Konoha Aogen

Early the next morning, the two of them woke up one after another, but they were greedy for the warmth and refused to get up. Midwinter is the best time to stay in bed.

It was not until noon that Ye Xuan finally got out of bed and took a few bites of last night's leftover supper along with cold tea. Seeing the afterimage turned over and about to fall asleep again, he walked up and pinched her fleshless face, and with a burst of tenderness and curses, he picked her up. Afterimage finally did not dare to hit anyone. She wanted to know what the consequences would be if she kicked him hard in the stomach.

On the broad street in the west of the city, two figures, dark black and light blue, walked slowly under the warm winter sun. Unless there are special occasions, the double-blade "Yan Que" inserted on the left side of the belt must be covered. Afterimage never wears a cloak. Even something so convenient seemed like a burden to her. At this moment, he pretended that he couldn't bear the cold, huddled in Ye Xuan's robe, and tightly wrapped his hands around his right arm, attracting passersby's side glances.

Even in such an era, which was denounced by the literati as "the collapse of etiquette and the destruction of music", this is equivalent to being intimate in broad daylight as if no one is around, which is considered shameless. What's more, Ye Xuan, apart from his lack of temperament, is barely handsome in appearance.

He inherited his mother's slender figure and his father's brown-black eyes, and his face was chiseled but not sharp at all. The thick black hair reaches to the neck, and the forehead is gathered hastily to the extent that it "does not block the sight".

Since the empire, the nobles have tended to grow their hair long; the poor and humble either have their hair grown, or simply cut it very short to facilitate their work. Nondescript looks like Ye Xuan's have only become popular among wealthy dandies in recent years, but they will never be like this among real children of rich families. This kind of appearance and style of being "high, attainable and seemingly arrogant" has always been the most disgusting.

"Don't touch me, keep a low profile. Chen Feng will die soon. If people recognize us in Tairan City, it will cause more trouble." Ye Xuan said, gently wiping the residual image of his hands from his arms. .

"I, the dignified leader of 'Mo Wen', am going to personally assassinate a businessman from Tairan City? Plus you, the Lord of Kurong City, both of us are here, and it is impossible to target Chen Feng. Being sneaky will only make people suspicious. " After the shadow said that, he hugged Ye Xuan's arm again.

Ye Xuan raised his left hand and flicked her forehead hard: "You are so clever! I told you to be low-key, why are you so sneaky? Qing'er just knew that you were messing around, but couldn't catch the meaning of your words for a while. It's the loophole that made me so angry that I hit you." After a few words of training, he didn't take out his right arm again.

While talking, the two of them walked to the "Inn".

"If you find it annoying, don't go in." After the shadow said to Ye Xuan, he walked to the door of a small courtyard. The small courtyard looked a bit dilapidated in the bustling street. The courtyard door was closed and there was no one guarding the door. The afterimage directly used the dark force to break the door bolt and pushed the door open softly.

In the era of disaster, the cities were in charge of their own affairs. They built "posthouses" for each other as a "declaration of no war" and also used them to communicate with each other between the "city lord's mansions". In fact, business and travel in various cities are interconnected, and the city lords who have a close relationship with each other have also exchanged "Xin Crow". The "Inn" is basically a free place, and it plays more of a "spy" role. If something big or strange happens in the city where they are located, the "post officer" can send the news back to their home in time.

As far as "Kurong City" is concerned, "Tairan City" is a nearby force that is neither big nor small, with no relatives or grudges. The "Inn" has three people stationed there as usual.

When the "post officer" saw someone entering the courtyard uninvited, he walked out of the house warily. He quickly recognized who it was, and with a surprised look on his face, he stepped forward to salute and say hello: "Master Ying?"

"The note is for the 'Palace Master'. You and Xinya each send it to you and get it done immediately." After the shadow said, he handed the post officer several notes with the same content, both with the word "an" written far apart. It means "the two of you are well".

"Yes!" The post officer accepted the order solemnly, not paying attention to the fact that "Afterimage actually has no right to command him."

"Mowen Mercenary Group", like "Wangyue Tower, Qianjin Pavilion, Martial Arts Arena, Colosseum" and "Two Academies", are the private property of "Ye Palace" and are not directly under the "City Lord's Mansion". As for who owns the "Night Palace" and the "City Lord's Mansion", no one can figure out, and no one cares.

Everyone only knows that Mu Qing'er is nominally the "Lord of the Night Palace" and Ye Xuan is the "Lord of Kurong City". However, it is Mu Qing'er who serves as the deacon in the "City Lord's Mansion" on a daily basis. Ye Xuan himself was obviously being ridiculous in the casino and brothel he owned, and documents stamped with the "City Lord's Golden Seal" were still sent from the "City Lord's Mansion" to various places in the city as usual. Therefore, Mu Qing'er is the highest authority of the "Konoha Family". The post officer only needs to know that the residual image belongs to Mu Qing'er, and that's enough.

As for why "Mu Qing'er" called "Ye Xuan" as "Young Master", various speculations suggest that it must be because of the shadow of his ancestors. In the early years of the Mu family, or as a retainer of the Ye family, Mu Qing'er was thinking of old kindness, so he called Ye Xuan the "young master". Xuanfu ascended to the position of city lord. For a guy who is greedy for such a cheap thing, the public never hesitates to speak maliciously and gives him the nickname "Lord of the Skirt".

After Yiying gave a brief explanation, he turned around and left the post house. "Tairan City" is located in the northwest, and the scenery and food are no different from "Kurong City". There is only an "ancient cypress" on the outskirts of the city, which is said to have lived for eight thousand years. Both Can and Ye are boring people who "read history but not poetry". They are always uninterested in "thousands of years of ancient trees and billions of years of Cangshan". What's more, the place where the "old cypress" is located has now been turned into private property, and Ye Xuan is too lazy to deal with others.

After randomly eating two "oil hammers" on the street, Ye Xuan found a casino to play "dominoes" just like he used to in "Kurong City". Afterimage is mostly busy with the mercenary group during the day. In the evening or late at night, he mostly plays "sparrow" with Mu Qing'er, Gui Mo, Gu Yan and others. He doesn't play "dominoes" well, but he is quite interested.

Since the cavalry of the "Liang Empire" traveled across the "North and South of the Tianhe", eight thousand years of "great unification" have gradually made the entire world's language and writing become more and more monotonous. After a long period of blending and purification, the gambling method is still the most popular among the world. of three types. They are dice, dominoes and sparrows.

The bold and dissolute people like "dice", and the smart people like "dominoes".

"Dice" is too simple, and "dominoes" has too strong a meaning of fighting and deceit. Therefore, "sparrow tiles" are the mainstay among relatives and friends for small gambling pleasures. Many gambling houses also have private rooms specially prepared for "que tiles", but generally speaking, "dice" and "dominoes" are the main ones in gambling houses.

Ye Xuan hardly played "dice" and occasionally played "sparrow cards" with his family. Most of his free time was spent on this "dominoes".

"Dominos" are usually made of "animal bones" or "bamboo slices", and some extremely luxurious rooms use gold and silver to make them. There are forty dominoes in a set. Each card has one to ten dots painted on it, and numbers are engraved on the upper and lower corners according to the number of dots. There are four cards representing each number, divided into four colors: plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum.

Dominoes is not played by the gambling house, it is purely a battle between gamblers, and the gambling house only takes a commission from the game. The domino players sit around a table, and the "preparatory officer" is in the middle to distribute cards. Any two to six people can start the game.

After the game starts, the "organizer" will give each gambler two "hidden cards", and then the three "open cards" on the table will be revealed in sequence. Finally, the "hidden cards" in each player's hand will be combined with the "open cards" on the table. The one with the strongest hand wins. In a six-player game, the usual card strengths are "pair" or "two pairs", "trips, straights, flushes, fours", etc. are all top brands. If the top brands of two pairs collide, the smaller one will win. , usually losing all the chips in hand.

The beauty of dominoes is that the three public cards on the table are revealed in sequence. Every time a card is revealed, gamblers need to re-estimate their card strength, which involves some "numerology".

What's even better is that before and after each public card is revealed, each gambler places his or her bets in sequence. When the public cards are revealed against them, bold or skilled gamblers will bet all their chips in order to scare everyone away. If no one else dares to follow, the gambler with a "bad hand" can be considered a winner. This is "mindcraft".

Dominoes are the combination of "fate, numerology, and mental skills". Ye Xuan extremely enjoys the pleasure of "there is still something you can do under the destiny".

In a gambling house, the waiter who is responsible for rolling the dice, distributing the dominoes, dividing the chips, and judging the winning or losing is called "the official". As the leader of the "Mowen Mercenary Group", Afterimage distributes the lives, deaths and fates of others between "employers and mercenaries" like "dominoes and chips". It is for this reason that he is named "Blood Organizer" have to.

The "organizer" of the dominoes game saw that there was only an afterimage of a woman on the table, and her playing skills and luck were both poor, so he was extremely friendly to her. Little did he know that the girl sitting opposite him, delivering silver coins to people like a flowing stream of money, was the most terrifying organizer in the world.

"I think this young lady is quite clever. Can she help you find the 'Thousand Gold Pavilion'?" Afterimage turned his head and whispered to Ye Xuan, and was immediately scolded by a gambler on his left. It is true that the afterimage is unruly. Ye Xuan has a card in his hand and should not talk to him quietly. Ye Xuan immediately discarded his cards and admitted defeat to show fairness. The gambler refused to give up and insisted on raising a "base bet" from the official to punish the residual image. Afterimage got angry with a child, picked up a silver coin and threw it on the man, then got up and left. Ye Xuan quickly put away the two's chips and chased them out.

The remaining two people were furious and yelled: "A big fish like this scared you away. Didn't you get bitten by a donkey on the head?"

"That's right, what's bothering you when a girl talks to her lover? It's like a dog playing with a mouse! Now, let's have some fun!" another person agreed.

Ye Xuan chased him out of the gambling house and didn't go far when he saw the afterimage, so he stood at the entrance waiting for him.

"Are you worried about losing?" Ye Xuan chuckled.

"Well, I don't want to play anymore." Afterimage muttered a little aggrievedly. "Hey? Is there a storyteller over there?" At the teahouse across the street from the gambling house, there were people crowding on the street even outside the door. This scene was familiar, it was always like this when the popular storyteller started giving lectures.

"There are so many people, don't go there..." Ye Xuan looked at the dense and moving heads and felt a little flustered.

"These many people are right." Afterimage dragged Ye Xuan to the door of the teahouse. "You wait here."

The teahouse is separated by a fence, so it's not too crowded. After Afterimage entered, he found that the seats were full but the storyteller hadn't arrived yet, and he felt even more hopeful. The main hall is divided into two areas. There are more than a dozen square tables facing the small stage. The people sitting at the tables seem to be people who are not short of money. There are two rows of benches next to the wall where the view is poor. People sitting on the benches can only hold their own tea bowls, which is obviously a seat with a lower tea price. No one was standing inside the house, and those who came outside were just casual visitors.

Ye Xuan was half a head taller than an ordinary man. He looked at the afterimage with his feet on his toes. He saw her half-crouching and half-kneeling, talking to a man in plain clothes. After a while, she stuffed something into the man's hand. The man then stood up and left. , to make room for the afterimage. Afterimage stood on the bench and waved Ye Xuan over. Ye Xuan shook his head helplessly and admiringly, pushed through the crowd and squeezed into the house.

Afterimage only moved to an empty seat, pulled Ye Xuan to sit down, and sat on his lap nonchalantly. A scholar-looking person next to him glanced at him. The afterimage looked up at him, and the scholar lowered his head.

Not long after, there was a small commotion outside the door. A man wearing a gray robe and a half-inch beard walked in from the outside and greeted the tea guests sitting at the square table, appearing very familiar.

A long table and tea had been prepared for him on the small stage. The storyteller took a sip of tea, chatted casually with the tea guests, and then started speaking. He didn't hold a fan like other storytellers, and he didn't take pictures of "awakening wood". He just sat behind the long table and opened his mouth to speak.

"A few days ago, I told you about 'The Dream of Earthly Destiny'. I received your love and patience and listened to me every day. Although 'The Dream of Earthly Destiny' is lively, it is a made-up story after all. Today, we will tell you These things are true. You have probably heard of those things before. Some may be similar or very different, and you have even heard countless stories. Let’s see if I can come up with some new ideas. Let’s start with the rise and fall of the ‘Great Liang Empire’ Speaking of."

Listening to the story, some of the tea drinkers sitting on the benches looked disappointed. The storyteller remained unmoved and continued: "Nowadays, when we talk about 'Empire', we are of course referring to the 'Great Liang Empire'. But before the 'Liang Empire', the world... was not always as homogeneous as it is today. .

Before "Liang", "Tianhe North and South" were governed by an empire named "Shun". It was an empire purely established by "Central Plains people", and the "grassland" was not included in the territory. The last emperor of the Shun Empire was named ‘Pu Yu’, and he could be regarded as a master of great talent and strategy. He hopes to completely eliminate border troubles during his term of office. Dedicate one day's efforts to create peace for all ages.

So the whole country recruited soldiers and civilians, and it took hundreds of years to build the "Great Border Wall" stretching thousands of miles along the land in the north where "little rain is difficult to cultivate". This Great Wall blocked the intrusion of the "Prairie Cavalry" and allowed "Shun Emperor" to monopolize the trade between the "Central Plains" and the "Prairie". However, it was unexpected that this situation of "a small hole in the border of thousands of miles" actually laid a huge foundation for the Shun Empire.

The exchange of "silk and ironware" and "horses, cattle and sheep" was originally the most common border trade between the "Central Plains" and the "Grassland". After the Great Wall was erected, all the cattle and horses of the grassland people were left with only one buyer, 'Shun Di'; when the Central Plains people wanted to sell their silk and iron to the grasslands, there was only one buyer left with 'Shun Di'. The ancients called this situation "sitting in the market".

The Central Plains was originally unified. After the empire was "established on the market", apart from lowering prices, nothing much changed. On the other side of the grassland, everything was turned upside down. "

At this point, the storyteller deliberately stopped and took a very slow sip of tea, holding it in his mouth for a long time without swallowing. Finally, he waited until someone couldn't help but ask: "What happened over there on the grassland?" Then he swallowed the tea. , solemnly said: "The Mohe Empire descended from the sky!"

The stone was dropped, causing a rustling murmur. Half of the tea drinkers in the audience had heard of the name "Mohe Empire", but only once.

"Although 'prairie herdsmen' have plundered 'Central Plains farmers' for thousands of years, the 'Shun Empire' has continued for thousands of years since the founding of the People's Republic of China. The grasslands bring endless troubles, but they are not fatal. Among them, the most The fundamental reason is that the grassland people are not united.

The people of the Central Plains invaded and attacked each other, often gathering tens of thousands of people, while the people of the grasslands were mostly small tribes of ten to dozens of people, and hundreds of horses were already large armies. I thought it was because the prairie people had unruly nature and were difficult to restrain. Later I realized that it was because the shepherds lived in pursuit of water and grass, and their whereabouts were unpredictable, making it difficult to collect taxes!

By the time 'Emperor Shun' and his 'cabinet' finally figured this out, it was too late. Since there was only one buyer of cattle and horses in the entire grassland, 'Shun Emperor' for many years, several huge 'cattle and horse business groups' gradually emerged on the grassland. After all, 'Shun Emperor' could not directly trade with every herdsman. To do things conveniently, someone needs to be gathered around.

In the end, the genius Wolf King ‘Beard’ managed to annex six major business groups within a few years and became the only person in the entire grassland with the authority to trade with ‘Shun Emperor’. At this point, the prairie people finally discovered the secret that could unite themselves internally.

The farmers of the Central Plains support an empire from bottom to top;

The royal tent of the grassland is covered by thousands of herdsmen from top to bottom.

Wolf King ‘Beard’ knew very well that the ‘Great Border Wall’ was the most important tool for him to unify the grasslands. It could even be said that it was Emperor Shun ‘Pu Yu’ who gathered the power of all the original people to help him ascend to the throne. "

The tea guests in the audience finally let out the incredible sigh that the storyteller expected. This idea is really bizarre. Everyone knows that the "Great Border Wall" that is now in ruins was originally built to resist the prairie cavalry. Nowadays, the prairie Qingqi are intruding in the north again, and many people are looking forward to restoring the glory and tranquility of the empire. This storyteller said that the "Great Wall" was the root of the grassland people's rise. It’s really whimsical and nonsense!

"So later on, the 'Liang Empire' clearly unified the whole territory, but spent a lot of money to repair the Great Wall. Is this also for this?" Afterimage asked amidst the noise.

The storyteller looked at the afterimage in surprise. He noticed her when he entered the house and looked at her with displeasure. He thought to himself that this girl was so angry with Meng Lang. She was sitting on the man's lap in full view of everyone, but she was not ashamed at all. At this moment, I saw the afterimage's words hit the mark, almost breaking the burden behind him, and I felt an indescribable feeling in my heart. I don't know whether to introduce her as a confidant or lament the declining world. How could this woman, who had clearly read books, be so disrespectful and disrespectful?

The storyteller finally ignored Afterimage's words and continued with a louder voice: "With the huge surplus from trade, 'Beard' has raised nearly one hundred thousand Qingqi under his command. However, the ambition of the Wolf King does not end there. He has monopolized 'trade'. ', can make ten 'ten thousand troops' follow suit, what if they monopolize 'robbery'?

The Wolf King's cavalry tore through the Great Wall and also tore apart Emperor Shun's border troops. With the "war profits" gained from plunder and the "tribute" that the Shun Empire was forced to pay, hundreds of thousands of "Qingqi" were raised on the vast sea of ​​grass. During the period of complete victory, there were even more than 10,000 "iron-armored heavy cavalry" dedicated to dealing with "Central Plains infantry".

Many grassland herdsmen are good at riding and shooting. The hundreds of thousands of "light cavalry" were originally "soldiers and civilians". They whipped their whips to herd in their spare time, and drew their bows and arrows in war. But these 'heavy cavalry' are all warriors specializing in fighting. After years of tempering, one can wear the "full armor made of fine iron".

The ‘heavy ride’ is extremely heavy, and even more expensive. A knight needs to be attended by someone to put on and take off his armor. Such a luxurious iron cavalry that is armed to the teeth, but all it uses is the money of the "Shun Empire". "Empty the national treasury and support the enemy country so that the other party can extort and rob you more arrogantly in the future." One can imagine the resentment in the heart of Emperor Shun "Pu Yu". Later, 'Pu Yu' fell ill before he could grow old. However, what really wiped out the 'Shun Empire' in the end was not the Wolf King 'Beard', but a 'locust plague' that swept across the entire territory! "

The word "locust plague" came to mind, and the tea guests present were horrified and moved. In this era, the meaning of "locust plague" is no longer as simple as "locust plague".

"It is said that the 'locust plague' started in the depths of the desert. It has been going on for many years. The specific source is no longer known. In short, it must have originated from 'north of the north'. Before the collapse of the 'Shun Empire', it was earlier affected by this 'locust plague' What was torn to pieces was the Wolf King's 'Mohe Empire'.

Regarding the locust plague, there are different opinions among unofficial historians. What remains of the official history is only a short eight-character story - covering the sky and blocking out the sun, and not even a blade of grass can grow.

Some unofficial histories say that the wolf king "Beard" starved to death because he refused to eat his own guards. These rumors may not be true, and the tyrannical Wolf King ‘Beard’ will definitely not sit still and wait for death. Leading his troops south to plunder the Central Plains was what he did.

Sigh... I wish I could know what happened next. Under the locust plague, what exactly did Wolf King ‘Beard’ do? Did Shun Emperor ‘Pu Yu’ die of illness, starvation, or was he eaten by his personal eunuch as rumored? There is no clue at all, not to mention official history or unofficial history, not even a decent ballad. After the locust plague came, for nearly thirty years, historical data were almost extinct. "When the storyteller reaches this point, his words are extremely sad.

"Information cut off is also intelligence." Afterimage interjected again.

"Not bad!" This time the storyteller cast an approving look at the afterimage. He originally wanted to chat with her, but looking at her wild appearance, he really didn't know whether to call her "Madam" or "Miss", let alone Like a rude warrior, he calls a woman "girl". After hesitating for a long time, he finally gave up.

"Historical data are blank, which is the most important historical data. There are no words left, which means that those who can write, would like to write, all starve to death. Or, all the paper and bamboo pieces have been eaten up. What is left today Records about the "Shun Empire" are mostly based on inscriptions and armor tablets. It seems that in addition to the "paper-making technology was poor and the paper was not easy to preserve" at that time, the paper can satisfy the hunger, which is also a very important reason. As for parchment paper, kraft paper and so on , let alone that.

It was nearly thirty years later that historical materials appeared sporadicly and became increasingly dense. Since the records of the locust plague at the end of Shun Dynasty, the most recent historical data related to it appeared in the city of Feng. It is now the largest ‘Fenglin City’ in the south.

The north is ‘Cang, Liang, Luo’, and the south is ‘Feng, Pei, Yu’. Among the six "single-character cities" of the "Liang Empire", only "Fengcheng" had become a phenomenon before the Great Liang swept across Liuhe.

The reason is not difficult to guess. If there is any place that the 'locust plague' cannot cover, it is the 'frozen soil' and the 'sea of ​​silence'. Many people have survived by eating fish, and they must have gained a lot of weight. But, alas... in the entire southern land, there were only a few shoals that could reach the sea. What a scene that "Fengcheng" must have been like at that time. "

The storyteller was stunned for a long time, and seemed to have spent some effort before withdrawing his thoughts from the scene of "people flocking to the seaside like locusts, and biting each other like a swarm of ants."

"That locust plague was the largest in recorded history, and the only one that spread to the south of the Tianhe River. The fertile fields and mountains were completely devoid of vegetation. In later history books, some say that the number of survivors is less than one in a thousand, and some say less than one in ten thousand. The specific situation cannot be determined, but some clues can be seen from the rise of the 'Liang Empire'.

In the "Daxue Mountain" north of today's "Liangcheng", there was a clan called the "Rama people" who made a living by hunting and occasionally exchanged some supplies with the "cultivators". It was freezing cold in that place, and it was sheltered by the continuous high mountain walls. It seemed that it had not been invaded by the locust plague, but there were no "farmers" running into the snow-capped mountains, and everyone knew that it was not a place where people could live.

Later, in order to find "cultivators" who could exchange iron tools, the "Rama people" walked out of the snow-capped mountains and traveled farther and farther. The Central Plains, grasslands, and fertile fields are uninhabited for thousands of miles, but the "Rama people" have taken over the world at their fingertips.

The Rama tribe has less than ten thousand people. There are thousands of cities and towns in the Central Plains. How did the Rama conquer the world without a single blow? I'm afraid most cities just open their doors and give them away for free. At least that's the case in the North. "

Hearing this, the afterimage leaned back and whispered to Ye Xuan: "If one day, less than one insect in a thousand dies in this world, I'm afraid that in less than a year, the surviving ones will be able to fill up the bushes. Seriously As you said, 'People are worse than dogs, and dogs are worse than worms'."

The storyteller finished his private talk while looking at the afterimage, and then continued: "While the Rama people were picking up the 'Northland' and the 'Grassland', south of the Tianhe River, some indigenous 'cultivators' from the Middle Earth gradually gathered. , formed a small force that could compete with the "Rama people". At that time, the whole world was in ruins, and both the north and the south had endless fields and endless mountains and forests. No one on the two sides was interested in attacking each other. , so it was a matter of course to divide the river and govern it for more than a thousand years.

The Rama people originally only had a given name and no surname. Later, all members took "Rama" as their surname, and the country was named "Liang". Today's 'Liangcheng' is the first capital of the 'Liang Empire'. The founding emperor of the Liang Empire was Ku, the chief of the original Rama tribe. Later, the surname of Rama was Rama Ku, the great ancestor of Liang. Later generations also called him the "Bitter Emperor".

The ‘Bitter Emperor’ knew very well that Rama’s success in the world depended on chance, and his foundation was extremely illusory. Therefore, the surviving "Central Plains scribes" and "prairie nobles" were hired as emperor's teachers, and every time they received instruction, they actually performed the ritual of kowtow. "When the storyteller talked about this, his face showed a look of fascination.

"The scribe of the Central Plains was named 'An Shi', and his official title was 'Da Situ', who was in charge of internal affairs; the grassland nobleman was named 'Jin Tuo', and his official title was 'Da Sima', and he was in charge of military affairs. The two princes have the same positions as ministers. When he dies and goes to sleep, his descendants will be in the shadow for generations, and there will be many generals and prime ministers.

Emperor Ku followed the advice of "Anshi" and understood the principle that "the imperial capital cannot be left alone" and moved the capital to "Cangcheng", which is Cangcheng where the "Wu twins" are now stationed. Later, he followed the meaning of "Jintuo" and spent a lot of money to repair the defects of the Great Wall, monopolizing the trade between the "Central Plains" and the "Grassland".

At this time, the Central Plains and the grasslands were all in the hands of the "Ku Emperor". Compared with the embarrassing situation at the end of the "Shun Empire", the iron and horse trade under the "Ku Emperor" was truly a "profitable hole"!

'Jintuo' once served the wolf king 'Beard' in the 'Prairie King's Tent', and he knew the art of controlling the grassland well, and guided Emperor Ku to master the art of 'using the prairie cavalry as swords to hijack the Central Plains; using the Central Plains' wealth and silk as bait, The power of "gathering cavalry" created a peaceful and prosperous era in which "farmers" and "herdsmen" did not interact with each other for eight thousand years and did not engage in war. "In the storyteller's opinion, "Age of Empires" is undoubtedly a better era, and he makes no secret of it.

"When the fifth emperor of the 'Liang Empire', Ramayuan, came to power, he also included all the fertility 'south of the Tianhe' into the territory. The 'Great Liang Empire' reached the frozen soil in the north and the Mohai in the south." The whole picture is finally revealed. At this point, every inch of the entire world, except the 'Western Region', belongs to Rama.

As for the "Western Kingdoms" that are almost in another world across the "Xiaoyun Mountains", the Liang Empire has never and cannot send troops to conquer them. But at the end of the empire, small groups of caravans gradually crossed the cannibal mountains and brought back the ‘luminous stones’ and ‘dream mushrooms’ from the Western Regions.

In the 8522nd year of the 'Imperial Era', the envoys of the 'Liang Empire' brought back the joint credentials of the 'Nine Kingdoms' of the Western Regions, worshiping the Emperor of Great Liang 'Ramaban' as the co-lord of the world. However, this matter was just a joke. According to what the later camel merchant said, ‘Bandei’ might have asked the envoy to deceive him. The Western Region has rugged mountains, numerous city-states, and thousands of small countries that govern their own affairs. There is no such thing as "nine kingdoms." Haha... Even if the credential is true, it is the last ray of light for the Great Liang Empire. "

At this point, the storyteller looked lonely and sighed for the "empire" he had never seen before. After a while, another trace of ridicule appeared on his face.

"What happened next is really ridiculous to talk about. At that time, in the Cangdu Imperial Palace, a concubine who fell out of favor began to have an affair with the young eunuch who had served him for many years. It was an ordinary thing to be under deep palace confinement. But the little eunuch found an ancient book somewhere, which said, 'As long as you focus your thoughts on the broken place without any distractions, and keep imagining that heat will rise from your body, the stump can be restored.' The little eunuch believed the book. Talk nonsense, meditate and practice asceticism all day long.

Alas... that little eunuch is really a stubborn person. After decades of fruitless efforts, his obsession has not diminished at all. Finally one day, what he wanted didn't grow, but he developed 'Qi'. "This story has been heard by all the tea guests. The storyteller told it vividly and made the whole audience laugh.

"Nowadays, this method of 'qi training' is no longer a secret. It is just 'concentrate on the Dantian of the lower abdomen and imagine the true Qi emerging'. The stump is very close to the 'Dantian', so he got it right." A nonsense ancient book, a wishful thinking eunuch, this coincidence, turned Hao Duan's life upside down!

After the little eunuch developed his 'Zhen Qi', he climbed high and low, climbed over eaves and walls, and actually stole the imperial concubine out of the palace on a rainy night. The 'Qi training method' also flowed into the people with the escape of the young eunuch. Although the logic is not entirely correct, it can still be achieved. It's just that the first group of 'qi practitioners' were deceived by him and suffered terribly.

It is now known that less than one out of ten people in this world can practice true qi, and it has nothing to do with "having roots but not having roots". The warriors at that time did not think so, and countless people cut off their roots. As the saying goes, 'If you want to practice magical skills, wield your sword from the palace. "

Amidst the laughter, Afterimage interjected again: "Anyone who has developed true energy, regardless of gender, is infertile, which is no different from being castrated." As soon as these words came out, the whole audience was in awe. Two people who seemed to have martial arts skills glared at the afterimage. "Shut up." Ye Xuan scolded in a low voice.

The storyteller ridiculed the ancient qi practitioners, but did not want to offend the current warriors, nor did he want the woman to be embarrassed, so he hurriedly raised his tone and brought everyone back to the story: "For more than a hundred years, strong men appeared everywhere in the north and south of Tianhe. The higher-ranking Qi Practitioners can no longer be restrained by ordinary officers and soldiers, and the imperial military has to worship 'Qi Practitioners' as generals. But this will only make the empire collapse faster.

Generals who practice qi, whether they are recruited from the civilian population or selected from self-employment, are unable to be restrained by 'military law'. If you want to behead someone, even if you hit someone with a military stick, someone must hold the victim down. Those who practice qi will kill officials if they disagree. If we look for a stronger 'qi practitioner' to be the leader of the generals, then higher-ranking officials above him will encounter the same thing. trouble.

You can't expect the emperor himself to be the strongest warrior in the world, right? Even if the emperor himself really became the best in the world in martial arts, the empire would still be destined to collapse. Just like today's gang leaders and leaders, they are actually unable to truly restrain their gang leaders and disciples. In this era where 'personal force' is the priority, there is actually no one to choose from or replace those in the upper position. "

Hearing this, Ye Xuanshi pinched the tip of Remnant's buttocks with his secret hand, just enough to keep her from screaming. Afterimage turned around and made an angry face, but he didn't seem to be really angry. He then smiled and whispered, "If you have no one to replace you with, you have to treat me better."

Ye Xuan said softly: "Stop talking nonsense, can you find a better place?"

The storyteller took a breath and continued: "There are more and more strong men in the world, and the troubles they cause are getting bigger and bigger. At first, only one city and one county lost control, but later... the emperor's orders gradually failed to be delivered to the south of Tianhe.

The Imperial Privy Council privately refers to those disobedient people as "disasters"... who can no longer be simply regarded as thieves. The most common disasters in the 'Grassland' are black disasters and white disasters; while the most common disasters in the 'Central Plains' are fires, floods and droughts.

Fierce fires can burn a city; floods can flood several counties; droughts can be so terrifying that in severe cases, the grain production in the north can be reduced by half. If disaster relief is not enough, there will be widespread displacement. Therefore, the upper echelons of the military gave the name of "drought" to the most vicious warriors. This term was originally a derogatory term, but it was very popular among warriors, so it is still used today.

With the fall of the south, the empire lost its financial resources. At the same time, it wanted to raise more "steppe cavalry" to deal with the chaos, which caused a sudden increase in taxes in the north and aroused the hatred of ordinary farmers and merchants. Sigh... In fact, there are more cavalry, so what? Facing high-level warriors, the cumbersome army cannot form a joint force at all. This is just a battle between the trapped beasts of ‘Madara’. "When talking about this, the storyteller looked in a dilemma, as if he had been brought into the situation of "Ramapan" back then.

“Just when ‘Madara’ was at a loss, another major event happened that shocked the world, and later generations called it the ‘death knell of the empire’.

A warrior named 'Anxiu' entered the imperial palace from the main entrance with one man and one sword on a stormy night. Three thousand iron guards could not stop him. I don’t know whether it was the emperor’s dignity, or ‘An Xiu’ was too quick to react, or maybe he was despairing and giving up on himself. In short, ‘Madame’ did not escape and was nailed to death on the dragon bed with a long sword.

The next day, the Forbidden Army cleaned up the corpses and found four guards who had entered the 'Drought Realm' level, all dead outside the 'Bandei' palace. There was only one wound on each person's body, either piercing the heart, piercing the brain, or sealing the throat. One of them was cut off at the waist. After this battle, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty no longer cared about avoiding the venerable taboo, and openly denounced the man named 'An Xiu' as a 'locust plague'! "

This story is very familiar to all the tea guests in the audience, but when they heard the storyteller utter the word "locust plague" with full of sadness, they still couldn't help but feel horrified and moved.

"It is said that 'An Xiu' is a direct descendant of 'An Shi', an important minister who assisted the 'Ku Emperor' in founding the country. If this is true, it is really sad and deplorable! 'Bandi Emperor' was assassinated and the three successors succeeded him. All of them died unexpectedly less than a year after ascending the throne. The last emperor of the empire, Ramahuan, issued an edict to the world and demoted himself to the title of "Lord of Cangcheng City". This year, the "Liang Empire" was 8,700 years old. One year is also known as the "first year of disaster" by later generations.

At that time, warriors were all proud of hunting down the royal family. Emperor Huan was also massacred shortly after he demoted himself, forcing the Rama people to hide their surnames and scatter in exile. After Rama took over the world, he "had no intermarriage" with foreigners. Only children born to "Rama people" and "Rama people" could inherit the title and family property. Therefore, after more than 8,000 years, there were not many direct descendants of the ‘Rama people’.

It is said that one group entered the grassland, one went to the Western Regions with the caravan, one group scattered in the south, and another group returned to the snow-capped mountains. I'm afraid that the story of returning to the snowy mountains is not credible. Firstly, after enjoying more than 8,000 years of luxury, the ability to survive in the depths of the snow-capped mountains has long been lost; secondly, since the middle period of the empire, when doctors discovered the effectiveness of 'snow ginseng', the 'Snow Mountain' has long been no longer clean. land.

After the empire collapsed, the warriors of the Central Plains attacked each other. The grassland herders were also leaderless, following the weak points, tearing apart the unmaintained Great Wall section by section, and committing plunder. In a short period of time, the people are struggling to survive. "The storyteller raised his head, drank all the cold tea in the cup, and chewed a few green leaves in his mouth.

Upon seeing this, Dr. Tea quickly served him some hot tea. The storyteller nodded and continued: "The warriors at that time didn't know what they were trying to do. They had no grievances and no grudges, so they would find people to compete with for no reason. There was only 'Anxiu', and there were not even a thousand souls who died under the sword. 100. In the eyes of the warriors of that generation, dying under the sword of 'Anxiu' seemed to be an honor.

One hundred years after the 'Era of Disaster', a swordsman named 'Xiao Yin' made an appointment with 'An Xiu' to fight to the death on the 'Glacier'. That was the first duel between the 'Locust Plague' and the 'Locust Plague', known in history as the 'Battle of the Glacier'.

You should know that the "glacier" is located between the "grassland" and the "frozen soil" and is not frozen for at least two months every year. In the "frozen soil" north of the "glacier", let alone farming, it is impossible to even graze and feed cattle and horses. When Xiao and An made an appointment to fight, it was the middle of winter, the season when the "glacier" was most frozen.

Their white clothes are as white as snow, and their swords are as thin as frost. The bright sun is high in the sky, but it is like a ghost emerging from under the solid ice, moving silently and leaving no trace of the sword's passing. Only occasionally, a pleasant sound like a spring could be heard reaching the ears of those watching the battle.

Those who were lucky enough to witness this duel were extraordinary people. ‘Anxiu’ was surly by nature and threatened that if there were more than nine people watching, he would kill them until only nine people were left. Therefore, countless powerful people were killed by their companions on the way to the Glacier.

According to witnesses who witnessed this battle, those standing nearby could not feel the sword energy piercing the air at all. As he pricked and slashed, not even a trace of debris appeared on the ice beneath his feet. Every move is a battle for every detail. Not a trace of true energy was squandered, and there was not even an inch of room to turn around.

In the end, it was 'An Xiu's' white shirt that slowly oozed red.

'Anxiu' held the long sword in his right hand and lay down on the vertical ice. The wound was quickly frozen by the cold. 'Xiao Yin' crouched next to 'An Xiu' and lightly pressed his left palm on his chest. After a while, cracks appeared on the ice with a dull crispness. The crack spread farther and farther like a snake, forcing those watching the battle to retreat.

There was a sudden sound of 'Kra', and the ice beneath 'An Xiu' shattered during 'Xiao Yin''s last puff of energy. The two wielded swords and fell into the river in an instant.

That was the last battle of 'An Xiu', and it was also the only legend left by 'Xiao Yin' in this world. Unlike 'An Xiu', 'Xiao Yin' was like a flash in the pan during those bloody years.

No one knows why 'An Xiu' made an appointment with an unknown person to fight in a distant glacier. No one knows the origin, origin, and training of 'Xiao Yin', and no one knows where 'Xiao Yin' went after that. Still alive. "For the first time, admiration for the martial artist showed in the storyteller's eyes.

"After the ice shattered, one of the onlookers jumped into the bone-chilling glacier following 'Xiao and An'. This was also a crazy person. He wanted to pick up 'An Xiu's' sword. After a long time , the man emerged from the water, holding two long swords in his right hand. 'Xiao Yin' also abandoned his sword at the bottom of the river. The idiot who jumped into the river to pick up the sword was named 'Gu Changqing'."

Hearing the name "Gu Changqing", all the tea guests were in a low mood. Only the two warriors who had just stared at the afterimage nodded secretly. Everyone knows about the Battle of the Glacier. What happened next, but few people know.

"Yes, it's the owner of 'Sword Lake Villa', Gu Changqing." The storyteller confirmed as he glanced at the surprised people.

"After the 'Battle of Glacier', the martial arts became even more popular. In the beginning, they competed with each other, and then many people were killed, which can be described as bloody. In the following two hundred years, four people rose up in the world and were recognized as the 'Locusts'. A warrior in the realm. One of them was killed by 'Gu Changqing'. The other two, one died and the other was injured in the duel, and the injured was hunted to death by the mob.

Below the 'Locust Disaster', the strong men in the 'Drought Realm' and 'Water Realm' were almost wiped out. You must know that it takes dozens of years to achieve success in Qi training. At that time, warriors fought too fiercely and died too quickly. There was no time to replace the old and the new, and the world gradually became deserted.

At the same time, a group of strong men who were hiding in the dark and not seeking fame emerged from the water and began to carve up the land and cities. Since then, the north and south of the Tianhe River have finally entered a more peaceful period. Ordinary people finally have a rough idea of ​​who they should pay taxes to and who they should receive protection from.

That period of chaos was known as the "Heart Sword Season" by the warriors. In the years since then, the warriors have become more practical and used force for profit, which is called the "Power Sword Season". To be honest with you, in the eyes of ordinary people like me, the "Quan Jian Ji" of Fei Ying Gou Gou is much more cute. "While saying this, the storyteller looked at the two tea guests who were practicing martial arts with a smile.

"Hehehe, all the people who have been looking forward to dueling with others have been beaten to death, leaving only those who want to make money." One of the tea guests who looked like a warrior said with a smile. The word "bowls" is a slang term for escorts. It seems that this person is an escort.

"'Gu Changqing', as the largest remnant of the 'Heart Sword Season' and the only 'locust' in the martial arts at that time, issued an order as the leader of the alliance: 'If there is no blood feud, do not fight between life and death. I will personally kill anyone who harms fellow martial artists for no reason. Punish him.'

As soon as this order was issued, the world was shocked. Everyone thought that in this chaotic world, there was finally someone who could speak out. Later I realized that ‘Mr. Gu’ was just talking casually. With the sonorous words still lingering, 'Mr. Gu' sealed his sword and retired to seclusion by the 'Jinghu Lake'. Since then, he has not interfered with anything in the world for hundreds of years.

Those who came to ask for war were ignored. Anyone who broke into his residence was killed by his disciples. 'Mr. Gu' is really good at what he does. The seven disciples under him are all strong men in the 'drought realm', but they never compete with others or fight alone. If anyone refuses to be dissuaded, all seven of them will attack and the person who is beaten will either die or be maimed. As time passed, no one dared to come to pick a fight anymore.

To this day, the warriors have a deeper reason for not provoking 'Mr. Gu' besides being in awe. "All the tea guests knew the reason, and they were all caught up in the storyteller's story, looking forward to him continuing to tell it.

"'Mr. Gu' is probably more than 700 years old now. The warriors of the 'Drought Realm' in the Imperial Era who did not die from the 'Heart Sword Season' all started to 'age' at around 500 years old, and' Mr. Gu, as the oldest warrior in the world, is still in his prime. Everyone wants to know how many years Locust can live. Who dares to touch Mr. Gu at this time, let alone him? Disciple, the remaining locusts cannot agree.

After "Mr. Gu" retired to seclusion, he enjoyed making swords. Now "Jianhu Villa" is the largest "army workshop" in the world. ‘Mr. Gu’ became ‘Boss Gu’, which can be regarded as hiding from the world. Speaking of ‘Jianhu Villa’, that’s another story.

It is said that when 'Mr. Gu' retired to seclusion, he sank the swords of 'Xiao Yin and An Xiu' at the bottom of 'Jing Lake'. I don't know whether this is true or not. Even if it is true, given the size of the 'Mirror Lake', even if you dive to the bottom of the lake and fish for hundreds of years, you still won't be able to fish it out. Later, more and more warriors who admired 'Mr. Gu', or were fascinated by the two seniors 'Xiao and An', took a lonely boat to bury their personal weapons in the middle of the lake when they sealed their swords or grew old.

Over time, ‘Jing Lake’ was also called ‘Sword Lake’ by the warriors. ‘Mr. Gu’s’ nameless sword furnace also had the name ‘Sword Lake Villa’. Although it is called a villa, in fact, the bank of Jianhu Lake is a flat plain, and it is difficult to find a mound. "

The tea in the cup was no longer hot, and the storyteller took a sip and continued: "When it comes to the skill of making swords, 'Mr. Gu' is also amazingly talented. Over the years, there are no less than a hundred weapons made by his own hands. Each piece released to the world can be exchanged for tens of thousands of silver taels, and some can even be sold for tens of thousands of taels.

There are even a large number of workshops that can make a living just by imitating the fake products of 'Jianhuzhuang'. What’s even more surprising is that the largest counterfeiting workshop in the north is located in ‘Jingyue City’ not far from ‘Jianhu Village’. 'Mr. Gu' was neither angry nor angry, but rather approving, saying, 'The more fake things are, the more expensive the real ones are.'

Although 'Mr. Gu' does not care about Jianghu affairs, he has high expectations for 'Jianhu Villa'. It is said that he once made great wishes:

I hope that all the strong men in the world will die with the weapons I forged myself;

I hope that those who are still alive will wield the weapons I forged myself;

Those who expect to die will be buried in the heart of the sword lake!

There is a saying: The divine weapons in the world come from the Sword Lake and return to the Sword Lake.

Of the three ambitions of 'Mr. Gu', the last two are promising, but the first one may be difficult. Today's world is like 'the more strong men there are, the less fighting there is; the nine locusts stand side by side, and each is safe. ’”

The storyteller drank the tea in the cup, put the tea cup heavily on the table, and said seriously: "Gentlemen, the tea is gone and the book is finished. That's it for today." After saying this, he stood up and bowed to everyone. The sound in the audience was not thunderous, but it lasted for a long time.

The scene gradually dispersed, and the afterimage came close to the storyteller. Without saying hello, he simply said: "You can tell it better than anyone else."

The storyteller smiled and said, "I am a teacher. I have many children at home, so I can supplement my income by storytelling in my spare time."

Afterimage only exchanged greetings, without asking the other party's name, and went straight to the topic: "This is so wonderful. Sir, would you like to give lectures at 'Qingxuan Academy'?"

The storyteller was surprised and asked: "Where?" Actually, he wanted to hear again whether the other party was talking about 'Qingxuan' or 'Xuanqing'.

"Kurong City, Qingxuan Academy." Afterimage politely placed the emphasis on the word "Academy".

The storyteller was excited, but also secretly afraid. She thought that the other party could decide who could teach at "Qingxuan Academy", and her status must not be simple. Fortunately, she didn't show any disgust or contempt towards her just now.

Thinking of the name of "Qingxuan Academy", I felt humbled despite being honored, and said humbly: "Everyone teaches at Qingxuan Academy. How dare I show off my little ink? If the children of 'Xuanqing Academy' lack Sir, I can give a lecture during the 'farming holiday', since the children of 'Xuanqing Academy' don't have a holiday anyway, right?"

Hearing this, the afterimage smiled and said: "Then it's settled. During the next year's farming holiday, Xuanqing Academy will leave enough class time for you, and you won't regret it. I will give lectures at Qingxuan Academy again. I'll pester you." After saying this, he handed the storyteller a very frivolous little bronze medal: "After you arrive at Kurong City, you can go to the Mowen Tower to find me. I will arrange accommodation for you then. As for the reward for this lecture , even if you don’t talk about it, I will give it to you myself, and I won’t let you, sir.”

To give lectures at "Qingxuan Academy", the storyteller naturally wanted to do it, but the scholar was too shy to accept it. He was extremely happy when he heard the afterimage saying "I will pester you again". After taking the bronze medal and seeing the word "Mo Wen" engraved on the front, I was shocked to realize where the "Mo Wen Tower" she just mentioned was, and immediately asked in horror: "My surname is Miao, and I don't dare to give it a single name." Please tell me your surname."

"My name is Chan Ying. I grew up in the 'Xuan Qing Academy'. Now I occasionally give lectures. I can barely be considered a half-sister. I will ask Master Miao to teach you more in the future. I will also attend your classes when I am free." Miao Fu felt something strange after receiving the bronze medal. He was even more stunned when he heard the word "afterimage", and he couldn't hear all the words that followed. The praise of "Xuanqing Academy" from good people, the admiration of "Qingxuan Academy" from scholars, the inferiority and resentment of scholars when faced with warriors, and the involuntary flattery and embarrassment when seeing important people all flowed out at once.

The afterimage is not very old, and has been read by countless people. She didn't show any contempt towards him for being so rude. Instead, she gave him a considerate bow and said, "I have something to do at home today. Xiaoying will take my leave first. I'm waiting for Mr. Miao in 'Kurong City'. See you there."

Miao Fu hurriedly bowed to return the gift and responded: "Before the plowing holiday, the bookmaker will be here. See you there or not."

After the afterimage left, Miao Fu took the bronze medal and looked at it carefully. He found that on the back of the bronze medal, there was a smiling face, which looked very funny. Miao Fu looked at the smiling face, but couldn't smile.

He wanted to give lectures at the academy, but he didn't want to know the afterimage.