Pawn Crossing the River

There was a dark counter, with several wine jars placed behind it. They were polished and looked like they were old, and the aroma of the wine could be smelled from a distance.

A silver-white peace coin was spinning on the counter.

The shopkeeper standing behind the counter was wearing a robe that was not old, and the green silk scarf on his head was washed white. He put his chin with his right hand and stared at the spinning Taiping Money in a daze.

The guy was sitting on a long bench, leaning against the wall, dozing off, his head like a chicken pecking at rice, little by little.

Suddenly, a man strode into the lobby.

With a "pop" sound, the shopkeeper reached out and patted the rotating Taiping Money under his palm, and then slowly removed his palm, revealing the four words "The World is Peaceful" on the Taiping Money.

He raised his head, his signature smile already on his face.

The person who came looked like he was in his forties, with a weathered face and scars all over his body.

His left sleeve was empty and his right leg was limping.

However, in this place, such a distinguished appearance is nothing. It neither scares nor surprises anyone.

Because this is an "inn".

Different from ordinary inns, this "inn" is a mixed place.

Immortals on the mountains and insects in the mud gathered together. There were wealthy people in gorgeous clothes, there were also robbers and thieves who couldn't get on the stage, and there were also many masters hiding in the marketplace.

Facing the man, the shopkeeper said: "Sir, I don't know what kind of business you want to do? As long as the price is right, it's easy to negotiate."

The man who came here dragging his body took out a brand new official ticket from his arms, slapped it on the counter in front of the shopkeeper, and said in a hoarse voice: "This official ticket can be redeemed immediately at any official office anywhere. One thousand peace coins.”

The shopkeeper glanced at the official ticket and didn't rush to speak.

The man continued: "Such a large amount of peace money is enough for many people to wash their hands and leave this industry to become a stable rich man."

The shopkeeper nodded in agreement: "If the guest wants to buy someone's life, many people here are willing to take the gamble."

The man shook his head and said: "I don't buy my life, I just want to keep one person safe."

"Save a person from the hands of Qingluan Guard."

The man's voice was not loud, but it was very clear. The moment he exited the word "Qingluan Wei", the lobby, which was laid out like an ordinary inn, was silent. The movements of all the "guests" were stagnant for a moment, which showed that Qingluan It is not an exaggeration to say that Wei's evil name can stop children from crying at night.

The shopkeeper played with the peace money in his hand and said slowly: "In our Daxuan Dynasty, for officials big and small, the most terrifying thing is not dismissal from office. At worst, they can go home and live with their wives and children. The most terrifying thing is being raped. The Luan Guard arrests and interrogates, everything is tainted by the Qing Luan Guard, and family destruction and death are just a matter of course. When they fall into their hands, they often only have the extravagant wish of "just asking for death" or "just asking for a quick death." Since ancient times, the only way to die has been difficult, but when it comes to Qing Luan Guard. , the word 'death' has become the greatest relief."

The man remained silent.

The shopkeeper looked at the official boots on the man's feet and the blood stains on his clothes, and then said: "Since the previous dynasty, Qingluan Guard has been in two dynasties for four hundred years. It has a notorious reputation, ranging from princes and ministers to wealthy people in the world. , I am afraid of three points. If I want to protect someone from Qingluan Guard, I am afraid that no one will dare to take this guarantee. Isn’t this the guest officer’s fault? "

The man emphasized his tone: "I know, but this is an 'inn'." The shopkeeper smiled a little self-deprecatingly: "'Inn' is no longer the 'inn' it used to be. Our 'inn' is like Qingluan Weijing on weekdays. Water does not cross the river, but if the "inn" crosses that line, Qingluan Guard will not be polite at all. Including those of us who make a living in the "inn", we will not get it either. If I say this, guest officials can understand. ?”

The man fell silent and turned to look at the people in the lobby.

No one dared to answer.

The man's face showed disappointment at first, and then changed from disappointment to despair.

At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded from the corner of the lobby: "I'll take this deal."

After a moment of silence in the lobby, a burst of whispers suddenly sounded, like the disturbing chirping of insects on a summer night, or like a giant rat traveling at night. Even the waiter who had been napping woke up from his dream. He looked around first, then got up and left in a hurry, as if he was afraid of being hurt.

There was hope again on the man's face, and he turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.

The speaker was a young man, wearing a cloak and a hat, dressed in a very common attire for traveling in the world.

He sat in the corner of the lobby without his companions, occupying a table with a short sword on the table.

The young man stood up and came to the counter. He glanced at the official tickets on the counter and said, "One thousand Taiping coins is not a small amount. If you exchange it for wishful coins, you can pile it up into a small mountain."

In the previous Wei Dynasty, private coinage was common and bad coins were rampant, which led to chaotic circulation and complicated conversions, and even officials made profits from it. This dynasty was aware of this and unified the casting of three types of coins: gold, silver and copper. The square holes were eliminated and turned into a full circle, which was named "yuan".

The back of the gold circle is engraved with the four characters "Peace and Worry-free" and is called "Worry-free Money"; the back of the silver circle is engraved with the four characters "Peace and Peace" and is called "Peace Money"; the back of the copper circle is engraved with "Peace and Ruyi" The four characters are called "wishful money".

The shopkeeper glanced at the empty bench not far from the counter, stretched out his hand to hold down the official ticket, and said calmly: "This brother, whether it is a gold mountain or a silver mountain, please listen to my advice, peace." Although the money is good, I’m afraid I won’t be able to spend it.”

The young man said: "Thank you for reminding me, brother. I know the pros and cons."

The shopkeeper sighed slightly, took back the palm pressing on the official ticket, and said no more.

The man looked at the young man and asked cautiously: "Didn't you ask for your name?"

The young man said: "Just call me Qi Xuansu."

The "inn" does not directly participate in these fighting and killing matters, but acts as an intermediary, providing guarantees for buyers and sellers, and earns a commission.

To be able to do such a business, one must naturally have great supernatural powers. There are "inn" sub-colons all over the world, and it is said that there is also a main number, and no one knows its location.

Since Qi Xuansu was willing to take over the deal, the two signed a contract in the presence of the shopkeeper. There were three copies in total. The shopkeeper kept one of the contracts as a record and kept the other two copies. One share for each of the two parties involved.

If Qi Xuansu completes the deal, he can come to the shopkeeper with an agreement and take away nine hundred Taiping coins, and the "inn" will take one-tenth of the money, which is one hundred Taiping coins. If Qi Xuansu can't do it, the man can still get back 950 Taiping money from the shopkeeper with the promise of a letter, and the "inn" will only take a cut of the routine fee of 50 Taiping money.

If a dispute arises in the future, the two can use this agreement to go to the "inn" for mediation. If the mediation fails, the "inn" will respond accordingly as appropriate.

As for whether this response will lead to loss of money and avoid disaster, or a bloody disaster, that is not something outsiders can know.

After making an agreement and explaining the details of the transaction, the man handed over the official ticket of one thousand Taiping coins to the shopkeeper. The reputation of the "Inn" is very good, and it has even done big deals worth tens of thousands of Taiping, so there is no need to worry about ruining one's reputation just because of a Thousand Taiping.

As for the specific requirements of this deal, it is quite simple. That is to ask Qi Xuansu to go to the county government office in the city and rescue Li Hongwen, the magistrate of Fengtai County, who is about to be taken away by the Qingluan Guards. It is said that this county magistrate is involved in a major court case. If he is taken to the capital and thrown into prison, it will be very bad.

Qi Xuan has always heard about this major case, and the two factions are at odds with each other. The situation is so confusing that it is difficult to discuss the rights and wrongs.

Furthermore, it is not difficult to guess the identity of this man. Judging from his appearance, he is probably a close aide of the county magistrate who risked his life and fled here to seek help.

Seeing the shopkeeper put away the contract and the official ticket of 1,000 Taiping money, the man was obviously relieved. After putting away his contract carefully, he found a free table nearby and sat down. Then he asked the shopkeeper for a bottle of wine.

The shopkeeper opened the big wine jar behind him, and the aroma of wine immediately overflowed. Then he filled a jug of wine from it without even warming it, and sent it to the man. When they passed by Qi Xuansu, their eyes met for a moment. The shopkeeper's eyes were a little complicated, with a mixture of regret and helplessness, as if he was looking at a dying person.

Qi Xuansu didn't care about this, put the letter of appointment in his sleeve, walked back to his table, first hung the dagger on the table at his waist, then stretched out his hand to press down the bamboo hat, covering his eyes so that people could only see to a slightly slimmer chin. Then he shook his cloak again to cover the sword at his waist.

The man took a deep sip of wine, calmed down a little, and said, "Brother Qi, I have told you all the details. Let me remind you again that this matter is dangerous, so don't be careless."

Qi Xuansu, who was about to walk out, paused for a moment and did not look back: "Thank you very much."

The man wanted to say something else, but thinking of the promise in his arms and fearing to scare the young man away, he silenced his voice, drank in a dull manner, and soon passed out drunk on the table.

Because the entire "inn" was built underground, Qi Xuansu walked into a long corridor that led directly to the ground after leaving the lobby.

There were torches lighting up the corridor, and the distance was quite long. It took about half a stick of incense to walk before we reached the exit.

The moment Qi Xuansu walked out of the corridor, he was greeted by a crossbow arrow, which shot directly into his left leg. The intention was also very obvious, which was to make him incapacitated and capture him obediently.

Qi Xuansu was able to dodge at the last moment. The arrow grazed his thigh and was nailed to the wall behind him. The arrows were all engulfed in the wall. The black tail feathers were still trembling, which showed how powerful the arrow was.

He was very familiar with this kind of crossbow arrow.

this

It is the standard equipment of Qingluan Guard. The arrow has blood groove barbs. If you are shot by this kind of arrow, if you pull out the arrow, a large piece of flesh and blood will be torn off by the barb on the arrow. If you don't pull out the arrow, you will be shot again. The blood tank is constantly bleeding, which is extremely vicious.

Qi Xuansu turned around to look again, and saw a figure striding out of the shadows and standing still more than ten feet away from Qi Xuansu.

This person holds a pitch-black crossbow in his hand. It was obvious that he shot the arrow just now. Looking at this person's attire, he is wearing a cyan narrow-sleeved long-breasted brocade robe, a black iron animal head buckle at the waist, and black feet. The white-faced and square-headed official boots are undoubtedly Qingluan Guards.