Konoha Aogen

Chapter 56: Gu Changqing

"They were coming, did you know in advance?" Gu Changqing asked Ye Xuan angrily in the inner garden of Linyuan.

Ye Xuan didn't know whether he was referring to Xu Fei and Shangguan, or their four sons-in-law. No matter what, the answer is the same: "I didn't know when I invited you, and I found out later, so it's not true."

"Huh, didn't you plan it?" Gu Changqing was still unconvinced and dissatisfied.

"Yes, and no. Er Wu begged me, and I didn't refuse." Ye Xuan didn't plan to reveal too many details to him.

"Mo Nansun" was still sitting next to his master, but his eyes lacked the sparkle of yesterday. "Gu Changqing" began to rub the ends of her hair with his fingers again, which seemed to be a habit he had developed over the years. "How many benefits have you received?"

"'Sit beside me and stand aside' is what you promised me. 'I will lend you the dark water to see' is what I promised you. Now that you have fulfilled your promise, I will fulfill mine."

Ye Xuan was not sure whether he should feel sorry for "Gu Changqing". When he invited him, he really didn't think of using his prestige to cause today's locust war. He originally kept a distance from the Wu brothers who were "harmless to humans and animals". But he had to admit that he did take advantage of him later.

However, the matter was not planned by him in advance, but "Er Wu" took the initiative to find it. "Gu Changqing" did not ask in advance who the guests besides him were, let alone who he could and could not have. Today, he did not do anything extra. He was still just "sitting by and watching."

Ye Xuan found that after comforting himself in this way, he still felt guilty when facing Gu Changqing. But he really wasn't used to it and didn't like the three interrogation-like questionings in a row.

Hearing the word "dark water", Gu Changqing, who was staring at Ye Xuan opposite him, moved one of his eyes to the black-sheathed sword in Mu Qing'er's left hand, and then the other eye followed, and finally his neck followed. Turning, the whole ugly face framed two bright black pupils in the center: "Is that it?"

Mu Qing'er didn't respond, raised her left hand and handed over the long sword. She was rarely angry with Ye Xuan, but this time, she was a little angry. Because she didn't like to touch this sword with anyone other than Ye Xuan.

Gu Changqing took the "Dark Water" and pulled it out as he did when looking at "Xue Zang". He had seen "Snow Zang" before, and this time he was not too surprised by the "unusual heaviness" of the black sword. And this time, he didn't touch his waist obscenely. He only made a sword gesture with his left hand, slowly rubbed it with his fingertips, and pressed it in different places with different strength, feeling the flexibility and toughness of the sword body. .

With a flicker of his gray robe, Gu Changqing left his seat immediately. The "skinny and short" body, dancing lightly with the "long and heavy" soft sword, are not inconsistent at all.

He danced very slowly. Ye Xuan stared at him for a long time, but he couldn't figure out which gap he should use to attack him with his sharp knife. It's not that this "sword circle" is sealed tightly, but that this sword dance is like an "actor making a show", clearly hiding the most dangerous cruelty and cruelty in the world with tenderness.

"Gu Changqing" dances slower and slower, dances slower and slower. Every drop of murderous intent that was being held back but not spit out seemed to be slowly accumulating in the dark sword body, which was as dark as an ancient well. I don't know when it would spurt out!

This is the moment. The long sword slammed into the air toward a half-arm-thick "apricot fir" tree two feet away. The sword's blade buzzed and its tip trembled wildly for a long time.

"Dark Water" is finally silent, and there is even less sound in the field. All the hard skin on one side of the "apricot cedar" peeled off. The meat inside is fine and intact. She is like a delicate girl with her clothes unbuttoned and her beauty half-released, shrinking and graceful in the cold autumn.

"Good sword, good sword." Gu Changqing picked up the steel sheath on the table and put the black sword in very slowly, as if he was reluctant to let it return to confinement.

"Can Senior Sister achieve the skill just now with another thirty years of practice? If 'Dark Water' remains in the hands of 'Gu Changqing', what kind of terrifying situation will he put him in thirty years later? Hmph, maybe It's no different from now. When a genius does something, he reaches his peak from the very beginning." Ye Xuan comforted himself in this way, trying not to let the shock in his heart show up on his face. What surprised Ye Xuan was not only the mastery of that move, but also the fact that he had almost no process of adapting to this "heavy and soft" strange sword.

"The ugly face has been shown, and the sword has also been seen. This deal is considered finished. Nansun will contact you about the purchase of knives and armor for the Yamen soldiers. I will go back now." Gu Changqing was still angry with Ye Xuan, and also Still thinking about that big deal.

A month later, when "Mo Nansun" returned to "Jianhu Villa", he brought two orders of silver. One amount is for the three thousand pairs of high-quality knives and armors of the "Criminal Law Department" yamen soldiers, and the other is for the three corps of "Field, Public Security, and Imperial Guards". All the equipment that has not been worn out much has been replaced with new ones. This is Ye Xuan's small apology to "Boss Gu".

After thinking about the black knives and silver swords "Xu Fei" and "Shangguan Jing" abandoned on the ring for a long time, Ye Xuan insisted on letting the "Wu brothers" take them away. Later, the "Cangcheng Chamber of Commerce" hired bodyguards to return the knives and swords to "Liangcheng".

…………

"Pa!" A slap hit "Yun Qin" Ningzhi hard.

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On the cheek like that: "It's very easy for you to marry that pig-like thing. All you have to do is ask him to pick your mother's wife with a sword!"

"You can't get married. You'll have to settle for being a widow!" After that day, "Yun Qin" was just like "Shangguan Jing", wearing white mourning clothes and never leaving Yun Mansion.

With the family in such a turmoil, Yun Mu could not cure her eldest daughter, and she even directed her resentment towards "Yun Luo". Therefore, "Yunluo" was even more reluctant to go home, and only devoted all his efforts to the "Yunshan League" that he had created and was extremely proud of.

After "Shan Kui" saw "Yun Luo" and "Wu Fu" with a broken arm walking hand in hand, he became even more frantic and sent piles of banknotes from the government to the alliance with his own surname fake. What "Yunluo" never expected was that, apart from the dandies headed by "Shan Kui", those who donated the most money to "Yunshan League" were actually the actresses from various brothels and brothels in the inner city. Especially "Wang Yue Lou", those sisters are so rich!

However, "Qingchen" never donated a penny, and he was as stingy as Ye Xuan. What's even more annoying is "Ghost Moth", she actually took back the 3,000 taels she donated earlier!

It is true that the stars are changing and the state of the world is unpredictable. Nowadays, Yunluo is rich and wealthy.

"If I had known this, I would have donated more then." Gui Mo complained to the residual image more than once: "If I take advantage of the money in the future, I must find a way to disperse some of it. You can't keep it all in my hands, and end up giving someone else some money." Trouble!"

The "Yunshan League" raised more and more money, gave away more and more benefits to others, and became more and more famous. Finally, as Ye Xuan feared, sick people from outside "Kurong City" were attracted.

"Kurong City" is divided into two areas: "inner city and outer city". To enter the "inner city", you need to have a waist card issued by the "City Lord's Mansion". Those who don't have a card can also pay two hundred coins. The gates of the "outer city" have been kept wide open for many years, allowing people to come in and out at any time. (Note: One tael of silver = one thousand Wen)

According to a report by "Geng Siyi" hosted by the "Criminal Law Department": the number of murders, robberies, and thefts in the "Outer City" has tripled in one year. Ye Xuan knew in his heart that he had to find an opportunity to have a good talk with Yun Luo. However, what he was more concerned about right now was another matter.

"Do you want to be...Kurong City Lord?" Ye Xuan and Xue Rang, two gamblers, usually talk in the private room on the third floor of "Qianjin Pavilion". Although the matter to be discussed today was extremely serious, Ye Xuan thought about it several times and still felt that there was no need to deliberately change to a more solemn occasion.

Xue Rang was stunned and responded with dissatisfaction: "Brother Ye, what do you mean? The bank has indeed added two hundred new guards recently. The 'Criminal Law Department' asked us that it was against the rules for not informing us first. The documents are already there. Make up for it. Does this little thing alarm you?"

Ye Xuan waved his hand and chuckled: "When have I ever dealt with such trivial matters?" He wiped away the misunderstanding, and his expression turned serious again: "I want to ask you seriously, do you want to be the Lord of Kurong City?"

Xue Rang stared at Ye Xuan's familiar face for a long time, and finally believed that he was serious: "What are you going to do?"

"I want to sell this city, so I'll ask you what you want first. If our two families can reach an agreement, we won't find anyone else to raise your price. It's not easy for 'Kurong City' to prosper. It has been more than a hundred years, and I have no feelings for this place. I have feelings, but when I don’t want to hand over, rumors will spread and people will panic.”

Compared with Ye Xuan's usual profiteer style, this statement can be described as sincere. Looking north and south of the Tianhe River, there are no more than ten families that can take over this business; only three are willing to take over the business; after taking over, the Xue family may not be the only ones who can run it well, but he still has the most fondness for the Xue family. confidence.

"Why sell it if it's good? After selling it, where will you go?" The incident happened suddenly, and Xue Rang couldn't give an immediate answer. He had too much information to collect.

"Where I'm going is another question." Ye Xuan didn't intend to reveal all his trump cards right away: "As for why I want to sell... the city lord job, I'm a little tired of it. I want to live a different life in the future."

Xue Rang could tell that Ye Xuan didn't want to talk about what happened after selling the city, at least not at this moment, but he still insisted on asking: "Brother Ye, 'Kurong City' is a big city with more than 200,000 people. It's not just handing over the money. It's so simple to deliver the goods with one hand. The tree is big and has deep roots and disconnected roots. It's impossible for me to rashly buy the 'Main City' of the 'Konoha Family' without knowing your whereabouts. It's impossible for anyone."

"That's natural. However, things have to be done step by step, and the cards have to be turned over one by one. I have shown the most critical card - this city is for sale. Now it's your turn: Please first Tell me, are the Xue family interested?"

"You also know that I am the second son of the Xue family, and I have a father and an elder brother. I cannot make arbitrary decisions on such a big matter."

"Well, in the end, 'Boss Xue' will nod in this matter. But in my opinion, your attitude is more important. After all, you are the person in the Xue family who knows 'Kurong City' best. As for 'Xue Qian', I guess he I am happy to see this." It is difficult to say whether Ye Xuan and Xue Rang are friends, but at least among the "allies", the two have a close friendship. Such topics that are difficult to discuss openly are not taboo in private.

Xue Rang smiled bitterly: "It's hard to say. More than half of the semicolon shopkeepers north of Tianhe are my close associates. If the eldest brother wants to control the overall situation, I will

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Staying in the north, I'm afraid... he probably wants me to return to 'Fenglin' ​​and stay with him to help him. "

"Isn't he afraid that once you go back, you won't be able to secure your position as 'Sect Master'? You and I are both businessmen who won't even enter the 'Fortune Temple', so if you have any taboos, just say it directly. 'Boss Xue' Now, I am not young anymore. Most of the money of the Konoha family is stored in Tonghui Bank. I want to have a rough idea of ​​who will take over the Xue family in the future, so that I can feel at ease."

"Brother Ye, please don't be joking. The word 'qian' and 'yield' have been decided as early as the name. The next head of the Xue family will be my eldest brother, there is no other possibility."

"In that case, what are your plans? Do you really want to go back to Fenglin City to be the second shopkeeper?" Ye Xuan said "second shopkeeper" instead of "second boss" intentionally. He wanted to remind Xue Rang, "You go back, It’s nothing.”

Xue Rang didn't want others to see his hesitation and unwillingness, but something happened suddenly and Ye Xuan asked so directly that he didn't know how to answer the question.

Ye Xuan was also in a dilemma. He and "Xue Rang" had played dominoes at the same table for decades, but "Xue Qian" had never met each other, let alone any personal friendship. If "Xue Rang" can take over "Tonghui Bank", there will be endless benefits and conveniences for what he plans to do. But at the same time, he was also afraid of chaos in the Xue family. If "Xue Rang" fights to the death, Ye Xuan will offer extremely harsh conditions and then help him. But "Xue Rang" wouldn't argue, and he didn't want to take the initiative.

"If, just if, the Xue family wants to buy Kurong City, what price will Brother Ye offer?" Xue Rang inquired cautiously.

"Kurong City's fiscal and tax surplus for a year is approximately 'gold, twenty thousand taels'. Let's take it as twenty times the surplus, 'gold, four hundred thousand taels'." Ye Xuan unconsciously converted "silver" into "gold" , the amount appears smaller when spoken.

"The 'Field Corps' has no serious use. The 'Security Corps', huh... you also know the situation. As long as there is no 'little moth' reporting expenses in the middle, it won't use a lot of money. Once these two expenses are taken away, the real The surplus is actually more than '20,000'. The 'Qianjin Pavilion, Wangyue Tower, Martial Arts Arena, and Colosseum' are all the private property of the Night Palace. If you want it, I'll sell it to you at a discount. If you don't want it, I'll find Tang Mi. 'them."

"The price is indeed a bit expensive. But... it's still within the scope of negotiability." Xue Rang is already a very experienced businessman, and it is said that there is no reason to negotiate like this. But he had already determined in his heart that his eldest brother "Xue Qian" would be the future head of the Xue family. In this way, he did not provide the money, but he did the "city lord". How can there be any reason to feel sorry for him if he sells his land?

Hearing what "Xue Rang" said, Ye Xuan already had a rough idea. "Xue Rang" is interested in his proposal, and he doesn't mind exchanging the interests of the Xue family for some personal things.

For several days afterwards, Ye Xuan and Xue Rang went to the "Qianjin Pavilion" for secret talks in the morning, and then returned home after dinner.

A month later, "Xue Rang" left "Kurong City" with eight guards, eight maids and two concubines. The matter was serious and he wanted to talk to his father face to face.

Although there are few guards, there is one "drought" and seven "water". If these people are willing to commit trouble, they may be able to capture most of the cities along the way. Not to mention the mountain bandits in the south and horse bandits in the north...

Among the eight, the strongest one is named "Qiao Yin", who was sent to him by his father. The remaining seven people were found by "Xue Rang" himself after he arrived in the north. After decades of getting along, he still doesn't know who "Qiao Yin" is more loyal to between himself and his father, but Lao Qiao is definitely not his eldest brother, and he is extremely sure of this. That means that these eight people can basically be regarded as their own "private soldiers."

In the future, whether I am a "city lord" or a "sect leader", these people... are not enough.

Exile Diary - Excerpt (61)

I spent more than ten days directing Anese to build a small cabin in the forest. Cutting down trees was not difficult for Aniese. What was more troublesome was twisting bark and vines into ropes. Neither of us had ever learned how to do it. We only knew from books that this was possible. It took a long time to do it.

The wooden house is very simple, but it is still safe to have it. The weather is getting colder and colder. I heard that the winter in the north is very cold. The farther north you go, the colder it gets. It can freeze people to death. But I can't figure out the exact location of this valley. How far north are we?

We need to build another wooden house quickly. If this one breaks down, we need to have a backup.

I heard that in winter, the water freezes into ice and is as hard as stone. There will also be white snowflakes falling from the sky. I'm looking forward to it, but also a little scared.

There were quite a lot of fish in the pool, and bobcats, hares, foxes, and the like often ran across the open space. Anese would kill them with flying stones when they saw them, which was enough to eat. Lin Jue said that all birds and animals in the Loess Continent can be eaten, and there will be no poisonous meat, but some are particularly unpalatable. Fish in lakes and rivers are also rarely poisonous. We only ate animals at the beginning. Later, Anese crippled a cat. We fed the cat fish from the pond. The cat survived, so we also started eating fish. If you can't finish it, smoke it into dried meat and keep it. You should be able to live a good life.

(End of this chapter)