Chapter 3 Knight's Journey
Early the next morning, after breakfast, Lin Yan hugged Lin Xiaozhi and went out.
There was no one outside the door and it was deserted. Lin Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he overreacted yesterday.
After sending Lin Xiaozhi to Mu Qing's study, Lin Yan ran all the way.
After eating four poisonous mushrooms last night, Lin Yan obviously felt that his endurance had increased a lot, and he arrived at Mihang without any effort.
His job is to be the cashier of Mihang.
Fugui Rice Shop not only sells rice at retail, but also delivers rice to many wealthy households and shops in Linfang, so daily accounts are exchanged very frequently.
After sitting in the narrow cubicle for a while, people began to come in and hand out orders.
He was immersed in work, and time passed very quickly. By the time he finished settling the accounts at hand, it was already noon.
Lin Yan pressed his slightly hot eyebrows, took out the shriveled sesame cakes he bought in the morning, and fetched another bowl of water. He didn't want to sit in the narrow cubicle anymore, so he simply sat on the stone steps in the corner of the yard, nibbling on the sesame cakes. .
The sesame biscuits are dry and hard, and you can barely swallow them without water.
Fortunately, Xiao Zhi stayed in Mu Qing's study and provided lunch, otherwise he might not have been able to take care of it.
At this time, Wu San and Lu Yan also came over and sat next to him.
Lu Yan, like Wu San, is a hard worker, but he is introverted and doesn't talk much.
Lin Yan was the accountant, and his status was slightly higher than that of Lu Yan and Wu San.
But he didn't sign the deed, and he couldn't urinate in a pot with the bookkeeper, so he became more familiar with Lu Yan and Wu San.
As soon as he sat down, Wu San leaned close and whispered: "Hey, do you remember Liu Quan?"
"The guy who keeps the rice in the warehouse? I heard he's guard Geng's brother-in-law?"
"Yes. Last night, he was captured by Hutou Camp!"
"What!"
Lin Yan thought of the scene of arrests in Hutou Camp yesterday. Obviously, Hutou Camp arrested people in more than one place.
Wu San gloated: "This Liu Quan, because he is Geng Bing's brother-in-law, is arrogant and domineering, and is used to being domineering. It's okay now. It's a waiting battle. If you go up, you will die. I guess you won't be able to come back." !”
Geng Bing is Geng Guard.
Lu Yan on the side asked carefully: "Isn't Guard Geng a warrior? Why don't you plead for mercy?"
Wu San rolled his eyes: "Tch! You are begging for mercy. Where is Hutou Camp? Geng Bing just showed his authority in front of us. He is nothing in front of Hutou Camp..."
"Hush, someone is coming!"
Lin Yan saw it from the corner of his eye and quickly stopped Wu San.
It was guard Geng Binggen who walked in. His fierce face was so gloomy that it was about to drip. Without saying a word, he walked straight towards the inner hall.
When he entered, Wu Sancai smiled lowly and said: "Look at him, his face is turning green! I heard that his wife was crying and fussing yesterday, and even scratched him with her nails, forcing him to ask someone to save Liu Quan. Hehe , What kind of bullshit warrior is he being treated to death by a woman!"
Lu Yan whispered: "What is he doing in the inner hall?"
Lin Yan said softly: "The big boss came to the store today. He is in the back hall."
"big boss!"
Wu San and Lu Yan all paused. The big boss of Mihang was named Zhang. He was always aloof in Mihang. He only heard his name but never saw his person.
It is said that he has six or seven properties similar to Fugui Rice Shop, even in Inner Ring Square.
To a few of them, Guard Geng was already a big shot. They could not even imagine the power and status of a nobleman like Boss Zhang.
Wu San's voice lowered unconsciously: "So, Geng Bing went to ask the big boss? Do you think he can succeed?"
Lu Yan whispered: "Guard Geng is a warrior after all, so the big boss will help, right?"
Wu San cursed in a low voice: "The big boss is so powerful. If he takes action, won't Liu Quan be able to come back safely? MD, the disaster will last for thousands of years!"
Lin Yan shook his head: "I'm going back to work first."
What he was thinking was, what should Xiaozhi do if he was caught?
After finishing the accounts in the afternoon, Lin Yan went out immediately, being careful along the way for fear of being encountered by Hutou Camp, and arrived at Mu Qing's study as soon as possible.
Fetching water again, finished, just in time for classes to end in Mu Qing's study.
After all the children ran out, Lin Yan first told Xiaozhi to sit aside and rest, and then respectfully walked to Mr. Li who was resting in the courtyard.
Mr. Li sat in front of the stone table, glanced at him, and suddenly showed a slightly surprised look: "Huh?"
Lin Yan didn't understand: "Mr. Li?"
Mr. Li looked Lin Yan carefully up and down and said, "Did you eat anything special yesterday?"
Lin Yan was shocked. Mr. Li noticed the changes in his blood!
His mind was spinning, and he pretended not to understand: "What does Mr. Li mean?"
"Before, your eyes were dull and your cheeks were dull, but today your eyes are full of energy, full of red light, and you seem to be full of energy and blood. Did you take something tonic yesterday?"
Lin Yan suddenly thought: "Could it be that fruit? Yesterday when I bought firewood from a mountain man, he gave me a red fruit. It looked ordinary. After eating it, I felt hot all over and thought I was poisoned. .”
Li Muqing clicked his tongue and said, "It's red. It looks ordinary. Is it the size of a fist? It should be the Red Cloud Fruit. It's a good medicinal fruit. One fruit is worth two taels of silver. The mountain people don't know the good stuff, so they give you a free bargain." ”
Lin Yan breathed a sigh of relief, pretending to be surprised, and then showed annoyance: "Two taels is so expensive? If I had known I wouldn't have eaten it!"
"Just be content. Red Cloud Fruit greatly replenishes Qi and blood and can make you energetic for a few days. It has many benefits."
But he turned to regret and sighed: "What a pity, if you don't practice martial arts, most of the medicine's power will be wasted."
Lin Yan's heart moved: "I dare to ask Mr. Li, what is the beauty of this martial arts?"
Li Muqing glanced at him, with a faint smile on her lips, took a sip of water, but said nothing.
Lin Yan had long been mentally prepared. Martial arts should not be taught lightly. If martial arts knowledge was so easy to obtain, he would not have been unable to find out anything substantial for more than three months.
I took it out of my pocket and took out the "Mu Zhai Ji" I had brought with me when I went out in the morning.
When she saw him taking out a book, Li Muqing's wrists shook slightly and her eyes immediately straightened.
Lin Yan respectfully handed it to Mr. Li: "Mr. Li, this is a collection of essays that I accidentally bought in the market today. Please take a look."
Li Muqing grabbed it with one hand and started reading it on the spot.
His expression didn't change much, but the pupils of his eyes were constantly dilating and shrinking.
After reading page after page, I actually forgot about Lin Yan.
Fortunately, Lin Yan was prepared. He took out the prepared pancakes and steamed buns and asked Xiao Zhi to eat them first to avoid being hungry.
Suddenly, Mr. Li slowly began to read word for word.
"Zhao Keman and Hu Ying, Wu Gou Shuang and Xue Ming.
"The silver saddle shines on the white horse, rustling like a shooting star.
“Kill one person in ten steps and leave no trace in a thousand miles.
"Hello."
There was a hot flush on his old cheeks, his beard and hair moved freely without wind, and his loose white coat was suddenly filled to the brim, as if under the white coat he was not a shriveled old man, but a muscular man with knotted muscles. Lin Yan felt a strong sense of oppression.
"It takes ten steps to kill one person, and it leaves no trace for a thousand miles! What a thing, it's time to brush off your clothes and hide your merit and fame! Okay, okay, okay! Hahahaha!"
Mr. Li couldn't restrain his excitement. Following his thoughts, he waved his arm and lightly smashed the stone table beside him.
Pong!
There was a loud bang.
Lin Yan gasped and saw that the two to three hundred kilogram hard stone table in the courtyard was broken into seven or eight pieces by this seemingly light blow!
Stone foam and debris flew everywhere.
Is this a warrior?
Even though he is old, he still has such strong strength!
"You're so arrogant, you've lost your composure, you've lost your composure."
Mr. Li retracted his hand calmly, and his twitching muscles slowly calmed down, as if nothing happened.
"Xiao Lin, where did you buy this "Mu Zhai Collection"?"
Lin Yan said cautiously: "Back to Mr. Li, like the "Knocking on the Lamp Collection", I bought it from a foot merchant in the Chundufang Market."
"He's a foot trader again..."
Mr. Li looked at Lin Yan meaningfully until Lin Yan's scalp went numb, and then he said slowly: "Xiao Lin, this "Mu Zhai Collection" is to my liking. Tell me, what do you want? "
Lin Yan knew that Mr. Li didn't like his mother-in-law, so he bowed and said, "Mr. Li Mingjian, I do have something to ask of you."
"Say it."
"I want to practice martial arts and become a warrior like you. Please recommend a place for me."
Lin Yan's original goal was to find out from Mr. Li what channels he could use to practice martial arts.
But Mr. Li's reaction to "Mu Zhai Ji" just now was beyond his expectation, so he took a bold step and asked Mr. Li for recommendation instead of asking.
"Practice martial arts?" Mr. Li shook his head and laughed: "Don't you think that just because you ate a red cloud fruit and gained some energy and blood, you are qualified to practice martial arts?"
Lin Yan looked solemn and did not refute.
Mr. Li also became serious: "Are you serious? Do you know what is the most important thing in practicing martial arts?"
Without waiting for Lin Yan to answer, Mr. Li answered by himself: "It's money! Only with money can you have spare energy to concentrate on practicing martial arts; with money can you eat and drink every day to replenish your energy and blood!"
"When I was practicing martial arts when I was young, I consumed two kilograms of mutton and two kilograms of chicken every day, along with various precious medicines and nourishing materials. This continued for more than ten years, and I developed strong strength.
"If you don't have enough Qi and blood to practice martial arts, your muscles and bones will be broken, your Qi and blood will wither, and you will die within three months!"
"How much money do you earn in a month? How many pounds of meat can you afford? Just like this, do you still plan to practice martial arts?"
Lin Yan was silent. Prices were soaring at the moment. A pound of mutton was priced as high as one hundred Wen.
In other words, his monthly salary is only enough to buy two kilograms of mutton, a day's supply, not counting eggs.
But he has the special effect of [Swallowing and Poisoning]!
Digesting poisons can replenish qi and blood.
Poisons are controlled substances, but there are many poisonous mushrooms, which can be found everywhere in the mountains. You can also cultivate them yourself. Four poisonous mushrooms are worth two taels of red cloud fruit, which is equivalent to twenty kilograms of mutton.
According to this calculation, it is more than enough to replenish his martial arts energy and blood.
Mr. Li shook his head. He could see Lin Yan's determination: "It doesn't matter, it's hard to persuade a dead ghost with good words..."
He reached into his arms and took out a carved wooden coin that was as long as his palm and two fingers wide, with the words "Li Muqing" engraved on it.
"Take this piece of wood and go to Mingyu Tower in Chengguangfang to find a man named Kuishan. Tell me your name and your request, and he will give you two months."
Two months is already a great time!
Lin Yan resisted the surprise and took it carefully: "Thank you, Mr. Li! I will deeply appreciate this kindness and virtue!"
"Remember, two months is the limit of damage to your body. If it takes longer, your life will be in danger. Two months is only two months."
"Thank you!"
After carefully putting away the wooden pieces, Lin Yan finished cleaning and respectfully left with Lin Xiaozhi.
Li Muqing sat in the courtyard, looking at Lin Yan's leaving figure, shaking his head secretly.
When Lin Yan sent "Lamp Knocking Collection", he only took one glance and was astonished.
It's just that he always kept his expression calm. After asking Lin Yan about the origin of this collection of essays, he warned Lin Yan not to ask for anything else, and just said lightly: "It's well written."
In fact, after he returned home, he ordered his servants to go to the Chundufang Market to inquire about the traces of the traveling merchant.
I thought I could buy more amazing articles, but my servant kept asking for several days and found nothing.
Until today, Lin Yan unexpectedly sent another copy of "Mu Zhai Ji".
The style of the poems is completely different from that of "Lamp Knocking Collection", but the same, every poem is a stunning and beautiful work!
Now, no matter how stupid Li Muqing is, he can still guess the origin of these two collections of articles. He is definitely not a traveling businessman.
Flipping through the pages of the book carefully, I can identify the writing and ink that look old but are new, and the writing is quite similar...
He still couldn't guess that this collection of essays was clearly written by the boy named Lin himself!
"In just a few days, I have written so many poems and essays, all of which are stunning works. I am a born literary saint and a born literary star!"
But then he shook his head and sighed: "What's the use of being born with literary talents..."
He was very passionate about literature and Taoism, and he also cherished Lin Yan's talents.
But in Dafeng, martial arts is the right path, while literary education is just a minor path, used only to cultivate sentiments.
It was also for this reason that he did not stop Lin Yan from learning martial arts.
Young people, with their hearts as high as the sky and full of hope, will never look back until they touch the south wall.
Wasn't he the same back then, arrogant and arrogant, pursuing a higher realm, and ultimately hurt himself?
"After two months, if he fails to learn martial arts, I will come forward to recuperate him and include him in the clan to write articles..."
Thinking like this, he got up and left. He had to go back early to study this new collection of essays.