Chapter 929
: This is the Jianghu
Chapter 929: This is the Jianghu
South of Tongzhou,
The lights were bright in the central army tent of Marquis Luo Yun. There was a curtain on each side of the tent, and the middle part was the meeting place. Zhang Jinyu sat in the main seat, sipping tea and looking at the figure at the entrance, who was a little overwhelmed, with a helpless look on his face.
Duan Hong is a guy who is sometimes very shabby and sometimes very serious and pedantic.
"Old Duan, you are talking so loudly in front of my tent, are you afraid that I can't hear you?"
As soon as Youyou said this, not to mention others, Lan Yue'er couldn't help but burst out laughing, leaving Duan Hong with a slightly embarrassed face. However, warriors have to be thick-skinned. After all this, how could Duan Hong not know what the Marquis' temper was? His face turned red and he smiled;
"Please forgive me, Lord. I am very anxious. When I was on patrol at night, I passed by the camp gate and saw the scout captain captured a group of Taoists. They claimed to be the old Taoist priests from Mount Longhu. They also said they had something important to report. So I came to report it."
Zhang Jinyu was quite speechless. A Taoist priest is a Taoist priest. When did he become a Taoist priest with a big nose? The key is where did the big nose come from? I have something to tell you. I don’t know anyone from the Taoist sect, but Buddhist disciples, one after another. I think the group of bald monks in Jing’an Temple seem to have something to say. By the way, I have to go find Master Wuxin, but I haven’t gone yet.
"Okay, Ningbian will bring the person in to see what the masters of Longhu Mountain look like. If they are really from Longhu Mountain, don't neglect the courtesy."
Thinking of the monks in Jing'an Temple, they are extraordinary. Since the Taoist sect can be on par with the Buddhist sect, there is no false reputation behind their fame.
"Yes, sir, I understand."
Ning Bian turned around and walked out of the tent. Zhang Jinyu then winked at the soldiers around him. Several of them quickly stood on both sides, unloaded their crossbows and loaded them, and stood with their swords in hand.
Behind the east curtain, Ji Yunhui and others, the captain of the Imperial City Division, also drew their swords and hid behind the curtain, alert. King Zhou Ding of Jin was curious, and seeing this, he couldn't help but ask;
"Why are you so nervous?"
Xia Yu was making the bed, and seeing His Highness's confusion, he smiled;
"Your Highness, Longhu Mountain is a martial arts school after all. The Taoist disciples are all martial arts masters. Within three feet, martial arts is the only thing that matters. The Marquis has a backup plan."
"Oh, people from the underworld. I have heard that many people in the Imperial City Division are from the underworld."
"Your Highness, this is different. Many people in the Imperial City Bureau inherited their father's business and have long been separated from the martial arts world. Although there are many remaining, they are all in the counties. The capital is different. Now that the people in the south of the capital are in turmoil, it is not necessarily that there are no martial arts forces involved."
These words were specially ordered by the Empress to bring along the best men from the Imperial City Bureau, because she was afraid that the Jianghu people would get the news and have bad intentions, so she did not conceal the matter.
The King of Jin was extremely intelligent. What Xia Yu said had a hidden meaning. It seemed that recruiting retainers in this world was not an easy task. Staff and guests could be from the imperial examinations or Jinshi, but the retainers under his command should be managed with extreme caution. However, he had no idea how the retainers recruited by Uncle Zhongshun were managed, and he could not figure it out.
"Well, I understand. When I return, I will first recruit staff and followers from the martial arts world, and put them aside for later. Currently, many princes have no connection with the martial arts world, which should not be the norm. There must be a reason behind it."
"It's good that your highness knows this. The people in the Imperial City Department are also divided into different levels. The people in the capital should be more reliable."
Xia Yu had to explain that the local military governors outside the capital, as well as some frontier officials, were constantly making small moves, and were as indecisive as those in the Imperial City Administration, and were not capable of any major duties.
outside,
Ning Bian had already brought in the Taoist priest who had been searched, as well as several Taoist disciples. Before they entered the door, he gave them a few instructions:
"Master, please come in. The Marquis is inside, so please be more polite."
The old Taoist nodded slightly, somewhat surprised. No matter who was in the court, they were treated with courtesy and politeness. Even the noble families offered resources in the hope that they would serve in the palace. Unexpectedly, Marquis Luo Yun did not care about these things at all. He was a difficult man.
Entering the big tent, it was spacious and bright. Sitting on the main seat was a young man, who was full of evil spirit, extremely strong yang energy, and good fortune.
Seeing this, Zhang Tianshi was stunned. He learned Taoism from his master, and he had mastered the art of reading faces and aura. However, he could feel a person's aura directly. The person in front of him was the number one. He thought he needed to calculate it, but Luo Yunhou was so outstanding that he was rare in the world. Of course, there were also some princes and nobles, but they were cultivated after birth. If they did not have family wealth to support them, their aura would be gone in a few years, and they would be no different from ordinary people. Only those with innate aura would stick with them.
This ability to see the qi at a glance is a unique skill of Mount Longhu, a method that the other leader of Taoism, Mount Wudang, does not have. I suddenly understood that in the battle outside the Great Wall, the Jurchens lost to fate.
He walked forward slowly and performed the Taoist ritual.
"I am Zhang Tiansong, the elder of Longhu Mountain, and I am honored to meet Marquis Luo Yun."
The voice is calm and steady,
Zhang Jinyu sat in the main seat and looked carefully. He had seen many monks and nuns, but he had never seen a real Taoist priest. Those who were swindling were not counted.
The old Taoist priest should be over 50 years old. He was wearing a Taoist robe with a black base, cut with top-grade Su brocade, and embroidered with cloud patterns and Bagua patterns with silver thread. It looked extremely luxurious, and of course, there was also a hint of Taoist charm in it.
There is a lotus crown on his head. The lotus petals are carved from white jade. The warm jade emits a soft light. There are two light blue ribbons on both sides of the hat. The ribbons are embroidered with talismans made of gold thread. I can't understand what they are.
He was not short, and he had a black belt around his waist with an ancient jade pendant hanging from it. He also wore a pair of black cloud-bottomed shoes. With this attire, he must be a master from Mount Longhu.
"Elder Zhang, you are polite. Please come in."
"Thank you, Lord."
Zhang Jinyu only invited Zhang Tiansong, and ignored the young disciples behind him. Just by looking at their clothes, one could tell that they were just ordinary disciples.
Who knows,
Zhang Tianshi had just thanked him and sat down, and one of his disciples, Tan Liangcai, also sat down, making the atmosphere in the entire tent a little strange.
Zhang Jinyu smiled and looked at the disciple. He was dressed gorgeously. Although it was a Taoist robe, it had a different charm. It was unknown which family this disciple came from who was practicing there.
Picking up the tea bowl, he took a sniff.
"May I ask Elder Zhang, who is this person?"
now,
Zhang Tianshi looked a little nervous, and turned back to glare at Tan Liangcai, saying that he did not know the rules and etiquette, and did not know how the head brother disciplined him. He did not know the affairs of the martial arts world, nor the etiquette of the sect. He was bringing shame to Longhu Mountain.
Things have come to this point, I can't complain, I can only make amends, I quickly stood up and bowed, saying;
"My Lord, please don't blame me. This disciple is the last disciple of the master. He has lived in the mountains since he was a child. He doesn't know etiquette and acts rashly. Please don't blame me, my Lord."
It turned out to be another yamen, probably the second generation of a martial arts sect. He was well-versed in the ways of the world, and there were many in every family and mansion. It was no problem, he didn't care, and nodded.
"So he is the disciple of the headmaster Zhang Tianshi. He is really full of energy and outstanding demeanor. He is worthy of being a disciple of Longhu Mountain. It is not a problem."
Waving his hand, he had heard a little about Zhang Tianshi, the head of Longhu Mountain. He was the leader of Taoism and the mentor of Taoism. He praised him as the old monk Wuxin Zen Master. He remembered that night, the old monk's skills were fleeting. He was afraid that he was not a top master. Unfortunately, he had never seen any monk in Jing'an Temple do serious work.
"Thank you, Lord Marquis."
The old Taoist then sat down peacefully, but he still winked at Tan Liangcai, warning him to be honest. Tan Liangcai seemed to know that he had caused trouble, so he lowered his head and said nothing, and was honest.
"Come, Taoist priest, we have not received any hospitality during the march. I am sorry for the neglect. I wonder what important matter you wish to see me on?"
Zhang Jinyu offered the old Taoist a cup of tea and made some polite gestures. He was most curious about the important matter that the old Taoist wanted to see him about. What was the important matter that required him to see him so late at night? His question was so sincere that Zhang Tiansong did not dare to breathe. Tonight he was going to contact the second son of the Zhongshun Palace and exchange the Taoist scriptures of Mount Longhu for the precious purple ginseng medicine that was over 200 years old. However, it seemed that he could not go tonight no matter what, and he ended up in such a situation.
How to start? He hesitated, not knowing what to say or not. Seeing this, Zhang Jinyu kept guessing in his heart, could it be that it was the Taiping Sect's matter, or the rumor that the White Lotus Sect was stirring up trouble in the martial arts world, preparing to use the name of the marquis to start a battle between good and evil? Tsk tsk, I really neglected these martial arts sects in the past.
"My Lord, you have a mountain ginseng that is over 200 years old. No, is it a purple ginseng that is over 200 years old?"
A clear voice rang out, and it was Tan Liangcai who had been keeping his head down. His eyes were pure and he asked directly. The old Taoist wanted to scold him, but was stopped by Zhang Jinyu. This kid still dared to speak and ask, so he nodded and replied;
"You're right to ask this question. The best ginseng in the mountains inside the Great Wall comes from outside the Great Wall. Not to mention purple ginseng, even yellow ginseng, old mountain ginseng, ganoderma lucidum and other aged ones are mostly in my hands. Little Taoist priest, do you have anything to say? But remember, think it through."
This is a reminder. Since they want this purple ginseng, how can they give it to you without any reason? You can only exchange it if it is valuable. If it is not valuable, you will not get it early without profit. You should know this principle.
"I have something to say, I have something to say. You are the Marquis. Since we have purple ginseng, we need one that is more than 200 years old to save lives."
Tan Liangcai was overjoyed. Since the Marquis had it, why bother going so far? He could just exchange it for the thing. Saving his junior master uncle was the most important thing.
However, the Taoist looked embarrassed and wanted to explain. Zhang Jinyu saw it and immediately agreed.
"Okay, it's settled. Once you finish speaking, if I think it makes sense, I'll write you a note and you can go to Luo Yunhou Mansion in the capital and take the ginseng away."
"Okay, it's a deal. Actually, there's nothing else to say. Junior Master's training was too radical and damaged her body. Then she caught a cold while practicing sword in the back mountain. Her Qi and blood were both depleted, so she needed purple ginseng to replenish her vitality. We went to the capital because the second son of the Zhongshun Palace had something to do."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the Taoist priest.
"What's the point of saying so much, sir? The thing is,"
When Zhang Jinyu heard that it was about Prince Zhongshun's Palace, he immediately became interested. This was his benefactor, at the level of transport captain. What good news was this? And who was the second young master?
"Old Taoist, look at you, what are you talking about? Let the master disciple beside you finish speaking before you speak. Since I have agreed to this person, yes, the title in the martial arts world should be young hero, and you need to finish explaining the reason. It's not too late for you to speak later."
Now that you've spoken, don't beat around the bush. The old Taoist hesitated for a moment and just sat there. Tan Liangcai was praised by the Marquis and called a young hero. His face was full of joy, but he was still a little shy. He quickly clasped his fists and said;
"My Lord, the second son of the palace sent someone to contact Longhu Mountain. He wants the Taoist secret method of nourishing qi, the "Three Pure Ones Sutra". It is a secret that our sect does not pass on. It is only because my uncle's illness cannot wait, so the headmaster agreed to the conditions proposed by the second son."
"Ok?"
Zhang Jinyu was stunned. What Sanqing Sutra? What secret? A purple ginseng was exchanged for a book. It was common stuff. But he thought again and it didn't make sense. The mountain ginseng in Guannei, even an ordinary size one was hard to come by and was very valuable. The value of those over fifty years old would increase several times, and those over a hundred years old would be even rarer. There were not many purple ginseng over two hundred years old in the world, unless they were from a royal family or the boxes of them in his own mansion. Thinking about the fact that the eldest princess asked him for the hundred-year-old ginseng, she also did him a favor. So, he should be at a disadvantage, right?
He glanced at Ningbian and asked,
"Ningbian, who is the second young master in the prince's mansion?"
"My Lord, the second son is the younger brother of the Prince of Zhongshun, Zhou Yunzhen. He is the second son, Zhou Huaijin. He is kind-hearted and deeply loved by the prince. He is also extremely talented."
Ning Bian almost blurted it out, knowing the intelligence of various families in the capital clearly. Zhang Jinyu suddenly realized that this Taoist scripture was probably what the second son Zhou Huaijin wanted to present to the emperor. It was well known that the emperor practiced Taoism, and Longhu Mountain was the leader of Taoism. It was in line with common sense. He really found a new way and was talented!
Then I looked back at the old Taoist priest.
"Elder Zhang, why are you so nervous? We both have the surname Zhang. Maybe we were from the same family five hundred years ago. Is this the only condition?"
"Well, Your Majesty, that's basically true, but the headmaster also brought a jade Taoist bead as a return gift, which is also with me."
When Zhang Tiansong saw that the Marquis had agreed, he could only explain the whole story.
"Okay, in that case, leave the things here. Ning Bian, write them a document with your seal and take it back to the Marquis' Mansion to claim it."
"Yes, Lord Marquis,"
Ning Bian was right beside him. He took out a pen, ink, paper and inkstone, wrote the document, stamped it and handed it to the Taoist priest. Seeing this, Zhang Yunsong could only take out a brocade package from his pocket and handed it over.
After Ning Bian received it, he brought it to the Marquis. Zhang Jinyu opened it nonchalantly and saw a box with something similar to a scripture. The box should contain beads. When he opened it, he saw that they were crystal clear and had the richness of jade. They were the size of eggs. They were just carved from jade, not some Taoist beads.
Then I looked at this Sanqing Sutra, which had some confused drawings of people meditating, and explained how to breathe in and out, and how to nourish the Qi. This was the legendary internal strength of martial arts. After reading it, it wasn't that difficult, but there were a lot of movements. So I became interested in the things in the martial arts world, whether there were top masters who could fly over eaves and walls, and kill thousands of soldiers by themselves.
asked doubtfully;
"Master Zhang, may I ask how the martial arts are divided into different factions in the martial arts world? As for this method of nourishing qi and breathing, I have seen that it is not difficult, but are there any legends about powerful masters who can kill thousands of soldiers by themselves?"
Zhang Yunsong laughed dumbly, shook his head, and replied;
"My Lord, those are all exaggerations. The powerful masters you are talking about are nothing more than people who practice martial arts after entering the martial arts world. Martial arts are divided into external skills, which are mainly for training muscles and bones, and internal strength, which is to breathe in and out to nourish the qi and accumulate qi and strength inside.
The masters who have become famous in the martial arts world have accumulated their knowledge over many years. They have to practice external skills and cultivate internal strength, so as to achieve both internal and external skills. They first practice for three years to get started. After getting started, they have to practice hard for five years before they can achieve a small success, which is called "entering the mainstream".
Perhaps for those who have reached the top level of innateness or Grandmaster, it is possible to kill some unarmored people, but it is indeed difficult to do so with more than a thousand soldiers in armor and the might of the battle formation. It is too exaggerated, exaggerated, nonsense, and cannot be believed. "
Zhang Tianshi shook his head. Human life span is limited. The basis of practicing Kung Fu is to strengthen the physique and cultivate the body. It is difficult to practice external Kung Fu and difficult to cultivate internal strength. The most important thing is that cultivating internal strength consumes a lot of money. Food and drink expenses, precious medicines and tonics, money is spent like water, it is unaffordable.
Zhang Jinyu was confused after listening to this. After trying for a long time, he still couldn't be invincible. External skills were easy to understand, but how to accumulate internal strength? He flipped through the scriptures and felt familiar with the breathing effect. When he practiced swordsmanship every morning, he would breathe quickly and feel much more comfortable. Could it be that his natural supernatural power was related to this talent? He tried to follow what was written in the book, exhaling first and then inhaling, one long and two short, and there was something else. He felt a warm current in his chest and abdomen, and the soreness in his waist was relieved a lot. Wow, it really works. He doesn't have to worry about those things in the room anymore.
"I see. I thought that with some magical secret book, I could become a master in one year and defeat ten thousand troops alone. But after all this time, it's still the same. I still need to cultivate my energy. This time is too long. Is there any way, such as making the internal energy improve by leaps and bounds?"
What I'm asking about is the shortcut. If you really want to be like the monks and Taoists, eating vegetarian food, chanting scriptures, meditating and practicing Taoism, don't even think about it.
This statement,
As disciples of famous and upright sects, Zhang Tiansong, Tan Liangcai, and the Taoists standing there, had never thought of this before. Everyone was stunned at first.
Then he was shocked again. The Marquis really dared to say it. If there was such a good thing, why did he say it at this time? They, no, the whole people in the martial arts world, had already become first-class masters and innate masters. Why did they torture themselves and practice hard every day? It would be better to eat, drink, and chat. How good it is.
Several people looked at each other in silence. Luo Yunhou was not a man of the world and did not understand these principles, but they did not want to explain them casually.
"My Lord, practicing martial arts is different from studying. Although you work hard, people with different talents will achieve different results. In addition, although everyone can practice martial arts and study, it takes a lot of effort. Breathing and nourishing the Qi is the Taoist mantra. It swallows the essence of all living things into the stomach and hides it in the body. It can only be accumulated, not excessively, otherwise it will hurt the body and mind. You need to use a lot of tonic to make up for the deficiency. Just like studying, you need pens, ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as private school books. That costs money!"
The old Taoist looked embarrassed. Fame, wealth and power are something that not only other people but even the disciples of the Taoist sect who cultivate self-cultivation cannot avoid. This little junior sister is extremely talented, smart and studious. She has already gained a reputation in the martial arts world at a young age. In order to break through to the first-class realm as soon as possible, she practiced martial arts secretly without telling her senior brother who is the head teacher. It was because she was eager for quick success and was in a hurry to cultivate internal strength that she made mistakes. It is not a relief at all!
(End of this chapter)