Inside the city, Yuanshi Mansion.
In the spacious living room, Marshal Hong was sitting on a large wooden chair at the head of the living room with a piece of paper in his hand, looking happy.
"Junior brother, there is news. Li Yan finally came out of the military advisor's residence and entered the city today. I wonder what he is doing here?"
Under the shadow of one of the four thick pillars in the hall, the blurry figure of an unusually sturdy man in a white robe flashed slightly, but it was still difficult to detect his presence.
The pillar where he hid this time was not the same as last time. It seemed that he picked a pillar at random every time and hid himself behind it. The muffled voice echoed low in the hall.
"Brother, calculate the time, this person has stayed in the valley much longer than the last disciple.
According to the last calculation, the disciple should have had a problem during the 49th day of the seventh month, which is consistent with the Buddhist and Taoist sayings of building a stove during the 36th, 49th, and 81st small cycles. "
"Well, that's what I think too. So there are two points that may be confirmed.
First, the method Ji Wenhe practiced was a method of the Small Zhoutian that could be practiced for 49 days, which was undoubtedly a Taoist method.
Second, Li Yan may have already completed the Small Zhou Tian. "
"Brother, Li Yan was able to successfully cultivate to the Small Zhoutian stage. Does that mean Ji Wenhe is really using him as his successor, or is Li Yan not good enough to be his poison-attracting body
In addition, if Li Yan was able to cultivate successfully, how can we explain the death of the previous disciple? Is their inner strength really profound? Or does it really require a special physique?"
After the muffled voice fell, the hall became silent for a moment. After a long while, Marshal Hong's voice was heard again.
"Junior brother, I still think your previous analysis makes more sense. There is no martial arts in this world that cannot be practiced. It's just a matter of who can practice it better.
However, if his cultivation method is really unique, then we should make good use of Li Yan and take our time to see if we can obtain the method from him; if Li Yan is really using him as a poison-attracting body, then we still have a chance."
"So, according to Senior Brother, what should we do now?"
"Well, since he was able to enter the city today, there will be a next time, and a next time...
This time they couldn't make contact immediately, lest they were too reckless and make the boy feel suspicious and wary, and it would also alert Ji Wenhe.
Have the people below keep a close eye on him and see what he is doing this time, and then we can make the next plan."
"Yes, Brother!"
The hall was silent. After a while, Hong Linying's figure flashed and disappeared.
… …
Outside the North City, "Captain Liu, you don't have to be like this. I was lucky to have your advice last time I entered the city. I haven't had the chance to thank you yet."
Li Yan quickly took a few steps forward and held Liu Chengyong's arm.
"I dare not, I dare not, I don't have any suggestions, I just said a few random words."
Seeing Li Yan's sincere face, Liu Chengyong couldn't help but feel overjoyed. He had heard some time ago that Master Ji had accepted another disciple, who was said to be from Daqing Mountain. The pass that Li Guoxin showed him that day flashed through his mind, but he was not sure.
Seeing Li Yan arriving today, accompanied by Chen An and others from the Military Advisor's Office, he naturally immediately confirmed that what he guessed was true.
Although he belongs to the lineage of Marshal Zhong Hong, everyone in the army knows the power of Military Division Ji. What a benefit it is to be able to make friends with his disciple at the same time.
Chen An and Li Yin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing this. They looked at each other and felt resentful in their hearts. They hadn't had many opportunities to see this gentleman in a good mood recently. Today, the gentleman's nerves were online again. Why were they so unlucky
Liu Chengyong withdrew his crossed-arm salute, secretly looked up at Li Yan again, and couldn't help sighing in his heart.
The village kid that I met at the beginning has now become an official of the eighth rank. It is no exaggeration to say that he has risen to prominence. This is how easy it is to be an official if you have someone in the court.
Li Yan was worried about something and wanted to meet Li Shan, Li Yu and others as soon as possible. He didn't know what etiquette to use at this moment, so he could only clasp his fists.
"Captain Liu, I have some things to do in the city now. How about we talk next time?"
"Oh... OK, OK! Then I will send you off, Master Li."
Liu Chengyong stepped aside to make way, and the soldiers behind him also withdrew their spears and retreated.
Li Yin stepped forward and handed the reins to Li Yan.
"Sir, please get on the horse."
Li Yan smiled awkwardly and said.
"Let's tie the horses here for now. We can just walk into the city."
Li Yin was stunned for a moment and then understood that Li Yan was afraid that his riding skills were too poor and if he couldn't control himself well on the streets of the city, he would get into trouble.
Chen An laughed when he saw this.
"Lao Liu, we'll leave these horses here. Please make some arrangements. If we haven't shown up by the time you're off duty, please inform the brothers on duty at the back."
Liu Chengyong was also a worldly-wise man, so he smiled and agreed.
After they left, except for a few soldiers who were still checking people entering and leaving the city, the rest of the soldiers moved closer to Liu Chengyong.
"Liu Tou, is this person really the one we met a while ago? He has changed a lot after not seeing him for two months."
Liu Chengyong couldn't help but glare.
"What about this person and that person!"
Then he sighed again. "It really seems like yesterday, Mr. Li."
"Liu Tou, you have some old acquaintance with him, maybe you can take care of him in the future."
A soldier said that he was also one of the soldiers on duty that day.
"Liu Tou, it wasn't your turn to be on duty that day. This Master Li should be the disciple of Master Ji who has been widely rumored recently, right?"
Several more soldiers asked.
After Liu Chengyong finished sighing, he was troubled by several questions from his subordinates. These brothers under him were good at everything. When the war came, they would follow orders and fight to the death against the enemy.
It's just that I'm too lax in normal times, and even lack some concept of hierarchy, he said, waving his hand.
"I have actually met this Lord Li once before, and he is undoubtedly Lord Ji's disciple!
All right, all right, you don't have to ask questions anymore, just do your duty! You, you, and you, take these horses to the gate and take good care of them."
Li Yan and the other two walked quickly on the street. Li Yan was anxious, so he asked Chen An and Li Yin to lead the way to "Tianran Wine House".
Half a cup of tea later, the three of them arrived at the door of the tavern. Li Yan found the same shop facing the street that he had visited last time and walked in, while Chen An and Li Yin followed closely behind.
As soon as I entered the door, the sharp-eyed waiter came to greet me.
"Hey, three officials, are you going to drink or eat here?"
These waiters have very discerning eyes. They are used to seeing people coming and going from all over the country, and their minds are extremely sharp and discerning.
Seeing that Li Yan and his three companions were unpacked, the first one was in a black robe, followed by two military officers, he knew that they were not guests staying at the hotel, but came here to drink or eat. Li Yan stopped and looked around. Wow, he was just watching from a distance last time, but today he came in and saw that they had entered only one of the street-facing storefronts of the tavern.
There are seven or eight storefronts arranged horizontally inside the store, all of which are connected. It is already late noon and many diners have almost finished their meals, but there are still sounds of people playing rock-paper-scissors, talking and laughing, and it is still very lively.
"Oh, I'm here to look for Li Yu who is an apprentice here. Can you help me find him?"
Li Yan said politely.
The waiter was stunned, then he looked at the three people in front of him carefully and thought to himself.
"Could it be that Xiaoyu got into trouble outside? That doesn't make sense. Xiaoyu rarely goes out."
Li Yin saw the waiter in a daze, took a step forward and patted him on the shoulder.
"Our young master is talking about something. Are you deaf or dumb?"
The waiter was startled for a moment, then immediately came back to his senses. Seeing Li Yin's unfriendly expression, he kept apologizing.
"General, calm down. General, calm down. I will go and call him right away."
He didn't notice that Li Yan was looking at him apologetically, and he quickly turned around and walked towards the back hall.
Li Yan had never been so unreasonable and acted arrogantly. He had only been forced to act arrogantly a few times in the valley in front of Chen An, Li Yin and several women who were familiar with his temperament.
People like Chen An and Li Yin, who are used to fighting and killing all day long, are really rude. They don't have such a good temper towards these common people, and they are murderous in their words.
Chen Anke saw Li Yan's apologetic face, and thought of his attitude towards Liu Chengyong at the city gate just now. He thought that this gentleman was in his right mind today, and said with a smile.
"Sir, these thieves are just wasting their time. Don't let them mess up your business."
Li Yan saw Chen An looking at him with some confusion, and his heart trembled. He also realized that his behavior today was inappropriate. Now he is a person with a somewhat violent temperament, so he glanced at the two of them.
"Do I need you to teach me about my affairs? Okay, you two, stay away from me. I want to talk to my brothers. Don't disturb my peace."
When Chen An and Li Yin saw this, their faces suddenly turned bitter and they thought to themselves.
"Well, this gentleman is sick again. Why can't he understand good or bad words?"
After a while, the waiter brought Li Yu over.
Just now, he went to the back hall and found Li Yu. Because Li Yu was the nephew of the manager Li, and Li Yu was also very diligent and did his job as an apprentice seriously, he had a good relationship with him.
After finding Li Yu, the waiter asked him whether he had been out recently and whether he had gotten into any trouble. He told him that a man who looked like a nobleman was looking for him with two military officers.
This frightened the timid Li Yu so much that his face turned pale. He pointed to the sky and said that he had not gone out recently and had been staying in the back hall the whole time. He had not even had time to help serve tea in the front hall. Only then did the waiter feel relieved.
At first, Li Yuke didn't understand what it meant to look like a nobleman. If it was, it was, if it wasn't, it wasn't. But after coming to his senses, he thought of someone and suddenly became happy.
In the past few months, people in the village have mentioned Li Yan to him many times. After joining the army, he took the famous Ji Junshi as his master.
With the temperament of Li Yan, myself and Li Shan, who all came from rural villages, let alone these two months, even if it was another year, would we be noblemen if we put on luxurious clothes
When Li Yan saw Li Yu, he felt excited. He had not left the valley for several months, and now he saw his childhood playmate again. Nostalgia for home suddenly surged in his heart.
He couldn't help but miss the small mountain village in Daqingshan, his parents, and every plant and animal in the village. He took a few quick steps to meet them.
Li Yu came to the front hall and saw a man standing at the counter from afar. He was wearing a black robe and had an ordinary appearance, but he still looked so familiar. Although the temperament he exuded had changed a little, he still recognized him at a glance.
Tears immediately flowed out and he ran over sobbing. The waiter beside him sighed and said, this child is good in every way except that he likes to cry. Every time someone from his hometown comes to see him, he always has tears in his eyes, as if he has suffered a great injustice in the store.
"Brother Yan, Brother Yan, woo woo"
Li Yu wiped her tears while running, which immediately attracted the diners around to stop what they were doing and start looking over here.
Li Yan was also excited, his eyes were a little red, and he hugged Li Yu who rushed over.
Chen An and Li Yin looked at each other, and Chen An quickly walked up to the waiter.
"Waiter, is there any private room available? Let my son and his old friend come in and chat!"
The two of them realized that there were too many people here and it was not a place to talk. What's more, there were half of the grown children crying here, and others didn't know what was going on when they saw them.
The waiter replied quickly.
"Yes, yes, yes. There are some on this floor and on the second floor as well."
Chen An looked at the busy diners on the first floor.
"Then let's go to the second floor!"
He walked a few steps to Li Yan who was comforting Li Yu.
"Sir, it's too crowded and noisy here, let's go to the private room on the second floor to talk!"
Li Yan was also feeling that it was too noisy here and that he couldn't have a good conversation with Li Yu. When he heard Chen An say this, he was naturally happy and thought to himself.
"This Chen An is really a capable person, with a very clear mind."
They followed the waiter to a private room on the second floor. After the waiter brought a pot of tea, Li Yan asked them to leave.
Afterwards, Li Yan asked Chen An and Li Yin to wait for him outside the hotel, but he never expected that Chen An and Li Yin refused. They were finally locked outside the door on the grounds of protecting Li Yan's safety. Li Yan only left Li Yu in the room to talk.
After two cups of tea, Li Yan, under Li Yu's reluctant gaze and many envious eyes, rushed to the "Iron Pavilion" with Chen An and Li Yin.
After finding Li Shan and having a happy meeting, Li Yu left several dozen taels of silver and planned to take it back to the village and give it to his parents the next time someone came to the village.
Finally, he strolled around the city again, bought a set of clothes, and then left the city with Chen An and Li Yin, took the horses and returned to the Military Advisor's Mansion.
As soon as he entered the valley, Li Yan felt a divine sense coming from the room of the Third Army Master. It quickly swept over him, then carefully passed around the package of newly bought clothes in his hand before disappearing without a trace.
Li Yan pretended not to know and deliberately glanced at the first stone chamber. After seeing that the door of the stone chamber was closed, he muttered a few words and walked straight to his own stone chamber.
After entering the house, Li Yan poured a glass of water and drank it with a relaxed look on his face. Then he sat on a chair and rested for a while, then got up and closed the door.
After closing the door, Li Yan felt it again and found that there was no spiritual consciousness, so his face became gloomy.
Today's entry into the city made him confirm the following points:
First, Chen An and Li Yin were indeed the people placed by Advisor Ji to monitor him. Although they seemed respectful to him on the surface, they also looked a little afraid of him.
But when they were outside, the two would not let him out of their sight. Needless to say, on the road, they almost sandwiched him in the middle to "protect" him, to avoid being "assassinated" by Mengguo's spies.
Even when meeting Li Yu, the farthest distance between them was outside the door of the tavern's private room, and through the cracks in the door and windows, Li Yan also discovered that one of them was outside the door and the other was opposite the private room downstairs in the tavern.
Even if he wanted to sneak out through the window, he would be discovered immediately.
The same was true when they were in Li Shan's "Iron Pavilion". They stood dozens of steps away from where he and Li Shan were talking, and their every move was within the sight of the two.
Second, Master Ji was already on guard against me. Today, I deliberately bought a set of clothes. After I came back, I found that Master Ji would be more careful about new objects that suddenly appeared, so that everything would be under his control.
Li Yan frowned when he thought about this. He was under house arrest. How could he escape from this deadly valley