Pawn Crossing the River

Qi Xuansu knew that the price on the black market would be more expensive, but he didn't expect that Tianjitang would be so cheap. A brand new "Dragon Hand Gun" and a second-hand "Dragon Hand Gun" that were 80% new on the black market were the same price, so he had no choice but to go to the fourth grade. Only Taoist priests who offer sacrifices to wine can purchase the "Dragon Gun" directly from Tianji Hall. This is the benefit that only high-quality Taoist priests can enjoy.

Zhang Yuelu glanced at Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu nodded slightly.

Then Zhang Yuelu said to the Taoist priest: "Okay, that's it. Are there any more projectiles?"

The Taoist priest looked troubled: "Master should know that our Taoist sect does not control fire guns, but does control projectiles. The Phoenix Eye series and Dragon Eye series must be approved by Tiangang Hall."

This is also the philosophy of Tianjitang. The fire gun is secondary. The key is the projectile fired, which is very different from the Western Continent's emphasis on the fire gun itself.

Zhang Yuelu took out his deputy hall leader's token.

The Taoist priest was shocked: "It turns out to be Deputy Hall Master Zhang of Tiangang Hall. Please wait a moment, Deputy Hall Master Zhang, while I go ask the principal to come over."

Not long after, the local chief hurried over. After greeting Zhang Yuelu, he asked, "I wonder what projectiles Deputy Hall Master Zhang wants?"

Zhang Yuelu asked, "What do you have?"

The manager said: "We don't have the dragon eye and phoenix eye series, above A, so we can only go to the main hall. In addition, 'Long Eye Yi Yi' and 'Phoenix Eye Yi Yi' are out of stock, and they are not available either."

Zhang Yuelu thought for a while and said: "In that case, we need ten rounds of 'Dragon Eyes Yi-Two', twenty rounds of 'Dragon Eyes Yi-Three', and five rounds of 'Feng Eyes Yi-Three'."

The principal said: "The price of 'Long Jing Yi Er' is 10 yuan Taiping money per round, ten rounds is 100 Yuan Taiping money; the price of 'Long Eye Yi 3' is 7 Yuan Taiping money and 500 Ruyi money per round." , twenty rounds is equivalent to 150 Taiping coins; the price of 'Fengyan Yisan' is eight yuan Taiping coins each, five is 40 Yuan Taiping coins, a total of 290 Taiping coins, if additional The 600 yuan of peace money on the 'Shenlong Gun' is a total of 890 yuan of peace money."

Qi Xuansu was still sighing at the cheapness of the "Shenlong Handgun" just now. Now he knows where the big head is. In the past, he used the projectiles issued by Tiangangtang directly and didn't think much of it. Now he went to buy it directly. Only then did he know how to write the word "expensive". In the blink of an eye, half of the "Dragon Gun" had been spent.

Zhang Yuelu said again: "Let's make up a round number. The remaining ten yuan of peace money will be paired with some ordinary projectiles, mainly armor-piercing."

The chief nodded in agreement.

After a while, the Taoist priest was ready and put various projectiles on the table: "Ten rounds of 'Dragon Eye Yi Er', twenty rounds of 'Long Eye Yi San', five 'Feng Yan Yi San', and there are Thirty rounds of ordinary armor-piercing projectiles, and an armpit leather bag is included, which can be used to hold ammunition. Please count it, Deputy Hall Master Zhang."

All projectiles are packed in exquisite black-lacquered wooden boxes. The wooden boxes have the pattern of Tianjitang, and the names of various projectiles are also marked, divided into categories and arranged neatly.

Zhang Yuelu made no move, Qi Xuansu took the initiative to step forward.

Thanks to Zhang Yuelu, he had already used these projectiles earlier and knew what they were. He opened the wooden box and checked it skillfully.

In the earliest times, both artillery shells and musket projectiles were spherical, similar to sword balls, hence the name "projectile". However, with the development of firearms, especially the emergence of rifling, the projectile has to be closely integrated with the rifling, and the diameter will be slightly larger than the blunderbuss tube, making loading difficult. It is even necessary to use a straight bar to knock the projectile into the blunderbuss tube, and the loading speed is very slow. , so the projectile gradually evolved into a pointed cylindrical shape, but the name "projectile" was still left behind.

The shapes of all projectiles are the same, but the difference is that the talisman carvings on "Long Eye Yi Er" and "Long Eye Yi San" are more complex, and the gunpowder inside is also different. The bottom is engraved with "Yi Er" and "Yi San" respectively.

After Qi Xuansu checked that everything was correct, he counted out nine brand-new large tickets that still had the scent of ink and handed them to the supervisor.

The chief took over the official ticket and secretly wondered about the relationship between the two. Although this person was well dressed and generous, a true descendant of an aristocratic family must have some wealth. Is it possible that Master Zhang has a pretty face?

Qi Xuansu put away all the things and roughly estimated his savings in his mind. If he didn't count the fractions, he still had 200 Taiping coins in savings, plus the remaining 200 Taiping coins for buying guns, it was four hundred dollars. Taipei money. However, he still has the resettlement allowance that Tiangang Hall has not yet paid, and he has not received the monthly subsidy from the Qingping Society. Even after returning to Yujing, he can be promoted to the sixth grade reserve wine, and enjoy the treatment of the fifth grade candidate wine, with a monthly allowance of One hundred dollars of peace money. As for the worry-free money stored in Qiniang, I can probably buy materials once, but I won't use it for the time being.

From this point of view, his future is still bright. He can save at least about 1,000 yuan of peace money every year. In just three or four years, he can consider leaving Haichanfang, buying a house in Shangbafang, and then It is no longer a luxury to be promoted to a fifth-grade Taoist priest or a fourth-grade wine-offering Taoist priest.

Next, you can consider starting a family, that is, forming a Taoist couple with a congenial female crown.

As for the heir, there is no need to force it, it depends on the wishes of the two people. Taoism is different from the secular world in this aspect and cannot be generalized.

Of course, the premise is that he cannot die accidentally on the way, and his identity as a member of the Qingping Society cannot be discovered.

Thinking of this, Qi Xuansu couldn't help but feel heavy.

Qiniang is right, living in Qingpinghui is not the right path after all, but climbing up in the Taoist sect is the right path. Therefore, the goal of leaving the Qingpinghui remains unchanged.

Qi Xuansu subconsciously glanced at Zhang Yuelu beside him from the corner of his eye.

Zhang Yuelu didn't know what Qi Xuansu was thinking, and her thoughts didn't revolve around her future like Qi Xuansu did. She was thinking about something useful and useless.

What is she doing now?

Strictly speaking, she used her own name to help Qi Xuansu buy the "Dragon Gun" and the corresponding ammunition.

Is this behavior appropriate? Dao Sect has not made clear regulations, so it is not considered a violation, but Dao Sect does not support this behavior, so it is considered a minor loophole.

Now she helped Qi Xuansu buy a "Dragon Gun" on his behalf, and there seemed to be no problem, and no one could blame her. But if a more powerful person in the Taoist sect "purchases" dozens or hundreds of guns on his behalf, and then puts all these "dragon gun guns" on the black market to make profits and earn the price difference, then what does it count?

Zhang Yuelu couldn't help but want to go deeper.

Why not close this loophole? Don't want to be blocked? Still can't block it?

If it is the former, then it means that this has become an unwritten rule. If it is the latter, where does the resistance come from?

Zhang Yuelu only felt that the road ahead was long and he didn’t know where the way out was. How easy was it to change the Taoism? Even if Xuan Sheng comes to this world, I'm afraid it's not that easy to change.

What does it mean to be weak-minded, and what does it mean to speak lightly.

It's just a matter of taking one step at a time, and every step you can take is worth it.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu asked softly: "Qingxiao, shall we go?"

Zhang Yuelu came back to his senses, nodded and said: "Okay."

The two of them walked out of the branch hall of Tianji Hall together, but they were in no hurry to go down the steps.

Zhang Yuelu suddenly stretched out his hand in front of Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu was startled and didn't quite understand what Zhang Yuelu meant. He hesitated and stretched out a hand to shake Zhang Yuelu's hand.

It's a little soft, a little cool, and quite smooth.

As exchanges between the East and the West deepened, a group of people led by the cabinet minister set off a trend of Western learning. Qi Xuansu remembered that there was this kind of etiquette in the Western Continent. When two people met, they would show each other the right hand holding the weapon to show that they were not carrying weapons or malicious. Later, it gradually evolved into a handshake, which is roughly equivalent to the fist-holding ceremony in the Central Plains.

Zhang Yuelu knocked Qi Xuansu's hand off angrily and glared at him: "Take advantage of this opportunity?"

"It was clearly you who reached out on your own initiative, why did you slap him down?" Qi Xuansu felt unfair.

Zhang Yuelu said: "Where is my 'Dragon Hand Gun'? You have your own 'Dragon Hand Gun', should you give it back to me?"

Qi Xuansu touched his "old love" that had been with him for more than half a month, and then touched his "new love" that was still in the box. He smiled awkwardly and said: "I heard that there is a handshake etiquette in the Western Continent. I was wondering how you can After I changed my gender, I started to pay attention to Western etiquette. Speaking of Western etiquette, people in the Western Continent have very strange etiquette. There are hand kisses, hugs, and cheek kisses, which are really offensive. "

The corners of Zhang Yuelu's mouth were raised, not at all charming, but rather aura of dragon and tiger, just as Qi Xuansu said, like a tiger, like a dragon, which made Qi Xuansu feel a bit chilly for no reason.

Then I heard Zhang Yuelu ask: "Do you also want to try the etiquette of the Western Continent?"

Qi Xuansu coughed lightly and said seriously: "Where are you thinking? I have no intention of doing so. I just think that the people in the Western Continent, even if they are not barbarians, are very different from us in the Central Plains, which is strange."

Zhang Yuelu snorted and did not pursue the matter further. There was a faint arc in the corner of his mouth: "Where is my gun? Hand it over quickly."

Qi Xuansu hesitated for a moment, rubbed the ivory handle of the gun, and said: "The best companion of a Jianghu person is a weapon. I have been fighting side by side with it for more than half a month, and we have gotten along very well. The accuracy of the shot and the feel of it, etc., I You can also be aware of it. If you change it to a new gun and have to run it in again, why don't I give you the new gun? "

Zhang Yuelu did not take back his hand and said calmly: "This is a good proposal. If this 'Dragon Hand Gun' is mine, then I will definitely agree. Anyway, I don't use it very much, so it doesn't matter which one. It's a pity that this one The 'Dragon Gun' is not mine, but issued by Tiangang Hall. It has a number on it and cannot be traded."

Qi Xuansu lamented, and handed the "old love" that he had used easily into Zhang Yuelu's hands. He took out the brand-new "new love" from the box, loaded it with an ordinary projectile, and put it into the holster.

Zhang Yuelu took the blunderbuss in his hand and gently stroked the blunderbuss body, thoughtfully.