After the Yuan family lost power, they no longer had the salary from the court or the taxation of the people. At the same time, in order to avoid liquidation after the failed power struggle, Yuan Fengzi had no choice but to hide his name in Lingcheng and start an ordinary blacksmith business. Although his income was only enough to make ends meet.
, but also contented.
Occasionally, old acquaintances would come to visit him, look for the famous sword, and settle matters, which made Yuan Fengzi once again famous, but this time he was not called "Yuan Fengzi", but "Tuoba Feng".
It is said that before Yuan Fengzi died, he was entrusted with casting a sword. During this period, he could no longer even swing the hammer, so the sword was actually completed by Fu Wentao and Ayu.
.
Bai Feng now does not have the funds needed for the trip, which means that the young swordsman must help Fu Wentao and Ayu complete this last transaction to raise enough travel expenses, otherwise they will be unable to travel the remaining several hundred miles.
So, the day after the four young men buried Yuan Fengzi, they took the sword to Cangzhou and prepared to deliver the sword to their employer.
Cangzhou is also a hometown for Bai Feng. He and the knight-errant Su Qing once had a legend here. However, at that time, he could not walk on the streets openly and visit people, so he would definitely miss many interesting local customs.
Now, it just so happened that the employer was organizing a "real sword competition" on his own, under the banner of "there will be bonuses regardless of winning or losing", which attracted a crowd of people in the house. Bai Feng and the other four waited outside for a whole day but were unable to go in for an interview. Finally,
I had no choice but to give up and find a nearby inn to rest.
That night, Bai Feng and Fu Wentao had a few drinks. They talked about why they left Yuyi Town, how they were betrayed by Shen Qiongzhi, how they were disappointed in Zhao Kuo, and how they vowed to find Murong Yan. They still had lingering fears and lamented over and over again.
"I didn't expect that Shen Qiongzhi would betray Miss Murong." Fu Wentao sighed, and Bai Feng sneered: "Hahaha, betrayal is out of the question. She and we are not the same people."
Fu Wentao asked: "Then... why did Brother Bai tell me this? Don't you hate her?"
"When I realized that hating anyone has no meaning, I was already on the road." Bai Feng drank a glass of wine and said: "Forget it, forget it all... She is from the Holy Land and has been imprisoned there since she was a child.
, I guess she decided to do this because she desperately wanted to get rid of the Holy Land; and Zhao Kuo, he and we are even more different, and they have different paths and do not want to work together."
Fu Wentao also drank a drink and echoed: "Brother Bai is indeed not an ordinary person."
"What should I do next?" Bai Feng asked: "I don't have any financial problems. If I don't see my employer again tomorrow, I'm afraid I'll have to sleep on the street."
"Don't worry, Ayu and I just checked with someone. The employer has been preparing for his son's upcoming expedition to the west these days." Fu Wentao put down his wine, took out the employer's sword, and continued: "This sword
, it was made for his son. I heard that his son had never even killed a chicken and was a kind-hearted man. In order to make his son's expedition go smoothly, the troubled father decided to organize such a competition to give his son a courage."
Bai Feng said: "I see, are you preparing for the battlefield?"
"Yes, as long as we go early tomorrow and tell the gatekeepers, they will definitely let us in first."
After Fu Wentao was talking, Ayu suddenly came over and shouted a few times, saying: "You two grown men are so ignorant. We already have less money, but you still drink? Go to bed quickly. If you can't see anyone in the morning tomorrow, we will go to bed tonight."
Just wait until you end up living on the streets!”
After being scolded, the two of them retorted speechlessly and went back to the house to rest dejectedly.
In Cangzhou City, there are cases of private fights and fatalities occurring almost every year. Therefore, the government strictly prohibits private fights. If ordinary people fight privately, they will be fined at the least and jailed at the worst. However, if a person with fame and wealth takes the initiative to report to the government
Please, both parties sign a "declaration of life and death", and everything is settled again.
In the early morning of the next day, Bai Feng and his party finally had the opportunity to find their employer's servants to send a message. When the servants heard that it was the eldest son who brought the sword, they thanked him repeatedly: "I've finally waited for you to come. We, the master and the master, can't wait."
Got it!"
After finishing speaking, he walked into the house to make an announcement.
At that time, the surroundings were quiet and not as lively as yesterday. From outside the door, you could see all the way to the courtyard of the mansion. A road made of marble ran across the middle, with several pairs of gauze lanterns placed on both sides, which looked very luxurious.
After a while, the guy came back and told everyone, "Follow me, the master is waiting for you inside."
They entered the house, bypassed the courtyard, and went straight into the living room.
The employer is a short-bearded Han Chinese, about forty years old, who looks like a good old man.
"My surname is Li. I saw you last time when I paid homage to Mr. Yuan. I didn't expect that my humble residence would welcome four distinguished guests at once today!" Mr. Li bowed his hands and said in respect, "Since the sword has been cast, I should hand over the money.
First-hand delivery, just..."
Fu Wentao asked: "Just what?"
"I have something to ask of you. As long as you agree, I am willing to pay double the price after the work is completed!" Mr. Li said: "You are going to participate in the 'tournament' in my house, and you have to lose to this sword.
The owner is the dog."
"Mr. Li's son?" Fu Wentao said, "I'm afraid..."
"Ah, you are physically handicapped, so I won't force you. But I think the guy over there also knows how to do swordsmanship, how about that?" Mr. Li looked at Bai Feng, his eyes shining.
Bai Feng replied calmly: "I don't care, as long as Mr. Li doesn't regret it and is willing to pay the full amount."
"Brother Bai, that's not what I meant!" Fu Wentao said: "I just don't want to lose..."
"I understand." Bai Feng chuckled softly: "Mr. Li, that's it!"
Mr. Li said: "Okay, today the young hero's martial arts competition will start after noon. If you don't mind, you can rest at home until then."
After the conversation ended, Ayu immediately took Yu Ke somewhere else to get some fresh air. Walking in such a beautiful house, with countless teas and snacks to enjoy, they felt happy from the bottom of their hearts.
It wasn't until they witnessed a competition that their mentality changed drastically.
It happened in the first competition this morning. On one side was Mr. Li, who was wearing Mingguang armor, and on the other side were the common people who were called to participate in the competition. The weapons and armors on their bodies were all junk that was about to be scrapped.
Those who come to challenge have the mentality of "there will be bonuses no matter whether they win or lose". They are not willing to fight, but after two or three attacks, they usually drop their weapons and surrender.
But Mr. Li didn't know what happened today. Not only did he not stop attacking when the opponent surrendered, but he also directly stabbed the opponent's vitals.
When everyone saw this, they were all in an uproar.
Ayu and Yu Ke immediately informed Bai Feng and Fu Wentao of the matter. When the four of them returned to the competition site, the challenger had already lost his breath, leaving Mr. Li alone there.
"You all saw it, he didn't avoid it himself! This matter has nothing to do with me."