79. Learning swordsmanship
A heavy snowfall turned the scattered gray-tiled buildings in Los Angeles into a white world.
Only in Tongji Street, the white snow on the ground was trampled into black mud by the Secret Service soldiers coming and going. Every household on the street kept their doors and windows closed for fear of getting into trouble.
In the mansion that was bombed into ruins, dozens of spies were clearing bricks and rubble from the collapsed ruins, trying to find useful clues.
The Golden Pig sighed, "Everyone says that auspicious snow means a good harvest, but I just can't be happy. How long will it take to dig up the ruins?"
"Sir, it's coming soon. Please eat something first. This is the Wengji steamed buns I just sent someone to buy. They are very famous in Los Angeles."
It's so late, and we're still eating buns. They're really delicious! The filling is castrated pork that was bled last night, so there's no fishy smell. The seasoning is star anise, green onions, ginger, sesame oil... I think they even have their own secret oil, so special!
There was a small cowhide marching tent in the courtyard. There was a small stove in the tent, boiling hot water.
Jinzhu sat carefree in the tent, gnawing on steaming hot Wengji buns.
At this time, a secret agent crouched down and crawled into the tent, whispering: "Sir, the ruins have been cleared. Apart from some normal daily necessities, there is nothing unusual."
Jin Zhu chewed his bun and asked vaguely: "How many firearms did the killer use?"
"Judging from the bamboo tube fragments found in the ruins, there should be two.
"What does the coroner say?
The spy reported, "The coroner has examined the victim's injuries and found that he suffered forty-two injuries from shards of metal."
"There's a laceration on the neck and a penetrating wound on the thigh. Strangely enough, the man only had scratches on his upper body, nothing serious."
Jin Zhu paused, holding up half a bun in his hand. "I've seen the power of those firearms. Two of them could have blown a house down, and his upper body is fine. He's either a horizontally trained martial artist from Cangzhou, or a bell-ringer from Jingchao Kujue Temple... Go, Jingchao, shave the deceased's head completely and see if he has any scars from his ordination!"
The spy walked out of the door quickly and half-knelt beside the corpse of Shopkeeper Yuan. He held the knife in one hand and cut off Shopkeeper Yuan's hair with the other hand: "Sir, there are scars from the ordination!"
"He really is a monk from Kujue Temple. He must be a thief from Jing Dynasty. They stole the cultivation method from Kujue Temple before." Jin Zhu stuffed the remaining half bun into his mouth and swallowed it whole. "Strange, strange, why did the killer come to kill him?"
Jin Zhu was confused: the deceased was suspected to be a thief from Jing Dynasty, and the killer was also suspected to be a thief from Jing Dynasty. Why did the two sides kill each other?
"What are the residents of Tongji Street saying? Does anyone recognize him?"
The spy shook his head. "No, the neighbors say this house has been empty for over a year, and no one has been seen entering or leaving. We asked a broker, and he found out that the owner of this house is a Huizhou merchant from the south. He kept a concubine here a few years ago, but now he has given her to the prefect Zhang Zhuo. He hasn't been to Luocheng for a long time."
Manager Yuan's clothes were stripped off and no one could recognize him. The house was still abandoned. Before leaving, Gui stripped Manager Yuan's clothes and took off his human skin mask, which immediately made the case lose its clues.
At this moment, a secret agent rode up outside the mansion. He dismounted and shouted, "My lord, my lord!"
Jin Zhu opened the tent curtain and walked out: "Why are you shouting? You look so panicked. The sky of our conspiracy department has not fallen yet."
The spy replied dryly, "Sir, I negotiated with the Luocheng Military Commissioner last night, and they promised to close the gates and set up checkpoints. But this morning, I went to the city gates and saw that all four gates were still open to traffic, with no checkpoints at all. Our people went to ask what was going on, and the military commissioner said no one had told them to close the gates. Hundreds of people were already coming in and out, and the snow on the roads outside the city had been destroyed!"
The secret agents were immediately filled with murderous intent. No matter in the capital or Nanjing, who would dare to be so hypocritical to the Secret Service?
A secret agent whispered, "Sir, should we arrest Liu Zhen from the Luocheng Military Command and put him in the inner prison first?"
Jin Zhu was silent for a long time before he smiled and said, "It's useless to arrest him. Maybe the Liu family is waiting for us to arrest Liu Zhen and has a backup plan ready for us... The Liu family really has an all-powerful hand in Yuzhou. Have you been to the prefectural government office?"
"I went there, but the prefect and the deputy prefect were both away from the government office. The clerk said that when it snowed last night, the two officials went to the riverbank to set up a porridge stall and were comforting the workers there."
The Golden Pig was so angry that he laughed: "Okay, okay, this is the civil servant of my Ning Dynasty! Civil servants are the ruin of the country!"
A trusted spy whispered: "Sir, now in the territory of Luocheng, the civil officials are avoiding us one by one, the Liu family is obstructing us, and there are also traitors from the Jing Dynasty in the Luocheng Secret Service..."
Jin Zhu felt that things were getting tricky. The most important thing was that he didn't know who was the accomplice of Jing Dynasty. Even if he found any clues in the future, it would be difficult to find out.
Jing Chao knew about it.
He whispered, "From today on, you will lead our own people to investigate the firearm incident last night. Don't let the local spies interfere."
The spy said in embarrassment: "But we only brought twelve conspirators from the capital, and no one is familiar with Los Angeles. We must have someone familiar with Los Angeles and reliable to lead us."
The Golden Pig suddenly said, "I've thought of someone. Prepare the horses, I'll go find him. You don't have to follow me!"
Anxi Street was covered in snow, and it was full of joy. Children were running around happily, and snowballs were flying all over the street.
Neighbors were clearing the snow in front of their doors and greeting each other happily.
Princess Baili returned with Liang Maoer after walking in the snow. They each carried two baskets of vegetables and walked into the Taiping Clinic.
Liang Maoer was carrying pork and mutton in the baskets in both hands, while Princess Baili was carrying green onions and vegetables. Because it was difficult to walk in the snow, the vegetables were particularly expensive today.
But Baili didn't care.
In the main hall of the clinic, Old Man Yao was fiddling with an abacus.
When Yu Guangjing saw Bai Li coming in, he asked without even looking up, "What did the princess buy so early in the morning?"
Bai Li smiled brightly and said, "It's snowing heavily today. I'll make pork and green onion dumplings, celery and mutton dumplings for everyone for lunch!"
Old Man Yao raised his head and stroked his beard. For once, he refrained from harsh words. Instead, he carefully examined Bai Li and said, "My princess is truly kindhearted. Stretch out your hand and I'll read it for you."
Bai Li placed the basket on the counter, smiled, stretched out his hand, and spread out his palm: "You are also proficient in physiognomy."
Old Man Yao pinched Bai Li's fair and thin palm and looked at it for a long time: "It's not a person who will die young, go and get busy."
Bai Li was stunned for a moment: "Ah, that's it. Please tell me something else."
Old man Yao asked: "What else do you want to know?
Baili stood in front of the counter and thought for a moment: "Will I encounter any great disaster?"
Old Man Yao shook his head and said, "The princess is blessed with great fortune. Even if she encounters danger, there will be people to help her and turn danger into safety."
Bai Li thought of his experience last night and his eyes suddenly lit up: "Wow, your predictions are so accurate, old immortal! Can you tell me other things, such as marriage, or if there is anything else I need to pay attention to in the future."
"I don't care about those. Go make dumplings," Old Man Yao waved his hand and sent Bai Li away.
After Princess Baili went to the backyard, he took out six copper coins from his sleeve and threw them on the counter. His brows suddenly furrowed, then relaxed.
In the backyard.
She Dengke, Liu Quxing and the prince were doing horse stance under the instruction of Liang Gou'er, while Chen Ji was sitting on a bamboo lounge chair watching, with someone considerately covering him with a quilt.
After applying the medicine, Chen Ji felt that the wounds on his legs and chest were no longer so painful, and the wounds even scabbed and healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The Medicine Official of Laojun Mountain seems to be even more magical than imagined. Liang Gou'er must have spent a lot of effort to get the medicine.
At this time, the three princes were standing in horse stance, swaying precariously. In the middle of winter, they were sweating profusely, and the sweat on their heads was clearly visible like steam.
She Dengke wailed: "How long will I have to stand here?
Liang Gou'er hit him on the thigh with a bamboo stick: "You can't hold on for just a moment! The hardships I endured for sword training back then are more than the salt you've eaten!
Liu Quxing thought for a moment and said, "That's not much."
Pop.
The bamboo stick hit Liu Quxing's buttocks, and he grimaced in pain.
The prince alone didn't complain about the hardship; he sincerely wanted to learn swordsmanship. The helplessness he felt when he was abandoned by those chivalrous men last night, and the despair he felt when facing the secret agents, all reminded him that the only person he could rely on was himself.
Therefore, the prince really wants to become an official.
While the three of them were doing horse stance, Liang Gou'er sat carelessly on a small bamboo stool under the eaves, while Liang Mao'er sat side by side picking vegetables.
Suddenly, Liang Mao'er lowered his head and said in a low voice: "Brother, that bottle of soft jade paste has always been with you, why did you lie to them and say that you went to Laojun Mountain to get it?"
Liang Gou'er glanced at his brother unhappily: "If I don't say that, will they cherish it? Only things that are hard-earned will be remembered and cherished!"
"You shouldn't lie. I know you want the prince to continue taking you drinking, but if you don't lie and give the medicine to Chen Ji, they will thank you just the same."
Liang Gou'er chuckled lightly: "The medicine is effective, right? It was given by the medicine official of Laojun Mountain, so that's not wrong, as long as it can make Chen Ji get better soon, what's wrong with a little lie?"
Liang Mao'er's voice deepened: "Brother, the Liang family's swordsmanship doesn't start with horse stance. Dad told me back then. Search Miaowei Bookstore for the full version of Qingshan. The Liang family's swordsmanship begins with breathing in the world. There's no need to practice horizontal training like other martial artists."
Liang Gou'er said impatiently: "The world
Martial arts training always starts with horse stance. What's wrong with me teaching this way? Could it be that I'm really going to teach the Liang family sword technique to others? If I do that, my father will definitely scold us to death when we die!"
There are many people who use swords in the world, but few who can enter the Tao. If you want to enter the Tao, you must have your own unique method.
This is the Liang family's secret.
Liang Mao'er was in a bad mood: "But they are very nice people. Brother, if you don't intend to teach them the real thing, just tell them directly, don't hide it."
Liang Gou'er said sullenly, "Tell them bluntly, how can we both drink and live in this Taiping Clinic? Otherwise, you should learn the Liang family swordsmanship first, and then you can teach it to whoever you want. I won't interfere."
Liang Maoer was immediately discouraged: "I can't learn it."
Liang Gou'er straightened up and said, "I refuse to believe that I can't teach you! Once you've learned it, you can pass it on to whoever you want. When you get to the underworld, you'll take on the responsibility and face the scolding from your father and grandfather..."
“I really can’t learn it.”
"You have to learn even if you can't!" Liang Gou'er said in a serious tone, "Follow my breath. Thirteen thousand five hundred breaths, breathing in and out the vast heavens and earth. It's just a simple breath, how come you can't even get started? Keep going, until you have that extra breath in your chest and abdomen."
No one noticed that when Liang Gou'er was teaching Liang Mao'er how to breathe, Wuyun squatted beside him, staring at him as if he understood something, and his body rose and fell slightly with his breathing.
Sometimes it couldn't understand the words Liang Gou'er said, so it could only remember them in its mind and slowly ponder them.
Wuyun was adjusting his breathing frequency thoughtfully, but Liang Gou'er accidentally saw his focused look and laughed: "This little cat also wants to learn swordsmanship from me, hahaha. If the Liang family swordsmanship is learned by a cat, I wonder what our father would think in the underworld."
Liang Mao'er muttered as he was picking vegetables: "You teach it, maybe it can learn faster than me."
Liang Gou'er was at a loss for words: "What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Cats can't even understand what we say, how can they learn knife skills! Listen carefully, I don't believe I can't teach you."
Wuyun ignored him and jumped onto Liang Maoer's shoulder. While pretending to be asleep, he secretly listened to Liang Gouer preaching to Liang Maoer.
It simply felt that the Liang family's swordsmanship was incredibly captivating. Whether it could understand it or not was beyond question. It just listened. ...
…
At this moment, the sound of birds chirping came from outside the door.
No one else noticed, but Chen Ji suddenly opened his eyes. This was the whistle of the Secret Service!
He propped himself up in surprise and looked towards the main hall through the corridor.
Jin Zhu, dressed in commoner clothes and wearing a bamboo hat, came to Taiping Clinic to pretend to consult a doctor. He came to the counter and greeted Old Man Yao with a smile: "Doctor Yao, I'm looking for Chen Ji."
Old Man Yao put down his brush and account book, and glanced at the Golden Pig: "All the people in the Secret Service are dead. Why are they looking for a seriously injured person every day?"
The Golden Pig laughed and said, "It's because the disciple you taught is excellent."
"Go ahead, he's in the backyard."
The Golden Pig peeked into the backyard and said, "Please call him out. There are too many people in the yard and it's noisy."
Old Man Yao sneered and turned around and shouted, "Chen Ji, come out. Someone is looking for you."
The Golden Pig hurriedly said, "Please keep your voice down. I came here secretly!"
Chen Ji slowly stepped out and said, "Master Jinzhu, how did you get here?"
Jin Zhu pulled Chen Ji aside and said with a smile, "First, congratulations! The reward for our last exploits at the Chaocang Casino has arrived. You're now a pigeon-level secret agent. The next step up will be a Haidongqing, the one in charge of a region. From now on, your annual salary will be 30 taels from the court, and my Secret Service will give you an additional 30 taels."
Chen Ji hummed.
Seeing that he wasn't very interested, Jin Zhu added, "The letter requesting a special opportunity for you to practice cultivation has already been sent to the capital. I'm sure you'll receive a reply from the Minister of Internal Affairs in a few days."
Chen Ji's eyes lit up: "Really?"
"How can I deceive you?"
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Master Jinzhu, why did you come to see me this time?"
"I have a great reward for your contribution!" The Golden Pig said with a smile: "You know, the path to cultivation is a reward only for secret agents at the level of Haidongqing. Although I have made an exception for you, it is still uncertain whether the Minister of Internal Affairs will agree. But if you make another great contribution this time, not only will the path to cultivation be a sure thing, you may even be promoted to Haidongqing immediately and receive monthly cultivation resources. Did you hear the explosion last night?"
"No, there was no explosion," Chen Ji pretended not to know. The clinic was several miles away from Hongyi Lane and he could not hear any movement from there.
The Golden Pig said: "Last night, a thief from Jing Dynasty was causing trouble in Hongyi Lane. Now I don't know where he is hiding. I need you to lead the team to find him."
Chen Ji thought, what a coincidence.
End of this chapter.
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