The desolate breeze blows away the dead leaves, and the door is mottled and deserted.
Looking at the three words "Heroes Village", commensurate with the depression in front of me, everything seems lonely, as if it has been abandoned for a long time.
The couplets on the gray pillars of the courtyard are still vaguely visible.
“A hundred canals merge into a river, gathering people with lofty ideals from all over the world; thousands of dews form a sea, and they can accommodate people from all over the world who are destined to have a destiny.”
There is also a crooked wooden board with the words: "Getting started is a hero."
Xia Shang was a little confused, but the person who led the way was already waving to Xia Shang from the front.
Entering the village, the entrance courtyard is full of dust, and several old trees in the corners have no new leaves, and the leaves are dead when the wind blows.
However, this village seems to occupy an extremely large area. There is an abandoned main hall building in front of it, and many of the door panels have fallen off.
But the farthest path leading to the inner courtyard has crisp new leaves on both sides, full of life.
Xia Shang became more and more curious. He caught up with the person who led the way and asked, "Why is this place like this?"
"A hundred years ago, this place was a famous place in Suzhou, and talented people from all over the world gathered here. It's a pity that the hero's village today has long lost its former glory, but there are still some people who are nostalgic for the past and are willing to come here to gather. Therefore.
There is no one in front of the door, but the area behind the door where people are often taken care of is taken care of.”
Xia Shang didn't ask any more questions. He followed the guide to the inner courtyard, where he saw some old furnishings interspersed with some new decorations. Occasionally, he could see an old man sitting and talking with him in a small courtyard.
And there seemed to be only old people here. They were a little surprised to see Xia Shang's young face. Everything Xia Shang did was noticed by the old people.
After a while, Xia Shang arrived at a dilapidated four-story attic.
The attic is also in dilapidated condition. Not only does it have no plaque, but the eaves upstairs are crooked and it feels like it will collapse at any time.
"My master is inside, sir, please come in."
The attic door opened, and the guide stopped moving forward and bowed to Xia Shang with a gesture of invitation.
When Xia Shang entered, he saw that the building was dimly lit. Although it was dilapidated, there was no dust. It was obvious that someone had just cleaned it.
There was a little maid inside who said to Xia Shang again: "Master, please come upstairs."
Xia Shang didn't see the little maid's face clearly, but the voice sounded familiar to her.
After the little maid finished speaking, she went upstairs by herself.
Xia Shang didn't think much and followed the little maid to the second floor.
The windows on all four sides of the second floor are open and the light is sufficient. You can see that the second floor is a bedroom that has been tidied up. There are beds, tables and chairs, and daily necessities.
There is a low square table by the window, with two futons placed beside the square table. The new tea is still warm and the smoke has lingering fragrance. A familiar beautiful woman is sitting cross-legged on the futon, looking at Xia Shang with a smile.
"princess!"
Xia Shang opened his mouth in shock. That person was Princess Nangong Chuxin.
Xia Shang never expected that the princess would appear here.
Since the person sitting in front is the princess, then the little maid next to her...
Xia Shang took a look: "Yao'er!"
Yao'er was pouting, expressing her dissatisfaction with Xia Shang for not knowing him before.
"Mr. Xia, please take a seat."
With great curiosity and questions, Xia Shang sat across from Nangong Chuxin.
Xia Shang wanted to ask questions, but Nangong Chuxin waved his hand to stop him and said to Yao'er: "You go down first."
Yaoer bowed properly and then went downstairs.
At this time, Nangong Chuxin smiled lightly and said: "I know what you are thinking, Suzhou is my hometown, and I will come back once a year."
"Then why did you show up at Hero Manor?"
"Speaking of which, this Hero Village should be passed down from my ancestors."
"I see. Then why did the princess know that I came to Suzhou?"
"Many people know about the young master's movements. I know it's not surprising that the young master came to Suzhou, right?"
"Then why did you send people to follow me?"
Nangong Chuxin smiled apologetically: "I was forced to have no choice but to explain to you later."
"So, the princess has something to do with me?"
Nangong Chuxin nodded: "To be honest, there is indeed a big event in Suzhou this time. I thought about it and asked the young master for help."
"Want me to help?"
"Yes. This matter is related to Hero Village. Please listen to me and tell me slowly."
Nangong Chuxin paused for a moment, then held up the teacup, took a sip, and then said: "This Hero Village has a history of three hundred years and was built by my ancestors. At the beginning, it was used to make friends with learned people in the world. Later, because of my ancestors' enthusiasm,
Being hospitable, my family has made friends with more and more talented people. Gradually, it has become a gathering place for martial arts masters, literati, and generals with extraordinary skills. Those people communicate with each other, learn from each other, and win several victories in the world.
World famous."
Then a hundred years ago, for unknown reasons, Hero Village began to become lonely, and no one came to Hero Village anymore. Only a group of old people were still reluctant to leave Hero Village. Today, as you can see, Hero Village has become what it is now."
"The princess doesn't know why Hero Village is in such a state of decline?"
"These are what the elders said. I had never heard of Yingxiongzhuang when I was a child. But a hundred years ago, the name of Yingxiongzhuang was very famous. It is said that it was answered by hundreds of people."
"Then what does the princess want Xia to do?"
"Someone wants to reopen the Hero Village, and I would like to ask Mr. Xia to lead the heroes."
Xia Shang was shocked: "What? You want me..."
Nangong Chuxin nodded seriously.
It was so unexpected that Xia Shang looked confused: "How could it be me?"
"Master Xia, listen to me, I am helpless. First of all, although Hero Manor was founded by my ancestors, the owners of Hero Manor in the past generations are not my ancestors. The owner of Hero Manor must have both political integrity and talent, and have extraordinary abilities. And
, The more important point is that the owner of Hero Village cannot be a woman. Even if I intend to fight for it, it is not allowed."
"Just hearing the name Hero Village means it's a place for martial arts. I'm a businessman and I don't know martial arts. How can I compete?"
"Sir, I have said before that the people in this hero village are not only martial arts people, but also literati and skilled craftsmen. To be the master of the hero village, you don't need to be strong in martial arts. Wen Tao and martial arts are both indispensable.
.Young master is so versatile, even if he is not good at martial arts, he is still outstanding in other aspects. Also, I don’t trust to hand over the Hero Manor to others."
As he spoke, Nangong Chuxin's face darkened: "I have a heart-to-heart relationship with the young master, so I won't hide anything anymore. Nowadays, several princes in the capital have become more and more outrageous in order to compete for the throne, and have begun to use the power of the world. But my good-for-nothing prince has nothing.
It is even difficult to protect oneself. Although the Hero Village is in decline, it still has a high status in the hearts of the elders in the world. If the Hero Village falls into the hands of others, it will be controlled by the power of the imperial court. There is no trustworthy person around me.
Only Mr. Xia makes me feel at ease. I don’t ask Mr. Xia to help the prince in his struggle for power after he gets the Hero Village. I just ask that he not become a bayonet against the prince and me."
After listening, Xia Shang frowned.
Nangong Chuxin asked again: "Now that we have spoken, will Young Master agree or not?"
Xia Shang thought about it and said in a deep voice: "Maybe you can give it a try!" (To be continued)