wait a minute

Chapter 444

Wanbao Building is located in the center of the capital, and is surrounded by shops selling calligraphy, painting and antiques. There are not many people wandering around this street early in the morning, and you can only see a few individual tourists passing by occasionally.

In the early morning, as four guards took the carriage with the young lady out of the alley on the side of Wanbao Tower, a middle-aged man walked out of the fan shop across the street, holding an ivory fan and admiring it in the morning light. He glanced at the carriage going away.

Inside the shop, there was an old man in a Confucian shirt, who looked like he was the head of a wealthy family. He was playing with a few fans in front of the counter and chatting with the shop assistant who had just gotten up:
"The Wanbao Building opposite is quite large, so the owner behind it shouldn't be simple, right?"

"Sir, have you just come to Yanjing?"

"I used to travel in the north, and I just came here not long ago."

"Let me tell you. This Wanbao Building is not a small shop. The owner behind it is said to be a distant relative of the former Master Hua. Recently, Master Hua's legitimate son came to Beijing and lived here temporarily..."

"Really? I'm quite ignorant...the one who drove out just now was the young master of Mrs. Hua's family?"

"This is the car going to the Imperial Academy. There should be the eldest lady of Wanbao Tower inside. Have you heard of Mr. Hua Qingzhi? The most talented woman in Yanjing, the little chess master. Unfortunately, she has been disabled since she was a child, and her legs and feet are inconvenient..."

……

After chatting with each other for a long time, the old man in Confucian shirt casually took out some silver, bought an ordinary landscape fan, and walked out of the shop to the street.

The middle-aged man outside originally came to his side and whispered:
"Master, Hua Junchen should live across the street. What should we do next?"

The middle-aged man who spoke was named Ke Yu. He was the head of Snow Wolf Valley in Northern Xinjiang. In terms of strength, he could only be regarded as a low-level bastard and didn't have much to say.

The old man in Confucian shirt next to him was called Mu Yunsheng.

In the contemporary arena, there are only a few people who know the name Mu Yunsheng, but when it comes to the 'Old Lord of Shuofeng City', people in the arena are somewhat impressed.

Snowfield is considered a desolate place in Beiliang, similar to the sandbanks of the Southern Dynasties. Although it is included in the territory, it is not much different from an enclave. As long as there is no rebellion, the court does not bother to take care of it. The person who is in charge has always been jokingly called ' Shuofeng City of the Northern Xinjiang Protectorate.

Shuofeng City is not a sect, but a rare population gathering place in the snowy plains. The previous city lords have been the overlords of the snowy plains, and Mu Yunsheng was the city lord of the previous generation.

Although Beiyunbian, the contemporary overlord of the snowfield, both have the word "cloud" in their names, they have no teacher-student relationship. Beiyunbian was called this name simply because he had determined to be the overlord of the snowfield since he was a child, and his name was after Mu. Yun Sheng took it.

Because he had targeted Mu Yunsheng since he was a child, Beiyunbian did not kill the old city lord after he succeeded in taking power. He just exiled him to Beihuang, confiscated all his family property, and prohibited him from entering the world again.

This move seems a bit like occupying family property, but in the snowy plains that even Beiliang Xiaoxiao calls barbarians, even Mu Yunsheng's martial arts skills are not abolished, which is considered to be very martial ethics.

The strong are respected in the snowfield. Although Mu Yunsheng still wanted to make a comeback, due to the intimidation of Beiyunbian, he could not do it openly. He has been living in seclusion in Snow Wolf Valley for these years, secretly thinking about the way to immortality and immortality.

When the Xuehuhua turmoil broke out years ago, King Zuo Xian was most worried about the emergence of the deep water old bastards, and Mu Yunsheng's name was among them.

Mu Yunsheng did go to Tianlang Lake at that time. The purpose was naturally to grab the Snow Lake Flower to refine medicine and try to improve his martial arts skills that had been standing still for many years. Originally, he wanted to be the 'oriole' behind the scenes and wait for the Jianghu people to finish. , then quietly come out to reap the benefits, and act as low-key as possible to avoid causing dissatisfaction from Beiyunbian.

But what people didn't expect was that when he was halfway into hiding, he discovered that the mantises catching cicadas were a little fat, and there were two of them. They killed King Zuo Xian in three or two blows. The oriole jumped out from behind the scenes again, I'm afraid I will have to be buried with King Zuo Xian.

Seeing that something was wrong, Mu Yunsheng left immediately and ran to Hudong Road to find the way to Xue Huhua.

The Snow Lake Flower had been put into the emperor's private treasury, and Mu Yunsheng did not dare to reveal his identity. He had been searching for many days but could not find an opportunity, and he was about to give up.

But just two days ago, his apprentice Ke Yu suddenly got a secret from the Qinglong Society - the Qinglong Society sent people to sneak into the forbidden area of ​​​​the imperial court and got the exact information about refining the elixir.

Through the reactions of the Twelve Institutes, Mu Yunsheng was able to confirm that the matter was true, so he asked Ke Lu to go to the Qinglong Society to inquire. As a result, the Qinglong Society, a group of profiteers, asked for 3 taels of silver, not even a penny less.

When Jianghu warriors dominate a place, while gaining countless fame and fortune, they often lose poverty; and vice versa.

Mu Yunsheng was purged that year and had lost all his property in Shuofeng City. No matter how good his martial arts skills were, he could not make money even if he did not dare to go out. He could not even recruit a disciple to support him in his old age, so it was difficult to publicize it to the outside world. , now it is not easy to pay 3 taels, let alone 3000 taels.

The Qinglong Society had bitten the price, and Mu Yunsheng couldn't reveal his identity. So he could only change his mind and focus on the person who was seeking information from the Qinglong Society.

In his opinion, the person who could sneak into the forbidden area of ​​the imperial court and find out such secrets must be a master in the middle or upper reaches, or have a special status and have the opportunity to contact it.

Yanjing seems to have a lot of people, and there are also many spies and killers from the Blue Dragon Society, but there seems to be only one person who meets these two conditions!

gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo~
Mu Yunsheng held a folding fan, and just a few steps out of the shop, the sound of carriages and horses was heard again in the alley opposite.

A coachman brought a luxurious carriage and stopped at the door. Then Hua Junchen, who was wearing a brocade robe and a sword hanging from his waist, walked out of the mansion. Before getting on the carriage, he paused and glanced around suspiciously.

Hua Junchen's action was to scan the surrounding area for dirty things, but Mu Yunsheng obviously didn't know.

Seeing the other party's movements when he noticed something strange, Mu Yunsheng was really startled. He stopped prying with his peripheral vision. After walking a little further, he said:

"It seems that the rumors in the world are not false. Hua Junchen's strength is indeed unfathomable."

Disciple Ke Yu walked in front, nodded and said:

"According to rumors in the world, Hua Junchen comes from a family and does not want to be implicated in the grievances of the world, so he has been hiding his clumsiness. His true level is probably not lower than that of Xie Jianlan..."

Xie Jianlan can fight with Ye Jingtang repeatedly, and his strength is estimated to be that of a semi-saint. At Mu Yunsheng's age, there is not much difference between fighting and dying.

But Mu Yunsheng is not blind. As an old man who has been in the world all his life, he knows how difficult it is to become a saint. He said:

"If you touch the threshold of returning to nature, your energy and spirit will look the same as ordinary people. Hua Junchen's appearance is pure, and his energy is generated when he walks. It is obvious that he has not reached that state. In the eyes of the teacher, he must be stuck in the unity of heaven and man. bottleneck."

"Master, are you sure you can deal with it?"

"I am naturally not afraid of normal martial officers. However, there are two types of warriors in the world that cannot be treated with common sense. One is a young and promising person, and the other is a late bloomer. At Hua Junchen's age, he obviously belongs to the latter..."

"What does Master mean?"

"Follow and take a look first, and then we'll talk about it after we find out the details..."

……
-
At noon, Imperial College.

The warm spring sun shines on the street. There is neither the scorching heat of midsummer nor the chill of the winter wind. It is neither cold nor hot and is very comfortable, making people feel a little more sleepy without realizing it.

In front of the fragrant Tutou shop, more than a dozen students from the Imperial College were waiting in line.

Night Terror Hall was dressed as a guard, standing in front of the team with a saber hanging on his waist. Because he had spoiled Aunt Fan last night and didn't sleep well, he stood for a while and even got a hutch.

Niaoniao, who had been watching all night, woke up at this moment and looked out of the carriage window on the street. His eyes were full of impatience, as if he was saying - You are a mighty martial sage, but you still have to queue up to eat rabbit heads?Do you still want to save face...

The Imperial Academy had just finished school, and Hua Qingzhi was sitting by the car window, looking at Ye Jingtang's side face through the gap in the curtain that was squeezed open by birds.

Lu Zhu was sitting next to her, holding the bird's claws to prevent it from running out and grabbing the rabbit's head. She also comforted:

"Are you hungry? Why don't you take a few bites of dried meat to satisfy your hunger?"

"Gee~"

……

After waiting for a while, Ye Jingtang came back with several oil paper bags and pushed the protruding bird back:

"Going to the chess club now?"

Hua Qingzhi smiled and said: "The competition has probably started. Mr. Lu has a fierce chess style and is good at playing fast chess. If you go late, you will have to watch the second game. Come over quickly."

Seeing this, Ye Jingtang didn't say much. He got on his horse and escorted the carriage to the chess club.

But before the group of people had gone far, they suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind.

Ye Jingtang looked back and saw outside the grand archway of the Imperial College, Mr. Wang, whom he had met once before, came over waving his fan and holding a bookcase in his hand. He was neither riding a horse nor bringing any entourage. Judging from his expression, Quite depressing.

Hua Qingzhi saw this scene from the car window, her eyes were slightly dazed, and she opened the curtain:

"Young Master Wang, are you coming to school again?"

"?"

Wang Jiwen was startled when he heard the sound. He raised his head and found Hua Qingzhi's carriage, so he came over and complained:
"That's not the case. Miss Hua, please comment. Didn't I ask for a painting two days ago and send it to the imperial concubine? The imperial concubine praised me after seeing it, and then asked me why I was still there because I also came from the Imperial College. Ghost painting talisman. I said that everyone has his or her own merits. The imperial concubine said that hard work can make up for weakness, and then she asked me to come on time every day, and if I skipped class and broke my legs... I gave the paintings with good intentions, but I was punished so harshly, tell me whether this is unfair..."

Hua Qingzhi felt that she was not unjust at all. The imperial concubine advised Wang Jiwen to study hard, so she should be praised.She thought for a while and said:

"The imperial concubine asked the prince to study more while he was young, in order to prepare for becoming an official in the future..."

Wang Jiwen waved his hand quickly:
"It's better to avoid it. When I am a playboy, I only bring harm to the family. If I am an official, it is the people who are harmed! Even if we, scholars, cannot bring peace to the world, we cannot ruin the people's wealth and wealth..."

"...?"

When these words came out, not only Hua Qingzhi, but also Ye Jingtang was stunned.

Hua Qingzhirao, a well-educated scholar, didn't even answer the call. She held her head in her hand to see the smart bird. After holding it in for a long time, she changed the subject and asked:

"Why is Prince Wang alone? He goes out without any entourage?"

Wang Jiwen shook his fan and said depressedly: "Isn't the imperial concubine afraid that I will skip class? She said hello to the guards and sent them to her in the morning and picked them up in the afternoon. I didn't come here often before, and I didn't know that school ended at noon today... "

Hua Qingzhi suddenly realized it, thought about it and asked again:

"Why don't you take Mr. Chen's car back?"

"I was sleeping in the clock tower in the morning, and I was woken up by the bell ringing. When I came out, I saw that everyone had run away, and there were still rides. Oh, that's all, I'm leaving first..."

Hua Qingzhi opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.

After all, Wang Jiwen is the eldest grandson of a wealthy family in Hudong, and the Wang family and the Hua family are two pairs of families. They will have to deal with each other for the rest of their lives. No matter what the relationship is in private, they still have to do a good job on the stage.

When Hua Qingzhi saw that Wang Jiwen was really going to walk back alone, she said;

"Hua Ning, you can take the prince to see him off, and Hua An can take me to the chess club."

Hua Ning, who was standing next to the carriage, understood after hearing this that the young lady wanted to go on a date with the King of Hell alone. Naturally, he did not dare to say anything. He quickly got off his horse and stepped forward to catch the book box:

"Young Master Wang has a body of a daughter, so what if you get lost while walking back? Come on, I'll help you carry it... Hua Ying gave the horse to Prince Wang..."

The two guards following behind were not too reassured by Hua An's arrangement of sending the young lady off alone, but the young lady and the foreman had both spoken, so they didn't want to say much, so they went over immediately and freed up a horse for Wang Jiwen.

When Wang Jiwen saw that all the guards were gone, and only the people he had arranged were left in front of Hua Qingzhi, he was naturally surprised in his heart, and he immediately handed over his hands and said:
"Then thank you, Junior Sister Hua. Your Majesty the Imperial Concubine has just given you two boxes of frost cream. They came as tribute from Western Xinjiang. They were originally given to my mother. I will ask Hua Ning to bring you a box later."

After saying that, he got on his horse and left in a hurry.

Hua Qingzhi originally wanted to politely refuse, but when she saw Wang Jiwen and others hurried away, she could only shake her head and sigh.Only then did Luzhu poke his head out, glanced at the street, and whispered:
"Miss, why do I feel that this prince is so smart but not smart at the same time? It's weird..."

Hua Qingzhi sighed softly: "Smartness is useless on the right path. It was the same when dad was young. He will naturally be stable when he gets married..."

The last time Ye Jingtang met Wang Jiwen, he felt that this person was not as simple as he seemed, and he felt the same now.

However, because this person really posed no threat to him, Ye Jingtang didn't bother to think too much about it, and headed to the chess club with the carriage...

---

Meixiang Chess Club is located in the Plum Grove outside the city, next to the West City Gate. It is a public garden where literary and poetry gatherings are often held on weekdays. In March, many people come to enjoy the scenery.

Ye Jingtang took the carriage to the outside of the plum forest. When he looked up, he saw the plum trees densely covering the entire hill. There were several buildings with white walls and blue tiles among them. There were gentle pedestrians walking back and forth on the white stone trails, including There are many beautifully dressed young ladies and ladies.

After Hua Qingzhi got off the carriage, she sat in a wheelchair and raised her hand to indicate a path on the side of the gate:
"If you go here, you can go directly to the back of the chess club."

Ye Jingtang was pushing the wheelchair and was a little confused when he saw this:
"Why don't you go through the front door?"

Luzhu walked forward holding her pet bird and explained:
"The young lady is the most talented woman in Yanjing. She sits in a wheelchair and is very conspicuous. When you enter from the main entrance, you must be full of scholars who come to get close to you. This alley is owned by Mr. Zhao, the owner of the chess club. I see that every time the young lady comes here, she is surrounded by people. , specially made for it.”

"yes……"

Seeing this, Ye Jingtang didn't say much. He came to a relatively hidden path, pushed Hua Qingzhi onto the dirt road, and then began to walk around Meilin towards the chess club.

March has already passed the flowering period of plum blossoms. It doesn’t look as stunning as the mountains covered with snow in winter, but the green trees are still elegant.

Hua Qingzhi leaned on her wheelchair and looked around at the beautiful spring scenery. Since there were no other servants around her, she thought for a while and asked:
"Master Ye, do you remember any good poems? About plum blossoms?"

Ye Jingtang knew that Hua Qingzhi liked these things. Last time, his relatives' faces made them sleepless for several days. He felt a little ashamed, but he didn't feel disappointed at this time. He thought for a while and said:
"I've been walking around in the west before, and I've heard some things. Well... plum blossoms without snow are not spiritual, and snow without poetry is vulgar. Poems about dusk and snow all over the sky, and when written together with plum blossoms, it's very spring."

Hua Qingzhi's eyes lit up and she tasted it carefully:

"Good mood, but it's a pity that there is no snow or plum blossoms at this time, which wastes this good poem."

Ye Jingtang smiled and said, "Don't you want to play a song?"

Hua Qingzhi was obviously aroused by poetry. She thought about it secretly for a moment and spoke softly:
"The snow disappears and the spring scenery fills the river city..."

"Jeep!"

As soon as the poem started to read, Niaoniao, who was held in Luzhu's arms, suddenly raised his head and looked at the trees in the distance.

Luzhu thought that Niaoniao was naughty and wanted to hold it down so as not to disturb the young lady's thoughts. However, Ye Jingtang next to her also raised her hand slightly and walked to the front of the wheelchair.

Seeing these words, Hua Qingzhi paused, and then she poked her head from behind the Night Terror Hall and looked at the path ahead:
"what happened?"

Suo Suo~
As soon as he finished speaking, three figures jumped out from the trees beside the road and landed in front of the trail, making Hua Qingzhi shrink back in fear.

Looking carefully, he saw that the three people who jumped out were all wearing black clothes and bamboo hats on their heads. Only their chins covered by black scarves could be seen.

The leader is about the same height as the Night Terror Hall, with broad shoulders and a broad back. He is very tall. Just looking at his body shape gives people a sinister look.

Luzhu, who was holding Niaoniao, saw his expression change when he saw this scene, and he quickly held his wheelchair and prepared to escape.

And Hua Qingzhi couldn't tell whether the martial artist was powerful or not. She only felt that the person in front of her was Kong Wulili and very fierce. There was a hint of timidity in her eyes. She hid behind Ye Jingtang and raised her hand to hold the corner of her clothes:
"Who are these people?"

Ye Jingtang seems to be a robber, but looking at the skills of these three people, they are probably not even small fish. At most, they are just shrimps in the world. They came to Beiliang Capital to rob the legitimate daughter of a noble family. No matter how you say it, it is a bit outrageous. After thinking about it, he still asked:
"Who are the three strong men?".

The three people blocking the road were quite fierce. The leader held down the hilt of his knife and said in a cold voice:
"Anyone who knows my name will have no happy ending. You'd better not ask. My three brothers came here to ask for something from this young lady."

"..."

Ye Jingtang clasped his hands behind his back and nodded slightly:
"Take what?"

"Snow Lake Flowers."

"?"

Hua Qingzhi was confused and wanted to say where did she get the snow lake flowers, but Ye Jingtang standing in front of her raised her hand.

Ye Jingtang glanced at the three robbers who were confused and asked:

"What if my lady doesn't give it?"

"Humph……"

The leader didn't say much. He moved his left hand that was holding the handle of the knife slightly, and with a "Crack~" sound, the three-foot blade was unsheathed and swept against the plum blossom tree next to it.

card la la ~
There was a sound of branches and leaves breaking, and the arm-thick trunk was cut open, split into two pieces on the left and right, and fell into the mud.

Ye Jingtang took a deep breath and felt that this ruthless knife technique was really eye-catching. Yunli could chop wood much more beautifully than this.

Hua Qingzhi and Luzhu clearly saw the tree as thick as a bowl being separated from it with a knife. Anyway, they thought it was quite powerful, so they became a little scared and hid behind the Night Terror Hall.

After the leader finished the blow, he slowly sheathed the sword with his backhand, and the bamboo hat always covered half of his face. It can be said that he is full of master's temperament:
"If you don't give it, you will know what will happen to you."

"..."

Ye Jingtang opened his mouth and was a little speechless for a moment. After all, he has been walking around in the world for so many years, and this is the first time he has seen such a novice who can pretend to be such a novice. He even learned the posture of drawing the knife with his left hand and putting it away with the backhand.He thought for a while and asked again:
"Your Majesty is very particular about sheathing your sword, but can you imitate it from the Night Demon of the Southern Dynasty?"

The leader was slightly startled, raised his bamboo hat slightly, and aimed at the sword of Ye Jingtang:

"Are you also a member of the same group?"

Who the hell is the same as you...

Ye Jingtang was too lazy to talk about these things to lower his image and asked directly:

"Where did you know that my lady has Snow Lake Flowers?"

The three people who blocked the road called themselves the "Three Heroes of Zuoshan". Although they were tall and round, they were working as burglars and made a living by stealing from large households. Recently, many people in the world were collecting snow and lake flowers at exorbitant prices, so they came to the capital to try their luck.

The three of them overheard the news from the inn that Miss Wanbaolou had Xue Huhua and would come to the chess club today. They originally just wanted to step in, but unexpectedly discovered that this young lady had a big heart, so she sent all the followers away, only to He went out with a guard and entered this secluded alley.

Such a good opportunity is simply a God-given opportunity. If they wait until they reach a crowded place in the chess club, they will not have the chance. For this reason, the three of them jumped out, thought of threatening them, took the things and ran away, relying on this single-handedly The guards would definitely not dare to compete with them.

After threatening him for a long time, the young guard not only refused to hand over Xue Huhua, but also asked for the root of the matter. The two accomplices behind him cooperated and threatened to draw their swords.

The boss in front, in a red face, raised his right hand to stop:
"I'm easy to talk to, but these two brothers have bad tempers. If a murder occurs under the Emperor's feet, it won't end well. Please hand over the Snow Lake Flowers quickly, and I will save you a trouble; if you are stubborn..."

From this skilled intimidation process, Ye Jingtang also realized that these three people were probably just a few gangsters, and they didn't dare to draw their swords to kill. At that moment, they were too lazy to talk nonsense anymore, so they turned around and touched Luzhu's waist.

"Ok?"

Lu Zhu was stunned, and before she could feel shy, she found Ye Jingtang took out a copper coin from his belt and flicked it with his finger.

Hey~
buzzing...

When the three people blocking the road saw this, they all raised their heads and looked at the copper coins flying into the air.

As a result, the next moment, there was the sound of footsteps ahead.

The leader reacted quickly, and when he thought something was wrong, he immediately took a step back and looked forward. As a result, he saw the young guard who seemed to be quite martial, inserting his left toe into the mud and jumping upwards.

wow~
There was suddenly sand and gravel flying on the path. As soon as the three of them looked away, they were hit by sand and gravel.

"you……"

"rat……"

bang bang bang-

After three muffled sounds of falling to the ground, deathly silence returned to the Merlin.

Although Hua Qingzhi had seen Ye Jingtang kill people, she had never seen clearly the movements of Ye Jingtang when he took action. She was watching with fear when she found that Ye Jingtang kicked a kick of sand, followed with two punches and a knee, and then killed the three giants. The big man fell down, his eyes showing disbelief:
"This is the end?"

Luzhu's eyes were full of amazement: "Young Master Ye is so awesome~"

Ye Jingtang had no sense of skill in beating these three thugs, but when faced with the two stunning looks, he felt quite satisfied. He clapped his hands and said with a smile:
"What's this? Let's go and watch chess."

Hua Qingzhi was pushed forward in the wheelchair again. When she passed three robbers with bruises and swollen faces, she turned around and looked:
"What about these three people?"

"I won't wake up for a while, so go out and report to the official."

"You won't be exposed, right?"

"Such a despicable fighting method cannot be used by anyone with a little bit of martial ethics. The officer will know the cause and effect at a glance at the scene and will not be suspicious."

"Oh."

Hua Qingzhi nodded thoughtfully, thought for a while and then said: "I think this method of fighting is quite good. It subdues the thief without getting blood on her hands. Just now I thought you were swooping again. Three heads flew up..."

Ye Jingtang paused: "You want to see it? How about I show you..."

"Eh?!"

Hua Qingzhi didn't mean this. She was afraid that she would say something wrong, so she took three unlucky people away and quickly held Ye Jingtang's hand:

"Don't..."

After holding the big hand that was holding the wheelchair, Hua Qingzhi noticed Ye Jingtang's joking look, and knew that he was teasing her. She breathed in gently, and her clothes bulged a little, but she immediately realized something, and her hand felt like an electric shock. He shrunk and hid it in his sleeves, turned back and whispered:

"Even if you are an official, you have to be tried before killing someone. How can you please behead a woman by cutting off her head? Don't say such nonsense in the future."

Ye Jingtang was just teasing Hua Qingzhi, but seeing that this little girl was too thin-skinned, she coughed slightly and returned to her normal expression:
"There is the chess club in front of you, hurry up..."

……

(End of this chapter)