Unsurprisingly, after hearing the words "It's better to be rewarded face to face", Guzhu Ye blew his hair instantly. Even though he was as dull as Mu Qingshan, he felt that something was wrong, so he silently Go to Shang Yunze's side to lean against, so as not to be harmed by the innocent.
"Would the King of Southwest stay and have dinner together?" Wen Liunian warmly invited.
Ye Jin silently clutched a small white bottle in her sleeve.
The dark guard tried his best to wink at Duan Baiyue, be careful, he won't move!
"You don't need to eat, I have other things to do." Duan Baiyue smiled, and suddenly looked towards the door, "Does Guzhu Ye have something to say to me?"
Ye Jin was taken aback at first, and then looked at him suspiciously—why did he suddenly say such a sentence, and I don't know you very well.
"If you have nothing to say, then I'll take a step first, and everyone will leave." Duan Baiyue looked calm.
"King of the Southwest, walk slowly." Wen Liunian also hugged his fists like the people in the rivers and lakes, feeling very proud. If he returns to his hometown next time, he can consider going to the blacksmith shop in the city to make a sword and hang it on his waist.
Then Ye Jin stepped forward and dragged Duan Baiyue into the small firewood room on the other side.
The rest of the people looked at each other in blank dismay, which song is this singing
Shen Qianfeng had a headache.
"What does Gu Zhu mean by this?" Duan Baiyue looked at him with a half-smile.
"What's your purpose?" Ye Jin looked him up and down, and the more he looked at him, the more he felt like a hooligan. He was the same person as Mr. Li who molested women from good families in Chiba City before, and he was almost the same person.
"Purpose?" Duan Baiyue raised her eyebrows slightly, "Naturally it is to protect the stability of Chu State."
What is Chu Guoan doing to you? It seems to be very intimate! Ye Jin rolled up his sleeves, and said righteously, "My brother is getting married."
"Oh? It turns out that the Emperor Chu wants to accept a concubine and become a queen." Duan Baiyue was very interested, "I don't know whose daughter I want to marry?"
"It has nothing to do with you." Guzhu Ye looked up arrogantly.
Duan Baiyue laughed out loud: "If it has nothing to do with me, then why did Valley Master Ye deliberately mention it?"
Ye Jin: "..."
Duan Baiyue continued to stare at him with interest.
Anyway, don't even think about it! Ye Jin hugged the cat and walked out of the woodshed in awe.
Everyone watched his back disappear all the way, and they all felt extremely admirable.
What kind of temper is this.
"King of the Southwest." Shen Qianfeng apologized a little.
Duan Baiyue shook her head with a smile and said, "It's okay, I'm used to it."
got used to? Wen Liunian was a little confused. Could it be that the owner of the valley knew the King of Southwest very well
"As for the shark soldiers, I will leave it to the Southwest King." Shen Qianfeng said.
Duan Baiyue promised: "You should do your best."
And it turns out that King Duan did his best—he immediately sent Duan Nian to return to the southwest to investigate. This record about the merman is written in Pomeng language. The patriarch's name is A Kan. He was originally the most irritable of the seventy-two village masters in Miaojiang. After being teased by Duan Baiyue cat for a whole year, Finally completely overwhelmed, unwilling to lead the tribe to surrender. He seldom shows up on weekdays, and has been living in the deep mountains, farming and picking tea for self-sufficiency, unwilling to pay tribute, and unwilling to ask for any reward from Duan Baiyue, basically living a life isolated from the world.
And in the vast East China Sea, Wu Feng also set sail with a small group of people, under the guise of doing pearl business, to inquire about the whereabouts of the sharks.
"It would be great if there were sharks." Hearing what he said, the fishermen laughed and joked, "Keep one at home, and you can sell pearls if you cry. Why do you need to go through the wind and waves like now?" If you go, you can barely get enough food and clothing."
"Really?" Wufeng asked again.
"Who knows, anyway, we haven't seen it, and we haven't heard a few people mention it." The fisherman put the net away, "Only Laifu said that he had seen it, but he couldn't tell the truth when he asked carefully, but He's always been out of his mind, and no one would believe that."
"Laifu?" Wufeng asked, "Are you also a fisherman?"
"I'm a net weaver, and I don't go to sea very much on weekdays." The fisherman said, "I live on Baihuan Island not far from here."
Wu Feng smiled, changed the subject and chatted for a few words, bought some fishing goods, then set sail and headed for the deep sea.
Baihuan Island is very small, and there are not many residents on the island. Most of them rely on fishing for their livelihood on weekdays, and rely on merchant ships to exchange some rice, noodles, and vegetable oil. Although the life is hard, but the ancestors have lived on the sea for generations, so it is not hard. .
In the small courtyard at the west end of the village, a middle-aged man was weaving old fishing nets. Although the weather was still a bit cold, he was only wearing a short jacket. The muscles on his arms were bulging, and he looked very strong and strong.
Wufeng knocked on the door twice, and the man raised his head when he heard the sound, his eyes were a little puzzled.
"We are merchants in the past." Wufeng explained, "There is something wrong with the ship, and it is temporarily parked at the pier for repairs. I want to come here to ask for a cup of hot water."
"That's it, please sit down." The man was exactly what the previous group of fishermen called Laifu. He was born to be a little more stupid than others, and he didn't have much thought in what he said or did. He often believed what others said. Not long after, hot tea was brought out from the house, as well as some dried fish and fried peanuts.
"Thank you." Wufeng put an ingot of silver on the table.
Laifu smiled and put it away, and he was not polite at all - he would not blackmail or understand politeness, if Wufeng did not give it, he would not take the initiative to ask for it, but if he did, the money is a good thing, of course he must accept it.
"Sister-in-law is not at home?" Wufeng asked.
"I'm going to dry sea vegetables, the sun is good today." Laifu continued to weave fishing nets, "What kind of business do you do?"
"Pearl." Wufeng said.
"That's a big business." Lai Fu said, "No wonder I haven't seen it before." Most of the businessmen who are willing to come to this small island are engaged in daily necessities. Came here on purpose.
"It's not easy to do business recently." Wufeng sighed, "If this continues, I'm afraid I will have to change my career to make rice noodles for a living."
"Why?" Laifu asked curiously, "Did the price of pearls drop?"
"It's not that the price has dropped, it's that you won't be able to pick them up at all." Wu Feng said, "Even if they are picked up, they are of different sizes and poor quality, so they can't be sold at a good price."
"Guests must often go to the deep sea." Lai Fu lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Go to Bel-Air Bay, there are sharks there."
"Oh?" Wufeng was surprised, "A shark?"
"Yes, sharks, a large group." Maybe it's rare that someone is willing to listen to this story, Laifu didn't even bother to weave fishing nets, his eyes lit up and he moved closer, "You can swim so fast in the sea, you can swim in the blink of an eye." Gone."
"How many?" Wufeng asked.
"At least there are twenty or thirty." Lai Fu said, "The upper body is a human, and the lower body is a fishtail, exactly the same as in the painting."
"Besides Bel-Air Bay, where else have you seen sharks?" Wufeng continued to ask.
"No more, just that one time." Laifu looked at him expectantly, "Do you believe it?"
"I believe." Wufeng nodded.
Lai Fu said happily: "I really saw it, but no one believed it all the time."
"It's just that Bel-Air Bay isn't too close to here, so why go there?" Wufeng asked again.
"I was not married at that time. I heard from my third uncle that the Prince of Chu in Da Kun City was recruiting soldiers. My parents thought that I could stand out, so they packed up my luggage and went to sea with a few fellow villagers." Lai Fu said, "The recruiter sees my body. He is strong and knows how to swim, so he let me work as a helper on the boat, and I saw it by accident."
"Did you tell others about this at the time?" Wufeng asked.
"No, if you collide with a mermaid in the sea, it will cause a lot of trouble." Lai Fu said, "This is what my ancestors have said for generations, where there are mermaids, there is a sea god."
"What about after going ashore? Didn't tell anyone?" Wufeng poured him another cup of tea.
"After going ashore, I accidentally offended the lieutenant general, and I was kicked out of the army." When mentioning this, Lai Fu was obviously a little frustrated, "When I get home, no one will believe me."
No wonder he saw the merman, but he hasn't been silenced yet... Wufeng knew it in his heart, and continued to talk to him without saying a word, and only left when night fell, sailing back to Luoying Island.
"Bei-Sha Bay?" Yun Duanhun opened the map, "It's very close to Da Kun City."
"Wuying and I have been there before, and there is white mist all day long, surrounded by whirlpools." Wuying said, "Except for the warships of the Chu State Navy, ordinary merchant ships cannot approach at all."
"So there must be something famous inside." Yun Duanhun said, "What are you and Little Shadow doing there?"
"It happened three or four years ago. Take him to fish for sea snails." Wufeng said, "Although Bel-Air Bay is inaccessible, there is still a nearby waterway that leads to Dongyang, so there will be merchant ships passing by every now and then. .”
"Tell Xiao Liuzi about this first." Yun Duanhun said, "Go to the vicinity of Bel-Air Bay to have a look, and be careful."
Wufeng nodded in agreement, turned around and left the study.
Big Kun City is not too close to Luoying Island, and between the letters and letters, it has turned from spring to summer. Wen Liunian is listless, holding a small bowl of sour plum soup and drinking it slowly.
I have heatstroke.
Mu Qingshan commanded his subordinates, brought him a lot of ice cubes, sat on the bedside and said: "The porridge will be ready later."
"Hmm." Mr. Wen was weak, his nose was slightly red, and he looked very haggard.
"When you feel better, eat the elbow again." Mu Qingshan comforted him.
Thinking of the greasy taste, Wen Liunian felt a tightness in his chest, which was a rare nausea.
So when the Chu family's father and son came in, they saw him retching lying on the bedside, with a red cloth strip tied around his head, and dried hawthorns and wild plums were placed on the cabinet.
Chu Cheng twitched the corners of his mouth, there it is.
"My lord, my son." Wen Liunian was weak.
"Why is your lord so seriously ill?" Chu Heng said, "Have you ever asked the little prince for diagnosis and treatment?"
"It's cured, but it hasn't been cured yet." Wen Liunian said, "I don't know why the lord is looking for an official?"
"It's nothing serious." Chu Heng said, "I just heard that my lord is ill, so I came here to visit."
"Your Majesty is really bothering you." Wen Liunian sat up a little, and then complained, "Come here, why don't you bring any presents?"
Chu Cheng: "..."
When did he say he brought a gift? !
Wen Liunian started to cough desperately again.
Chu Heng had no choice but to say: "My lord, you're welcome. It's just some ingredients for clearing the fire. The servants will bring them later."
"The weather is really hot recently." Wen Liunian said, "If the prince has ingredients for clearing the fire, why not cook more soup and medicine for the common people? It will save you from being devastated if there is a plague."
"What your lord said is true." Chu Heng said, "I will order people to build a charity hall in the city as soon as possible."
"Okay, okay." Wen Liunian was very satisfied.
Chu Cheng was a little angry that there would be such a person who would not forget to blackmail when he was sick.
After the two left, Wen Liunian lay on the bed and told Mu Qingshan: "Put more kimchi in the porridge."
"Your Excellency, don't be so tired again." Mu Qingshan was a little bit aggrieved for him, "Building houses and roads should be the work of local officials. How can they sleep at home to enjoy the cool air, and adults go to the construction site every day?"
"It doesn't matter, anyway, they haven't been officials for long." Wen Liunian said, "It's about the common people, so I don't feel at ease if I hand it over to those idiots."
"I've been sick for four or five days." Mu Qingshan said, "If the head of the family knows, he will definitely feel distressed."
Wen Liunian scratched his cheek, and slightly wanted to kiss her!
"My lord." The dark guard knocked on the door and came in. "There is a letter."
"Is it from the East China Sea?" Mu Qingshan asked.
Wen Liunian couldn't wait to reach out his hand, he really had a good understanding.
The dark guard said: "It was sent by the King of Southwest."
Wen Liunian touched his nose, oh.
"The King of the Southwest has found the Patriarch of the Pomeng Clan." Mu Qingshan gave him his faith, "I will bring him here tomorrow night to see your lord. He also said that the Patriarch has a bad temper and is irritable. He seems extremely unwilling to cooperate."
"Then why are you willing to go out of the mountains and come to this Great Kun City?" Wen Liunian was puzzled.
Mu Qingshan said: "After being knocked out by Duan Nian, he carried it directly."
Wen Liunian said: "Very good, very good."
Mu Qingshan: "..."
"Is there no new letter from Donghai?" Wen Liunian asked again.
"Not yet." The dark guard shook his head.
Wen Liunian sighed regretfully.
Mu Qingshan's mood was very complicated. If he remembered correctly, he had just received a letter ten days ago, and it hadn't been long at all. Already out of the wall.
Outside Dakun City, Duan Nian handed the roasted dried meat and bread to Ah Kan. Seeing his fierce expression and opening his mouth to tear him apart, he felt a little uncertain, so he returned to Duan Baiyue and whispered: "If you really want it, that's it. Take it to Lord Wen?"
"Naturally." Duan Baiyue said, "The person has been found, if you don't send it out quickly, it's hard to stay by my king's side."
"But..." Will there be a fight
"Don't worry." Duan Baiyue said, "Just because you can't handle someone, doesn't mean Mr. Wen can't handle it either. Maybe after a few days of getting along, you might hit it off."
Duan Nian turned his head to look at Ah Kan again, and saw that he was spitting out a bone, his hands and face were covered with oil, his hair was messy and stained with thatch, there was a string of animal bones hanging around his neck, and the tattoos on his face were ferocious and fierce.
This appearance, not to mention drinking and chatting, ordinary scholars might not have time to run after seeing it.
"That Master Wen is not an ordinary scholar." As if seeing what was on his mind, Duan Baiyue smiled and shook her head, "Although she looks powerless and gentle, but her style of conduct is better than that of Palace Master Qin. It's not much better." They can all be classified as one type of people, and if they don't take advantage, they are called disadvantages.
After eating and drinking, Ah Kan spread out his cloak carelessly, found a shelter from the wind and lay down. As for Duan Baiyue, of course he can't beat him, and he can't afford to offend him, but that adult from the court is different, he insisted on getting himself to the seaside after a long distance, and after meeting, he must let out a sigh of relief .
The weather on the second day was fine, and it rained in the morning and it was no longer stuffy. In the afternoon, Wen Liunian yawned and got up from the bed, shaking his head, still feeling a little dizzy.
"Your Excellency, are you really okay?" Mu Qingshan poured him a cup of tea, "Why don't you take another day off."
"No problem." Wen Liunian said, "Guests who come from Yunnan all the way, don't neglect them."
"But your lord looks sick." Mu Qingshan said, "It's better to rest more." After all, just thinking about the mermaid matter is not easy, and the patriarch doesn't seem to be very willing to cooperate. I don't know how long it will take.
Wen Liunian ate half a snack, patted his clothes and went to the front hall.
Mu Qingshan had no choice but to keep up.
The rest of the people had already arrived, and Ah Kan sat on the chair with a dark look on his face. Ye Jin was sitting across from him with the cat in her arms, and she never took her eyes off for a moment—the five big three had tattoos on their face, their eyebrows were almost connected together, and a bunch of chest hair was exposed at the neckline, which was really pleasing to the eye.
If Duan Baiyue also grows up like this, it would be great, and save myself from worrying.
The dark guard silently sympathized with Shen Qianfeng. Seeing the posture, Guzhu's hobby of liking the five big and three thick and full of hair seems to have never changed... He can't take his eyes off it.
"Who are you, why are you staring at me?" Ah Kan was obviously a little upset, and reached out to slap the table with a "clang".
"You're not a big girl, so you're afraid of being looked at?" Ye Jin asked back, "Could it be that you're just shy."
Ah Kan felt chest tightness, and then asked in a rough voice, "Are you that Mr. Wen?"
"I'm not." Ye Jin shook her head and pointed, "This is the one."
Wen Liunian trotted in all the way, bent over and coughed before entering the room.
Ah Kan immediately disliked it and hid away a little, don't have tuberculosis.
"This strong man." Wen Liunian managed to breathe a sigh of relief, "I think he is the patriarch of the Pomeng clan."
"It's me." Ah Kan sat a hundred and eighty miles away from him.
Wen Liunian praised the past: "It's really heroic and extraordinary."
The dark guard twitched the corners of his mouth, does the master know about this
"I don't understand what you're talking about." Ah Kan said impatiently, "The King of Southwest showed me the letter, and I don't know what's going on."
"But that legend is clearly recorded in Pomeng's words." Wen Liunian said, "If your Excellency doesn't know, could it be that the Pomeng patriarch is someone else?"
As expected, A-Kan was enraged and cursed loudly. Although few people understood it, they could tell by his expression and tone that it was not a good word. Duan Baiyue frowned slightly, and was about to go up to stop it, but saw Wen Liunian with his hands on his hips, and followed him to curse back - although it is not Pomeng language, it is also a common language in Miaojiang, and the voice is not too loud.
…
Really don't suffer at all.
Ah Kan was obviously startled, and turned to look at Duan Baiyue.
"I said it a long time ago, Mr. Wen is the number one talented person in Dachu." The Southwest King smiled, "Don't say it's you, even this king can't take advantage of it."
Wen Liunian rubbed his nose with an innocent expression.
A Kan: "..."
"Since the Pomeng people live in the deep mountains all year round, they must have very little contact with the outside world, let alone the East China Sea thousands of miles away." Wen Liunian said, "This book appeared for no reason, but your Excellency said that he didn't know about it, then either The betrayal of the tribe, or someone else secretly taking charge, is entirely a reasonable speculation, no offense is intended, and the patriarch need not be angry."
Ah Kan drank a cup of tea angrily, why didn't you say that just now, you have to scold back before you start to make sense.
"The patriarch came all the way to Great Kun City, so he can't do nothing." Wen Liunian spread his hands, "Otherwise, it would be a waste of time."
Ah Kan's eyes widened, and he spoke as if I wanted to come.
"Besides, if the patriarch is willing to cooperate, it will also benefit the Pomeng people." Wen Liunian turned to look at King Xixi, "Right?"
Duan Baiyue raised her eyebrows, noncommittal.
"Cough!" Ye Jin coughed fiercely.
Duan Baiyue rubbed her nose, nodded in tacit agreement.
"Even if you don't want a reward, it's always good to make the King of Southwest owe you a favor." Wen Liunian pulled him to sit at the table affectionately, "When the other patriarchs hear it, they will probably vomit blood and be envious. In this situation, just thinking about it It’s very majestic when you think about it.”
"Can I really use this to make a request?" Ah Kan asked.
"Of course I can." Wen Liunian agreed, "I swear by King Duan's name, so many people in the room have heard it, it's a villain who doesn't keep his word."
Duan Baiyue: "..."
Ah Kan's Chinese is not necessarily very good, and Wen Liunian is enthusiastic, and he couldn't tell the difference between "famous festival" and "honor" for a while, so he said in a daze: "Seven or eight years ago, there was indeed a person I’ve been to Pomeng Mountain.”
As expected... Wen Liunian's smile became more innocent: "For the shark?"
"To buy the golden thread Gu." Ah Kan said, "The price offered was not low at that time, and the condition was to send someone to go to the East China Sea with him."
"Then the patriarch agreed?" Wen Liunian asked.
"I don't want to agree." Ah Kan glanced at Duan Nian again, his tone obviously bad.
Duan Baiyue raised her eyebrows. Seven or eight years ago, when she joined forces with other tribes to isolate and break through, she probably ran out of money and food, so she had no choice but to leave the mountain.
The person who was sent out back then was Ah Kan's cousin named Naba, who was considered a master Gu raiser among the tribe. He stayed in the East China Sea for more than half a year before he came back and brought back a lot of gold, silver and jewels. had a good day.
"Where are the others?" Wen Liunian hurriedly asked, "Why didn't they come together?"
"I rolled down the mountain while hunting the year before last." Ah Kan said, "I couldn't get back."
Wen Liunian looked apologetic.
"According to what he said, he was imprisoned all the time in the East China Sea, and he only saw two or three people, and he didn't know where they were." Ah Kan said, "What he does every day is to keep raising the golden thread Gu, and occasionally listen to Talking with the guards, I mentioned the human body and fish tail, I thought it was strange, so I wrote it into a story, intending to bring it back to show the clan leader, but it was accidentally lost later.”
"Then it should be this book." Wen Liunian picked it up from the table, "It happened to be picked up by someone, and it was sent to the academy as an ancient book." After many years, he found it again.
This is the will of God in the dark.
"What kind of house is Naba imprisoned, did he ever tell?" Ye Jin interrupted and asked.
"There is a big column in the middle of the room, and the walls are clean." A Kan said, "Trees and flowers are planted in the yard."
The rest are silent, at least half of the houses in the city look like this.
"There is also a water tank in the yard." Probably feeling that the eyes of the people were a little unspeakable, Ah Kan tried to think again, "There are red carp in it."
"Koi carp?" Wen Liunian became interested. Although most of the people in Da Kun City are fishermen, most of them are fishing for sea fish. Ordinary people can't afford to spend a lot of money to transport two koi carp from outside to raise them. Thinking of the pond of koi in the prince's mansion, Mrs. Wen scratched her face with satisfaction, but it didn't take much effort.
The golden thread Gu is used to manipulate the human brain. Once it stays in the human body for more than ten years, it will completely devour the human brain and turn it into a puppet, and its lifespan will be greatly shortened. It is extremely vicious and cruel. The Miaojiang tribe is also deeply cast aside, and it is no wonder that the other party will go to the Meng tribe to set a sky-high price.
"Does the patriarch have an antidote?" Wen Liunian asked.
Ah Kan nodded: "Of course, I need to use my fingertip blood, but it must be taken orally within three hours after the preparation, otherwise the medicine will lose its effect."
"Very good." Wen Liunian smiled, "Then Your Excellency will stay here for a while longer."
"Stay for a while longer?" Ah Kan stood up instantly, and said angrily, "The King of Southwest clearly said earlier that I can go back after I finish talking."
"Take care of the food." The dark guard hurriedly smoothed things over.
Ah Kan put his head down and rushed out.
"A man should do things from the beginning to the end." Wen Liunian grabbed him, seemingly more excited than him, "I still don't know who the golden thread Gu was applied to, maybe they have become numb and become The patriarch wanted to go back and reunite with the tribe, but had he ever thought about their parents, wives and children? Now I just want to ask the patriarch to stay here for a while, and wait until the victim is found to prepare the antidote. Returning home, why should such a reasonable request be rejected?!"
Ah Kan struggled twice but didn't break free, thinking that this scholar is quite strong, but when he looked at it again, he was startled, crying
Wen Liunian's eyes were like rabbits, staring at him aggressively.
"You..." Ah Kan was shocked.
Wen Liunian was extremely firm.
"How long will that take?" Akan asked.
Wen Liunian thought for a while: "Half a year."
"So long?" Ah Kan frowned.
"I will send someone to take care of the affairs of the Meng clan." Duan Baiyue said, "With Ah Hai here, there will be no trouble."
Ah Kan hesitated, although he said he didn't like Duan Baiyue, but he also knew that he was really capable, and he kept his word, otherwise he wouldn't have been willing to surrender at the beginning, and after thinking about it, the golden thread Gu is indeed a part of his clan , being left to clean up the mess is not too much. And most importantly, looking at the room full of people with swords, he couldn't leave even if he wanted to.
Since it is no good to force it, we can only take a step back.
"How?" Wen Liunian looked at him.
"Okay." Ah Kan finally nodded.
Wen Liunian breathed a sigh of relief immediately, and sent someone to take him to the guest room to rest.
"Your Excellency was acting just now?" Mu Qingshan asked curiously after everyone had left.
"It's acting in the first place, but it's serious in the end." Wen Liunian drank a glass of water, "No matter what happened to those mermaids, they shouldn't be manipulated by money Gu. If they can be rescued, they must be saved."
As for the black hand hiding behind, he has done all kinds of bad things, and sooner or later he will pay back this debt.