Abyss Express

Foreword:

There is only evil in the human heart, and God must provide for everything.

——Shi Naian

[Part①·Helper]

"I also asked the guest officer to exchange some silver coins. The Yamen can't accept these red tickets."

The first step to go to Beijing encountered some difficulties. When Xueming arrived at the yamen of the chief envoy, the clerk who was in charge of customs clearance documents, approving routes and applying for household registration began to show off his face.

This silver dollar is Xia Bang's hard currency, a precious metal used to deal with mad butterfly disease (Bacterium's abbreviation for mad butterfly syndrome). The trade between Shambhala and the Nine Realms cannot be accomplished solely by red tickets (pyroxene currency). Yes, you have to go to a big merchant or bank to change the money.

The clerk wanted to take this opportunity to make some money from this foreigner. These guests from the Nine Realms didn't understand the currency exchange market. If he could bring them to the homes of a few regular customers, he could make a lot of money by picking up cards during the currency exchange process. , went back to ask for the ticket money, and ate both ends. The doctor alone could have vomited out at least two hundred large silver dollars.

"Then please calculate for me, how much does it cost to go from Sendai Prefecture to the capital?"

The clerk panicked when he heard this——

——Originally, he was sitting in a small room next to the yamen, helping people through a curtained window, with yamen guards watching on both sides. After hearing this, the violent organs of the government also had a mocking and sarcastic attitude, and they just found it incredible. .

"This guest." The person handling the matter is just an official, not an official who received the letter of appointment from the Sendai Mansion and had it personally signed by the chief envoy. He is not as bold as the court official. "Are you coming to Xia Bang alone?"

Jiang Xueming didn't know much about Daxia's transportation network, so he asked if he didn't understand.

"I am indeed here alone. I am a doctor and I want to try my luck in Beijing."

The clerk quickly said: "I can't do it. I can't do it. Doctor, if you want to go to Beijing, do you have a hired escort to protect your life? The journey is dangerous. These thirty-six passes, four rivers, and more than two thousand miles - Think twice before you act, don't let your life go in vain."

"I have an arrangement." Jiang Xueming was about to finish his sentence when his keen hearing noticed that two soldiers with swords beside the Yamen had begun to talk privately.

"Here comes the work."

"Wait until he reaches Yuguan to take action?"

"It's too early. It would be easier to deal with him if he was the only one."

"Are the brothers in the barracks going to kill him and rob him too?"

"I'm going to make arrangements. I see that this cloth robe is worth a lot of money and there are a lot of red tickets on it. I guess he is a fat sheep and cannot take advantage of others."

"Shh, he's looking over here."

Jiang Xueming understood clearly that after paying the toll in Sendai Mansion, there should be a sum of money to buy life after leaving the checkpoint. The merchants coming and going must either hire escorts, hire land security guards, or visit the dock at the Yamen and give gifts to the officials. Otherwise, these officers and soldiers will be beaten If we meet each other, the next time we meet, we will become bandits.

But he wasn't prepared to pay -

——The reason is very simple. It’s not that he suddenly became rebellious and was no longer as taciturn and secure as the defense tower.

He only had more than 30,000 pyroxene currency on him. The cash converted into Daxia silver coins was only a little over 200. He couldn't afford the customs clearance ticket - it would be cheaper if he was a local tenant, but He is considered a business traveler, and practicing medicine in Xia Bang is considered a business if he makes a profit, and he cannot escape this tax.

Jiang Xueming: "Well, sir, listen to me."

As soon as the clerk heard the word "official", he immediately raised his tail, and his whole body was in a state of ecstasy - the foreigner from the Nine Worlds shouted this, which was much more effective than the ordinary untouchables who lowered their eyebrows and lowered their eyes.

"Your Majesty, please tell me!"

"I have a long way to go." Xueming leaned toward the window, took out two boxes of cigarettes from his pocket, and handed one of the boxes to the clerk: "I can't afford the toll from Sendai to Shangjing, so I'll leave first. For a while, stop for a while, go to the next county to earn some money, and hire a few helpers, do you think this is okay?"

After receiving the benefits, the clerk still did not relent. He first tasted the tobacco produced by the industrial assembly line in modern society, and then looked at the remaining box of cigarettes in Jiang Xueming's hand. He fell into the trap unknowingly - if he could get the remaining Once you get a box in your hand, saying a few words and doing a small favor doesn't seem to be a problem.

"Oh, that's certainly a solution."

Jiang Xueming held the cigarette case and pressed the cigarette under the curtain on the window sill without letting go. Then he asked: "Master Guan, how much will it cost for me to go to the next stop?"

"Five silver coins are enough." The clerk responded casually.

Jiang Xueming loosened the cigarette case and handed the gift over smoothly, with a very refreshing attitude.

‘Thank you, Mr. Guan. There are two ways to go north. Should you go to Taizhou or Zhuzhou? ’

The clerk received the gift and said with a smile: "Of course it's Taizhou. I'll get you a ticket."

After finishing the matter, Jiang Xueming did not leave the city immediately. Instead, he waited for a while at the post station and saw the horses and convoys coming and going. There happened to be a cloth shop recruiting workers in the team heading north-northeast. After asking about the situation, he knew that this was the case. They were on their way to Zhuzhou City. The cloth merchants wanted to transport goods, but there was a shortage of horsemen and porters on the road. They were willing to pay for the customs clearance documents for the workers.

Xueming spent a lot of effort to get this booklet, but in the end it was not as good as the red envelope given by the cloth shop merchant's family to recruit workers - which shows how miserable the life of the helpless Dou Sheng people in Sendai Prefecture was.

He didn't say anything, he just regarded this road guide as his tuition fee, and went to the caravan foreman to get a job as a horseman. It was much more convenient to travel with the car, and he didn't have to pay for his life with the "official bandits" of Sendai Prefecture. Well, we left the city peacefully.

On the official road, Xueming was quite skilled at driving and training horses, but he had never seen such a bad road——

——This can’t be called a road at all. It’s just a shallow road with stones to crush the weeds. There are some water diversion channels on both sides of the road for two miles close to the city. There will be no water accumulation in the rainy season. After half an hour and five or six miles away, Going around the mountains, I saw patches of messy stone beaches. The horse had a hard time pulling the cargo bucket. The cloth roll was already heavy. The iron and wood tools crushed the stones. Xueming felt that the reins were tightening and loosening. When you hear the horses in front of you neighing and whining, you often have to hold the livestock and wait for observation.

“After passing Bald Eagle Ridge, the road to Zhuzhou Peninsula is easy!”

The foreman's shouts came from the team, and the foreman was seen busying himself, delivering dry food and bread to the horsemen in the team, and handing out one or two silver dollars as a bonus. He also didn't explain the road conditions of the journey at the beginning. That's it. There are enough heads to make up the number.

The business of the cloth mill depends on God. When the goods from Sendai Prefecture arrive in Zhuzhou, each roll can be sold for thirteen more silver coins. This is the most important part of running a business. During this period, transportation losses on the road, road robbers and heavy rains will all cause trouble. This is why the foreman takes such good care of his grooms and helpers.

I was lucky enough on this trip. Less than three days later, it was already dusk when I arrived in Zhuzhou. After delivering the goods, the foreman counted the money for the horsemen. Xueming got seventeen silver dollars, so he didn't have to worry about the next travel expenses. .

After the caravan disbanded, that night, he went to a big-name inn on the beach in Zhuzhou - it was also a relatively safe place to live in the downtown area. He wanted to avoid the trouble of petty theft, but unexpectedly, someone came to his door late that night. , asking him to work overtime severely.

[Part②·Consideration]

Hearing the sound of the clock just early in the morning, Xueming washed his face with hot water from the copper basin in the guest room.

There was a knocking sound outside the wooden door. He didn't know what happened, so he immediately packed his money and luggage and answered immediately.

"Here it comes! Who is it?"

Two men shouted from outside the door, their voices rough and resentful.

"Is that Zhang Congfeng?!"

"Doctor Zhang, open the door!"

Xueming has been hanging out with the foreman these past two days, so he probably knows the origins of these two people.

He approved the road guide to Taizhou at the Yamen, but followed the Bufang family's motorcade to Zhuzhou. When passing the customs, the Zhuzhou Yamen did not dare to go to the Bufang merchant's house to get money and water. Naturally, such trivial matters as customs clearance documents would not be scrutinized.

But when Zhang Cong was in the spotlight, the toll money that originally fell into the hands of the Sendai government officials flew away—these two soldiers naturally came from Sendai via the road to take the person to task.

Now Xueming has not followed the personnel flow of Sendai Prefecture and has become a black household, an unregistered refugee.

"I can't even get a good night's sleep." Jiang Xueming opened the door with the attitude of turning big things into trivial matters.

When they saw two shining steel knives unsheathed, the two government officials were also very nervous——

——The public security around Sendai is not good. There are often rogue bandits committing crimes everywhere. Some are robbing people for money, and some are robbing people for human flesh trade. People who do not have customs clearance documents, or do not follow the way to attract people to do business, are usually bandits. My friend, this must be handled with due diligence in the work process of the Yamen.

"Zhang Congfeng!" The leading government servant glared angrily: "Why didn't you follow the customs clearance document and go to business and practice medicine? Why did you change your route midway! Enter Li Rong's family's motorcade? Are you working as a groom? What are your intentions?! "

What can Xueming do?

He can't say it directly——

——Are you going to say something like "I'm afraid you military masters will rob me, castrate me and sell me to the palace for money"?

According to the original route, he took the Taizhou road, and he was destined to encounter obstacles. As for whether he was a soldier or a bandit, he couldn't tell.

But what he didn't expect was that these people could chase Zhuzhou City to ask for money. Although Sendai and Zhuzhou were Admiral Liu's territory, these two young government servants were too persistent and dedicated. With such perseverance, why not go there? What about doing something else?

Jiang Xueming: "Well, I happened to see that the cloth shop was recruiting workers."

Before he finished speaking, another yamen servant shouted sternly: "I can't explain why! Just come with us to the yamen!"

Xueming has no intention of using violence to solve the problem. If someone is killed, he will become a wanted criminal, and it will be even more difficult to go to Beijing. Not to mention how to pass the customs, without a civilized society, how should he solve the problem of eating, drinking, and drinking? Traveling and hunting at the same time, fighting against the world and the wild beasts in these barren mountains and rivers, how can you still have a career? How to catch Judas - there is no long-lasting and reliable open fire in this place, nor is there a Beidou for stargazing.

Once isolated humans leave the group, they are no better than animals in Daxia.

These two unreasonable government officials escorted Xueming to the government office. After passing the government office street, they wanted to send him to jail on the grounds that it was getting late.

At this time, two prison vans escorting prisoners came in from Chengbei Street. The warden's younger brother beat gongs and drums to clear the way in front, and there were more than thirty officers and soldiers on both sides waiting in strict formation. Looking at the two prisoners in the prison car, they were both heavy-backed and angry-looking Vajra statues. They have thick beards and fluffy hair, thick eyebrows and bright eyes. When they see these beasts in official uniforms, even though their hands and feet are restrained, there is still strong anger in their eyes.

"Two soldiers?" Jiang Xueming was curious, so he asked in a low voice: "Are these two prisoners bandits?"

The leading officer turned around and said, "Why are you asking so many questions? Are they your accomplices?"

Jiang Xueming: "I am a doctor who treats illnesses and saves lives. I am not a bandit. There must be a misunderstanding here."

"Hey! Sweet words!" The yamen servant rolled his eyes.

Jiang Xueming continued: "Think about it, you two, and bring me to the state officials in Zhuzhou. I will say the same thing - in the end it will just be a matter of paying money. I know, I understand."

"I figured it out. I didn't go to Taizhou and didn't show my filial piety to you two on the way. That's why I have such a pair of shackles on my hands. Is that true?"

"Still want to quibble?!" The Yamen servant took out his killing stick and prepared to execute him.

The leading Yamen servant immediately shouted to stop: "Stop!"

"Hey! This soldier is a sensible person." Jiang Xueming kicked the doctor's bag, and the sound of silver coins colliding immediately came from inside: "If you two don't mind it, use it to exchange for wine. I'm in the cloth shop The team earned sixteen dollars in cash for their travel expenses.”

"Hey" the leading Yamen servant sighed: "It's not that I want to embarrass Doctor Zhang."

He said so, but his hands and feet were not very clean. He put away the knife and explained to Jiang Xueming while taking out the money.

"How many brothers have been supported by the travel expenses from Sendai - who doesn't have parents, wives, concubines and children to support at home?"

"I didn't mean to cause trouble for you, doctor. You broke the rules by doing this."

"If everyone doesn't pay the travel fee and follows the road, what's the difference between this Sendai Mansion and a bandit's den? It's going to be lawless."

"That's right, that's right." Jiang Xueming nodded repeatedly: "Then can the shackles on my hands be removed?"

"Untie him," said the leading officer.

The follower immediately obeyed, but there was a sense of resentment on his face, as if he felt that he was not powerful enough to be bribed with such a small amount of money.

"Master Bing, these two prisoners." Xueming asked about this matter again.

People with such strong blood and abundant essence are actually very rare in Xia Bang. They often come from wealthy and famous families, and have always had food and clothing since childhood, or they are related to the Mad Butterfly, which is an important raw material for elixirs and is the elixir guide deliberately cultivated by the Wings of Light.

"These two hunters are from Taiguang County." The leading government servant knocked the silver coins and put them in his pocket when he heard the ringing sound of metal: "Yesterday I went to visit the county magistrate at Shangli and gave a bear as a gift."

Jiang Xueming: "It's a good thing to give gifts when you come to your door. Why were you arrested?"

The yamen servant smiled and said: "They are not sensible, they are not as considerate as you, Dr. Congfeng."

Jiang Xueming: "Huh?"

The yamen servant whispered: "Zhuzhou has always been plagued by bears. Just after winter, these ferocious beasts came out of the mountains to eat crops. If they couldn't get enough, they would eat poultry. Occasionally, bold and strong animals would eat human flesh."

"Two hunters from the Zhao family wanted to come to Zhuzhou to make a living. Last year there was a famine in Taiguang County. The two brothers couldn't find a way out in Zhaojiazhuang, so they tried their best to kill a bear in order to offer a treasure."

"The county magistrate has a godson named Wu Xiuwen. He likes this gift very much."

"So, the Zhao brothers negotiated terms with the county magistrate, asking for the position of land security officer and becoming village tyrants in the surrounding villages and towns of Zhuzhou."

"What kind of business is this? The owner has always given food to the dog, and the dog has never come to the table to grab food."

"So"

The officer lowered his voice to the point where it was almost inaudible.

"The county magistrate knew that these two hunters were helpless and that no one in Zhuzhou would stand up for them, so he invited a girl from Yingchun Tower. That night, he agreed to spend time with the Zhao brothers happily. At the second watch, the two The man was arrested - the woman's excrement basin was snatched and put on her head. The bear skin and bear meat obtained also became Wu Xiuwen's credit. It was his godson who was excellent at shooting and killed the people with timely action. Kill this black bear."

"The Zhao brothers are in bad luck just because they can't speak. Unlike Dr. Zhang Congfeng, you are very good at talking."

"Ah" Jiang Xueming suddenly realized, his fist hardened, "Is this such a thing?"

"Just kidding, just kidding." The Yamen servant put away his weapons and led his followers to leave, "Just think that I am speaking out loud and just kidding! Dr. Zhang Congfeng will come to Sendai for medical treatment in the future. I have a little daughter who has been infected by wind since she was a child. This prodigal girl’s medical treatment has almost wiped out my family’s wealth, and asking for help from immortals and medicine is not good at all.”

Before the yamen officer could finish speaking——

——Xue Ming wondered, what disease can this Xia Bang fairy cure? He interrupted immediately.

"If I have the chance, I will definitely cure you."

The two yamen servants who had been angry just now became harmonious after taking the magic silver dollar.

"Then don't disturb the doctor's rest. Go through the second door in the northeast. In half a stick of incense, you can go back to the inn and see the hotel archway for the Heqing Family Banquet."