The stall owner bandaged Xia Hu's wound, poured a bowl of lychee honey for Xia Hu, and asked her to drink it while she waited.
"Girl, someone will come to pick you up soon. Sit here and don't wander around."
The stall owner went on to do business.
Xia Hu was very surprised. The person who could defeat Long Xiulian was at least a third-level cultivator. How could such a person really sell drinks on the roadside?
But this stall owner is indeed a drink seller. He is very skilled in making tea, pouring juice, and preparing soup.
The drinks are delicious, but the place is too deserted and the business is not very good.
After waiting for more than half an hour, a group of people came to the Yinzi stall and were surrounded by people.
The customers were all scared away, but the stall owner was very calm.
An old man got off his horse and stood in front of the stall owner for a moment.
The stall owner smiled and said, "Elder Shengwei, the person you are looking for is over there."
This old man is none other than Liang Jixiong.
Liang Jixiong came to Xia Hu's side and said with a smile: "Your name is Xia Hu?"
Xia Hu nodded slightly.
Liang Jixiong said: "Zhiqiong asked me to come and take you to Canglong Palace to stay for a few days."
Xia Hu knew about the friendship between Liang Jixiong and Xu Zhiqiong and quickly got on the carriage.
Liang Jixiong let everyone go first. He found a stool and sat down, asking the stall owner to make him a bowl of drink.
The stall owner made a bowl of orange honey for Liang Jixiong. Liang Jixiong took a sip and nodded: "Chen Bingbi, I didn't expect you to have such skills."
The stall owner smiled and said: "If you don't have any skills, where can you find a living?"
The owner of this stall is none other than Chen Shuncai, the former eunuch Bingbi, the Superintendent of Ceremonies.
Liang Jixiong said: "You have been working as a ceremonial supervisor for so many years, and you must have a lot of savings. It is not difficult to buy some land and rent it out, and live a prosperous life."
[To be honest, I have been using Yeguo to read and catch up on books recently. I can switch sources and read aloud with many sounds. www. Android and Apple are available.]
Chen Shuncai smiled and said: "Nowadays, we are quite prosperous. We earn one or two hundred cash a day, which is enough for Hukou."
Liang Jixiong sighed and said, "Do you have to stay in the capital? Can't you find a job anywhere?"
Chen Shuncai said: "I also lived in the countryside for a while, and there were always people coming to see me all day long. Some asked me to be the secretary, some asked me to be the altar leader, and some asked me to be the big manager.
If I don't agree, these people will pester me relentlessly, and I will have no choice but to kill them if they are pestered to the point of being helpless.
You know the difficulties here, I just want to live a down-to-earth life for two days, but I really can't get down to it after leaving the capital."
"We'd better be more practical." Liang Jixiong drank the drink in one breath and placed a silver coin on the table.
Chen Shuncai said: "Sir, you gave me such a large amount of money for a few cents, but it's hard to find it in change for you."
Liang Jixiong smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, I come here often and it will be counted as a year's drinking money."
On the way back, a Canglong guard asked Liang Jixiong: "Do you want to send someone to keep an eye on him?"
Liang Jixiong shook his head and said, "Can you keep an eye on him? Leave this matter to me. This man has no ill intentions at the moment. Don't force him to become ill."
…
Yu Xianguo, Marquis Mansion.
A burst of smoke rose, and Xu Zhiqiong saw the appearance of Emperor Changle.
"Brother, our second brother has brought your woman to Canglong Palace. You should have a word with her first."
The Onmyoji turned the incense burner and pointed it at Xia Hu. The smoke in front of Xu Zhiqiong deformed and took on the appearance of Xia Hu.
Seeing the lady's appearance, Xu Zhiqiong finally felt at ease.
"Madam, are you injured?"
"No, no, I, I was stabbed several times by him on my legs."
Xu Zhiqiong called her "ma'am" in front of everyone in the court, and Xia Hu's face turned red in shame.
Ever since Xu Zhiqiong called her "Mother" for the first time, he has never been willing to let her be bullied.
Feng Jing'an whipped Xia Hu, and Xu Zhiqiong broke a firewood stick on Feng Jing'an's head.
This bastard dares to attack my wife!
Xu Zhiqiong gritted his teeth.
Xia Hu was standing beside Emperor Changle and Liang Jixiong. There were some things that couldn't be said clearly, but there were some things that Xia Hu was anxious to tell Xu Zhiqiong:
"Official, please don't be angry. I don't have anything important to do. You can just go about your errands with peace of mind. The house at home is broken down and the door cannot be opened. I have packed up all the belongings in the house. Don't worry about it."
Xu Zhiqiong understood what Xia Hu meant.
She wanted to tell Xu Zhiqiong that he could not enter the Zhonglang Courtyard, but the fifty thousand taels of silver were not lost.
This girl almost died, but she still tried every means to keep her little possessions.
The judge usually comes and goes freely. Even though he is in Yu Xianguo and wants to see Xia Hu, he can just run back from Zhonglang Courtyard.
Now if I want to say something to Xia Hu, I have to be secretive.
Xu Zhiqiong said: "You can live peacefully in Canglong Hall, with the Holy Master and Elder Shengwei taking care of you, so that the enemy can't hurt you."
Xia Hu is a smart person and knows that the emperor and the elders of Canglong Palace will definitely interrogate her. If she is asked who her enemy is, what will Xia Hu say?
Just talk about an individual and pass it off?
What if it's different from what Xu Zhiqiong said, but he doesn't wear it and exposes his secret.
Taking this opportunity, Xia Hu simply asked: "Official, where did this enemy come from?"
What a smart lady.
This sentence shows that she does not know the origin of this enemy.
Xu Zhiqiong had already thought of his words: "My angry husband taught me, I must avenge this!"
Emperor Changle looked at Liang Jixiong and saw that the situation was basically consistent with what they had inferred. This matter was indeed done by the Nufu Cult.
Liang Jixiong said: "Miss Xia, you go and rest for a while. We have a few words to talk to Zhiqiong alone."
The two Canglong Guards took Xia Hu to the backyard to rest. Emperor Changle said to Xu Zhiqiong: "Brother, this time we have destroyed most of the Gu clan and ruined the major affairs of the Nufu Sect. Those thieves will definitely not give up.
, if you have any other relatives in your family, please take them to Canglong Palace, and our second brother will take care of them."
Liang Jixiong glared at Emperor Changle.
Xu Zhiqiong said: "I am alone with just one woman. As long as she is safe, I will feel at ease."
Emperor Chang Le said angrily: "What you said is so heartless. How can I, the sixth sister, be reckoned with? How can the second sister, Lin, be reckoned with?"
Liang Jixiong shouted angrily: "We are facing a huge enemy, but we don't say anything serious!"
Emperor Changle snorted coldly: "You are serious, come and tell him!"
The onmyoji switched the qi mechanism and aimed the incense burner at Liang Jixiong.
Liang Jixiong said with a serious face: "I think Miss Xia's appearance is ordinary. Although she is younger than Yuyao, Yuyao is not bad in appearance and she is sincere to you. You have to think carefully about this matter...
"
Emperor Changle shouted: "Is this serious business?"
Liang Jixiong said again: "Chen Shuncai returned to the capital. Do you know about this?"
Xu Zhiqiong was surprised: "When did he come back?"
Liang Jixiong shook his head and said: "I don't know about this either. He put on a beard and changed his appearance. Fortunately, I have known him for many years, so I recognized him.
Miss Xia was almost killed by her enemies today, but it was thanks to Chen Shun that she came to the rescue."
Chen Shuncai saved Xia Hu?
Is this the old man's borrowed luck?
Is Chen Shuncai the legendary nobleman?
What a powerful trick this old man has!
Liang Jixiong added: "Chen Shuncai came here this time, and there should be no ill intentions. I will keep an eye on his movements. The strongman who attacked Miss Xia today should be a third-grade man. I'm afraid Gongsun Wen and Sui Zhi have already returned to the capital."
Emperor Changle said: "They can't make waves even after they return to the capital. Just ask Zhiqiong to be more careful."
…
After collecting the incense burner, Xu Zhiqiong left the study and went to the old man's bedroom. He bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, father-in-law, for your kindness."
The old man shook his head and said: "Don't thank me. You can't go back on what you promised me."
Xu Zhiqiong said: "Please let me elaborate on this matter."
The old man sighed and said, "Do you know how much territory Dayu has?"
Xu Zhiqiong said: "There are thirty-six counties in total."
The old man nodded: "Before the battle with Cong An, the Yanghuo royal family held twelve counties, and the Gu tribe held twenty-four counties.
Among the twenty-four counties in the hands of the Gu tribe, only two counties are actually from the Gu tribe. The other twenty-two counties are all composed of different tribes. The total number of large and small tribes is more than one hundred."
"More than a hundred tribes?" Xu Zhiqiong was dumbfounded.
The old man nodded: "Each tribe corresponds to a Taoist sect under the True God Suzaku."
Xu Zhiqiong was even more stupid: "More than a hundred tribes correspond to more than a hundred Taoist sects?"
The old man sighed: "This is the so-called Suzaku principle of ten thousand lives. These more than a hundred tribes are not big, but many of them are protected by star officials. The Bloody Sect that once harmed Daxuan is one of them.
There are still many Taoist sects that do not have Star Lords behind them. They are practitioners of other Taoist sects who were enlightened by the true gods or stars and created their own Taoist sects. However, the lifespan of mortals is limited after all. If the founder dies, the Taoist sect will also decline.
There are also some Taoist sects whose founders are not even human beings, but birds, animals, and even plants and trees. You have been to Yiyuan County and Qingteng Village. There is a Taoist sect there called Changqing Sect, which created this sect.
The door is an ivy,
For some unknown reason, this green vine received a drop of blood from the true god, giving it a thousand-year lifespan. It also gained some spiritual wisdom, and gathered a group of believers to create the Evergreen Sect."
Xu Zhiqiong asked in surprise: "How do followers of his sect practice?"
"Drinking ivy juice every day can prolong your life. This is the practice of the Evergreen Sect."
Xu Zhiqiong asked again: "Is the ivy still there?"
The old man shook his head and said: "At the beginning of the Taoist sect, there were only a few believers, so there is no harm in taking some juice.
Later, as the sect grew stronger and its followers increased, the Ivy could not bear the squeeze and withered. The sect no longer existed in name only, but Ivy Village still has the custom of worshiping Ivy."
Xu Zhiqiong sighed deeply, deeply aware of the power of all things.
The old man said: "In the early years of Dayu, the mountains and rivers were unified, and the Huoyang people spread Taoist cultivators throughout the country. The whole Dayu period was very prosperous.
Then the True God Suzaku fell into deep sleep, and Gu Yuan's Exing took the opportunity to encourage the Gu tribe to raise an army, and Dayu's country fell into pieces.
The Gu Clan captured twenty-four counties, and at first they could accommodate the Shengdao cultivators, but then the war intensified. The Gu Clan regarded the Huoyang Clan as their mortal enemies, and expelled all the Shengdao cultivators. The harvests in each county were poor, and they had to support the Gu Clan.
cultivator,
The men of each village were conscripted by the Gu clan to become Gu warriors, and the livestock of each family were conscripted by the Gu clan to be made war beasts. Life is so difficult, and you must have experienced it all along the way."
Xu Zhiqiong nodded: "The people have suffered a lot. I have indeed seen it with my own eyes. However, the Gu clan has been defeated. Only the land of six counties is left. The rest have been recovered by the royal family. Things will naturally get better in the future."
The old man sighed: "Master Hou, not all the land of the eighteen counties that was taken back from the Gu tribe was taken back by Dayu. Daxuan still holds twelve counties in his hands. The life and death of the people in these twelve counties does not depend on Dayu."
The royal family doesn't seem to care, and so far, no Suzaku cultivator has been seen in any county."
Xu Zhiqiong understood the crux of the matter.
"Old man, I will go to the palace today to discuss this matter with the emperor."
The old man nodded and said, "I'm right here, waiting for your reply."
Xu Zhiqiong saluted again: "May I ask my father-in-law your name?"
The old man smiled and said: "If the matter is done, I will not only tell you your name, but also tell you the Taoism and cultivation level. In addition, I will also give you a small gift."