Chapter 138 The alternation of old and new
Chapter 138 The alternation of old and new
"It's so arrogant!"
On the city gate tower, a middle-aged man in a green official robe, with a mustache and a string of blisters at the corners of his mouth, looked at the black and purple flag fluttering in the wind outside the city, and angrily slapped the city wall.
Apparently, this is an official from Luyang City.
The official gnashed his teeth and said, "They are the kings of the mountains and they are breaking the law with force. If it were during the reign of Emperor Taizu, the imperial court would have sent troops to wipe out these monsters long ago!"
The lawyer quickly advised: "Master, if you are patient, you will have peace. If you take a step back, you will have a bright future. They are all desperate criminals, stinking shit. Who would be willing to pay attention to them except for the paupers?"
The green-robed official pointed at the two bamboo sheds and asked, "Master, what are they doing now?"
"I heard that the Cloud and Rain Temple is recruiting disciples."
"Disciples? Why are they all teenagers?"
The master thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps we need to train them from a young age?"
The official became even more angry: "He is worthy of death! He is worthy of death! His rebellious intentions are exposed. I will immediately send a letter to the military governor to request troops to encircle and suppress him."
The lawyer advised, "Master, are you so angry that you are confused? The court has established rules that the affairs of the martial arts world are under the jurisdiction of the Jinyiwei. Why would the Dusi send troops? Besides, this is the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, whose influence is spread all over the country. It is not a small gang. Even if you write to the Xi'an Provincial Government Office, the superiors will only reprimand you for causing trouble."
The green-robed official let out a long sigh. As a person who had been involved in officialdom for a long time, how could he not know these unspoken rules and regulations? It was just that he could not suppress the hatred in his heart.
What was the situation like when Liu Chan of the Suo Yue Sect was here?
The government cooperates with the underworld to extort money from the poor and the rich, and they have a lot of fun!
Everything has changed since the Demon Cult came.
Liu Chan died, the Suoyue Sect was destroyed, the Lanzhu River was unblocked, and the sweet water business could no longer be done.
The official said in a hateful voice: "Since we can't wipe it out, I will write an article to criticize it and make it notorious."
The master asked in confusion: "What are you going to scold him for?"
"Criticize it for killing innocent people and oppressing the people."
"Curse it for committing adultery and plunder, and for doing all kinds of evil."
"Call it bloody, brutal, cold-blooded and heartless."
………………
Two bamboo sheds were set up near the official road two hundred steps outside the city, and rice porridge was cooked in a large pot.
"Another one has fallen, carry him away quickly."
"Their physique is too poor. Only one out of ten has the physique to practice martial arts."
"I have given away a lot of porridge these days, but I haven't even recruited 20 disciples. I don't know what Banner Master Cai is thinking. Even though he made a fortune from Feixing Sect, he doesn't have to squander it like this."
"I heard it was the adults' intention."
The disciple of the Divine Religion immediately stopped talking.
Those queuing were all boys and girls around twelve or thirteen years old. Most of them were in rags, their faces were yellow from hunger, and they were holding broken bowls and tiles in their hands. Many of them didn't even have the strength to stand for long and fainted on the ground. They were carried to another shed and fed rice porridge, only then did they regain their strength.
They were all refugees who rushed here after hearing the news.
Although the severe drought had passed, the resulting poor harvests, heavy taxes and levies by the government, and wanton annexations by wealthy gentry once again triggered a wave of refugees.
This is not surprising, whether it is the Ming Dynasty or the dynasties for thousands of years, whether the surname is Zhang or Li, it has always been like this.
In the eyes of those officials, the common people are like grass. When they die, they are just a pile of dog shit on the side of the road. They even think it stinks if they use it as fertilizer for the fields.
The sky was dark and yellow, and the autumn geese were flying south. Three carriages came from the official road in the north, flying the flag of a certain business in Xi'an Prefecture.
There were several guards on horseback standing around, with bulging clothes under their robes, which seemed to indicate they were hiding weapons. The world was in chaos, with bandits gathering everywhere. If one wanted to travel long distances without weapons, he would have been devoured by jackals and tigers long ago.
The carriage stopped a hundred steps away from the bamboo shed, and the group of refugees had already lined up nearby.
A middle-aged woman got off the carriage, her hair covered with gold and silver jewelry, and she was dressed in silk and satin. Her demeanor revealed the shrewdness of a businessman.
She glanced at the girl who was sleeping in the carriage leaning against a soft pillow, and gently lowered the curtain.
The middle-aged woman walked a few steps and asked a thin man in the team, "What are you doing ahead?"
The thin man was holding the young boy's hand, silent.
The middle-aged woman took out a small string of copper coins and threw it to him.
The man quickly put the copper coin into his arms, then smiled and said, "The Sun Moon Divine Sect is recruiting new disciples. As long as you pass the selection, you will be given two buckets of wheat and eight taels of silver as resettlement allowance. I brought my son here to try his luck. If he succeeds, it will really be God's favor to give him a future."
The woman asked, "What if I don't pass?"
The man smiled slyly and said, "Even if you don't pass, you can still get a bowl of porridge, so it's not a loss anyway."
The big man in black dismounted and walked over. Thinking of the starving people he had seen along the way, he shook his head and said, "When the country is in misfortune, the martial arts world is fortunate. When the world is in chaos, the martial arts world flourishes. That's how it is."
The woman turned around and smiled, "Brother Qin Si was born in the battlefield, his family is a family of generals, he has been in the martial arts world for many years, but he still sighs like this, which shows that his feelings and ambitions are still the same. Do you still want to lead troops to fight for the court?"
The big man in black sighed, "I was attacked by a traitor that day and had no choice but to join the martial arts world. In the end, I am still a defeated general. If it weren't for Master Wu taking me in, I would have been killed long ago. This Ming Dynasty court must make people feel disheartened."
The woman chuckled and said, "The ice is three feet thick, and it didn't freeze overnight. Otherwise, so many heroes in the world wouldn't have joined the Divine Religion. The temple is dark and there is no place for them to stay. We can only hope that there will be a little light in the martial arts world."
The two men looked at the big flag of the Sun and Moon Sect. After being treated as rats crossing the street for nearly a year, they felt very close to it, so they followed the team and walked towards the bamboo shed in front.
"I heard that Fourth Brother Qin has a cousin who is young but also holds a high position in the church?"
Thousand-Faced Fox was originally in charge of espionage activities in Yunshui Hall. The secret agent in the Qin Palace was planted by her personally. Naturally, she was more informed than others and knew a lot about the secrets of the martial arts world and the past events of the Divine Religion.
Qin Sihai had nothing to hide, so he talked about that brother.
"He was recruiting followers in Jiangxi and became the incense master three years ago. His influence spread across five or six counties in southern Jiangxi. He was summoned to Blackwood Cliff for his merits. I heard that he was praised by the Eastern Cult Master. But I lost contact with him after I was transferred from Pingding Prefecture to Guanzhong. I don't know how he is doing now."
Qin Sihai's tone was not without envy, they both served in the Divine Religion, and in terms of seniority, he was even ahead of his cousin who joined the religion later. The other party had already become very successful, and he was still an incense protector, only one level higher than the flag master.
Su Qiqi saw that the bamboo shed was in good order and the disciples of the Cloud Rain Altar were confident. She nodded slightly and said with a smile, "There are treacherous ministers like Yang Lianting in the Black Wood Cliff who abuse their power and mislead the teachings. But there are also rising talents who hold up a piece of the sky in all corners of the world and keep the reputation of the Divine Religion. This can be considered a blessing in disguise."
As the two were talking, a man came quickly to report.
"Miss Yu is missing!"
Qin Sihai's face turned pale: "What's going on? Are all six pairs of eyes in vain? You can't even protect one person. If something goes wrong with Miss Yu, I wonder how you will explain to the former hall master when you go to the underworld!"
Su Qiqi took a deep breath and said, "Please tell me clearly what is going on."
Deng Kai said with a bitter face: "Miss Yu got off the car and was just playing nearby. Suddenly, she seemed to hear something and flashed into the woods in the east. The brothers couldn't catch up with her. In just a few breaths, she disappeared. Master Su Xiang, you also know Miss Yu..."
Su Qiqi interrupted him and said, "Leave one person to guard the carriage, and the others go east to look for it."
Four or five figures ran quickly towards the woods beside the official road.
(End of this chapter)