Surrounded by willow trees and lotus vines, small bridges, pavilions, and trees, it was like a fairyland on earth. In the midst of the elegance, there were a few thatched cottages.
Bypassing a spring, there was a small bridge in front of him. Next to the bridge was a simple and unadorned thatched pavilion. Not far from the bridge, there was a wooden square with the words "Penglai So Near" written on it.
Moving forward for only a dozen or so steps, he saw another wooden square. Above the square, there were four large, unadorned characters: 'Observing the gentleman'.
Walking on a grassy path, through a bamboo forest, the front suddenly opened up, and there were a few thatched cottages. This was the first academy in Lantian: Yingzhou Academy.
The mountain elder of this academy was called Lin Yuhan, courtesy name Boju, nickname Ruoshui. Originally from the Di Taoist family in Longxi, he passed the provincial examination at a young age and became the supervising censor. He retired in his middle years and entered Taoism. He was a Confucian in the court and a Taoist in the countryside.
Lin Shan Zhang had been practicing Taoism for ten years and then returned to the secular world. He opened this Yingzhou Academy and focused on teaching. Many talents in Guanzhong gathered under his tutelage. He was a famous Confucian scholar in Guanzhong and had a very high reputation among the aristocrats. Every time he attended the provincial examination, there would be an endless stream of examinees coming to "take the exam", hoping to get a good word from Lin Shan Zhang.
But very few people knew that this Mountain Elder Lin had entered the discerning eyes of Longxi's Old Master Li when he was young. It was precisely because of the Longxi's Li Family's nurturing that he had the lofty status he had today in the world of scholars. This person was currently in charge of the Heaven Observation Department of the Succession Hall.
Early in the morning, Zhang Zirui rushed to the academy with the Four Treasures of the Study and scrolls. Zhang Zirui was a native of Lantian. His family had hundreds of acres of fertile land, two workshops, and three shops in Chang 'an City. His family was considered one of the richest in Lantian County.
This boy was young and smart. He was very eager to learn and was favored by Mountain Elder Lin. He was Lin Yuhan's direct disciple. Every day, he would come to the academy to attend classes, regardless of the weather. Moreover, he was always the first one to arrive.
When Zhang Zirui arrived at the academy, he knew that he had arrived early, so he made a detour to the grass hut at the back. There was a low fence wall, and in the corner of the wall was a clay stove. A page boy was lighting a fire there. Zhang Zirui knew that his teacher had the habit of waking up early to drink tea, so he hurriedly quickened his pace.
Bypassing a strand of short willow trees, Zhang Zirui suddenly felt as if there was a green figure flashing in the courtyard. Like a spirit fox, it scuttled into the weeds outside the fence wall and disappeared. Zhang Zirui was startled. Looking at the courtyard again, it was still quiet. The little boy was brewing tea by the wall. The teacher was dressed in a snow-white hemp robe and wore a tall hat. He was neatly dressed and sat upright by the stone table under the old Confucian scholar tree.
Zhang Zirui heaved a sigh of relief. He shook his head in a self-mocking manner and said, "I don't speak of supernatural powers …"
Zhang Zirui hurried over and opened the door. He bowed deeply to Lin Yuhan and said respectfully, "Student Zhang Zirui greets Mister."
Mountain Elder Lin sat with his back to Lin Yuhan, motionless. The page boy who was brewing tea by the wall turned around and said cheerfully, "It's the Zhang Langjun again …"
Before the page boy could finish his sentence, his face suddenly changed. His voice was stuck in his throat and he could no longer speak. He stretched out a trembling finger and pointed at Lin Yuhan. After trembling for a while, he suddenly screamed and fell backward.
The page boy fainted next to the stove. The firewood in the stove was about to burn his clothes. Zhang Zirui was shocked. He hurriedly dropped the four treasures of the study and rushed over to pull the page boy away. He patted the fire and looked back with lingering fear. Zhang Zirui also screamed. Although he did not faint on the spot, he was also scared to the point that his limbs were cold and his face was pale.
Mountain Elder Lin was still sitting upright on the stone bench, wearing a tall hat and white hemp robe. But dark red blood was dripping down his face, smearing his facial features. The front of his chest was bright red …
…
Chang 'an did not have the underworld, but there was the underworld.
It was the underworld that gathered a group of scoundrels to cheat and extort in the streets. It was the underworld that controlled all the gambling houses in the city. But there was a world of difference between the two. There were only three people in Chang 'an who could be called the boss of the underworld, and Wu Ran was one of them.
Wu Ran lived in Chang 'an, but his business was on the Chang' an Ancient Road from Guanlong in the west. All the underworld businesses on the road from Guanlong to Chang 'an were under his control. He had six to seven hundred brothers under his command.
All the big shots in the Chang 'an underworld knew how powerful Second Master Wu was. But they did not know that the reason why Second Master Wu was called Second Master was not only because he was the second son, but also because there was someone behind him. That person was called Shen Mu.
Wu Ran's public business in Chang 'an was selling wine. Wu Ran was a drinker. Usually, he would sit behind the counter and drink a jar of smoked pig's ear to go with the wine. If one day the person behind the counter was changed to the Second Master, then it would be the Head Master Wu who personally "poured the wine" for him.
After noon, Wu Ran sat behind the counter with a plate of pig's ear and a jar of old wine. He was enjoying himself. Suddenly, a donkey pulled a cart in front of the store. On the cart was a large wine jar. Wu Ran glanced at it and did not care. He thought that it was just here to buy wine.
The vendors who sold liquor in Chang 'an City usually carried a pole or used a cart to sell the liquor. Those who carried wine would carry a wine jar on both sides of the pole and sell it to the people on the streets. Those who used a cart to sell wine would place a large wine jar on the cart.
"Where is the shopkeeper? Ask your shopkeeper to come out! Your store is selling fake wine. You even mix water into the fake wine. You're really heartless! Come out, ask your shopkeeper to come out! "
There were four to five people surrounding the donkey cart. They started to make a fuss the moment they arrived at the store. The shop assistant who welcomed them out of the door was pushed by them and stumbled. Wu Ran frowned and a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He knew very well whether or not his shop had ever sold fake wine. He looked at the few people who came to denounce him. Although they were dressed like ordinary wine peddlers, they were shrugging their shoulders and tiptoeing. They looked frivolous. It was obvious that they were ruffians in the streets. The man who was pulling the donkey had a dull look on his face. He did not fit in with these ruffians. It was obvious that they were not the same kind of people.
With Wu Ran's eyesight, he could tell at a glance that this was a group of ruffians who had hired someone to bring fake wine to his store to extort money. Wu Ran found it a little funny. They had actually tried to extort him, the ancestor of thieves. This group of blind thieves was really interesting.
This store was Wu Ran's den of thieves. Everyone in the store was Wu Ran's confidant. Even the shop assistant was skilled in martial arts. It was naturally easy for them to deal with these ruffians. However, they still had a public identity as a store owner. They could not immediately punch people when they came to find trouble with them.
Besides, these people were shouting and yelling in front of the door and had already attracted a lot of neighbors and pedestrians. If they were chased away, the bad reputation of selling fake wine would definitely spread. Therefore, the waiter was not angry. He still had a smile on his face, but his eyes were a little cold.
"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't speak whatever you want. Our Wu Family's Old Wine Store has been selling wine for many years. No one has ever said that we sell fake wine, not to mention that the fake wine has been mixed with water. These customers look very unfamiliar. I don't remember you drinking wine in my store. If you didn't get the wrong person, then please show me the evidence. Otherwise … "
The shop assistants all walked out and surrounded the peddlers who had brought the wine. The assistant steward also walked out slowly with a gloomy face.
"Aiyo! Not only are you selling fake wine, but you also want to bully people! Fellow villagers, can you judge for us? Do we look like people who are intentionally trying to blackmail you? The Wu Family's Old Wine Store selling fake wine has made us suffer. Our small business can't afford to be tossed around! "
"Fellow villagers, the Wu Family's Old Wine Store is a scam!"
Wu Ran was furious. He slammed his wine cup on the ground and pushed open the small door beside the counter with a "hua" sound. He strode out.
The assistant steward hurriedly came forward and said, "Head Shopkeeper!"
Wu Ran pushed him away and said loudly, "This old man has brought out a jar of every kind of wine in this old man's store. Please have a taste. If there is a jar that is the same as the fake wine in your sea of wine, then it is the fake wine that this old man is selling. This old man will take off his wine license and will no longer do this business. I will also pay you ten times the price of the wine! If this store doesn't have fake wine, heh … "
As Wu Ran spoke, he took large strides forward. His burly and majestic figure and his dignified appearance made the ruffian who had shouted the most fiercely shrink back.
Wu Ran walked to the side of the carriage and reached out his hand to pat the sea of wine. He sneered and wanted to say something, but he didn't expect a sudden change. The somewhat cowering ruffian's expression suddenly became fierce. He suddenly took a step forward and suddenly appeared in front of Wu Ran. He punched out with both fists and fiercely punched at Wu Ran's chest.
His fists were filled with cold light. It was obvious that he was carrying hidden weapons. Wu Ran was shocked. He was very experienced. Once he saw that he had fallen into an ambush, he immediately retreated. He didn't want to fight at all. This retreat was indeed the best choice. Not only did he avoid the man's sharp hidden weapon attack, the two ruffians on his left and right also missed their punches that were aimed at his ribs.
As long as Wu Ran took two more steps back, he would be behind his subordinates, and no one would be able to hurt him anymore. At this moment, the stoic and reserved donkey guide suddenly moved. His lips curled into a sinister smile. His originally honest and stoic face, coupled with this sinister smile, looked extremely terrifying.
He raised his hand, and the horsewhip in his hand pierced straight towards Wu Ran. His position was originally some distance away from Wu Ran, so he couldn't pose any threat to Wu Ran. If he had attacked with a fist, Wu Ran's martial arts would have been able to completely block it. However, with the addition of the length of the horsewhip, it was enough to touch Wu Ran in an instant.
Wu Ran's hand moved like a bolt of lightning, grabbing the bamboo pole in one go. He let out a ferocious grin as his five fingers tightened, and a 'crack' sound was heard as the thin horsewhip's handle was crushed by him. However, the horsewhip didn't break in response to the sound. The bamboo pole split open, and a thin and tough iron spike suddenly drilled out from within, piercing through his palm like a snake flicking out its tongue.
The side of Wu Ran's neck artery was ruthlessly bitten by this "poisonous snake", and blood immediately spurted out. All of this happened in a flash. When the Wu family's old shop's stewards and waiters roared and rushed over, Wu Ran had already collapsed on his back while clutching his neck that was spurting blood.
The cup of wine on the counter of the Wu family's old shop was still rippling after Wu Ran's attack. The wine was rippling with the endless story behind it …
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