"You have all had close contacts with the traitor Wei Hao in the past. This traitor assassinated the Prime Minister and rebelled against the imperial court. He committed a heinous crime that cannot be punished! If there is any correspondence between Wei Hao and you, it is best... to hand it over!"
In the White Tiger Academy in the west city of Beiyang Prefecture, the patrolmen led a crowd to surround the academy and searched the entire academy.
All the statues, peach charms, etc. were confiscated.
"Bold! How dare you run rampant in White Tiger Academy? Who gave you the courage?"
A scholar stepped out with his eyes wide open, "Wei Xiangxiang assassinated Mr. Li Xianggong. That is Wei Xiangxiang's business. Why, you, a master of swordsman, dare to take the opportunity to use your power for personal gain?"
"Take it!"
The patrolman in black armor held a long sword with both hands and sneered, "Do you still think this is the past? Today is different from the past. Sirs, it is better not to force me to use force. If you are wise, I will give you good words and advice;
Those who are ignorant are Wei Ni’s comrades..."
While he was talking, several patrolmen pounced on him like wolves and tigers, threw out the chains and directly arrested the young scholar.
There was a longevity lock on the scholar's neck, which immediately burst into light and shook the chain open.
Seeing this scene, Xuanjia Lishi was immediately overjoyed. He knew that this must be an ancestral treasure. Normally, he would not be able to get it if he was greedy, but what time is it now?
As the country's destiny declines, the literary charm of scholars also declines. Without magic weapons to protect themselves, they are all lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
Furthermore, he was acting under orders and the regulations were complete!
He acts in accordance with the law!
"I was ordered by the Second Saint to investigate Wei Ni's comrades. You don't know the country's favor, but you still resisted on your own, resisted in every corner, and resisted wildly! You must be Wei Ni's comrades! Take it down! Take it down! Take it down -"
The long knife in his hand suddenly vibrated, and the scabbard was like an arrow off the string, directly hitting the longevity lock. At the same time, the long knife broke the rope of the longevity lock in an instant.
Without the longevity lock to protect his body, the scholar was caught off guard and was directly hit by a knife on his neck.
"Boy, as I said before, today is different from the past..."
With a ferocious laugh, the black-armored warrior kicked the scholar over, and then shouted, "Take it down! Take it away -"
"yes!"
"Anyone who dares to resist will be treated as treason!"
"yes!"
The entire White Tiger Academy was immediately silent, and all the normally high-spirited scholars were as silent as cicadas.
At the same time, similar scenes occurred in the other four academies.
In addition, soldiers like wolves and tigers also broke into the courtyard walls from time to time in the east and west cities and various streets.
In just one day, the entire city of Beiyang Prefecture was as deserted as if it was winter again.
Everyone is in danger, fearing that he will be arrested next.
In a courtyard with the words "Chen Zhai" hanging on it, the one-armed Yaksha was still sharpening his ink while complaining: "The market has been a lot deserted these two days, and several bookstores have closed their doors.
, all calligraphers have lost their livelihood, can you still sell your writing for money?"
"I am a literary and romantic person, I don't sell anything for money."
After Chen Mengnan wrote hard, he stopped writing and took a rest. He drank early spring tea and ate the mung bean cake brought by Yasha from outside. He said with a contented face: "The market always rises and falls, just like the water of a spring river.
It rises when it should rise, and falls when it should fall. As a Yaksha, don’t worry too much about trivial matters.”
"..."
Originally I wanted to pick up an inkstone and cut open Chen Mengnan's head, but after thinking about it, it would be an insult to me to argue with such a slut.
"It's true. Elephant and I are as close as brothers. Why are these inspectors and demon-killing inspectors looking for scholars in the academy? How come no one cares about a great writer like me? Alas..."
Sighing, Chen Mengnan felt very lost and had a humble feeling of being despised by the world.
"Those scholars at least have the honor of being a scholar!"
"Are you looking down on my status as a scholar?"
"You? Scholar?"
Yasha curled his lips in disdain, retracted his fangs, and his expression was full of contempt.
"You 'Bao Family Immortal' better straighten your attitude, I am the head of this family!"
"snort."
Yasha was too lazy to pay attention to him, snorted softly and continued working.
The situation has become very complicated these days. When Yaksha walks at night, he often sees the precious light dissipating from many houses.
The mortal eyes cannot see the treasure light of these houses. Usually, only treasures passed down from ancestors, or if there is a fortune in the family, will the treasure light grow.
If the precious light is strong, it means great wealth; if the precious light is weak, it means small wealth.
Although he looks ugly and has a bad temper, because of Chen Mengnan, the "Guardian Demon Immortal" of Beiyang Mansion is still willing to chat with Yaksha for a while, and occasionally reveals some information.
Just like humans, elves have long-lasting feuding among their parents.
Whose family found the ancestral cornucopia, whose family gave birth to a unicorn, whose daughter-in-law had a prosperous husband... The elves knew about it much earlier than the neighbors.
Yaksha knew that there were several households nearby. They were just ordinary people. There were no scholars in their families. They either worked as drivers or helped people wash clothes.
But even for such residents, the precious light in their homes is also scattered.
The reason why they dispersed was that the patrolmen came to the door, and then it became like this.
In a bad mood, Yasha went out for a walk in the evening and looked back at "Chen's House". There was no trace of Baoguang, but the evil spirit was quite strong.
There is no way, this "Chen House" lives in Yaksha...
For a moment, Yasha didn't know whether to be happy or sad. Anyway, the people patrolling the Heavenly Prison would probably never come.
Even though Chen Mengnan has a close relationship with Wei Hao, Chen Mengnan is well-known and can be called the number one ladybug in Beiyang Mansion. If you want to torture this guy for information, you will definitely get nothing.
However, some legends are still very important to the people who patrol the sky, so they also have spies around, as well as spiritual pets to monitor the people's sentiments.
Several owls that were completely different from Jianghu night owls, with either snow-white or ink-black feathers, stood on the walls and eaves, staring at everything going on in Chen's house.
After Yaksha saw it, he didn't say much. Occasionally, some beasts with strong authority would come to block the road and ask questions. They didn't even speak with the same accent. They had five or six accents for three days in a row. They asked Yaksha about Chen Mengnan being rescued by Wei Hao.
details.
There was a beast among them, who looked like a dragon but not a dragon. He was from the side of "Nan Bohou", and he was a big monster with seven or eight hundred years of cultivation.
Yasha is not afraid of this, so he can say whatever he wants...
Can't beat it.
If he could survive the fight, how could he allow such beasts to interrogate him?
Nothing to be ashamed of.
"well……"
After the disgraced Yasha finished his walk, he went back to sit under the eaves of Chen's house. The market was not good these days. Bookstores, tea shops, taverns... were all closed.
The days when there is no progress are sad.
"Don't sigh outside."
"..."
Chen Mengnan was not at all panicked or anxious, as if having no money coming in every day was not a problem.
But as the "protector of the family" of Chen Zhai, Yaksha is still thinking about how to make Chen Zhai prosperous.
However, Chen Mengnan was just a pile of mud, with no hope of being able to climb up the wall.
"Look at your potential..."
With a creak, Chen Mengnan pushed open the door and walked out. It was a dark and windy night, and he actually wanted to go out.
"Are you going out in the middle of the night?"
Yasha was shocked. Is this going to open up new business and create a new career?
"If you don't have money, what are you afraid of? If you don't have money, think of a solution. Don't you already have the money?"
"Are you going to steal money from your father?"
"..."
Chen Mengnan's face turned green. "Baojiaxian" was really not interested in making a yaksha.
"I made a vow after I started my own business! I will never take even a penny from my father in the future!"
I swear to God, Chen Mengnan's fingers are straight and his momentum is still very strong.
This made Yasha appreciate it somewhat, and then asked: "Where can I steal it?"
"How can I, a noble man like Chen Mengnan, commit theft? You are a green-faced and tusked thing. It's really bad luck that you can't spit out ivory from your mouth!"
"You don't have much, and you don't have much ability. How can you make money if you don't steal or rob?"
"Fuck you, who said I have nothing to offer?"
After giving Yaksha a sideways glance, Chen Mengnan cursed and ignored him, holding a lantern and running leisurely towards the north of the city.
There is no curfew in Beiyang Prefecture today. In fact, as long as it is a prosperous place, there is no such thing as a curfew. There are always places to have fun at night.
In the past, Chen Mengnan wandered around Fucheng, and he knew all the places where he could go whoring in the middle of the night.
Whether on board or on shore, everything is clear.
Therefore, he is also very familiar with the roads in and out of Beiyang Fucheng. In fact, the activity trajectories of prostitutes basically overlap with the trade routes of merchants. Except for particularly high-end pavilions, most of them are like this.
Like any land of plenty, there are dense rivers in the city, and there are docks along the rivers in both the inner and outer cities.
Chen Mengnan found a pier and boarded the ship. The ship was lighting up the stove and drinking some wine. The spring night was still a bit cool after all. While eating and drinking, when he saw someone boarding the ship, he came up to talk.
"Where are you going, little official?"
There are differences between piers and piers. Some piers park ships, mostly grain ships, specializing in transportation; some piers are different. Only knowledgeable prostitutes know which pier to go to for the money they earn from the boat girls.
Otherwise, if you want to go out in the middle of the night, you end up stepping on rice, flour, grain and oil, which will annoy a ruthless person. It is not uncommon to feed fish at night.
"'Wu Liu Lane'."
"It's so far away, we have to leave the city..."
"Tsk."
Throwing a silver pick, Chuan Huo'er smiled and stepped forward to hold it with both hands, and then said: "Sit down, little official. This boat is famous for its speed."
"Don't say nice things. If you sink quickly, you will sink quickly."
"Hey……"
unlucky!
Huo'er, with a dark face, swung the oar and hurried on the river.
He also wondered why the ship felt so heavy when there was only one low-level official on board, as if it was carrying hundreds of kilograms of extra cargo.
A lantern was placed on the bow of the boat, and Chen Mengnan was sitting on the bench leisurely. Yaksha accompanied him but did not show his whereabouts. One of the advantages of "protecting the family immortal" is that outsiders cannot see the truth.
At this scene, Yaksha was also observing the surroundings, and found a hook under the awning of the boat. He was stunned for a moment, and sighed in his heart: I guess there were also peach charms hanging on it before coming here.
In today's market, the trend has changed in an instant, and all the "evil-proof statues" in the past have been completely exposed.
Most of the peach charms have also changed their appearance, and no one dares to say that they are hanging "peach charms".
As for the "flying knives" used by escorts, I don't even dare to mention it. After all, he was targeted by the demon slayers, and there was no guarantee that he would have to do extra bloodletting.
"Young official, just go to the 'Five Willow Alley'. No matter how far you go, you won't be allowed to hang evil charms on the boat, and I don't dare to walk alone at night."
"Just go to the 'Five Willow Alley'."
After Chen Mengnan replied like this, Chuan Huoer felt relieved.
The awning boat moved steadily forward, and indeed it was as fast as Chuanhuo'er boasted.
When boating at night, it depends on the craftsmanship. Only by knowing the waterway well can you control the speed of the boat, where to turn and where to diverge. You don't need to look at it with your eyes, it's all about feeling.
At this time, Yaksha looked up and saw the bats and night owls hovering in the sky. He was also quite depressed. There were quite a few of these beasts staring at Chen Mengnan.
Gugu, Gugu, Gugu...
In the dead of night, the cry of turtledoves was particularly loud. Chen Mengnan looked completely heartless and was actually dozing in the cabin.
After leaving the city from Shuimen, the official boat guarding the gate came with the yamen, and after paying the customary fee, he was released.
Afterwards, we meandered all the way, with many twists and turns, and arrived at Waiguo in the north of the city.
At this time, the shadows on both sides of the bank along the way made Yaksha a little irritated: How could there be so many more monsters?
A few days ago, there were not so many wild monsters and ghosts in the rivers and lakes, but now they are bold enough to approach the city.
"Are there many monsters at night now?"
Chen Mengnan suddenly asked Chuan Huo'er.
"well……"
Hearing Chen Mengnan's question, Chuan Huo'er first sighed, and then complained, "There's a lot, why aren't there too many? Originally, I wasn't afraid of the peach charms around me, and I had to be more courageous. It's better now. I don't have any good skills when traveling at night.
The bodyguards who come from all over the country dare not leave."
"Are there any other exorcisms that can be used to ward off evil spirits?"
"Yes, a piece of yellow form paper costs more than two taels, and it's not guaranteed to be useful."
Chuan Huo'er started to curse and cursed, obviously very dissatisfied with the Demon Exorcist, "I used to have pictures of evil spirits posted at home, which were refreshing and refreshing, and there was nothing wrong with them. Now it's better, I'm not allowed to post this, and I'm not allowed to hang that.
, My husband in the capital is dead, what does it have to do with me!"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
Chen Mengnan laughed suddenly, "I mean, if you are in charge of heaven and earth, it will make the market worse. If you don't have money to eat, people will die."
"The official is right!"
Probably because it touched Chuan Huo'er's heart, he even offered a pot of rice wine, not much, just two taels.
But it was warmed in the stove and tasted really good.
Chen Mengnan got drunk, and suddenly he was inspired, and he started to make up a story in his mind. It was a story about a "hero", about a strong man with a lot of money, who killed everyone in the capital...
While I was drinking and thinking, I heard Chuanhuo'er shouting: "Little official, we have arrived at the pier. The business of the 'Wu Liu Lane' has not been good these days. Little official can pay less."
"Thank you so much..."
When you go out for prostitution, information is very important.
When Chen Mengnan was happy, he added an extra silver pin to the boat fire.
When we got ashore, there was definitely no Turtle Gong looking for customers in the middle of the night, but there were many horsemen and complete carriages and horses, but it was a bit crude.
After all, those who go out for entertainment in the middle of the night are either bad gamblers, or young masters who hide their secrets from their mother-in-law.
But Chen Mengnan walked instead of taking a car, which made the grooms think he was a poor little ladybug.
This actually made Yasha feel a little embarrassed, so he said, "We've already come out, so why worry about the fare."
"You Yaksha know nothing."
"..."
After silencing Yaksha, Chen Mengnan said, "I'm not going out today to be a prostitute. When doing business, you have to behave like a businessman."
"What?!"
Yasha was shocked, "You don't want to be a prostitute?!"
"..."
For a moment, it was Yaksha who silenced Chen Mengnan.
The two guys were speechless for a moment, but actually walked on quietly with a tacit understanding.
"Wuliu Lane" is a residential area where there were many private prostitutes. Later, due to the commercial trade, it eventually developed into a semi-professional entertainment venue.
Inside the white-walled and black-tiled restaurant, there are mostly boat girls who have changed their craft and come ashore. They usually don't do strangers, but are regular customers. They also work part-time as private cooks and gamblers, which makes them feel a bit like a foreigner.
Chen Mengnan found a courtyard, greeted the doorman who was keeping watch, and walked in without hesitation.
When we got inside, we saw money shops everywhere and it was very lively.
As soon as they saw Chen Mengnan, someone started shouting: "Boss Xiao Chen is here, hurry up and make a place and serve tea, serve good tea!"
Not long after, Yingying Yanyan became lively. Unlike the teenage boat girls, the women here were much more mature and their charm was in place.
"Ms. Chen, why are you coming so late..."
She gave Chen Mengnan a wink, but the experienced ladybug simply ignored this thing. She found a table, spread out the drawing paper, and Chen Mengnan said: "Grind ink."
It was supposed to be Yaksha's craftsmanship, but in this situation, it was just a few girls doing the work.
Yaksha, who couldn't get in, poked his head outside and was also curious. What was this guy doing if he didn't come here to prostitute?
After looking carefully, I can see clearly...
Good guy, this guy is actually drawing a "portrait"!