Chapter 117: The Jianghu is in turmoil
Chapter 117: The Jianghu is in turmoil
The second day of July, the tenth year of Yousheng.
Shilipo, Ping'an Inn.
It was dawn, the coolest time of the day in the hottest summer.
The breeze blows through thousands of calabash pines, bringing with it a hint of grass and wood fragrance. Compared with the swordplay in the martial arts world, this kind of indifference is yearned for by many people, but it is just a yearning.
Just like the officials who always talk about retiring to the countryside, the people in the world also have fame, wealth, grudges and love that they cannot let go of.
For the waitress at Ping'an Inn, she just wants to sleep until she wakes up naturally every day.
"Working in an inn is not a job for humans. You have to get up earlier than chickens and sleep later than dogs, and you don't get paid monthly."
Yue Jian rubbed her sleepy eyes and removed the door panel. She was not careful and kicked the door sill hard with her toes. She let out a cry of pain.
"Ah! Damn it."
Now the sleepiness is completely gone.
She didn't know why she became so sleepy after coming here.
Previously in Yunshuitang, Huayue Shuangjian was good at disguise and often acted as assassins.
They used their beauty and the characteristics of being sisters to attract everyone, from sixty-year-old men to young boys who had just learned about the world. Everyone who saw the two of them was happy. Anyone who wanted to make further friends with them was sent to see the King of Hell, and their hands were stained with countless blood.
At that time, I lived in disguise, assassination, and hatred all day long. Every string was tense, but my energy was extremely strong.
Hua Jian came out from the inner room and saw his sister being clumsy, so he took a rag and started wiping the table.
Yue Jian came over and asked, "Sister, is the Xiangzhu still awake?"
"Before daybreak, the shopkeeper went to the pine forest."
"Going to play the flute again?"
Yue Jian chuckled and said, "You still have such a refined taste. I thought he was going to follow the example of Emperor Minghuang of the Tang Dynasty, 'The night is too short, the sun rises too high, from now on the emperor will not hold court early'?"
Hua Jian whispered, "Don't talk nonsense! The shopkeeper is a man of noble character and innocent mind. He is definitely not someone who is greedy for beauty."
Yue Jian was unconvinced and said, "Am I talking nonsense? Who told him to go out and bring back a beautiful woman and hide her in the backyard? He thought that he could hide his identity by disguising himself as a man? How could there be such a beautiful man in the world? He even asked me to serve tea and food, it's really..."
Hua Jian walked up to her, sighed, and said with a smile: "I know you are arrogant and don't want to serve others. From now on, I will go to the backyard to deliver meals."
"Sister, you and I are the same."
Hua Jian shook his head and said, "That man is of a very high status. I think the shopkeeper should respect him. You are impatient and act rashly. If you offend the guests, it will make things difficult for the shopkeeper."
Yue Jian sighed and stopped talking.
Zhang Yu held the purple flute in his hand and walked into the hall: "Who are you trying to embarrass?"
Hua Jian chuckled and said, "We were just joking. We prepared some breakfast and were about to send it to the guests."
"No need, he left last night."
Zhang Yu walked into the counter, took the account book and opened it.
Hua Jian heard this and turned around to do his own thing without saying anything.
A smile appeared on Yuejian's face.
There was a surplus of more than 350 taels in the account book, more than 90% of which belonged to Zui Qingfeng. The original investment in the inn had already been earned back.
If there is no restriction and a large amount of supply is provided, this number can be increased by at least ten times. If some links in Huazhou City are opened up and a distribution system is established with the brothels and restaurants, it will be no problem to make a fortune every day.
Yue Jian walked over slowly. She was tall and had a childish face. In later generations, she would be only a high school student. Although she had killed many people, killing and being killed was a common thing in the martial arts world, so her mind was not mature yet.
"grown ups?"
Zhang Yu was counting on his abacus, and without even looking up, he asked, "What's the matter?"
Yue Jian whispered, "There's too much work in the store. Can we hire two assistants?"
Zhang Yu looked up and saw her looking at him pitifully, just like a laborer who was oppressed in later generations. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Ping An Inn is the first secret base of the Guanzhong branch, and it is at the foot of Huashan Mountain. The people used must be reliable. Especially with Zui Qingfeng and the battle with the yellow-skinned wild boar, Shilipo Ping An Inn has some reputation in Huazhou. It is inevitable that it will be coveted by people with ulterior motives. What if they recruit people casually and ask people to plant spies?"
Yue Jian heard him say this and felt that it made sense.
"Oh, sir, I always forget to ask, what is our altar called?"
"The name of the altar... By the way, Yuejian, what was the name of your original altar?"
Yue Jian felt strange. The Lord had the Yellow Book of Yunshuitang, which contained the information of all the disciples, but how come he didn't know about the branch temple of the sisters?
Although it was strange, she still said, "Juyuntan."
"Is this the name my mentor gave me?"
"It was Hall Master Wu who gave us the name. We started to build the altar in the early years of Tianyou and were active in the Tongguan Road area. Most of them died in the battle at Hengshan, and some died in the pursuit of the Tyrant Blade Sect. Now only we sisters are left. Sir, what is the name of our altar now?"
"Juyuntan, this name is good, it represents brothers and sisters gathering like clouds, and the cause of the Divine Religion is thriving. It's a pity that Yunshuitang, which my teacher worked so hard to build, is now in ruins. One day, I will rebuild Yunshuitang to comfort his spirit in heaven."
"Your Excellency has great ambitions and will surely be able to revive Yunshuitang. By the way, Your Excellency, you haven't told--"
Zhang Yu frowned slightly and glanced at the persistent woman: "Yue Jian, there are guests coming, why don't you go and entertain them."
Today's business seems to be better than usual.
Guests came to Ping'an Inn one after another. After only one hour of opening, the building was almost full, and most of them were people from the martial arts world.
Yue Jian was so busy that he had no time to find Zhang Yu to ask questions.
Four people came in from outside, with long swords hanging on their waists. They walked with steady steps, obviously they were all martial artists.
The old man in the lead had gray hair and beard. He glanced casually at the young shopkeeper who was fiddling with an abacus behind the counter. A trace of doubt appeared on his face. He was immersed in abacus and did not look at the master hidden in the market.
"Master, aren't you going to Huazhou City? What are you doing in this wild inn?"
The young man following behind him was about eighteen years old, wearing gorgeous clothes, with a sense of arrogance between his brows. He looked around the inn and saw that the lobby was very noisy, and he immediately felt unhappy.
"Tang An, please be patient. I heard from Sect Leader Wan that there is a good wine here. I came to Huayue and it is a good opportunity to try it. You can also come and have a look."
Four people sat down at the last table in the hall. The old man and the young man were a master and disciple.
The person who came was the old master of Xique Martial Arts School, Sun Siwang, also known as the "Quick Wind Hand" in the martial arts world.
This person is also a well-known figure in the Guanzhong underworld.
A set of Yunque Palm Technique is light and graceful, swift as the wind, and continuous, often catching the opponent off guard. If one is not careful, he will fall into his moves and routines, and unable to break free, defeat is only a matter of time.
Gangster forces like the Huashan Sect are often arrogant and conceited, and do not interact with the government. However, the Xique Martial Arts School is just the opposite. It has accepted a large number of children of officials, the most outstanding of whom is Tang An, the grandson of the Shaanxi Provincial Governor.
(End of this chapter)