about food and clothing." Qining said: "And I can also guarantee that although you are in darkness now, when the right opportunity comes, I will let you come out of the darkness. , live the life you want." He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said with a smile: "Of course, as long as I live!"
Gray Crow didn't talk nonsense and said: "Who does the Marquis need to keep an eye on?"
Qining took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it over. Gray Crow took it, scanned it up and down, closed his eyes, then stood up and walked to the oil lamp, placing the paper on the light. Soon, the paper was Burned to ashes, Qi Ning showed admiration in his eyes. At least Gray Crow's behavior seemed very professional and smart.
"Once we start taking action, I will report to the Marquis every month what they did, what they ate for each meal, and how many women they slept with at night, I will report in detail." Gray Crow said solemnly: " If there are special circumstances that need to be reported to you immediately, what should I do?"
Qi Ning stood up. There was a lantern hanging in the corner of the room by the window. Qi Ning reached out to pick it up, walked to the middle window, and hung the lantern under the window: "I will be on official business in the Ministry of Justice for the time being. I will go to the Hou Mansion from When you go to the Xingbu Yamen, you will pass by here, and the lanterns are hung here. If I were in the capital, I would come over to see you at this time of the day."
The gray crow nodded and said: "I understand." He stood up, cupped his hands, turned around and walked away. After taking a few steps, he suddenly turned back and asked, "How is the night ghost?"
"Night ghost?"
"This group of people must have a name." Gray Crow said: "Walking at night is like a ghost. From now on, I will only serve the Marquis."
Qi Ning thought for a moment and said with a smile: "A very good name, Night Ghost!"
The gray crow turned and left without saying another word.
Qi Ning watched the gray crow leave, then walked to the window and looked down at the long street. His eyes were like lightning. At this time, looking down from the upstairs, the scenery in the distance was even more panoramic. The soft sound of the singing and dancing birds came from Floating over the Qinhuai River, it makes people feel soft all over the body. The enchanted Qinhuai Fengyue has its own intoxicating features.
Qi Ning stretched and was about to leave. Suddenly, his brows furrowed. He saw a familiar figure walking slowly on the street downstairs. Qi Ning narrowed his eyes and recognized it immediately. , that figure turned out to be Tang Nuo.