Yan Liqiang still looked like Wang Shagen, and the old man was naturally the mastermind of the "assassination of the prime minister". The old man told Yan Liqiang that his surname was Cui, and his name was Cui Lichen. This name was completely unfamiliar to Yan Liqiang. Yan Liqiang thought about it again and again, but could not remember that there was such a famous master in the martial arts world of the Han Empire. Perhaps this was the mystery of the Yu Luo Palace.
The old man fought with Lin Qingtian, and while severely injuring Lin Qingtian, he was also seriously injured. So the old man has been recuperating all the way. After leaving Dijing City, Yan Liqiang escorted him back. Of course, as a "reward", the old man told Yan Liqiang that after Yan Liqiang sent him home, he could tell Yan Liqiang about Lin Qingtian and answer Yan Liqiang's doubts. After careful consideration, Yan Liqiang agreed, because if he didn't figure out this matter, Yan Liqiang wouldn't be able to sleep, and he felt that there seemed to be a huge secret behind this.
The place where the old man wanted Yan Liqiang to send him back was in Dingyuan County of Lanzhou, a small place next to Canglong Mountain.
The two people are now in Dingyuan County, Lanzhou, and Canglong Mountain is already faintly in sight.
After finishing lunch at the restaurant, Yan Liqiang paid the bill and then the two of them left the restaurant. Yan Liqiang drove the carriage while the old man sat in the carriage, and the two of them set out again under the sun.
Occasionally, the old man's cough could be heard in the carriage, but Yan Liqiang drove the car silently.
Less than an hour after the car left the restaurant, the official road ahead suddenly became congested. Many cars were stopped on the road, unable to move forward. Further away, a few hundred meters away, there was a large crowd of people on the road and on the roadside, probably no less than two or three thousand people, divided into two sides, who were very excited, spitting and making a lot of noise. Many of them were holding hoes, dung forks, and even swords in their hands. They looked a bit like nearby villagers. They didn't know what the conflict was because of, and the traffic on the road was mostly blocked.
"Shagen, go see what happened?" a voice came from the carriage.
"Okay, sir..." Yan Liqiang stopped the carriage, jumped off, and came back after a while. There was something strange on his face that was difficult for ordinary people to detect.
"Have you found out what happened ahead?"
"I've found out, sir!" Yan Liqiang, who was sitting in the driver's seat, replied respectfully, "The villagers of the two villages ahead are fighting for land. There used to be a piece of grassland on the riverbank by the roadside, between the two villages. Because there are too many gravels on the land, it's hard to grow crops. No one from the two neighboring villages paid attention to it before. Only occasionally some shepherds and cattle herders would come to the beach to graze cattle and sheep. But in the past year or so, wool has become more and more valuable. The shepherds from the two villages have both set their eyes on that piece of land and started fighting over it. No one would give in, and that's why there was such a big commotion!"
"I see. I wonder how long the traffic jam will last!"
"When I passed by just now, I saw the officials from the county government and the heads of the two villages had all arrived. This road should be able to be cleared soon..."
"That's good, that's good!" A sigh came from the carriage. "It's true that wine makes people popular and money makes people's hearts move. The woolen cloth made by Yan Liqiang, the master craftsman from Ganzhou, has messed up this place. I remember that two days ago in Pinghe County, those big farmers left their good land to grow grass and raise sheep, and asked the tenants to learn to herd sheep. Sheep can eat grass, but can people eat grass? They only care about the sheep's stomach and not the human stomach. What kind of world is this..."
"Master is right. My family only has that one acre and three mu of land. My father is counting on me to go home more often and take good care of the land to save some food for the family. If the land is all planted with grass, that won't work. When I see Yan Liqiang, I will definitely scold him. This man is so bad..."
“Cough… cough… cough…” There was coughing in the carriage, and it took a long time for the cough to subside.
The carriage was stuck on the road for nearly half an hour before the villagers from the two villages slowly dispersed. No one knew how the situation was handled in the end, but the blocked road was restored to normal and the carriage could move again.
Yan Liqiang continued driving on the road.
Two hours later, the road ahead split into two, one heading east and the other heading west.
"Master, east or west!"
"Forty miles to the east, there is a town called Baishi. I live in that town!"
"Okay!" Yan Liqiang whipped the horse whip and drove the carriage to the east road. Seeing that there was no one on the road, he continued to ask, "I wonder what the master does in Baishi Town?"
This was also the reason why Yan Liqiang felt in awe of this old man. The Mind Snake in Yan Liqiang's head was actually useless in front of this old man. What this old man was thinking and whether what he said was true or false, Yan Liqiang had no idea. The last person Yan Liqiang met who made the Mind Snake ineffective was the Emperor. The Emperor might have some treasures on him that blocked the Mind Snake's prying eyes, but this old man... Yan Liqiang had no idea what treasures this old man had that could make the Mind Snake ineffective.
"Hehe..." A chuckle came from the old man in the carriage. The old man seemed to know what Yan Liqiang was thinking. "I am a retired teacher in Baishi Town. I live a peaceful life. I have no children. I only have an old servant at home. I also have more than 30 acres of irrigated farmland, which I rent out to others. I collect a little rent every year. I have enough food and clothing, and I am free and easy!"
"Ah..." Yan Liqiang could not hide his surprise, "Could it be that Yu Luo Palace is also in Baishi Town?"
"Haha, how is that possible? I will tell you what you want to know when we get to Baishi Town. As for where the Yu Luo Palace is, it's a big secret..."
"Oh!" Yan Liqiang stopped talking and continued driving.
When the sun was about to set, a small town at the foot of the mountain appeared in front of Yan Liqiang.
This small town is just to the east of the majestic Canglong Mountain. The whole town is slightly smaller than Liuhe Town. The town is full of greenery and looks peaceful. A small stream flowing down from the mountain runs through the town, making it quite interesting.
Probably because there were relatively few strangers from other places in this town, when Yan Liqiang drove his carriage into the town, he immediately attracted a lot of attention. Many little kids chased the carriage until the carriage stopped outside a yard on the hillside side of the town. The old man in the carriage got off and the curious eyes disappeared.
“Grandpa Cui, Grandpa Cui is back…” several little kids shouted and surrounded him.
"Grandpa Cui, did you bring back any delicious food this time?" asked a chubby little kid while sucking his fingers.
The old man took out a bag of maltose wrapped in brown paper like a magic trick and distributed it to the little kids, "Here, take it and eat it, take it and eat it..."
A group of little kids cheered, took the candies, and ran away laughing and making noises.
The yard is not big, and there are only a few rooms from the outside. Outside the yard is a bamboo forest with a gurgling stream running through it. Looking at the old man and the children running away with the candies, Yan Liqiang couldn't believe that the peerless master who almost killed Lin Qingtian in Dijing City lived in such a place and led such a life.
"Ah, master, you're back..." The gate of the yard was opened, and a strong old servant came out with a happy face to greet the old man.
Yan Liqiang glanced at the old servant. The old servant was an ordinary person, honest and simple, and had not even advanced to a warrior. Judging from the old servant's thoughts, even the old servant did not know the old man's true identity.
"Ah Fu, this is Shagen, he is my cousin, he will stay with me for a few days, you can arrange for him to live in the west wing!"
"Okay, okay!" Ah Fu nodded, came over, pulled the carriage into the yard, and started to get busy.
Yan Liqiang and the old servant prepared dinner in the kitchen. Yan Liqiang was responsible for chopping wood, making fire, and washing rice. The old servant cooked a green vegetable in rice soup, fried a plate of bacon and a plate of bamboo shoots, and took out a plate of dried radish from the pottery jar. The three of them had dinner.
After dinner, the old servant Afu went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Cui Lichen called Yan Liqiang to the study on the second floor of the yard, sat him down by the window, and brewed a pot of tea first.
"Try it. This is the tea leaves I picked from Canglong Mountain myself. I stir-fry them with the new buds of pine trees that sprout after the spring rain every year. It has a unique flavor!"
Yan Liqiang took a sip and smacked his lips. He couldn't tell whether the wild tea was good or bad, but the faint pine fragrance in the tea was indeed very special.
After taking a bite, Yan Liqiang could only nod, "Well, not bad, not bad!"
Cui Lichen, however, looked like he was enjoying it. He closed his eyes while drinking tea. After taking two sips of tea and letting out a long breath, Cui Lichen opened his eyes, glanced at Yan Liqiang, and spoke calmly, "Okay, if you have any questions now, you can ask them now!"
"Who exactly is Lin Qingtian?" Yan Liqiang directly asked the question that had been weighing on his mind for more than two months.
Cui Lichen smiled slightly, his eyes suddenly became deep, "Why, at this time, do you still think Lin Qingtian is a human being?"
"If Lin Qingtian is not a human, then what is he?"
"Devil!" This word came out of Cui Lichen's mouth cleanly and neatly.
"Demon?" Yan Liqiang frowned tightly, "What is this?"
"In the eyes of our Yu Luo Palace disciples, Lin Qingtian is an evil demon, not a human being at all, but a member of the non-human race!"
"Ah, then why haven't I heard of the existence of evil spirits on the Silver Continent since I was a child?" Yan Liqiang looked surprised.
"Because these evil demons are not from the Silver Continent, but from outside the domain. Throughout history, there are only a handful of people who have seen their true faces and are still alive. You are one of them. The struggle between our Yu Luo Palace and these evil demons has lasted for hundreds of years!"
"ah… "
(End of this chapter)