Still pity the grass and trees

Xiangyang is a newly emerging center of martial arts in recent years. There are dozens of gangs in the city, especially Xuandaomen and Xiongtu Escort Bureau.The yamen here is weak, there is usually a case of robbery, murder and extortion, and they have to rely on the help of Zhai Yu, Li Conning and others, so they are very tolerant of martial arts people.

The entry into the city went surprisingly smoothly.Ji Tanyin was restless, uncontrollably thinking about what the few people said just now, and when he heard Xie Wufeng ask passers-by about the location of the Xiongtu Escort, he asked belatedly: "Did the city gate interrogators recognize you?"

Xie Wufeng said: "There is a certain doubt, but since the imperial court has announced that I have been arrested, they will only treat it as a mistake."

"But, how could anyone in the imperial court protect you..." Ji Tanyin remembered Xie Wufeng's life experience, suddenly realized, and closed his mouth wisely.

The scenery of Xiangyang is completely different from that of Yanzhou.The beauty of Xiangyang is beautiful and exquisite. The buildings are small, light and agile, with unique details, unlike the north that pays attention to stability and grandeur.The local dialect is also unique, and the tone coincides with the rhythm, which is quite lingering and pleasant.The most rare thing is that although the south is also affected by the drought, the land still has a considerable harvest, so the street market is much more lively.

Ji Tanyin took a quick look at the flowers, and arrived at the Xiongtu Escort after a while.I saw a big plaque, two stone lions, a high threshold, a vermilion lacquered gate, and a large black flag on the cornice, embroidered with tigers in gold thread, and a few young men standing in front of the courtyard, practicing martial arts.

"Who?" A guy noticed Ji Tanyin and Xie Wufeng, and stepped forward to stop them.

Ji Tanyin said: "Look for my elder brother Li Chengyang."

His clothes were ragged, his face was black and white, like a beggar in trouble, the clerk stared at him suspiciously, asking him to wait where he was, and then gestured to his companion: "Go and report." Young dart head."

Xiongtu Escort Bureau covers an area of ​​[-] mu, with many buildings and three connected courtyards.The main courtyard does business, welcomes guests, and teaches martial arts. People live across the east and west courtyards. The east side is Li Conning's family, and the west side is home to all the guards, buddies, and servants.

In the large courtyard of the main courtyard, one old and one young were fighting with their bare hands.The young man was wearing a sky-blue cross-neck shirt and black trousers, with his hair tied up on top, revealing a wheat-colored face soaked in sweat.The old man is about fifty years old, his legs are separated by a foot, his knees are slightly bent, his right hand is behind his back, his left hand resists the young man's fists, and his feet are not in a mess.

The young man threw a straight right fist, the old man's hand was like lightning, he took his wrist and lifted it upwards, he lowered his head and got through the gap, and stuck the young man's arm on the back of his neck, trying to break his elbow and lock his throat, the young man quickly shouted: "Daddy!"

The old man let go of his hand and said with a smile: "You are still far behind the ancestral grappling technique."

"Then didn't I learn swordsmanship?" The young man was handsome and unrestrained, showing off, "If you compete with swordsmanship, you must be inferior to me. Even the master praised me for my extraordinary talent."

"Also!" The old man scolded, looked around, his expression was a little pale, "At this point, don't mention your master."

The young man pursed his lips and said in a low voice: "Father, do you really believe Ming Biaohua's nonsense?"

The old man sighed, frowning tightly.At this time, a guy came forward and saluted the two of them: "Chief Escort, Young Escort."

The old man said: "What's the matter?"

The guy scratched his hair in embarrassment, and said, "Two people came to the door, they were dirty, and they said they were looking for the young escort."

After waiting for a long time, Ji Tanyin felt very uncomfortable under the watchful eyes of several guys.

Xie Wufeng whispered in his ear and asked: "What's the matter with you, senior brother? It wouldn't be that after leaving the teacher, you broke all the friendship of the same school."

"No way," Ji Tanyin stopped talking, raised his hand and rubbed his ears, there was still the heat from Xie Wufeng's exhalation, he cleared his throat, "Eldest brother often visits Master and me in Yushan."

Li Chengyang worshiped under Ji Heng's family at the age of 12, and returned home at the age of 22 after completing his studies. Now he has been helping his father with the affairs of the Escort Bureau for three years.The last time Ji Tanyin saw him was during the Spring Festival. At that time, Li Chengyang invited him to visit Xiangyang, saying how lively and interesting it is here. Seeing him today is indeed a lot of fun.

Xie Wufeng said sarcastic words on the side: "I think you are unreliable as a senior brother."

Ji Tanyin vowed: "Brother will definitely come, he has liked me the most since he was a child."

Xie Wufeng raised his eyebrows, and his tone was slightly threatening: "I like you the most?"

"That's right, the second brother studies ancient books every day and ignores him, only me." Ji Tanyin suddenly understood something, chuckled, and made a face at him.

A young man walked out of Zhumenli, stopped a few steps away from Ji Tanyin, and called out hesitantly: "Junior brother?"

Ji Tanyin turned her head to see him, jumped happily, and waved vigorously: "Brother!"

Only then did Li Chengyang dispel his doubts, he stepped forward with a smile, hugged Ji Tanyin in his arms, and said angrily, "How could it be like this!"

Ji Tanyin said with a bitter face: "This is a long story."

"Master sent me a letter three months ago, saying that you were going to come to Xiangyang to play, but you couldn't find it after waiting, and the people who sent out to look for you found nothing. I was so anxious."

When Ji Tanyin heard him mention Master, he hurriedly asked: "Brother, when I entered the city, I heard someone slander Master, saying that he killed—"

Li Chengyang covered his mouth and winked: "You stink to death, go to the house to settle down and take a bath, this is your friend?"

His eyes fell on Xie Wufeng, Xie Wufeng narrowed his eyes slightly, showing a kind and harmless smile.

Li Chengyang felt that this person looked a little familiar, and after looking at it for a while, his face suddenly changed, and he asked Ji Tanyin with an emphasis: "Is this your friend?"

Ji Tanyin nodded, for fear that he would not let Xie Wufeng stay, he added: "I was hunted down, and he saved me."

Xie Wufeng said: "I heard that the Xiongtu Escort Bureau has strong financial resources, so I will follow Ayin to grab a bite to eat."

His tone was neither salty nor weak, and he spoke with confidence, with a kind of free and easy "I don't leave my master here, I have my own place to keep my master".Li Chengyang looked at him carefully, and saw that he was a few years older than himself, handsome and coquettish, with a frivolous demeanor, without the demeanor of a "martial arts master", like a young man, he hesitated for a while: "Are you..."

A deep voice overwhelmed him: "Everyone who comes is a guest, Chengyang, please come in."

Ji Tanyin hurriedly saluted: "Uncle Li, please come and be safe."

"Very good," Li Conning approached with a smile, and patted Ji Tanyin on the shoulder, "I haven't seen you for two years, and I've grown a lot taller."

Xie Wufeng bowed his hands to Li Conning: "The head of the escort is straightforward, then I will not be polite." After saying that, he went straight to the courtyard.

A few guys shouted "Hey, hello", seeing that Li Conning didn't pursue it, they gave up.

Ji Tanyin and the Li family father and son exchanged pleasantries for a while, and then they were taken to a wing room in Dongkuayuan to settle down.

Li Chengyang asked the servant girl to bring brand new silk clothes, and asked Ji Tanyin: "There is a hot spring in the back garden. Dad sent someone to dig a pond. Do you want to wash it in the room or outside?"

Ji Tanyin has a thin skin, so he naturally chooses to take a bath in the room.Li Chengyang asked the boy to prepare hot water in the bathtub so that Ji Tanyin could rest well.Ji Tanyin still wanted to ask about Ji Heng, Li Chengyang said: "I will tell you after dinner."

After bathing, the sky was already dark.The Dongkua courtyard lit the lamp, and the maid led Ji Tanyin through the garden, around the fish pond, and came to Jingdexuan.

Li Conning and Xie Wufeng were already seated, they didn't know what to say, they were all smiling.Suddenly, Li Conning slapped the table, and a jug of fine wine was shaken by internal force, and quickly slid towards Xie Wufeng. Seeing that the wine jug left the edge of the table and was about to fall to the ground, Xie Wufeng stretched out an index finger to hold it, and sighed: "Mr. The head of the bodyguard, you have already said that I am an unknown person, and you still want to test me."

Li Congning half-closed his eyes, with a friendly face: "Xiongtu Escort Bureau does not accept no-name people. We are Escorts, after all, are businessmen. Today, I will stay with Mr. Xie for a while, and I hope to make a friend, and I will pay back tomorrow."

Xie Wufeng smiled lightly, and agreed with all his mouth: "It's easy to say, easy to say, in the future, I will devote myself to the Xiongtu Escort, and I will die!"

Ji Tanyin and Li Congning finished their greetings, and sat down beside Xie Wufeng.Xie Wufeng grabbed his hand under the cover of the table, rubbed it gently, with a smirk hanging on the corner of his mouth.

Ji Tanyin was afraid that Li Conning would see the clue, so he sat upright and gave him a hard look from the corner of his eye.

Not long after, Li Chengyang also arrived, and the maids prepared three soups and five cuts.The exquisite dishes on the table were not inferior to those in Shen Pei's house, but Ji Tanyin didn't care to taste them, so he quickly picked up a bowl of rice and put down the chopsticks.

Li Chengyang knew what he was thinking, dismissed the servant girl, took out a few volumes of documents from his sleeve, and said, "Look at it."

Ji Tanyin hastily unfolded, and on top of the densely packed lowercase letters, a line of large characters caught the eye: Jade Mountain Excalibur Fallen Devil!

"Nonsense!" Ji Tanyin pointed to the crane stamp in the upper right corner, "The Crane Palace is not a good thing!"

He unfolded the rest of the documents, "Ji Heng colluded with the Western Fan sect and killed fellow martial artists", "Ji Heng killed boys and girls as sacrifices, and practiced the Supreme Law", "Master Yubai, the head of the Hengshan School, was murdered by Ji Heng", and every day The words are shocking.

"What's going on?" The paper fell from Ji Tanyin's hands. He stood up and looked at the person opposite him in panic. "Eldest brother, Uncle Li, why did this happen? Why did they slander Master!"

Li Congning was silent, he had been in the escort business all his life, and he was the most eloquent and eloquent, but he was speechless this time.

"I want to send a letter to Master, he should come out of retreat." Ji Tanyin whistled to call for pigeons, Li Chengyang pushed him on the chair, and said: "No need, as soon as the letter from Master Ming comes, Dad will send it to you." The disciple went to Yushan, but the master is not in the mountain."

Ji Tanyin's eyes widened: "Impossible!"

Li Chengyang looked at him silently, gradually, Ji Tanyin's eyes became moist, and he shook his head stubbornly.

Li Chengyang persuaded: "Tan'er, don't worry, I also believe that the master is a man, but it is true that the old man left to ask Lingfeng, my father secretly entrusted someone to look for it, so far there is no news."

Xie Wufeng picked up the letter paper that fell on the ground, flipped it through hastily, and asked: "Who said that Ji Heng has practiced the Supreme Dafa?"

Li Chengyang said: "It's Ming Biaohua's conjecture. At the beginning of the month, Xiyan Villa was ransacked by the Xifan sect. Ming Biaohua fought with a master of Yushan swordsmanship. He was hit by a palm and broke his left hand. He claimed to have seen it with his own eyes. The other party was Ji Heng who lived in seclusion. After receiving that slap, Ming Biaohua's dantian collapsed, and now he is no different from a useless person. After checking ancient books, he claimed that the other party practiced the inner strength and mental methods in "Supreme Martial Arts Heavenly Book". "

Xie Wufeng is thoughtful.Ji Tanyin stared at him eagerly, as if grabbing a life-saving straw, eager to hear some reassuring words.

"So the source of all this news is Ming Biaohua." Xie Wufeng flicked through the paper, found the "Ming Biaohua's Letter to the Heroes of the World", read it carefully, and tapped his index finger on the table, "He No one else was present during the fight with the swordsman, and no one corroborated his words."

"That's right!" Ji Tanyin hurriedly took over the conversation, "Master Ming made a rumor, or—or he admitted it wrong!"

Li Conning, who hadn't made a sound for a long time, stood up from his chair, paced around the room with his hands behind his back, shook his head and said, "Ming Biaohua and Ji Heng have no grievances or enmity, so they won't spread rumors for no reason, and if they say they admit their mistakes...it's unlikely. More than [-] disciples died in Xiyan Villa, and Ming Biaohua himself was seriously injured. In this public letter, the anger is beyond words, and it does not seem like a deliberate frame-up. In addition, two female nuns of the Hengshan School saw Master Yubai's death with their own eyes. Under the Yushan Sword Art, they are monks, and they should not lie to the enemy who killed Master."

Ji Tanyin retorted loudly: "Although Yushan swordsmanship is not passed on to outsiders, but opportunistic, if you take pictures of cats and tigers, you may be able to learn [-]% or [-]% of them. The owner of Ming Zhuang said that the person who hurt him was the one in Shen Pei's mansion. It may be Master! Master's swordsmanship will not be so clumsy!"

Li Conning said: "According to Ming Biaohua, Ji Heng has practiced supreme martial arts, so the moves of Yushan swordsmanship have also been affected." He paused, "This is possible."

Ji Tanyin blushed, and he felt extremely helpless, as if the whole world was showing its fangs at him, but he had no armor to resist.

Seeing that the atmosphere was tense, Li Chengyang started another topic: "It's strange, Xiyan Villa and Hengshan faction suffered disaster, why don't you know about such a big movement in the Jianghu?"

Ji Tanyin said the word "I", his expression suddenly froze, his bright eyes were clouded, and all kinds of intense emotions struggled underneath.

Li Chengyang asked, "What's wrong?"

Xie Wufeng talked about his experience on the road in a few words, how Ji Tanyin tracked down the child abduction case, how he was hunted down, and how he fled all the way here.

"Is it true?" Li Chengyang walked up to Ji Tanyin, squeezed his arm, and said softly, "You have suffered."

"That evil book actually exists in the world!" Li Conning sighed, pondered for a moment, and continued: "To create trouble for you, let you unintentionally intervene in the kidnapping case, and then use this opportunity to practice evil skills and provoke troubles in the world It's causing trouble... the mastermind behind the scenes must be Xi Fanjiao."

Xie Wufeng poured a bowl of wine, the gurgling sound of fine nectar was extremely loud in the room.The eyes of several other people turned to him, Xie Wufeng took a sip of wine, and said: "I still don't understand why the Xifan Sect is so stupid, killing people must be done with great fanfare, I'm afraid the martial arts people don't know."

Li Conning said: "There is no reason for these evil spirits to act heretics. What's more, they have an unknown master with unfathomable martial arts to help them, so it is inevitable that they will be unscrupulous."

Xie Wufeng remained silent, Li Chengyang said: "Mr. Xie means that the Xifan sect was framed? How is this possible, apart from them, which sect in the martial arts would act so viciously!"

The candles flickered, and the bright yellow light danced on each other's faces.Li Conning sighed: "Now Hengshan Sect and Xiyan Mountain Villa are in disaster, everyone in the Wulin is in danger, I don't know when the villains will patronize our Xiongtu Escort Bureau."

Li Chengyang comforted him, saying that an order had been issued to each sub-bureau to strengthen the defense, and the main bureau will not accept business for the time being, and the bodyguards will be on duty at night in turn.

Li Congning nodded in satisfaction, and said with a loud smile, "My son's arrangement is right! What is the Xifan religion? Soldiers come to block it, and water comes to cover it up!"

Ji Tanyin watched them walk and talk, but could only hear humming in their ears.

The black fox... This shadow that was vaguely outlined in his imagination suddenly had a body, limbs, and a head. It seemed that a beam of light slowly moved over invisibly, trying to illuminate his facial features. Ji Tanyin covered his eyes and cried out in horror. "No!"

Someone slapped him on the back, Ji Tanyin staggered two steps, and finally got away from that terrible hallucination.

Xie Wufeng took his hand, silently wiped off the cold sweat from Ji Tanyin's palm, and said softly: "You are tired, go back to sleep."