Tiamat took a step forward and asked, leaning sideways.
"..."
The man was shocked when he saw Tiamat. He was tall. No one was taller than him since he could remember, and he stood out from the crowd.
Unexpectedly, I bumped into someone stronger today.
And he was wearing a very weird, shameless black outfit.
Looking at that figure, he is stronger than himself, which is really surprising.
If such a person is engaged in a ruthless business without capital...
Then even he will suffer.
The man held the dagger in his hand tighter.
However, seeing the people next to the bald man, the man felt a little relieved.
The other person has red lips and a white face, and has an extraordinary handsome appearance. He is dressed in a black gold robe, and a sword can be vaguely seen hidden under the robe. The Buddhist beads on his wrist all reveal a luxurious atmosphere.
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You can tell at a glance that he is an extraordinary person.
That bald man should be his bodyguard, not a bandit.
"Ning Caichen, a native of Zhejiang, passed by here on his way to Beijing to take the exam. This is my book boy, Da Zhuang. The two of you are..."
"..."
Tiamat couldn't help but turn her head and glance at Xia Yanzhen.
Such a bean sprout book boy is called Da Zhuang?
Why aren't you called Da Zhuang?
Xia Yanzhen had no expression. He was thinking freely. What version of Ning Caichen was he?
In the original work, Ning Caichen is a forthright, upright and self-respecting scholar. There is not much description of his appearance, but he should not be weak.
Ning Caichen in the classic movie looks like a weak scholar.
However, in the movie, Ning Caichen's job is that of a bill collector, which is quite interesting.
A handsome, weak, and almost powerless scholar dares to do the work of collecting debts. Isn't he afraid of death?
The person in front of me was almost mistaken for Yan Chixia by Xia Yanzhen. The heroic and macho version of Ning Caichen would be more suitable.
Speaking of which, Yan Chixia in the original novel is not a middle-aged Taoist swordsman with a beard.
He is a scholar who is younger than Ning Caichen but can kill demons.
There is also a TV series version of Ning Caichen, which is basically based on the one in the movie.
"You two..."
Seeing that Xia Yanzhen and Tiamat were silent, Ning Caichen spoke again, slightly raising his voice.
"Oh, Master Ning. I'm Zuo Qianhu." Xia Yanzhen paused and gave himself a pseudonym.
This is a fierce man who appears in the movie and has nothing to do with the original work. He is highly skilled in martial arts.
Xia Yan really felt that she was closer to him, so she didn't use the common code name Xia Shiyi and changed her name for fun.
"This is my book boy, Xiaohong."
"..." Ning Caichen and Da Zhuang couldn't help but look at Tiamat.
Such a strong man, do you think he is the book boy Xiaohong?
This is obviously your escort.
"Xiao Hong and I were traveling around. We originally wanted to catch a rabbit for a tooth sacrifice, but we entered the forest and couldn't tell the north, south, east, and west. I wonder if I can go with Mr. Ning for a while and take us out of this dense forest?" Xia Yan looked really excited.
Be polite and courteous.
"Of course you can."
Ning Caichen agreed, "Just looking at the sky, I'm afraid we'll have to spend the night here. I've only been to this mountain forest once, many years ago, so I can't guarantee that I'll be able to find a suitable place to spend the night."
"No problem, just take us out. Thank you Mr. Ning." Xia Yanzhen stepped forward and reached into the outermost robe of the Prisoner of Darkness.
The dagger under Ning Caichen's hand drooped, but his body tensed up, ready to take action.
Of course he knew that what the two people in front of him said was not entirely true.
But in the current situation, whatever the other party says is whatever it is.
In a head-on confrontation, Ning Caichen didn't think he could beat that little red.
There is also a more important point. Ning Caichen is a scholar whose main job is rushing for exams and his side job is debt collection. Is there anything coveted about him?
Even if the money he received and those IOUs were added up, would it still be comparable to the clothes of the weirdly named Mr. Zuo in front of me?
This is very human, and it is not directed at oneself.
So, let it be for now.
Of course, even so, the vigilance should not be lowered.
He Ning Caichen traveled around the world, collecting debts along the way - no, he went to Beijing to take the exam, and did some side jobs on the way, and didn't fall over. What did he rely on?
Is it my strong physique?
Of course, but more importantly, be careful.
No matter what the opponent wants to come up with, he will respond correctly.
"hiss……"
"hiss--"
Two gasping sounds sounded.
What Xia Yanzhen took out made Ning Caichen almost lose his grip on the short knife in his hand.
The response is not quite right.
The other boy who made a sound, Da Zhuang, acted even more exaggeratedly, staring straight at Xia Yanzhen's hand.
"Let these scraps of gold be used as reward for Mr. Ning's guidance." Xia Yanzhen handed over some scraps of gold in his hand.
Of course, this gold is not props and equipment.
It was brought by Xia Yanzhen from the real world through the Sage's Bracer.
It's not pure gold, its quality is average, but it's enough to cope with most missions in the world.
Generally in a world with a monetary system, gold is universal.
Xia Yanzhen made some preparations under Tao E's suggestion. He couldn't just go for alms every time he entered the mission world and needed money.
It’s not that you can’t beg alms, it’s that you can’t meet a donor every time.
For example, in the current situation, Ning Caichen definitely cannot be the donor.
It just so happened that gold was used.
"Master Zuo, this is too valuable." Ning Caichen put the dagger back into the scabbard and stretched out his hand, "I want the smallest one."
He took away the smallest piece of gold among several pieces, which was not much bigger than a fingernail.
"That's enough." Ning Caichen smiled, "I will definitely take Mr. Zuo away with you."
You give me the money and I'll do the work! Don't worry!
As a debt collector, Ning Caichen has very good professional ethics.
Much better than his ability in the imperial examination.
In addition, collecting money is not about greed for money - there is a little bit of it. More importantly, it is an agreement with Mr. Zuo.
It's safer for everyone to keep to themselves.
Although there was no hostility, the pressure that Xiao Hong put on Ning Caichen was still great.
"It's easy to talk about."
Xia Yanzhen and Ning Caichen smiled at each other and reached a consensus.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The four of them continue on the road.
Ning Caichen led the way, and the large wooden box he carried on his back did not affect him at all as he walked through the intermittent paths in the forest with a vigorous pace.
The book boy, who was not strong at all but was just carrying a suitcase, had a harder time following.
Xia Yanzhen and Tiamat were behind, so they were naturally very relaxed.
One person and one dragon can also see that Ning Caichen is just an ordinary strong man, nothing special.
"How old is Master Ning this year?" Xia Yanzhen asked.
"Thirty-six," Ning Caichen said.
"Are you married?"
"Yes, but Zhuo Jing passed away many years ago."
"Do you have any children?" Xia Yanzhen asked repeatedly.
"No."
Ning Caichen said, his voice slightly lowered.
In this era, there are relatively few people like him who are thirty-six and have no children.
Many people already have children by the age of twenty.
"Oh, oh." Xia Yanzhen responded twice.
If Ning Caichen, a single strong man, did not have a relationship with this strong man that went beyond the relationship between a young master and a book boy, it would be normal for him to have some entanglements with the female ghost.
This physique is not like that of ordinary scholars, who will not be able to survive in one night.
It can last for at least three to five days.
As for Da Zhuang, who is not strong at all, he will probably be gone after a few mouthfuls.
As time passed and night gradually fell, Ning Caichen did not take Xia Yanzhen and the others to find Lanruo Temple.
He found a mountain wall with a depression, not deep, only two or three meters, which could be used as a place to stay and rest at night.
A bonfire was lit outside the pit. Ning Caichen took out a small bottle from the large wooden box he was carrying and scattered it around.
This is a medicine that can repel snakes and insects.
Xia Yanzhen especially took it over to look at it, and found that it was not an equipment prop.
Inside are some unknown medicinal powders, which should contain realgar.
Then, Ning Caichen took out some very dry cakes and gave them to Xia Yanzhen, telling them that they would be able to take them away the day after tomorrow at the latest.
He had been to this place once many years ago and had some impressions.
In fact, if it weren't for taking care of Da Zhuang, the three of them could have gone faster.
Xia Yanzhen said that there was no rush, they were traveling all over the world and just wandering around.
A few more days or a few days won't matter at all.
As the night grew darker, Ning Caichen added wood to the bonfire from time to time to keep it burning.
"Master Zuo, you can take a nap," Ning Caichen said.
"No need, I have traveled around the world and have some martial arts skills." Xia Yanzhen smiled.
Ning Caichen nodded without asking any more questions.
"I'm going to take a moment." Tiamat stood up.
After leaving Ning Caichen's sight, he flew straight up and walked through the forest at low altitude, looking for traces of Lanruo Temple.
After a while, Tiamat's words came from the team channel, "Found it."
"So simple?" Xia Yanzhen was a little surprised. He originally thought that he had to work with the male protagonist Ning Caichen to find Lanruo Temple.
"Well, this place has an inexplicable attraction. I couldn't help but get closer."
Tiamat suddenly woke up when she saw Lanruo Temple.
I seem to have been seduced!
"It's normal."
If you think about it carefully, Lanruo Temple is meant to "welcome guests for dinner", so of course it should be open to the public.
It's not normal to hide it on purpose.
"Want to go in and investigate?" Tiamat asked, "It seems quite lively inside."
"No, come back." Xia Yanzhen made the decision.
It is not advisable to scare off the grass and scare the snake.
Tiamat returns, and a night passes.
The next morning, the four people hit the road again.
At the end of the day, Da Zhuang was exhausted, and Ning Caichen was also a little tired. Only Xia Yanzhen and Tiamat were in high spirits.
"There is a building in front, maybe a wilderness temple or something like that. Let's stay there for the night." In the evening, Ning Caichen discovered Lanruo Temple and gave some advice.
Of course no one objected.
The four of them approached Lanruo Temple.
Soon I saw some dilapidated outbuildings.
Mainly broken walls and ruins.
"Tsk..." After entering these broken walls, Xia Yanzhen made a little sound.
"Master Zuo, what's wrong?" Ning Caichen, who was at the front, turned around and asked.
"fine."
Xia Yanzhen looked at his feet and shook his head.
In the eyes of the other three people, there were many weeds growing on the dirt ground under their feet, and some of the ground was a bit soft to step on.
And Xia Yanzhen saw that they were stepping on a "ground" made of corpses.
Bones, mummies, giants, rotten corpses and even fresh corpses not long after death formed the ground beneath their feet.
With a little step, Xia Yanzhen jumped onto the wall.