Lu Xiafan is very familiar with the casino. After all, as soon as the master disappeared, he went to the casino most likely, and the other ten to the brothel.
Of course, the lower probability of going to the latter is not because he is more gambling, but because he is always in the minority when he can win money.
The guards at the casino were also familiar with Xia Fan. After asking him why he was here, they took him directly to the door of the owner's room.
"Oh? His master happens to be here too, let him come in."
The owner's voice came through the door.
The guard who received permission stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation.
What? Master is here too? Xia Fan's heart tightened slightly, so instead of locking the debtor in a private cell, he took him to his employer's room... Could it be that they were using violence to force the debt
He quickly opened the door and walked quickly into the house, "Stop, I brought all the ransom money-"
Xia Fan suddenly became speechless mid-sentence.
I saw the casino owner and the master sitting face to face, with a pot of boiled fish placed between them. The milky white soup was dotted with red peppers. It looked delicious. There were several empty wine bottles lying around. Judging from the fish bones stacked in front of them, it seemed that they had been drinking for three rounds.
What's happening here? Why did the master who owed money after not seeing each other for a month become a guest in the casino
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Xia Fan would never have believed that this middle-aged uncle with rosy face and excellent complexion was his cheap master, Zhao Dahai.
"Why don't you stop? You drank too much? What nonsense are you talking about!" My master patted the mat at his feet, "Have you had dinner? Come here and have a bowl of fish soup first."
"Old Zhao, is this your disciple who told us not to touch you and promised to redeem him in a month? Haha..." The boss looked at Xia Fan with a smile, "I only heard about it before, but I finally saw it today. After collecting thirty taels of silver in a month, most people would have fled far away. You dare to come back. This alone is a commendable courage. Yes, it is true that a hero emerges from a young age!"
"He might as well run away." The master stuffed a mouthful of fish into his mouth, "Apprentice, let me introduce to you, this is shopkeeper Xiao who runs Chunxiao Street. Most of the shops we visited before industry."
In other words, this person not only runs casinos, but also runs brothels, teahouses and inns on the street
As a result, Xia Fan was even more confused. Why would such a big boss hang out with his master and seem to be chatting and laughing happily
"Hahaha... It's actually not as complicated as you think." Shopkeeper Xiao seemed to notice Xia Fan's confusion and took the initiative to explain, "Daozhang Zhao did owe me a gambling sum, but he also did me a big favor. I Mr. Xiao is very particular about repaying debts and repaying favors. If the two balance each other out, he is still kind to the Xiao family."
After some detailed discussion, Xia Fan finally figured out what was going on - a brothel also opened on Lianhua Street next door, called Hongying Pavilion, which competed with Xiao's Ruanxiang Pavilion, and for a time It also made the latter unable to breathe. The master happens to know a set of massage techniques, which were originally used to relieve fatigue when traveling. When he proposed to teach these techniques to the women of Ruanxiang Pavilion and use them on customers, the situation was reversed in an instant. Nowadays, there are very few customers in Hongying Pavilion, and there are people waiting outside Ruanxiang Pavilion every day. Naturally, the income is rising steadily. The thirty taels of debt are nothing compared to the income of Chunlou.
After listening, Xia Fan only had one thought in his mind: Is this okay
"What, do you think I'm at the end of my rope and can only wait for you to save me?" Zhao Daizhi took a cup of wine with satisfaction, "I've been in the world for decades, and I haven't seen any big storms, so how could I be saved by a little bit? Trapped by frustration!”
"..." Xia Fan couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. He had imagined many scenarios of redeeming people. Some of them cried bitterly to express repentance, and some of them insisted on saving face, but he did not foresee this situation.
Regardless of whether he can pass the exam as a warrior or not, his feelings have no impact on the master.
Let him learn a lesson and he really thinks too much.
"So... did you pass the military examination?" Zhao Dahai suddenly asked.
"Yes." Xia Fan said weakly, "I thought about the master's suffering and the disciple's inability to sleep at night. After getting the resettlement fee, I rushed back here day and night, but I didn't expect that my hard work was in vain."
"Bah, I don't know what your kid is thinking. It's good to think about being a master once in a month." The master said disapprovingly, "But since you came with the ransom, you have done your best, but you can't do anything about it in the future. Travel with me all over the world again."
"You seem to enjoy wandering." Seeing that he was no longer pretending in front of Shopkeeper Xiao, Xia Fan didn't bother to act anymore, "When you were so hungry that you were about to faint, you didn't mean that you would do anything for a meal. What? Now that I have become the alchemist of the Privy Council, I can at least make you no longer hungry."
"This, this moment, that moment, can you believe what you said when you were hungry and panicked?" The other party glared at him, "Have you decided where you are going to take up the post?"
"I don't know yet. But no matter where I go, it will be no problem to find a place for you, Master."
Zhao Dahai pondered for a moment and then shook his head, "No, you can go alone from now on."
Xia Fan was stunned, "What do you mean?"
"I'm used to being at ease, and I don't want to live in one place for a long time. To say the least, I would rather live here than living with you. There is no shortage of food, drink, and entertainment. The girl in Ruanxiang Pavilion is eager for me to come there every day. I want it to be as comfortable as possible... "
"I can testify that your master is telling the truth." Shopkeeper Xiao said with a smile.
"Are you...serious?" Xia Fan frowned.
"Seriously, absolutely seriously!"
"In that case, I won't say anything more." He shook his head helplessly, "But after the appointment and dismissal order is issued, I will tell you where to go. If one day the master regrets it and doesn't have enough to eat, it's okay. Come to me at any time. In that case, disciple, please retire."
"Go ahead, go ahead." Zhao Dahai waved his hand.
Xia Fan had no choice but to leave the room.
After he left, shopkeeper Xiao looked at Zhao Dahai with a sigh, "This is the first time I have seen a master and disciple like you. Not to mention being a teacher and being as steady as a mountain, other people, if not, would at least pretend to be so. … You have to burn three sticks of incense to worship someone in the arena.”
"What's the use of pretending to be a master-disciple?" Zhao Dahai sneered, "One day we were close classmates, and the next day they stabbed each other in the back for some petty gain. I've seen a lot of them - they look so pretentious. If you do too much, sometimes it will paralyze yourself, so it is better not to do it in the first place. You should be familiar with this principle."
"Hahaha... It does make sense." Shopkeeper Xiao said after filling their wine glasses, "But your apprentice has finally passed the alchemist examination and will become a serious court official in the future. It is a great joy in any case. Let's put it down. When you go to another house, you must be beating gongs and drums and wearing red and colorful clothes. Why do I think you don’t care too much? Could it be that... you think the disciple is lying? "
"That's not true. From the moment he asked to take the military examination, I knew that this day would come sooner or later." Zhao Dahai's voice suddenly became darker, "To be honest, I don't really want him to leave. Take this path... and become a Privy Council Alchemist."
"What's wrong with honoring our ancestors? Others who want to take this path are not qualified."
"He's different... This kid scares me a little."
"Afraid?" Shopkeeper Xiao laughed dumbly, "Old Zhao, you drank too much."
"Drink too much? It's still early! You haven't been with him for a long time, so it's normal that you don't know. I have taken him for more than ten years, so I naturally know the details of this kid." Zhao Dahai waved his hand, as if he wanted to spit something out, and said Halfway through, he hesitated, "The more I teach him, the more I can feel the gap between myself and him. You don't understand that feeling, it's like, like -" He couldn't describe it after thinking about it for a long time.
"I understand, a master is better than a master. He has become an alchemist, but you are still 'Daozhang Zhao'..."
"It has nothing to do with any of this!" he interrupted, "I became a wandering monk because I couldn't stand the rules of the Privy Council. I have also met many people who claim to be geniuses, but that boy is nothing like them. Same."
"What's the difference?"
This time Zhao Dahai was silent for a longer time, "Have you ever met someone who was born knowing?"
As expected, he drank too much. Shopkeeper Xiao smiled and said, "Who do you want to say is your disciple?"
"I don't know." He picked up the glass and drank it in one gulp, "But if there is, he should be close. I was only three years old when I picked up that kid. It is unusual for this age to be able to sense Qi. Now, most of the disciples of the aristocratic family started learning Qi Sensing at the age of four or five. But he was able to draw talismans at the age of five, and performed a complete technique at the age of six. In two years, he mastered what others could do in five to six years. What you have learned will be considered first-class in a big family."
"Also, he said that when he was breathing in energy, he seemed to be seeing stars in the sky. What the hell is that! Shouldn't he be able to see nothing and only be vaguely aware of an extra layer of gauze-like things around him? But he was indeed breathing out the energy. After it was introduced into my body, I had no choice but to pretend that this was how it should be.”
"This... seems to be a bit exaggerated."
"That's all. He found a scrap account book from somewhere and wrote and drew on the back every day. Later, I accidentally discovered that some of the things he remembered were much earlier than when he told them." Zhao Dahaiyue Speaking faster, "This means that he deliberately slowed down to avoid looking like he was learning too fast - would ordinary people do this kind of thing? Since then, I have been more cautious and found that this kid's problems have become more and more serious. More and more. The abnormal obsession with alchemy, the extreme self-control when practicing, and the orderliness of things. This can no longer be summed up simply by talent."
"Wouldn't someone with high talent be more suitable for the Privy Council?" Shopkeeper Xiao was really puzzled.
"How can a place like the Privy Council Mansion be successful just by relying on talent? With my disciple's temperament, he will either be in it, or... he will become part of the Privy Council Mansion." He sighed, "If it's the latter, the higher the talent. , the harm caused will be greater..."
Privy Council House... big harm? Those alchemists can be a bit arrogant and domineering at most, but then again, which official with some power is not like this
Shopkeeper Xiao realized that the topic was getting more and more outrageous, so he simply gave up asking, "Well, I don't know much about the alchemist's skills. Since you didn't want him to join the Privy Council, why didn't you stop him from taking the exam?"
"This is the contradiction in people's hearts." Zhao Dahai smiled bitterly, "My talent is ordinary, and the upper limit of my life is only here. But the more ordinary I am, the more I want to see what truly talented people can achieve. Such a height. There are only a handful of things I can teach him, and the only place where he can fully develop is the Privy Council House."