wait a minute

Chapter 449
"Hiss-huh~...it hurts, it hurts..."

It was past noon, and various side dishes were placed in the dining room at the back of the Washington Palace. Luzhu was helping to place the plates in front of the table.

Hua Qingzhi was sitting next to the tea couch in a wheelchair, looking at her father who was twitching from time to time with worried eyes. She wanted to step forward to help but didn't know how to help.

Hua Junchen was leaning on the tea couch. He had already changed into his home clothes, but his cuffs and trouser legs were rolled up. There were dozens of red marks on his arms and legs. As the eldest son of a noble family, it could be said that he had been practicing martial arts for fifty years. It was the first time I was so seriously injured.

Ye Jingtang sat in front of him, holding the medicine for bruises in his hand, and helped apply the medicine filially. Because the beating was a bit harsh, he was afraid that Uncle Hua would be too worried, so he even comforted him:

"I remember that in Honghe Town, when my adoptive father taught me how to practice swordsmanship, his attacks were called ruthless. He would hold hands with a wooden stick as long as two fingers were thick, shake it and hit him. It would be even worse if I misremembered the movements. Basically, I could only do it at night. Sleep on your stomach.

"I didn't complain at the time, but my adoptive father said, 'In front of your father, you can make mistakes countless times, but in front of your opponent, you can only make one mistake in your life.' Thinking about it now, I'm really lucky. If my adoptive father had made a mistake back then, I wouldn’t be able to go this far without being doted on at all…”

Hua Junchen has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, so he naturally understands the rules of martial arts. Even if his master earnestly explains it a hundred times, he may not be able to remember a good beating for a long time.

But Hua Junchen came from a very high level, just like Dongfang Liren. He had a lot of famous teachers, but only a few of them dared to fight, so he became what he is now.

Today, he was taught ruthlessly by Ye Jingtang for two hours. It can be said that Hua Junchen has gained more insights than he had in the past decades. Looking at Ye Jingtang at this time, there is no longer any barrier after discovering his identity. His eyes are like looking at a caring son-in-law. He sighed softly:

"It's a pity that I didn't meet a good master when I was young. The seniors my family invited taught me seriously, but due to the reputation of the Hua family, they only praised me instead of scolded me. If there was something really wrong, I just gave him a tactful reminder. If I I have been practicing this since I was a child, now I have become a grand master..."

Ye Jingtang smiled and said: "Uncle Hua is very talented, but his lack of experience in martial arts leads to too many unsuitable moves. As long as he can master what he has done today, it will not be a big problem to be a top swordsman, and he is only a little short of a grand master." It’s just sedimentation. Practicing martial arts is like sailing against the current. If you don’t advance, you will retreat. It will be difficult for me to stay in Washington. In the future, Uncle Hua will still have to work more on the details."

When Hua Junchen heard this, he remembered that Ye Jingtang was not his son-in-law, but his uncle, who was destined to take his daughter back to the Southern Dynasty in the future.

Although they got along with each other quite briefly, Hua Junchen had longed for the world since he was a child, and he was really reluctant to let go of his perfect son-in-law in all aspects. He was silent for a while and then sighed softly:
"When are you going to leave?"

Ye Jingtang thought that these 'people' were referring to him and Qinghe Yunli.

If he enters the palace the day after tomorrow and gets the Dragon Singing Picture, he will definitely have to run away before the incident happens, otherwise the whole Beiliang will surround him. He thought about this and said:

"There are still many things to do in the Southern Dynasty, and I may have to leave soon. However, if there is a chance in the future, I will definitely visit Uncle Hua again. I just hope that Uncle Hua will not dislike it then."

Hua Junchen felt that Ye Jingtang had come to the city again, bringing 10,000+ troops to the city, asking him, the leader of the Hudong family, to help debate scriptures. As a native of Daliang, his heart felt a little heavy. He smiled bitterly, stood up and said:
"Stop talking, let's eat and have a couple of drinks together."

Ye Jingtang put down his things, pushed his wheelchair to the table, and then sat down at the bottom.

Hua Qingzhi heard that Ye Jingtang was leaving soon, and she was inevitably disappointed in her heart. However, the general situation was like this. No matter what she did, Ye Jingtang would never stay. Before leaving, she could see the old and young talking so harmoniously. She was very satisfied, and even took the initiative to pick up the wine bottle and help her father and Ye Jingtang pour wine:

"Dad, I'll have a drink with you too."

Hua Qingzhi has had inconvenient legs since she was a child and is weak, so the doctor will definitely not allow her to drink alcohol. However, Hua Junchen will soon transform from father to grandfather. It is natural to offer his old father a glass of wine before leaving. He picks up the wine glass and lets it brew for a while. I’m also going to say two sentences:

"The wine cup is full of gold... um... um..."

Ye Jingtang listened attentively with a glass of wine in his hand. After waiting for a long time, he saw that Uncle Hua couldn't hold it in. He was a little embarrassed and wanted to speak out, but how could he hold it in?
Fortunately, Hua Qingzhi answered with a smile: "Don't advise me when I'm full of wine. Life can only bring happiness a few times. We'll see each other again in the Ming Dynasty. The west wind blows and the leaves fall in the cold."

Hua Junchen was inferior to his daughter in literature and inferior to his son-in-law in martial arts. He was shocked and felt that his life in this world was purely a matter of make-up, but he still praised:

"Wonderful, it seems that I studied well at the Imperial Academy..."

With a smile on her face, Hua Qingzhi picked up the wine glass and drank it down gracefully. In the past, it was quite enjoyable to watch her father and uncle drinking, so she didn't take any precautions. After taking this sip of wine, the fishy taste went straight up to the sky. Only then did she realize that This thing is harder to swallow than medicine. It’s directly:
"Cough cough cough..."

When Ye Jingtang saw Hua Qingzhi's posture, she knew it would be like this. She reacted very quickly and quickly helped to move her back:

"Drink slowly, why are you so arrogant?"

"Cough cough..."

Hua Qingzhi's face turned red and she choked with tears. She patted her chest to hold it in for a long time before she regained her breath.

In fact, Hua Junchen was about to comfort his daughter, but was overtaken by Ye Jingtang. His eyes were a little complicated, and he felt that it was a bit redundant to sit here. At the moment, he just shook his head and sighed secretly, and drank by himself.

In the living room, glasses are exchanged, and the atmosphere is harmonious.

Because Hua Qingzhi didn't drink in the past, after taking a sip and realizing how powerful it was, she didn't dare to join in the fun. She just chatted with her quietly. When she was halfway through the meal, Hua Ning suddenly ran over from outside and stood at the door. road:

"Miss, Prince Wang suddenly came over and said he wanted to see you."

"Ok?"

Hua Qingzhi was a little confused after hearing this, but she was still ready to leave the table and go take a look.

Ye Jingtang, on the other hand, thought of yesterday's incident involving Yunli taking the hallucinogenic drug. Wang Jiwen must be the mastermind behind it. Naturally, he got up and helped push the wheelchair:

"Uncle Hua, you drink first, I'll take the lady to meet the guests."

Hua Junchen naturally did not interfere with the communication between these young people, and just nodded slightly.

In the alley on the side of Wanbao Building.

Wang Jiwen, dressed as a scholar, stood in front of the Washington Palace with a folding fan in hand. From time to time he turned his head to look inside the mansion to observe the situation inside. There was also an entourage standing behind him, looking down as if he had made a big mistake.

goo goo goo...

When the sound of rolling wheels came from inside the mansion, Wang Jiwen quickly adjusted his expression and looked anxious. When he saw the wheelchair being rolled out from the corner, he said urgently:
"Miss Hua, are you okay?"

"?"

When Hua Qingzhi saw Wang Jiwen's anxious look, she felt confused:
"I'm fine. Why did Prince Wang say this?"

Wang Jiwen felt a little disappointed when he saw that Hua Qingzhi didn't look like anything was wrong. However, in order to clear the suspicion, he still looked annoyed, raised his folding fan and knocked on the attendant's forehead:

"Oh, it's all my fault. Didn't I bring a box of frozen facial refreshments to Miss Hua yesterday? I asked this idiot to do it, but he brought the box prepared for my father..."

"Um?!"

Before Hua Qingzhi could react, Ye Jingtang behind her looked in disbelief and looked at the heartbroken Wang Dachongming.

Hua Qingzhi was naturally puzzled: "Did you take it by mistake? How about I take that box..."

"no, I'm fine."

Wang Jiwen was afraid that Washington would suspect him of drugging, so he came over to plead guilty after the incident. He spoke nonsense about this matter:

"My father and my mother are both old and we don't always get along very well, so I thought about asking my father to send a box of face cream to my mother, and also added some 'Dream Like Fantasy Powder' from Xijiang in it. …”

"..."

When Hua Qingzhi heard that Wang Jiwen, a filial son, actually drugged his father and mother, she sat up a little straighter and asked with a strange look:
"What is a dreamlike illusion?"

"It's a good medicine. It is said that it can make people see what they are thinking. For example, if I like a girl, if I see that girl again after taking it, the girl will become different from usual..."

In order to bring the two together, Wang Jiwen could be said to have taken great pains. When he found out that Hua Qingzhi didn't fall for the trick, he began to seduce Hua Qingzhi to give it a try.

At this time, Ye Jingtang also figured out that Wang Jiwen was most likely the employer who paid 3000 taels of silver to hire him to seduce Miss Hua. The Snake Peak Five Monsters, Mangshan Three Heroes and other thieves should also be related to this person.

After figuring out the cause and effect, Ye Jingtang was really speechless and didn't know how to evaluate this great wisdom.After all, this set of eye-catching schemes, apart from making Uncle Hua famous and killing several waves of bandits for the people, had no practical effect at all. It can be said that all the effort was used on the handle of the knife. .

But let’s just say Wang Jiwen is messing around...

Hua Qingzhi was sitting in a wheelchair. When she heard Wang Jiwen's description, her heart moved slightly. She subconsciously glanced at the Night Terror Hall behind her and asked:

"What if you see someone you don't like?"

When Wang Jiwen saw that Hua Qingzhi, who had always had a calm personality, could ask this out of curiosity, he knew that his plan was almost solid, and he responded:
"Love comes from the heart. When you see someone you don't like, that person will naturally become very ugly or very fierce. Originally, I wanted my father to give it to my mother, but then my mother did it. She saw my father's charming and suave appearance when he was young. ...Well, anyway, I just want them to get back together..."

Hua Qingzhi nodded thoughtfully, turned around and said:
"Hua An, that box of facial cream for you, you..."

When Wang Jiwen saw that Hua Qingzhi had given it to Hua An, he felt that it could be done and said quickly:

"I ran over in a hurry, just to give a warning, so that Miss Hua would not be accidentally tricked. There is no reason to take back the things you sent out. I will say goodbye now. See you later."

After saying that, Wang Jiwen ran away with his entourage.

"Eh?"

Hua Qingzhi still wanted to save a few words, but Wang Jiwen was always fickle, so she finally gave it up. She was pushed back to the house by Ye Jingtang and asked again:

"That 'dream-like illusion' is really as powerful as Mr. Wang said?"

Ye Jingtang has personally experienced it and knows that it is indeed powerful, but it does not determine whether he likes the person or not, but it awakens inner desires. It is purely a flirting gadget between husband and wife.

Seeing Hua Qingzhi becoming curious, he smiled and said:
"Are you interested, Miss?"

Hua Qingzhi was naturally interested and wanted to try it out to see if Ye Jingtang became ugly or prettier after she used it. However, asking Ye Jingtang directly for it would have been too obvious, so she just said softly:
"I've never seen it, I'm just curious. I've already asked you to use it to coax the girl, so why would you want it back again? Go back and continue eating."

"Ha ha……"

……
-
On the other side, outside the clear water forest.

In the spring of March, there are many people out for fun. You can often see cruise ships carrying scholars or families traveling back and forth on the wide river.

Among the dots of ships, an inconspicuous small cruise ship carried a family of young and old, drifting slowly on the river, and the laughter of children could be heard inside:

"Wow! Daddy is so awesome. It's not like Master. He fished all afternoon and didn't catch a single fish..."

"Dad has been fishing for decades, so he must be better than him..."

"Fishing is a way to nourish the mind. What you seek is calmness and concentration. As utilitarian as you are, you are at a disadvantage... Hey! I'm hooked, I'm hooked!..."

……

On the small cruise ship, Qiu Tianhe and Xuanyuan Tiangang threw fishing rods from the windows of the cruise ship and were competing in fishing happily, while their wives were eating melon seeds and watching a show inside.

Luo Ning stood at the stern of the boat. Because she had never given birth to a child and now had a husband-in-law, she was a little addicted to raising children. At this time, she was dressed as an ordinary lady, holding a little girl with braids dangling in her arms, which was quite a bit. The demeanor of a gentle mother.

Xue Baijin stood nearby, holding a bamboo pole to support the cruise ship. He waited for Qiu Tianhe to pull up the two-inch-long fish before he said:

"There are hidden sentries all around the Bishui Forest. The area where the stones are piled up is the most restrictive. If you want to get in, you can only walk by the river. Zhongsun Jin must be among them, but he doesn't know the exact location. If he encounters it, it will be a fierce battle, so he must arrange it first. Way out..."

After Qiu Tianhe untied the palm-sized fish, he stood up and came to him:
"Zhongsun Jin is good at mechanism formations. He is on the defensive in the Bishui Forest and it is not so easy to break out. I feel that this matter should be reconsidered..."

Xue Baijin was actually a little hesitant. If she ran into Zhongsun Jin in the wilderness, she would not be too afraid. If she couldn't beat him, she would be [-]% sure of escaping; but if she went to Zhongsun Jin's lair, the difficulty would be completely different.

With Zhongsun Jin's ability, he will inevitably install thousands of formations and mechanisms in the clear water forest. Even if the restrictions on her are small, it will still interfere with her. If Zhongsun Jin fights at home, if he cannot defeat her, then the martial arts saint for so many years will It's all in vain.

However, after hard bargaining and hard work, I finally bought the exact information from the Qinglong Society. If I quit in the face of difficulties, my money would be wasted.

Xue Baijin was holding the boat and thinking secretly. Before he could think of a countermeasure, his eyes suddenly moved and he looked at another merchant ship two miles away.

Seeing this, Qiu Tianhe glanced at it from the corner of his eye and asked:

"Is there something different?"

Xue Baijin did not speak, closed his eyes and listened carefully to the sound of the wind on the river, while calmly moving the boat closer.

After getting closer to a certain distance, the sound of Ruowu Sui's conversation came to his ears from the merchant ship in the distance:

"Tomorrow night, we will set off the fire crow to test and make a big noise, attracting the experts from the imperial city to cover Bai Sheng. If Zhongsun Jin is not here, we will go in and try our luck. If Zhongsun Jin is there, we will escape immediately... …”

"It would be great if you can get the Singing Dragon Picture. Don't be too greedy. The defenses are so tight, you will definitely not be able to get out..."

……

Relying on the peak knowledge of the Martial Saint, Xue Baijin listened carefully for a while, then slowly pulled the boat away and whispered:

"There is a wave of colleagues over there."

Ever since Qiu Tianhe learned about the elixir, he knew that there must be people in the same industry. They all got the news from the Qinglong Club. It was not surprising that they bumped into each other when they visited the spot. He asked quietly:
"What's the way?"

"I don't know. I just heard 'Baisheng'. There seems to be no master named by that name in the Northern and Southern Dynasties."

"Bai Sheng..."

Qiu Tianhe frowned and thought carefully for a moment, then his heart moved and he whispered:
"I had heard of this name when I was walking on Tianmen Road. The full name seems to be 'Xing Baisheng', nicknamed 'Hua Mian Fox'. He is a figure from the snowy field. He is only in his early twenties and has only been in the world for a few years. , known for his handsome appearance and good at deception.

"Last year, the flower-faced fox did something in Shuofeng City. It was said that he defrauded a big shot in Shuofeng City out of his fortune. Then he was caught by Beiyun Bian, and his skin and bones were peeled off and made into a flag. I didn't expect that this man was still alive... "

There are many evil sects in Beiliang, and there are many experts who specialize in deceit, abduction, and theft. However, because they are not on the stage, their reputations are usually not spread to the Jianghu of the Southern Dynasties.

When Xue Baijin heard this resume, he nodded thoughtfully:
"This group of people should be Xing Baisheng's helpers. Tomorrow they want to make trouble in the Bishui Forest in order to make trouble in the east and attack the west. They will cover Xing Baisheng when he goes to the palace to steal the dragon picture. We can let them be the frontrunners and wait for an opportunity to sneak in after causing trouble."

When Qiu Tianhe heard this, he really admired Beiliang Xiaoxiao's courage, but after thinking about it he said:
"How about we also go to the palace? The emperor is not here, and these people are attracting attention. Going to get the Singing Dragon Picture is easier than grabbing the elixir."

Xue Baijin considered it for a moment, shook his head and said: "If you find Zhongsun Jin, you will definitely find the elixir; and if you sneak into the imperial city and don't know the exact location of the Minglong Picture, you can turn over the imperial city to draw water from a bamboo basket.

"You only have one chance to do it, and you can only choose one of the two places; as long as there is chaos tomorrow, the chance of getting the elixir is greater than stealing the Dragon Song."

Qiu Tianhe thought about it and felt that it was indeed the case, and asked again:
"Then this group of people took the risk to sneak into the imperial city, so they are not afraid of fetching water from a bamboo basket?"

"There are countless strange people in the world, each with his or her own magical powers. They must be confident if they dare to go there. Of course, it is also possible that they have no way to deal with Zhongsun Jin, so they retreat to the next best thing and try their luck in the palace."

After Xue Baijin finished speaking, fearing that he would be noticed by Bishui Lin's eyes if he stayed too long, he continued to drive downstream along the river...

----

The third subject of the exam on the 27th requires three days of driving practice in the town examination center. The update has been very late these days. If I really can’t make it, I will make it up during the National Day. I’m really sorry or2!

(End of this chapter)