Pawn Crossing the River

When the ferry docked, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu ended their water journey and switched to land. After walking like this for another two days, we finally left Yongzhou and entered Shuzhou.

Not long after arriving in Shuzhou, the two met several Taoist priests from the Shuzhou Taoist Office. This group of Taoist priests was about to follow the path of Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu to the Yujing Ancestral Court. After they learned Zhang Yuelu's identity, they were very attentive. polite.

This has nothing to do with Zhang Yuelu's rank and position, the key lies in the faction.

In the territory division of Daomen, Shuzhou is under the jurisdiction of Shuzhou Daofu.

In fact, each Taoist mansion has its own tendencies. In some Taoist mansions, Taiping Dao disciples account for an absolute majority. If the leader of the mansion is a true Taiping Taoist, it is called Taiping Taoist mansion. In some Taoist mansions, Quanzhen Taoist disciples account for an absolute majority, and the owner of the mansion is a real person of Quanzhen Taoism, so they are called Quanzhen Taoist mansions. In some Taoist mansions, Zhengyi disciples account for an absolute majority. The master of the palace is a real person of Zhengyi, and is called Zhengyifu.

As the saying goes, power comes from below, not from above. Whether a palace master can hold great power does not depend on the empty title of a palace master, but on whether the people below support him. If the people below are all obedient and disobeying, even if the ancestral court forcibly appoints a palace master, he will be ignored. Therefore, the masters of these Taoist palaces must come from the corresponding factions.

For example, in the Qizhou Taoist Palace, 99% of the disciples are Taiping Dao disciples. All the previous palace lords are real people from Taiping Dao, and there has never been an exception.

However, there are exceptions. For example, in Jiangnan Dao Mansion, Zhengyi Dao disciples account for half of the population, which is far superior to Quanzhen Dao and Zhengyi Dao. However, they do not occupy an absolute majority. Sometimes, for the sake of balance, the Grand Master will appoint a palace master who is not from Zhengyi Dao. , thus forming a check and balance. There are also some Daofu, such as Zhongzhou Daofu, Liaodong Daofu, and Kunlun Daofu. The power of the three major factions is relatively balanced and they take turns taking charge. These Daofu are called swing Daofu.

Shuzhou Taoist House is among the Quanzhen Taoist Houses. Since Xuan Sheng, all the lords of the past dynasties have come from Quanzhen Taoism. The number of Quanzhen Taoist disciples in the Taoist House has reached over 90%. The Earth Master’s Wanshou Chongyang Palace is located in In Qinzhou adjacent to Shuzhou.

Although Zhang Yuelu was born in Zhengtai, she was personally promoted by the Earth Master, so in the eyes of Quanzhen Tao disciples, Zhang Yuelu was half one of them. The only person who doesn't want to see Zhang Yuelu at all is probably Taiping Road. One is because of Li Tianzhen's incident, and the other is because of the long-standing feud between the Zhang and Li families. Therefore, Zhang Yuelu is also very self-aware and does not go to Jiangbei where the foundation of Taiping Road is located.

Zhang Yuelu was not good at talking to others, while Qi Xuansu often walked in the rivers and lakes, but he was good at it and soon became familiar with several Taoist priests from Shuzhou Taoist Prefecture.

These Taoist priests from Shuzhou Taoist Prefecture accidentally told an interesting story.

Shuzhou Daofu is located in the interior, with Liangzhou Daofu in the north, Jingchu Daofu in the south, Kunlun Daofu in the west, and Qinzhou Daofu in the east. It is not close to the border in any direction, so naturally there is no war like the Western Region Daofu. , it can be said that it has been peaceful for a long time. Even the demons from the secret society haven't made any big moves for a long time, probably because they are too close to the Earth Master's palace. Therefore, this interesting incident has nothing to do with the demons from the secret society, but to a group of liars.

This group of scammers were not local gangsters in Shuzhou, but came from other places. After arriving at Jinguan Mansion, the capital of Shuzhou, they committed several cases in succession. However, this group of swindlers were also very discerning and did not dare to provoke the Shuzhou Taoist Government. The main task of the Taoist sect is to arrest various secret societies and demons, or to suppress people who rely on their own cultivation to run rampant and lawless. Things like this kind of cock-crowding and dog-robbery belong to the local Qingluan Guard Qianhu Station, so the Shuzhou Taoist Office does not Nosy means just talking.

Logically speaking, the Qingluan Guards of Qianhu Station are both Eagle Claws and veterans of the rivers and lakes. They are very familiar with the ways of these rivers and lakes. It should not be difficult to solve the case. But what I didn't expect is that after so many days, there is no clue. Instead, they let this group of swindlers do a few more things under their noses, causing a mess and making the Taoist priests of Shuzhou Taoist Government laugh.

Recently, Si Yamen, the prosecutor's office and the Qingluan Guard Qianhu Office, which is commonly known as "Si Yamen", has been jointly handling the case, but there is still little progress.

Qi Xuansu had just heard about it, but she didn't expect that Zhang Yuelu was interested. It wasn't that she wanted to solve the case. She also knew that her strengths lay in this. Those veterans from the Qianhu Office and the Prosecution Office were unable to solve the case. She didn't have the ability to do this case, she just wanted to watch the excitement and see the methods of these swindlers to gain her own experience in the world.

However, Qi Xuansu saw it very clearly. Although Zhang Yuelu was going home to celebrate the New Year, she was afraid that her flaws would be exposed as time went by, so she made up her mind to delay on the road. It would be best to only stay at home for a few days, so it seemed that the journey was not in a hurry. Yes, if you can, drag it.

Qi Xuansu was not really his son-in-law, so he would not be in a hurry to go to the Shangqing Mansion and would have no objection.

After the two said goodbye to the Taoist priests from the Shuzhou Taoist Prefecture who were going to the ancestral court, they planned to change their route and go to the Jinguan Mansion.

Zhang Yuelu took out a map of Shuzhou and at a glance, he saw that the entire Shuzhou was divided into two. The western half was surrounded by mountains and rivers with complex terrain, while the eastern half was a vast plain with flat terrain. Jinguan Mansion was located in the middle, slightly more plain. If you want to go to Jinguan Mansion, you must walk an extremely long mountain road or waterway.

After Zhang Yuelu consulted Qi Xuansu's opinion, he decided to go by boat first.

Although Qi Xuansu had armor and horses, the mountain road was too winding and the distance increased several times. From the map, it may only be a few dozen miles, but the actual distance is hundreds of miles. On the contrary, the distance by water is shorter, and by boat It is also more labor-saving.

The only disadvantage of the waterway is that it is slower than running directly, but this is what Zhang Yuelu hopes. If she wants to go faster, it is better to take a flying boat directly.

After the two decided, they found a large boat nearby and prepared to go down the river.

Although the large ship is not as good as the Daomen's flying boats or the armored ships that cross the sea, it can still accommodate more than a hundred people. Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu are inconspicuous. At first glance, they look like a pair of ordinary men and women.

In the previous fierce fight in Yishan City, Qi Xuansu's cloak was slightly damaged, which made Qi Xuansu feel very distressed. He took it off temporarily and was received by Zhang Yuelu as a Xumi item. Anyway, he has reached the Yuxu stage, and his energy is comparable to that of a martial artist in the same realm. He is like a stove, and he is not afraid of a little cold. What's more, after entering Shuzhou, the climate has become warmer and is not as cold as the Western Regions.

However, Zhang Yuelu's clothes were still intact after a series of fierce battles.

The layout of the cabin is similar to a "string", with the aisle in the middle and rows of seats on both sides of the aisle, each seat can accommodate two people sitting side by side.

Zhang Yuelu had not been feeling well these past few days and had no interest in talking. He looked languid. He leaned against the bulkhead and looked out at the scenery outside the window. He tightened his cloak, wrapped himself tightly, and covered himself with a hood. It covered half of her face, like a delicate little lady who was afraid of wind and cold.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were sitting side by side, just enough to protect her inside. He was leaning against the aisle. Because he didn't have his cloak, his satchel was exposed, and he was also next to the aisle.

Qi Xuansu whispered something to Zhang Yuelu from time to time. Zhang Yuelu just nodded or shook his head, and occasionally said a word or two. To outsiders, it looks like a young couple going out, and the husband is whispering to comfort his wife who is not feeling well.

Just when the big ship was about to start, I heard a "dong dong dong" sound of footsteps.

I saw a young man with a green face hurriedly entered the cabin.

This young man was wearing a shabby suit, as if it was made of many rags that were barely spliced ​​together. It neither looked good nor fit well. He was wearing a six-in-one hat with no hood, and was carrying a worn-out satchel, with his head buried deep in his chest. Very low.

Qi Xuansu just glanced at it from the corner of his eye, then withdrew his gaze and continued talking to Zhang Yuelu.

As for the content of the conversation between the two, of course it was not that Qi Xuansu was comforting Zhang Yuelu who was feeling unwell, nor was it talking about love. The relationship between the two had not reached this level yet, but that Qi Xuansu was asking Zhang Yuelu about the magical powers of the Sanren Yuxu stage. After all, The banished immortal is the superior substitute of the Sanren, and there are many similarities between the two.

The young man glanced across the cabin, seemingly looking for his seat, and then walked quickly along the middle aisle.

Just when the young man passed by Qi Xuansu, Qi Xuansu suddenly took his satchel and took out a small tin pot from it. He looked at Zhang Yuelu and asked with concern: "Are you still feeling uncomfortable? Do you want a drink?"

A look of surprise appeared on the young man's face, and it disappeared quickly, but he couldn't stay, so he could only pass by Qi Xuansu and walk back.

Qi Xuansu put the small pot back into the satchel and placed the satchel next to Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu was a little surprised, but then he understood.

There seems to be something wrong with that boy, maybe he is a thief? However, Qi Xuansu did not expose him, but made a show and avoided it seemingly by coincidence.

However, Zhang Yuelu didn't care about the young man. He was more concerned about the small pot Qi Xuansu took out and asked, "What's in the pot?"

Qi Xuansu hesitated: "Wine."

Zhang Yuelu, who was originally in low spirits, his eyes lit up: "I remember you don't like drinking. Did you buy this for me?"

Qi Xuansu did not deny it: "I bought it in Yishan City. When I saw you looking exhausted, I couldn't bear it, so I went to buy a pot of wine, which cost me two peace coins."

Zhang Yuelu's eyes narrowed like crescent moons, he stretched out his hand and said: "You are enough friends, give it to me."

"No." Qi Xuansu refused, "I think you are fine now."

"You just asked me if I felt uncomfortable. I can answer you now. It's true that I don't feel very comfortable. Give it to me quickly." Zhang Yuelu was already planning to get it himself.

Qi Xuansu had no choice but to give her the jug.

Zhang Yuelu unscrewed the wine bottle and took a sip of the wine without rushing to drink.

At this moment, the young man from just now went back to the original route: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I got on the wrong boat."

When the young man passed by Qi Xuansu again, he suddenly staggered and fell towards Qi Xuansu.

A handful of Qi Xuansu

She supported the young man and prevented him from falling on her, and said softly: "Hai Ming snatched it, right?"