After the immortal disappeared

From the outside to the inside, it is not an exaggeration to describe it as "grassroots people".

He was such a simple and honest person on the outside, but when he heard that He Lingchuan was here to "buy a red rope," he immediately persuaded the nefarious neighbor to leave.

He did not dare to close the courtyard door because there were several tough men behind He Lingchuan.

Fortunately, these big men did not enter the courtyard, and only He Lingchuan asked him questions.

"The red rope of the Ming Dynasty? Yes, yes, even the password." Old Liu said seriously, "But this is a good thing, and the price is not cheap."

He Lingchuan was very polite: "Mr. Liu, you might as well come and listen."

Lao Liu moved his mouth and spit out a number as if he had made up his mind:

"five……"

After saying just one word, his voice became hoarse. He coughed twice quickly: "One price, five thousand taels!"

"The lion's mouth is open." He Lingchuan gave him three thousand taels in return, and the transaction was immediate.

Old Liu rubbed his hands. Three thousand taels of silver, a huge amount of money that he would never make in two lifetimes.

His fingers were trembling a little, and He Lingchuan could see that he wanted to agree, but Lao Liu's wife suddenly coughed hard in the room.

Old Liu was startled and immediately came to his senses: "Uh, I, we have to think about it again. Can you come back in two days?"

"I'll go into the mountains right away." He Lingchuan stared at him and said, "Three thousand taels of silver, what else are you dissatisfied with?"

"I, we just need to think about it again."

He Lingchuan could see that he really wanted the three thousand taels of silver, but now he wanted to stop it. The reason could only be -

"Oh, someone else also bid?"

Old Liu's eyes flashed twice when he revealed the secret.

Indeed, only two days ago someone came to buy the red rope and offered five hundred taels. Lao Liu and his wife were stunned by the number and agreed without thinking.

The other party asked them to accompany the White Bear King to the mountain after his death, so they haven't paid yet.

Today He Lingchuan also came to buy. He tried to bid 5,000 taels, but He Lingchuan counter-offered 3,000 taels!

This, this is a rare thing to live in! If we wait a few more days, can we wait for a bigger number?

Otherwise, would it be a good idea to let them bid against each other? The hearts of Mr. and Mrs. Liu suddenly became excited.

He Lingchuan smiled: "The more people who know that you have red ropes in your hands, the more dangerous you are. To be honest, if there is not a secret code hanging on it, and you have to go up the mountain to check whether it is true or not, you are already dead now. ”

Old Liu's face changed color, but before he could speak, the woman inside the room rushed out first: "How dare you threaten us in broad daylight? Believe it or not, we will report it to the police immediately and arrest all you foreigners!"

"Then these three thousand taels of silver are gone." He Lingchuan knew that seeing is believing, so he grabbed a bag of gold from his arms and threw it on the bamboo table.

The mouth of the bag was opened, and several gold cakes, gold bars, and gold balls rolled out. They shone charmingly in the sun and made Old Liu and his wife salivate.

Isn’t this what people in the world chase their whole lives for?

"Three thousand taels, do you know how many bags of gold it is?"

The couple didn't know.

"I'm willing to give out three thousand taels, but others may not. Guess what they will do if they don't want the money, but they want the red rope?" He Lingchuan said with a smile, "The security of your Knife Town has only improved in the past few years. Are you getting better? What was it like before, and you can’t remember it so quickly?”

Once upon a time? The couple looked at each other, whispered a few words to one side, and finally agreed.

Lao Liu couldn't help but be overjoyed by this windfall, his mood improved, and he answered all questions.

It turned out that his father had also been in glory, and by chance he got involved with the dwarf grass. However, he died of illness within two years of returning from the mountain. Before his death, he passed on the secret of the dwarf grass to him.

He himself has little ability, and faced with years of war, he tried his best to live a life that is invisible to everyone.

"Who was the person who ordered the red rope from you before?"

"I don't know. There are also seven or eight people. They said they came from the east and were waiting for this thing to save their lives. I offered to pay first, but they refused. We agreed that after the White Bear King is defeated in a few days, we would go up the mountain together."

Lao Liu added: "I don't think they are very rich."

In order to verify the authenticity of the red rope and code words, He Lingchuan would of course take Lao Liu to Baimao Mountain for a kiss, while his wife could wait here.

Lao Liu was very reluctant: "You have the red rope and the code words, just go up the mountain by yourself. I won't lie, I will wait for you here!"

He Lingchuan only gave them one sentence:

"You can get three thousand taels just by sitting at home. Do you really think it's so easy to make money? But don't worry, the White Bear King is currently near the capital, not in Baimao Mountain."

This is also true. The Liu family has been hearing news recently about the White Bear King hurting people near the capital. But when he thought of entering Baimao Mountain, Lao Liu was still uneasy.

Just for the sake of three thousand taels! They will never make so much money in their lifetime.

So, He Lingchuan first paid a deposit of one thousand taels, then took away the red rope and handed the remaining money to the township security guard. After ten days, regardless of whether Old Liu comes back or not, Liu's wife can go to the township guardian with the written receipt to collect the remaining two thousand silver.

The Julu Kingdom has set up special "rural protection" agencies in cities and towns to facilitate honest transactions between businessmen and people. In He Lingchuan's view, it is a third-party platform with official credibility endorsement.

In this way, Lao Liu doesn't have to worry about He Lingchuan and others killing him to save money after getting the bright lantern.

…

Early the next morning, Jin Bai and others set out for Wudu, and He Lingchuan accompanied them.

After a night of thinking, Jin Bai seemed to have figured out the necessity of investigating the case, and braced himself to answer He Lingchuan's questions.

Of course, the main reason was that he had to cooperate with He Lingchuan to find evidence that the country of Wei had stolen tribute.

When dealing with countries like this, evidence is very important.

Even if Mou Guo wants to take action later, he must be targeted.

"From Xiaoyao Sect to Julu Port? During the period when I was escorting the tributes, I barely slept a wink." Jin Bai said seriously, "I was basically awake during those days. Only on the night of arriving at Julu Port, I adjusted my breath for two hours. But the door There are six brothers guarding the place outside. Besides, I am regulating my breath, not sleeping, and I have also set up a barrier. Once someone comes close, how can they hide it from my eyes and ears?"

All in all, the tribute was missing from him, and he couldn't understand it at all.

Dong Rui said leisurely from the side: "There are thousands of magical powers in this world. Maybe you will be trapped in the confusion that night and think you are in Julu Port."

When the Shadow Fang Guards came to the Kingdom of Wei, they couldn't use much Yuan Power. The illusion that could be easily detected in the past may now become a stumbling block.

"We have also considered this." Jin Bo replied matter-of-factly: "But if the thieves want to steal the tribute, they have to make more than a dozen of us lose our eyes and ears at the same time. How can the other party do this?"

Stolen light, invisible thief.

Well, this case is really interesting. He Lingchuan thought for a while: "Is it possible that the tribute was manipulated from the beginning?"

"You mean, what I took away from Xiaoyao Sect was a fake?"

If this is the case, no matter how careful Jin Bo and others are during the escort, their efforts are in vain.

"Have you never picked up a bright lantern before?" The last time the ming lantern matured was thirty years ago. He Lingchuan looked at Jin Bai's age and it didn't look like he could come twice.

"No, this is my first time. But before I set out, I had seen Ming Deng Zhan's Xiying and read its information in detail. The Ming Deng Zhan I saw on Xiaoyao Sect's Snow Peak was no different from Xi Ying. "

"Xiying?"

"It is an image stored in a jade slip, which completely imitates the real thing and is more comprehensive and detailed than the painted image."

He Lingchuan let out a long oh, is it so advanced?

"I've also thought about this possibility." Jin Bo sighed, he really hoped that this was the case. If the Ming Dynasty lamp had been stolen before he arrived at Xiaoyao Sect, he would naturally not have to bear the crime of dereliction of duty. "But the Ming lamp grass I saw had several lamp moths sitting on the leaves. According to the information, this kind of moth only grows in Ming Dynasty." When the lamp matures, it will find the light bulb to borrow light from. So——"

Even the accompanying moths are here, isn’t it true?

"Also, when I took down the lamp with my own hands, Head Li of the Xiaoyao Sect was watching from the side. He will never admit his mistake, right?"

"How old is this Head Li?"

"More than sixty years old. The last time the lamps were ripe, he accompanied the guards of Mou State to the mountains to pick them."

So, Head Li has seen Ming Dengzhan more than once, and he is the treasure guarded by his sect. Can he admit his mistake?

Jin Bai continued: "I also secretly asked people to find out if anything unusual has happened in Xiaoyao Sect recently. But except for someone breaking into the back mountain a few months ago, there is nothing new."

He Lingchuan analyzed: "The top priority now is to find out whether the improvement of the second prince's condition is due to Ming Dengzhan."

There are not many people on the road.

Not to mention Blade Port and Yangshan Islands, even compared to the Longchuan Commercial Road, the number of passengers on this official road is really small. Along the way, they saw only a dozen teams.

Halfway through the journey, everyone passed a three-way intersection. There was a road sign on the right side of the road with an arrow drawn on it, which read:

Xuncheng.

Xuncheng is the capital of the state of Fan.

Jin Bai didn't even look at the street sign and kept walking straight ahead.

Dong Rui asked curiously: "What does that street sign mean?"

Isn’t the function of road signs just to guide the way? Why did the sign indicate that going to the right is the direction of Xuncheng, but Jin Bai and others continued to go straight?

"It's fake." Jin Bo then pointed to the sign and said, "Didn't you find it? This sign is brand new."

Indeed, although the wood of the road sign is old, the words on it are new, and the chipped wood has not been blown away by the strong wind at the intersection.

"The last time we took this road, we hired a local guide." Jin Bai explained, "There are several gangs of bandits around this trade road. They often take down the road signs on the official road and put up fake ones at the forks. The sign misleads pedestrians and teams to deviate from official roads.”

Once foreign travelers are deceived and enter unknown mountain roads, what good consequences will there be?

"Does the Kingdom of Fan not care? This can be considered the main road of the Kingdom of Fan, right?"

It is incredible that such chaos should occur on the official road from the capital to the port.

Although the Longchuan trade route in Panlong World was robbed by water bandits in the past, it was a very long road and it happened to be right next to Longchuan. The geographical conditions were complex, which gave rise to the problems that plagued Xiqiao and Yuheng City.

But the length of the trade route in the country of Wei was only a few dozen miles, and there were actually several groups of bandits!

He Lingchuan wanted to know, if the density was so high, wouldn't the robbery work be involved? Would the bandits be able to eat by eating on the road?

"This trade road is the only way from many inland countries to the sea. Business travelers and goods from nearby countries have to go here if they want to go overseas. The country of Wei has made a lot of tax money from this road, and it is said that it usually sends The army patrols back and forth to maintain law and order." Jin Bo pointed to the winding mountain road that had just appeared on the side of the road. "They don't care about small roads like this. If someone complains, it's because you don't have a good eye. Who told you not to take the main road."

He Lingchuan pondered: "No wonder the products here are shipped at ridiculously high prices."

Yaguo prohibits the export of ore to the Yangshan Islands, and the latter can only find alternative channels. Apart from Mou State, the best ore comes from the Flash Gold Plains, which is easy to purify and has few impurities.

However, the price of ore in the Golden Gold Plains is more than 50% more expensive than that in Yaguo, and this is without accidental superposition. If there is a mountain closure, a coup, or even Julu Port being blocked and closed, ore prices will fluctuate.

Now He Lingchuan understands why the mines here are so expensive.

The cost is high and the uncertainty is high.

If places like the Gold Flash Plains weren't eager to sell their ores for money, and labor was cheap, the price of ore would have gone up.

Jin Bo nodded: "So large caravans will definitely find guides and escorts to accompany them."

And this part of the cost will eventually be reflected in the price of the product.

Dong Rui chuckled: "There are official patrols, and you still act like a bird?"

"The country of Hong has also been unlucky in recent years. It has fought many wars at home and abroad, and encountered a locust plague in the past two years. I heard from the guide that King Hong has implemented two new policies since he came to power, but the people's livelihood has not only not improved, but has deteriorated. The officials enriched their own pockets. In anger, King Wei went on a killing spree and executed many officials."

It's not that the country doesn't want to take care of it, it's just that it can't be taken care of well.

A gust of wind blew, and the ghost ape on Dong Rui's shoulder suddenly straightened up, sniffed hard for a few times, then jumped to a nearby branch and swung away.

Dong Rui and He Lingchuan stopped and waited for it.

About ten breaths later, the ghost ape swung back again and chirped a few times in Dong Rui's ear.

Only Dong Rui and Lingguang can understand this monkey language.

Dong Rui translated: "It said that deep in the dense forest on the roadside, about fifty feet away, there are more than a dozen corpses exposed in the wild, all of which have rotted. There are also a few wild dogs eating there."

Everyone did not go in and continued on their way. Jin Bai said: "That's the result of taking the wrong road. The people I hired said that some local guides charge very low prices, but they are actually colluding with the bandits and deliberately pointing the wrong way to the business travelers. In this way, the mountain After the bandits rob, they will also share a piece of the pie.”

"The people who hire these black guides are all small businessmen with little money and a small number of people. They are exactly what bandits want."

"Even some inns on the roadside are shady shops. They give drugs to the guests and loot them, or they kidnap women and children to sell them for money. Therefore, it is best to go straight to the destination without getting caught or staying in the inn."

As He Lingchuan listened, he thought of Yuan Kingdom.

Back then, he followed He Chunhua's army from Blackwater City to Dunyu, and he saw countless human sufferings along the way.

Bandits, black shops, refugees, deserted villages, everything.

It is said that poverty breeds unruly people, and poverty breeds evil intentions. It seems to be the same everywhere.

The bandits here dared to kill people directly on the roadside of Guandaozhu. Back then, the fierce bandits and defeated bandits in Xianling Village also chased He Chunhua's regular army of several hundred people through dozens of miles of mountain roads.

In comparison, although the territories of Bailie and Qing were small, they were much richer and more peaceful.

While everyone was talking, someone in Maolin on the roadside suddenly shouted "Help" in a childish voice.

Then a short figure rushed onto the road and stopped in front of everyone.

He Lingchuan and others had long heard the sound of trampling branches and deliberately controlled their mounts. Otherwise, if this man blocked the horse recklessly, he might be trampled by the horse's hooves!

When I looked again, I saw a boy of four or five years old. He had two patches on his coarse cloth jacket, but his appearance was upright. His face was covered with blood marks scratched by branches, and there was a large bruise on his forehead. The blood flowed down his face. Cheeks run down.

"Help!" He Lingchuan's horse gave way, and he came up to pounce on the horse's hooves again, "Save my parents!"

He Lingchuan patted the horse's neck to calm it down, and asked the boy, "Where are your parents?"

"They want to arrest me!" The tears and blood on his face were mixed together, and the boy pointed behind him, "They have arrested my parents!"

There was a rustle in the forest, and there seemed to be footsteps again, but no one came out.

He Lingchuan glanced at the sound, raised his wrist, and went out with a whoosh of arrows in his sleeves.

The next moment, a scream echoed in the forest.

The ghost ape on Dong Rui's shoulder immediately jumped into the forest.

After only three to five breaths, a man was thrown out and rolled twice on the ground, just under He Lingchuan's horse.

I think this person chased the child to the side of the road. Seeing that He Lingchuan and others were so tall, they didn't dare to come out.

He had a short arrow stuck in his leg socket, and it was uncomfortable to stand up. He Lingchuan took out the Tenglong Spear and pressed it against his throat, so he didn't dare to move.

He Lingchuan asked him: "Where are this child's parents?"

The man pointed carefully deep into the forest: "That, over there."

"Still alive?"

"Stay alive!" the robbers said quickly, "We didn't hurt them!"

Lingguang on horseback interrupted: "Why are you chasing this kid?"

The robber hesitated and was speechless.

Jin Bo crossed his arms and said, "I think I want to take away the baby and sell it for money."

He Lingchuan asked again: "How many of you are there?"

"Fifty……"

Before he finished speaking, the tip of the spear swung and pierced a hole in his shoulder. The robber shouted: "Sixteen, there are sixteen of us!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he was shot through the throat, forward and then out.

He Lingchuan shook off the dead man from his gun and said to Jin Bai lightly: "Everyone, please wait a moment. I'll be back soon."

This cloud-turning master is very good at marksmanship. Jin Bo picked up the boy and put him in front of the saddle, and nodded: "Okay."

He Lingchuan and Dong Rui galloped into the forest and arrived at the scene of the incident within seventy or eighty feet.

This is a gentle slope, not far from the main road, but the woods are too dense, and the call for help cannot be heard.

The victims were a small group of traders, seven men and one woman. The men were tied to the ground, and the woman, who was probably the boy's mother, was pushed to the ground and tortured.

The other robber was already unbuckling his belt.

Still ten feet away, He Lingchuan pulled out the Fusheng knife and threw it smoothly.

The cold light swirled and passed through the cracks in the trees. It didn't even hurt a leaf, but it passed across the neck of the violent robber.

The good man's head flew high into the air, and blood splashed all over the woman!