Jiu Niangzi stroked her hair beside her temples and regained her charming smile: "What's wrong with this method? You are worried that he will leak the secret, so let him join the sect, won't it be done once and for all?"
Deng Xiucai sneered, "Aren't you awake from a dream? He is an official of the imperial court. This kind of person is usually the most self-righteous, so how can he be in the company of bandits like you and me?"
Jiu Niangzi smiled and said, "That's wrong. No matter how arrogant a saint is, he still needs to eat and sleep? Dare to ask Mr. Tang, how much is your annual salary?"
Why are you asking this question again
Tang Fan shook his head: "I'm ashamed to say that, according to the rules set by the Taizu, officials like me from the sixth rank, ninety-six stones a year, but most of them are folded into cloth and treasured banknotes, and the treasured banknotes are like waste paper. , it may not be able to exchange how many silver taels, in short, one word, poor, you are about to drink the northwest wind!"
Jiu Niangzi covered her mouth and smiled: "Then you can't even eat meat on weekdays?"
Tang Fan smiled dryly: "No, I have to write some romantic stories to subsidize the family. Forget about such humiliating things."
Jiu Niangzi said: "Now I have a generous gift to give to Master Tang, I don't know if you dare to accept it."
She took out a few silver notes that still smelled like body fragrance from her bosom, and asked her subordinates to show them to Tang Fan.
Tang Fan took a look, good guy, there are ten denominations of one hundred taels in total, a total of one thousand taels, and the banknotes of the Huitong Bank are not deceived.
What can a thousand taels do? You can buy the kind of house that Suizhou lives in now, and there are still some leftovers.
This is also because of the high housing prices in the capital. If it is placed elsewhere, it is more than enough to be a landlord who does not worry about food and drink.
Jiu Niangzi said with a smile: "This is just a gift I gave you. If you are willing to join this sect, there are countless gold and silver waiting for you."
Deng Xiucai sullenly beside him: "Jiu Niangzi is so rich, with so much money, how about helping my little brother to tide over the difficulties?"
Jiu Niangzi squinted at him: "Second master doesn't need to be sour anymore, the family fortune you have saved over the years is more than a hundredfold? These are all my private money, but seeing such a talent as Master Tang makes me happy. It's just recruiting talents for the sect. You also know that the sect has always been the most resourceful and resourceful. I have been the chief teacher for a long time, and I have often heard the leader say that we should recruit more people like the second master to expand the sect. If the leader knew about Tang The adults are willing to join, but I'm afraid they will give more than this number!"
Tang Fan coughed and said, "Thank you for your promotion, Jiu Niangzi, but as an official of the imperial court, I have received the favor of the emperor, and I must never become a bandit."
Jiu Niangzi chuckled: "Don't be afraid, I'm not asking you to resign, you can still be your official, just join the sect secretly. If you need it, I ask you to be accommodating in some worlds. , that's fine, and the sect will naturally not treat you badly. In this way, you can continue to be an official and have extra income, isn't it the best of both worlds?"
Tang Fan asked, "If I agree, will I be considered a member?"
Before Jiu Niangzi could answer, Deng Xiucai laughed: "You think so beautifully, if you agree to join, you will naturally have to put the brand of this sect on your body to prevent you from regretting your betrayal."
Seeing that Jiu Niangzi had no objection, Tang Fan knew that what Deng Xiucai said was true.
He looked at the silver taels, with a look of excitement and entanglement on his face: "You let me think about it, okay?"
Jiu Niangzi smiled and said: "Of course, but don't think about it for too long, we have limited time. Just think about it, if you agree, we can send these children back immediately, and it's up to you to come forward and give them to us. You give such a great credit."
Deng Xiucai groaned: "I don't think I agree yet?"
Jiu Niangzi smiled and said: "If you are willing to agree, I will speak nicely to the top and save you 10% of the task this year. In this way, I will have the ability to recommend people, you will have the beauty of an adult, and you will save money. Teach another talent, won't it kill four birds with one stone?"
Deng Xiucai stopped talking, Jiu Niangzi looked at Tang Fan affectionately, and then ordered someone to send him back.
This time, he was still blindfolded as usual, but Tang Fan went back and forth twice, and he had already made a secret note of the route.
He had secretly mapped the layout here to the ground, and with the words of Liu Da Ge earlier, it was not difficult to come to a conclusion: the place he was in should be the people of the Nancheng Gang who connected the cellars of those people in the deserted village. It is true that these people are very close to each other, and it is not difficult to dig a connection between the cellars, and there are few people here, which gives them sufficient conditions to do whatever they want.
It's no wonder that Big Liu said that this place is very safe. If the original entrance to the cellar is sealed, and people outside can't find the new entrance, they really won't be able to get in.
It's just that it's really a pain to stay here, and it's not much better than the secret passage that Tang Fan and the others walked through before, so this place must only be used as a temporary place to live, and it can't be lived for a long time.
Deng Xiucai and the others had to hide here to avoid the limelight because of the big trouble, and the carriage was broken because it was carrying too many people, but they must be eager to get out of here and return to the ground.
If Tang Fan can get out of trouble now, and the people from Xichang or Jinyiwei are outside again, he can wipe out all this group of people in one go, but it is obvious that there is no such good thing now.
The fact is that he is trapped here, and his life is almost at risk, unless he joins their gang, and he will be branded with the brand of Naoshizi to serve as a certificate.
If this brand is really branded, then he really jumps into the Yellow River and can't wash it off.
Because Jiu Niangzi expressed her attitude of wanting to recruit him, on the way back, Xin Shitou calmed down a little and was not as rude as before.
After Tang Fan returned to the original cellar, Big Liu was no longer there. He was probably called to do something.
He took the opportunity to smile at Xin Shitou: "Brother Xin, you see that I'm about to become your own. Can you help me loosen the ropes? This rope makes me really uncomfortable. Anyway, I'm a scholar, and I can't run!"
No matter what Xin Shitou is willing, he directly said: "Then you have to ask the second master to go, I can't be the master!"
Tang Fan smiled and said, "The one thousand taels that Jiu Niangzi gave me just now, I felt in my heart, if I promised her, then we will be our own from now on, you and Liu Da were the first to get me It’s not like you don’t know each other when you come here. When I look at you, I feel that you are more cordial than others. Please take the trouble of Brother Xin to do it yourself, and take out five hundred taels in my arms. Don't look outside to me."
Xin Shitou's eyes lit up, and his expression softened a little, but he still declined hypocritically: "It's not good, after all, it was given to you by Jiu Niangzi."
Tang Fan sternly said, "Brother Xin is meeting me if he doesn't accept it!"
Only then did Xin Shitou smile: "You are your own person, why should Master Tang see outsiders, if you join the sect, you will immediately become the chief sect's person, and your status is much higher than that of your younger brother, so you should take good care of your younger brother. That's it!"
As he said, he stretched out his hand to help Tang Fan loosen.
At this time, Tang Fan's wrist had already been worn and bleeding, and it would hurt to touch it lightly, but he didn't care about it, he took the initiative to take out the stack of silver bills and distributed them to Xin Shitou: "Well, Brother Xin, Don't call it Master Tang, you will be your own from now on! You are old, I have to ask you to give me more pointers!"
Xin Shitou took the silver note and took it into his arms without showing any signs of making a sigh, and then sighed: "What advice, I've been with the second master for six years, and now I'm still in the Nancheng Gang, and I don't even know what the chief teacher looks like. I saw it, or after I met Jiu Niangzi, and then I realized that our Nancheng Gang is still related to the chief teacher."
The two chatted a few more times, and with the silver ticket to open the way, the relationship seemed to be much closer at once, Xin Shishi said: "I still have to inspect the exit, lest anyone find out where it came from, you'd better stay here, otherwise If the second master finds out, I won't be able to explain it."
Tang Fan smiled and nodded: "I understand, Brother Xin, you can do it yourself, but can you give me a bowl of water to drink, I'm very thirsty!"
Sure enough, money can enlighten the mind, Xin Shitou said cheerfully: "Why is this difficult?"
He went to get a bowl of water and brought it to Tang Fan, and then left in a hurry.
As soon as Xin Shitou left, he restrained his smile.
Although I was blindfolded when I went back and forth, I could always hear voices and footsteps along the way. According to conservative estimates, Deng Xiucai brought no less than a dozen or twenty men here. It's spacious and can't accommodate so many people, so I brought so few with me. Otherwise, the Nancheng Gang's large family business, with Deng Xiucai's status, would definitely not have only such a few subordinates.
When I think about it now, in fact, Deng Xiucai and the others did not have any flaws in their suspicions. It was just because Tang Fan and the others were too impatient at the time, and they were worried that they would be escaped by this group of people, so they didn't have time to think about it and listened to that person. After confessing, he hurriedly went up the mountain as he said, otherwise, if you carefully searched the barren village, you might not be able to find the entrance to this underground passage.
But having said that, even if Suizhou and the others are on the mountain now, they find that they have cheated, and they turn back, it doesn't seem to be of any use. Wang Zhi can also come in time.
Worrying and worrying, Tang Fan is not a person who sits in a troubled city.
He poured the bowl of water into the corner, then took off his jacket to wrap the bowl, and threw it on the ground.
There was no dull sound, but when he undid his clothes, the bowl inside had already shattered into several large petals.
Tang Fan put away the fragments, then Shi Shiran left the cellar where he was imprisoned, and walked towards the room where A-Dong and the others were imprisoned in his memory.
There were two people guarding there. As soon as they saw Tang Fan, they immediately stood up and said fiercely, "Who are you!"
Tang Fan cupped his hands and smiled: "Second eldest brother, I am a guest invited by your second master. Come and see these children."
Taking the opportunity to speak, he had already seen what was going on inside.
A dozen or so children were thrown into the corner with their hands and feet gagged and their mouths blocked. All of them showed fear and fear in their eyes. They all huddled in the corner, shoulder to shoulder, as if only in this way could they feel a little bit more secure.
Tang Fan also saw it. Among them was a chubby little girl with slightly red and swollen cheeks. She was looking at him with excitement.
Tang Fan gave her a calm look, and A-Dong understood it, and quickly calmed down without making another sound.
The two naturally refused to let Tang Fan in, so they yelled and shoved.
"What's the matter?" The voice of Jiao Di Di came, Tang Fan didn't need to look back, he immediately knew who it was.
"Jiu Niangzi." The two guards hurriedly saluted.
"Hello, Jiu Niangzi." Tang Fan also shrugged, "I want to teach Jiu Niangzi that my sister is among the children arrested here. It is because of her that I came here this time."
Jiu Niangzi smiled slightly: "So it is, no wonder Master Tang dares to take risks with his own body, it really makes the slave family admire it very much!"
Tang Fan smiled wryly: "Isn't it true, if my sister hadn't been arrested, I would have had a hard time with you if I was full?"
Jiu Niangzi said: "In this case, if I don't agree, wouldn't it be impersonal, Master Tang just go in and visit, and remember to find me in the room where you were in a quarter of an hour."
Receiving the wink from her, Tang Fan's face flushed, as if he wanted to look at her a few more times but didn't dare.
Jiu Niangzi was teased by him and laughed, turned around and swayed away.
Not to mention, she is so charming and attractive to men, just from the way the two guards looked straight.
With Jiu Niangzi's permission, Tang Fan was able to enter smoothly.
The faces and clothes of these children are dirty, but they can still see their beautiful faces and good fabrics on their bodies.
Tang Fan noticed that there was a girl and a boy among them. They were particularly good-looking. After a few years of growth, they must have become even more outstanding. It is estimated that they were the young daughter of Zhu Yong and Geng Shilang's grandson, who had made everyone look up. No wonder the traffickers met Li Xinxi and got into big trouble.
Looking at the other children, they all came from a wealthy family and were well-bred.
The most inconspicuous one here is A-Dong, but maybe it's because she was born white and tender, so those traffickers took her into captivity even if they didn't have any fish or shrimp. come over.
Tang Fan didn't care about the others, he squatted down in front of A-Dong, touched her head, and whispered in her ear, "I said, listen, don't make a sound."
A-Dong nodded, his eyes fixed on Tang Fan for a moment.
Tang Fan pulled out the cloth ball in her mouth: "I know you are sensible, eldest brother wants to ask you to help watch these younger brothers and sisters, if someone rushes in to save you, these bad people will fight desperately, and you can't just because of fear. Run around, just stay here and wait for us to rescue you, you know?"
A-Dong nodded and said in a voice like a mosquito: "Brother, don't worry, I will listen to you and take care of them."
Tang Fan was very relieved. What he was most worried about was not the danger of these children's lives. He had to know that they were all Deng Xiucai's cash cows. Deng Xiucai would never abandon them unless it was a last resort, or else he would not hide here for them. .
What he is worried about is that if Suizhou and the others can really find here, they will inevitably have a fierce battle. These children who are ignorant will definitely panic and run around. The purpose of this trip is in vain.
The two of them were not able to talk more quietly, and a quarter of an hour would come in a blink of an eye. Tang Fan knew that Jiu Niangzi seemed like a good talker, but she was actually a cunning person. It was only because she had a conflict with Deng Xiu that it seemed that it would be easier to break through. of.
He didn't delay much, and after explaining A-Dong hastily, he got up and left.
The cloth on A-Dong's mouth was removed by Tang Fan, but instead of making a fuss, she tried to persuade other children to be quiet. She was older than those children, and she was beaten for Zhu Yong's youngest daughter Zhu Leping. Slap, everyone subconsciously trusts her more, and is willing to listen to her words, although still sobbing, but finally gradually calm down.
The two guards saw that she could hold down the others, and they were so happy that their ears were clean, so they didn't put the cloth back into her mouth again.
Anyway, in their eyes, this is just a group of children who can't make waves no matter what.
But at an angle they couldn't see, A-Dong had a large, sharp piece of porcelain in his hand.
However, Tang Fan said that when he returned to his original room, he saw Jiu Niangzi sitting there, with a curly and graceful figure, a little more beautiful than her sister Chen, who was Li Man's concubine.
It is a pity that beauty is beautiful, but it is a beautiful snake.
When Jiu Niangzi saw Tang Fan, she pursed her lips and smiled: "Are you back?"
How ambiguous how to hear this, like a wife talking to her husband who is returning home.
Tang Fan's expression didn't change, he pretended not to hear it, and handed over his hands: "I have been waiting for the ninth lady for a long time, and I just saw the sister-in-law, and my heart was agitated, so I wasted a little time."
Jiu Niangzi smiled and said: "It's human nature to see brothers and sisters, but we are so familiar, Tang Lang doesn't need to call Jiu Niangzi, just call me Ahan, this is my nickname."
When did I become a mantis...
Tang Fan thought depressedly, but a flattered expression appeared on his face: "This, this is not good?"
Jiu Niangzi smiled and said, "What's wrong? Isn't this name bad?"
Tang Fan shook his head: "Of course not, Hanlixiangqing's painting of Gefu makes Junning recall Yangzhou. Thinking about it, it feels beautiful, how can it be bad?"
Jiu Niangzi showed an ecstatic look: "Although I don't understand much, this poem sounds really beautiful. It's just different for people who read it, and it's well-spoken, and even flattery can be said so nicely."
Tang Fan chuckled: "Although I am a scholar, I can't confuse right and wrong. Jiu Niangzi is indeed as beautiful as Hanli, and she is as her name suggests. Do I have to say she is not beautiful?"
There is no woman who doesn't want to be praised for her beauty. Tang Fan's mouth can even coax the sparrows down from the sky. Jiu Niangzi was naturally smiling at him, and said coquettishly, "Why are you still called Jiu Niangzi?"
Tang Fan follows suit like a stream: "Ahan."
Jiu Niangzi answered happily, and reached out to pull Tang Fan to sit down.
Before she could meet him, Tang Fan had already sat down, not next to him, but not too far away.
Jiu Niangzi reluctantly expressed her satisfaction, and glanced at Tang Fan affectionately: "Tang Lang, do you know how dangerous your situation is now?"
Tang Fan looked very surprised: "Dangerous? How do you come from this? You, didn't you say that what kind of teaching wants to attract me?"
Jiu Niangzi was amused by his expression: "It's my White Lotus Sect. Yes, but that's just my opinion. To be honest with you, Deng Xiucai wants to kill you."
Tang Fan snorted, revealing some reactions at the right time.
The proportion of this should be just right: you can't react too fearfully and cowardly, it will make Jiu Niangzi look down on him, because the other party is going to recruit Tang Fan, so Tang Fan can't be too pustular; , which seems too fake.
"Ahan, I don't understand this. What's the benefit to him by killing me?"
Jiu Niangzi was so relieved by his Ahan call, she smiled slightly, and then said solemnly: "Before, I advocated that Tang Lang you should join the sect, and then let those children go back, anyway, the people in the government were originally aimed at them. Come here, so you can make peace with the people in the government, and you heard it when you were there."
Seeing Tang Fan nodding, she sighed again: "Unfortunately, Deng Xiucai firmly disagrees, he wants to take people away together, those children are okay, at least they can sell him at a high price and have a large amount of income, unless it is a last resort, He won't kill them either, and as for you, Tang Lang, since he doesn't want to bow his head to the official, he naturally thinks it's a burden to keep you."
Tang Fan wondered: "Ahan, there are some things that make me feel very strange, and I don't know if I should ask them."
Jiu Niangzi put her hand on his thigh and kneaded it, and said coquettishly, "You ask, why are you pretending to be polite!"
Tang Fan couldn't take it anymore with her acting, and almost got goosebumps all over his body, resisting the urge to pat her hand away, trying his best not to focus on the hand on his thigh, and asked, "Previously I heard you say that you were descended from the chief sect, and logically you should have a higher status than Deng Xiucai, so why should you listen to him instead?"
Jiu Niangzi said: "Who said I want to listen to him? It's just that he has a lot of people under his command, so I can't openly oppose him. Besides, the Nancheng Gang was founded by him..."
Tang Fan interrupted her: "Isn't there another big boss, Ding Yimu?"
Jiu Niangzi said: "You are stupid, that Ding Yimu is just a puppet that was fabricated to deceive outsiders. Deng Xiucai is the real leader!"
It turned out to be so, Tang Fan was stunned, and asked again: "To be honest, I followed the Jinyiwei gang to track them down, but now they have been led to the mountain, but if they can't find anyone, I'm afraid they will turn around soon. If we dig three feet in the deserted village then, maybe we will soon be able to find where we are. If you follow your method, you will have the best of both worlds, but if Deng Xiucai refuses to surrender, how can he escape?"
Jiu Niangzi said: "Thank you for being a scholar, why haven't you heard of the Three Caves of the Cunning Rabbit? There is a cottage in the mountains from here, which is another stronghold of Deng Xiucai. If the carriage had not broken down, he would not have been trapped here. Now I haven't left yet, I'm just waiting for the men in the cottage to come and respond, so as not to be hit by Jin Yiwei's people as soon as I go out."
Tang Fan whispered, "After he goes out, won't I be killed?"
Jiu Niangzi said: "Why don't I come to you? If you want to save your life, you have to join my teaching. When the lotus mark is branded on you, you will be a member of my holy teaching. There are rules in the teaching. If you kill your fellow believers, you will be hunted down by the congregation, and you will be slashed with a thousand swords. At that time, Deng Xiucai will not dare to do anything to you. My friend, I am saving you, take off your clothes quickly. I'll stab you with that brand!"
Of course Tang Fan didn't want to be stabbed. He and Jiu Niangzi Xu and Wei She were just trying to get more information.
Now that he has touched this giant beast, he has gradually learned how powerful the White Lotus Sect is. He has bribed court officials and colluded with gangster forces. It is no wonder that a demon Li Zilong was able to disturb the capital. , No wonder Jin Yiwei kept searching, but failed to completely eliminate this force.
He didn't answer Jiu Niangzi's words, but showed a slightly yearning look: "Ahan, to tell you the truth, I'm really useless as a sixth-rank official, and I don't say that my salary is low, and I'm still angry everywhere, even though I came from the Jinshi Hanlin. But now it's not worth much, and I don't know what kind of person your sect leader is, who can stir up the wind and rain of the Ming Dynasty with one's own body, which is really beyond my generation.
Jiu Niangzi said: "There are naturally many opportunities, but you also need to join the teaching."
Tang Fan originally wanted to spy on the headquarters of the White Lotus Sect, but this Jiu Niangzi is also a vigilant figure. , Only then did Tang Fan have a chance to live in secret.
Thinking of this, he sighed: "In the past, Daochang Li treated the palace as a family, and he could enter if he wanted to. It is said that he could call the wind and call the rain, spread beans into soldiers, and he was really like a god, but it was a pity that he was beheaded later. , so that I could not see his style."
Jiu Niangzi smiled mysteriously: "You said that he is like a god, how could he easily die in the hands of the imperial court's eagle claws?"
Tang Fan was shocked when he heard this, and he didn't know whether her words were true or not, so he said in surprise, "Could it be that Daochang Li is not dead?"
Jiu Niangzi smiled without saying a word, and didn't answer Tang Fan, she really did her best to whet your appetite.
"Fellow, let me tell you the truth, there is an urgent need for talents in the sect. Although a court-appointed official like you has a small official position, if there is secret support from the Sacred Sect, it is not a matter of time if you want to be promoted? If the Sacred Sect has the If you need it, you can also lend a helping hand. Isn’t this the best of both worlds? Besides, you only get a little salary a year. Some people would rather die of poverty than to be rich and rich with a promising future?"
To put it bluntly, Jiu Niangzi meant that Tang Fan should be a nail of the White Lotus Sect in the imperial court.
Tang Fan showed a heart-wrenching and hesitant look: "You're right, this is indeed the best of both worlds, I'm just worried about the mark, after all, I am a court official, if someone finds out that I have the mark of the White Lotus Sect, I really jump in. The Yellow River can't be washed... It's better than this, I promise to join, but I won't put my mark on it, will it work?"
Jiu Niangzi smiled: "Of course not, Tang Lang, if you don't show a little sincerity, how can I dare to hand those children to you?"
Tang Fan smiled bitterly: "But even if I join the teaching, Deng Xiucai won't let me take his cash cow away?"
Jiu Niangzi approached him and whispered: "To tell you the truth, I have the token of the chief sect on me. Unless Deng Xiucai wants to betray the chief sect, he will not dare to disobey my words."
Tang Fan's heart moved, showing an expression of sudden realization.
A slender hand suddenly touched his shoulder and tore off half of Tang Fan's coat with lightning speed!
"Good Tang Lang, you can't look forward to doing big things. If I come to help you make a decision, I will put the brand on your lower back so that no one will find out!"
Master Tang was shocked, not because he was almost indecently assaulted, but because he was worried that the other party would find the broken porcelain pieces he hid in his arms.
"Don't mess around, don't mess around, let me think about it again, let me think about it again!"
He said again and again, trying to pull back his clothes.
Jiu Niangzi giggled, but didn't seem to want to waste any more time.
At this moment, a voice descended from the sky and became Tang Fan's savior: "I wonder where Jiu Niangzi went, it turned out to be flirting with this kid here!"
Deng Xiucai stood at the entrance of the passage with a gloomy expression: "We are about to set off immediately, this kid is a burden, let me kill him, you want a little white face, and after you go out, you can have as many as you want!"
Jiu Niangzi also stood up: "Do other little white faces have the same official body as him? If I can win him into the teaching, then it will be a great achievement! That's it, you and I each take a step back, among those children are Tang Fan's Sister, you keep her, and you take the rest with you. When you get out of here, everyone goes their own way and makes a fortune, how about it?"
Deng Xiucai said categorically: "No! He knows too much, he must not let it go!"
Jiu Niangzi also had a cold face, and took out a token from her arms: "Seeing this token is like seeing the leader, you dare to disobey?!"
Deng Xiucai's face was cloudy and uncertain, he stretched out his hand and grabbed the token in her hand for a while, while sneering: "Bitch, I have endured you long enough, holding chicken feathers as arrows all day long, and I can't get through with me everywhere! It's better to be here today. After you have solved it, it's time to put the blame on the official family!"
Jiu Niangzi was shocked, she never expected that the other party would be so daring!
She reacted a little slower, the token in her hand was almost snatched by Deng Xiucai, and when she saw Deng Xiucai pulling out a long knife and slashing at her, she hurriedly ducked to the side, and also grabbed the soft whip wrapped around her waist and blocked it forward. , the two immediately fought together!
Tang Fan didn't expect that the two of them, who had been quarreling for a long time, would have an infighting at this time and place.
Originally, no matter how smart he was, facing the predicament in front of him, once he could not get out, he was embarrassed on all sides.
As a result, before the reinforcements arrived, Deng Xiucai and Jiu Niangzi fought first.
In the room, the sword, light and whip shadows crisscrossed, and Tang Fan was almost swept away. He saw an opportunity, rolled to the side, and took the opportunity to dodge into the passage, not running towards the place where A-Dong and the others were imprisoned, but to Find reinforcements for Jiu Niangzi.