Early that morning, Li Muchan was sparring with Mingyue and giving her instructions on swordsmanship. Fang Huaiyi came to visit in person.
Li Muchan met him in the small pavilion.
Since rejecting the uncle last time, Li Muchan has not left the small courtyard even once. He lives in seclusion and keeps a low profile, keeping a low profile.
Fang Huaiyi was extremely busy, taking care of everything inside and outside, and had no time to come over. This was the first time today.
"Alas... Concubine Xue is finally here." Fang Huaiyi put down the tea cup, sighed heavily, and said apologetically: "I've been neglecting you for a while, sir. Please don't take offense to me."
Li Muchan smiled and said: "Second Master, you don't have to be polite. I'm a freeloader. It's best if no one takes care of me. Second Master, I've been working hard for a while."
Fang Huaiyi shook his head and said with a smile: "The hard work is nothing. Concubine Xue can come back. No matter how busy I am, I will be happy."
Li Muchan smiled and said, "The second master is also called empress?"
"Although I am her brother, I am behind the imperial court in terms of elder and younger, so I should be called empress." Fang Huaiyi said.
Li Muchan shook his head and smiled: "How long has it been since your Majesty came back?"
"It has been five years since I entered the palace at the age of sixteen. This is the first time I have come back. I am blessed by the grace of the Holy One. Most people like her will never be able to return to their parents' home once in their lifetime," Fang Huaiyi said.
Li Muchan sighed: "I am surrounded by glory and wealth, but there are no relatives by my side, like walking at night in brocade clothes... The second master has never thought of moving the Fang Mansion to the capital?"
"Easier said than done?" Fang Huaiyi shook his head and sighed: "We have deep roots here. Once we go to the capital, we will be unfamiliar with the place and have no foundation at all. There are so many relatives of the emperor there that no one can afford to offend us. Instead, we will give it to my little sister.
If you get into trouble, it's better to stay here honestly."
Li Muchan said: "There are people in the capital who can explain the pain of Concubine Xue missing her family."
"We bought several houses in the capital. My eldest brother or I would stay there for a while every year, firstly to see my little sister, and secondly to take care of the shops in the capital." Fang Huaiyi said.
"This is the best." Li Muchan nodded and said with a smile: "It's easy to do business in the capital, right? It's easy to make a lot of money every day."
"How can it be so easy? There are too many joints to break through, and there are big figures behind every store. No one can afford to offend." Fang Huaiyi shook his head.
The two chatted some more, and he said: "The eldest brother has a bit of a bad temper, but he has no bad intentions. Don't blame me for offending him."
Li Muchan smiled and said: "How dare I offend you, but I have a weird temper. I'm afraid I might offend you unintentionally without knowing it."
"Haha, for my sake, sir, please bear with me." Fang Huaiyi said apologetically.
Li Muchan smiled: "Second Master, you are so polite."
Seeing him like this, Fang Huaiyi scratched his head. Obviously, Mr. Li was not easy to get along with. If the eldest brother continued to make trouble, it would be a fierce fight.
"Sir, I came today to ask you a favor." He smiled.
"That's all the Second Master's orders are," Li Muchan said.
Fang Huaiyi said: "When Concubine Xue comes to the city, I would like to ask my husband and nine other worshipers to help protect Concubine Xue Fengjia."
Li Muchan said: "Concubine Xue doesn't have any guards?"
"There are one hundred Shenzong guards with us," Fang Huaiyi said.
Li Muchan shook his head: "Shenzong Wei has always been arrogant and will not allow others to help. Instead, he will blame us for interfering with them."
"I will talk to them carefully," Fang Huaiyi said.
Li Muchan nodded thoughtfully: "Of course I want to help, but I'm afraid that you, Second Master, will run into a wall. Shen Zongwei may not even listen to your mother's words."
"No way." Fang Huaiyi said.
Li Muchan smiled and said: "Second Master, you might as well give it a try. Even if you hit a wall, there is no need to be angry. They will be directly responsible to the Holy One. If something happens and their lives are at risk, how dare they betray people's favor at will."
"In this way..." Fang Huaiyi nodded suddenly and sighed: "I don't know anything about the royal family. Fortunately, my husband gave me some guidance."
Li Muchan frowned and said, "I have been in the capital, so you should understand this, right?"
"Haha, brother may have forgotten to mention it." Fang Huaiyi said with a smile.
Li Muchan shook his head and stopped talking. It was obvious that the uncle wanted to see his excitement and deliberately didn't say anything. It seemed that the two of them were not so harmonious secretly.
He smiled and said: "Second Master, go and give it a try."
"Okay, I'll go there right away. Someone from the Shenzong Guard is already here." Fang Huaiyi nodded.
He hurriedly said goodbye and left the small courtyard. Li Muchan watched him leave. Li Muchan saw the scene of his quarrel with Fang Huairen and was very fond of him. However, although the uncle had a fatal weakness, he was even more vicious. I am afraid that the second master could not defeat him.
ah.
Li Muchan has found out that it was the uncle who dealt with the disciples of Xinghu Xiaozhu. The cause of the incident was just a trivial matter. He suffered a little loss, so he secretly took revenge.
The enemies of Xinghu Xiaozhu are his enemies. How can the disciples of Xinghu Xiaozhu be dealt with so easily? This Fang Huairen needs to be taught a lesson.
He thought of a way, which was better than killing him. He knew the secret of life and death. He understood that killing was the worst way. It was best not to kill unless it was absolutely necessary. It was fun to have fun, but the gain was not worth the loss.
The best way is to help Fang Huaiyi seize his position and make him suffer for the rest of his life. It is better than killing him. Without Fang Mansion to rely on, he will not be able to deal with Xinghu Xiaozhu.
Half an hour later, Fang Huaiyi came in a hurry, with a smile on his face: "Sir, it's done!"
Li Muchan smiled and said, "They agreed?"
"It was easy to say, but I finally agreed!" Fang Huaiyi said excitedly.
"Okay, let's go." Li Muchan stood up, turned around and said, "Mingyue, come with me."
"Yes, Master." Mingyue said, and Fang Huaiyi looked at her.
Li Muchan smiled and said: "I will take my disciple with me and let her see it. Second Master, don't worry, it won't delay things."
"Haha, of course I can rest assured, sir." Fang Huaiyi said with a smile, "I'm just afraid that if something happens, it will implicate Master Mingyue."
"Second Master is worrying too much. She still has the ability to protect herself." Li Muchan said with a smile.
The two of them left the small courtyard and arrived at the main north hall. The other nine people had already arrived, including Huang Zongrao. Li Muchan looked at him. Huang Zongrao's eyes were bright, but they were not as bright as before.
To go one step further.
Li Muchan smiled and hugged him: "Congratulations, Senior Huang."
Huang Zongrao cupped his fists, smiled, and said slowly: "Haha..., it's not a big deal. Although you have entered the first floor now, you are still far behind Mr. Li!"
Li Muchan shook his head, and Fang Huaiyi appeared with a long paper tube under his arm and said loudly: "Everyone, let's divide Bailing City into ten places, one for each person. Please take a look."
He bent down and put the paper tube on the Eight Immortals table in the middle, and spread it out. It was a drawing. It was an overhead view of Bailing City, with eight directions marked, and two directions in the sky.
"Everyone, let's start from here and follow Feng Jia as we go inside. These are the various directions. Let's each draw one." He pointed at the picture and said.
Then he took out a handful of paper balls from his arms and threw them on the table: "Everyone, please pick one at will."
Li Muchan pointed, Mingyue stepped forward and picked up a paper map, opened one, and wrote the word "Nine", which matched the one on the map, and was responsible for the eastern sky.
Positions 9 and 10 are each responsible for the east and west, like the two wings of a bird. Li Muchan is responsible for the east.
Fang Huaiyi said: "Xue Fei is surrounded by Shenzong guards and some Forbidden Palace masters. What we need to do is outer defense to prevent martial arts figures from invading."
Xiang Lei said in a deep voice: "Second Master, don't worry, we won't be embarrassed."
"I leave everything to you!" Fang Huaiyi said solemnly, cupping his fists.
Everyone smiled and clasped their fists, saying that you were welcome.
Li Muchan took Mingyue out of Fang Mansion. The atmosphere in the city was tense. Both sides of the east and west streets were lined with soldiers and guards, all of them holding their chests and heads high, looking very proud.
The two guards were three steps apart and lined up from outside the Fang Mansion to the east intersection. They were each holding long sticks and carrying swords at their waists, and they looked fierce.
Li Muchan and the others left Fang Mansion and went straight east for a mile, then turned south at the fork. The North and South Streets leading to the South City Gate were guarded by soldiers, who stood in two rows on both sides of the street.
In addition to the soldiers, there were people in the city who all gathered together to watch the fun. Common people would never see the princess in their lifetime. She was so high and unattainable. Naturally, they couldn't miss the opportunity to see her this time.
Li Muchan pulled Mingyue and floated onto the roof of a house. He sat on the ridge and looked around. A gust of wind blew. It was cold and dry, a rare good weather.
The monk Mingyue's robes fluttered, his skin was like snow, and he said: "Master, will this Snow Concubine really come?"
Li Muchan raised his eyebrows and smiled: "How do you say this?"
Mingyue said: "If I were Concubine Xue, I would come here secretly and not follow the large group of people. No matter how tight the protection is, there will still be loopholes."
Li Muchan smiled and said: "Yes, it's very rare that you can think of this."
Mingyue smiled and said: "Master, I often read history books and know some strategies."
Li Muchan smiled and said: "It's a good thing to learn to use your brain, but you can't say for sure. Reality is imaginary, imaginary is real, imaginary and real are just a matter of thoughts... We don't know the character of this Concubine Xue.
I understand, so I can’t say for sure, I can only take it as true.”
"Master is saying that if you want to understand someone else's plan, you must first understand his character, right?" Mingyue said.
Li Muchan nodded: "Children can be taught!"
While the master and apprentice were talking, suddenly the sound of gongs and drums suddenly sounded outside the city, filling the sky with noise and a festive atmosphere.
Li Muchan said: "Here we come."
The sound of gongs and drums gradually began, the city gates opened wide, and a group of soldiers holding high honor guards came in first, with colorful banners and banners flying in the wind.
Behind them came a group of knights, fifty of them. They were wearing silver armor and riding white horses. They were spotless, holding long spears, and the tips of the spears shone with a cold light.
These knights were full of energy, and their eyes were as sharp as the tips of spears, which could pierce people from front to back. When they glanced over, the people watching the excitement lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at him.
They looked around on horseback and spotted Li Muchan. Li Muchan turned his eyes away from him. Looking at him under such circumstances was a sign of hostility.
Li Muchan thought to himself, looking at the murderous aura all over their bodies, they had obviously experienced battles on the battlefield. These people's martial arts skills were unknown, but they were extremely sensitive to murderous aura, so they were indeed the best candidates for bodyguards.
After them came another group of black-shirted knights, about fifty of them, with solemn faces and no guns in their hands, only long swords.
They walked slowly around a phoenix chariot. There were several people walking beside the phoenix chariot, four beautiful maids, and two old men in brocade clothes. One was white and beardless, fair and fat, and the other was swarthy and thin.
.
Mingyue said: "Master, the one in the phoenix chariot is Concubine Xue, right? Those two people are eunuchs?"
She had only heard of eunuchs, but had never seen one. Sure enough, they were a little different from ordinary people. They looked the same, just cleaner. The key was their temperament, which was different from ordinary people. As for the difference, she couldn't tell.
Li Muchan said: "Yes, don't underestimate them. The struggle between the eunuchs in the palace is even more cruel. Those who can stay by Concubine Xue's side are definitely not just ordinary people. Well, that person is so powerful!"
*******************************************
Li Muchan saw an acquaintance who was amiable and harmonious. It was Eunuch Bai who he had rescued and given him a Tiger Brand.
Li Muchan didn't expect to meet him here. From this point of view, his master was Concubine Xue.
The other dark-faced old eunuch next to him was so advanced that he seemed to be unable to see through it. He couldn't help but look at him twice, which immediately attracted his attention.
The black-faced old man looked up, his eyes bursting out with two rays of light, shooting straight at him.
Li Muchan narrowed his eyes slightly, smiled without changing his face, and turned to look at Eunuch Bai. Eunuch Bai seemed to have sensed it. When he looked up, he suddenly smiled in surprise.
Li Muchan waved and shook his head. Eunuch Bai was a very smart man. When he saw this, he immediately understood what he meant and nodded.
"Manager Bai, do you recognize him?" the black-faced old man said.
Eunuch Bai smiled and said: "Our family's savior is really a coincidence, and we have a lot of fate... General Hong, please don't do anything to him."
"This man's cultivation is really good. I won't bring shame on myself, as long as he doesn't mess with my mother-in-law." The black-faced old man said solemnly.
Just at this moment, a person flew out of a restaurant opposite and rushed towards the phoenix chariot.
"Hmph!" Amidst the cold snort like thunder, another figure flew out, and the second one hit this person first. It folded in the air and fell back to the roof of a room in the west. After the figure appeared, it was Xiang.
thunder.
Li Muchan is in charge of the east wing, and Xiang Lei is in charge of the west wing.
The guards below were not disturbed at all, as if nothing had happened. Xiang Lei threw the person in his hand and disappeared again.
He and Li Muchan behaved differently. Li Muchan sat on the roof and watched, as if watching the excitement, while he hid in the darkness and could appear with a thunderous strike at any time, which was full of intimidation.
Li Muchan took Mingyue and walked north with the phoenix chariot, then turned west and headed to Fang Mansion. There were no setbacks and no assassins on the way down.
Finally, the vigorous entry into the city ended. Li Muchan and Mingyue returned to the small courtyard. The Fang Mansion was surrounded by soldiers in two circles, as if they were surrounded.
After Li Muchan returned to the courtyard, Sang Niang and others gathered around and asked him to tell him what happened. They were very upset because they could not go out to join in the fun.
After Ming Yue spoke a few words, the women listened indifferently. They thought it would be lively, but they didn't expect that they just passed by in a hurry.
Li Muchan thought that when Concubine Xue came, the Fang Mansion would be quiet for a while. Everything should be put aside to receive Concubine Xue, and he would have nothing to do, so he could concentrate on his cultivation.
That night, after dinner, he played with the girls in the small pavilion at the back for a while, listening to them playing the piano, singing and dancing, and giving instructions on Mingyue's martial arts. At midnight, when the moon was shining brightly, he returned to his room.
He blew out the lamp, sat on the couch, took out a package from the bedside, and unwrapped it to reveal a black Buddha with a strange shape.
This black Buddha has an ugly appearance, with a face full of flesh, eyes wide and fierce, and the whole person looks like a sinister spirit, without the peaceful aura of Buddhism at all.
He sat cross-legged on a ball of flames, with flames flying all over his body, and there was a flame between his eyebrows, like a burning eye.
Apart from that, there was nothing else. His hands formed a strange mudra that Li Muchan had never seen before.
He stared at it for a long time and imprinted it on his mind. Then he pressed his hands on the Buddha statue and slowly performed the exercises. The surrounding area became hot. After a while, he gently twisted and rubbed his hands, and the black Buddha suddenly turned into a ball of black iron.
It is difficult for people to discover the mystery of this black Buddha. They often think that searching for the Buddha is in vain, and no one will think of contemplating it.
At the beginning, he also watched the black Buddha attentively, fumbled around, and spent a lot of effort. He accidentally tried it when he was practicing the Observation of Heaven, Humans and Gods, and he succeeded.
In the end, it was with that black Buddha and the relics that he formed that he could achieve what he has achieved today. Otherwise, he would never have been able to reach this point based on his own qualifications.
The material used to cast the Black Buddha is strange, it looks like iron but not iron, it looks like stone but not stone, but it is extremely hard. If his inner strength were not pure and extremely strong, it would still be difficult to deform.
He threw the black iron to the corner and began to meditate.
A boundless void formed in his mind, and a black man slowly appeared in the void, with a fleshy face and fierce eyes. Then he visualized flames appearing under his feet. There were more and more flames. He sat down slowly, and a ball of flames appeared.
It slowly floated to the top of his head, condensed at the center of his eyebrows, but then dispersed.
He frowned. No matter how he concentrated on contemplation, it was difficult for the flame to appear between his eyebrows. Once it condensed, it quickly dissipated and could only wander around the body.
Li Muchan slowly opened his eyes, frowning and thinking.
After a while, he closed his eyes again, and a void appeared in his mind. This time, the black man became himself, and flames came out from under his feet. The flames were blazing. He sat up slowly, but before he could sit firmly, it started to burn, and his body suddenly turned into ashes.
, the void is shattered.
He reluctantly quit the meditation and thought for a long time, but he couldn't figure it out. He felt dizzy in front of his eyes and was too exhausted. It was really rare for him to have such a strong spirit.
Unable to think about anything else, he was so drowsy that his thoughts could not move. He entered the Observation of Heaven and the God's Illumination Sutra. The moonlight and the sun shone together, making him feel cool and refreshing.
Unknowingly, he suddenly woke up. The room was bright and the sunlight reflected on the windows, making the room bright and soft. He looked at the shadow of the xuan table and saw that it was already midnight.
When he looked back at himself, he was full of energy and refreshed. Not only was he back to normal, but he was even better.
Only then did he have the energy to recall the previous situation, why he couldn't visualize the flame between his eyebrows, but when he visualized himself, he couldn't stand the flame at all and was directly burned to ashes.
After much deliberation, he realized that his spirit was too strong but his body was not strong enough, so he could not bear it.
When he was exercising his skills, the true solution of the three yangs actually advanced, and his internal energy became more and more pure, like a ball of flame flowing through his meridians, running endlessly, and his whole body felt warm, as if he were soaking in a hot spring.
Li Muchan opened his eyes and said warmly: "Mingyue, come in."
The door was pushed open with a creak, and Mingyue curled in. She was wearing a gray monk's robe and wrapped her delicate body. Her face was charming, and she was looking over with concern.
"Master, are you practicing?" Mingyue asked.
Li Muchan nodded: "When is it?"
Mingyue said with some dissatisfaction: "You have been in samadhi for three days at once!"
Li Muchan smiled: "I see,...why, are you scared?"
Mingyue pouted and said angrily: "Master should tell me!"
Li Muchan said: "I am in a good state of practice, so I can't stop and tell you. This kind of thing is very common, don't be surprised, you will encounter it in the future."
Mingyue took a deep breath and nodded: "Master, there is Eunuch Bai who came to see Master yesterday, but I stopped him."
Li Muchan raised his eyebrows: "Eunuch Bai?"
"Yes, he said that you are his savior and he wants to come over to see you." Mingyue said.
Li Muchan nodded: "That's true."
Mingyue said: "That Eunuch Bai is from Concubine Xue's side. I saw him that day. How could Master save him?"
Li Muchan talked about how he met them when he went to Tianlang Mountain and how he saved their lives. Finally, Eunuch Bai gave him a tiger sign to say goodbye.
At this moment, Sang Niang ran in with her skirt in hand: "Sir, that Eunuch Bai is here again!"
Li Muchan stood up and stayed: "I'll go and greet you personally."
Outside the small courtyard, Eunuch Bai, dressed in brocade clothes, stood calmly and looked at the small courtyard. At this time, footsteps sounded, and then Li Muchan's laughter came: "Eunuch Bai, you are here to welcome me, and you are welcome from afar!"
While he was speaking, Li Muchan floated up and appeared, followed by Mingyue.
Eunuch Bai suddenly smiled, clasped his fists and said with a smile: "Mr. Li, we meet again!"
Li Muchan smiled and said: "We are destined to come thousands of miles to meet each other. We are really destined to meet my father-in-law. Please come in quickly!"
The three of them came to the small pavilion at the back to show their intimacy. When they saw the five women serving tea and water and melons and fruits, Eunuch Bai said with a smile: "Mr. Li is really a person who knows how to enjoy."
Li Muchan shook his head and said with a smile: "I don't have any ambitions. I'm just dawdling. I just want to live a more comfortable life."
"Sir, your life is really like a fairy." Eunuch Bai said with a smile.
Eunuch Bai asked about Li Muchan's journey after farewell, and Li Muchan told him one by one that he was very happy to come to Fang Mansion to be a guest. It was comfortable and enjoyable.
Eunuch Bai shook his head and said with a smile: "If you want to live like this, just tell our family and go to the capital, and I will let you live at ease!"
Li Muchan shook his head: "I don't feel comfortable taking advantage of my kindness, so why not live here and rely on my ability to earn a living? If my father-in-law talks about saving his life anymore or keeps it in his heart, we won't be friends for long!"
"Haha..." Eunuch Bai pointed at him with a smile: "Sir, you are really weird, okay, okay, I won't tell you, let's just be friends!"
Li Muchan smiled and said: "That's right. Equality and freedom are comfortable. You are not a high-ranking manager, and I am not your savior. We are just two ordinary people, drinking and talking!"
Eunuch Bai said with a smile: "Okay, it couldn't be better!"
The two talked for a while, and Eunuch Bai talked about how his visit to the family this time was a special grace from the Lord. Few noble concubines could do such a beautiful thing.
Finally he smiled and said: "The noble concubine wants to meet you, sir."
Li Muchan smiled: "The noble concubine and I have never met each other. What would you do if you saw me, a common man in the mountains and wild fields?"
Eunuch Bai smiled and said: "Your Majesty, you have heard a lot of rumors about Sir, the eldest young master, the second young master, the third young master, and the fourth young lady. I also said a few words about them, so you must be curious."
Li Muchan thought for a while and said, "I still won't go. People in the mountains and wild areas don't understand etiquette, and it is inevitable that they will be rude."
Eunuch Bai hurriedly said: "This is impossible, Mr. Li, this is the imperial concubine's decree and cannot be violated."
Li Muchan smiled and said: "You are so particular, what if you violate it?"
Bai Gonggong said: "That is for punishment."
Li Muchan said helplessly: "In that case, let's just meet him and my father-in-law will lead the way."
Eunuch Bai looked him up and down: "Sir, you'd better change your clothes first and wear new clothes."
Li Muchan smiled bitterly and said: "If you are so particular, let's forget it. I haven't gotten back the new clothes I ordered, and I only have two worn ones."
Eunuch Bai hurriedly said: "No, no,...or, just this one."
Li Muchan stood up and said with a smile: "Then don't say anything more, let's go!"
Eunuch Bai shook his head, looked at Li Muchan's clothes with dissatisfaction, and sighed: "This..., alas... I can only make do with it, I can't wait another day."
The two of them left the small courtyard and headed east until they entered the easternmost courtyard. Dozens of Shenzong guards were scattered around, forming three layers. They all had bright eyes and were looking forward.
From the time they approached the hospital to the front of the hospital, the two went through three levels of inspections. The inspectors were all experts, and they stared at Li Muchan warily, as if they were about to break out at any moment.
Li Muchan had no weapons, but his cultivation was so advanced that everyone was aware of the threat.
Eunuch Bai smiled and didn't say much, and Li Muchan didn't care either. He knew that they had a heavy responsibility and would not let him go just because of Eunuch Bai's words.
After entering the courtyard, Eunuch Bai took him straight to the back garden. The layout here was not very good, it was similar to Fang Huairui's boudoir.
A boudoir stands upright, and there is a small lake in the back garden. There are water pavilions and corridors on the lake, mixed with several small pavilions. The space is twice as big as Fang Huairui's.
In a small pavilion due south, Fang Huairui sat and talked with a woman in palace attire. Behind the woman in palace attire stood an old man with a dark face.
Eunuch Bai hurriedly said: "Your Majesty is over there, let me go and report it first."
Li Muchan nodded and looked at the woman in palace attire. He couldn't help but admire her in his heart. She was really beautiful and beautiful.
Such a beauty, no wonder she became a royal concubine and stood out among the three thousand beauties in the harem. She has a long face, a sharp jaw, clear black and white eyes, a straight nose, and a hint of charm in her cold beauty.