Lan Ruochan

Chapter 7

The Little Dragon King pointed to Liu Ying, and pointed to Qiongqi, "This boy, this old gentleman, please come to my residence for the time being. Does the young master have any objections?"

"This..." It wasn't that Liu Chengwu wanted to break his promise, but he knew very well that Qiongqi's temper could not be controlled by him.

If it wasn't for that person's willingness, even if his father came to invite him in person, he might still be frustrated.

"Young master wants to go back on his word?"

"No, no, I just want to say, it depends on Mr. Qiongqi himself."

The Little Dragon King laughed, looked at Qiongqi, saw that the other person was also staring at him, expressionless, unmoved, pointed at Liu Ying and asked, "Do you want this apprentice?"

Qiongqi didn't expect him to ask such a question, but was amused instead, "You are an interesting person! Come on, since Zhan Snake Villa owes you face, and I am the sword slave of Zhan Snake Villa, that's okay. It is inconvenient to refuse."

So he turned around and bowed to Liu Chengwu, "Master Shao, please explain the reason to the owner on behalf of Qiongqi."

Liu Chengwu also hastily replied, "That's natural, Mr. Lao Qiongqi."

The Little Dragon King suddenly went to grab Liu Ying with his left hand and Qing Yun with his right hand, and shouted to Liu Chengwu, "Young Master, there is one more thing! Today I met a few young heroes, and they hit it off very well. Could you please arrange the venue? We must make obeisance to these four young heroes!"

Qingyun was shocked, and cried out, "What?"

"You showed up on such an occasion to expose the deception and prevented the villain from succeeding. This credit is secondary. This kind of courage and insight is what Yuan admires the most. Could it be that these friends despise Yuan's background and are not worthy of it? you?"

Yuan Yu frowned, thinking to himself, what is the seniority of this little dragon king in the royal family, how could he recognize his brother indiscriminately.

So he deliberately increased his voice, called out, "Little Prince!", and said, "I'm afraid this is not appropriate?"

The Little Dragon King waved his hands impatiently, "This is the land of Zhan Snake Villa, everything must follow the rules of the world, why not?"

Yuan Yu was helpless, so he could only hold his fists to Liu Chengwu and said deliberately, "Song Wang Shizi, how do you think we should deal with it?"

Liu Chengwu shrugged his shoulders, "My lord, if it's about the official manners of the Great Wei, I really dare not interfere in the private affairs of the lords and sons. Since the lord speaks, everything depends on what General Long Xiang and these young people want. General Yuan, what did you say just now?" As for the conditions, since Qiongqi has already agreed, Zhan Snake Villa can be considered to have confessed. I don’t think there is any need for the Prince Song’s House to come forward for this matter of sworn marriage, right?”

Although Liu Chengwu said so, he gave Qiongqi a lukewarm wink.

Qiongqi naturally understands, "You don't need to worry about this matter, since Qiongqi has been temporarily employed by the Little Dragon King, he should help you with some trivial matters."

The Little Dragon King said with a smile, "It's so good, I'm going to work on Senior."

Yuan Yu became angry from embarrassment, but he also knew that Liu Chengwu, Yuan Faseng and the other two were the masters who could not be persuaded, so he shouted to Qingyun, Liu Ying and others, "You little children, are you really going to get into this muddy water?"

The four of them are all young at heart, how can they stand such bossy orders?If it was said that he still had some concerns at first, but now he is full of courage.

Especially Hu Caiting, where is he willing to forgive others?Immediately he said, "If it is the king of Guangling, we will naturally not be able to climb high. But this brother Yuan is arrogant, old-fashioned and warm-hearted. , It’s really lucky for three lives! What can I say?”

Yuan Yu saw that the faces of the other people were also full of disdain, so he didn't want to make fun of himself anymore, snorted coldly, and walked away.

There is no doubt about Qiongqi's efficiency in doing things, and he soon opened up a clean house.

The Little Dragon King wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with his new brothers, so he invited Qiongqi to be a witness, and entrusted Liu Chengwu to help take care of the lower court.

He seemed to think of something again when he turned his head, so he asked the young master of Zhan Snake Villa for a saber.

Liu Chengwu owed the little Dragon King his love, so naturally he didn't dare to be negligent, he hurriedly sent someone to fetch a high-quality ancient sword with pine pattern from the treasure in the village, and gave it to the Dragon King.

The five people drink their blood before the incense table, and report their names in order of their birthdays.

"The yellow sky is above, and the earth in the future is the proof. Today there is,
Luoyang Yuanfa monk,
Fan Yang Zu Dianzhi,
Heshuo Liu Ying,

Hucai Pavilion in Pingcheng,
Yixing Qingyun,

Sworn here, swear to be brothers, not to be born in the same year, the same month and the same day, but to die in the same year, the same month, the same day, to advance together, to retreat together, to give each other two ribs, there is no suspicion, if you violate this oath, heaven and man will kill each other ! "

Babai stood up, and the five of them laughed together.

Yuan Faseng suddenly turned serious and said to Qing Yun, "Fifth brother, from today onwards, you must not use your family sword casually. If you need to defend yourself, you can use this sword first."

After finishing speaking, he handed over the ancient sword with pine pattern that was presented by Snake Villa.

Qingyun was startled, "Brother actually knows my saber?"

Yuan Faseng nodded slightly, tore off his clothes, and a hideous sword mark passed across his left chest, "18 years ago, it was the 'Gan Chang Duan' that left this scar on my body. If it is three times deeper I'm afraid it will hurt my heart, and I won't be standing here today!"

"Is it my father?" Qingyun asked with a puzzled face, "If that's the case, why did the eldest brother want to worship me today?"

"My father's sword could have killed me.

At that time, it was impossible for me to avoid that sword.

Even now, I'm not sure I can avoid it.

At that time, he was hiding behind me, he was still an ignorant child.

If your father is unwilling to withdraw the sword, he can already win it, and no one can stop him.

My surname is also Tuoba, even if I died by your father's sword at that time, I would not be considered innocent.

But your father still stopped, he couldn't bear to kill a not innocent descendant of Tuoba like me.

But it was his hesitation that was pierced through his chest by a sharp sword in front of my eyes. "

Yuan Faseng stared into the distance, as if immersed in the memories of that day, slowly tied up his clothes,

"So I never held grudges against your father, he is a hero! A hero like my father!"

Having said this, Yuan Faseng patted Qing Yun's shoulder vigorously,

"I don't know what you came to Wei Guo for this time, and I won't get to the bottom of it.

But if one day you want to do the same thing as your father did back then, I will still stand in front of Konaka.

If you fail, I will die by oath.

If you succeed, you must first step over my corpse, and you and I will meet again in the spring.

But for now, we are still brothers.

You should seldom use that 'dry taste break', I am not the only one who recognizes it. "

Yuan Faseng's words seem to express gratitude, but also seem to be declaring war.There are so many complicated emotions mixed, but the words are sincere and there is no sense of oppression.

Of course Qingyun understood, and even more understood the heroic arrogance in Monk Yuanfa's bones. He reached out and took the hand of his elder brother on his shoulder,
"Brother, don't worry! At least for now, it's not as bad as you imagined. But if there is such a day, I will be the first to let you know!"

Yuan Faseng just patted Qingyun on the shoulder without saying anything more, walked up to Liu Ying, held his hand,
"Brother Yu was going to host a teacher apprentice banquet today, but it turned out to be a wedding feast, but Brother Yu is still a little bit unwilling after all.

I originally found Zhan Snake Villa to ask the owner about martial arts. Unfortunately, the owner is recovering from his injuries, so the most suitable person is...Senior Qiongqi.

But if I ask Senior Qiongqi for advice directly, he will definitely look down on him.

Why don't you trouble your third brother to worship him as a teacher, so that I can take advantage of the wind and learn some superficial things, what do you think? "

Qiongqi Nianxu laughed and said, "You boy is also very appetizing to me. Although you are not as good as Liu Ying in swordsmanship, your understanding of martial arts is not far behind. If this boy can worship me as a teacher, you will have something to do." If you ask for advice, there is no need to evade it, even though it is not registered in our sect, my Xizong's swordsmanship will not be hidden from you."

Yuan Faseng listened, pulled Liu Ying and worshiped.

Originally, Liu Ying was only due to the fact that the other party was too high-ranking, so he made half-pushed and half-satisfied, so naturally it was inconvenient to affect, and he sincerely bowed his head and offered tea to thank the teacher.

Everyone is so happy that they can't sleep without drinking.

The next day, only Zu Tingzhi got up the earliest and rushed to the early market to buy a lot of materials.

The second is Liu Ying. He wakes up Yuanfa Monk to go to Qiongqi to practice swords. He must make a good impression on the master on the first day.

When Hu Caiting and Qingyun woke up one after another, it was already high in the sun.

Seeing that Zu Dianzhi was busy, they also joined in the fun, "Second brother, what are you doing?"

Ji Zhi didn't turn his head, he was still carefully handling yesterday's loot, and he replied casually, "Fifth brother, this saltpeter is a treasure. I read a formula in my teacher's handbook, I don't know if it is suitable for self-defense. Gadgets to try."

I saw that he mixed saltpeter and two piles of yellow and black powder in the cold oil evenly, and found some gypsum and various scraps of iron nails and iron sheets from the blacksmith shop next door.Then wrap the previously mixed stone powder with gypsum like rolling glutinous rice balls, and then use bamboo sticks to pierce a few holes, fill in some white phosphorus seized yesterday, and then quickly take the finished product out of the oil, put it in the prepared inside the wax pellets, and then sealed with hot wax.Repeatedly, more than ten wax pills were made.

Hu Caiting was very curious and wanted to grab it.

However, Tinzhi blocked it in a panic, "Be careful, this thing is not just for playing with."

After finishing speaking, he carefully picked up one and said, "Come on, let me show you how good this one is!"

Tiezhi casually squeezed a wax pellet, and threw the plaster ball inside backhand.

There is a hole in the center of the plaster ball, and there is a whimpering sound when breaking the wind, like a beast rushing for food, the sound is swift and severe.

The white phosphorous stuffed in the holes burned violently under the high-speed friction with the air, and suddenly saw the small ball of green smoke, quickly knocking down the two people around them.

Caiting and Qingyun haven't figured out what's going on yet, they just heard a bang, thunder on the dry land, dust and smoke, pungent smell, and the sound of snatching can be heard endlessly.

The two were too frightened to get up for a long time, and they didn't follow carefully until Tie Zhi got up to check.

I saw iron fragments embedded in the surrounding walls and tree trunks everywhere, penetrating half an inch into the wood is strange, if it splashes on a person, it will break the abdomen and penetrate the heart.

"What's going on here?" Qingyun asked timidly.

"Those powders prepared with saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal powder will explode when they encounter open flames and the cloudy air in the air. The white phosphorus in the gypsum ball just ignited spontaneously not only produced open flames, but also exposed the nitrate powder to the air, which caused a large explosion. Explosion. That kind of force can shatter the plaster and splatter the broken iron inside, which is the effect now."

"My God, what a terrifying force!" Cai Ting tried to pull out half of the nail from the tree trunk, and shook it a few times, but the nail was still stubborn and showed no sign of loosening.

Some servants from Snake Villa have already rushed over after hearing the sound.Caiting hurriedly came forward to prevaricate, only saying that the medicine pot exploded, and the fierce woman was in charge, blocking everyone from the door.

Diezhi and Qingyun quickly cleaned up the scene. Of course, they must not forget to "divide the spoils".

Qingyun said, "Do you want to leave a few pills for the eldest brother and the third brother?"

Cai Ting shook his head, "Big brother and third brother are crazy about martial arts, so I'm afraid they don't bother to use these little tricks. Besides, we have to go to Luluo, so it's good to have self-defense."

Qingyun slapped his head, "Almost forgot about the important matter. The two elder brothers have obtained famous teachers, and they may stay here for a while. We have to hurry to catch up with Uncle Chen, and after we find out what's going on, we'll come back sometime to meet again."

When Yuan Faseng and Liu Ying returned from practicing swords, Qingyun and the three mentioned their plan to go to Luojing as soon as possible.

Monk Yuan Fa didn't ask much, "Because of my status, it's inconvenient for me to go away for the time being. The third brother has a new famous teacher, so stay with me for a while. Take my token and go to the official post tomorrow to get a few fast horses. Go back quickly. If you need help in Luojing, you can visit Prince Anfeng's Mansion and bring my token, and someone will help you make arrangements."

The five newly sworn brothers naturally had endless chats about the past, and at night they were full of eyes and ears.

Because Qingyun had to hurry on the next day, and Yuan Faseng and Liu Ying had to get up early to practice, so they didn't procrastinate as late as yesterday, and went to rest early.

Only Qingyun couldn't fall asleep, holding the wine jar in the courtyard to watch the stars.

In the midst of sleepiness, a silhouette seemed to be outlined in the moonlight, with long hair fluttering on the slender waist, like a willow by the Guangling Lake.

It was the first time for Qingyun to go on a long journey, and it was inevitable that nostalgia welled up in his heart. The depth of homesickness is loneliness, and the end of loneliness is loneliness.

Loneliness is sometimes a kind of power, not even weaker than the power of the terrifying explosion seen in the morning view, but the effect occurs more slowly and magically.

Will it be her?

Although he clearly knew the answer, the immersion in alcohol had made all realities look like illusions, and all illusions were so real.

For the ignorant homeboy who has lived in the mountains for more than ten years, Cai Ting is the first exquisite woman he has seen, and she has long become the definition of beauty in his heart.

He raised his arm, as if he wanted to touch the halo and distinguish between dreams and reality.

Snapped,
A firm slap woke up Qing Yun's drunkenness by three points.

It was only then that Qingyun realized that the direction where his hand was pointing did not seem to be very gentlemanly.

Hu Caiting's face was slightly angry, "Fifth Brother, you must have drunk too much! Hurry up and go back to sleep."

Qingyun hurriedly supported the wall and struggled to stand up, "Fourth sister, I'm sorry! It seems that I drank a lot, I'm sorry!"

Watching Qingyun get up several times, then fall back down again, looking like mud.

Cai Ting laughed out loud, "Looking at the way you drink, is this the first time you've been fighting for a bar?"

Strictly speaking, Caiting is not too beautiful to be faulted, a small mole on the left side of the cheek lightly pierces the perfection.

But no one can turn a blind eye to the special temperament she exudes. When the smile spreads, even the mole seems to dance.

The mirror-like lake surface may be beautiful, but it may not be breathtakingly beautiful. If a red leaf falls into it and ripples, the artistic conception will be even more different.

And the dimples rolled up in that smile brought a pool of spring water to life, turning it into a stream, making a gurgling sound, and sending the fragrance of vegetation.

Under the action of the hormones stimulated by alcohol and the night, all kinds of wonderful chemical changes took place in the consciousness, and Qingyun couldn't help but be a little obsessed with watching.

Cai Ting didn't think it was disobedient, instead, she put on an attitude of a big sister, calmly put her face closer, looked directly at Qingyun,
"During dinner, I felt that something was wrong with you, so I came here to take a look. What's on your mind, brother five? Come on, tell me, I'll help you out!"

The distance between the two was compressed to an inch in an instant, and Qing Yun's cheeks immediately swelled up. Fortunately, the alcohol had already dyed his face red, and there was no abnormal color on the surface.

He calmed down for a while, thinking of his depression all day, looked at Caiting and sighed, and said slowly,
"I'm thinking about today's marriage.

The eldest brother was born in the royal family of Wei Dynasty. Not only is his martial arts superb, but he is also chivalrous and heroic.

My second brother has been with me for the longest time. He has extensive knowledge and is rarely comparable to him at the same age.

The third brother's swordsmanship is unrivaled in Heshuo, and at this age, he can already defeat Qiannu of Snake Villa.

Fourth sister, you were born so beautiful, even though you are a woman, you have traveled all over the world by yourself, and you have experienced so much that you will not let a man.

Yi brothers and sisters are all dragons and phoenixes among people, with you, I, I seem to be useless..."

Hu Caiting heard Liu Mei's brows stand on end, snatched the wine jar from Qingyun's hand and threw it aside,
"Fortunately, you are still a dignified man, why do you even look down on yourself?
In terms of swordsmanship understanding, you may not be worse than third brother.

You have learned the sword for the shortest time, and you have never practiced routine moves, but you can already master it and use it freely.

This kind of talent can only be possessed by the legendary masters and sages.

Although you have no experience in the world, but because of this, you have maintained a disposition like jade.

I wandered the rivers and lakes since I was a child, and I was naturally vigilant, but when I first saw you, I was moved by your innocent eyes, and I didn't feel uneasy at all.

Eldest brother wanted to become a sworn brother from the first day we met. Of course there is a reason for the kindness of seniors, but the appreciation for you is even more essential.

Mr. Hua Yang has read countless people, since he commented that you have the appearance of the Nine Dragons Surrounding the Pillar, you naturally have a temperament and blessings that are different from Lun, and the fortune may not be inferior to any of us in the future.

When a person is young and vigorous, how can he underestimate himself? "

Qingyun didn't refute, and the sound of pearls and abass dripped directly into his sea of ​​consciousness like distilled alcohol.

Good words are like wine, he felt extremely useful at first, a little ecstatic, but he didn't know when it turned into a daze, so that he didn't even know how he fell asleep.

But he really knew how he woke up.

Hu Caiting's feet are not light, even though there is a thick layer of quilt, there is still a sharp pain in his left crotch.

Qingyun squinted his sleepy eyes, looked up and saw that it was getting late, and he was still leaning on the stone steps, sleeping in the open all night.

At this time, his head was hurting like it was about to split open. Seeing the angry expression in the morning light of Caiting, the conversation of the previous night was like a slide show, jumping out frame by frame in his mind, although the memory was not coherent , but also lingering.

Sinister Yuanfa came over with a smirk and hung a token around his waist, but the token did not fall through the quilt.

Qingyun couldn't help being embarrassed, turned over and rushed towards the inner room.

After Qingyun finished washing, the Caiting Pavilion was already ready to stop. When the five of them said goodbye, the atmosphere was quite awkward because of the episode just now.

Yuan Faseng patted Qing Yun's shoulder meaningfully, "Put your chest out like a man, and have a good trip!"

Qingyun's tender face was flushed red, and she seemed to have to leave.

Hu Caiting looked as usual, and He Dizhi followed behind unhurriedly.

Seeing the three of them take out the order of General Long Xiang of the Little Dragon King, the post officer naturally did not dare to neglect.

The news of the Dragon King's sworn brotherhood has long been rumored, how could this post official not know it?

So he personally went to pick three good army horses, tall and strong, with bright coat, bright eyes and hoo hoo sound.

Even ordinary military officers are rarely lucky enough to drive such hussars.

Zu Tingzhi was well-informed, and he was speechless, "This is a war horse used for armored riding gear. Now Xiao Xiaoke really dare not come to the door again."

Sanqi headed west all the way, and in less than half a day, they entered the border of Liang State.

Liang State is adjacent to Xuzhou. Although it is a traditional feudal territory, there was no prince enfeoffed here at that time, but it was used as a food town and enfeoffed to a county duke with a foreign surname.

The foreign surname Jue has no direct management power over Shiyi, and the real local power falls in the hands of General Li Wei, the foreign relative who sits in the town.

This person is the father of a noble concubine in the palace, who would dare to offend this quasi-head of state among the local clerks?

Gao Yang is a military officer, no matter what dynasty or generation, soldiers who are good at fighting are not only majestic and brave, but also a little bit of arrogance and banditry.

The military is big in the local area, so one can imagine the behavior of these masters on weekdays.

When Qingyun and his party drove such a magnificent horse into the city, everyone regarded them as important members of the military and feared that they would avoid them.

Wherever the horses go, the shop is closed, and the inn is closed. It seems that the local military master is used to domineering, and small traders are afraid that the three people will bully them.

Hu Caiting wondered, "It's noon, why are all the shops closed, and there is no place to rest?"

There was a gurgling sound, it turned out that the glutton in the belly started to complain.

Ji Zhi saw the commotion of people not far ahead, it was very lively, he waved his whip and pointed, "Let's go there and have a look."

Qingyun was already tired of hunger, so he rushed over immediately.

I saw a house in front of me busy hanging silk and putting on a feast.

While everyone was busy, they suddenly rushed over a tall and strong horse. Even if Qingyun hurriedly grabbed a few reins from his arms, he almost bumped into the steward in charge of greeting the guests at the door.

When the man saw this posture, he didn't take it seriously, instead he put on a smiling face and hurriedly greeted him,
"Master, thank you for your honor. Please come inside! Please come inside! Two tigers pack up, ah, three sirs!"

The steward's eyes were sharp, and when he saw that there were two horses behind him, he greeted them at the same time.

The guy named Erhu brought a few servants, and enthusiastically took the reins in the hands of the three of them,

"Several military lords are here, and the lower hall is full of splendor! First, please have some tea and snacks, and listen to a little song. Then there will be a private show, and naturally there will be a thank you gift!"

Li Zhi immediately understood that this was an officer who was treated as a casual eater, so he didn't argue too much, and winked at the two of them, and walked in with the two tigers generously.

"""""Knock on the blackboard time"""""

Gunpowder is a great chemical invention in ancient China.

The industrialization of gunpowder, of course, happened after the late Tang Dynasty.But as we said before, industrialization is not a criterion for the birth of an invention.

The inventor of gunpowder is the Chinese Dan family, it is hard to say that it is a one-person event.The formula of combustible saltpeter has been recorded as early as in the Jin Dynasty classic "Baopuzi".

In fact, earlier, in the Han and Wei dynasties Danjia's works "Zhou Yi Can Tong Qi" and "36 Water Laws" have records about the usage of saltpeter and sulfur properties.

Tao Hongjing, Mr. Huayang who appears in this book, is one of the masters of alchemy.In his book "Compendium of Materia Medica", he made detailed notes on the combustion of saltpeter and the method of using the flame color to determine the composition.There is a certain understanding of the early prototype of gunpowder.

The saying that the air contains yin and yang qi, and yin qi supports combustion appeared in a manuscript called "Pinglong Recognition".This book is now lost, but was quoted by a German scholar as an account of Eastern chemical discoveries, which had some influence in the Western world.According to the German scholar's description, the manuscript he obtained was completed in the Tang Dynasty, and the original author did not know which dynasty it was from. It was transliterated as Mao Heng (Nephew of Mao Sui?).And the French translation of Chapter 3 of the book he cited in his thesis is the only fragment of the book that can be consulted at present.

The book's description of Yin Qi is not limited to combustion-supporting, and the preparation method mentioned in it is also very close to the "oxygen" defined by today's chemistry.This can be seen from the cognition of chemistry by Danjia in ancient China.

(End of this chapter)