The master said not to judge people by their appearance

"This carriage is..." The woman in the blue skirt looked puzzled at the strange carriage that suddenly stopped beside them.

The woman in the pink skirt realized something from the decorations on the carriage and the Xuanwuhou Mansion not far away, and exclaimed: "It's broken!"

She hurried to talk to Shen Fan: "Master, run!"

Shen Fan asked inexplicably, "Why did you run?"

"Hey, this carriage is..." She wanted to explain, but felt that there was no time to explain, so she said, "Don't ask, just run!"

Xie Yunlan hated alchemists so well known in Beijing that magic stick warlocks didn't even dare to cheat on the street where his house was, let alone in front of his house?Shen Fan violated all the taboos, but unexpectedly bumped into the rightful owner, Xie Yunlan stopped the carriage specially, didn't this make it clear that he wanted to beat someone up?

She was so anxious that she almost pushed Shen Fan away, but Shen Fan didn't move. He glanced at the anxious expression on the face of the woman in the pink skirt, and then at the figure behind the curtain, with a bewildered expression.

Xie Yunlan observed Shen Fan on the carriage, and listened to the conversation between the two completely. He couldn't help but chuckled. It's hard to find someone who can beat Li Henian, but it's also hard to find someone who isn't afraid of him. There is absolutely no reason to let go.

He lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage. Without the cover of the curtain, he could finally see Shen Fan's appearance clearly. Xie Yunlan's movement of getting out of the carriage paused for a moment. Such a good-looking man.

Even compared with women who pay more attention to dressing up, this person is not inferior at all. Against the background of her, those beauties who have been selected from thousands of choices in the palace have turned into vulgar fans.

This thought flashed through his mind, and without revealing anything, he came in front of several people and smiled slightly at the two pink and blue women who blocked Shen Fan behind him: "Can you two girls make it easier for me? Master has something to do."

The words "some things" fell into the ears of the two of them, and it was automatically translated into "beat him up". Although they have officials in their family, they are only low-level officials. He was timid, but he really couldn't bear Shen Fan's bruised and swollen face, so relying on Xie Yunlan not to do anything to the two weak women in broad daylight, he said bravely: "First come first, Hou Ye, we also have something to do with the master, and we are about to invite him back home."

Xie Yunlan frowned slightly, before saying anything, the two of them were scared back a few steps.

In fact, he doesn't look terrible, he is even handsome, his body is well maintained due to his martial arts practice all the year round, he is slender and straight, he is the kind of person who "plays the Mayi oblique bridge, full of red sleeves", but his whole body is too imposing , Years of killing and fighting, even if he is not wielding a sword at the moment, his sword eyebrows are as cold as a sword drawn out of its sheath.

Yuanrong people who eat raw meat and drink human blood are afraid of him, not to mention the two women who have never even killed a chicken. Their retreat just exposed Shen Fan. He looked at Xie Yunlan and said in a simple tone: "They are looking for me. I won't do anything, what's the matter with you?"

The women in the pink skirt and the blue skirt held their foreheads together, their hearts were over. They tried every means to set up a platform to save Shen Fan, but they couldn't help Shen Fan to tear down the stage by himself.

Xie Yunlan smiled: "Of course there is an important matter, can the master come to the house to talk about it?"

As he spoke, under the astonished eyes of the two women, he bowed respectfully to Shen Fan, as if he was honoring some distinguished guest.

Xuanwuhou, Xie Yunlan, salute to the street magic stick? !They were shocked for a moment and suspected it was a hallucination, and a moment suspected that they were dreaming, but when they recovered, they found that Shen Fan had followed Xie Yunlan unsuspectingly.

This place is only a few steps away from the Hou's Mansion, so they didn't take the carriage anymore, the two of them had already reached the gate of the mansion, and they were about to enter.

"Hey, wait..." The woman in the pink skirt wanted to try harder, but another person got off the carriage.

Wei Chengzhi interrupted with a smile: "Miss, don't worry, Lord Hou sincerely invites Master to return home."

"But..." She still had hesitation on her face.

Wang Tai also interjected: "Don't worry, I won't beat him up. Our Lord Hou would have beaten him long ago. Do you think you stopped him?"

Although the words are straightforward, the reasoning is the same, and there is really nothing they can do.The two looked at each other, sighed, and went back home.

Inside the Hou Mansion.

Xie Yunlan led Shen Fan to the main hall to sit down, and said with a smile: "Master, have some tea and cakes first, and I'll go change my clothes." He is still wearing court clothes at the moment, so it is inconvenient to meet guests.

Shen Fan responded, and then began to eat cakes very seriously. He took a piece of red bean paste cake, tasted it, and felt that it was too sweet, so he said to the waiter: "Do you have any other desserts?"

"Yes! Customer, wait a moment, I'll get it for you!" This is the guest brought back to the mansion by Master Hou himself. The servant didn't dare to neglect, so he ran to the kitchen immediately, and brought over six stacks of different kinds of dim sum soon after. .

Shen Fan tasted them one by one, without the slightest sense of being a guest, and commented on the host's dim sum, saying that this one was too salty, that one was too sweet, and finally said: "Is it gone?"

"It's gone." The little servant forced a smile and said, "Master Hou doesn't like snacks, so the house has prepared such treats for guests."

While talking, he secretly muttered in his heart, he has been working in the Hou Mansion for so many years, and he has seen many distinguished guests. There is such a pick and choose!

Fortunately, although Shen Fan was picky, he was not narrow-minded. If he didn't have it, he didn't. He started to taste the tea again, and after taking a sip, he said, "It's a bit bitter."

The servant thumped when he heard that, and thought to himself that he wouldn't want to serve him all kinds of tea in the mansion again, would he?

Shen Fan had this intention, but before he made a more rude request, Xie Yunlan came back.

He changed into casual clothes, and his aura was no longer as strong as when he was wearing court clothes, but the murderous aura tempered by the blood and fire on his body was still not to be underestimated. Ordinary people would unconsciously feel three points shorter when they saw him before speaking. Not daring to be presumptuous, Shen Fan was calm and composed, and even felt that his dim sum was not tasty.

Although Xie Yunlan didn't know about snacks yet, he was also observing Shen Fan's reaction along the way, and he was able to face him without surprise or fear, without flattery or obsequiousness. .

He walked to the chief seat and sat down, smiled at Shen Fan and said, "Master has been waiting for a long time."

It was a polite remark, but Shen Fan, the clinker, nodded seriously: "It's been a long time indeed, if you want anything from me, just tell me."

Xie Yunlan raised his eyebrows and avoided answering: "Haven't you asked about the master's name?"

"My name is Shen Fan." Shen Fan said.

Xie Yunlan waited for a while before confirming that this was Shen Fan's entire introduction. There was no long list of backgrounds like other magic sticks, and there was no magic name that sounded inscrutable. This name was just like the "Fan" in his name. Words are just as ordinary.

He didn't take the initiative to say so, so Xie Yunlan had no choice but to ask: "Where is the master from?"

Shen Fan thought for a while before saying, "Zhong Shan."

Xie Yunlan thought for a while, but didn't remember what Taoism Zhong Shan had, so he asked, "Where is the master's inheritance?"

"I don't have a teacher." Shen Fan said.

Xie Yunlan raised his eyebrows again: "Then what spells does the master know?"

"I don't know how to spell." Shen Fan said.

Xie Yunlan's well-pretended respectful expression inevitably showed a little surprise. He has seen many magic sticks, and it is probably the first one to be so honest.

"What will the master do?" He asked curiously.

Shen Fan pointed to the white banner that was brought into the Marquis Mansion together with him and was placed aside at the moment.

Xie Yunlan had seen the content on the banner before, and he was puzzled: "Master, since he doesn't know magic, how can he subdue demons?"

Shen Fan took it for granted, "You don't have to know spells to subdue demons."

This is the truth. When these magic stick warlocks in Beijing subdue demons, they only need to recite a few incantations that no one can understand, dance some inexplicable dances, and burn a yellow talisman with a grimace at the end. , The whole process didn't waste any mana.As for whether any monsters were injured?That's probably not the case.

It's just that Xie Yunlan's words are normal, but Shen Fan's is very interesting.

Xie Yunlan became more interested in Shen Fan, he smiled respectfully and asked: "Master, can you show me a little?"

"No." Shen Fan said, "There are no demons in your mansion."

Xie Yunlan: "Then according to Master, where are the monsters?"

"I don't know, I'm also looking for it." Shen Fan asked back, "You came to me, isn't it because of the demon thing?"

"Of course it's because of demons," Xie Yunlan pretended to be worried, "I've been feeling restless lately, suspecting that there are demons in Beijing, but as a mere mortal, I can't identify them, and I have nowhere to find them, so I went to Master .”

What he said was nonsense, but Shen Fan nodded seriously: "There are indeed demons and demons in Beijing. I came here to find the demons in my heart."

Xie Yunlan was surprised: "Demon?"

Shen Fan: "Half a year ago, four heart demons escaped from the Netherworld. Guided by the destiny, I learned that one of them was hiding in the capital, so I came here."

Xie Yunlan: "The Nether is...?"

"It's the place of reincarnation." Shen Fan explained, "It's the place where people's souls go after death."

"So that's how it is." Xie Yunlan said with a look of sudden realization, "Since the master came to subdue demons, I naturally can't stand by and watch. If the master doesn't want to stay in the mansion, I will send someone to search for the traces of the demons in the capital. If there is any news, immediately notify the master."

This saved Shen Fan a lot of effort, and he didn't have to set up a stall or walk around the streets with white flags on his shoulders, but he didn't agree immediately, but looked at Xie Yunlan for a while, and asked, "Do you believe what I say?"

"Of course I believe in Master." Xie Yunlan's expression became more and more sincere.

Shen Fan suddenly smiled, and agreed: "Okay."

Seeing this smile, Xie Yunlan was taken aback again. He is not a person who is greedy for beauty, except for the first time he saw him, he was not affected by the other person's appearance, but at this moment he was still uncontrollably absent-minded.

Shen Fan was taken to the backyard by the servant to arrange a place to live.

Xie Yunlan sat on the main seat in the main hall, holding a cup of tea, but didn't drink it, he suppressed his smile, the previous respect and trust towards Shen Fan disappeared without a trace, and a lot of thoughts flashed in those slightly drooping eyes And balance, in judging whether Shen Fan is usable, or how to use him.

While thinking, two people suddenly walked out from behind the screen on the side of the house. The screen was placed ingeniously so that the people in the hall would not pay attention to the screen, but the people behind the screen could clearly hear the conversation in the hall.

Xie Yunlan looked up at the two and asked, "What do you think of this person?"

Wei Chengzhi commented: "It looks a bit silly."

Wang Tai said: "I also feel a little silly, but he has the ability to talk nonsense. What kind of demons and ghosts and reincarnation places are no worse than those famous magic sticks."

Indeed, at the beginning, Xie Yunlan also felt that Shen Fan was not as shrewd and cunning as ordinary magic sticks, but rather dumb and stupid, and spoke very honestly, as if he would not lie at all. Who would have expected that the content made up later would be so outrageous.

Wei Chengzhi said: "Master Hou wants to use him?"

Xie Yunlan tapped the armrest twice, without denying it.

Wei Chengzhi disagreed: "Too young."

Wang Tai also said: "It's not enough. It's not enough to just talk nonsense, at least you have to do a few tricks to bluff people, right? But he's pretty good-looking, hey, how can a man be so good-looking?"

Xie Yunlan laughed when he heard the words, as if agreeing with Wang Tai's words, but he only agreed with this sentence, and he said, "It's him."

"But his temperament and appearance are also somewhat different from those of other worldly experts, so I'm afraid it's hard to be convincing." Wei Chengzhi persuaded.

"It's just pretending to be a ghost." Xie Yunlan laughed mockingly, "I said he is a master, and he is a master."

He had made up his mind, Wei Chengzhi didn't say any more, he just said: "If you want to use him to bring down Li Henian, you still need to make a good plan. This person's name is unknown, so you have to make him famous first."

Xie Yunlan had already considered this point, and at this moment ordered: "Order someone to go to the teahouse and tavern, and spread the news that I invited a master back home today."

He is famous, his deeds of conquering Yuan Rong are often talked about by people, and the fact that he doesn't believe in ghosts and gods is also known throughout the city. He suddenly invites a master back with such a respectful attitude, and it will spread throughout the capital in a short time.

Apart from being amazed, everyone must feel that this master's morality is extremely high, and even a stubborn person like Xie Yunlan is impressed by it.

This plan is very good, but there is one more point.

"What title?" Wei Chengzhi said, "Use his rhetoric?"

No spells, no mastery, just two simple words, Shen Fan, this really doesn't look like a master.

"No, make up a name for him." Xie Yunlan frowned. He didn't expect that one day he would have to help a magician want to bluff people's name, but he couldn't think of anything powerful for a while. Those magic sticks seem to have used all kinds of gods.

He suddenly remembered the source of Shen Fan's words: "What kind of god is there in Zhongshan?" This place name always sounds familiar.

"Zhong Shan? Zhong Shan seems to have a very famous god called, called..." Wang Tai scratched his ears and cheeks, only to feel that the name had reached his throat, but he just couldn't remember it.

"The dragon holding the candle." Wei Chengzhi said.

"That's right! It's the dragon holding the candle!" Wang Taixi said, "This great god is still our Great Xia's totem!"

"The Dragon with the Candle..." Xie Yunlan read the name. The Dragon with the Candle is the orthodox dragon god of heaven, far from being comparable to the so-and-so fairy king and so-and-so fairy that those god sticks made up. He even really showed up world.

According to legend, on the day when Daxia just founded the country, when Emperor Gaozu was offering sacrifices to the heavens and worshiping the gods, it coincided with the Tiangou eclipse day, and the blue sky was swallowed by darkness in an instant, black clouds overwhelmed the city, the wind howled, and there was no daylight in the world.

Tengu eating Japan is a bad omen, not to mention that on the day when the new emperor of Daxia Jianguo ascended the throne, people were panicked for a while, even Emperor Gaozu was worried whether he had offended God and forbade him to be emperor.

Some people with evil plans even prepared to take the opportunity to revolt and bring the newly unified and stable Great Xia into chaos again.

In the midst of this chaos, the darkness suddenly lit up with a blazing fire, and a dragon held a candle in the sky to shine, shining brightly like the sun in this sunless country.

The fire drove away the darkness and frightened away all the sneaky people. Emperor Gaozu led his ministers to kowtow to the sky with the joy of surviving a catastrophe, and respectfully dared not get up for a long time until the candle dragon disappeared into the sky.

Afterwards, Emperor Gaozu regarded it as the totem of the Great Xia, and built the Dragon Temple in Beijing, and built the Watching Dragon Tower in Weiyang Palace, and held grand sacrifices every year.

But as time went by, the emperor changed one after another, and the old people who knew about it gradually passed away. Later generations forgot to respect the Dragon God, and fewer and fewer people sincerely worshiped the Dragon God. The Dragon God Temple was abandoned. The Dragon Pagoda was changed to Linxian Pavilion, and the name of Dragon Holding a Candle gradually faded from people's mouths.

Although not many people believe in it anymore, it is still the Great Xia Totem anyway. Using this name sounds very imposing.

In Xie Yunlan's view, the appearance of the dragon holding a candle is just a story that Emperor Gaozu made up to change his name when he ascended the throne, just like people in the past dynasties always have to find a reason for their troubles, such as the white fox shouting at night, or like A wooden man dug out of the mud with prophecies written on it.

He had no fear of God in his heart, only the use of pros and cons, so he thought for a while and said: "Let's say he is the envoy sent by Zhulong."