The city of Fushun at the end of the Ming Dynasty was not big, but it had a lot of people. A place with a lot of people naturally needed accommodation and food. No matter who it was, they would be starving if they skipped a meal. The Merry Forest Hotel in the west of Fushun was not far from the city gate. People from all walks of life gathered here, and it was very famous.
The Merry Forest was a wooden building with a beam. The main building was three stories high, and it covered an area of two or three basketball courts. It was located at a busy crossroad in the west of the city. The lobby of the hotel could put dozens of tables, and there were private rooms on the second and third floors. There was even a courtyard to park horses and carriages in the interior for the convenience of merchants traveling from south to north.
The expenses in the hotel could be described as frugal. Ordinary people could take out a few copper coins to drink in the lobby, and rich merchants could go up to the third floor and spend a lot of money to book a sumptuous feast. Many people came here because of its reputation, and often wanted to ask about Miss Guo who ran the hotel. It was said that Miss Guo was a daughter of a rich family. She was beautiful, and her figure was pleasing. It was a pleasure to see her.
"Although Miss Guo runs the hotel, she doesn't actually appear every day, and she doesn't personally entertain anyone. But every time she appears, it's like a glimpse of a swan, attracting the attention of all the men in the hotel. Many people go to the Merry Forest and talk about their relationship with Miss Guo, but it's all nonsense. "
Wang Kunpeng accompanied Zhou Qingfeng as they sneaked into Fushun City. Along the way, they talked about Miss Guo and the Merry Forest Hotel. Both of them were dressed in ordinary clothes. Wang Kunpeng took off his scholar's robe, and Zhou Qingfeng changed into ordinary clothes. No one paid attention to them walking on the street. The power of the Ming Dynasty's government was not enough to monitor everything, and it was even more powerless in crowded places.
Following the peddlers, Zhou Qingfeng walked to the entrance of the Merry Forest Hotel. At first glance, the hotel didn't look special. The wooden storefront would easily turn black after a long time, and the varnish on the door pillars was mottled and peeling. There were a lot of debris scattered on the floor of the hotel, waiting to be cleaned.
But compared to the low and dark houses around it, this hotel appeared bright and beautiful, lively and extraordinary. Early in the morning, many diners came in and out. The people who sat down talked, told jokes, and talked about social anecdotes.
Zhou Qingfeng walked in with Wang Kunpeng and chose an inconspicuous place. He asked the waiter for two steamed buns and hot porridge, and sat down to eat. He ate while paying attention to the movements in the hotel.
There were a lot of customers in the restaurant this morning. Each and every one of them was talking excitedly about what had happened yesterday outside the Fushun Pass. A group of extremely daring experts had looted the horse market and stolen the goods that Lord You Ji had sold to the Jianzhou Division.
Some said that the Mongolian army had attacked, some said that the Yehe tribe had counterattacked, some said that the bandits had gathered around Fu Shun. Quite a few people spoke with certainty, as if they had seen it with their own eyes. But when Zhou Qingfeng listened carefully, he found that it was all nonsense. There were people who said that Li Yongfang, the leader of Fu Shun, had gathered all the soldiers in the city early in the morning, saying that they were going to wipe out a village that was causing trouble and colluding with bandits.
When Wang Kunpeng heard this news, his expression darkened, and he said sadly, "There are still a lot of people in our village who haven't left."
"Hmph … Don't people who try their luck deserve to die." Zhou Qingfeng didn't care. "Yesterday, I kicked a lot of lazy, greedy, and disobedient people out of the transport team. They actually said that they would complain to the government and make me die a horrible death. These people think that they can live without me? Now we'll see who dies a horrible death. "
After breakfast, Zhou Qingfeng waited in the lobby of the hotel. He hoped to have a 'chance encounter' with Miss Guo. After all, the two of them had met before. He owed her a favor and learned a great magical power. Saying that he was here to thank her was also etiquette. He just wanted to chat a little more and see if he could strike up a conversation. He could ask how he could get Guo Buyi to help him.
After sitting for half an hour, Zhou Qingfeng's butt hurt. The hotel was busy, and the waiters ran back and forth, but there was no sign of Guo Jiao. Wang Kunpeng could only say in a low voice, "I'm afraid Miss Guo won't come today."
"Let's go up to the second and third floor to take a look." Zhou Qingfeng wanted to walk around and expand his search area.
But Wang Kunpeng stopped him and said, "Young Master, if we go upstairs in this way, we'll be too conspicuous. In fact, we've been sitting here for so long that we've already finished our breakfast. The waiters have already looked at us several times. "
That was true. In order to not attract attention, Zhou Qingfeng and Wang Kunpeng had purposely made themselves dirty and dusty. If they went up to the second floor in this way, it would look strange. Zhou Qingfeng could only scratch his head and call the waiters over to pay the bill. He threw down a dozen copper coins and walked out of Merry Forest. "Then what should we do now? Should we stay in Merry Forest and talk about it? "
Merry Forest provided food and accommodation. Zhou Qingfeng wondered if staying there would make it easier for him to meet up with Guo Jiao. The two stood at the entrance of the hotel and were about to discuss when Wang Kunpeng suddenly turned around and pulled Zhou Qingfeng away. He said in a panic, "Young Master, let's go. Someone recognized me."
After turning a corner, Zhou Qingfeng glanced behind him and saw an official dressed in black rushing over at a rapid pace. This person was of medium build, with a leopard's head and round eyes. His beard was like a steel beard, and he looked very fierce. He pushed aside a few passersby and rushed to the entrance of the hotel. When he saw Zhou Qingfeng disappear around the corner, he took big strides and chased after him.
Wang Kunpeng had been taught a lesson by the Brocade Guards last time. When he saw the official, he was scared out of his wits and ran down the street. Zhou Qingfeng knew that he couldn't run fast, so he didn't run. Instead, he ran into a small alley and tried to hide. When the black-clothed official saw that the two targets had split up, he decisively abandoned Wang Kunpeng and chased after Zhou Qingfeng.
Hearing the rapid footsteps behind him getting closer, Zhou Qingfeng cursed in his heart. Yesterday, he had used his cuteness to coax the blonde, long-legged hot girl. Was he going to act cute today? Damn it, even if he wanted to act cute, he shouldn't have done it to a stinky man.
Zhou Qingfeng wore the Wind Listening Stone that He Zhuo gave him, so his ears became very sensitive. He ran in the complicated alleys, but he could still clearly hear the pursuer's movements. He could even clearly outline the pursuer's every move in his mind, as if he was looking at him with his eyes.
"Damn it, this isn't an ordinary official." Zhou Qingfeng's brain was working at a high speed. The sound he collected in his ears gave him a lot of information about the opponent.
Just from the opponent's speed and agility, he could tell that the opponent should be a cultivator, or the type that trained his muscles and bones and was good at close combat. However, this person's cultivation was far inferior to experts like He Zhuo and Yuan Qingying. For example, the bald barbarian Ba Tu should be an official with some ability in the wilderness.
Zhou Qingfeng couldn't run fast, so he ran into a dead end. There was no way to go, and the two sides were low walls that were not easy to climb. The enemy behind him was already close, so he immediately took out a talisman and threw it.
The talisman was the 'Lost Track Talisman' given by Yang Jian. After throwing it, it would spontaneously burn without fire and create a large amount of smoke. The official in black had already caught up with Zhou Qingfeng, holding a knife in his hand. He was very familiar with Fu Shun City and knew that the alley Zhou Qingfeng ran into had no way out. He was like a turtle in a jar.
The East Faction Guards wanted to arrest Gu Yuanwei and his disciple. Recently, they also put Zhou Qingfeng on the wanted list and offered a reward of fifty taels of silver. If Zhou Qingfeng knew, he would definitely roar in anger, "Damn it, I am only worth fifty taels of silver? Even if I don't have five million taels of silver, I am a rare talent, and I am worth at least fifty thousand taels of silver!
Fifty thousand taels of silver? Dream on! "
In the future, when the wild boar skin rebelled, Daming's court was furious and offered a reward for the head of the wild boar skin. How much was the reward? The great Nurhachi only had ten thousand taels of silver. The eight great monks under Nurhachi only had a reward of two thousand taels of silver, and the other uncles and nephews only had a thousand taels of silver. If it was a vanguard general, seven hundred taels of silver would be the most.
Master Zhou, a little brat like you, having fifty taels of silver is already very valuable. You must know that Wang Kunpeng didn't even have a single copper coin. The pursuing official did not hesitate to ignore Wang Kunpeng and wanted to take the fifty taels of silver that Zhou Qingfeng had earned.
But just as the official was about to capture Zhou Qingfeng alive, a thick cloud of smoke suddenly came out of the alley, blinding people's eyes. The official thought that Zhou Qingfeng was going to run away and immediately brandished the steel saber in his hand with all his might. A few inches of energy came out of the saber and split the short walls on both sides of the narrow alley into dust, causing them to collapse.
Zhou Qingfeng couldn't see the enemy in front of him clearly, but he could hear the sound of the wind and rely on the sound waves collected by his ears to clearly sense the position and movements of the official. He could feel the official constantly waving the saber on his waist in the thick smoke, closing in step by step, limiting his range of movement. He immediately used all the spiritual energy he had left in his body to unleash a magical technique.
'Heaven's Eye' could distinguish the strength of the enemy, especially the weakness of the enemy's defense and the intention of the enemy's attack.
The official in front of him didn't seem to notice the first move. Instead, he loudly cursed in the thick smoke, "Kid, don't blame your Grandpa Han for being cruel and merciless today. Who asked your head to be worth fifty taels of silver? Give me your life! "
The edge of the saber was already close to Zhou Qingfeng. The official obviously wanted to kill Zhou Qingfeng with a flurry of saber strikes, not giving him any chance to live. But just as the saber was about to slash across Zhou Qingfeng's face, Zhou Qingfeng ignited a ball of flame on his fingertip.
The ball of flame quickly grew bigger and bigger, mixed with the sound of explosions, rushing out and crashing into the official in front of him. Zhou Qingfeng's previous two attempts at using the 'Lightning Strike Technique' didn't have much of an effect. After 'Heaven's Eye' was opened, he felt that the so-called 'Lightning Strike' didn't seem to be very effective against cultivators. This time, he switched to 'Raging Flame'. First, it would blast away the enemy that was charging at him, and second, it would be even better if he could blow up the surrounding walls, making it easier for him to escape.
The exploding raging flame hit the official, and a powerful airwave rushed forward. The scorching flame quickly ignited the official's beard, hair, and clothes. The rolling smoke also formed a stream of air in the midst of the raging flame, surging along with the official that was blown away. After the explosion of the raging flame, the space in front of Zhou Qingfeng instantly widened, and the narrow alley turned into a pile of rubble.
The entire Fu Shun City could hear the roar of the 'Raging Flame'.
Zhou Qingfeng didn't have the time to check whether his opponent was dead or alive. He stepped on the rubble and left in a hurry. In just a short while, the alley where the explosion took place was surrounded by many curious people, and some of the residents whose houses were destroyed ran out, crying and screaming.
Meanwhile, under a pile of collapsed mud walls, the official from earlier unexpectedly made his way out. His body was scorched black, and he cursed loudly, "F * ck, this kid can actually use magical techniques? I, Old Han, will remember this! Don't let me catch this kid, or else I'll skin him alive! "
After using the two magical techniques, Zhou Qingfeng looked like an ordinary person. He ran out in a panic, only to find that Wang Kunpeng was nowhere to be found. That scholar must be like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, and wouldn't appear again easily. He thought about how he had caused such a big commotion, and if Guo Jiao was in the 'Merry Forest', she would probably come out to investigate. Therefore, he ran back to the hotel.
However, when he arrived at the entrance of the hotel, he saw a group of ragged and dirty beggars blocking the entrance. The leading beggar's fingers were black, and his face was emaciated. He was holding a broken bowl, and he was shouting, "Masters, please bless your homes with peace, have many children, and have many blessings. We've been starving for a few days. Do a good deed and give us some food to eat? "
The waiter of the hotel was driving them away with a look of disgust, but the beggars refused to leave. When Zhou Qingfeng got closer, he felt that the clothes of these beggars were very familiar. He took a closer look at the leading beggar — wasn't this the 'All Takers'? When he looked behind him, weren't they all his companions who had transmigrated with him?
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