The master said not to judge people by their appearance

The time to leave Beijing was later than Xie Yunlan expected. It was not that the court refused to let people go. On behalf of the emperor, he inspected the world, inspected the malpractice, and appeased the army and ruled the people.

But at the same time, it also increased Xie Yunlan's workload. He didn't plan to take many people with him, and he could just go with Shen Fan in light clothes. Now he has the title of inspector, and even more so under the banner of inspecting the world on behalf of the emperor. , then this trip will not be sloppy.

He had a lot of trivial things to do, and it wasn't until the beginning of July, more than half a month after the inner demon chaos, that the arrangements were roughly completed.

The preparations for departure are almost done, and they can start tomorrow, but there is still a very critical problem that has not been resolved. Where are they going?

The remaining three demons are nowhere to be found. Great Xia has a vast territory. If you search for them aimlessly, you may have to search for them for decades.

"Is there a way to know the approximate location of the inner demon, or some clues to find the whereabouts?" Xie Yunlan asked Shen Fan.

"Yes." Shen Fan said, "You can ask the sky."

"Ask the sky?" Xie Yunlan remembered that when they first met, Shen Fan said that he came to Beijing under the guidance of the destiny.

Xie Yunlan thought so until Shen Fan demonstrated it in front of him.

The tortoise shell hexagram plate copper coins, Shen Fan, these seemingly professional divination tools, were useless, and he did not burn incense and bathe before the divination, and made any preparations that seemed a little more serious. Throw it to the ground, point to the direction where the branch fell and say, "Go south."

Xie Yunlan: "..."

The corners of his eyes twitched, and he confirmed: "Is this what you said to be guided by the destiny?"

"Otherwise?" Shen Fan blinked.

"Is it too casual..." Xie Yunlan couldn't help but say it.

"Why is it not casual?" Shen Fan asked in confusion.

Xie Yunlan gave a few examples. Those masters he knew, such as Li Henian, put on a good posture every time before fortune-telling, and often held rituals that lasted for several days. Magical artifacts, some of them will vomit blood to show the unpredictability of the secrets, regardless of whether they are true or not, but they are really working hard, and they have gone through hardships before finally divination.

"Those hexagrams represent the destiny, don't the branches?" Shen Fan asked, "What do you think the destiny is?"

"Yes..." Xie Yunlan was at a loss for words, how could he know.

"It's a definite number in the dark." Shen Fan said, "There are countless variables in the world, exquisite and complex, intertwined, intertwined, one link after another, as small as a butterfly flapping its wings lightly, may cause the world to change in a karma. Great changes, but all variables will eventually be reduced to a fixed number, just like this branch at this moment, there are so many directions to fall, but it only fell to the south in the end, this is the guidance of destiny."

Although it sounds very mysterious, and there seems to be some point or two of nonsense, but Xie Yunlan still wanted to say: "...will you fall south if you throw it again?"

Shen Fan plausibly said: "You can't ask the sky twice a question."

Xie Yunlan: "..."

Forget it, since Shen Fan was able to throw himself to the capital by throwing a branch, he guessed that even if he didn't have the ability to spy on the fate, he would still have some luck of a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse.

Besides, the south... is different from the dryness in the north. The water system in the south is rich. The mighty Cangjiang River is like a winding dragon, crossing the land of China, subdividing into countless tributaries along the way, feeding tens of millions of people But at the same time, this largest river in Daxia will cause some disasters every year during the flood season.

The imperial court had already sent people to solve the flood in Huaizhou, but the Cangjiang River passed through more than this city. Now that the July flood season is approaching, he went south this time to check the water conditions in various places.

Thinking of this, Xie Yunlan decided on the direction of departure this time. After leaving Beijing from Anchengmen, first pass through Hankou, and then follow the Mianshui official road all the way to the south.

It just so happened that Mu Qingyun will also leave for Jeju to take up his post in the near future. Although Jeju is located in the west and south of the capital, although they are not exactly on the same road, there is also a certain distance overlapping, and the two parties agreed to set off together.

The next day, after Xie Yunlan explained the affairs of the mansion, he bid farewell to Wei Chengzhi. Wei Chengzhi had previously said that he intended to go back to his hometown of Yazhou to visit his deceased wife. Now that things are going on in Beijing, it is time for him to go back.

"There is my old department in Yazhou. If you need help with anything, sir, just contact them." Xie Yunlan gave Wei Chengzhi a warrant.

Wei Chengzhi took the token and thanked Xie Yunlan, and then told Xie Yunlan a few words: "The south is a fertile and rich land. Officials who can serve in the south often have deep backgrounds, and the relationships between aristocratic and powerful families are intricate. It takes time for the Marquis to investigate the water situation. Pay attention to proportion."

Wei Chengzhi didn't explain it clearly, but Xie Yunlan knew in his heart that there were floods in the south every year, but it was hard to tell whether it was a natural disaster or a man-made disaster. The imperial court allocated a lot of money to relieve disasters and repair dikes every year, but how much of these funds would eventually be settled? In reality, only God knows.

The sky is high and the emperor is far away. It has long been a well-known secret that those officials in the south are colluding and colluding. If Xie Yunlan reveals all the dark corruption during the investigation, it may cause a huge shock to the court. And retreat.

"Don't worry sir, I know it well." Xie Yunlan replied.

Wei Chengzhi nodded, before leaving, he specifically went to find Shen Fan.

"Master, I have a question to ask." He saluted Shen Fan respectfully. He was in the city on the night of the demon chaos, and he witnessed the ferocious demon and the candle dragon breaking through the dark night with his own eyes. Similarly, there is no doubt about Shen Fan anymore.

"Tell me." Shen Fan sat on the swing and was about to leave, he wanted to swing one last time.

"After a person dies, is there any knowledge from the underground?" Wei Chengzhi asked a little nervously.

"No." Shen Fan replied, "After a person dies, the three souls are all dispersed. The heavenly soul returns to the heavenly road, the earthly soul enters the earth veins, and the human soul returns to the eternal ghosts. Everything is washed away in the river of forgetfulness and the road of reincarnation, and we start again. , and no longer have any connection with the past.”

Wei Chengzhi's expression was gloomy, and he muttered: "It's okay to start over..."

He didn't have anything else to ask, he didn't stay any longer, he stepped onto the horse prepared by Wang Tai in front of the mansion gate, handed over to Wang Tai, and then drove away to Yazhou in the northwest.

It was time for them to leave, Xie Yunlan called Shen Fan off the swing, and then led a team of guards in the mansion that he had ordered, Wang Tai, as his personal guard, was naturally among them, a group of more than twenty people rode their horses towards the city gate run away.

This line has the support of the emperor, and all the accompanying guards are equipped with tall horses, all of which are hard to find among the people, except Shen Fan, because he can't ride, so he can only sit behind Xie Yunlan as usual, and Xie Yunlan will take him away.

After leaving the city, Xie Yunlan waited in place for a while, and he and Mu Qingyun agreed to meet here today and set off together.

Except for Shen Fan, they are all men in their prime of life with martial arts skills. Traveling is relatively simple, just bring some dry food, drinking water, and a change of clothes. Mu Qingyun's side is different. He will bring his family with him when he goes to Jeju. There are a lot of things to pack, so it is slower.

While waiting, Wang Tai chatted and said: "Master Hou, you see that there are not many people going to the Temple of Longevity now."

Xie Yunlan looked up. The place where they were waiting was not far from Yanhui Mountain. They could see the Temple of Longevity on the top of the mountain from a distance.

The common people could see clearly that it was the Dragon God who solved the inner demon chaos. This nominal national teacher did nothing, and because of being beaten up by Xie Yunlan that night, his nose was blue and his face was swollen for several days. .

Li Henian and the concept of longevity are a scam from beginning to end. Yuan Shuo himself knows this best. Now that his demons have been removed and his dream of longevity is shattered, he will not directly abolish Li Henian's reputation as a national teacher, but he probably just wants to keep it for a while. Divide the emperor's face.

After about half an hour, Mu Qingyun and his party arrived late. There were men and women, old and young, escort guards, and servant girls.

Naturally, it is impossible for such a group of people to ride horses. Most of them are on foot. Mu Qingyun and several guards led the way on horseback. There are two carriages behind, one is used for luggage, and the other is more beautiful. Come to sit in the car, of course Xie Yuzhen is sitting in the car.

She was protected by the guards in the mansion on the night of the inner demon chaos, but she was not injured after a miscarriage, and was absorbed by the demon fetus, so she needed to rest well.

Xie Yunlan steered the horse to the side of the car, and asked, "Yuzhen, how is your health recently? The journey is bumpy, why don't you stay in Beijing first, and wait until your health recovers..."

"It's okay." Xie Yuzhen lifted the curtain of the car and smiled at Xie Yunlan, "Don't worry brother, it's the Xie family anyway, I'm not that delicate, and Qingyun specially bought a cushion to lay it in the car, so I can't stand it."

Xie Yunlan saw that although Xie Yuzhen's face was still a little pale, but her overall spirit was good, she didn't say anything else.

Mu Qingyun also came over and said, "Yuzhen, just tell me if you feel uncomfortable."

Xie Yuzhen responded with a smile: "Got it, it's getting late, let's go."

At the time of Chen, there is still a lot of way to go, so everyone stopped dawdling and set off officially.

Because there were many servants on foot, and Xie Yuzhen had to be taken care of, the group did not walk fast, and Xie Yuzhen was just like what she said, although she was a rich lady, she was not a delicate person, even if she felt unwell, she would not tell it. Try not to affect everyone's progress.

But Shen Fan is.

After walking for a few miles, Shen Fan said, "It's so nice."

It was hot summer in July, they walked on the spacious official road without any shelter, it was indeed a little bit sunburnt, but the day had not reached noon, so it was not too harsh, everyone could bear it, only Shen Fan couldn't.

Xie Yunlan thought to himself that this squeamishness really started. Fortunately, he was well prepared, and he ordered the guard: "Bring an umbrella."

The attendant took an oil-paper umbrella from the luggage, and Shen Fan held it for a while, then said, "Hands are sore."

"I can't support you while driving a horse." Xie Yunlan tried to be calm and tried to find a solution, "Why don't you go down for a while and ask someone to help you support your umbrella?"

Shen Fan got off his horse, and Wang Tai volunteered to get off his horse and come over to help him hold an umbrella.

After a while, Shen Fan didn't leave, sighed and said, "I'm so tired."

Everyone: "..."

Xie Yunlan took a deep breath. In less than an hour, the whole team had already stopped three times because of Shen Fan.

You can't get angry, you can't get angry, Xie Yunlan said in his heart several times, this guy is so good at holding grudges, you can't kill him, after trying to calm down, he tried his best to raise a smile and asked: "Then what do you think?"

Sitting on the horse feels too hot, holding an umbrella makes her hands sore, and getting down and walking makes her tired. Xie Yunlan doesn't know how to serve this squeamish person anymore.

Shen Fan said, "I'll take the carriage."

He probably already had an idea about the spacious and comfortable carriage with a sunshade roof and soft cushions, and walked towards the carriage while talking.

"Don't go!" Xie Yunlan grabbed him by the back collar, and carried Shen Fan back like a kitten.

In addition to Xie Yuzhen and the maid Hongyu, the carriage was not full yet, but the carriage was full of female relatives, and the outsider was in the same carriage as a married woman. If this news got out, would Xie Yuzhen's reputation be lost?

Mu Qingyun also had an ugly expression on his face. He is not a good tempered man. If he hadn't seen Shen Fan's ability with his own eyes and understood the other's vengeful nature, he might have already rushed forward and gave this apprentice who doesn't know how to behave a fat beating. up.

Shen Fan was probably the only one present who didn't feel that his request was too much, and he asked inexplicably, "Why?"

"No reason!" Xie Yunlan tried to control her again and again, but she still couldn't, her tone was a little harsh, "Anyway, you are not allowed to get in that car!"

"Oh." Shen Fan didn't force it, but he looked at Xie Yunlan with faint eyes.

Xie Yunlan seemed to see a small notebook spread out in front of Shen Fan, and his name was being written on it.

He knew something was wrong, but he couldn't give in at this moment. It was impossible for Shen Fan to get on the car, so what other way could make Shen Fan stop holding grudges...

When Xie Yunlan was worrying, Xie Yuzhen came to relieve him at the right time. She heard the conversation outside the car, lifted the curtain and said, "Let Master come up and sit. My legs are sore after sitting for a long time. It's good to go down and walk."

"no!"

"How about that!"

Xie Yunlan and Mu Qingyun denied it at the same time, Xie Yunlan thought for a moment, and came up with a compromise solution: "Move a little luggage to this car, how about you sit in the back one?"

There are two carriages accompanying them, one for luggage and one for people. The carriage for luggage is full, but the carriage for people still has space. You just need to move some of your luggage to the other carriage to make room for it. Just click on the empty space.

Shen Fan looked at the one in the back, the luggage car was naturally not as comfortable as a person sitting on it, the carriage was much simpler, the interior was made of hard wood and no cushions, but it was better than sitting on the back of a horse and being exposed to the sun, so I thought about it , he nodded in agreement.

Xie Yunlan ordered people to carry some luggage to Xie Yuzhen's car. Mu Qingyun watched from the side with a dissatisfied expression, but he didn't say anything.

After Shen Fan sat in the car, everyone finally continued to set off, but he didn't stop there, and soon raised new questions, such as the car was too hard and uncomfortable to sit on, and for example, he felt thirsty after walking for so long. But the water in the water bag had a strange smell, and he didn't want to drink it.

Xie Yunlan tried his best not to get angry at him, and Mu Qingyun didn't have a good face because his trip was interrupted several times. Only Xie Yuzhen could endure his coquettishness. The cushions, water bladders, and the snacks that Mu Qingyun specially bought for her were given to Shen Fan.

Seeing this, Mu Qingyun's expression became more and more worried, and he endured the whole journey without saying a word. After walking for five days, everyone finally arrived in Hankou.

Hankou is only a hundred miles away from the capital city, and it usually takes only three days to arrive. Shen Fan, with his own strength, forcefully delayed their trip for two more days, which doubled the time.

This is still the case that Shen Fan does not need to walk by himself.

Xie Yunlan actually had a doubt before. According to Shen Fan, the heart demon escaped half a year ago, but he arrived in the capital from Zhongshan to find the first heart demon half a year later. Zhongshan is not close to the capital, but it is not so close. It is enough for ordinary people to walk for more than a month, but Shen Fan walked for so long.

Now he understands why, according to Shen Fan's problem, he has only been away for half a year, he has really worked hard.

After Hankou, they no longer traveled together. One of them headed west, and the other headed south. When they parted, Mu Qingyun had no worries, only a relaxed expression after relief.

"There are many bandits in Jeju, so be careful when you go there." Xie Yunlan told Mu Qingyun.

"Brother, don't worry, I'm bringing all the best soldiers in the army!" Mu Qingyun pointed to the accompanying guards, all of them were strong, well-trained, and they would never have to deal with ordinary bandits and rioters.

Xie Yunlan nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Take care of Yuzhen, she hasn't recovered yet."

"Naturally!" Mu Qingyun emphasized intentionally or unintentionally, "I am her husband, so of course I will take good care of her."

Xie Yunlan had nothing to say. Just as she was about to part ways, Xie Yuzhen suddenly stopped the groom who was driving the carriage, and poked her head out of the window to ask, "Brother, where did you spend the Chinese New Year this year?"

"I don't know." The year is still far away, Xie Yunlan has never thought about it at all, and this time he accompanied Shen Fan to find the demons, and he doesn't know how long it will take to find them all. I am afraid it will take three to five years to find them. It will be there wherever it is at that time.

"Brother, if you're not busy, how about coming to Jeju for the New Year?" Xie Yuzhen said with a smile, but the smile was full of reluctance.

Xie Yunlan is her only family member. This kind of blood relationship is incomparable to her husband Mu Qingyun. During the Chinese New Year, she always looks forward to being reunited with her relatives.

Xie Yunlan didn't agree immediately, after a moment of silence, he said, "I will try my best."

Xie Yuzhen also knew that Xie Yunlan couldn't give her a definite answer. The future of this trip was uncertain and full of dangers, just like every time Xie Yunlan left home to go to the battlefield. The siblings didn't know when or if they would see each other again.

Xie Yuzhen said with tears in her eyes, "I'll make dumplings stuffed with cabbage for you then, brother, remember to take care of yourself!"

"Understood!" Xie Yunlan waved at her.

The wheels began to turn again, and the horse's hooves stepped on the soil wet with tears, drifting away.

Xie Yunlan reined in his horse and stood there, watching them go away. Wang Tai stepped forward and reminded: "Master Hou, it's getting late, we should go too."

Xie Yunlan gave a "hmm", took a last look, and no longer missed it, he turned his horse's head and stretched out his hand to Shen Fan who was standing by the roadside: "Come up."

Shen Fan withdrew his gaze, he was also a little bit reluctant to leave Xie Yuzhen, not because he had feelings for others, but mainly because he had no car to ride.

With a long sigh, he reluctantly put his hands on Xie Yunlan's horse.

Because of the experience of being jolted by Xie Yunlan's horse before, Shen Fan wanted Xie Yunlan to go slowly and not bump him, but before he could speak, Xie Yunlan had already raised his whip.

"drive!"

The horse, which had been forced to walk for five consecutive days, finally got the command to run wildly, neighed happily, and flew several feet away in an instant like a gust of wind.

"drive!"

"drive!"

Wang Tai and the rest of the guards hurriedly followed, Shen Fan hugged Xie Yunlan's waist tightly, and said in the gust of wind, "Slow down..."

Wang Tai also shouted from behind: "Master Hou, slow down, wait for us!"

"Can't be slow!" Xie Yunlan shouted, "I've been delayed for so many days, how long will I drag on? Can't I find my demons!"

The matter of finding the inner demon is still a bit important to Shen Fan's heart, so he managed to overcome it, and did not ask Xie Yunlan to slow down the horse, but silently hugged Xie Yunlan's waist even tighter.

A group of people galloped on horses, followed the Mianshui River that was rushing along the official road, and went southward in a mighty way.