Pawn Crossing the River

After Zhang Yuelu left the Imperial Capital, he walked for a while when suddenly clouds gathered and the sky suddenly became gloomy.

Seeing that a snowstorm is coming.

Zhang Yuelu was not afraid of the wind and snow, but she had no destination. She was just leaving the Imperial Capital temporarily. There was no point in rushing aimlessly, so she simply found a roadside inn to take shelter from the wind and snow.

At this time, the wind and snow blocked the road, and many people had gathered in the inn.

Because she was going out, Zhang Yuelu put on a cloak, the same kind she wore when she and Qi Xuansu went to the Western Regions. He also wore a hood, covering half of his face and only exposing his chin.

Zhang Yuelu hated the act of wearing a veil, but this time she came into contact with Ziguang Society, which made her feel guilty for no reason. She didn't want to show her true face to others, or she was afraid that others would see her and deceived herself.

When Zhang Yuelu opened the door and walked into the inn, the entire inn lobby suddenly fell silent.

The reason is very simple. It is not because Zhang Yuelu shows off the aura of a heavenly being, but because there are obvious traces of Taoism on his cloak, which means that the person coming is a Taoist priest of Taoism, and he is not the kind of wandering Taoist priest who has no official position, but a real Taoist priest. Most of the Taoist priests who have been practicing Taoism in service are those who started out as Taoist priests of the sixth grade.

This is not to blame for Zhang Yuelu's arrogance. After all, he is a third-grade Youyi Taoist priest. All kinds of clothes and clothing are distributed uniformly by the Taoist sect. This is the rule set by the five generations of great masters in order to uniformly dress. It is impossible for her to prepare a few ordinary Taoist priests in advance. clothing.

When people in the world meet these Taoist sect members who are not wandering Taoist priests, they either address them respectfully as Taoist masters, or address them as Taoist masters with a hint of irony, which shows the status of Taoist sect members. As for titles like "Tao Men Dog", only demons from secret societies dare to do so, and they must be members of the three major secret societies.

Many people in the world subconsciously lowered their voices.

At this time, there were no empty tables. Zhang Yuelu chose a table by the window. She didn't mind sharing a table with others, but the guests at this table were afraid of her and gave up the table directly to the next table. Others huddle together.

Zhang Yuelu sighed inaudibly and without saying anything else, she greeted the waiter and ordered a pot of white wine - she didn't like the soft and sweet taste of rice wine.

Nowadays, the world is at peace, the imperial court is rich all over the world, maritime trade is flourishing, and the people's life is not bad. If they can't live on, they go to the sea to go to the legendary New World where silver and gold are everywhere. Maybe they can make a fortune. If he died accidentally, that would be the end of it.

In addition, in order to effectively control Borneo and East Borneo, the Taoist sect strongly encouraged people to go overseas to reclaim wasteland, and even sent Pingzhang Dazhen to personally sit in charge for many years to coordinate and dispatch, which can be regarded as opening up territory in another sense. If there were really refugees, they would have boarded Daomen's big ship and headed to Nanyang without having to go to the stage of the uprising. As a result, in the past two hundred years, there has never been an uprising involving more than a thousand refugees, which can be regarded as the highest number in history.

From this point of view, Daxuan of Dao Sect is a dynasty similar to Daqi. It develops outward, is broad, and must be inclusive.

Not to mention the chaos in the middle and last years of Da Qi, Xijing in the early years of Da Qi was the largest capital city in the world. There were not only people from the Central Plains, but also other ethnic groups collectively known as Hu people.

Today's Taoism is actually the same principle. Tolerance can lead to greatness, and tolerance can be broad. Therefore, Taoism has been influenced by Western learning, and Western style is quite popular. This is the same reason that Daqi was influenced by the Hu people.

Since we are tolerant, we are naturally open. The upper class should pay attention to their words and deeds, but ordinary people will not be punished for their words. Talking about state affairs is not taboo in the inn, and there is no sign saying "Don't talk about state affairs".

It's just that there is really no state affairs to talk about now. The war in the Western Region has ended. As expected, there is another great victory, which is already a bit calm. Then there are the Westerners fighting on the West Posas Island, but the distance is too far. West Posas Island is separated from Lingnan by East Posas Island and Borneo, and from Lingnan to Imperial Capital, the total distance is more than 108,000 miles. It really doesn't touch people's hearts.

Therefore, the guests in the inn were mostly talking about some rumors in the world. A certain old boxer and a certain old escort made a certain bet, and the outcome would be decided on such and such a day in a certain place. Or maybe a certain hero was kicked out of the hall for revenge and lost face.

For Zhang Yuelu, it was very helpless.

interest.

It is true that Dao Sect has been struggling in such a quagmire of rivers and lakes, but today is different from the past. Dao Sect is no longer the Dao Sect of the past. It is the lord of the world. Internally, it controls the nineteen states in the world, and externally there are Fenglinzhou, In Borneo, Borneo, and even the Western Continent and the New Continent, Taoist disciples will naturally no longer pay attention to the world.

At this moment, a female voice was suddenly heard saying: "Shopkeeper, are there any guest rooms?"

The shopkeeper smiled apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, it's full today."

The woman said again: "Okay, is there any room left?"

The shopkeeper glanced at Zhang Yuelu, who was occupying a table to himself, and continued to apologize and said with a smile: "I'm really sorry, there are really too many customers today, it's really..."

Zhang Yuelu said: "If you don't mind, I have an empty seat here, and we can share a table."

After the words fell, the woman had entered the lobby. Everyone's eyes lit up when they saw the woman. They saw that she was more than thirty years old, with an almond-shaped face and rosy cheeks, a beautiful face, wearing a light blue brocade leather jacket, and her clothes were quite luxurious. , but she doesn’t look like a noble lady, but rather like a woman who travels around the world.

The woman walked straight towards Zhang Yuelu's table and thanked her: "Thank you so much, girl."

Zhang Yuelu didn't answer, just drank.

The woman sat opposite Zhang Yuelu, looked at Zhang Yuelu carefully, and suddenly said: "Is this girl looking for someone?"

Zhang Yuelu paused slightly. Because of Qi Xuansu, she did not despise the so-called Lao Jianghu. She thought that she was inexperienced and would be seen through by Lao Jianghu, so she replied: "I am looking for a woman."

"A woman?" the woman said with a smile, "It's not weird for a man to find a woman, but it's a little weird for a woman to find a woman. Is it a sister? Or a mother? It can't be a daughter."

Zhang Yuelu said cryptically: "Not sisters, nor mothers, nor daughters. Strictly speaking, what I am looking for is a group of women. It is said that many of the women in the Imperial City are related to them, but for some reasons, I You can’t go to the imperial palace.”

The woman did not answer immediately, but waved to the waiter: "Bring me a bottle of the best liquor."

Zhang Yuelu asked: "Do you know such a woman?"

The woman looked at Zhang Yuelu and smiled: "The girl is talking about... Ziguang Society?"

Zhang Yuelu was silent.

"You are welcome." The man came to the table with a bottle of wine, placed it in front of the woman, and then left.

Zhang Yuelu then said: "I didn't say I was looking for a secret society."

"But the girl has made it very clear. I have met many people, and it is easy to tell who the girl is talking about." The woman laughed.

Zhang Yuelu put down the wine bottle in his hand, looked at the woman in front of him up and down, and asked, "Who are you?"

The woman said calmly: "My name is Xuanji, a wanderer who travels everywhere."

Zhang Yuelu looked at the woman in front of him who called himself "Xuanji" and asked: "Nowadays, is being a Jianghu person also an identity?"

The woman said: "I originally belonged to a sect, but unfortunately the juniors in the sect seized power and kicked me out, and I became a lonely ghost in the world."

Zhang Yuelu whispered: "Jianghu."

"Yes, Jianghu, where there are people is Jianghu." Xuanji said, "Beyond the temple is Jianghu."

Zhang Yuelu then asked: "How do you know Ziguang Society?"

Xuanji looked directly into Zhang Yuelu's eyes: "That's a good question. Of course it's through some rumors in the world. As a Sanren in Jianghu, of course this is not the Sanren inheritance of Taoism, but a Sanren in the literal sense. I can only know some through various rumors. Of course, there are not many powerful people and people who are as well-informed as me.”

Zhang Yuelu lowered his eyes slightly: "You are indeed well-informed. You are better-informed than a Taoist who is looking for traces of a secret association."

Xuanji smiled again: "Moreover, what I met was not an ordinary Taoist person. What I met was the Taoist's youngest third-grade Youyi Taoist, the granddaughter of the Tianshi, and the deputy director of the Tiangang Hall, Zhang Yuelu."

Zhang Yuelu was shocked in his heart, but his face remained calm.

: "You also know me from rumors in the world?"

Xuanji didn't answer, but picked up the wine bottle and took a sip of wine.

Zhang Yuelu continued to ask: "Do you know where to find people from Ziguang Society?"

Xuanji put down the wine bottle and knocked it on the table: "Before answering, I would like to ask, does this have something to do with the Zhang family?"

Zhang Yuelu's tone was slightly cold: "It has nothing to do with you."

Xuanji was not angry, and stretched out her hand to support Bu Yao on her head: "That's right, I'm just an insignificant person, Zhang Gaogong really doesn't need to explain anything to me."

Zhang Yuelu's tone increased: "What do you know? Tell me everything."

Xuanji still looked relaxed: "This is not the attitude of asking for help, you don't even want to say the word "please". "

Zhang Yuelu was silent for a moment, and his tone was much gentler: "Please tell me."

Xuanji said: "It's actually not difficult to find Ziguangshe. After leaving this inn and heading east, about thirty miles away, there is a business with an ajar door. Do you know what ajar door means?"

If it were Zhang Yuelu from before, he really wouldn't know, but Qi Xuansu was ordered to rectify the situation not long ago, and the two often communicated through the scriptures. Zhang Yuelu naturally knew it now, and nodded: "It is the lowest brothel."

Xuanji smiled and said: "It seems that the Zhang family girl is not a worldly person. If you want to find Ziguang Society, just go there."

Zhang Yuelu stared at Xuanji.

From beginning to end, others ignored the conversation between the two.

Xuanji continued to drink, her face getting redder and redder.

Soon, she got drunk, lay on the table, and fell into a deep sleep.

About half an hour later, she woke up, opened her hazy drunken eyes, and looked around blankly, as if she didn't recognize Zhang Yuelu at all: "Where is this?"

Zhang Yuelu frowned.

The person in front of me is just a marionette.

From this point of view, since she set foot in this inn, she has been under the gaze of a certain existence.