Chapter 79 Demonic Traces
Chapter 79 Demonic Traces
In the study, Xu Qing carefully examined a letter sent by Yan Shan, which contained all of Yan Shan's investigations on Li Feng in recent days.
It must be said that Yan Shan has now developed some skills in identifying and employing people, and the information is very detailed. Moreover, he did not investigate Li Feng alone, but also included Li Feng's family, hobbies, and personality traits, all described in concise and refined language.
"Yan Shan is really a talented guy." Xu Qing thought to himself.
Then he started thinking about Li Feng.
Let’s take a look at his calligraphy and paintings first.
In addition to delivering the letter, Yan Shan also found calligraphy and paintings by Li Feng, the Bada Shanren of Wuzhong.
No matter how good a living person's calligraphy and paintings are, they are not worth much because they are not out of print.
Unless the person is very powerful.
However, the calligraphy and paintings of a famous person who made his debut in literature must have something worth learning, and his famous works can often reflect his spirit.
Li Feng's landscape paintings are particularly unique.
The content of the paintings is mostly lonely and dangerous peaks or solitary pines on cliffs.
This is probably related to Li Feng's personality.
Aloof and proud.
Even if there is a top-ranking apprentice, few people will know about it.
This kind of character is inevitably extreme when used in eight-part essays, a bit like Feng Xifeng before. Li Feng still suffered from his age. Even though his time has come, he is already old and his ambitions have long been worn away.
Li Feng's son died young, and his daughter-in-law remarried. Now he has only one grandson, Li You, who depends on him for survival.
But he is not good at studying and he likes gambling.
A man in his twenties, still out of shape.
The reason why Li Feng moved to the provincial capital was to avoid the high-interest loan owed by his grandson.
interesting.
After Xu Qing pondered it carefully, he immediately ordered his newly hired maid Qiuxiang to come over, "Go to the county government office and ask the head constable Guo Zhuang to come over. I have something to ask him."
After hearing this, Qiuxiang was stunned: "Master, do you really want me to go?"
Xu Qing: "Don't you dare?"
Qiuxiang: "It's not that I don't dare. How can a servant like me really invite Captain Guo?"
Xu Qing: "Just take my business card with you."
Qiuxiang did not dare to disobey her master, so she had to go to the county government office with Xu Qing's business card.
At that time, the economy of Southern Zhili was developed and the customs were open, and people did not mind women going out, let alone maids.
Even many women who moved to the city would take the initiative to look for jobs, the largest number of whom were textile workers.
A female textile worker in Yingtian Prefecture could earn up to 20 strings of cash a year.
Therefore, there are also skilled female workers who do not marry and stay in their parents' home for their whole lives. Or, one person's wages support the whole family.
In fact, similar things were recorded in the book Camel Xiangzi that Xu Qing read in his previous life.
The drivers there eat better than some landlords.
In the first ten years of the Republic of China, due to unclear land deed division, the value of land was greatly reduced, and an acre of land was sold for as low as five dollars.
At that time, the rickshaw drivers in the city could earn several dollars a month without eating or drinking.
Therefore, a rickshaw driver, in theory, could save money for a few years and return to the countryside to become a rich farmer.
In fact, the rickshaw driver did not get married and loved to visit brothels, gamble, and smoke opium. As a result, his health soon broke down. He had no money and died of a serious illness.
Therefore, it made sense in ancient times to get married first and then start a career.
Once you get married, your life will be more purposeful, you will be able to spend money in moderation and not indulge in external desires.
However, as time goes by, there are fewer and fewer examples of men working outside the home and women working together to run a family.
The reason why love is praised is indeed because it is scarce.
Xu Qing couldn't help but think of his female master.
At least until now, there is no real love.
But he did indirectly benefit from some benefits.
Gratitude is also love.
You have to pay it back eventually.
The premise is that the other party is willing.
No matter what Feng Wu thought, whether the two of them would finally get married according to the wishes of their elders, Xu Qing was willing to respect her own ideas and protect her to the best of his ability.
...
...
Guo Zhuang was in the yamen. He was quite surprised to hear that the young master had sent a maid to see him.
Usually it was Xu Fu, the young master's confidant, who came to see him.
However, after clarifying that the other party was the young master's new personal maid, Guo Zhuang did not dare to neglect her and took the initiative to call her Sister Qiuxiang.
This gave Qiuxiang a strange feeling.
The head of the county police force, who was such a powerful figure in the county, actually called her "Sister Qiuxiang" affectionately and warmly just because she was the young master's personal maid.
Does the young master have such great power?
After all, she knew that Master Li was a river inspector and only a ninth-rank official, and had no control over the affairs of the county government. Even if he was a Dianshi in the past, that was only in the past.
Therefore, Guo Zhuang's respect can only be shown to the young master.
A villain fears power but does not cherish virtue.
Qiuxiang was Xu Qing's maid, and Xu Qing was always gentle to others, let alone those around him, so there was no need to be harsh to them. However, they had to be made aware of Xu Qing's power so as to avoid losing their sense of propriety in their daily interactions.
Therefore, through the small matter of passing the message, Xu Qing didn't need to say anything, the maid naturally knew what was going on.
In addition, it was also a chance to criticize Guo Zhuang.
We must make Guo Zhuang understand how he got everything he has.
Even if you are my maid, you must treat her with respect and not neglect her.
To put it bluntly, no matter what, Xu Qing is just a scholar now. If he doesn't use some tricks, it is inevitable that his subordinates will unconsciously lose their sense of awe.
This is also the importance of reputation and status.
...
...
"Guo Zhuang greets you, sir."
Xu Qing nodded. He also taught Guo Zhuang some of the skills of the Bull Demon Fist. Guo Zhuang was a man who could endure hardships, and now he was seeing some results.
For example, the strength is definitely greater than before.
Overall, the effect is not as good as that of Guard Wang and Guard Ma, and it is even more incomparable to Xu Qing.
In the art of martial arts, inheritance is extremely important.
Even if Xu Qing improved his bones, it would be difficult for him to reach Lin Tianwang's level without the secret medicine and cultivation experience in Lin Tianwang's hands.
"The new county magistrate has not arrived yet, and the county's chief clerk and county magistrate have also been transferred. Now Qin Dianshi is in charge of the county temporarily. In winter, many idle men have nothing to do and like to gamble in the city's casinos. This is not a good thing. Because if they lose all their money before the end of the year, how will their families celebrate the New Year? As the ancients said, you should worry about the world before you worry about yourself, and be happy after the world is happy. As the chairman of the Fushe Society, when I think of these things, I can't help but want to make some contributions to the elders of this county..."
Xu Qing spoke to Guo Zhuang in a very impressive manner, the gist of which was that he wanted to eliminate the evil forces in the county and crack down on gambling houses.
What is behind the gambling house? It is the usury power in this county. The incense money business in partnership with Xu Qing and Jinguang Temple is a competitor.
Moreover, Prefect He also supports cracking down on gambling houses, which will help improve people's morals.
In addition, this matter can also help Li Feng teach his good-for-nothing grandson a lesson and get him out of the gambling house.
At the same time, it can also practice the philosophy of Fushe and deepen the group cohesion of Fushe.
Because most of the members of Fushe were students from poor families, many of them suffered from usury.
why?
Because studying is expensive, some poor families, when students reach the age of military service, before they pass the examination, have to borrow money from loan sharks to pay for the exemption from military service. Otherwise, if they cannot pay the exemption from military service, they will have to serve in the military.
It's bad luck to be in the military service. You are asked to go to the capital to repair the emperor's mausoleum. After walking thousands of miles, you will lose half your life if you don't die.
So this matter can be regarded as killing several birds with one stone.
Moreover, Xu Qing also wanted to take this opportunity to see if he could increase his holy aura.
Improving the customs of the people is also a way of practicing saintly virtue and education.
Xu Qing outlined the general outline, but the specific actions required Guo Zhuang and Qin Dianshi to work together to implement them. Qin Dianshi's family was in the pawnshop business, and cracking down on gambling houses would also be good for their business.
Because the loan sharking business, to put it bluntly, is also about valuing other people's good things.
The more of them there are, the fewer good things the pawnshop will get.
As for whether Qin Dianshijia did related business.
Alas, in order to buy the celadon for Inspector Li’s family, all the money in the family was spent. How can we have the money to do this business now?
...
...
The county's campaign to eradicate evil forces was carried out vigorously in the winter, and in the Black Wind Village of Qixia Mountain, the largest evil force in the prefecture, all the leaders gathered together, apparently discussing important matters.
This major issue has been going on for several years and has not been resolved.
It turns out that if a master like Lin Tianwang wants to maintain his form or make further progress, he needs natural treasures and rare elixirs. In addition, he needs to capture powerful monsters to replenish himself. "We have been watching this three-tailed black fox for several years. After the beginning of last spring, it escaped to the foot of the mountain and entered the city, stealing many chickens in the city. It was probably also targeted by the Jinguang Temple, and then ran back to the mountain. In autumn and summer, there are many plants and trees in the mountains, which is convenient for hiding. Now it is winter, and the mountains are covered with snow. Its range of activities will become smaller and smaller, which is a good opportunity for us to capture it. But in view of past lessons, this fox has also practiced Taoism and can escape from the soul. It can see our blood and qi from a distance and react in advance. But we can't see its soul, so it can easily escape our encirclement. So I plan to ask a Taoist master to deal with it this year."
King Lin is also old, and he knows that he no longer has the flesh and blood of such monsters to nourish himself. Let alone making further progress, even maintaining his condition is extremely difficult.
What should you do if your enemies from your youth come knocking on your door once you are old and frail?
In this regard, King Lin also felt sorry for Niu Peng being abandoned.
Why do famous martial arts masters all take in disciples? It is because they are waiting for themselves to get old and retire, and they want to have a disciple to support them and protect them from their enemies.
Moreover, if the Kung Fu is not trained to strengthen the internal organs, every fierce life-and-death battle will cause irreparable damage to the internal organs. People can still withstand it when they are young, but as they get older and their condition declines, the damage to these internal organs will gradually develop into old age illnesses.
Therefore, many martial arts masters who were very famous when they were young often became plagued by illness or even died of illness when they reached their sixties or seventies.
Because reputation is earned through hard work.
This is also the price you have to pay for fame and profit when you are young.
After all, the unconventional ways can't be compared with the famous and big sects.
King Lin didn’t realize it when he was young, but now that he is middle-aged, he understands the power of a thousand-year-old sect like the Dachan Temple.
He also practices martial arts, but he recruits disciples widely.
If someone goes to kick the mountain, there will be a large number of disciples blocking it. After you defeat a group of young and strong monks, even if you are lucky enough to defeat their leader in the end, you will only gain temporary fame.
After several decades, Dachan Temple is still the leading temple in the martial arts world.
Who still remembers the kid who challenged Dachan Temple back then?
This is also the reason why King Lin seeks to establish a foundation.
Only with a solid foundation can you pass on your reputation, leave a deep mark on the world, and make your life worthwhile.
A real man should wield a three-foot sword and accomplish unprecedented achievements.
"Boss, where can we hire this Taoist master?"
Lin Tianwang: "Since this three-tailed black fox is afraid of the Jinguang Temple, then naturally the senior monks of the Jinguang Temple have to take action."
"But we have no dealings with the Jinguang Temple."
"Of course they have a share of the spoils this time." King Lin glared at the leader who spoke.
"Yes……"
Lin Tianwang added, "But if we rashly go to the Jinguang Temple, they won't believe us, so we have to find a middleman. My brother Xu has a close relationship with the Jinguang Temple. Niu Peng, you should go and deliver the letter this time. Ask Brother Xu for me."
King Lin also recently received news that the government was going to suppress bandits, so he prepared for the worst and also used this incident to test what Xu Qing meant.
If Xu Qing also intended to wipe out Qixia Mountain, then he would give up and go all out to lure the people directly to the mountain. If they refused, he would visit his grave next year.
If Xu Qing can continue to cooperate, this three-tailed black fox can naturally be shared with the other party.
With the spiritual blood of the three-tailed black fox, he can repair the hidden injuries of his internal organs and peek into higher-level martial arts.
It's a pity that if he had the background of the Great Zen Temple, he would have been able to practice dirty skills long ago, and by then he would be able to guarantee to be in his fifties or sixties, and have the combat power of his peak.
Training the tendons and bones are just the superficial aspects of martial arts. Only by training the organs and changing the blood can one truly master the martial arts, become a true practitioner, and gradually become essentially different from ordinary people.
However, on the path of cultivation, the further you go, the more hardships you will have to go through to take small steps forward.
The feeling is hard to describe unless you experience it yourself.
Niu Peng received instructions from King Lin and went down the mountain to the city to look for Xu Qing.
After all, he was born with good physique, so even if his kung fu was wasted, he could still recover to normal after a period of recuperation.
However, after his muscles and bones were injured, he could no longer exert his original strength.
Without his bravery and aggressiveness, he is now more open-minded. When it is late at night and everyone is asleep, he can concentrate, move his energy and blood, and nourish his body.
Moreover, I no longer have the time to take care of the boss in his old age.
Speaking of which, I have to thank Xu Qing.
Otherwise, people like him might be defeated by some expert who comes up the mountain to challenge King Lin in the future.
When you are in the underworld, kung fu is a weapon for fame, but also a weapon for death.
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...
"Three-tailed black fox?" Xu Qing read the letter, then looked up at Niu Peng.
Although the matter was quite new, Xu Qing was not surprised. After all, his own experience was enough to prove that such bizarre and spooky things existed in this world.
"It turns out that the chicken thief that my aunt mentioned half a year ago was actually done by this three-tailed black fox. Also, the fox laugh I heard before seemed to be related to that black fox. Was it the Jinguang Temple that was catching the black fox at that time?"
"At that time, my soul was much stronger than that of ordinary people, so I noticed it."
Xu Qing recalled the golden light he saw that day, which should be an illusion that his soul inadvertently felt.
So ordinary people cannot see it, but he can.
Practicing and driving the soul will naturally consume a lot of energy and blood.
The three-tailed black fox was forced down the mountain by the Black Wind Village again, so he fled to the city to steal turkeys to replenish his energy and blood, but was discovered by the Jinguang Temple.
“But how do monsters cultivate their spirits? Instinct?” Xu Qing thought it was not that simple. If the instincts of animals and beasts could cultivate their spirits, then there would be more and more monsters in the deep mountains and swamps. After all, their numbers are huge and their living space is also large.
"There must be something I don't know."
Compared with the three-tailed black fox's spirit, flesh and blood, Xu Qing was more interested in the three-tailed black fox's cultivation of its soul.
He even wondered if the three-tailed black fox had some method to cultivate its soul.
In fact, Su Lianqing also has it, but Xu Qing does not dare to practice the soul cultivation method of Luojiao. This is different from visualizing the five great demon gods.
The Five Great Demons are the inheritance of the Lotus Sect, and are more inclined towards Taoism, belonging to the fighting style of the way of the spirit and soul.
However, Su Lianqing's method of spiritual cultivation is to believe in the "Mother of the Unborn" to enhance the power of the soul, leaving a back door. When he encounters the high-level officials of the Luo Sect, he is bound to be suppressed.
What's more, in terms of soul strength, Su Lianqing is not as good as Xu Qing.
In comparison, Xu Qing wanted to ask Lord Fang for advice.
However, the other party's status was too high, and Xu Qing was afraid that asking Lord Fang for advice would reveal the secret of the bronze mirror, so he did not act rashly.
The current matter of the three-tailed black fox is an opportunity.
It would be a good thing if the three-tailed black fox had a unique cultivation method that he could learn from. Even if not, he could still drink spiritual blood and eat spiritual flesh to strengthen his own foundation.
At the same time, Xu Qing discovered Lin Tianwang's hidden thoughts, and he knew that Brother Tianwang was trying to test the possibility of suppressing the bandits.
Xu Qing thought about it and said, "The eminent monk Fayue from Jinguang Temple and I are acquainted. I can ask him for help. After I make an appointment, I will send someone up the mountain to inform you."
Niu Peng was relieved and replied, "Then I will go back and report."
Xu Qing smiled and said, "Don't worry, I have one more thing to say. Go back and tell your boss."
"please say."
"Master Lin and I are close friends. We will not do anything that will harm others or benefit ourselves. You can rest assured when you invite him."
"Okay, remember."
After Xu Qing saw Niu Peng off, he rode his Huoyun horse to the government office to find Guards Wang and Ma.
He explained his purpose and asked the second guard if he knew anything about monsters like the three-tailed black fox.
"It is not uncommon for a fox to have three tails. Our Great Zen Temple once sealed a black fox king with a thousand years of practice. He later escaped, and our temple paid a huge price to recapture and suppress him."
"Your temple failed to kill the Black Fox King?"
"The Black Fox King's physical body was beheaded long ago, but he cultivated powerful evil magic and turned into an evil god. Our temple can only suppress it but cannot completely eliminate it. However, a long time has passed. For hundreds of years, our temple has not seen the Black Fox King break out of the seal. Perhaps his soul has been scattered." Guard Wang replied.
He had heard about such things from the elders in the temple and passed them down by word of mouth, but in reality, he himself had never seen a real monster.
Since Xu Qing asked, he naturally told him what he knew.
Xu Qing nodded: "Anyway, such monsters are hard to come by. But regarding the matter of the three-tailed black fox, I still need the help of my two brothers."
"You're too polite, Gongming. Just tell me if you have anything." Guard Wang patted his chest.
Xu Qing naturally had to make full preparations to go fox hunting in Qixia Mountain, in case he was unprepared and got hunted by others.
When you are out, be more careful about everything.
The more people you bring with you, the less evil intentions they may have.
If you are a small group of people, even if they don't have any bad intentions, they might suddenly get angry.
The sword does not have to be unsheathed, but it must be there.
This is also Xu Qing's usual style of doing things.
In addition, he asked Guard Wang and Guard Ma to go to Jinguang Temple to show the monks in the temple his connections. The guards in front of the two palace masters were all like his sworn brothers.
This is a reassurance to the monks in Jinguang Temple.
In addition, Wang Huwei and his men have a relationship with the Jinguang Temple through the Dachan Temple, which serves as a bond between the two sides.
In this matter, Xu Qing also planned to share some of the profits with Wang Huwei and others.
As I said, let’s work together to make it bigger and stronger.
This is also the behavior that a gentleman should have.
Those who are righteous have many supporters, those who are unrighteous have few supporters, and those who are without righteousness have no supporters.
Xu Qing rode the Fire Cloud Horse, and rode out of the city with the two guards Wang and Ma, and arrived at the Jinguang Temple.
When the monk in charge of reception heard that Xu Qing was coming to visit, he immediately informed the abbot.
Then the mountain gate opened wide and nine bells rang out in the temple.
This is the highest etiquette for hospitality in Jinguang Temple!
(End of this chapter)