Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1279 Opening

In the ninth year of Baixu, the emperor Dong Yunqiong, who had been in power for thirteen years, died in the palace. At that time, the crown prince Dong Zai succeeded to the throne and changed the reign to Longde. However, Dong Zai was young and weak, so the Grand Tutor Qin Zhong used his military power to suppress the powerful ministers and supervise the country.

In the fifth year of Longde, an evil star appeared in the northern border. Qin Zhong went to suppress it personally. The war lasted for a long time and he did not return to the court for several years.

The powerful ministers returned to their old ways, and the treacherous and corrupt officials controlled the deep palace. The Wei Dynasty was only in its second century, with demons and monsters rioting outside and corrupt officials at home. The country was already in decline, but people with lofty ideals rose up.

At this time when the country is in decline, everyone needs to make their own choice, no matter whether they are in high positions or in remote areas of the society.

Tourist Lu Ning, the identity has been drawn this time.

The main tasks will be announced in four stages. Except for the main tasks, all side quests can be explored by tourists on their own. There will be no additional prompts at the distribution center. All side quests are events that can affect the situation to a certain extent.

You are from the Huailing Lu family, and you are the adopted daughter of Lu Qingxu, the censor of this dynasty. Lu Qingxu is a clean and honest person, and he is eager to serve the public, but the court is full of cliques and it is difficult to tolerate him. In a deliberately designed case, Lu Qingxu was accused of drinking and causing trouble, and was demoted and returned home.

The first phase of the mission: Jiangnan is like smoke.

Accompany Lu Qingxu to visit Jiangnan Zhenjian Villa and attend the birthday banquet of the villa owner Luan Tianyin. Protect Lu Qingxu's safety until the birthday banquet is over, and leave Zhenjian Villa. 】

  =

"The dusk mist is so dark and blue, and I feel like a fairy in the mountains and mists. I sail alone in a boat through the thousands of sails, and get drunk in front of the bright moon at the bridge."

"If you have time, why not consider our travel expenses?"

On the boat going down the river, a small pot sat on the stove, and a wisp of tea fragrance was seeping out from the lid of the pot, which was constantly shaking, and was blown away by the river breeze. Lu Ning picked up the small pot that was no longer so hot, and carefully divided the fish soup into two ceramic bowls.

"A Ning, don't we have enough silver?"

Lu Qingxu, who was standing at the bow reciting a poem, came over. He was only in his forties, but he already had some white hair. From what Lu Ning had remembered, Lu Qingxu usually acted like a free and easy person, but in fact, he was probably worried about the situation in the court.

In terms of loyalty to the Wei Dynasty, Lu Qingxu, who had been an official for many years, was even a little pedantic.

"Alas, when you still want to 'get drunk under the moonlight at the bridge', shouldn't you consider what crime you were accused of before being dismissed? After we left the capital, you didn't want to squeeze in the same carriage with others, nor did you want to sleep in a dilapidated temple at night. When it was time to travel by water, you refused to take the passenger ship and insisted on sailing down the river in a small boat by yourself..."

Lu Qingxu walked over and sat down beside the boat.

“That’s not safe.”

"It's not safe, you always say it's not safe, but we..." Lu Ning looked at the bow, where there was an old boatman. The old boatman was deaf and dumb. From her memory, it seemed that Lu Qingxu had found him. She didn't know why Lu Qingxu had found such a person.

"Aning, I know you mean well. But you also know that before we go back home, we have to take a detour to attend Mr. Luan's birthday banquet." Lu Qingxu whispered, "Zhenjian Villa is one of the eight major sects in the current martial arts world. Aning, when you and I were in the capital before, we only needed to hear about these things from others. But now that I have no official position, you have to understand the current situation in the martial arts world. I hired teachers to teach you martial arts and Taoism since you were a child, but you have never set foot in the martial arts world."

"…But what does that have to do with the trouble we had along the way?"

"People's hearts are no longer the same as they used to be, An Ning." Lu Qingxu smiled bitterly and picked up a bowl of fish soup. "Even when I was the governor of a state ten years ago, the world was not as chaotic as it is today. Under the rule of the previous emperor, although there were disasters, the common people could still eat. But since the first year of Longde, there have been three uprisings that have reached the court, and there have been countless incidents of famine and refugees. Although the world of the Great Wei is thousands of miles long, there is not much peace."

Lu Ning listened carefully to Lu Qingxu's words.

She knew that Lu Qingxu was a person who had really seen some things. After all, he was an official who rose from the local to the capital, so he naturally had some practical skills. Lu Qingxu not only understood the court, but also had a lot of experience in the stories of the world.

"You know what birthday gift I'm going to give to Mr. Luan."

In addition to the regular jewelry, the most important thing was a prescription bestowed by the emperor, the formula of the Snow Toad Pill. Lu Qingxu knew very well that wealth should not be revealed. If the news of the pill formula in his possession was not leaked, some martial artists would definitely try to seize it.

"If you are short of money, you can pawn this jade pendant when you get to the next ferry." Lu Qingxu took off a jade pendant from his waist, "Just be patient for a while, we will be able to reach Zhenjian Villa in less than half a month."

"You'd better put it away and just listen to my arrangements from now on. In short, you should drink less in the future. Alcohol costs a lot." Lu Ning didn't answer. She had already calculated the money she had on her according to her memory and had some plans.

Since Lu Qingxu had done practical work, he certainly knew how to look at accounts. But for someone like him who came from an aristocratic family, looking at government accounts was a necessary skill, but managing the money he actually had was another matter. As far as memory was concerned, Lu Qingxu knew very well how to use his official position and benefits to earn some extra income, but he had no idea how to spend money.

Even if you have the ambition to make it back even if you lose all your money, you'd better consider the current situation.

“Is there a chance to trouble a den of thieves…” Lu Ning thought about the possibility of this plan.

As the boat sailed down the river, the sun had already moved to the west. The mountains and forests were thick with mist, and flocks of birds flew out from the mist, crossing the river against the backdrop of the red sky.

It is the golden autumn season now. Counting the days, it should be Mid-Autumn Festival when we arrive at Zhenjian Villa.

Lu Ning took a soft pancake baked by the fire and began to eat dinner in silence with the fish soup. The taste of the fish soup was not very good. There were not many spices used in the background of this scene, only salt. Fortunately, the fish was caught by the old boatman from the river today, so it was very fresh.

As the sun gradually set, the old boatman took out a small lamp from the cabin and hung it on the bow. The old boatman did not eat with the two of them, but nodded slightly to Lu Ning when she brought him a cup of tea.

As soon as night fell, Lu Ning and Lu Qingxu prepared to rest.

Lu Ning lay in the cabin, sorting out her current identity and memories.

Lu Qingxu adopted Lu Ning, who was an orphan at the time, fifteen years ago. Her real father probably died during the arrest of a case. Lu Qingxu himself had a wife, but unfortunately she died early and left no children. After being transferred to the capital by the previous emperor, Lu Qingxu never remarried, but found some teachers to teach Lu Ning carefully. When he was an official in the local area, Lu Qingxu had certain connections with the local underworld forces. He traveled to several places in his official career. In today's court, people with his resume are actually a minority.

In fact, most of the officials in Beijing were promoted through patronage and had no local experience.

Lu Ning has been studying martial arts, history, and military since he was a child... However, he was not interested in cultural courses at all. He learned some of them reluctantly, but he made some achievements in martial arts.

The current body has already been strengthened with the muscles and bones of martial arts, starting with the two most basic martial arts, "Zhengwu Fist" and "Lishen Sword", and has also learned many martial arts from different factions.

Among the martial arts in her mind, there was one that was not in her memory, but suddenly appeared after she entered the scene - "Senluo Nine Revolutions Heart Sutra".

It seems that this is what she got in exchange. The distribution center was generous and gave her a superior internal skill, but she had to practice it from scratch.

She wore a delicate crossbow transformed from "wild plague" and a mechanical device transformed from "giant knuckles", which were installed on her left and right arms respectively. In addition, her most commonly used weapon was a long sword, which was a gift prepared by Lu Qingxu for her. It was considered a sharp sword.

The money was not too much, and Lu Ning herself certainly had some personal property, but the money she and Lu Qingxu prepared was not that much. After all, Lu Qingxu was an honest official, and his expenses in Beijing were quite high. When he left Beijing, he did not have time to cash in some valuable things at home.

"Or should we find a chance to sneak into the bandits' stronghold?"

Lu Ning thought about it. This scene was not a peaceful world. Many people had to become bandits. The world was not in complete chaos because the control over the local areas was still there and there were still some capable officials working hard to maintain this country that was heading towards its end.

  And now, how many bandits are there?

As for Zhenjian Villa, it is one of the eight major sects in the martial arts world today. The origin of these eight major sects is that thirty years ago, a demon appeared in the martial arts world, "Weapon Forger" Qiu Weishuang, who set off a bloody storm. At that time, all the major sects in the martial arts world, and even the masters of the palace, joined forces to besiege Qiu Weishuang and his demon sect followers on the northwest cold mountain. Qiu Weishuang forged nine magic swords in his life. His own sword "Fuming" was collected by Gao Mengxi, the first master of the palace at that time, and the other eight swords were collected by the eight sects that contributed the most at that time, which are now the eight major sects.

The owner of Zhenjian Villa was one of the people who participated in the encirclement and suppression in the past, so he is naturally one of the most prestigious people in the martial arts world today. However, in fact, due to his advanced age, Luan Tianyin has already handed over all the affairs of the owner to his son Luan Yucheng, but he cannot abdicate yet.

The birthday party for such a martial arts figure will of course be attended by people from all corners of the world. The other seven major sects will probably also send people. This is bound to be a grand event, and it is so special because it is Luan Tianyin’s 70th birthday.

Lu Ning didn't know the actual situation, but since the distribution center had issued the task, I'm afraid this birthday banquet would not be so peaceful. The stage-type tasks were probably one after another, and the danger would probably be higher as time went on.

This is probably going to be a protracted battle.

Lu Ning adjusted his breathing and immediately began to practice the technique.

Judging from the scene description, this time there might be a force that can break through the upper limit more than the ordinary martial arts world. Her current martial arts skills might not be enough.

Practice all night long until dawn.

This technique was indeed top-notch. Once it started working, it would circulate throughout Lu Ning's body even when she was fast asleep. She did not really fall asleep completely, but entered a state of deep meditation as she had learned at the gathering place.

She felt a hint of cold energy in her body. After all, it was a technique named "Senluo", so it was normal for it to have cold and cold properties.

But she didn't feel tired from practicing Qigong. Lu Qingxu was still sleeping, and the morning breeze on the river was still a little cold, so Lu Ning lit the small stove again and refilled the kettle.

She could already see the ferry. The old boatman had been sailing on the river all night, and she didn't know where he got so much energy.

Soon, Lu Qingxu also woke up. He looked up, then took out a map from the package and took a look at it. Then he walked to the old boatman, gestured for a while, and then came to Lu Ning.

"Feng Town is ahead."

After Lu Qingxu sat down, he poured himself a cup of tea and explained.

"Fengzhen is an important water transport town. It is one of the 23 transit points for the north-south water transport route set up since the founding of the Wei Dynasty. The Salt Gang and the Water Transport Gang both have branches here. This place is rich, and we can also replenish more drinking water."

"Don't you want to buy some bars?" Lu Ning glanced at Lu Qingxu.

"If you have enough, the aged daughter's red wine from Dingtailou here..."

"You can only find a wine shop to buy two pots of muddy wine. Don't think about more. How much does Ding Tai Lou cost?" Lu Ning interrupted him quickly, "If you can't bear it, you have to stay on the boat."

"A Ning, don't worry." Lu Qingxu smiled and waved his hand. "There is an old friend of mine here. I will go and meet him. You can walk around here freely. You don't have to worry about the money."

"Which one?"

"You don't recognize me. Don't worry, I will come back here in the evening, don't miss the time." After Lu Qingxu said this, he picked up a piece of cake and put it in his arms, and moved to the side of the boat without waiting for Lu Ning to speak.

Soon, the boat reached the shore. Lu Ning saw Lu Qingxu quickly walk ashore and soon disappeared into the crowd. She could only sigh, hang her sword on her waist, and walk to the dock.

There is a special dock for small boats and a special dock for large ships at the ferry. It was early morning, and the fishermen who had been out fishing were coming back. They were busy sorting the fish from the fishing boats by size, and their families who had been waiting on the shore were loading them to sell in the town. There were also some people carrying bags waiting at the dock, and they would rush over once a large merchant ship arrived.

The fishy smell and the noisy voices mixed together, making it seem quite lively. If you only looked at the pier, you might mistake it for a prosperous time.

But if you look closely, you will see that it is the old man who drives the fishing boat back, the women and children who sort the fish, and among the people carrying the bags, only one-third are young and strong.

Lu Ning walked through the crowd, followed the road on the pier, and entered Feng Town.