Chapter 119: Night in White Clothes, Heart to Dian

Shang Xiuxun looked at the young man in white again.

That handsome face didn't cause any waves in her, but she felt a sense of familiarity for no reason.

Soon, she knew where this familiar feeling came from.

This Mr. Zhou is also a gourmet.

Without any instruction, after tasting two slices of duck for the first time, he learned it by himself. After a little practice, he was able to put the duck slices between the Hu pancakes, wrap them with chopped green onions and dip them in sauce, and put them in his mouth to chew.

He nodded as he ate.

Apparently, he was enjoying it.

Mr. Zhou was very interested in food and didn't look anywhere else. He didn't seem to care about the peerless beauty.

When Shang Xiuxun saw this, she did not blame him at all, but found it interesting instead.

"Where are you from, Mr. Zhou? How do you know how to eat this duck?"

"From the east."

"As for how to eat it, you don't need to learn it."

"Oh? Have you eaten it before?"

Zhou Yi said without looking up, "I've traveled extensively, walking through the streets and markets, and have seen many snacks and morsels. In the lands of Yan and Zhao, some people have learned the art of roasting lamb from the northern frontier, cooking ducks over charcoal from fruit trees. The duck fat keeps dripping, and the aroma wafts for miles."

"The swordsmanship of the warriors of Yan and Zhao is often swift and fierce, and their killing is extremely fierce."

"So, I cut the duck into slices as thin as bamboo leaves and wrap it in a Hu pancake. At this time, oil penetrates the pancake, soaking it with fragrance inside and out, and then I bite it down."

"For those who wander the Jianghu, the taste of this bite is so great that even if Mobei Wu Zun offers to exchange it for beef and mutton sent by the Khan, he will refuse it without hesitation."

The image of lonely smoke rising from the desert flashed through Shang Xiuxun's mind. Of course, the smoke here was caused by the warriors lighting fires and cooking stoves.

A steel knife is used to poke the duck and roast it.

Then it becomes a delicacy in your mouth. The dripping duck oil hits the bonfire, and it seems to stir up the heroic spirit of the martial arts world.

Just a few words made her feel a unique charm of food.

Soon, Shang Xiuxun came back to her senses, glanced at the stone table, and blinked her eyes.

I didn't bother to reply at the moment.

She reached out her slender hand from under her silk robe and, when Mr. Zhou's chopsticks paused for a moment, she took away the last pancake and also the slice of duck.

I thought to myself, what a close call, I finally got a bite.

She hurried to Nanchaohu Villa this time, and had no shortage of daily necessities, but she didn't prepare much of her own exquisite food.

I heard from Mr. Xu that this young man didn't have any meals.

I also wanted to thank him for his reminder, so I invited him into the courtyard.

Who would have thought that he was so rude?

He doesn't care about the gentleman's demeanor, and only cares about eating and drinking.

In the courtyard outside, the chief deacon Liang Zhi frowned slightly. He pricked up his ears and listened, but there was no sound of anyone talking inside.

Be vigilant, fearing that the owner of the field will be ambushed.

At this time, he patted Liu Zongdao who was having dinner and pointed towards the inner courtyard.

The two of them walked slowly to the moon cave, looked inside, and saw a strange scene.

The two people in the yard didn't speak, they ate their own food and even poured themselves a drink.

Liu Zongdao took a quick look and left.

Liang Zhi muttered to himself, thinking that the owner must have found this person boring and didn't want to talk much, so he just returned the favor with a meal.

Come to think of it, when I just walked in.

Although I have said something inappropriate, this young man is also very arrogant.

At this time, he retreated and didn't care anymore.

Little did they know that just as they took a step away, the shop owner in the pavilion raised her pretty face, raised her glass to drink Yangzhou's famous Yunye wine, and looked at the man in front of her.

It was a very ordinary meal, but it gave her a rare experience.

Mr. Zhou really came here to eat and didn't care about anything else.

She had wanted to talk about the man in black, but seeing that he didn't mention it, Shang Xiuxun stopped talking.

Such a quiet meal usually only happened when she was alone.

The ranch's business is spread all over the world, and whenever it hosts a banquet, the guests always come with various purposes.

Even when his good friend Li Xiuning came to the mountain city, he had to add some of the Li family's social customs.

So, the person in front of me is very special.

The cloud wine went down her throat, she raised her head to face the night breeze, and suddenly thought of another special person.

That person behaves in an interesting way.

He has excellent painting skills and his unique ideas in food are even more admired by her.

Because we only communicated through letters, the feeling was both familiar and unfamiliar.

If we really meet, I would feel nervous.

Shang Xiuxun was naturally not afraid of strangers, but she was worried that the man had a long-term plan and ulterior motives. If so, once they met, her beautiful fantasy would be shattered.

Therefore, they often communicated through letters, and she never asked for a meeting later.

I just hope that this correspondence will continue.

Even if I sit alone in a mountain city in the future, I will have a spiritual sustenance.

Thinking of this, I feel lonely.

He lowered his eyes to look at the several plates of dishes on the table that were related to the man from Nanyang, but they were all empty.

She smiled a little like the moon breaking through the dark clouds, thinking that this man really knew what he was doing.

"Does Mr. Zhou like these dishes?"

"good."

Zhou Yi commented: "Each one has its own unique flavor, and it's not easy to do it well."

"Just like that duck, all the ideas come from my friend."

Shang Xiuxun thought of her friend and smiled slightly. "I have a bad habit of being greedy, always looking forward to finding more delicious food. It's this friend who has wonderful ideas and always gives me unexpected surprises."

“It’s really a surprise.”

He asked tentatively, "Hearing what you said, young lady, I also want to meet your friend. I wonder who he is and where he lives now?"

Shang Xiuxun hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

I had to cover it up and say:

"He lives in seclusion in the mountains and doesn't like others to disturb his peace."

"Whatever."

Zhou Yi seemed to have lost a friend, and a look of regret appeared in his sigh.

Seeing this, Shang Xiuxun thought of his potential benefit to the ranch, so she changed the subject and pointed at a dish.

"Mr. Zhou, why don't you pick up your chopsticks from this dish of stewed chicken with mushrooms?"

Zhou Yi frowned: "This..."

He hesitated to speak, and Shang Xiuxun said, "Sir, please feel free to speak. This dish was not taught by my friend. It is just a common Jianghuai method, but the ingredients are slightly better."

Zhou Yi asked, "Miss Shang, have you ever heard of the Five-Foot Dao?"

Shang Xiuxun nodded naturally: "But is it the road to Nanzhong built by the First Emperor?"

"Exactly. During the Han Dynasty, the Five-foot Road was extended from Bashu directly to Dian State, and then to Tianzhu."

Zhou Yi said slowly, "Emperor Wu of Han discovered this trade route and was very greedy. In order to attack the Kingdom of Dian, he used the excuse that he had dreamt of colorful clouds."

“When someone asks me about it, I wave my sleeves and say: The south of the colorful clouds is the direction of my heart.”

Shang Xiuxun couldn't help laughing when she heard this. She always felt that this was something he made up, but she didn't want to interrupt him. She wanted to hear what else he had to say and how it was related to chickens.

"After conquering Dian, the Han soldiers didn't leave. Instead, they stayed to spread the etiquette, culture, and cuisine of the Central Plains. This interaction between the two led to the creation of sweet wine."

"This wine is made from glutinous rice and infused with flowers. Compared to the mead made from highland barley honey in the Mobei region, this wine is clear, sweet, and has a refreshing aroma. Later, Emperor Wu of Han drank it and was very fond of it."

Zhou Yi's Braised Chicken:

"I've tasted the chicken stewed in sweet wine that people in southern China use. It tastes very different from your dish. I once tasted the fragrant sweetness, and now I taste the bland, astringent meat. That's why I don't want to eat it and fill my stomach."

Shang Xiuxun wrinkled her cute little nose, her mouth watering, her face full of anticipation.

"Mr. Zhou, can you teach me how to prepare this sweet chicken?"

She added, "I can give you five top-quality Turkic horses."

“No need.”

Zhou Yi waved his hand to refuse and read out the recipe directly:

"First, choose mushrooms. Use fresh, unmolded ones. Then, take one jin (500g) of Nanzhong sweet wine and chicken, and four qian (200g) of malted rice made from Lingnan sugarcane juice. Simmer over low heat until two sticks of incense are cooked. Do not use any water."

"First, simmer the chicken until it's 80% done, then add the mushrooms."

"In this way, you can get the Nanzhong sweet wine chicken and taste the same flavor that Emperor Wu of Han enjoyed."

After hearing this, Shang Xiuxun's heart was racing. It was a pity that he was in Nanchaohu Manor and there was a big thief from Lujiang lurking around. Otherwise, he would have ordered people to go to Nanzhong to buy sweet wine.

"Thank you very much."

She thanked him and said it was a rare opportunity to meet a fellow diner, so she wanted to chat more.

But compared with the previous guests, this Mr. Zhou seemed too pure. He was full of food and wine and seemed to have no interest in talking anymore.

After taking a look at her, he stood up directly:

"Miss Shang, this meal was delicious. I will remember it in the future."

He wanted to say goodbye.

Shang Xiuxun smiled and called out, "Mr. Xu."

Old man Xu trotted in.

"Please invite this young master to stay in Qingyuan for a while."

Old man Xu was shocked when he heard this.

The owner's mother was called Qingya. Qingyuan and Yayuan in Nanchaohu Manor were the best courtyards and no outsiders had ever lived there.

Moreover, it is only separated from the inner courtyard by a moon gate, so it is very close.

"yes."

He responded and did not dare to object to the owner's arrangement.

He was a little wary, so after sending Zhou Yi to the next courtyard, he ran to the head and second deacons and asked mysteriously:

"The two deacons were outside the whole time. Did they hear what the owner said to him?"

Liu Zongdao opened and closed his single eye several times, shaking his head repeatedly: "Nothing much, except for eating, we just talked about food."

Liang Zhi had a keen ear: "What about Emperor Wu of Han conquering the Kingdom of Dian just for a bite of food? It's hilarious."

Liu Zongdao shook his head again: "You heard wrong."

"That's about the same."

He glanced unhappily in the direction of Qingyuan and said, "After a while, I guess some of us will have to go to Nanzhong. This guy is really good at giving us things to do."

"Old Liu, you should take this job. I'll go find trouble with Zhang Shan'an."

"His men injured me, and this matter is not over yet."

Liang Zhi showed a look of hatred.

Liu Zongdao looked around and said, "The owner of the arena has no intention of leaving yet. We must be on guard tonight. Zhang Shan'an has now become the leader of Lujiang. Not to mention the power of his subordinates, even his skills are unmatched in Lujiang."

Liang Zhi snorted:

"If Zhang Shan'an dares to come in person, it only means that he is completely crazy."

“The owner wants to leave, can he keep him?

Besides, whether heading towards Liyang or Danyang, I have a lot of friends on my ranch. If the situation continues until death, how long can Zhang Shanan hold on to his position as the leader?"

That's true. The power of Pegasus Ranch is far beyond what Zhang Shan'an can compare to.

But Liu Zongdao did not dare to be careless. After dinner, he immediately led people to patrol and investigate.

Zhou Yi stayed in the room and could clearly hear footsteps outside.

Figures kept passing by the paper window. This place was not far from where Shang Xiuxun lived, so the security was even tighter.

He sat in meditation without being disturbed.

When practicing the Lihuo Sword Qi, he had already opened up all the hand-sun small intestine meridians.

At present, I am practicing the Taiyin spleen meridian of the foot.

This eleventh item is serious and the progress is already more than half.

Adding the last one, the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian, you can practice all twelve meridians!

Thinking of this, I can’t help but feel excited.

The face of the little witch appeared in my mind again.

When the twelve meridians are connected, Zhou Yi has a strong premonition based on his current understanding.

Even if you have not read the Heavenly Demon Strategy, you can still decipher the supreme secrets of the Heavenly Demon Art.

He was also obsessed with the ingenious method of distorting space and making it appear to collapse.

It was purely a coincidence that Zhang Shan'an's men found Shang Xiuxun this time.

But it is consistent with the purpose of this trip.

If Zhang Shan'an were to chase him to this village, it would be equivalent to leaving the territory, and it would be ten times easier to deal with him than if he were to stay in Lujiang County.

Thinking of the military formations in the Jianghuai Recruiting Camp, Zhou Yi also felt apprehensive.

The Lujiang army may not be as strong as the Jianghuai army, but if they rush into the battle formation rashly, they will put themselves in danger.

So, I still hope Zhang Shanan can come.

Zhou Yi's ideas were completely opposite to those of Liu Zongdao and others.

Midnight.

The weather got colder and icicles formed on the eaves outside the house.

The snow on the roof was frozen hard like a blanket.

Zhou Yi, who had fallen into a light sleep, suddenly opened his eyes. It was an extremely sharp intuition that he heard something faintly.

At this time, practice qigong and listen quietly.

Nanchaohu Villa was dead silent at night, with only the sound of patrolling sentries' footsteps echoing through the corridors.

There was no movement at first, so I waited until the sentry's footsteps faded away.

The sound of stepping on the frozen snow on the roof was very light, but it still did not escape Zhou Yi's ears.

These people's lightness skills are just so-so.

If it were just Liang Zhi and Liu Zongdao, and they fell asleep, it would be impossible to find out.

After weighing the pros and cons, he felt that it was not convenient to take action at this time.

Most people in the Demon Sect value their lives. Once he takes action, Zhang Shan'an will notice something unusual and will definitely run away.

Zhou Yi didn't even know what he looked like, so he had to wait for this guy to show up himself.

but

These masters of light skills rushed towards Shang Xiuxun.

He walked lightly to the lamp, picked up the copper lamp holder, listened to the footsteps, and judged the location of these people.

At an opportune time.

He shook his wrist and the lamp flew out from the window gap which was only a finger's width.

The "bang" sound shattered the icicles on the corridor and caused a glass lamp to explode with a loud bang.

This sound is very loud!

On a quiet winter night, all the internal martial arts masters at the ranch opened their eyes almost at the same time.

The next moment, the silence was broken!

The window was wide open and the sound of weapons clashing could be heard. The master on the roof knew that he could no longer hide. When his tracks were exposed, he shouted to his companions and rushed towards where Shang Xiuxun was.

The sound of weapons clashing suddenly rang out, followed by increasingly chaotic footsteps coming from all around.

The footsteps converged towards the battle.

Not only are there people from Pegasus Ranch, but there are also night raiders.

Those who came were all martial artists, and their weapons, imbued with Qi energy, were destroying the splendor of the lake villa during the battle.

The branches of the flowers are in disarray and turned into flying debris!

At this moment, everyone is focused on killing and wounding, and no one cares about anything else.

Screams and curses came one after another.

Under the glass lamp, the faster the people fought, the faster the shadows swayed, and finally turned into a pool of blood in the corridor.

The people from the ranch gradually gathered together, and the battle lasted longer and longer, and they had no strength left.

At this time

Another burst of brisk footsteps came over on the snow!

"Hahaha--!"

In the night sky, someone laughed loudly, followed by the sound of sharp arrows shooting through the air.

"Death, thief!"

Deacon Liang's voice was extremely loud, and he was already furious:

"Zhang Shan'an, after tonight, you, you bastard, will never have a peaceful day!"

In the darkness, no one answered, only the sound of more intense fighting.

In the two large courtyards outside the inner courtyard, Liu Zongdao felt that the enemy had more people, so he knew that he could not disperse and fight again, so he killed the bandits while ordering people to retreat to the inner courtyard.

But when the new bandits from Lujiang arrived, they blocked the middle courtyard.

Several old men on the ranch had enough energy to kill some petty thieves, but now they encountered a group of difficult people.

The same is true for Old Man Xu, Liu Zongdao, Liang Zhi and others.

Liu Zongdao was fighting with a green-faced man. He used the light to identify the man:

"Bing Taiyue, it's you. I didn't expect that you four friends from Luzhou would also become Zhang Shan'an's running dogs."

There were three other people beside the green-faced man, and they all looked strange after hearing what he said.

But he ignored it.

It is said that these famous figures in the martial arts world of Lujiang County were only interested in practicing martial arts and never cared about disputes. When they appeared under Zhang Shan'an, Liu Zongdao and others were both surprised and angry.

Now that we are enemies, we realize that the other party's reputation is well-deserved.

It was almost impossible to kill the four of them at once.

Liu Zongdao glanced around and saw many corpses in the inner courtyard, all killed by the master's sword.

She has a unique family swordsmanship that she has mastered to perfection.

How could an ordinary person be her opponent?

Liu Zongdao looked at the sword shadows falling and saw that several more bandits were killed or injured.

At this time, the wind was blowing hard and someone was heading towards the inner courtyard. Thinking that something was wrong, Liang Zhi, who was standing beside him, exerted force with his hands to push the person back and ran towards the inner courtyard quickly.

At this time, there were five ranch masters in the inner courtyard, fighting together with Shang Xiuxun.

There were about fifteen people surrounding him. Although they had the advantage in numbers, none of them was Shang Xiuxun's opponent. If they continued fighting, these thieves would definitely be the ones to die.

However, there was a series of creaking sounds of tiles being broken.

There are eight people standing tall!

These eight people had long breaths, seven of them were holding knives, and one was carrying a sword.

The man with the sword on his back had a broad face, big ears, and bright eyes. He was wearing a dark red cloak, with his arms folded. There was a fierce and domineering look on his face. Judging from his age, he was about forty years old.

He swept his cloak across, and large flakes of snow flew onto the green tiles.

All the thieves in the inner courtyard retreated. Shang Xiuxun waved her sleeves, creating a strong gust of wind and blowing the snow foam away.

But when she felt the power of Xue Shang, a trace of worry appeared on her pretty face, knowing that the person who came was even more powerful than her.

The only person in Lujiang County who has this skill is Zhang Shan'an.

"Zhang Dalongtou, you broke the rules, and I will make you pay the price."

She shook her sword, and the sword, which was glowing with a halo, leaned slightly against the light, reflecting her cold eyes.

No force in the world is willing to withstand the ranch owner's anger.

"There's no need to be angry, beauty."

Zhang Shan'an is a local overlord with nearly 30,000 soldiers under his command. In addition, he is the first disciple of Patriarch Zuo and has mastered the fourteenth level of Ziwu Gang power. Naturally, his words are full of arrogance that ordinary people cannot match.

"Zhang didn't want to embarrass the owner, but despite my cordial invitation, the owner ignored my good intentions, leading to the current situation."

Liu Zongdao, who rushed in, had a flash of anger in his one eye and shouted coldly:

"What kind of bullshit joke are you talking about? You call that good intentions?"

"Hahaha! How can it not be called good intentions."

Zhang Shan'an smiled and said, "I am a powerful ruler. Asking the business owner to be my wife would be a blessing, a sight to behold. It couldn't be better."

"Bah~!"

Liang Zhi's shoulder was bleeding, and he spitted at Zhang Shan'an with all his strength:

"You, a toad, actually dreamt of such a beautiful dream. It's hilarious! How dare you say such things in front of so many people? I'm afraid even your subordinates would feel ashamed."

"What makes you worthy of my master?"

"Zhang Shan'an, your skills have been honed to the point of being shameless. You are undoubtedly the most shameless person in the world."

Zhang Shan'an's attack failed instantly, and his face was full of murderous intent.

"You're looking for death!"

Liang Zhi was not afraid at all. He attracted hatred and swept his eyes over the group of masters around Zhang Shan'an.

At this time he shouted coldly:

"Master, leave quickly. I'll hold this toad back. I'll avenge my death when you return to the mountain city!"

He roared, his energy filling his sword. This fearless spirit greatly increased his fighting power.

"You guys retreat first," Shang Xiuxun held his sword horizontally in front of him. "I can leave at any time. He can't stop me."

Liu Zongdao and Old Man Xu over there knew that she was showing off, and they both shouted:

"Owner, please return to the mountain city. We have our own solution."

Zhang Shan'an drew out his sword, and the energy released pressed the snow into the tiles, and the tiles shattered with a crackling sound. His energy was so strong that no one present could match him.

After Zuo Youxian, he is the only true disciple who practices Ziwu Gang and Renbing sword techniques.

The outer disciples around could only wield long swords.

There is a world of difference between the two.

"Hehe, in Lujiang County, none of you can leave unless Zhang lets you."

"In Lujiang, my words count."

Zhang Shan'an gathered his inner energy into his sword, and the dense true energy was very different from Shang Xiuxun's sword energy.

It lacks some of the agility and cleverness, but has gained an indestructible sharpness.

When Liu Zongdao and others saw his magic, their expressions changed slightly.

He was about to ask the owner to use his Qinggong to head towards Liyang, when suddenly...

Liu Zongdao followed Zhang Shan'an and Shang Xiuxun, and together with Liang Zhi, Old Man Xu and others, they raised their heads.

A white shadow seemed to come from the winter night sky, floating down as light as a feather.

"He may not be famous, but he's quite arrogant."

"Who is Zhang Shan'an? Why haven't I heard of him?"

Something extremely strange happened. Two voices fell from the sky, but the person was still falling.

It should be noted that when a martial artist opens his mouth, air will flow in and out, thus affecting his true energy.

This is especially evident when performing Qinggong.

However, the man in white was not affected at all because he had nothing to hold on to.

His lightness skill was so high that it was unbelievable.

Only at this moment did Old Man Xu realize that he had wronged those secret sentries. They were not useless. He also understood why he had exhaled a puff of smoke and suddenly saw a person appear in front of him as if he had seen a ghost.

This kind of lightness skill is almost as good as that of a ghost.

Liang Zhi and Liu Zongdao also widened their eyes, realizing they had made a mistake.

Zhang Shan'an's face changed involuntarily. The person who came seemed to have fallen from the sky and landed on the stone pavilion in the courtyard without making any sound.

Even if the master were here, he wouldn't be able to achieve such a level of lightness skill.

"Mr. Zhang made a mistake in his words. He didn't realize that there was an expert present."

Zhang Shan'an was not clear about the relationship between the visitor and Pegasus Ranch, so he didn't say anything harsh at the first time. There was no need to offend a master of unknown origin.

However, he was a tyrant in Lujiang and had a master, so he still maintained a high attitude.

"Don't worry about whether you made a mistake or not. Draw your sword quickly, otherwise you won't even have the chance to use it later."

Zhang Shan'an's heart skipped a beat. He was horrified at first, but then he calmed down immediately, thinking that this was a shameless method used by the other party to break his momentum.

The sword's energy became even stronger, completely exposing its roots.

"Do you recognize my secret technique?"

"It's just a trick of the true preacher."

The other party answered immediately. Zhang Shan'an felt something was wrong and wanted to back out. He quickly showed his backstage skills:

"Yes, it was passed down by the ancestor Zuo Youxian. The ancestor is ranked among the eight great masters of the Holy Sect, and there are few rivals in the world. Zhang is the disciple of the ancestor Zuo, so please give me some face."

He introduced himself, which made the people at the ranch feel wary.

Liu Zongdao, Liang Zhi and others did not know about Zhang Shan'an's background.

Anyone who has been in the martial arts world of the Eight Great Masters of the Demon Sect can feel the pressure.

Shang Xiuxun looked towards Mr. Zhou, wanting to tell him not to interfere and bring disaster upon himself, but she keenly noticed that the man in white was looking in her direction.

As soon as the thought came to my mind, there was no chance to speak.

"You revealed your identity, yet you didn't dare to make a single move. Are you afraid?"

"What a shame, how can Zuo Youxian have any face?"

"Friend, we have no grudges against each other!" Zhang Shan'an felt more and more that something was wrong.

Zhou Yi drew his sword and said, "Just now I was enjoying delicious food in my dream, and you disturbed my sweet dream and said that you didn't deserve to die."

The word "death" burst out almost at the same time as the sound of the sword.

Zhang Shan'an's spirit was like a taut string, and when the sword rang, the string suddenly broke.

He had lost all his will to fight, and out of fear for his life, he was unwilling to engage in a sword fight with this strange master.

He kicked hard and retreated backwards!

As he gathered his strength, he shouted angrily, "Kill!"

The seven people around him raised their swords, and were about to cooperate with him to form the true transmission array, the eight-sided net, to fight against the young man in white.

But after he raised the knife, he was surprised to find that Zhang Shan'an retreated quickly.

Everyone felt suffocated, their minds were in disarray, and they became a tattered net, which was rushed through by a white shadow like a swimming dragon.

There were four crisp sounds, and the long sword shattered. Then a sword light turned into an arc of fire, passing through the four broken swords. The four heads in the front rose into the sky with blood!

The rushing Lihuo sword energy directly evaporated the snow into gas.

The other three were enveloped in snow.

There seemed to be a slight sound of wind approaching my cheek, followed by a pain in my neck and my head flying off.

The melted snow water and the rushing blood water formed a stream, and the cracks between the tiles formed a creek, flowing down with a loud noise.

Both the people at the ranch and Zhang Shanan's men were terrified.

Seven masters died so quickly.

Before anyone could react, a white shadow emerged from the snow and mist, chasing after Zhang Shan'an.

Just now, Zhang Shan'an looked back and saw that the seven heads also looked at him as they flew up.

It seems to be saying, we are waiting for you on the road to the underworld.

In the lake villa, shouts and screams were heard again.

Liu Zongdao, Liang Zhi and others became more and more motivated, turning passivity into initiative. On the other hand, Zhang Shan'an's men lost their spirit because they were worried that the master in white would fail to catch Zhang Shan'an and return.

Soon, they went from fighting and retreating to running for their lives.

Seeing that the situation was settled, Shang Xiuxun, her robe fluttering, flew through the snow, heading straight in the direction of the pursuit and escape.

Sure enough, facing such superb lightness skills, how could Zhang Shan'an escape?

The sound of fighting rang out at the edge of the lake villa.

The snow on the roof reflected on the glazed lamps under the eaves. She had excellent eyesight and could see clearly the two people fighting.

However, after a few moves, the crisp sound of a sword breaking was heard.

Then it turned into a dull wail.

The sturdy figure fell down, leaving a human shape on the snow on the roof.

He was the overlord of Lujiang just now, but now he is defeated and his sword is broken.

Although Zhang Shan'an fled without fighting and could not be said to have won, Shang Xiuxun couldn't help but show surprise when she saw him defeated so quickly.

He put away his sword and saw the young man in white groping around on the corpse.

She hesitated slightly, but still walked closer on the snow with curiosity.

At this time, Zhou Yi had stood up with an unhappy look on his face.

"Mr. Zhou is looking for his secret manual?"

"No, I was very short of money, and I wanted to see if he had any gold or silver."

Hearing his reasoning, Shang Xiuxun couldn't help but laugh: "How much gold and silver do you want? I can give it to you."

"That's different. Actually, I'm his creditor, so it's only natural for me to take his money."

Zhou Yi made a clear distinction: "Miss Shang's gold and silver, I can't take them at will."

Shang Xiuxun said, "Mr. Zhou's help tonight is too cheap if it is calculated as gold or silver."

"Well, girl, you don't know."

Zhou Yi said sincerely, "Actually, I was looking for this person. I saw them coming to your lake villa and followed them all the way. My purpose is not simple, so you don't need to thank me."

"Besides, the girl also treated me to a meal."

Shang Xiuxun saw him smile slightly and casually give up his favor to Pegasus Ranch, and she felt complicated emotions in her heart.

The ranch business is spread all over the world, and there is no shortage of intrigue.

There is hardly any friend who is willing to open up to me sincerely.

There are very few people who are honest with her.

After all, there are so many things about her that people desire.

Although this Mr. Zhou, like the man from Nanyang, may have done it on purpose, he has great ambitions.

But she knew that she also had human emotions and could not be indifferent to things that touched her heart.

Not to mention, this person was also a foodie who taught her the lingering charm of Emperor Wu of Han and the secret recipe for cooking chicken.

With this thought in mind, he kicked the snow on the roof.

"I've negotiated a lot of business deals. If those businessmen were like you, I'd have a lot less worries."

"It's not a relief, it's terrible."

Zhou Yi put on a gloomy expression, as if it could scare a child to stop crying, and pointed at Zhang Shan'an and said:

"You don't know me well enough."

"In fact, he's not the only one who owes me a debt. The number of people who have died at the hands of my sword is countless. You can imagine how cruel I must be."

Shang Xiuxun frowned slightly, thinking of the way he killed people, with heads flying everywhere, he was indeed extremely cruel.

His martial arts skills are even more difficult to guess.

When Zhang Shan'an attacked just now, he must have known his identity.

When I thought about it, I suddenly felt that the person next to me was extremely dangerous.

When she was nervous, she came to her senses again.

It was a winter night and there was no one around. If he had any evil intentions, he would probably be in trouble.

Then, a pair of beautiful eyes stared at the other person's cold and terrifying face.

"Mr. Zhou, are you deliberately trying to scare me?"

"I'm telling the truth."

"Then do you have any ill will towards me?"

"have."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "You remind me of the South of the Colorful Clouds, and it makes me greedy."

Shang Xiuxun finally realized that he was deliberately using words to scare people.

He couldn't help but laugh angrily, kicking up the snow on the roof and splashing it on his legs.

Zhou Yi took two steps away and bowed slightly: "Miss Shang, I have something important to attend to. I will take my leave now."

Without waiting for anyone to react, he turned around and was about to leave.

Shang Xiuxun quickly advised:

"Stay a little longer. I'll have the banquet prepared tomorrow."

"Never mind, maybe next time."

Zhou Yi pointed around and said, "This was originally a Jiangnan courtyard, but now it's a real eyesore. Some of you are injured, so let's settle them down first."

"besides."

Zhou Yi turned around and said as he walked away, "Don't kill all of Zhang Shan'an's men. Let some go so that Zuo Youxian will know that I was the one who killed Zhang Shan'an."

After saying that, he jumped.

The white shadow disappeared into the night.

Shang Xiuxun chased to the place where he had just jumped, but there was no footprint on the snow, as if he had never been there before.

Suddenly, an idea came to his mind, and he shouted to the night sky:

"Mr. Zhou, I'm Shang Xiuxun. Come to Pegasus Ranch anytime you have time, and I'll treat you to some Dian sweet wine!"

This person left so quickly without leaving his name.

Shang Xiuxun was depressed and angry. She had never met such a person before. She was worried and wondered if he heard her.

suddenly

In the dark night sky, a voice gathered into a line and entered her ears.

“South of the pasture is the direction of my heart.”

In an instant, her eyes curved and a smile appeared on her beautiful face. She had heard him say strange things about Emperor Wu of Han, and now he said another one.

But, I think he heard it.

Having encountered a major incident in Lujiang County, he should have been upset.

But meeting such an interesting person made her feel excited.

But somehow, when I looked towards Nanyang, I felt a faint sense of familiarity.

She shook her head and kicked Zhang Shan'an's body off the roof, where it landed with a clang under the eaves.

You bastard!

Soon, Nanchaohu Manor became completely quiet. Many thieves were killed while fleeing, but the manor was too large and well-connected, so some people still escaped.

More than half an hour passed and it was the second half of the night.

Only then did the lake villa become completely quiet.

The two managers, Liu Zongdao and Liang Zhi, are now in no hurry to return to the ranch.

Zhang Shan'an's body was placed in the yard.

The leader of Lujiang County died so simply and cleanly.

Once the leader of the bandits was dead, most of the masters were also killed, and they were no longer in danger in Lujiang County.

"Owner, has Mr. Zhou retained his identity?"

Old man Xu couldn't help but ask.

"No, he killed Zhang Shan'an and left."

"Didn't you ask?"

“No.”

Old Man Xu thought it was a pity, as this was a very remarkable person.

Liu Zongdao squatted down and took out the broken sword from Zhang Shan'an's hand. They had seen Zhang Shan'an's sword power.

The gap on the broken sword is so smooth and even that it is hard to believe.

"I've traveled extensively for so many years, but I've never heard of anyone like Mr. Zhou."

Unfortunately, the person standing next to him was Liang Zhi.

If it was Chen Ruiyang from the Dangyang Horse Caravan, he would not only be able to answer his questions, but they could also chat about this matter from tonight until tomorrow night.

Liang Zhi touched his chin: "I can't guess it either."

"However, among the masters who attacked me, his skills are ranked first. He is a world-renowned martial arts master, and that's all."

After a moment of silence, Shang Xiuxun suddenly said, "South of the colorful clouds."

Liang Zhi's expression froze. "What kind of sect is that? Could it be a genius from the Southern Yunnan School?"

"It's not genius, it's sweet wine."

Shang Xiuxun said seriously, "Send someone to southern Yunnan. I want the most authentic sweet wine. Deacon Liang, you're the fastest to get things done. I'll leave this to you."

Liang Zhi gladly accepted the order.

He knew that this must be related to Mr. Zhou.

He was the one who said something about Emperor Wu of Han.

However, thinking about the other party's kindness, it is not easy to complain at this time.

The next day, Shang Xiuxun left some people here to clean and repair the manor, and the rest returned to the ranch.

Before they had left Lujiang County far, Zhou Yi had already arrived in Hefei, the capital of Lujiang County.

It is easy to find the Fan family mansion.

Zhang Shan'an has taken over the mansion, and the mansion is full of Zhang Shan'an's men. However, all the masters were out last night, and the guards at home were loose, so he was able to enter the mansion as if there was no one there.

The palace was in perfect order, which showed that no news had been passed back.

Zhou Yi's pace was much faster than the group of people who rushed into Lake Villa.

I'm worried about people like Fan Wenchu, so I have to take the lead.

There is a small pond deep in the mansion. By turning a pillar next to the pond, there is indeed a secret passage leading to the bottom of the pond.

There is a stone door at the bottom of the secret passage. By twisting a piece of stone according to the method taught by Fan Wenchu, the stone door of the secret room will immediately open.

It is full of jewels and precious stones, which is very pleasing to the eye.

Fortunately, the place was not big, and after a little searching, they found a small wooden box with a tiger-head lock.

Cut the lock with one sword.

There are two booklets inside, one is called Ziwu Gang and the other one contains Renbing Sword Technique.

Found it!

This is the secret book of the Taoist sect, the Taoist ancestor's true teachings.

Zuo Youxian's apprentice didn't learn any special skills, but he did a good job of keeping the secret manual.

A transcript, that's enough.

Zhou Yi was in a good mood and kept the two books close to him.

Seeing that there were many good things inside, which he couldn't carry on his body, Zhou Yi turned around and left the secret room, tearing up the bed sheets and making a bundle.

If there is gold, I will dislike silver; if there is jade, I will pick jade.

Bring a pair of jade ruyi, as well as ancient books from Louguan on both sides. The upper one is called "Xuan Yi" and the lower one is called "Fa Xian". They are side books of Louguan left over from the Western Zhou Dynasty and are not considered the main records.

That is, the master and the disciple had their own insights after reading the ancient books of Louguan.

Zhou Yi took them all with him without leaving any behind.

In the corner of the secret room, we can see Gu Kaizhi's famous works "Xia Yu Harming the Flood" and "Boating".

Good stuff, Mr. Zhang.

Why is there no "The Picture of the Goddess of Luo River"?

Zhou Yi searched carefully but still found nothing. It was a pity. If he had this picture, it would be perfect to give it to Little Phoenix.

Sweep away the secret room's treasures.

Zhou Yi closed the stone door, gathered his energy into a罡, and carved eight large characters.

"A teacher who is not upright is a thief."

This will definitely make Zuo Laoguai very angry.

I told you to deal with the Langya thief to disgust me.

After doing all this, Zhou Yi left the Fan family mansion.

He was carrying a big bag and walking arrogantly on the streets of Luzhou.

There was a lot of silver in his pocket, which jingled.

I bought a gourd of Luzhou old wine on the roadside and drank it while walking, feeling relaxed and comfortable.

When passing by a poor area on the outskirts of the city, he found the money in his pocket making too much noise.

He broke the silver into pieces and threw them casually into the windows of the poor houses on both sides.

As the saying goes, I was born with talent and it will be useful. Even if I lose all my money, I will get it back.

As he walked along, the money in his pocket gradually became lighter, and was suddenly blown away by the wind. He walked faster and faster with the bag on his back. With a burst of unbridled laughter, he threw away the empty wine gourd in front of the Luzhou city wall and strode out of the city.

The guards at the city gate noticed something was wrong with him and stepped forward to stop him.

Zhou Yi flew up to the city wall in a few steps, and he went up and down so high that people could not see him and horses could not catch up with him.

No matter how many people there were in Lujiang, they couldn't stop him.

Not long after, the city was in chaos, and the news that Zhang Shan'an, Zhang Daloutou, had died in Chaohu Lake spread more and more widely.

Someone escaped that night and brought back the news.

The man who killed Zhang Dalongtou fell from the night sky, his white clothes fluttering, and his face was unknown.

Someone else witnessed that the seven great masters of Hua Gang in Zhang Mansion had their heads chopped off by a single sword!

When many people in Lujiang County heard this, they were secretly delighted and celebrated.

The news spread for several days.

There were rumors from Qingliu that the seven thieves who had been active in Langya for many years were all slaughtered by the Jianghuai Grand Commander alone!

The news from both sides matched, and both came from a young man in white.

For a time, all kinds of discussions could not be stopped.

On the ninth day of the winter solstice of the eleventh year of Daye, Zhang Shan'an died in Chaohu Lake.

There was a loud explosion in front of the Fan family's secret room!

The stone gate collapsed, and the eight characters carved by Zhou Yi turned into powder.

"Ancestor, this is the news we received."

A man in military uniform didn't even dare to raise his head.

In front of him stood a strange man in a brown-gray Taoist robe.

"read."

"yes."

"The Grand Commander of Jianghuai traveled across the northern reaches of the Yangtze River, beheaded fifteen prominent bandits, swept across Langya, and subdued Luzhou."

…

(End of this chapter)