"This City Lord's Mansion is really a bit shabby. I walked around it in just a few steps. It's not on the same level as the mansions of middle-level aristocratic families in Qinglan City."
Li Mu checked around Gongsun Qi's blue-brick and white-tiled city lord's mansion, but found nothing.
At least until now, there was nothing strange about Gongsun Qi on the surface, but Liu Long's hesitation when he introduced the meritorious lord of Lishui City still made Li Mu a little concerned.
"It seems that we can only make further judgments by seeing what Lord Gongsun said on the spot."
Li Mu no longer delayed and directly met Lin Qingzhu.
At this time, there was already a busy traffic in front of the city lord's palace. Almost all the prominent forces in Lishui City had arrived here. The dignitaries in gorgeous clothes were chatting in twos and threes, not waiting for the start of the speech.
And there is a hint of impatience.
"This Gongsun Qi's status in Lishui City is really guaranteed. Looking at the flattering expressions of these people, they haven't even seen me yet, and they are already thinking about how to please him."
Lin Qingzhu pulled Li Mu's arm and pointed at the group of wealthy gentry gathered in front of the mansion.
"The recruitment speech will begin soon, please come in."
While Li Mu and the others were still discussing the Lord of Lishui City, an armored Guards soldier came out with a fine iron spear and shouted loudly to the crowd surrounding the door of the City Lord's Mansion.
Then I saw that the originally chaotic crowd began to line up in front of the soldier in an unusually conscious and orderly manner. Everyone no longer whispered to each other, but waited in silence for admission.
"What kind of person is this Gongsun Qi, who allows these people to line up to enter the venue in such an orderly manner?"
Seeing the scene in front of her, Lin Qingzhu blurted out her doubts. The instant change of everyone in front of her really surprised her.
"It's a little strange. Even if you want to hug the city lord's lap, you don't have to be so respectful in front of a soldier who is delivering a message. It just... feels like you have been brainwashed."
As the saying goes, there must be monsters when things go wrong. Li Mu was born in a wealthy family, so he was no stranger to the pranks of the upper class, but the behavior of these upper-class people in Lishui City did make him feel a little strange.
"Don't think so much. Let's go in and take a look. Then we will know what kind of monster this Gongsun Qi is."
Fang Yan, who was silent on the side, spoke at this time. Even if the three of them tried desperately outside the mansion, they couldn't come up with a solution. It was obviously a direct solution to go directly in and listen to Gongsun Qi's speech.
"Who are you? This is the city lord's recruitment speech. No civilians are allowed to participate."
The three of them joined the neat queue, and after waiting for about half a stick of incense, they came to the soldier, but were stopped by them.
"Brother, we are monks passing by. We have heard the name of City Lord Gongsun for a long time, and we specially want to come and pay our respects. I didn't know there were such rules for the recruitment speech before. I wonder if eldest brother can be accommodating."
Seeing that the guarding soldier refused to let him enter, Li Mu's mind began to search for strategies at high speed. His face also changed his expression, and he spoke to the armored soldier in a good voice.
"This is the rule of Lishui City. Don't hinder the people behind you from entering, otherwise don't blame me for being rude."
Unfortunately, the guard soldier obviously did not accept Li Mu's tactics and directly wanted to drive away the three of them. In the end, he even raised the spear in his hand, leaving Li Mu helpless against the soldier who could not get into the oil smoke.
"It's okay, let them in."
Just when Li Mu and the others were about to leave and find another way, a deep voice came from the house, followed by a burst of powerful footsteps, and a man wearing a blue and gold silk robe walked out.
This man is rich and handsome, with sword-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes. He is very heroic. He wears a seven-star crown on his head and a palm-sized jade pendant hanging around his waist. He has a smile on his face, giving people a feeling of spring breeze.
"Meet the city lord!"
When the guard soldier who originally had his eyes high above his head saw the man, he immediately knelt down and saluted respectfully.
Even the dignitaries who were lining up outside the door knelt down in front of the man. For a while, only Li Mu and three people were left standing.
"The three of them must be monks passing through Lishui City. They are already at the level of pill formation at such a young age. They are indeed young heroes."
Gongsun Qi still had a cheerful face, and his words were gentle and gentle, but it still made Li Mu and the others wary. None of the three of them showed their own cultivation aura, but Gongsun Qi knew that the three of them were in the Dan Formation realm, and pointed it out on the spot.
Is this a demonstration or a warning?
"City Lord Gongsun, we are indeed monks passing through Lishui City. We heard that the Lord of the City has great ambitions and led the people of Lishui City out of poverty. Such great achievements are indeed what we young monks yearn for. So today we learned that the Lord of the City is giving a speech here, so we are attracted by his name.
Come."
Although he was alert in his heart, Li Mu still bowed his hands to Gongsun Qi as if nothing had happened, and compliments poured out of his mouth like a barrage.
This flattery from the 21st century was obviously very useful to the Lord of Lishui City. The smile on his face became even brighter. He gave a few instructions to the soldiers who were still kneeling on the ground, and then motioned to Li Mu and the others to follow him inside.
.
"Brother Mu, I didn't expect you to be more skilled at this than the imperial officials I met at the Lord's Mansion in Qinglan City."
The three of them followed Gongsun Qi on a long corridor. Lin Qingzhu followed Li Mu in small steps, gently pulled the corner of his clothes and whispered.
"The key is to keep it quiet and be natural."
Before Li Mu could answer, Fang Yan, who was walking at the end, suddenly said something like this, which made Li Mu speechless for a while. He found that since Fang Yan joined his team, some of his inner instincts seemed to be stimulated.
.
"This kind of thing should be called Mensao."
Li Mu secretly thought to himself, but Fang Yan's change still made him very happy. After all, it was much better than being filled with revenge. As his partner, Li Mu sincerely hoped that he could cheer up from his family's tragic experience.
stand up.
At the end of the corridor was an upward wooden staircase, followed by a suspended pavilion. After turning a corner along the path of the pavilion, Li Mu felt that his eyes suddenly opened up.
An open-air platform appeared in front of everyone's eyes. The suspended wooden rooftop was surrounded by the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers, and the fresh breath rushed to their faces. At the front of the rooftop was a pulpit, which must have been where Gongsun Qi preached.
Under the podium, there are futons, totaling fifty. It seems that the Lord of Lishui City often gives public speeches here on weekdays.
"How about, how does my pavilion compare with the famous Shuangfeng Tower and Star-Zhain Pavilion in Qinglan City?"
On the previous corridor, Li Mu also had a few chats with Gongsun Qi. After learning that he was from Qinglan City, the Lord of Lishui City was also a little surprised. After all, Qinglan City was among the 108 residential cities in the empire.
, is also an outstanding existence.
"The suspended rooftop of Gongsun City Lord is really a place of tranquility in the midst of the hustle and bustle. It is unique and ingenious in its design, which is breathtaking. It is no less generous than the Star Picking Pavilion."
Li Mu naturally opened his mouth again, and under the glare of Fang Yan and Lin Qingzhu, he spoke violently, making the Lord of Lishui City feel a little embarrassed.
After coughing, Gongsun Qi placed Li Mu and the others in the first row. Not long after, he saw the dignitaries of the Lishui City family who had been waiting at the door arriving on the rooftop one after another.
Most of them said nothing, quietly and orderly taking their seats, and then waiting for the speech to begin.