Lord of the Desert

Chapter 28 Zhu Yiqi

"Where did I just say? By the way, there are four destinations."

Beside the stone table in the small courtyard, an old man with a kind face and a cloth cap bent four fingers and spoke slowly.

"The first one is Zhu Yiqi, there will always be a shortage of people here;

The second one is the deacon of the rice shop on West Street, following your uncle Hong Sheng;
The third is to go to the state capital and do things with your Uncle Hong Pan;

The fourth is to take charge of one's own side and go to manage Heimaozhuang outside the city. "

This old man is called Hong Shan, he is a generation older than Hong Jian, he is highly respected in the clan, and he is in charge of personnel affairs.

It was the afternoon of the fifth day of May, and Hong Shan came to Hong Fan to talk about the latter's whereabouts.

"If you want to relax, go to Mipu and Zhuangzi; but for a good boy like you, it would be a waste to go."

The old man drank a cup of tea to moisten his mouth and continued.

"The best treatment must be the first and third.

Zhu Yiqi's base salary is 60 taels a year, and there are rewards for meritorious service. Rice, noodles and meat are indispensable during the New Year's festival, but it is more dangerous.

If you go to the state capital, based on your cultivation base of the Penetrating Realm, your basic salary is at least 80 taels, but I'm afraid you won't be able to return to Jinhai several times a year. "

Hong Shan paused temporarily, watching Aunt Liu fill up the teacup with satisfaction.

"Please tell me more about Zhu Yiqi's situation, Grandpa Shan."

Hong Fan cupped his hands.

"Hey, I also guess that you want to go to Zhuyiqi, what if young people don't work hard?"

Hong Shan grinned, showing half of his missing teeth.

"Our Zhu Yiqi is the most famous elite in Jinhai——Zhu Yi is 'Hong (Hong)'!"

Talking about this, the old man chattered on and on.

"The number of Zhu Yiqi can increase or decrease, and there are 61 of them now; to join them, the minimum level of martial arts cultivation must be at the penetration level."

"Speaking of which, having this team is also thanks to Lord Jingsha Xing."

"Back then, he repelled the Snakeman and reversed the situation. We turned from defense to offense, but the support from the imperial court was not enough - relying on our Jinhai City, how can we supply the consumption of the army?"

"At that time, King Xing advocated the gathering of masters who had penetrated the whole city and used them, and entered the territory of the snake people to support the war."

"It was from then on that Zhu Yiqi of our family and Wudangqi of Li's family gained airs."

Hong Shan was old, so it was inevitable that he would chatter.

But Hong Fan listened carefully, without the fuss of a young man, and let the old man talk to his heart's content.

"At that time, we took back all the supply points in the Golden Sea Desert, and we also traveled across the tribes of the Snakeman, coming and going like the wind, making those cold-blooded aliens afraid of us to death!"

"However, Xingjun got old a few years ago, and the team disbanded."

"Like our grand master or Mr. Li's He, they are also innate masters, but they don't have that kind of prestige."

Hong Shan shook his head regretfully.

Although he didn't go on about this matter, Hong Fan could guess the key - it was nothing more than a matter of breaking the door, and it was better for people outside the door to take the lead.

"Later, our family built Zhu Yiqi."

Hong Shan gulped down his tea, and continued.

"Although the snake people are afraid to come, there are still a lot of sand bandits in Jinhai. In addition, the Huaiyang country in the south is constantly in chaos, and there are more and more bandit villages in Liangzhou!"

"That's why Fan, even though you are usually freer after joining Zhu Yiqi, but if you have something to do, you will really see blood..."

As for the tea, the old man drank two pots of water and went to the toilet four times in half an hour.

But this strengthened Hong Fan's plan.

"Grandpa Shan, I've made up my mind, I'll go to Zhu Yiqi."

He said, drinking the water in the glass.

Without him, Zhu Yiqi is the only one among the four destinations who can not only guarantee sufficient time for martial arts practice, but also come with a lot of money.

The old man made it clear that after each mission of Zhu Yiqi, the participants would either be rewarded or be able to share the spoils.

As the saying goes, horses don’t get fat without night grass, and people don’t get rich without windfalls.

"Okay, okay; for a big family like ours, we have to rely on a bloody child like you to support our bones!"

Hong Shan patted the table and gave a thumbs up.

"I'll report this to Brother Sheng and Master Ming tomorrow, and let you join the job as soon as possible."

······
The next day, the sixth day of May, Shen Shizheng (four o'clock in the afternoon).

Hong Fan, dressed in a white gown and a veiled hat (a bamboo hat with a veil) on his head, stepped into Yanliu Alley.

Although Yanliu Lane is called an alley, it is actually quite wide and can accommodate carriages.

On both sides of the alley, there are many brothels and taverns with red lanterns hanging on top of each other. The strong smell of powder overflows from the window lattice, making visitors feel enchanted.

Hong Fan walked in slowly until he saw the two-story Shame Flower House, which occupied a large area. Then he found a nearby tea stand with a wide view, sat down and waited.

Of course he didn't come here for fun, but to block people.

After noon today, Qiude's eldest son came to the Shame Flower Hall to look for his old friend.

Of course, all of the above information costs money.

Fortunately, the labor force in Jinhai City was not high, so the two taels of silver gift from Yi Qiude was more than enough to buy a few pieces of information and a few helpers' man-marking skills.

Half an hour later, Hong Fan's tea at the booth has been replaced by a pot.

Yanliu Lane is a place for fireworks, and there are many lewd words in the alley, and the eyes are indiscriminate.

But Hong Fan didn't feel embarrassed.

Although he had a high degree of education in his previous life, he was not that kind of gentleman.

As for doing things, if you can eat a banquet but not get muddy, that's not okay.

Soon, another half an hour passed.

At the beginning of Youshi, there was a slight uptick in the voices at the entrance of the Shame Flower Pavilion, but it was a mid-aged lady who came out accompanied by two men.

The two were about thirty years old, wearing brocade robes, their eyes were full of light, and they were half drunk.

The second person is shaped like an iron tower, full of energy, wearing a cardigan vest, showing a pair of muscular arms.

According to the information that Hong Fan got, the second person was the guard hired by Qiu De for his eldest son.

This may seem strange.

The masters and young masters of the Hong Mansion - not only Hong Fan, but even Sanfang's son Hong An - had no bodyguards when they were having fun in the city.

But Qiude, who is still a slave, has the financial resources.

"Please, sir, don't forget the appointed day, if you don't come, Mingyue will be sad..."

The old bustard sent people out, constantly flattering her.

On the second floor, the Mingyue girl she was talking about was also standing by the window, looking at Qiuda affectionately.

In the tick box, a customer maintenance process that can be used as a lesson plan for future business schools is being staged.

Just at this moment, Hong Fan took off his veiled hat and put it on the table, got up and strode forward.

At the center of Yanliu Lane, he stopped in front of the two of them.

"Are you the eldest son of the Qiude family?"

Hong Fan asked aloud.

"Who are you?"

Qiu Da supported his companion, frowned and asked back.

He had long since escaped from slavery and lived in the house purchased by Qiude, so he didn't know Hong Fan.

On the contrary, the old bustard and Mingyue's eyes lit up, and they couldn't help thinking that if these young people came to visit, they would get a discount.

"You don't need to know me."

Hong Fan said.

"You just need to pass a message to your father for me."

The tone of these two sentences is normal, without emotion.

But just like this, Qiu Da felt that he was underestimated.

(End of this chapter)