Qiu Jiangping looked at him and frowned.
Du Yuejiao beside him said sarcastically, "One year? I heard that every attacker is an eighth-grade warrior, with tacit cooperation and fearlessness of death. If you want to survive their attack, you must be at least an eighth-grade warrior.
"You want to reach the eighth level in just one year? Is this a lie?"
Shi Hao sighed... It was indeed a lie.
Because it's actually much shorter.
Of course, in fact, he himself did not practice at all. The story began when Fairy Shengxuan and Fire Charm Girl inexplicably broke his heart meridian...
He knew that no matter what, these people would not believe it.
After all, before this, he was just a scholar who had no martial arts skills, and even in Xiaohanshan City, everyone thought so.
This means that no matter how you check, these people won't believe it.
So he simply put his hands behind his back and said proudly, "That's the fact!" He acted as if you could believe it or not.
Being humble at this time would only make them think that he had something to hide.
Du Yuejiao sneered, "There must be a traitor on Red Mountain. Maybe you are the traitor. The so-called repelling of the criminals is just a show by you and them."
Shi Hao said calmly: "This girl is so good at talking, but it's a pity that you were not there when the incident happened. You are not needed anymore to show off your eloquence."
Du Yuejiao raised his eyebrows, stepped suddenly, flipped his hand, and slapped Shi Hao's chest with his palm like lightning.
With a snap, the two palms intersected. Shi Hao, who intercepted Du Yuejiao's palm technique in time, felt that her palm power was endless and should not be underestimated.
Du Yuejiao felt a chill emanating from the opponent's palm power.
"Disciple, please step back!" Zhuo Mulan said softly.
Du Yuejiao snorted, retracted his palm power, and retreated. Zhuo Mulan looked at Shi Hao again: "You are learning the authentic Taoist skills? The one who taught you martial arts is from the Taoist sect?"
Shi Hao replied, "That's right!" The martial arts in the world are all different, but the Taoist practice of inner alchemy and the Demonic practice of drawing on the devil's source are obviously different from other martial arts in the world, so it is useless to try to hide them.
Du Yuejiao said coldly: "Chongxian Sect is the leader of all Taoist sects in the world. All Taoists in the world need to obtain a certificate from Chongxian Sect before they can be admitted as Taoists. Otherwise, they are just fake Taoists who pretend to be gods and deceive ghosts and eat and drink for free everywhere."
Shi Hao said expressionlessly: "If the girl said yes, then it must be true."
Du Yuejiao heard the sarcasm in his tone and raised her eyebrows with murderous intent.
At the side door, a woman walked in gracefully: "Father, Master, Senior Sister..."
It was Princess Litong who came. Princess Litong stood between Du Yuejiao and Shi Hao, intentionally or unintentionally, and winked at the Marquis.
Wu Subaoteng thought to himself, "Although there must be something fishy about the origin of Shi Hao's martial arts, he saved my daughter anyway. If I don't reward him for his meritorious service, it will only make things difficult for him. Who will be willing to work for my family in the future?"
So he laughed, looked at Shi Hao, and said: "You have made great contributions this time, and I will definitely reward you handsomely. You can withdraw first and go back to rest."
Shi Hao bowed and said, "Thank you, My Lord!" Then he turned and left.
After Shi Hao left, Chief Constable Qiu Jiangping looked at the Marquis and said, "The criminals' intrusion into Hongshan this time was too accurate. There must be an insider. Whether it's the young city lord of Xiaohanshan City or the young guild master of Yuanrong Chamber of Commerce, we need to investigate them thoroughly."
Wu Subao Teng was such a person, how could he not know the working style of the Six Gates? He said dissatisfiedly: "There must be a traitor, but the traitor must be in my mansion. Shi Hao and Deng Liang are just outsiders who were invited temporarily. What can be found out from them
"Those criminals suddenly came for my daughter. There must be something fishy going on. Captain Qiu should investigate further. Don't let them off lightly just because the matter involves the Marquis' Mansion. Instead, find someone irrelevant to take the blame."
Qiu Jiangping said hurriedly: "Yes! Yes! Lord, just rest assured, I will investigate this matter thoroughly."
But what I was thinking was that the family was as deep as the sea, and the more I investigated, the more it would involve. How could I start
Zhuo Mulan looked at Qiu Jiangping again and said, "Captain, have you found anything about the female thief who stole the treasure the night before?"
Qiu Jiangping shook his head helplessly: "Please give us some more time. The clues your court has provided are too few. It seems that there has never been such a female thief in Jin County before. We have sent letters to the capital city to investigate the theft cases on various streets to see if there are similar cases.
"That female thief was able to steal treasures from Mingkun Temple. It's definitely not simple. It's impossible for her to appear out of thin air without any trace."
Du Yuejiao said coldly: "Perhaps Shi Hao is in cahoots with the female thief. We can definitely find clues from him."
Qiu Jiangping smiled and said, "Miss Du, don't worry. We in the Six Gates are not idle. No matter where the young city lord of Xiaohan Mountain City came from, his skills are definitely not acquired overnight. As long as we investigate in depth, we will always find clues."
Du Yuejiao pursed her lips and snorted again—
—
When Shi Hao returned to his residence, he saw Master Lu and the four hunters who had come with him from Xiaohanshan City to serve as his followers, looking at him with strange eyes.
He understood, so he asked them to close the door, came to the hall, asked them to sit down together, and then asked, "But someone came to ask you when I started practicing martial arts and which school or sect I learned from?"
Master Lu and the four hunters looked at each other.
After a while, Master Lu said, "Master, someone did come here just now. At first, it was a steward from the Marquis's Mansion, and later a police chief came."
Shi Hao asked, "Did they embarrass you?"
Master Lu shook his head and said, "No, they were not that bad. They just didn't believe us. We said, 'Young Master, you have never practiced martial arts,' but they obviously didn't believe us, especially the captain. He smiled, but his words hinted that giving false testimony to the Six Gates would lead to imprisonment."
Shi Hao said, "Forget it. I won't hide it from you. I did practice martial arts. A year ago, I met an old Taoist in the mountains. He taught me some mysterious martial arts. I originally practiced in secret and didn't want outsiders to know.
"Who would have thought that during the banquet today, Princess Hongtong was attacked, and I had to use force to protect myself. I accidentally revealed the fact that I knew martial arts, which caused suspicion."
After a pause, he said, "This matter can be big or small. I saved the Princess of Hongtong County, so I think the Marquis' Mansion won't embarrass me for a while. But you also know that the style of these princes and nobles and the Six Gates is to turn against each other and be ruthless.
"In order to avoid getting involved too much, you can go back to Xiaohanshan City first. While the city gates are still open, leave now."
A hunter asked, "Master, who will take care of you when we leave?"
Shi Hao smiled and said, "How can I be someone who needs to be taken care of? This mansion already has hired locals to do daily cleaning, laundry and cooking, so you don't have to worry about it. You go back to Xiaohanshan City first, and I will go back after a while when this matter cools down.
"Don't forget, I know martial arts. To be honest, I now have the foundation of the eighth rank."
Master Lu and others were dumbfounded and looked at him in disbelief.
Although someone had come to inquire about their young master's martial arts background, the young master had just admitted that he knew martial arts.
But they never imagined that their seemingly frail young master was actually an eighth-rank martial arts expert
You know, all of them have practiced martial arts to some extent, but including Master Lu, they are all "inferior". In their eyes, an eighth-rank martial artist is already a very remarkable person.
After all, Xiaohanshan City was not originally a martial arts sect. It was just ordinary people who fled to Western Shu to avoid the massacre by barbarians during the war.
But they didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, their young city lord who was "just a scholar" would have such strength
Of course, if they knew that just a few days ago, when they left Xiaohanshan City, their young city lord was really "just a scholar", they would be even more shocked and unbelievable.
At that moment, Master Lu and the four hunters took advantage of the fact that the city gates were not closed in the afternoon and went out of the city according to the instructions of the young city lord.
Shi Hao then practiced and rested in the courtyard. In the evening, the reward from the county lord arrived, which was all normal gifts such as gold, silver, brocade and silk.
At night, Shi Hao took out the Jade Clear Pearl again, placed it on the eaves, and left it under the moonlight for half an hour before putting it away. Then, he continued to practice the Immortal Ice Art and the Mysterious Charm in his body while sleeping.
On the second day, after he washed up, he had breakfast at a stall outside and started his journey to the Chuanjinbao Pavilion that Deng Liang had mentioned yesterday.
He asked for directions on the way and came to Chuanjinbao Pavilion. Chuanjinbao Pavilion had a huge business and had branches in various districts. The one he came to was the main store of Chuanjinbao Pavilion in Jin County.
The walls are emerald red, with two-section eaves at the top, and the tips of the eaves bend upwards.
The whole store looked brand new and beautiful. I stepped onto the stone steps and went straight into the store. Someone came up to greet me and said, "Sir, what do you want to buy?"
Shi Hao said: "I want to buy some precious medicinal herbs. The young master of Yuanrong Chamber of Commerce said that you might have them. I came over to ask."
The man said, "So it was introduced by Master Deng. Please come in, please come in."
Shi Hao entered the cabinet and was asked to sit down. After a while, another manager came and asked, "Excuse me, sir, what is your name?"
Shi Hao replied: "My last name is Shi."
The steward asked, "I wonder what kind of medicinal herbs Master wants to buy?"
Shi Hao said: "One is the Great Cold Peony Fairy Bud, and the other is the Water Moon Wonderful Lotus..." He paused, and did not mention the third medicinal ingredient, but just looked at the other party.
The manager was surprised and said, "It's this kind of immortal material? Master, this kind of immortal material is not only expensive, but also not necessarily available. For example, this Great Cold Peony Bud grows between cold waters and blooms three buds every three years. Each bud can only be kept for seven or eight days at most. So not only is it extremely expensive, but you have to book it in advance and pay a sufficient deposit."
Shi Hao said: "Then, does your pavilion have such a thing?" He was afraid that the other party would be like Deng Liang, who knew nothing about anything.
Since the other party can tell you the secret, it at least means that this kind of magical material can indeed be bought.
The steward asked, "Sir, are you a Taoist? Do you have any Taoist credentials?"
Shi Hao shook his head: "Does this matter?"
The steward smiled and said, "It's okay! It's okay! It's just that both the Great Cold Peony Fairy Bud and the Water Moon Wonderful Lotus are extremely rare and precious. Sir, please sit down for a moment. I will send someone to ask the main warehouse to see if there is any stock in the near future."
After he finished speaking, he bowed apologetically, stood up and left. A waiter was beside him, pouring tea for Shi Hao.
Shi Hao sat for a long time, but he didn't get a reply. He frowned, feeling something was wrong, and stood up and left the cabinet.
The manager came over quickly and said, "Master, please wait a little longer. Someone will come back soon. Please wait a little longer."
Shi Hao said, "No need to wait any longer. I'll come and ask again tomorrow." He stepped out without hesitation.
The manager chased after him and said, "How about you leave your name and address, sir? When we get a reply, we'll send someone to inform... Sir? Sir?"
Shi Hao stepped out and entered the busy street, then quickly turned a corner and entered the alley.
He walked through the alleys, turned many corners, and finally came to a deserted place. Suddenly he stopped with an indifferent look on his face.
In front of him, a young girl came out, wearing a Taoist robe embroidered with brocade flowers.
It is called a Taoist robe, but it is only the style that makes it recognizable at a glance. It has a round collar and is tied around the waist, but it is gorgeous and beautiful, and the robe is bright red.
She had an oval face, delicate hair, a hairpin inserted diagonally, and a sword at her waist. She was none other than Du Yuejiao from Ming Kun Temple.
Standing in front of him, Du Yuejiao sneered, "It's you!"
Shi Hao said calmly, "I never thought that I would be able to trouble you to come here just to buy some herbs. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Du Yuejiao said disdainfully: "I thought you were very capable, but I didn't expect you to be so ignorant. Chongxian Sect is the orthodox sect of Taoism in the world. The Great Cold Peony Bud and the Water Moon Miraculous Lotus are both immortal materials for refining the Taoist inner elixir 'Nine-grade Immortal Recipe'.
"Three hundred years ago, our Chongxian Sect has been in charge of the Taoist sects in the world. The imperial court has issued an order that, except for the Chongxian Sect, other Taoist sects are not allowed to plant or sell these immortal materials without permission. If they need them, they must apply to the Chongxian Sect. If any medicine cabinet encounters anyone who buys immortal materials without permission, they must report to the Chongxian Sect.
"So you don't know this kind of law? Humph, it's really a side door."
Shi Hao was a little stunned... He really didn't know this.
After all, he had never been exposed to Taoism before, and it could even be said that he had never truly been exposed to martial arts.
No wonder the Chongxian Sect has been able to transform from a small sect that "none of the eight major sects can enter" as described by Fairy Shengxuan into today's "the most authentic Taoist sect in the world" in just three hundred years.
This clearly means that with the support of the Barbarian Court, all medicinal materials for refining the ninth-grade immortal recipe have been monopolized. In this way, all other sects in the Taoist sect must respect the Immortal Sect, otherwise they would be considered "unorthodox".
He looked at Du Yuejiao and said coldly: "I am just an unorthodox person, so what?"
Chapter 14: God-making Experiment
Shi Hao's arrogant tone made Du Yuejiao raise his eyebrows and feel extremely annoyed.
She had been practicing in Chongxian Sect since she was young, and she could not imagine that there were people who regarded themselves as following unconventional ways and were not ashamed of it but proud of it.
She gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist and stared at Shi Hao coldly.
Shi Hao sneered nonchalantly, "Why, are you going to kill me here just because I came to buy some herbs?"
Du Yuejiao snorted, and pulled out the sword an inch, revealing its sharp edge: "Tell me! You sneaked into the Marquis' Mansion, colluded with the criminals yesterday, and pretended to save my sister. What is your purpose?"
Shi Hao said disdainfully: "Since you believe that I am acting with those black-clad and masked criminals, what can I say? If you have evidence, just notify the Six Gates and ask them to arrest me."
Ignore her and walk forward.
Du Yuejiao shouted: "Don't think I don't dare to kill you here."
"Of course you dare!" Shi Hao said sarcastically, "Chongxian Sect is the orthodox sect in the world. Killing a few people without any evidence is nothing. If you want to kill someone, just draw your sword."
He ignored her and continued walking forward until he passed through the alley, turned the corner and entered the dilapidated and dirty street.
Although Du Yuejiao had drawn half of his sword and was filled with murderous intent, he ultimately did not choose to take action. However, the anger between his brows became more and more obvious.
Finally, she sheathed her sword with a clanging sound, and said, "Hmph! A cowardly and unorthodox method!" Then she turned and left.
—
Shi Hao was walking on this street where poor people lived. It was a dirty and messy street with many people crowded on both sides, including half-naked vagrants and skinny children.
Jindu is located in western Sichuan. In terms of geographical location, it is far away from the hinterland and several provinces such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Huangdong.
But these days, there are more and more refugees coming from the east.
These refugees have nowhere to go and most of them are crowded in this neglected area, where people die every day.
The government and the powerful will never see these people. Their life and death are like dust floating up and down in the shadows with the wind, and will never be illuminated by the magnificent light.
These Chinese people lived on Chinese land, but from birth to death, they could not escape the oppression and humiliation of foreign races. They were born in humble circumstances and died miserably.