Hsu Fengnian, who had met Luo Yang and had made an agreement with her, felt a heavy weight weighing down on his heart. He stood where he was and looked at the graceful figure disappearing into the distance. With a gloomy expression, he sighed. On the way to the Wu family's' Nine Swords Break Ten Thousand Cavalry ', he had already encountered a devil. He was extremely unlucky. As soon as this thought came to his mind, Hsu Fengnian, who had jinxed himself once in Dunhuang, slapped himself hard on the face. He took off his book case, changed into a new set of clothes, and continued on his way to Xihe Province. In Dunhuang, Sweet Potato had told him about the situation of the ruins. Two hundred years ago, after the Wu family's Sword Tomb's elites had all come out and completed the magnificent feat of destroying everything, Beimang did not fly into a rage out of humiliation and vent his anger on the bodies of the Wu family's swordsmen. On the contrary, he gave them a grand burial. The swordsmen who died in battle were given a grave, a tablet, and a sword. A few swordsmen who did not accompany him at that time entered Beimang one after another and built a hut to guard the tomb until they died of old age. Beimang, who specially stationed a team of armored cavalry at the battlefield, did not harm the swordsmen. After the swordsmen died, the descendants of the Wu family who guarded the tomb from generation to generation continued to take care of the tomb. This was a stark contrast to the Central Plains' practice of digging up the coffins of their enemies and whipping their corpses. When the scholars and celebrities of the Central Plains talked about the customs of the two dynasties, they only said that the northern barbarians drank raw meat and blood and were despicable.
Hsu Fengnian calculated the distance with his fingers. When he arrived at his destination in Xihe State, he found out that the ruins were located in a small basin with a radius of three to four miles. What made him not know whether to laugh or cry was that perhaps there were too many sword practitioners who came here because of its reputation. Around this sunken basin, there were stacks of stalls selling wine, tea, and fruits. Without exception, no matter what the main business was, there were stacks of martial arts manuals stacked on top of the stalls. Among them, the Wu family's swordsmanship manuals were the most numerous. Their names were very scary, such as "Nine Swords of the Wu family's Immortals", "Ten Sword Techniques of the Sword Tomb", and so on. There were also other secret manuals, most of which had the subtitle "Eighteen Styles of Wang Xianzhi's Lifelong Secret Art". In any case, they were just scaring people. Hsu Fengnian spent some money to buy a bag of Xihe's specialty dried green fruits and dates. He picked up one of the manuals in front of him, which had the words "If you miss this book, you will regret it for the rest of your life" written on the cover of the book. The vendor was a short middle-aged man with shifty eyes. When he saw business, he immediately spat, "Young hero, this secret manual is extraordinary. After reading this book, as long as you practice diligently for a few years, I can guarantee that you will become a Level Three expert. Don't look at the tattered books of the Wu family's swordsmanship that are sold at the next stall, which are full of extravagant praises. In this world, there is no such thing as becoming a Sword Immortal after just a few glances. Here, you get what you pay for. This' Mighty Bull's Divine Art 'is the secret manual of the Xuanyuan family in the Liyang Dynasty. Don't judge it by its reputation, but it is real. I can see that young hero's physique is very good, and with one look, I can tell that you are a talented martial arts prodigy. The original price of this manual is six taels of silver. Only three taels! "
Hsu Fengnian was eating green fruits and jujubes. He looked at the stall owner who stretched out three fingers and just smiled.
Soon, the strong man from the stall next to him pulled the rug out from under him. He sat on the bench with his legs crossed, and while eating sunflower seeds, he sneered and said, "Bull Power, right? I have a bunch of them here, but they haven't been sold yet. Not to mention three taels of silver, one book is only thirty coins, and it's a buy one get one free. Do you want it, young master? With this price, it's not expensive to wipe your ass. "
The short man who was selling both dates and secret manuals turned around and scolded, "Zhang Dapeng, do you need to be taught a lesson?"
The strong man threw the sunflower seeds in his face, stood up, bent his arms, and exposed his firm muscles. He roared, "Third Mouse, who's teaching who?!"
The stall owner who was called Third Mouse shrank back, curling his lips. Seeing Hsu Fengnian put down the shitty book that couldn't be sold, the strong man immediately put on a bright smile and tried to attract business, "Young master, this way please. I, Zhang Dapeng, am famous around here for being honest and kind. When doing business, the most important thing is that if you don't like it, I'll sell it to you at a discount. After three years, if you haven't mastered the divine art, I'll compensate you with double the price. Come, take a look at this book, 'Sword Opens the Gate of Heaven', it records the old God of Swords, Li Chungang's famous secret art. Look at the exquisite binding, the quality of the pages, and the handwriting, it's obviously the real thing. If young master finds a similar book around here, I'll twist my head off and use it as a urinal for you."
Hsu Fengnian walked over and took the secret book. It was obvious that compared to the dense books sold by ordinary stalls, he put more thought into it and asked the price, "How much is it?"
The strong man who was about to say one tael of silver forcefully swallowed it back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Third Mouse next door wanted to take revenge. He stared at the bastard and scared him into silence. He hesitated for a moment, squeezed out a sincere smile, and said firmly, "Ninety taels, I don't bargain here!"
Hsu Fengnian reached for the dry purse at his waist and fished out about thirty copper coins. He said expressionlessly, "That's all."
The strong man hurriedly grabbed the copper coins, "Friendship is important, friendship is important. It's good that young master has the heart. Thirty taels it is. Zhang Dapeng is not the kind of person who would be moved by money."
Hsu Fengnian put the secret book into the box on his back. The stall owner, Zhang Dapeng, did not forget to flatter the young customer with a long sword on his back, "One look and I can tell that young master is a master of swordsmanship. Your future is immeasurable. If you amaze the world with a single brilliant feat in the future, don't forget to tell others about Zhang Dapeng's' Sword Opens the Sky Gate '."
Hsu Fengnian nodded and smiled, "Of course, of course."
Zhang Dapeng saw that he was about to turn and leave, so he quickly dug out a handful of melon seeds from the bowl and said with a smile, "Young master, don't mind. These things can pass the time. Take your time and walk slowly. Maybe you can even pick up a few peerless secret books. "
The ruins were separated by a fence, and the stalls were built along the edge of the fence. Xu Fengnian slowly walked half a circle, but he did not meet any strange people. He saw a sloppy old man sandwiched between two stalls. There was only a piece of cotton cloth in front of him, and a few secret manuals were placed on top of it. It seemed that his business had been poor for many years, and the shabby old man was squatting and taking a nap. The two neighbors, one was selling wine and the other was selling tea. Their business was not bad, and there were three or four tables for customers. Hsu Fengnian saw only a young man and a young woman sitting at a wine table. Their temperament was outstanding in this basin, so he walked over and asked if he could have a seat. The man in satin clothes frowned and was about to refuse, but the woman with a golden hairpin pressed on the back of his hand and said softly, "Young master, please help yourself."
Xu Fengnian waved his hand and asked the owner of the tavern about the price of the drinks. There were not many drinks sold in the tavern by the weight and the number of bowls. Naturally, they were all coarse drinks that were not presentable. They could quench one's thirst, but it was difficult to get drunk. Xu Fengnian ordered a bowl of white wine under the guise of Apricot Blossom Village. With his back to the young man and woman, he bent over and read a few books that the shabby old man had placed on a shabby cotton cloth. There was nothing special about them. The martial arts manuals that followed the trend were not novel at all. When the arrogant man at the opposite table saw this scene, his eyes became even more disdainful and the corners of his mouth curled up into a mocking smile. The tavern owner brought a bowl of cheap distiller's grains. He kindly kicked the old neighbor and reminded him in a bad mood, "Watch the business."
The squatting old man was awakened by the kick. His eyes were cloudy. When he saw a drinker bending over to read the secret manuals, he smiled in a hurry. However, his smile showed that he had no front teeth.
The drinking man sneered, and the delicate woman chuckled.
Hsu Fengnian took a bowl of wine and left the bench. He squatted in front of the cotton cloth that could not even be called a stall, and asked with a smile, "How much are these books?"
The old man scratched his gray hair and said with a silly smile, "Young master, just do as you see fit. Just a few coins will do. They are all fake anyway."
Hsu Fengnian took out the last six or seven copper coins from his money bag and handed them to the old man with no front teeth. The old man did not think it was cheap. He took it with a smile, folded four or five secret books, and handed them to the young master in front of him with both hands.
Seeing that he was so stingy, the man at the same table looked at him with disdain. The woman also seemed to think that the young scholar's face was a bit tacky, and it was a waste of his elegant appearance. She drank half of the wine and left the tavern with the man who accompanied her.
Hsu Fengnian, who was indifferent to this, sat back at the table. He opened the book box and put the secret books inside. After fiddling with it for a while, he seemed to be happy that he had found treasures. He waved at the tavern owner and said with a smile, "Boss, do you have any good yellow wine? It doesn't matter if it is expensive. Give me two bowls."
The tavern owner smiled brightly and became more attentive, "Yes, yes. I will give you two bowls."
Hsu Fengnian waited for a moment and took two bowls of yellow wine from the tavern owner. He squatted in front of the old man with no front teeth again and handed him a bowl. He asked with an authentic Dongyue accent, "Judging from your accent, you used to be from Dongyue, right?"
The old man didn't dare to take the bowl at first, but when he heard the familiar accent, he took it and said with surprise, "Yes!"
Hsu Fengnian put down the bowl and went to the book box to take a secret book with a 50 tael banknote inside. He sat cross-legged facing the old man and said with a smile, "You can keep one for yourself."
The old man didn't stand on ceremony and accepted it with a smile. He thought that this handsome young man was really a good person.
People came and went, and it was bustling.
An old man and a young man sat facing each other. They didn't talk much and just drank slowly.
After finishing the wine, Hsu Fengnian paid the tavern owner and left with the book box.
The old man was in a good mood and had nothing to do. He wiped his saliva and hummed a tune as he flipped through the book. Suddenly, his eyes widened.
The old man with no front teeth opened his mouth and stared at the back of the young man with a sword and a book on his back. He quickly closed the secret book that wasn't hidden at all. He was shocked and confused.
One day, Hsu Fengnian approached the Wu family's swordsman graveyard. He was so close, but he didn't enter.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
