Taiping Inn

When walking in the martial arts world, people only see the heroes coming and going like the wind, and how heroic and chivalrous they are when they attack, but few people know that the martial arts world is not just about swords and swords. In addition, daily food, clothing, housing and transportation are all big problems.

"Clothing" and "travel" are easy to say. Who doesn't wear clothes when going out and can walk with legs? However, accommodation and food are big problems. Let's talk about accommodation first. Because there are mostly bandits outside the city, there are generally only inns in the city. And those that are directly opened outside the city like Taiping Inn are either relied on or black shops. Therefore, most of the time, they can only sleep in the open air, with the sky as a blanket and the ground as a seat. It's okay in sunny weather, but if it's windy, frost, rainy and snowy, the hardship is really unspeakable to outsiders.

Another thing is eating. As long as you don't step into the innate realm and can't eat for a day, you can't live without grains for a day. It's true that you can carry dry food with you, but how many people like Li Xuandu who have the treasure of Mount Sumeru in the mustard seed? The dry food that can be carried with you is very limited. If you are in a place where there are few people, there is a danger of running out of food. Moreover, after a long time, the dry food you carry with you is cold and hard, like a stone, and it is difficult to swallow. If you are in the mountains, it is not difficult to find game, but it is really troublesome to do it yourself, and without seasoning, the taste of barbecue is not flattering.

So, traveling in the world is not as free and easy as many rookies imagine. In fact, it is still a technical job.

Zhou Shuning followed Li Xuandu to travel in the world during this period of time. Although Li Xuandu took good care of her and she didn't have to worry about food, clothing, housing and transportation, it was still a bit hard. Just traveling dozens or even hundreds of miles every day made her very tired, so now that she finally had a carriage to travel, the little girl's excitement can be imagined.

The carriage was prepared by Lingxiu Villa. All the signs were removed. The whole carriage was plain. There was no shock-absorbing structure for dignitaries, and the horses pulling the carriage were also plain. Fortunately, once you enter Jingzhou, you will be in the Jiangnan area. The post road system is well-developed, and the road surface is wide and flat, enough for the carriage to run smoothly without too much bumps.

Li Xuandu and Zhou Shuning were in the carriage. Li Xuandu supervised the little girl to practice martial arts, and also taught her some tricks of martial arts. Hu Liang could only act as a driver. Li Xuandu laughed and said that letting a master of the Xiantian realm act as a driver, let alone ordinary dignitaries, I am afraid that no one in the royal family can afford to do this.

Jiuhe Prefecture is known as the place where nine rivers converge, which shows that its terrain is complex. Even the official army of the Governor's Office cannot completely block it, and the Governor has no intention of starting a war here. After leaving Jiuhe Prefecture safely, the group entered the territory of Shuiyang Prefecture in Jingzhou without stopping. On the way, there was no Qingluan Guard to block the road. The journey of five or six counties was passed without any waves.

During these days, the three people rarely stayed in the city, and usually slept in the wild. Fortunately, it was just the beginning of autumn, and it was not too cold. Let the girl cover herself with a few more clothes and barely spend the night in the carriage. Hu Liang and Li Xuandu stayed in front of the carriage and made do with it for one night. For these old people in the world, this little bit of hardship is really nothing.

After about ten days of driving, there was only Ping'an County left to Jiangling Prefecture. The little girl lifted the curtains and looked around. Unlike the north, which was gradually turning yellow, the south of the Yangtze River was still full of greenery, which made people feel relaxed and happy. As the saying goes, the land and water nurture the people. The scenery in the south of the Yangtze River is picturesque. The people living in this land are not as fierce and martial as those in the bitter and cold northwest. The soft and gentle Wu dialect and the delicate female figures are another kind of style.

Ping'an County, although it is a county town, is really famous.

The whole Shuiyang Prefecture knows that there are two major families in Ping'an County, one is the wealthy Long family, and the other is the scholarly Sun family. The two divide Ping'an County into two, each occupying half. The former has a deep connection with Jing Chan Sect, and its current head is a lay disciple of Jing Chan Sect, and is one of the eyes and ears of Jing Chan Sect in Jiangnan. With a large family and a strong backing, it is naturally not comparable to Lingxiu Villa, which is in a period of transition and declining. The latter is not much different, being a branch of the Sun family, a wealthy family in Songyin Prefecture, who have been officials for generations and have been passed down from generation to generation. The two families have taken root here, and it seems that one is civil and the other is military, complementing each other.

As the carriage drove towards Ping'an County, Li Xuandu began to introduce the local customs and practices to the little girl who was leaning on the window to look at the scenery. "Even if you look at the entire Jiangnan region, the Sun family is the most prominent aristocratic family. They have 200,000 acres of fertile land in Songyin Prefecture, which is almost half the area of ​​Songyin Prefecture. The current Prime Minister and the current imperial tutor, Sun Songchan, was born in the Sun family. Speaking of Sun Songchan, his father, Sun Xincun, once served as a cabinet minister during the reign of Emperor Shizong. He was a poet and painter, and was especially famous for his calligraphy. He learned from Ou and Zhu when he was young, and then from Dong and Mi. After middle age, he followed Yan from Qian, but was not bound by Yan's calligraphy. , the structure is broad and open, the strokes are strong and powerful, the style is vigorous and vigorous, simple and elegant, in the sixth year of Ming Yong, he won the first place in the imperial examination, served as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the Minister of the Ministry of Works, and the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, first served as the Prince's Grand Tutor, and after the young emperor ascended the throne, he was promoted to the Junior Tutor and promoted to the Chief Assistant of the Cabinet, and was the current imperial tutor, with unlimited power. "

"Now the Sun family of Ping'an County is a branch of the Sun family of Songyin Prefecture. They have been a family of scholars for generations. Every generation has people who have become officials, from the county magistrate of the seventh rank to the second rank of the six ministries. There are countless students, former officials and colleagues of the same year, and they have a great influence in the court and the country. "

"Since the Long family can stand shoulder to shoulder with the Sun family in Ping'an County, apart from its status as a Jingchan sect, it is also quite good, with many masters. The current head of the Long family, Long Xiaoyun, has a very good cultivation level. It is hard to say whether he is in the Xiantian realm or the Guizhen realm. It is said that he once had a competition with Zhang Luanshan. He was unlucky because Zhang Luanshan was at his peak at that time and could be said to be invincible under the Guizhen realm. After the two sides fought for an incense stick of time, Long Xiaoyun knew that he was no match for him and took the initiative to admit defeat. Later, he had a fight with Yan Feiqing, who had not yet entered the Guizhen realm. Although his Jingchan sect's Xisui Gong was ultimately defeated by Yan Feiqing's Zhengyi sect's Chunyang Gong, it can be said that he was defeated with honor. Later, he practiced in seclusion and rarely took action. I don't know if he has entered the Guizhen realm now."

……

Ping'an County is close to the river, and there is a pier not far from the city gate. The river water flows through the jurisdiction of Ping'an County and separates the entire Shuiyang Prefecture and Jiangling Prefecture, and finally merges into the mighty and rolling river.

At this time, a two-story building ship is going down the river, and then turns into the Jingshui River in Jingzhou, passing through Jiangling Prefecture and Shuiyang Prefecture. The exterior of this building ship is extremely gorgeous, with carved beams and painted rafters, hanging brocade, and there is even the sound of stringed instruments faintly coming from behind the brocade gauze, which contrasts with the sound of the surging river.

At this time, there is a woman standing on the railing on the second floor of the building ship. She is the palace official who once appeared in Longmen Inn in Longmen Prefecture. She is not wearing makeup, wearing white clothes and barefoot. Not only does she not show the temperament of a demon woman, but she looks more like a fairy who has ascended to heaven.

People often say that great falsehood looks like truth, and great treachery looks like loyalty. If it is put on a woman, it is probably a great demon who looks like a fairy.

In the pavilion behind her, there were twelve women holding various musical instruments. The various stringed instruments coming from the boat were played by them. All of these women were beautiful and graceful, wearing various gauze clothes. They were all different in their beauty and not in the same rigid routine.

There were two other people on the left and right of the palace official. One of them was dressed as a woman with a high bun like clouds. She was cold and serious. She was holding a long sword in her arms. The head of the long sword was decorated with a red tassel, which was somewhat similar to the swords worn by scholars. The other one was a young man with a burly figure, a resolute look, and a pair of eyes full of brilliance. It was obvious that this person had a good cultivation. If he had a few opportunities, he would enter the realm of returning to the truth that people in the rivers and lakes dreamed of. It was not a foolish dream. He also wore a long sword suitable for killing on the battlefield on his waist, exuding a sharp killing breath.

A man and a woman, a sword and a saber, a perfect match.

The palace official stood in the wind, her clothes fluttering, her demeanor unconventional.

She looked towards the distant Ping'an County and whispered to herself: "Ping'an County is really suitable for the scene."