Sword of Coming

Before Chen Ping'an accompanied Mao Xiaodong down the mountain to the Confucian Temple in Beijing to "try his luck", he first arranged the manpower in the academy to prevent others from taking advantage of the loophole for no apparent reason. count.

First, Pei Qian was asked to move out of the guest house and live in the house where Xie Xie took care of him. He was accompanied by Shi Rou. Chen Pingan gave her the golden demon-binding rope.

Lin Shouyi would practice in the courtyard named Cui Dongshan during the day, and "Du Mao" moved in. After chatting with Chen Pingan, Lin Shouyi simply lived in the courtyard openly.

Chen Pingan asked Zhu Lian and Yu Lu to take care of Li Baoping and Li Huai secretly.

Zhu Lian and Yu Lu, a rickety old man who always smiles when he sees a woman, and a tall young man who always has a calm smile on his face, who would have imagined that they are actually two pure warriors who travel far away.

Li Baoping and Pei Qian stayed in Cui Dongshan's main house together at night. I believe Cui Dongshan would not have any objections and would not dare to do so.

Xie Xie and Lin Shouyi each lived in a side house. Shi Rou was a female figure and could serve as a night watchman, while Li Huai shared a room with Lin Shouyi.

Zhu Lian does not need to live in the courtyard, he can just sleep in the original guest house at night.

But Yu Lu must partner with Shi Rou to watch the whole night.

Chen Ping'an didn't quite believe that Shi Rou could handle some emergencies.

On the other hand, Yu Lu has always been reassuring.

As for Mao Xiaodong's academy, among the masters who watch the night, there have always been civil and military distinctions. For example, Dong Jing, the great scholar who had a green eye for Lin Shouyi, is an old golden elixir monk who is proficient in thunder magic, and there is also a The person who is not famous is the unknown Yuanying Earth Immortal. Like Mao Xiaodong, he comes from Dali. It is the old man named Liang who guards the gate of the academy. At the critical moment, this person can replace Mao Xiaodong. Academy.

Finally, Chen Ping'an called Li Baoping aside alone and handed her the two items he got from Li Baozhen, a jade pendant with "Dragon Palace" engraved on it and a very high-grade Day and Night Traveling God True Body Talisman.

Li Baoping was a little confused.

Chen Ping'an did not hide anything, and told Li Baoping roughly what happened when he and Li Baozhen met in Qingluan Kingdom. Finally, he rubbed Li Baoping's head and said softly: "I will not take the initiative to find you again in the future." Brother, I will try my best to avoid him, but if Li Baozhen doesn't give up, or feels humiliated at the Lion Park, and there is another conflict in the future, I will not show mercy. Of course, these have nothing to do with you."

Li Baoping was a little depressed, but his eyes were still bright, "Uncle Junior, you and my second brother just follow the rules of the world, and we should keep our grudges clear..."

Li Baoping said this and asked: "Uncle Junior, can I write a letter to my eldest brother and ask him to persuade my second brother to stop?"

Chen Pingan thought for a while, nodded and said: "It's feasible."

Just as Li Baoping was about to speak, he was about to give the jade pendant and talisman to Chen Pingan.

Before the young master came down the mountain this time, he had already told them about the current situation.

Li Baoping just wanted to give his little uncle two more things.

Chen Ping'an already smiled and said: "In the Lion Garden, I teamed up with a very powerful female crown of magic swords to capture an extremely rare monster that was equivalent to a living cornucopia. We gained a lot. The female crown had a monopoly on the monster. , as compensation and remuneration, she gave me sixty-two Grain Rain coins. So I want to borrow the Day and Night Wandering God's true body talisman from you. It's not buying, but borrowing. It's a bit like a pawn shop, but we reverse it and you pawn the talisman. Give it to me, I will give you these Guyu coins. Because this talisman is of extremely high quality and is not a one-time consumption. It can be used repeatedly. As long as the immortal money can support it, the two day and night wandering gods can always exist in the world. Even after the aura gold is dispersed, as long as the person who draws the talisman has the ability to put the finishing touch on the talisman, he can still order the two gods to appear. To be honest, sixty-two Grain Rain coins are a lot of money, but buying This priceless talisman is still not enough. So I am not buying a talisman..."

After holding it in for a long time, Li Baoping couldn't bear it anymore and said seriously: "Uncle Junior, I'm very sad that you see me outside like this."

Chen Ping'an explained patiently: "You, me, and your eldest brother are all out, but the whole Fulu Street Li family still needs to be out. You pawned the talisman at the temporary pawn shop of Junior Master Uncle. Later, the Grain Rain money can be sent to Longquan County by Master Maoshan. Your grandfather is now the Nascent Soul Immortal born and raised in our hometown. There is probably no shortage of various magic weapons and the like. After all, we in Lizhu Cave are good at picking up leaks. The four major surnames and the ten major clans must be the best at it, but your grandfather must have more of the fairy money now. Although the magic weapon at the bottom of the box at home can be sold for money, there is definitely no need to worry about selling it, but for Qi practitioners, unless it is with oneself Generally speaking, people are reluctant to take action on spiritual weapons and magic weapons that are inconsistent with the Dao."

Li Baoping smiled brightly, "It turns out that my junior uncle is still thinking about me. It was me who wrongly blamed my junior uncle. I was rude and disrespectful. It's my fault."

Li Baoping began to bow and apologize to Chen Pingan in a decent manner.

After Li Baoping stood up straight, Chen Pingan stretched out his hands, pinched her cheeks, and joked with a smile: "Quickly squeeze the little Baoping now while she hasn't grown up yet."

Li Baoping stood still, his smart eyes narrowed into crescent moons with a smile.

Chen Pingan finally watched Li Baoping run away.

Going to the mountain gate of the academy, Mao Xiaodong has been waiting for a long time.

The two left the academy, walked through the street, and turned into Baimao Street. Chen Pingan quietly handed the talisman to Mao Xiaodong.

Mao Xiaodong glanced at it and put it in his sleeve.

The tall old man asked Chen Pingan with the ripples in his heart, "I've never seen this talisman before, and the material is weird. Do you have any explanation?"

Chen Ping'an responded with pure martial arts converging sounds: "It is an ancient talisman from the "Authentic Book of Alchemy". It is called the True Body Talisman of the Day and Night Traveling God. The essence is in the word 'True Body'. The book says It can connect with the gods themselves. It is not like the ordinary Taoist talisman sect that relies on a little talisman spiritual light to invite the gods and dharma images. The appearance is redundant. This talisman is mostly spiritual, and it is said to contain a divinity."

Afterwards, Chen Pingan explained in detail the techniques and precautions for controlling this talisman.

The more Mao Xiaodong listened, the more surprised he became, "Where did such a precious talisman come from?"

Chen Pingan ignored his personal grudges with Li Baozhen and only said that someone asked him to give the amulet to Li Baoping.

Mao Xiaodong smiled and asked, "You just leave it to me?"

Chen Ping'an said: "In the hands of Master Maoshan, everything can be put to its best use. I am a martial artist who uses talismans, but I don't know how to use them. I have not learned the most authentic method of the "Authentic Book of Alchemy", so it is easy to damage the original essence of the talisman. Any talisman that is illuminated by me will be fished in a dry lake."

Mao Xiaodong said something strange, "Well, I have learned it personally."

Chen Ping'an was a little baffled.

Mao Xiaodong didn't say anything.

As expected of Cui Dongshan’s little junior brother who is known as the boy who gives money, does he really give gifts and spread wealth to everyone he sees?

The two of them were walking on Baimao Street, and Chen Pingan asked: "Xiaobaoping skipped so many classes for me, my junior uncle, isn't Lord Mao worried about her studies?"

Mao Xiaodong said: "Li Baoping is the one who has learned the most correctly in our academy. As for knowledge, there are so many books by sages from hundreds of schools of thought in the library of Shanya Academy. Just reading is very interesting. If you are not sincere, you will not The words in the book are very squeamish and arrogant. Those words will not grow out of the book, move away from the book, and go into the belly of the reader. Li Baoping is very good. The words in the book explain Some of the truths are not big. Not only did they grow legs, live in her belly, but also entered her heart. Finally, these words returned to the world of heaven and earth, and sprang out from the heart, growing wings. , came to the cart where she was selling charcoal to the old man, landed on the chessboard where she was watching the game without saying a word, was pushed away by two naughty children, ran to the place where she was supporting the old woman... It seemed like everything was there. Trivial things are actually very remarkable. Aren't we Confucian sages always pursuing this? Reading is the three immortals. Later generations often salivate over the three words of words, merit and virtue, but they don't know that the word "establish" is the foundation. Where. How to be able to stand upright, stand firm, and have great knowledge."

Mao Xiaodong clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky in the capital. "Chen Pingan, you missed a lot of beautiful scenery. Every time Xiaobaoping goes out to play, I follow him quietly. This great Sui capital city has such a turbulent situation. After the little girl in red clothes appeared, it felt like... coming to life."

Mao Xiaodong spoke more emotionally, while Chen Pingan was simply a little happy, happy that Xiao Baoping was successful in his studies at the academy.

Mao Xiaodong suddenly said: "You are reading both Confucianism and Legalism now, so I have to remind you a few words. If Confucianism is mixed but not refined, it will be easy to get confused, as if everything can be found from books. It makes people feel confused, especially when they encounter issues involving big rights and wrongs. But you should also pay attention to why throughout history, there has never been a monarch of a country who Are you willing to openly proclaim that you only respect Legalism?"

Before Chen Pingan could speak, Mao Xiaodong had already waved his hand and said, "You underestimate the capacity of the Confucian sages, and you underestimate the strength of the Confucian sages."

Mao Xiaodong sighed softly: "Do you know how the saints view the level of a certain line of knowledge?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "I definitely don't know that."

He subconsciously took off the wine gourd and used these heartfelt words from Master Mao to drink. The taste was so good that Chen Pingan could have endless aftertaste.

Mao Xiaodong pointed to the crowd of people on the bustling street, pointed a few times casually, and said with a smile: "For example, Confucianism makes people fall in love, and Legalism makes people stay apart."

Chen Pingan was thoughtful.

Mao Xiaodong said: "This is just my opinion, and it may not be correct. If you think it is useful, take it and chew it as a side dish. If you think it is useless, just throw it away. It doesn't matter. There are so many good words in the book, and it doesn't matter. Seeing how the world cherishes and understands it thoroughly, my half-full knowledge, Mao Xiaodong, is really nothing."

Chen Ping'an drank and said nothing.

Mao Xiaodong was silent for a moment, looking at the endless flow of Beijing streets, and remembered for no reason a certain casual saying of a certain little bastard, "What drives history forward is often some wonderful mistakes, some extreme ideas and a few inevitable of accident.”

Mao Xiaodong's thoughts wandered far away. When he came back to his senses, he still didn't wait for Chen Ping'an to speak. The old man turned around and said in surprise: "Shouldn't I say a few polite words at this time, such as Master Mao Shan is very knowledgeable and should not belittle oneself?"

Chen Pingan was speechless.

Mr. Qi, Sword Immortal and Cui Chan.

Then to the tall old man next to him.

Chen Pingan always felt that the disciples taught by Mr. Wen Sheng were too different.

Just looking back, I realized that Cui Dongshan and Pei Qian, my "students", seemed to be in a similar situation.

If possible, Cao Qinglang from Lotus Flower Blessed Land will be added in the future, and everyone will be even more different.

I remember a book on elementary school once said that spring is when a hundred flowers bloom.

Makes sense.

————

In the dusk, Chen Pingan and Mao Xiaodong have not yet returned to the academy.

Cui Dongshan's courtyard was crowded with people for the first time.

Li Baoping, Li Huai, Lin Shouyi, Yu Lu, thank you.

Plus Pei Qian and Shi Rou.

Lin Shouyi and Xie Xie sat at both ends of the green bamboo corridor of Qingxiao Crossing, each breathing in and practicing.

Shi Rou, who was tied up, felt that there was no place for her to stand in the academy, and she felt even more awkward in this courtyard.

Chen Ping'an has briefly mentioned some of the origins and cultivation abilities of Li Huai and others intermittently.

Shi Rou had seen Li Baoping's second brother Li Baozhen before. He was a very ruthless man.

Li Huai's father is said to be a ten-level martial artist who almost killed Song Changjing, the king of the Great Li vassal. He also climbed a mountain alone with two fists to demolish the Tongye Sect's ancestral hall.

Chen Ping'an has not said Yu Lu's identity, but Shi Rou already knows that this young tall scholar is a pure martial artist in the eighth realm.

Xie Xie's current identity is said to be Cui Dongshan's maid. Shi Rou only knows that Xie Xie was once a monastic genius in a great dynasty.

Shi Rou stood at the entrance of the courtyard, intentionally or unintentionally keeping a distance from everyone.

Shi Rou knew that these people came to Sui Dynasty for the first time to study, and Chen Pingan was "the master" along the way. According to what Chen Pingan heard when chatting with Pei Qian and Zhu Lian, Chen Pingan was only a second or third grader at that time. Jingwufu?

Why do these people, who are considered the pride of heaven in any great dynasty, seem to regard Chen Pingan, a foreigner who has just arrived at the academy, as a natural and even natural thing to arrange for him?

Li Baoping was copying books in Cui Dongshan's small study.

Pei Qian and Li Huai lay on the green bamboo floor at the door of the main room, took out Cui Dongshan's favorite chessboard and chess jar, and started playing backgammon.

The rules are the same as Cui Dongshan's trick that defrauded Pei Qian.

Yu Lu sat cross-legged between the two of them. Pei Qian and Li Huai made an appointment. Everyone had three chances to ask Yu Lu for help.

Yu Lu, who works in two boats and serves as a dog-headed military advisor, is more attentive than Pei Qian and Li Huai, who often bicker.

Shi Rou feels like an outsider.

But she is clearly the owner of an immortal's relic, and she has great prospects for success, and her future achievements may be higher than those of everyone in the courtyard.

If it were any sect-named mountain gate in Aquarius Continent, shouldn't she be enshrined?

Here, everyone was polite to her, but that was all. The politeness revealed an undisguised alienation and coldness.

Shi Rou couldn't understand.

————

The Cai Mansion finally sent the cheap ancestor out with a gift like a god of plague.

Everyone from Cai Jingshen to the cook in the kitchen was relieved.

Probably the only ones who were slightly disappointed were the pretty maids who had the opportunity to serve the handsome god.

Cui Dongshan left the prefecture and did not go straight to the capital. Instead, he lived in a grand temple in the capital.

An old Taoist priest in a Taoist temple who presided over religious rituals and helped people to enter Taoism, so he had the honorific title of "Master" on the Taoist genealogy, came to visit in the name of discussing Taoism.

Wei Xian knew very well that the old Taoist must be a Da Li spy who was planted in the Sui Dynasty.

This is not surprising at all. When Cui Dongshan had nothing to do, he showed Wei Xian a list of dead soldiers and spies from the Sui Dynasty who are still dormant in various places in Dali. The spies of the three religions and nine streams have not yet been discovered. More. Many of the names circled in ink above were said by Cui Dongshan to be those who specialize in selling information. They were double-faced spies. They were the most fun. They didn't recognize their relatives and only recognized money. It was more refreshing to deal with them.

It was just a little bit beyond Wei Xian's expectation. Although the old Taoist was undoubtedly a spy of the Great Li, after giving a concise report, Zhen and Cui Dongshan each began to sit on a futon and talk about everything.

Hearing this, Wei Xian dozed off.

After the old Taoist left, Cui Dongshan pointed to the futon opposite and said, "Hurry up and sit down while it's hot."

Although Wei Xian sat down, he did not sit on the futon, but just sat on the floor.

Cui Dongshan took out an antique small table from something nearby, which was filled with the four treasures of the study. He spread out a piece of exquisite paper that was probably made by the imperial family and began to write.

Wei Xian asked: "Why did Mr. Cui change his mind temporarily, leave the Cai family, and rush to the capital, but he stopped here?"

This was a question that Wei Xian couldn't figure out.

Cui Dongshan didn't raise his head or give an answer. Instead, he went off topic and asked: "Do you think people's hearts are not complicated anymore?"

Wei Xian nodded and said, "Of course."

Cui Dongshan was once a recognized master of calligraphy in the Middle-earth Divine Continent. His writing was so flowing that even Wei Xian found it pleasing to the eye when looking at it from a distance.

Cui Dongshan continued to write the summary of all the intelligence, and said slowly: "The human heart seems unpredictable. In fact, it is far less complicated than you think. Everyone in the world is greedy for life and afraid of death. This is human nature, even... The nature of all living things is different from that of animals, because there are deep affection for licking calves, long-lasting love between children, passing on incense, and the rise and fall of family and country. Right? The more outstanding a person is, the more obvious a certain emotion will be. "

Wei Xian thought for a while, "That's true, but there are more vague and mixed balanced people."

Cui Dongshan stopped writing, put it on the porcelain pen holder, shook his wrist, and said with a sneer: "What's the balance? It's just a fool, with a vacillating mind, drifting with the crowd. When he sees beauty, he gets excited, when he sees money, when he sees fame and fortune, he wants it all, wants it. Yes, but I am afraid of overestimating my abilities. Liu Qingfeng, Li Baozhen, Wei Li, and Wu Yuan, these four people are smart, but they also have shortcomings and shortcomings." "Wu Yuan, who serves as the prefect of Longquan County, agrees with me in his heart. The doctrine of meritorious service is my nominal disciple, but I was favored by the empress who ate food and practiced Taoism in Changchun Palace in my early years. I believe that everything I have today is a reward from the empress, so between personal favors and state affairs, there is no balance between personal favors and state affairs. Shaking and shaking, life is very tangled.”

"What Li Baozhen wants is not unusual, and it is not as consistent with Confucian orthodoxy as Wu Yuan's. It is just to achieve meritorious service and one day become a very popular minister. But for the moment, Li Baozhen doesn't understand how great wisdom can be compared to foolishness. At the moment, he still only knows how to act stupid. But in the world The so-called smart people are nothing but worthless."

"Huang Tingguo Wei Li, relatively speaking, is the most mellow among the four, and the most important thing in his heart is the mountains, rivers, country, and common people. But the pattern is still small. After seeing the land and customs of a country for a hundred years, I have not been used to seeing a continent. land and a thousand-year plan.”

"Liu Qingfeng, the county magistrate of Xiaoxiao Qingluan Kingdom, is my favorite among the four. It's a pity that he has no cultivation qualifications and a life span of up to a hundred years. Is he really jealous of talents?"

Wei Xian was a little surprised when he heard this.

Mr. Cui is actually willing to describe others as "talents"?

In fact, Wei Xian has been chewing on Cui Dongshan's so-called theory of human heart.

Cui Dongshan grabbed a pile of intelligence classified as low-ranking from several cases and threw it to Wei Xian, "It is the latest failure poem of the imperial examination scholars from the Great Li and the Great Sui. It is one of the ways I use to relieve my boredom when I am bored." "

After Wei Xian caught it, Cui Dongshan said: "You probably want to ask me how to determine the depth and direction of people's hearts. It seems feasible, but in fact, things are unpredictable and people's hearts fluctuate. Maybe an accident will cause many temporary changes. , it is still extremely troublesome and extremely difficult to be accurate, so it cannot be regarded as real knowledge, right?"

Wei Xian nodded without denying it.

Cui Dongshan smiled and pointed to his head, "If you go up the mountain to practice, in addition to longevity, you will also gain spiritual light here."

Cui Dongshan then flicked his wrist and sprinkled a large amount of fairy money on several cases, "The division of people's hearts that I mentioned first can be supplemented by the counting skills of hundreds of masters. From one to ten, respectively Judgment, you will find that the so-called ups and downs of people's hearts will not affect the final result."

Before Wei Xian could speak, Cui Dongshan smiled and said: "One to ten is still not accurate enough, so what if it can be one to one hundred?"

Wei Xian said with emotion: "This master's method has always been regarded as a trivial way in the world. Hasn't it always been only praised by businessmen with a poor reputation? Sir, can it be used like this? In addition to Confucianism and Legalism, sir, is he also One of the artist’s admirers?”

Cui Dongshan sneered and said: "Is an artist worthy of my respect?"

Cui Dongshan stood up and said, "I even want to explore the differences between gods and humans, the three souls and the six souls, and the most minute details in the world. For a little magician, my skills on paper are nothing."

Wei Xian was speechless as he held the stack of papers filled with poems about the failure of scholars from both countries.

Cui Dongshan detoured a thousand miles and finally came back to the question Wei Xian originally asked, "I know everything about the academy inside and out. The only variable now is that the person who has no power to restrain the chicken is Master Zhao."

Wei Xian wondered: "An old scholar and a Confucian saint sitting in a small academy are facing each other. How can the former cause trouble? What's more, according to Mr. Cui, Mao Xiaodong is not a rigid Confucian, so how can there be any mistakes? Furthermore, , According to Mr. Sui’s explanation, the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty would never dare to take action against Li Baoping and Li Huai unless he brought about his own destruction."

Cui Dongshan stared at Wei Xian blankly, with a look of disgust on his face, "Think carefully, I reminded you before, stand taller and look at the problem."

Wei Xian was shocked.

Cui Dongshan rubbed his cheek with his hand and sneered: "The Emperor of the Sui Dynasty is Yu Guozuo, but do the people behind the scenes care about the fight between Da Li and the Sui Dynasty? If one or two people are assassinated, a continent can be determined. Will you, Wei Xian, be moved by the trend of the situation? Merchants and disciples will be happy to see the results. In war, you can make a lot of money by killing people. As for... the master politician who likes to be sneaky and hide behind the scenes, even more! "

Wei Xian was in agitated mood, and his hands were actually trembling a little.

This is the world that the founding emperor of Nanyuan Kingdom truly yearns for!

Huge chaos and strife!

Up and down the mountain, emperors, generals, immortals, masters and gods were all caught up in the current, and they were all involuntarily pawns.

It's just that Cui Dongshan seemed to have remembered something sad, wiped his face, and said Qi Qiran: "Look, I have such great ability and knowledge, but what nonsense am I doing right now? I keep calculating, calculating, It's just the meat from mosquito legs, a small business. The old bastard is happily planning to take over the entire Aquarius Continent, and I can only look after his house and nursery, staring at a place like Sui Dynasty, where he builds a dojo in a snail shell. The family business is too small, so we can only mess around. We also have to worry about if someone fails to do something well, he will be expelled from the school..."

Cui Dongshan reached out and clenched his fist, punching his heart hard, "Old Wei, my heart aches."

Then Wei Xian looked at the boy in white rolling around in the room, and then looked down at the poems in his hand that were said to show his true temperament.

He wasn't heartbroken, just tired.

————

The Gao family in the Sui Dynasty treated literati kindly and kindly, which has been a tradition since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Not to mention a new scholar like Zhang Dai. Although he is still in the Hanlin Academy for the time being, he already has a three-entry courtyard with ten rooms in the capital, which is paid for by the Ministry of Household Affairs of the imperial court.

That evening, Zhang Dai took a walk in the empty house. After feeding a few red carps in a large tank, he went to his study to write music alone.

Zhang Dai was from the Han ethnic group in the local area. He wrote impressive articles on craftsmanship in the county and township examinations, but he was not very talented. He only made a splash in the palace examination and was able to leap over the dragon's gate.

After becoming the number one scholar, he moved to this house. The only change was that Zhangdai hired a coachman and a carriage. Other than that, Zhangdai did not have many banquets and entertainments. It is difficult to imagine that this talent A young man in his early twenties, who was the new Wenkui of the Sui Dynasty, could not imagine that he would appear at the Cai family's residence, speak out generously, and finally leave in the same carriage with General Miao Ren, who had made great contributions to the founding of the country.

All this, Cai Feng and Miao Ren, think it is reasonable. Zhang Dai has a very valuable No. 1 scholar status, and is one of the four spirits of the Sui Dynasty whose reputation has spread throughout the court and the public. He has a humble but innocent status. He is warm-blooded, so he is easy to control. I think this person is willing to take the lead for the sake of his family and country.

Zhang Dai heard the knock on the door, stopped playing Go, raised his head and said, "Come in."

It's the old coachman who lives in the house.

The old man stood at the door of the slightly dark study room and said slowly: "Mao Xiaodong has left the academy with a young man named Chen Pingan."

"Didn't they swear to kill the literary demon Mao Xiaodong? Just kill him."

Zhang Dai said expressionlessly: "You ask the spy inside the academy to find a reason to let Zhao Shi and Bai Lu leave the academy together, find a secluded place, knock him out and hide them. After controlling the white deer, you must not Let Liang Rensi, the Nascent Soul cultivator who is guarding the gate, become suspicious. As long as you enter the academy smoothly and act decisively, one must die, and it would be better if two die."

The old man nodded.

Zhang Dai hesitated for a moment, "I will leave the Sui capital tonight."

The old man smiled and said: "After this thing is done, the young master will definitely be able to travel thousands of miles when he returns to the Divine Continent of Middle-earth."

Zhang Dai was noncommittal.

After the old man left.

Zhang Dai put down the chess record in his hand and looked down at the chess game.

Vertically and horizontally.

————

Southeast of Aquarius Continent, on the edge of the Qingluan Kingdom’s capital, there is a private residence of unknown reputation.

The young man, one of the leaders of Da Li's Luboting spies, had a gloomy face.

Everyone in the hall has different identities. They are all masters of pens and swords in the officialdom and literary world of Qingluan Kingdom. Of course, they are also the confidants attracted by the Great Li Dynasty.

Li Baozhen looked at the ground and twirled the tea cup without even taking a sip of tea with his fingers.

Everyone was trembling.

The reason why they are gathered here is to do one thing.

Liu Jingting, the gentle patriarch of the Qingluan Kingdom and the leader of the literary world, the old minister who had retired to the Lion Park, drove Liu Jingting into the mud with a pen. He was destined to be beyond redemption, and it would be difficult to deal with those Nannan who were migrating in a hurry. The Duoyiguan people formed a cohesive force. The Qingluan Kingdom still needs a scholarly scholar, but it does not need the outstanding Liu Jingting.

As long as Liu Jingting's reputation is ruined, those wealthy families will fall apart.

Da Li is willing to see this scene, and even the emperor of Qingluan Kingdom will feel that each has its own pros and cons, so that he will not be hindered by the group of outsiders who cannot distinguish the situation. Every day, this group of guys who do not know how to follow the locals will dictate the politics of Qingluan Kingdom. , after eating every day, he would sit there and comment on current affairs. Then the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty could sit on the floor with Dali and divide the spoils, and win over those wealthy families.

But tonight, more than a dozen people here used all their family backgrounds and power to criticize Liu Jingting. They read out almost every article, poem, and official document written by Old Minister Liu, looking for loopholes word for word.

Unexpectedly, the effect was not obvious, but it also aroused the public indignation of the vast majority of scholars in Qingluan Kingdom. Some officials in the government who had different political views from Liu Jingting, as well as many local scholars, couldn't stand it anymore and began to speak out for Liu Jingting. say. Especially those rich and well-dressed people who came here were even more furious and ran around for Liu Jingting. Even the gossip that Liu Jingting was about to return to the center of the temple and be promoted to Minister of Rites began to spread in the capital.

Li Baozhen raised his head and said with a smile: "Don't be nervous, everyone. This thing was not done well. Instead of a good start, it was all in trouble. I fell down hard. The first one to be stabbed was me, Li Baozhen, and then it was your turn." If the National Master is considerate, he might think that we are excusable, change the chessboard, and give us another chance."

It's okay not to say these "comforting words", but when Li Baozhen said this, everyone felt a chill down their spines.

Creepy.

Candlelight flickered in the lobby.

Of course Li Baozhen was extremely angry, a bunch of drunkards and ricebags!

At this moment, two figures appeared in the lobby, one walked in and the other stayed outside the door.

Li Baozhen felt a little helpless when he saw the scholar in scholar's shirt walking into the lobby. He thought he could do a good job by avoiding this person, but how could he have imagined that it would be like this?

The man's voice was not loud, and he said slowly: "Everyone here, we are already halfway done, and there are still three small steps to take."

"The first step is to suspend the offensive of pouring dirty water on Liu Jingting, turn around, and praise the old minister. There are three more steps in this step. First, you and your friends, first publish some upright and peaceful articles. , to finalize the matter, and try not to make your articles unconvincing. Second, start to invite another group of people to deify Liu Jingting. The more disgusting the words, the better. They will brag about Liu Jingting’s moral articles to the point that they can After his death, he moved to the Confucian Temple to accompany him as a worshipper. Third, write another series of articles to criticize all the officials and celebrities who have defended Liu Jingting. Indiscriminately. The worse the wording, the better, but be careful, roughly The purpose of the article must be to describe everyone as Liu Jingting’s helpers, like a lackey.”

At first, everyone in the hall sneered and cursed after hearing this person's first words.

It’s just that the more I hear about it, the more I feel... the method is novel!

The man continued: "The second step is to wait for a period of time and then redirect the spearhead and point directly at Liu Jingting. This requires some tricks. The purpose and foundation of all articles must be in the words 'although' and 'even if'" Above, for example, 'Although' Liu Jingting has some flaws in his morality, his flaws are not concealed. His disciples have produced many talents, and then you can list them one by one. The murderous intention lies in those prominent and enviable officials. Another example is 'even if' Liu Jingting’s political achievements are mediocre, but in the end he is still relatively clean, and he is just a lion park that is famous throughout the continent.”

The man explained: "Why is this so? Because to onlookers, these articles seem calm on the surface, and they are also defending Liu Jingting. Many neutral people who originally did not get involved in this literary war are invisibly involved. I started to acquiesce to those assumed facts, and then added the so-called excuses that concealed murderous intentions, which made things worse."

Everyone in the hall looked at each other.

The man smiled and said: "The third step is to make a fuss about personal ethics. For example, if you hire someone to catch a knife, you don't need to care about the quality of the writing, just a gimmick. For example, Liu Jingting stayed in a nunnery in a stormy night, and the old man picked up the ashes. , another example is The Lion Garden and the Pretty Maid’s Pear Blossoms Pressing Begonias, and by the way, I will also make some catchy limericks and compile them into storytelling stories, and ask storytellers and charlatans to exaggerate them.”

The man saw that everyone was shocked and puzzled, but he still patiently explained: "Don't think it is useless. The down-and-out scholars without fame like to see this, and the common people who don't care about the truth like to hear this." In the scholar forest, three people became Tiger. In the market place, mosquitoes gathered together to form thunder."

The man finally smiled, took out a piece of paper, walked to Li Baozhen, handed it over, and looked around, "Everyone here may not know the method and price of engraving an erotic book, nor how much money should be paid to hire storytellers. , all kinds of trivial things that are not worth mentioning, I have written them down on paper, so that you will not accidentally be taken advantage of. Moreover, many ordinary people doing business, although they are low-ranking, are actually quite cunning and intelligent, and each has his or her own characteristics. If you use your own way of dealing with the world, once you get a big advantage in money, you may even look down upon you."

The man said goodbye and left.

Approaching the door, he suddenly turned around and said with a smile: "You guys are here, so I have the opportunity to show off my skills. I hope I can be of some help."

Everyone stared at the man leaving.

Li Baozhen's mouth was dry and he clenched the paper in his hand tightly.

The rest of you are even more numb.

You must know that person's name is Liu Qingfeng.

He is the eldest son of Liu Jingting.