Witch Wind

Chapter 3 Mr. Li
During the rainy season, the sky and the earth are covered with mist and raindrops are everywhere.

The bluestone alley was wet. At the end of the alley, there were typical Hui-style houses with neat white walls and black tiles. On the black door, two brass door knockers were polished to a glossy finish. A bright red apricot blossom poked its head out from the top of the wall, and the whole alley suddenly became colorful.

Early in the morning, Xing Tianli opened his eyes, and it was pitch black in front of him, and he could not see anything. He sighed lightly, closed his eyes, and his eyebrows felt slightly cold. Within the six feet around him, every brick, tile, table, chair, and even a speck of dust in the air were clearly visible.

He got up, dressed, and deftly folded the quilt into a square brick. Xing Tianli picked up a thin bamboo pole that was almost as tall as him from the head of the bed, tapped the ground lightly, and slowly walked out of the bedroom.

The thin bamboo pole made a 'da da' sound. Xing Tianli walked through the second courtyard, passed through the porch door, and came to the front yard. He shouted softly to the main house in the front yard: "Lao Li? Lao Li? Are you back?"

There was total silence in the main room. Xing Tianli shook his hands and head, and went to the well covered by the hexagonal pavilion in the front yard. He fetched water skillfully, washed his face, and took out a boar-bristle toothbrush from the small box on the stone table beside the well. He used mint tooth powder to brush his teeth clean.

After putting away all the household items, Xing Tianli returned to the second courtyard with the sound of "da da", and entered the west wing. The large west wing was clean and bright, and facing the door was an offering table with fresh fruits and snacks on it, and a brass incense burner that was polished to a shiny finish and filled with incense ash.

Xing Tianli came to the altar and solemnly paid homage to the portraits of the Three Pure Ones on the wall. After the ceremony, he stood up, burned incense to the Three Pure Ones, then knelt on the cushion in front of the altar, clasped his hands together, and muttered the Taoist scriptures for the morning class.

After the morning class, Xing Tianli bowed to the Three Pure Ones again, left the wing room, closed the door, walked around the main room, and went to the back garden which was about two acres in size. In the huge garden, there were no other flowers or plants, only the straight purple bamboos, which were lean and vigorous. The raindrops hit the bamboo leaves, and for a while there was a "swish" sound all around.

Xing Tianli walked straight to the center of the bamboo forest. Several clumps of tall purple bamboos surrounded an open space three feet square. The ground was clean without a trace of dust. The ground was as smooth as a mirror, faintly reflecting a faint metallic cold light.

A bamboo shoot, more than three feet tall and as thick as a fist, grew alone in this open space. If you listened closely, you could hear the faint sound of metal breaking through the wind when raindrops hit the tip of the bamboo shoot.

Xing Tianli stood beside the bamboo shoots, put down the thin bamboo pole in his hand, and slowly moved his hands and feet around the bamboo shoots.

He stepped on the Yu Step, his steps were like flying, his figure left a trail of afterimages, the rain and mist around him were shaken by the strong wind, and in the sound of the breeze, the raindrops were all shaken more than ten feet away, hitting the bamboo poles around him with a "puff" sound. Gradually, wisps of hot air rose above Xing Tianli's head, and the fine raindrops fell on his head, turning into wisps of white steam and quickly evaporating.

After a set of punches and kicks, Xing Tianli's body was filled with blood and energy, and his five feet four inches tall (this book uses one foot and thirty-three centimeters, so the height is one hundred and seventy-eight centimeters at this time) was surprisingly raised by about an inch due to the impact of the blood and energy.

Xing Tianli shouted softly, and a stream of hot blood flowed from his right index finger. He circled the bamboo shoots and quickly drew twenty-four square talismans on them. Amid the subtle vibration of metal and iron, the blood-colored talismans flashed for a moment before being completely absorbed by the bamboo shoots.

Xing Tianli, whose face was slightly pale, exhaled, took out one tael of gold, one tael of silver, one tael of copper, one tael of iron, and one tael of tin from his pocket, and just rubbed his hands together, and the hardware immediately turned into extremely fine powder, which fluttered on the bamboo shoots.

With the naked eye, one could see the fine metal powder being exhaled by the bamboo shoots bit by bit. Xing Tianli gently touched the bamboo shoots and said softly, "It's been almost ten years, and I don't know what kind of treasure it will produce."

He turned around, picked up a thin bamboo pole, walked out of the back garden with a "clatter", and came to the front yard. He opened the gate, locked it with his back hand, and Xing Tianli walked straight out of the alley.

Outside on the stone street, bells rang as two large oxen dragged two carts slowly past Xing Tianli. The carts were filled with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Xing Tianli stood by the roadside, making way for two large carts. As the carts passed by, two rather sturdy men stood under the sign of a liquor store on the opposite side of the street, staring straight at Xing Tianli.

A little girl who looked only twelve or thirteen years old, with fair and bright complexion and the demeanor of a girl from the Jiangnan water village, suddenly jumped out from the side, chuckled, and stuffed two bright red bayberries into Xing Tianli's hands: "Mr. Li, these are freshly picked bayberries from my home, would you like to try some?"

Xing Tianli laughed "hehe" and bowed to the little girl. With a sharp look that made the hair on his back stand on end, he tapped the ground quickly with the thin bamboo pole and trotted away with a "da da da da" sound. He ran a long way in a breath.

The little girl stared at Xing Tianli's back in a daze.

Suddenly, a strong woman grabbed her ears and dragged her back to the roadside where two baskets filled with various fresh fruits were placed.

"You are crazy, girl. You are looking for a man at such a young age! If you are looking for a man, find a good one. Why a blind man? Will he support you in the future, or will you support him?"

The little girl tilted her head, her face red with pain: "Mr. Li, you're so handsome!"

After jogging along the stone street for half a mile, at the exit of an alley ahead, a piece of oilcloth, a small cart, and two small tables formed a small firewood wonton stall. Xing Tianli sniffed the rich smell of beef bone soup in the air, walked over with familiarity, and with a thin bamboo pole, he accurately sat on a small stool.

Without further ado, Xing Tianli took out six large coins from his sleeve and placed them on the small table with a "pa pa" sound.

The wonton stall owner took the copper coin with a big hand, took out a huge coarse porcelain bowl, scooped some lard into it, sprinkled some dried shrimps, threw in a few slices of seaweed, sprinkled some pepper, poured some soy sauce, a touch of chopped green onion, and poured a ladle of boiling broth into it, and immediately the rich aroma filled the air.

Xing Tianli took a deep breath and nodded in satisfaction.

Eighteen egg yolk-sized, thin-skinned wontons with large fillings of chicken and shrimp rolled in the soup. A large bowl was gently placed in front of Xing Tianli. The stall owner smiled and said, "Mr. Li, please enjoy. Would you like some fried dough?"

Xing Tianli touched his belly, and then took out four large coins and placed them on the small table: "Add a fried dough stick and a braised egg. Lao Li didn't go home last night, so I cooked dinner myself. It's a little undercooked, and I didn't feel full!"

At a small table nearby, two diners and the wonton stall owner all laughed.

They happily said dirty words like "A house cannot do without a woman", "It's not very decent for Old Li to visit a widow all day long", "They are old lovers, so it's okay to bring them home", and so on.

A vendor selling fried cakes and a vendor selling dandan noodles, the two stall owners, along with seven or eight diners, were all laughing happily. Their simple, honest laughter, with a hint of vulgarity that only ordinary people can muster, dispelled most of the stale, stuffy, and damp air that made people feel sick early in the morning on this rainy day.

He slowly ate 18 large wontons, tore the fried dough into pieces and soaked them in the soup, took a bite of the marinated egg, and said vaguely: "Of course it's okay. There are three kinds of unfilial behavior, and the worst is to have no descendants. Old Li only has a distant nephew like me. This is not worthy of our ancestors."

"Neighbors, if you find a good woman who is suitable for marriage, just bring her here." Xing Tianli slapped his thigh hard and shouted, "Old Li is already very old and has been away from home all day long. It's time to put a bridle on him!"

Then the laughter became more cheerful.

Xing Tianli was smiling as he ate and drank his fill. He tapped the thin bamboo pole and walked while comfortably nibbling on two sour bayberries that the little girl had stuffed into his mouth.

With clear saliva dripping from his mouth and breathing heavily, Xing Tianli walked slowly along the stone street for more than a mile and arrived at a two-story bookstore on the side of the road. On the lintel of the store were three big characters "Gao Zhen Zhai". On the left and right doorposts were a couplet, with the right one reading "Occasionally came under the pine tree" and the left one reading "Sleeping with a high pillow and a stone".

Xing Tianli walked into the bookstore. Under a row of bookshelves, next to a rocking chair, there was a pot of freshly brewed tea and two kinds of snacks.

Xing Tianli put away the thin bamboo pole, lay down on the chair with familiarity, and clapped his hands gently: "Xiao Qi, continue. Yesterday, we read the "Annals of Wei Wu" in the "Annals of the Cao Wei Family", right? Continue, continue. I am quite curious about this "Meng De's Goodness". It feels similar to our old Li!"

"Hey, hey, boss, please listen carefully." A rather clever bookstore clerk came over hurriedly with a thick book in his hand, sat on a small stool, opened the book, and began to read in a rhythmic manner.

The bookstore was not big. Besides the young man named Xiao Qi, there was only an old shopkeeper who was nearly 60 years old sitting behind the counter, nodding his head as he listened to the young man's recitation. Occasionally, the old shopkeeper's cloudy eyes fell on Xing Tianli, and he would shake his head slightly with great regret.

He is tall and graceful, handsome, handsome like Pan An, and has a temperament like Lan Zhi. These beautiful words are absolutely appropriate for Xing Tianli. Moreover, Xing Tianli has a very gentle temperament and is very motivated and studious. No matter where he is, he is a first-class young talent.

But, I was born blind, it really is like, 'God is blind'!
Xing Tianli lay quietly in the rocking chair, listening to the boy's rhythmic recitation. He took two thick books from the bookshelf and flipped through them page by page. His eyebrows were slightly cold. Once he had "read" the words in the two books, he would remember them deeply in his heart and would never forget them.

Before the boy finished reading a short chapter in the "Annals of Emperor Wu of Wei", Xing Tianli had already finished reading both volumes. He put the volumes back on the bookshelf, and then pulled two more books to rest on his belly, flipping through them leisurely and leisurely.

"By the way, I have been in this world for fourteen years."

"Wrong. If you count from the time you can remember in your mother's womb, it's been fifteen years."

"This world, this thing recorded in this book, are you kidding me? Emperor Wu of Wei, Cao Mengde, once led the army to fight Sima Yi seven times. The war lasted for 120 years. Later, under the mediation of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, the two sides stopped fighting!"

"Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu, rode alone, wielded a long halberd, and swept through thousands of troops. He tried to assassinate Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, twenty-four times. Later, Xiang Yu was stopped by the three brothers of Emperor Zhaolie of Han, Liu Bei. After a fierce battle, Xiang Yu was seriously injured and both sides withdrew their troops."

"Qin Emperor Ying Zheng issued the Zulong Order, offering a bounty on the heads of Hu Hai, Zhao Gao, Xiang Yu, Liu Bang and other rebels. Tsk, even his own son was killed? Huh, Hu Hai, Zhao Gao and Xiang Yu joined forces to fight against the Qin Dynasty. Is the Zulong Order still valid today?"

"Shh, not to mention whether we can find Hu Hai and other people. Even if we take their heads, where can we find Zulong to redeem the reward?"

Picking up the small teacup, Xing Tianli drank it all in one gulp, suppressing the excitement in his heart and letting out a long breath.

Behind the counter, the old shopkeeper who was also holding a small teacup and drinking tea slowly suddenly said, "Boss, these "Aristocratic Family Chronicles" are just like street stories, just read them!"

"Since the rise of my Great Emperor Dayu, six hundred years have passed. There are a number of wealthy families in the world. Have you ever seen the wealthy families mentioned in these old antique "Aristocratic Family Chronicles"?"

The old shopkeeper shook his head and said, "Not to mention, in this "Aristocratic Family Chronicles", there are many sacred immortals and Buddhas. For example, the Qin Emperor, the ancestor of dragons, had twelve golden men that dominated the world and once flew into the sky in broad daylight and smashed meteors. This, this, this is such an absurd thing, how can you believe it?"

Xing Tianli put the book he had just finished reading back on the bookshelf and nodded slowly: "What the shopkeeper said makes sense. I have been listening to books for so many years and I feel that the things in the official history books published by the court after the establishment of the Great Yu Dynasty are well-founded and can be investigated. Before the Great Yu Dynasty, there were many gods, monsters and strange things, which are generally not credible."

With an inexplicable sigh, Xing Tianli grabbed the thin bamboo pole on the rocking chair, and took down a long zither bag from the bookshelf behind the rocking chair, and walked out of Gaozhenzhai with a "da da da" sound.

Arriving at the door of the bookstore, Xing Tianli stopped and asked, "I was so confused that I even forgot what day it was. That newspaper..."

The old shopkeeper replied, "Newspapers for the concession are delivered every seven days. This time, the newspaper will arrive the day after tomorrow."

Xing Tianli said nothing. He held a thin bamboo pole, crossed the stone road, and came to the door of a three-story teahouse diagonally opposite, which was decorated quite luxuriously. The old shopkeeper also walked out of the counter, followed Xing Tianli closely, and walked over with a smile.

Xing Tianli had just walked to the middle of the street when the two men from the morning came out from the alley on the side of the bookstore. They looked at Xing Tianli with fierce eyes for a while, then turned and left.

In front of the teahouse, two neatly dressed waiters had been waiting here for a long time. When they saw Xing Tianli coming over, they rushed out a few steps and politely saluted Xing Tianli: "Mr. Li is here. Hey, the tea and snacks are ready for you. It's still your favorite 20-year-old Baihao Silver Needle, your favorite pine nut cake, Poria cake, and nine-steamed and nine-dried mountain polygonatum."

Xing Tianli nodded slightly and followed the two waiters into the teahouse.

The huge teahouse, which could accommodate 50 to 60 large tables on the first floor, was already 70 to 80% full. When Xing Tianli came in, the tea drinkers stood up and greeted him with a smile.

"Everyone, how are you, how are you!" Xing Tianli bowed in a familiar manner towards the place where the voice came from, and walked to the center of the first floor of the teahouse with a smile, where there was a small table about one foot high. The small table was six feet in diameter, and there were tables and chairs on it, and snacks were placed on it. In a fine porcelain teacup, the tea leaves were already prepared, and it only needed to be poured with boiling water to make a cup of good tea.

Xing Tianli put down the thin bamboo pole, touched the table, and sat down steadily on the chair.

The old shopkeeper sat down next to Xing Tianli, took the boiling kettle handed to him by the waiter, and carefully poured tea for Xing Tianli.

Xing Tianli untied the erhu case and took out an old-looking erhu. He rubbed it gently up and down, picked up the bow, and gently plucked the strings.

The huge teahouse suddenly fell silent.

The teahouse, which was originally only about 70% to 80% full, was miraculously full after Xing Tianli took his seat. Many of the later guests could only shamelessly share the table with the earlier guests in order to barely get a seat.

As the strings of the zither sounded, the windows of the private rooms on the second and third floors of the teahouse that faced the central courtyard opened one after another, and many guests dressed in silk and satin poked their heads out.

Perhaps it was because of the rainy weather, or perhaps it was because he had thought of those unreliable records in the "Aristocratic Family Chronicles", Xing Tianli was inexplicably depressed today. When the bow of the zither moved, a very sad and graceful song "Two Springs Reflecting the Moon" was played, just like the sound of a cold spring, filling the teahouse.

The old shopkeeper who was sitting next to him and pouring tea for himself almost splashed the boiling water on his hands.

All around, many tea drinkers opened their eyes wide and took a deep breath.

After a very sad erhu piece was played, Xing Tianli put down his erhu, grabbed the gavel on the small square table, and slammed it on the table: "This piece of music breaks my heart. Where in the world can I find a soulmate? Hey!"

"I am an independent cultivator in Huangshan. I found the way to the Tao at the foot of Tiandu Peak. I received the dew from heaven at Furong Peak and subdued the dragon and tiger at Guangming Peak. The gold and water returned to Huachi after nine turns. The baby collected the golden elixir. The spiritual platform and purple palace were opened here. The Yang God sent me to the celestial immortality!"

"My dear friends, yesterday I finished telling the story of Water Margin. How pitiful are so many heroes!"

"I was just worrying about which storybook to write today. Last night, I suddenly dreamed of a Taoist priest in a blue robe and black beard, who claimed to be a successful celestial being. I felt that I had a connection with him, so I compiled some of the strange people and events I saw and heard during his cultivation into a book called "The Legend of the Sword Immortal of Shu Mountain", and asked me to spread it among the people!"

“As the saying goes, a man leaves his name behind, and a wild goose leaves its voice behind. If this book, The Legend of the Sword Immortal of Shu Mountain, can be spread all over the world, it will mean that this Taoist has left a mark in the world!”

"Listen carefully, everyone. Let me tell you..."

The old shopkeeper at the side had already picked up a brush and was writing a few elegant small characters of "The Legend of Swordsman of Shu Mountain" on a blank notebook.

After the three chapters of Shushan were finished, the teahouse was filled with thunderous applause.

It was still early, and Xing Tianli was in no hurry to leave. Instead, he stayed in the teahouse and chatted with many guests. Whether it was gossip in the market or rumors about the government, Xing Tianli could always find a way to make people laugh.

The old shopkeeper walked around the place with a gong in his hand, smiling, and heard the clang of silver and copper coins falling down. Several waiters ran up and down the stairs, and the guests in the private rooms were wealthy, so they listened carefully and gave gifts not in the form of silver coins, but in the form of good ingots of one or even two taels.

The old shopkeeper held the reward money and followed the owner of the teahouse to the accounting office with a smile on his face.

It was almost dusk, and when Xing Tianli walked out of the teahouse amid applause, there were two exquisite small gold ingots weighing one or two taels, and five or six silver ingots of considerable weight in his sleeves.

He returned to the door of his own study and told the old shopkeeper: "Stand by the old rules. When you have ten chapters, send it to the bookstore for printing. Tell them that this "Shushan Sword Immortal" is definitely more exciting than "Water Margin" and is longer. Ask them to take a more appropriate share of the profits. If the price remains unchanged, I will not agree!"

Sighing and shaking the gold and silver ingots in his sleeves, Xing Tianli muttered, "Life in the mortal world is not easy. Every day when I open my eyes, I am starving."

The old shopkeeper agreed timidly.

Xing Tianli turned around and walked away along the stone street. He returned to his alley and arrived at the door of the courtyard at the end of the alley. Xing Tianli swiped the door lock with his right hand, shook his head and sighed: "This old Li, it's okay if he doesn't come home at night, but why is he running around day after day?"

He took out the key and opened the gate. There was a large water tank at the foot of the wall on the right side of the gate. Xing Tianli reached into the water tank and picked up a large grass carp with straw stuck in its gills. He weighed the large grass carp and muttered, "The fish delivered today is not bad. I'll give it a small amount of silver!"

On the doorpost on the left side of the gate, under a lampstand, there was a Ruyi hook. Xing Tianli was holding a big grass carp and took out a piece of pork belly that was also tied with straw from under the Ruyi hook.

In the doorway of the gate, there was a cloth bag on the ground, which contained some green and red peppers, a cabbage, a handful of perilla, some fresh ginger and garlic, and some dried tofu and other ingredients.

Carrying fish, meat and a full cloth bag, Xing Tianli entered the yard and went straight to the kitchen in the back house on the south side.

In the misty drizzle, as soon as he entered the yard, he saw that the door of the main house in the north where Lao Li usually lived was open. In the main room, beside the eight-immortal table, two burly men were sitting there with their horses and swords, staring at Xing Tianli with eyes like eagles and wolves. The yard was three meters wide and five meters deep. The range that Xing Tianli could "see" was only six feet around him. The two men sat in the main room silently, so Xing Tianli did not notice their existence.

Xing Tianli pushed open the kitchen door, put fish, meat, and various vegetables on the stove, and muttered in a low voice: "I don't know if Lao Li will come back. Forget it, forget it, let's cook for two people. If he comes back, there will be a hot bite. If not, I will reluctantly eat it all."

I went to the well in the yard to get a bucket of water, made a fire, washed rice, and cooked rice.

Washing vegetables, gutting the big fish, and even cleaning the fish offal. Accompanied by the rhythmic sound of the chopping knife and the chopping board, and the sound of hot oil swishing, the rich aroma of food soon wafted from the kitchen.

The two men watched Xing Tianli go in and out for a long time, then looked at each other, one of them gently pointed at his own eyes, and both shook their heads and curled their lips at the same time.

The food is ready and it is getting dark.

Xing Tianli moved a stool and sat under the eaves at the kitchen door, where he had been for a long time.

"What has Old Li been busy with these days?" Xing Tianli muttered in a low voice, "He's just an insignificant inspector of the Xiaolongqiu Town Inspection Office, a ninth-rank official with no official status at all. Why is he working so hard?"

After waiting for a while, Xing Tianli got up and went into the kitchen, took out a large bowl, and took out a large piece of brown rice crust from the simmering rice pot. He then scooped a spoonful of fish soup from another pot of simmering fish pieces and fish offal, poured it on the rice, and sat back on the stool holding the bowl, and began to chew with a "crunch, crunch" sound.

While eating, Xing Tianli muttered, "The flavors in Jiangdong Province are still relatively bland. These green and red peppers don't have much spiciness. I need to ask someone to get some Chaotian peppers and Seven Sisters, and make a spicy fish. That will be satisfying!"

The fish pot was opened, the aroma filled the air, and seeing Xing Tianli eating happily, the two men who had been sitting in the hall for a long time started to feel their stomachs growl at the same time. They stood up at the same time and strode out of the hall.

Xing Tianli's ears moved slightly and he heard footsteps.

He turned a deaf ear and continued to eat and drink from his large bowl. The two men strode towards Xing Tianli and stepped heavily in front of him. A man with a curly beard said in a deep voice, "Young man, is your master here?"

Xing Tianli heard clearly that the two men walked out directly from the main hall, and did not come in from the courtyard door on the east side of the back house. He coughed lightly, raised his head, widened his empty eyes, and said in shock: "Huh? Uncle, why did you come in without knocking? Haven't you heard that Confucius said, "Do not enter without permission?"

The two men snorted coldly, and without paying any attention to Xing Tianli, they walked straight into the kitchen, lit the light, found the bowls and chopsticks, served themselves rice from the rice pot, and ate with a pot of fish soup and a bowl of twice-cooked pork, "smacking", smacking.

Xing Tianli jumped up in shock and screamed, "How can this be? You are acting like robbers. Aren't you afraid that I will report you to the police?"

The two men laughed and didn't even look at Xing Tianli, just eating and drinking. They had big appetites, and when Xing Tianli was yelling, they had already cleared out the food in the pot.

"Okay, stop screaming. We are old friends of Li Kuisheng." The bearded man patted his belly contentedly and said with a smile, "Given our friendship, eating him out is nothing. Not to mention, we haven't seen each other for many years. I came to Li Kuisheng today to bring him a fortune!"

The other dark-faced man patted Xing Tianli on the shoulder and said, "You are a young boy who doesn't know much and doesn't understand our friendship. Come on, we need some tea to help digest our food after dinner. Hurry up and make the tea, okay? Don't you know how to entertain guests?"

The dark-faced man yelled, "You are a capable person. We have been following you around all day. We need a pot of tea!"

Xing Tianli's face twitched slightly.

The courtyard door slammed open, and Li Kuisheng, wearing a black robe, with a long sword hanging from his waist and a revolver on his belt, staggered in carrying a dim sum bun.

"Xiao Yu'er, uncle is back. Oh, it smells so good, so good!"

As soon as Li Kuisheng entered the courtyard, he started shouting, his loud voice making people's ears buzz. He turned into the courtyard with a smile, and saw Xing Tianli and the other two standing under the eaves in front of the kitchen door.

His eyes swept over Xing Tianli, and the dim sum in Li Kuisheng's hand fell heavily to the ground. He held the hilt of the knife with his left hand, and had already pulled out the heavy revolver with his right hand. He exerted force with his thumb, directly pulled the hammer open, and pointed the muzzle of the gun directly at the black-faced man beside Xing Tianli.

"What? What?" The bearded man said coldly, "Li Kuisheng, we haven't seen each other for ten years. Who are you showing this to?"

Li Kuisheng's dark complexion turned slightly red, his eyes turned red, and he said in a cold voice: "What am I pretending to be? Huh? How did you find me?"

The bearded man took two steps forward and sneered, "It's not easy to find you, right?"

Li Kuisheng said coldly: "Stop talking nonsense, if you have anything to say, let's talk outside."

The dark-faced man put one hand on Xing Tianli's shoulder and said in a cold voice: "What happened outside? Tsk, tsk, you are so nervous about this kid, Li Kuisheng, this guy is not your distant nephew, maybe he is your biological son?"

As he spoke, the black-faced man laughed strangely, and grabbed Xing Tianli's neck with his hand: "However, our brothers didn't find you today, but followed our nephew..."

Xing Tianli moved, his arms like snakes, running up the black-faced man's arms. His ten fingers danced, and wherever they passed, the black-faced man's palms, wrists, elbows, and arms all made dull sounds of joint dislocation.

The black-faced man screamed in pain, and Xing Tianli had already grasped the black-faced man's shoulders with both hands. With a light shout, Xing Tianli exerted force with both arms, and the black-faced man's 5 feet 6 or 7 inches of burly body suddenly flew into the air, and was spun by Xing Tianli's arms, and fell headfirst into the courtyard paved with bluestone slabs.

"I'll do it!" the bearded man on the side shouted.

"Bang", large amounts of rain flew up, and the back of the dark-faced man's head and neck hit the ground heavily. He was knocked unconscious without even a grunt.

'choke'!
Xing Tianli knocked the black-faced man unconscious with one blow, and with his right hand, he had already grasped the thin bamboo pole that he usually used when traveling. With a flick of his wrist, the bamboo pole suddenly separated up and down, and he pulled out a three-foot-long, onion-leaf-wide, polished-to-an-incomparably-sharp thin sword.

The bearded man was about to pounce on Xing Tianli. The tip of his sword flashed with a cold light, and the extremely fierce sword pierced through the bearded man's outstretched palm.

The rapier was embedded in the palm of the bearded man. Drops of blood quickly dripped down the edge of the sword, making a "drip drip" sound that blended harmoniously with the sound of raindrops under the eaves.

"Uncle, be careful." Xing Tianli closed his eyes tightly and smiled very clearly: "I am blind. I have been blind for more than ten years. Therefore, I am a little mentally twisted and have a violent temper. I hurt people easily and draw blood. Can you understand?"

The bearded man stared at Xing Tianli with his eyes closed in amazement. He murmured, "I am an eighty-year-old woman, but I am still a child. I am used to traveling on big rivers and oceans, but I am capsized in your little ditch... Li Kuisheng, you are worthy of me. You are amazing!"

Li Kuisheng strode over with a gun in hand, and shot the bearded man in the back of the neck with the butt of his gun, knocking him unconscious.

He took out a rope from the utility room nearby and tied up the two men tightly. While busying himself, Li Kuisheng muttered, "Two idiots. Three years ago, I didn't dare to confront Xiao Yu'er head-on. You two are old-timers who are used to being sneaky and cunning. Ugh!"

Xing Tianli picked up the thin bamboo pole that was thrown on the ground, slowly sheathed the thin sword, and said softly: "Old Li, who are these people? They don't look like good people. I didn't even invite them to eat all the food I cooked."

"Look at you, the people you make friends with are just a bunch of gangsters." Xing Tianli didn't forget to insult him at the end.

Li Kuisheng coughed dryly and kicked the bearded man hard, waking him up from his coma.

"Not a gangster, really." Li Kuisheng sighed, "After all, it's just some troubles left over from the early years. I'll have someone bring you some food, you don't have to worry about this matter!"

The bearded man gritted his teeth and said angrily, "Li Kuisheng, listen carefully. We came here to bring you wealth. You attacked our old brothers. Are you still a human being?"

Li Kuisheng had a gloomy face and said in a cold voice: "I have lived a comfortable life these years. I can't even reach your wealth. Do you really think I don't know what you have been doing these years?"

The bearded man suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Li Kuisheng in shock: "You know?"

Li Kuisheng nodded heavily: "I know."

Carrying an unconscious person and another who was staggering, Li Kuisheng took the two of them out in the wind and rain.

Xing Tianli stood quietly under the eaves outside the kitchen. The night wind blew raindrops and gently hit him, causing the lights in the kitchen to sway and his shadow in the yard to sometimes lengthen and sometimes shorten.

After a long time, footsteps were heard outside the yard. The waiter from the nearby restaurant brought a bucket of rice, two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a bowl of soup. Xing Tianli ate the food cleanly, washed the pot and dishes calmly, brushed his teeth and washed his face by the well, and returned to the west wing of the backyard with a "clack".

After replacing the candles on the altar with new ones and burning incense to the Three Pure Ones, Xing Tianli sat cross-legged on the cushion in the middle of the room. He felt a coolness between his brows, and all his spiritual power was restrained, moving his qi and blood bit by bit.

The food just eaten is digested quickly in the stomach.

A thin stream of qi and blood grew from the bone marrow. Driven by the power of the spirit and soul, it circulated through the meridians of the whole body, and then was compressed bit by bit and swallowed by the heart.

Looking inward, Xing Tianli's heart was crystal clear, as if it was made of blood-colored glass, emitting a dazzling red light.

Looking carefully, the huge heart has been filled with more than 99% of the tangible essence of qi and blood. Only a tiny bit of space is left, and the entire heart will be completely filled with qi and blood.

"Fourteen years." Xing Tianli said softly while moving the Qi and blood: "In the Dharma Ending Age, I still have the opportunity to continue practicing. I am already blessed by the Three Pure Ones. I can't be impatient, I can't panic, I can't be chaotic."

"Fourteen years!"

"Hey, I've been blind for fourteen years too." Xing Tianli sneered softly, and a strand of blood as thin as a hair flowed along the meridians, carefully delivering it to the left eyeball. A heart-wrenching pain came over him, and blood and tears gushed out of the corner of his left eye. Xing Tianli almost rolled on the ground in pain.

"Don't be anxious, don't panic, don't get confused!" Xing Tianli slowly let this strand of energy and blood sink into his heart, formed seals with his hands, and chanted the Taoist scriptures for the evening class in a low voice.

For the next few days, everything was normal.

Xing Tianli got up every day, had morning lessons, practiced boxing, then went out to listen to the waiter reading, and then went to the teahouse to hang out for an afternoon. When he returned to his yard, the vendors he had arranged with had already placed fresh fish, shrimp, pork, mutton and other food in front of his door.

In the past two days, Li Kuisheng has been going to work on time in the morning and running back home in the evening.

Every day, either Xing Tianli or Li Kuisheng took turns cooking and lived their lives as usual.

Li Kuisheng did not mention what happened to the two reckless and rude men, and Xing Tianli never asked him how he dealt with them. Even Xing Tianli was too lazy to ask Li Kuisheng what he did in his early years and why he provoked such a "gangster-like" guy to break in.

However, Xing Tianli knew that when he went out these days, he was always followed by two experts from the Inspection Office. Every day when Li Kuisheng went out to report for duty, he was used to being alone, and there would always be three or five men from the Inspection Office waiting outside the door.

One day, at dusk, Xing Tianli had just walked out of the teahouse when suddenly there was a burst of noise and shouting on the street outside.

Xing Tianli's ears moved slightly, and he was stunned for a moment, following the surging crowd and walking in another direction of the street. The old shopkeeper who was following behind him was stunned, and waved hurriedly: "Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi, hurry up and follow the boss. Hey, hey, what's so good about this kind of excitement? Hurry up and follow, don't let anyone bump into the boss!"

The thin bamboo pole tapped the stone slab, and with the sound of "da da", Xing Tianli followed the flow of people and walked much faster than usual.

After walking for more than two miles along the cobblestone street, we saw a bright and clear view ahead. Amid the rain and fog, a large expanse of sparkling water suddenly appeared.

This is Xiaoyandang Lake, which is more than 50 miles wide from east to west and more than 300 miles long from north to south. To the east of the lake is Dalongqiu County, and to the west of the lake is Xiaolongqiu Town where Xingtianli lives.

The crowd was bustling and crowded to the lakeside.

The smell of fish is strong. This is the fish market pier in Xiaolongqiu Town. On weekdays, the fishermen catch fresh fish and shrimps in the lake and transport them to the fish market pier. Then they are distributed to restaurants in Xiaolongqiu Town or sold to other places.

There were already dozens of patrol officers in black uniforms maintaining order. Xing Tianli relied on his height and strength and quietly squeezed to the front amid Xiao Qi's shouting.

Beside a pier, there were earth-shaking cries of weeping and the surrounding area was filled with noise, like ten thousand crows cawing.

A dozen fishing boats were parked on the pier, and several fishermen with pale faces were stammering something to Li Kuisheng. Xing Tianli moved his ears slightly, and from the chaotic noise, he could barely hear the fishermen's mixed narration.

"Dead, all dead."

"The third son of the Zhao family, the fifth son of the Wang family, they are all dead!"

"There was no sign that the fish on the boat had been touched, and no one had touched the copper coins on them either."

"That's right. People died. A lot of them died."

Li Kuisheng looked very unhappy.

Xing Tianli's face looked extremely ugly.

Xiaolongqiu Town is just a town. In such a large town with a population of more than 10,000, there is only one tax office for collecting taxes, with more than a dozen tax collectors on duty all year round. There is only one inspection office, which is the only symbol of royal power in the town.

Li Kuisheng was the inspector of the Xiaolongqiu Town Inspection Office, the only official with a rank in the town. He commanded only 50 regular soldiers in the inspection office, and there were about 200 hired hangers-on and thugs, who were mainly responsible for daily catching thieves, maintaining public order, and even cleaning the streets and preventing fires in the neighborhoods, all of which were Li Kuisheng's responsibility.

A low position but great power, a small official but many things to do.

This time, more than a dozen fishing boats and more than 30 fishermen were slaughtered when they were returning from fishing.

This case is bound to alarm the Dalongqiu County.

This board will definitely hit Li Kuisheng's butt first!
Xing Tianli's heart suddenly sank. The third son of the Zhao family was an old acquaintance who put a big fish in the water tank at the gate of his yard at dusk every day and settled the bill at the end of every month!
Ten years.

Every day, the third son of the Zhao family would put the fattest fish from his fishing boat into the big water tank in front of Xingtian Limen!

Xing Tianli walked out of the crowd, passed through several patrol soldiers, and came to a bloody fishing boat.

Zhao Laosan, with his head chopped off, was lying on the bow with his arms and legs spread out.

Xing Tianli took a deep breath and gently grabbed Zhao Laosan's body with his right hand.

(End of this chapter)