Pawn Crossing the River

Ordinary Zimu symbols can only display busts.

More advanced Zimu symbols can not only display the whole body, but also project the surrounding environment.

A top-quality Zimu talisman formed a projection. They were clearly thousands of miles apart, but they seemed to be in the same room, separated by a light curtain to the left and right.

To the right of the light curtain is an empty chair.

An old man was already sitting on the chair on the left, and there was a butler-looking figure beside him.

Influenced by Western learning, the old man wears an Eastern crane cloak and a Taoist robe, but uses a Western pipe. Around his waist is the jade pendant of an Eastern gentleman, and on his chest is a Western gentleman's pocket watch. He also wears a pair of sunglasses made of fine black crystals. .

The butler was dressed in a regular manner, wearing a square hat, a Taoist robe, and just a pair of spectacles.

Because the person on the other side hadn't come yet, the old man couldn't help but start to reminisce about the past while puffing away his smoke: "Many years ago, when I was still very young, I was ordered to go to Jinling Mansion and live in the largest Taoist temple in the city, next to Zhenwu Lake. . But after just two days of stay, I was invited out by the Taoist temple. It was said that a spiritual master was coming. Around evening, a group of spiritual officials came to inspect the interior of the Taoist temple, and then set up various formations. A flying boat came and landed in Zhenwu Lake. In such a big flying boat, there was only Master Shenzhi and a few of his followers. The flying boat came down from the ramp of the flying boat. Everyone saluted him. It’s really impressive. I made up my mind at that time, that’s what a man should be like.”

The steward leaned forward slightly: "Although only Daomen has flying boats, you have an ironclad ship and countless merchant ships."

The old man exhaled a puff of smoke: "When the fourth generation Grand Master went from Yujing to Imperial Capital, the Dao Sect dispatched a fleet, with four 'Yinglong' ships responsible for escorting, and the entourage took three flying boats, and the Grand Master himself also He has his own ship, which is comparable to that of immortals."

The steward said softly: "If you go to sea, we can also dispatch a fleet at sea. Even if it is not as grand as the Grand Master, it is not far behind."

"You are flattering me." The old man chewed his pipe and smiled slightly, "How can I compare to the Great Master? The only one who can compare with the Great Master is His Majesty the Emperor."

The butler bowed and said, "Yes."

The old man leaned back in his chair and held his pipe in his hand: "I remember when I first arrived in Nanyang, there were no traces of armored ships, only a few broken sampans. Nanyang at that time was even more chaotic than it is today. , in addition to the imperial navy, the Taipingdao fleet, and the Zhengyi fleet, there are also large and small pirate fleets, Western fleets, and various sea monsters. There are thirty days in a month, at least twenty-eight. It’s so scary, it’s really hard to look back on the past.”

The steward said: "Heaven is going to entrust this man with a great responsibility. He must first strain his mind and will, strain his muscles and bones, starve his body and skin, deplete his body and disturb his actions. Therefore, he must use his heart and forbearance to gain what he cannot do. Just because Only in this way can you have the great career you have today.”

"A great cause." The old man laughed, "Is it really big?" The steward said: "The Qin family, the royal family today, was just a prince at that time."

At this moment, a figure appeared on the other side of the light curtain, sitting directly on the empty chair.

"It's really not easy to meet Mr. Li." The old man looked at the figure on the other side of the light screen.

"There are some things that need to be dealt with temporarily, and I have no time to deal with them. After all, the two elders are not at home and have gone to Yujing. I hope Mr. Jin can forgive me." Mr. Li's attitude is casual and not at all formal.

"Yujing is a good place. Xuansheng grew up on Penglai Island, but most of his time in the world was spent in Yujing." The old man bit the pipe in his mouth again.

Mr. Li asked: "Mr. Jin has been to Yujing?"

The old man said leisurely: "Not only have I been there, Mr. Li was not born yet when I was working in Yujing."

Mr. Li smiled: "So, Mr. Jin was also a member of the Taoist sect."

The old man held his pipe in his mouth and smiled: "Yes, that was many years ago. At that time, the world was still ruled by the five great masters."

"I would like to ask, what name did Mr. Jin use when he was in Taoism?" Mr. Li asked tentatively.

"It must be the real name." The old man said, "But in the Taoist roster, that person is already dead."

"May I ask who Mr. Jin's master is?" Mr. Li asked again.

The old man did not answer directly: "A person with bad luck is also a person who is on the wrong team. Otherwise, I would not leave Yujing and go far away."

Mr. Li adjusted his sitting posture slightly: "How did Mr. Jin go to Nanyang?"

The old man's eyelids drooped slightly: "Young Master Li should know that the Fifth Dynasty Grand Master once deposed the three deputy head masters, and then supported three new deputy masters, the great masters, who are now the three who call the shots on the stage. The new deputy head master, Da Zhenren, must use his own people to suppress the old people. Even if the new deputy head master, Da Zhenren, is unwilling to do so, the fifth generation master will force them to do so. Otherwise, the fifth generation master will force them to do so. Why replace the deputy head master Da Zhen? The master is a confidant of the deposed deputy head master Da Zhen, so he will be involved in it. How can I escape? "

At this point, the old man laughed at himself: "Master Li, are you a little annoyed? It's all just old sesame and rotten millet. There's really nothing to say. After all, I'm a figure from the old days, so I can't compare with young people like you."

Mr. Li shook his head and said, "I'm not bothered."

The old man smiled slightly: "Since Mr. Li is not bothered, I will say more. People's ideas are basically finalized in their prime. Unless they encounter a big change, it is difficult to change. When I was young, I was in Yujing After meeting many important people, I had the idea of ​​"This is what a man should be like". Since it couldn't be realized within the Taoist sect, I had no choice but to look for it outside the Taoist sect."

Mr. Li asked: "What did Mr. Jin do after he went to Nanyang?"

The old man said unhurriedly: "Nanyang does not only refer to the South China Sea in a narrow sense, just as the West Ocean not only refers to the West Sea in a narrow sense, but also includes the entire Western Continent. In the same way, Nanyang also includes Borneo and Borneo. At that time, Posas and Borneo were in chaos. Only in troubled times can we get ahead. As for what I did, it was just a narrow escape."

Mr. Li did not speak.

The old man took off his pipe and said with a smile: "Of course, with the exception of you family members, no matter in troubled times or prosperous times, you can always stand out. In this regard, we cannot compare with you."

Mr. Li said: "It's easy to say just eight words, but how difficult is it to do?"

The old man gently stroked his pipe: "It's hard to say it's not easy, it's not easy to say it's easy, time is fate."

Mr. Li sat up straight: "Mr. Jin, let's talk about business."

The old man said: "I didn't want to come forward in person, but the Li family attaches great importance to this matter, and I don't dare to disobey the master's words. Moreover, the master intends to let me get close to Mr. Li, and there will be many opportunities for dealing with him in the future. "

"I dare not ignore it. This critical juncture cannot be given to others." Mr. Li sighed softly, "In the big case in Jiangnan that year, a second-grade Taiyi Taoist priest died and a Shenzhi Zhenren was transferred. Many real people were punished and demerited, and several third-grade Youyi Taoist priests were demoted and transferred. As for the others who were silenced by their own people and executed by Beichen Hall, there are countless lessons to be learned from the past. "

The old man said: "My channel is very safe."

Mr. Li leaned forward slightly: "Safety in the past does not mean safety in the present, and it has no necessary connection with future safety. I hope Mr. Jin can cut off all the clues without leaving any trace."

The old man said noncommittally: "It's just a Yanqing Chamber of Commerce. How can it mobilize troops and mobilize people like this?"

Mr. Li asked, "I wonder if Mr. Jin has heard of the name 'Zhang Yuelu'?"

"I've heard about it." The old man thought for a moment, "He seems to be a rising star in the Taoist sect."

Mr. Li slightly emphasized his tone: "She was the one who participated in solving the Jiangnan case back then, and then she fell into the eyes of the Earth Master and rose to prominence."

"I remembered, it turned out to be her." The old man put the pipe aside, "Why didn't you get rid of her? Is it because she is a woman? If you want to become a big shot, you have to be compassionate, let alone the word 'love' first."

Mr. Li said: "It has nothing to do with anything else, it's just that she is too sensitive. Now Zhang Yuelu is more valuable than the granddaughter of the Heavenly Master. Killing Zhang Yuelu will not help calm the situation, it will only cause fire. So we only need to let her return without success. Okay, there’s no need to add any unnecessary fuss.”

The old man was silent for a moment and agreed with Mr. Li's statement: "I will arrange for someone to handle this matter properly. Please rest assured, Mr. Li."

Mr. Li stood up, bowed his hands solemnly and said, "Then there is Mr. Lao Jin."