If we drive from Mo County to Jinling at a normal speed and stop, the distance of more than 200 miles will take about a day. If there are women, children and the elderly who have more time to rest, then it will be another matter.
Although old men like Mr. Jian are old, their bodies and bones are not comparable to that of ordinary young warriors. It stands to reason that the journey from Mo County to Jinling will take less than a day. But the problem is that as soon as Mr. Jian leaves Tianshui Villa, the business entourage
You can imagine how time-consuming it is to do this together.
It was already late at night when Jian Lao arrived at Jinling City. The soldiers guarding the city saw that both the man and the horse were exhausted. The horses looked like good horses. How could such an old man rush to Jinling City like this?
Jian Lao took out the Mohist brand, and the soldiers guarding the city naturally recognized it, checked their identity symbolically, asked some insignificant questions, and let him go.
Jinling City does not allow riding horses at night, and encountering people from the city patrol department will cause a lot of trouble. Jian Lao had to lead his tired horse and hold a cowhide map to find where to go in the huge Jinling City. What he wanted to go to was not the Jinling Palace.
, but the residence of Zhong Xihou, the lord of Xidi City, in Jinling City.
It took more than an hour, and he was afraid that in another hour or two, when the sky would turn white, he would arrive at his destination.
Knocking on the door lightly, the old man guarding the door rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked: "It's late at night, who dare to ask who is visiting?"
Mr. Jian also knows that visiting in the middle of the night disturbs others' dreams and is also rude.
He said in a respectful voice: "Old man, maybe I can inform the Marquis that the old man outside the door will be called Mr. Jian."
Hearing that he was here to see his master, the old guard didn't want to disturb his master so late at night. Just as he was about to say a few words to dismiss him, the person outside the door continued to speak.
"Don't be afraid, father-in-law. If the Marquis hears that it's an old man or a swordsman, he won't blame you. I have a few taels of silver here. I will use it to buy some wine and food for my family after I open the door."
When the old janitor heard that there was some broken silver, his eyes lit up and he was strangled to death. But he still didn't open the door, after all, it was late at night.
Mr. Jian knew that it was inappropriate to ask the old janitor to open the door late at night, so he said: "Why don't I help deliver the message after dawn? The old man will be waiting outside the door."
Jian Lao tied his horse to a tree nearby, and huddled in the corner of the gate, preparing to rest for the night. But within a few minutes of burning the incense, the red-lacquered gate was opened from the inside.
I saw Zhong Xihou standing behind the threshold wearing a piece of clothing and holding an oil lamp. Seeing Jian Lao's appearance, I couldn't help but feel puzzled, and then hurriedly welcomed him in.
Jian Lao originally planned to talk it out with Zhong Xihou, but the black-faced man insisted that Jian Lao go to the side room to rest first. He couldn't resist, so he had to do as he pleased.
Perhaps because of the hard work on the road, my old bones couldn't bear the hardship, so the biological clock that originally woke up at 4 o'clock suddenly stopped waking up when the sun was shining at 4 o'clock.
He opened the door and asked a maid to please take him to Zhongxihou's place.
Zhong Xihou was reading letters in the study at the moment. These letters were all sent from the West. They first arrived in the hands of Qu Tianqin, and then were screened out by King Gui before being delivered to Zhong Xihou.
It's strange that the group of savages from the Western Barbarians are just an intrusion, but the strange thing is that the sand bandits who have been rampant in the Ossis Desert recently are interesting. In the letter, Mr. Zha also guessed that this group of sand bandits is well-trained and well-equipped.
It is also equipped with military crossbows or Northern Qi's border troops.
Why did those guys from Northern Qi suddenly come to cause trouble? This is a bit abnormal. Those who usually have to deal with are either Western barbarians or wandering bandits.
Zhong Xihou was thinking about it when someone knocked on the door. He didn't even think about it. The person who came must be Mr. Jian. After putting away all the letters, he responded and let Mr. Jian open the door and come in by himself.
Jian Lao opened the door, stepped across the threshold and bowed to Zhong Xihou. Zhong Xihou also stood up from the Grand Master's chair and returned the salute with clasped fists.
"Why did Mr. Jian come to Jinling City late at night?"
Jian Lao smiled and then said: "The old man thought City Lord Zhong would ask why he came to your mansion to bother you instead of going to the Forbidden City first."
Zhong Xihou laughed and said: "Where is the nuisance? A senior like Mr. Jian will come, which will make Pengpi shine. If Mr. Jian goes to the West in the future, then he can be well entertained."
Mr. Jian also nodded repeatedly, cheerfully, and did not intend to be polite anymore. He went straight to the topic and said: "City Master Zhong, the old man has a lot of things to do when he comes out this time, so let's just talk about it."
Zhong Xihou invited Jian Lao to the tea table. Unfortunately, this dark-faced man was clumsy and couldn't move as gracefully as Zang Yan. Jian Lao couldn't stand it anymore and motioned to Zhong Xihou to change seats with him and sit down by himself.
When we got to the main seat, we started making tea skillfully.
During this period, Mr. Jian nodded repeatedly, praising the age-old white tea for its pure aroma, aroma and color. He said that he had a good taste today.
After drinking a cup of tea, Mr. Jian finally started talking and said, "City Lord Zhong, do you know who your little junior brother is?"
Zhong Xihou was curious. He had not yet asked the sword master what his relationship was with Fairy Baiyun. The sword master asked him first if he knew the origin of Ying Ruge. Zhong Xihou smiled, a little sinister, and asked: "Of course, the little junior brother is
Baiyun
The descendant of the fairy, Jian Lao has Baiyun Swordsmanship, so I dare to ask what the relationship between Jian Lao and my junior brother is?"
When Zhong Xihou made a counter move, the old swordsman was slightly startled, then laughed loudly, and then said: "I came to look for City Lord Zhong today, so naturally I was prepared to open the skylight and talk. To be honest, City Lord Zhong, Fairy Baiyun, is the old man's mine.
My dear daughter, City Master Zhong should understand what the relationship between Ying Ruge and me is."
This answer was unexpected by Marquis Zhong Xi, but after thinking about it, he understood it. He once thought that it was his master Yan Xiao who took Ying Ruge away from the Mo family, but he never thought that it was someone from the Mo family who took Ying Ruge away from the Mo family.
The junior brother sent him away from the Mo family.
"Does the Marquis know who Ying Ruge is?"
Zhong Xihou laughed and found it interesting. He even said to open the skylight, but Jian Lao still spoke like this, which was also helpless. Zhong Xihou took a sip of tea and said: "A descendant of Baiyun Fairy, Master Yan Xiao's closed disciple, Mu
The Master Hanlou Ghost Controller, and another young master of the Mo family that no one knows about."
After saying the last sentence, the light in Zhong Xihou's eyes shined directly at Jian Lao. When Jian Lao heard this, he couldn't help but be startled. But then, Jian Lao laughed loudly and took a sip of tea. But because he had just laughed and the tea soup entered his mouth, he couldn't help but
I choked several times, and it took me a moment to feel comfortable.
"It seems that the relationship between City Master Zhong and the senior fellow apprentice Ying Ruge is really good, otherwise how could he know such secrets."
Zhong Xihou just shook his head helplessly, sighed, and said: "But to this day, this junior brother has never called me senior brother. There is one thing that is really unclear. The talent of this junior junior brother, to put it bluntly, I'm afraid...
Mo Ming is the current young master of the village, no, the current swordsman. I am afraid that Mo Ming is no match for my little junior brother, but how can the Mo family be willing to send him away from the Mo family when he is such a monster and geek?"
Hearing Zhong Xihou's question, Jian Lao's eyes were full of helplessness, and then he said bitterly: "If the mistress does not send Xiao Ruge away from the Mo family, then Xiao Ruge will only face death."
Zhong Xihou immediately asked with cold eyes, frowning slightly, "Why?"
Jian Lao wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it. He took a sip of tea and then said: "The Mo family has had a secret since ancient times. A pair of twins are born in every generation, but people in the world have only seen one person."
"Because of another person, birth has become a sacrifice?"
Knowing that it was difficult for the sword master to speak, Zhong Xihou spoke for him. But then Zhong Xihou really didn't understand and asked: "Even if there can only be one person in charge of the sword in the Mo family, if the other person is a shadow, isn't that also an option?
?Why do you want this baby to die just after birth?"
Jian Lao had a bitter look on his face, and his voice was already trembling when he spoke: "City Lord Zhong, have you ever thought about whether any of my Mo Family Patriarchs, or the ancestors one after another, are not extremely talented and romantic people. Although Ming'er said
He can be regarded as a dragon or a phoenix among men, but compared with his predecessors, he is no better than a horse or a wild ass."
"Is this because Ying Ruge is still alive?"
Jian Lao nodded and shook his head. Zhong Xihou was confused, but fortunately Jian Lao explained and listened to him: "If Xiao Ruge had died when she was born, Ming'er would have been like his father, prosperous and prosperous.
But more than twenty years have passed, even if Xiao Ruge is dead now, Ming'er is still the same Ming'er, and there will be no change. The reason behind this involves the secrets of the Mo family, so it's hard to tell City Master Zhong more."
Zhong Xihou nodded, expressing his understanding, and then asked: "Why did the old swordman come to look for you today?"
At this time, Jian Lao stood up with his hands clasped in his fists, and was about to kneel down the next moment. Zhong Xihou glanced at him, but made no move. But for some reason, the wind suddenly started blowing up in the room where the doors and windows were not open. No matter how hard Jian Lao tried, there was always a strong wind.
The resistance prevented him from kneeling.
"Senior Jian is superior to my adoptive father. If he really kneels down, he will seriously shorten my life, Marquis Zhong Xi. If it has anything to do with my junior brother, it doesn't matter."
Jian Lao wanted to kneel down but couldn't, so he gave up and sat back down.
"City Lord Zhong, Xiao Ruge did not know what method he used to stuff half of his Qi Yuan into Ming'er's body. By sacrificing his life, he repaid the Mo family's kindness to him. Elder Jian's request to Lord Zhong, if Xiao Ruge is to do it in the future,
Ge also wants to protect the Mo family with his life, so he must stop it."
Zhong Xihou was surprised that a person's energy source could still be stripped away and used by others. He didn't understand even more. Jian Lao was a member of the Mo family. It goes without saying that his loyalty to the Mo family was needless to say. But why did Ying Ruge want to protect the Mo family?
, but you want him to stop it?
"City Master Zhong may be wondering why an old man like me insists on driving this person out of the country when it should be beneficial to the Mo family. Xiao Ruge has done enough. He should enjoy his life and not because of anything.
Shit, blood is thicker than water and you still have to fight for it."
Zhong Xihou held his forehead and sighed, saying: "Well, since my master is from the same sect, Gu will naturally protect him. I dare to ask, Jian Lao is not traveling this time just for such a promise, right?"
Jian Lao laughed loudly, and then said: "Of course not. After noon, the old man has to go to the Forbidden City to find His Highness the Crown Prince and talk to him about something."
"Oh, is that so?" Zhong Xihou took another sip of tea. He wanted to ask but felt it was inappropriate, so he hesitated again and again.
, finally gave up and continued, "I won't ask about Mr. Jian's purpose this time. I just want to say that only when you are alive, you are qualified to do some things."
Jian Lao's expression did not change, but he just kept saying "drink tea, drink tea".
In the following time, Mr. Jian was mostly asking Zhong Xihou about Ying Ruge. Zhong Xihou told what he knew that should be said, but naturally didn't mention anything that shouldn't be said. The old man was happy to hear such things as Ying Ruge.
Ge was full of energy, or liked Qin Yue'er, etc., and laughed. But when he heard that Ying Ruge was seriously injured in the West, and heard that Ying Ruge took on the pseudonym Linghu Changkong and challenged a narrow escape, etc., he also frowned.
After lunch, Mr. Jian took his horse, which was in a different spirit than last night, and left.
King Gui asked Zhongxi Hou: "Master Hou, this Mo family seems to be unusual."
Zhong Xihou nodded, and then said: "It doesn't matter whether it's unusual or not. I'm just curious, why didn't Mr. Jian come out with a killer today?"
King Gui frowned slightly and asked: "The slave family has never felt the murderous intention, why did the Marquis say this?"
Zhong Xihou laughed, and then said: "Jian Lao's cultivation level is like one or two levels of Hongmeng. If it is just that, it would be average. But if he is just like Gu, this cultivation level is just an appearance. If he really kills someone
, Gu will also have a headache."
"I would like to ask, what did the Mo family talk to Mr. Hou?"
"It's also interesting. I paid an in-depth visit and actually only asked some questions related to my junior brother. Do you think, if he just talked about these things, would he take it so seriously? Don't think too much. Since the sword master expressed his feelings, Gu
Nature will fulfill its promise.”
Marquis Zhong Xi said no more, and King Gui stopped asking further questions. Then the two of them went to the study room to talk about the situation in Tong Lincheng in the west.
Jian Lao left Zhong Xihou's house and rode his horse to the Forbidden City. The Mo family's sign was also easy to use. The journey was smooth and no one stopped him.
Although it was easy to enter the Forbidden City, waiting for Zhu Jiannan took a whole afternoon, and even the old white tea was changed twice. By the time it came, it was almost dinner time.
Although there is a huge gap in status, His Royal Highness, the crown prince of Jinling City, still has great respect for this old senior of the Mo family.
"Why did Jian Lao suddenly come to Jinling City today? If I had told you earlier, Xiao Wang would have arranged the time so that Jian Lao would not have to wait for such a long time."
When Jian Lao heard what Zhu Jiannan said, he felt bored in his heart, but his expression was still kind and his voice was respectful, and he said: "I hope His Highness the Crown Prince will forgive me for my unexpected visit."
Zhu Jiannan smiled slightly and began to pour out the boiled tea residue that began to turn lighter in color. Then he took out an unpainted red pine box from the cabinet. After opening the wooden box, he felt a medicinal and refreshing fragrance.
The smell wafted out immediately.
Jian Lao can drink some wine, but he doesn't have that hobby. Most of the time, all kinds of good tea will make him want to take a sip like an alcoholic. If he can drink the third cup, it will naturally be the best.
Nothing better.
Zhu Jiannan moved skillfully and quickly filtered the tea, and then the aroma of the first old white tea filled the whole room. Zhu Jiannan straightened a cup, poured a cup, raised it and took a sip, feeling that the concentration was warm.
Appropriately, he nodded with satisfaction. Then he straightened another cup, poured a cup, and asked Xiao Lei on the side: "Do you want a cup? This is the old tea from Yucheng. It's hard to have money."
Buy it.”
Seeing that Lei Niu was silent, Zhu Jiannan sighed slightly, then picked up the poured cup with a tea clip and poured out the tea soup. He straightened another cup, poured it into the cup until it was about eight minutes full, and then pushed it to Jian Lao
before.
Jian Lao naturally saw some of these actions, but while others were addicted to alcohol, Jian Lao was addicted to tea. He picked up the cup and took a slight sip. The tea soup was still slightly hot, but it tasted good, but this time
The first brew of tea has stronger tea properties. If you can drink the third brew of tea, it will be so sweet that your mouth will be filled with the aroma of tea.
Zhu Jiannan drank all the tea in his cup, and then began to pour tea again. He asked: "I wonder why Mr. Jian came to the palace?"
After all, he kept staring at the cup, but even though he was staring, the tea still overflowed.
Jian Lao didn't say anything, and continued to drink tea one mouth at a time. He didn't put down the cup until he finished the last sip. Jian Lao was the elder according to his age, but Zhu Jiannan was the prince of Jinling, so his status was naturally more noble. Jian Lao
He made a fist with his left hand and was about to lightly press the tea table, but before the back of his fingers touched the tea table, he stopped.
Then Jianlao turned the tea cup over and placed it on the tea table.
Jian Lao smacked his lips, there was just not enough good tea, but after all, he didn't come here to drink tea. He didn't think much about it because he was tired on the way to Jinling City, but after a conversation at Zhongxihou's residence, he changed his mind.
When he was in the Jinling Palace, his will was not strong, but drinking tea alone in the afternoon was enough for him to think, and he finally decided to give it a try.
Jian Lao let out a breath, and with this breath, Jian Lao's aura was released, and his old demeanor was gone.
I heard him say in a cold voice: "The old man came to Jinling to kill His Highness the Crown Prince."