May is the hottest time of the year, and this area is dry and rainless. Running a horse for more than ten miles on flat ground can make your throat bleed from thirst. Wan Zhuyun simply ordered that everyone should travel at night and sleep during the day.
Zhu Yanyin was not used to it at first, but he got used to it later. It was indeed much cooler and more comfortable to walk at night. There was only one downside: you couldn't light a candle in a moving carriage, and the light from the pearl was not bright enough to read. The journey became boring and people felt listless.
The steward who followed the team was named Zhu Zhang. He was careful and capable, and could handle all matters, big or small, very steadily. He had taken care of Zhu Yanyin for more than ten years and knew his temperament best. This time, he immediately guessed the reason why the second young master was listless, and felt that it was not good, so he had to think of a way.
So take action immediately.
…
The night in the northwest is extremely beautiful.
Zhu Yanyin got out of the carriage and sat down next to Uncle Zhong. The wind blew up his white clothes. In the distance, the Milky Way stretched across the sky, and the starry sky was in sight.
Uncle Zhong asked cheerfully, "Why did you suddenly sigh, young master?"
Zhu Yanyin pulled the reins of the horse, unhappy: "There is nothing to do."
Uncle Zhong glanced at the side of the road and said, "I saw you running to Dr. Jiang's carriage a few days ago. He seems to be free now. Why don't I ask him to come over and talk to you?"
"Forget it." Zhu Yanyin leaned back, feeling even more listless.
He had always been running to Jiang Shenglin's carriage before, hoping to get some information from him about his connection with the underworld, but the genius doctor was very tight-lipped and refused to say anything.
The conversation often goes like this:
Zhu Yanyin: "But Palace Master Li once mentioned the Qilitan incident in person at the martial arts conference. It is obvious that it has something to do with me."
Jiang Shenglin actually wanted to find a reason to help Li Sui get over the matter, but after thinking about it over and over again, he couldn't come up with an excuse that was not too ridiculous. He still had a conscience and didn't want to continue lying to the amnesia patient, so he had to say firmly: "He was teasing you."
Zhu Yanyin didn't believe it: "Palace Master Li doesn't look like someone who likes to joke around."
Or to put it more clearly, 80% of them won't even smile. Even if they go to a wedding banquet of relatives or friends, they will just have a look on their face that says "take my blessings and get out of here."
Jiang Shenglin: "Then I don't know. Perhaps I need to ask Palace Master Li himself to find out what his intention was at the Qilitan that day."
Zhu Yanyin: “Yeah.”
Jiang Shenglin reminded: "But Palace Master Li never likes people who talk too much and ask too many questions. You'd better not ask, lest you cause trouble again."
"Will you kill me?"
"meeting!"
Zhu Yanyin: Okay, then I won’t go.
But he was neither going nor returning, and his curiosity grew day by day. In addition, he could not read at night, so he was more likely to have wild thoughts when he was free. Zhu Yanyin looked up and counted the stars in the sky, feeling bored and unhappy.
"Young Master." Butler Zhu Zhang suddenly rode forward on his horse, his voice full of joy.
Zhu Yanyin lowered his gaze slightly and asked in a muffled voice, "What's the matter?"
Zhu Zhang asked: "Sir, do you want to hear stories about the martial arts world?"
Zhu Yanyin sat up straight: "What's the story?"
Another man rode up on horseback, he was about thirty years old, with a ruddy face, a strong body and a broadsword on his waist. He clasped his hands together and said loudly, "I am Wu Dapeng from the Yuyang Gang, I am here to tell a story for Master Zhu."
Zhu Yanyin really liked his heroic spirit and immediately became energized.
Wu Daxia's voice is sonorous, his pronunciation is clear, and his voice is rhythmic. He is indeed a good material for storytelling, imitating, joking and singing.
He sat next to the coachman and told Zhu Yanyin in the carriage about the exciting stories of the martial arts world for two hours. He also took into account the acceptance level of the Jiangnan nobleman. He only mentioned the bloody murder case in passing, and described the humorous and interesting things in detail. He danced with joy when he was excited. Not to mention Zhu Yanyin, even Uncle Zhong, who had traveled all over the country, was amused.
So the next day, the entire Wulin Alliance team knew that Wu Dapeng from the Yuyang Gang had told stories to Master Zhu all night and received a generous reward.
Li Sui asked: "What's going on with all the commotion back there?"
"My Lord, it's the steward of the Zhu Mansion who is selecting people who can tell stories." Shadow Guard said, "It is said that this is to entertain Master Zhu."
Because the reward was generous, many people signed up enthusiastically. There was almost a long queue behind Zhu Zhang's carriage, and servants had to come out to maintain order.
Li Sui frowned: "Ridiculous!"
Jiang Shenglin also felt that Chi Tian was full of tricks, and that this group of martial arts people were too lax. However, they were still a thousand miles away from the Northeast, and it seemed unrealistic to ask everyone to be a hundred times more vigilant from now on. Let's just take it one step at a time.
The further north you go and the closer it gets to autumn, the cooler the weather becomes.
After careful calculation, more than a month has passed since the day we set out from Jincheng.
Zhu Xiaosui said, "Just ahead is Baitou City."
Baitou City is located near mountains and rivers, with well-developed river and land transportation. It is considered an important town in Dayu. The Zhu government also has a branch of a money shop in the city, which is quite large.
Zhu Yanyin stood by the road and stretched his muscles: "Where is Uncle Zhong?"
"I'm feeding the horses in the back." Zhu Xiaosui said, "It's cool now, why don't I accompany you for a walk."
As soon as they walked, they came to the herd of horses. Uncle Zhong was an old driver who not only knew the habits of horses very well, but also prepared the feed carefully. The fragrant bean cakes were mixed with fruit residue, corn, and bran, and pressed with a printed mold with the word "fat". In the dark, people believed that it was a snack for people.
Zhu Yanyin took a bean cake and learned how to feed the horse. The people in the Zhu Mansion were particular, and the horses were also particular. They ate without fighting or grabbing, and chewed slowly and steadily. It was obvious that they came from a wealthy family.
Zhu Yanyin thought it was quite amusing. He patted the residue on his hands and wanted to take another cake, but he suddenly touched a furry head.
"Ah!" He was startled.
Kicking Snow Wuzhui was looking at him with a pair of wet eyes.
The horse's body is pitch black, its four hooves are like snow, its back is shiny, its mane is stiff and curly, and its face is much more ferocious than that of the Zhaoye Jade Lion.
But this ferocious horse was now rubbing gently against Zhu Yanyin's palm, and its eyes would occasionally drift into the cloth bag.
Palace Master Li is extremely cold and never drinks plum soup.
But Palace Master Li's horse was apparently not aware enough. When it smelled the bean cake, it opened its mouth.
Mixed in with other people's snow-white and gentle horses, it is wild and fierce, and can eat half a bag of food at a time.
Uncle Zhong: “…”
Night Jade Lion: "..."
There was a full moon hanging in the sky, silvery white with hints of red.
There is a deep pool in the mountains, the water is freezing cold.
Li Sui Chi was soaking in the water with his upper body naked, his eyes were closed, his face was pale, his black hair was soaked by the water and stuck to his chest in a mess, making him look even paler and more eerie.
After a long time, he opened his eyes and looked at Jiang Shenglin on the shore: "How long will it take this time?"
"One hour." Compared to the last time the poison took effect, it took one more cup of tea.
Li Sui jumped out of the cold pond, pulled the black robe on the treetop to cover his body, and stepped on the dead branches barefoot: "It's okay."
Jiang Shenglin cursed in his heart, who is the doctor between you and me? If you say it's okay, does that mean it's okay
Li Sui added: "At least Chi Tian will die earlier than me."
Jiang Shenglin was helpless: "Except Chi Tian, can't you compete with others in longevity? For example, the three elders of Qingxu Temple." Each of them had a snow-white beard dragging down to his chest, and it felt like they were already two hundred years old, very auspicious and prosperous.
"They have no grudge against me."
"Why don't I let Qingxu Temple offend you as much as possible to see if it can inspire your fighting spirit?"
Li Sui put on his clothes: "Not funny."
Jiang Shenglin replied, it’s right that it’s not funny. If I can tell a funny story, why should I bother to criticize you? I might as well go to that big Huanghuali carriage and tell stories to the second young master Zhu. I believe he has saved enough money by now to buy a house and land in Jiangnan, become a rich landlord, and marry eight wives.
Li Sui was annoyed by his noise: "If you say another word, I will throw you into the cold pond."
Jiang Shenglin: “…” Forget it, forget it. If I get mad, no one will be happy, and it will be stressful and tiring.
There were bonfires burning halfway up the mountain, with piles of bonfires connected together like a red leaping dragon.
When Li Sui returned to the mountain path, Kicking Snow Wuzhui was pacing back and forth beside a tree, wagging his tail and snorting.
Although it was a bit strange to describe a dark horse as "full of joy", Palace Master Li felt that his horse did seem to be in a good mood.
…
They arrived at Whitehead City three days later.
The shopkeeper of Zhufu Bank had been waiting at the city gate for a long time. When he saw his own motorcade, he hurried forward with a smile and said, "Second Master, Manager Zhang, you have worked hard on this journey."
"It's not that hard, but my whole body aches from sitting there." Zhu Yanyin looked at the crowd of purple-clothed people behind him, "Are these all the guys from the bank?"
The bank owner quickly explained: "Our people are all in the city. Those people are disciples of the Sky Spider Hall. I heard they are here to welcome Palace Master Li."
Zhu Yanyin was even more surprised, because according to his observations along the way, most of the martial arts sects would avoid Li Sui when they saw him, and were basically in a state of "wanting to get close but didn't want to die immediately so they stayed away". The Tianzhu Hall was the first one to actively confront him head-on.
Seeing that his son seemed interested in this matter, the bank owner continued, "The head of the Sky Spider Hall is Pan Shihou, 48 years old this year. He is a nice guy, but he always brags. He likes to brag about his close relationship with the head of the Wanren Palace, Li, and says that the two of them are often uncle and nephew."
Zhu Yanyin asked: "Are there many disciples in the Sky Spider Hall? Why didn't they participate in the martial arts conference?"
"In the northwest, it is considered a big sect, and Pan Shihou's status in the martial arts world is not low." The bank owner said, "This time, he was not in good health and was ill for three to five months, so he did not go to Jincheng."
At this time, Pan Shihou was being supported by a servant. There was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead and he could not stand steadily. He looked very weak.
Even though he was so weak, he still came to wait at the city gate, which showed how much he valued Li Sui.
But it was obvious that Li Sui didn't take him seriously.
The elder of the Beggars' Sect was on good terms with Pan Shihou, so he came over and quietly reminded them, "The people from Wanren Palace chose the western mountain road this morning. I'm afraid they will go directly around the Cui River and will not enter the city."
After hearing this, Pan Shihou's face turned red and white, but he still had to maintain his dignity: "Elder Liu, you misunderstood. I am here to pick up friends from the Wulin League. I have prepared a banquet at home. Please don't be polite to me."