Sword of Coming

It was a quiet night at the inn.

Chen Ping'an lived alone in the room at the end of the corridor. Before falling asleep, he practiced six-step walking and sword furnace standing for an hour each. Finally, he took out the porcelain bowl with the true shape of the Five Mountains and the ebony that had been burnt like charcoal. , turned it over and over, and studied it carefully for a long time, but couldn't see any clues.

Hoping that the two things would be worth one or two hundred snow coins, Chen Pingan put away the heavy ebony, poured the local roasted spirits from the sword-raising gourd into a small white bowl, and then looked through the two gifts given to him by Liu Gaohua under the lamp. This landscape travelogue is quite enjoyable if you take a few sips from time to time.

After turning off the lights and going to bed, Chen Pingan closed his eyes and began to reminisce about the fight with Ma Kuxuan in the small street. He reflected on the success and failure of each punch, the few boxing techniques taught by the barefoot old man, how Chen Pingan dared to hide his secrets at that time, and the battle was so smooth. The line between life and death is always on the line, so I have to use all my money. Invisibly, I gain a deeper understanding of the boxing techniques including the cavalry formation. The most regrettable thing is that the god-man beats the drum style with only fifteen punches. Chen Pingan's intuition tells him that if he is allowed to punch twenty punches in one breath, it will be like an ancient house dealing with a tree demon scholar wearing armor of armor. Ma Ku Xuanji may have to admit defeat early on.

However, after much thought, Chen Pingan felt that letting Ma Kuxuan think he had narrowly won was the best choice at the time.

However, with this proud man of Zhenwu Mountain, Chen Pingan was barely able to draw a tie. In fact, Chen Ping'an didn't have many feelings other than victory or defeat. Firstly, he didn't know the significance of Ma Kuxuan's breaking through three realms in one year. Secondly, Ma Ku Xuan hates Chen Ping'an from Mu Ping Alley, and Chen Ping'an hates his peers from Xinghua Lane.

People really care about fate. Some people will feel good to you at a glance, just like the sunshine in the cold spring and winter, such as Mr. Qi, Li Xisheng and Zhang Shanfeng; The head, no matter how you look at it, is dazzling, just like Ma Kuxuan, Fu Nanhua from Old Dragon City, and Mrs. Xu from Qingfeng City.

Chen Ping'an's thought at the moment before he fell asleep was that the Shenren Drumming Style must be his most popular boxing move at the moment, but he didn't know if he could punch fifty or a hundred punches in one go. Cut it in half and clear the way? Will a canyon be cut out of a huge mountain?

At dawn, Chen Pingan got up and practiced six-step walking in the house. Not long after, he found someone reciting in a courtyard with a rockery and green trees. It was the scholar named Liu, who had the demeanor of studying hard in a cold window. The cadences and ups and downs of the reading are all the teachings of the saints.

Chen Ping'an continued to practice boxing, and as expected, soon the guests from various rooms in the inn began to curse. Some of the grumpy gangsters simply jumped out of the bed naked, took the drinks and dishes from the table and pushed them away. If you go to the window, smash it down. In a flurry, the scholar surnamed Liu also had a bad temper. He jumped around and dodged around, reading the sages' classics louder and louder. This aroused public outrage, and many guests covered their heads with quilts to no avail. , cursed, got dressed, and started to interact with the eighteenth generation of the scholar surnamed Liu at the window.

The scholar was busy avoiding hidden weapons and did not forget to retaliate with a few curses. It was really a piece of cake and an insult to politeness.

After burning the incense, Chen Ping'an and the bearded man were sitting in Zhang Shanfeng's house. The young Taoist priest was helping the scholar surnamed Liu bandage his head.

The innkeeper just walked out with a dark face, gnashing his teeth in anger. He couldn't beat or scold such a bastard guest who couldn't carry anything. After all, he was an honored guest brought by the son of the county governor. It was really frustrating for a mute to eat Coptis chinensis. The problem is that the people who stay in this inn are not simple in status. They are either rich merchants from various places or heroes from all walks of life. They are all dragons who cannot be underestimated. If you give this scholar a hard time so early in the morning, your business will still be in the future. How to do it? Are you going to be a repeat customer?

The scholar surnamed Liu is Liu Chicheng, a native of Baishan. When the scholar introduced his hometown, he emphasized the six words "near Guanhu Academy", as if this was more glorious than the prefix of the Chen family in Longwei River.

After that, they had nothing to do in the inn. Liu Chicheng still sneaked out. Needless to say, he also had a tryst with Liu Gaohua's sister for a spring outing. The bearded man took Chen Pingan and Zhang Shanfeng to the scenic spots in the county. Wenwu Temple was a must-see. There was also a gathering at the Chenghuang Pavilion in Rouge County. When she came back, there was a haze between Xu Yuanxia's brows. When Zhang Shanfeng asked about it, he only said that it was just a long journey.

This time when we disembarked from the ferry at Nanjian State and headed south, Taoist Zhang Shanfeng was going to Laolong City. Along with Chen Pingan, the bearded man was going to Qingluan State in the southeast of Aquarius Continent, as if he was escorting a friend. Dongxi, that friend is an acquaintance in the Jianghu, and they are very close to each other. They are traveling together for the time being. As for when the two parties will part ways, it will depend on where the ferry goes at the next Xianjia Ferry.

After waiting for three full days in Rouge County, she did not wait for the old and young immortal masters from Shen Gao Sect who came down to the mountain to practice. Instead, they waited for the old woman in the ancient house. She found the county governor's mansion all the way and met Liu Gaohua, who then led the way. When I arrived at the inn, I reported the good news to everyone. It turned out that for some reason, the landscape and luck around the ancient house had turned upside down, and all the dirty air had been replaced by pure and spiritual air. Now the hostess is not only free from future troubles, she doesn't have to worry. After being transformed into an evil ghost, his body and skin began to heal. After giving back his identity as a demon to Yang Huang, the male protagonist also began to warm up his soul. His realm gradually climbed up, and there was even a glimmer of hope of breaking through the bottleneck and reaching the fifth level. What a good thing. Again and again.

As for the reason, the old woman only said that she speculated that a certain ancestor of the Shengaozong secretly took action.

The bearded man and the young Taoist priest felt that there was no other reason.

Chen Pingan listened from beginning to end. Although he was very upset, his expression remained as usual.

Before leaving, the old woman said she was helping Chen Pingan carry a jar of good wine bought on the road. The two returned to Chen Pingan's room. As soon as Chen Pingan closed the door, the tearful old woman was about to kneel down, which scared Chen Pingan and hurriedly If you support the old woman, you will not receive this great gift whether you live or die. Because Chen Pingan was filling the gourd with wine in the kitchen at that time, Chen Pingan deliberately leaked the secret, so it is not surprising that the old woman knew some inside information and made some speculations.

The old woman didn't ask any more questions, and Chen Pingan didn't say much.

Before leaving, the old woman took out a package of things wrapped in silk, carefully placed it on the table, and explained softly: "The golden body of the mountain god named Qin was completely shattered, and this scourge has disappeared from the world since then. The presence of gods in the mountains and rivers is of course a great thing. My husband hurried after hearing the news. Before the arrival of the group of immortal masters from the Shengaozong, he secretly picked up most of the golden body fragments of the mountain god named Qin, totaling eight pieces in size. Blocks, according to the master, there should not be so many golden relics of a mountain god from the temple. I think Qin also had some strange opportunities during his lifetime. In any case, these golden body fragments are good things, and they are rare to find. , even the secret treasury of a country's imperial court may not have many treasures, Mr. Chen just accepts it, which can be regarded as repaying the kindness of the three of us, master and servant."

Speaking of this, the old woman's eyes turned red again, "In fact, the young master's great kindness cannot be repaid with a few golden body fragments, but the house really has no wealth now, so my wife erected a memorial tablet for Mr. Chen. I implore you, sir, whenever you pass by Caiyi Country in the future, you must go and sit in the house..."

Chen Pingan could only nod.

The old woman finally whispered: "Madam is now equivalent to half the god of the temple of obscenity. Looking at the weather in Rouge County from a distance, I found that in the past two days, there were always wisps of Yin Qi rising in the city every night, making Madam uneasy, and I still hope." The young master should leave the city early. No matter how powerful the young master is, the master often says that on the way to practice, be careful and don't get involved in everything. Even if there are surprises every time, it will inevitably delay the practice after all, which is always not good. "

Chen Pingan agreed without hesitation.

After sending the old woman to the door of the inn, the old woman smiled and said, "I hope the young master's journey will go well and be safe."

From the beginning to the end, the old woman never looked at the vermilion wine gourd on Chen Pingan's waist.

Chen Pingan watched the old woman disappear into the sea of ​​people, turned around and trotted back to the bearded man's house, calling Zhang Shanfeng. Chen Pingan told the old woman about the strange weather in Rouge County City, and briefly explained it. The man held the handle of the knife at his waist, nodded and said: "This is also what I am most worried about. I didn't tell you before because I was afraid that you two young people would get angry and have to wade into this muddy water. If it is really a demon, you dare to openly Those who commit crimes in the county and do not pay attention to the three gods including the Chenghuang Pavilion and Wenwu Temple must be a great evil. With the conduct of you and me, it is impossible to say that beating people's teeth as a sacrifice is not enough to fill the gap in the teeth, but for a country A county town, such a large territory, often has hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and there are even masters sitting in charge. If we really want to fight, if we occupy the right time and place, we may not have no chance of winning. In the end, it still depends on the relationship between the Caiyi Kingdom's court and the mountain."

Chen Pingan asked: "How far are the river gods and mountain gods closest to Rouge County City? If something really happens, can they get there as soon as possible?"

The bearded man thought for a while and calculated, "The water god is three hundred miles away from here, and the Nanyue Zhengshen is about seven hundred miles away. However, the mountain gods of Caiyi Kingdom are not very high in cultivation. After all, the territory is too small. It is far inferior to those vast dynasties, and I am afraid that it will be the Dongfu Realm in the Middle Five Realms."

Zhang Shanfeng frowned and said: "Then once you leave the mountain realm, wouldn't your combat power be equivalent to that of a Qi practitioner in the fifth realm?"

Xu Yuanxia said helplessly: "The rules of heaven and earth are like this, there is nothing we can do."

Zhang Shanfeng asked: "Can you please inform Liu Gaohua's father? He is the prefect of the county. The general Ma who was stationed near the county before seems to be a practitioner. If we had made preparations in advance, we might not have been able to let the people lurking in the dark The demons and evil spirits retreated when they saw the difficulty."

Xu Yuanxia sighed, "It's not that I'm scaring you, and it's definitely not that I, Xu, am greedy for life and afraid of death. This matter is very difficult, not to mention that the county and city will definitely not believe it, even if the prefect and general believe it, they are willing to risk it." With the huge risk of lying about military information and being removed from office afterwards, you quickly informed the court. Do you know that from the news in the county to the capital of Caiyi State, to the review of the six yamen, the decision of the imperial study, and finally to The imperial court issued an imperial edict and secretly ordered the mountains and rivers gods to rescue the county. How long will it take during this period? Taking a step back, after the edict was issued, the nearby mountain qigong practitioners and the mountains and rivers gods all left their territory and came. Once there was any trouble, the county If the city is surrendered to demons with deep Taoism, they will take action in advance, plunder a large amount of money, and then leave in a hurry. Then in the end, when the Queen of Autumn settles the score, whose score will it be?"

Xu Yuanxia pointed at the young Taoist priest and the wooden box boy, "Do you believe that the three of us will be regarded as accomplices who are colluding with the devil? The person who exposed and impeached us was either Governor Liu or General Ma, or even worse. It turned out that the demon had another plan from the beginning, and wanted to divert the tiger away from the mountain. When the situation is calm here, a certain immortal sect, or a large city in another state, county, or city is turned upside down. I am afraid that the three of us will not need anyone else. If you expose him, he will become a thief who will be killed without mercy by Caiyi Country on the spot."

Taoist Zhang Shanfeng looked dumbfounded and couldn't believe it.

Xu Yuanxia poured a glass of wine and said with emotion: "Don't think I am being alarmist. I have not only seen such things that make people cry without tears, but also experienced them personally. Several friends died due to 'good intentions'." The word above..."

Xu Yuanxia pointed to the baggage not far away and said calmly: "I won't go into details. Anyway, of the four friends, only Xu Yuanxia survived in the end. One of them even lost his body. The other two were still able to let me help. Collecting the body, one of the two urns has been given to his family, and there is one left, which is the reason why I went to Qingluan Kingdom this time."

No wonder the bearded man told Zhang Shanfeng and Chen Ping'an to leave quickly in the ancient house twice.

Chen Pingan suddenly asked a question, "Xu Daxia, do you regret that choice?"

The man lowered his head and took a sip of wine. When he raised his head, he twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "I don't know about the dead people, but the living ones are almost regretting it to death."

This may be the first time that this proud swordsman has been so ungrateful.

Chen Ping'an did not directly say to stay or leave.

When he took Li Baoping and the others on a study tour in the Sui Dynasty, Chen Ping'an made every decision because he needed to do so, and he was not allowed to show the slightest hint of cowardice or hesitation.

Now that he is traveling alone in the world, Chen Pingan no longer needs to do anything for others.

Zhang Shanfeng was obviously at a loss as he looked around and asked, "What should we do?"

Xu Yuanxia fell into silence and kept drinking wine.

Chen Ping'an asked again: "If we stay and something happens, and the three of us force ourselves to come forward, is it very likely that self-protection will be a problem?"

Xu Yuanxia carefully considered her words and said slowly: "I'm afraid that the other party will cooperate inside and outside, and will win over the unintentional. If it were me, I would definitely try to suppress the gods of the civil and military temples. What's more, it seems that the civil and military gods here are affected by the formation of the ancient house and The influence of the Yin Temple Mountain God has already weakened, and it is easy for mistakes to occur. Fortunately, I entered the City God's Temple before and looked at its incense, architectural layout and atmosphere, and it seemed that it was not bad..."

Chen Ping'an asked: "Can we find the City God directly? Tell him clearly about the matter? The county guards and generals don't understand the power of these gods and monsters, and if they really encounter something, they can probably use the power of officialdom. To shirk responsibility, the City God is closely related to the safety of the county and the city. To put it bluntly, Prefect Liu can hide and General Ma can stand still, but the City God will never escape. And if the demon really has a plan, He will definitely be the first to target the local City God, so the City God must be more concerned than the official."

The bearded man's eyes lit up, he slapped his thigh heavily, and said in a deep voice: "It works!"

Taoist Zhang Shanfeng smiled and extended his thumb to Chen Pingan.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door. After Chen Pingan opened the door, he saw the scholar surnamed Liu and his brother and sister Liu Gaohua looking panicked. After Liu Gaohua sat down, he poured a full glass of wine and said, "Do you think it's strange? Just now, most of the statue of Tianguan in the City God's Pavilion was cracked, and blood oozed out, dripping all over the floor. Not only that, but inside the City God's Temple, there were snakes, rats, and scorpions all over the floor. It was disgusting. Now my father has died. We sent people to close the gate of the City God’s Temple to avoid scaring the people.”

The bearded man looked solemn and silent, looking at Chen Pingan and Zhang Shanfeng.

Chen Pingan asked: "What's the situation in the civil and military temples?"

Liu Gaohua was stunned, shook his head and said: "I'm not sure about this. We locals don't like to go there, there's nothing interesting to see."

Facing Chen Pingan, the woman was still a little uncomfortable. She only dared to sit next to Liu Lang, who was farthest away from Chen Pingan, and said in a soft voice: "I once served tea and water. I accidentally heard my father mention it to an old Taoist priest who came to the house as a guest. , although the incense in the two temples is very prosperous, it is something that some people offer and no one eats. The old Taoist priest is also quite helpless, saying that the court really can't do anything about it. Caiyi Kingdom only has such a small share, and it is impossible to have another mountain. Zhengshen was sitting here and said that if a reading seed could appear in Rouge County and successfully enter Guanhu Academy, the feng shui here might be improved. My father sighed and shook his head, saying where could such a reading seed come from? Rouge County can ask for it."

Liu Chicheng looked confused and asked: "What are you talking about? What about Wenwu Temple or Mountain God? I am familiar with Guanhu Academy. It is right on the border of our Baishan Kingdom. I have visited there several times. So what can I do?" Can’t it be regarded as half a seed for reading? Miss Liu, don’t worry, Guanhu Academy recruits a scholar from Baishan Kingdom every year, which is considered a preferential treatment for Baishan Kingdom. Maybe one day I, Liu Chicheng, can..."

Liu Gaohua rolled his eyes and said: "You can pull it off, the little ink in your belly is only a few taels more than mine."

Liu Chicheng angrily stopped talking.

His messy knowledge is useful for women, but not for scholars.

After chatting, the two siblings left. Before leaving, Liu Gaohua remembered something and reminded: "Over at the Chenghuang Pavilion, according to my father's wishes, martial law will begin in Rouge County from tomorrow. It is easy to leave the city but difficult to enter. But it will be difficult to even leave the city without security, so Liu Chicheng plans to leave today. Where are the three of you? We have agreed in advance that if martial law is really enforced, General Ma will definitely intervene personally. When the time comes, I, the son of the governor, will I don’t have the ability to help you stay safe. If you want to leave, I’ll leave tomorrow at the latest.”

Liu Chicheng had already left the house with his sister Liu Gaohua, and bid farewell to Zhang Shanfeng's house. Fortunately, with Liu Gaohua waiting beside him, the young man and woman did not dare to be intimate with each other.

After Xu Yuanxia closed the door, she tapped her finger on the table, "Nine times out of ten, there is something wrong with the City God's Pavilion. It seems that these evil heretics have a big plan. They just don't know that the City God in Rouge County is currently in decline. , was restrained in the Chenghuang Pavilion using deceitful means, and was completely poisoned. The situation is now bad, but it is becoming clearer. The county magistrate's office and the nearby garrison should be vigilant. If we leak the information at this time, it will be credible The degree will be much higher.”

The young Taoist priest looked at Chen Pingan and asked tentatively: "How about we inform the county governor's office before leaving the county?"

Chen Pingan nodded and said: "Then you and Xu Daxia follow Liu Gaohua and the others to his house. I will go to the Chenghuang Pavilion to explore the truth. The sooner we know the truth, even a small part, it will be easier for us to make the right decision." decision."

Zhang Shanfeng didn't wonder why they parted ways, but he couldn't figure out why he didn't go to the crisis-ridden Chenghuang Pavilion instead of Chen Ping'an.

Chen Pingan explained with a smile: "One of you and Master Xu needs to use a sword, preferably the Gangfeng Formation, to show your master style, and the other needs to control the mahogany sword to fly around to show that you are the best at subduing demons and demons in Longhu Mountain." Demonic Zhang Tianshi, what am I going to do? Boxing in front of the prefect?"

The bearded man laughed loudly. Zhang Shanfeng also figured it out and told Chen Ping'an to wait. Then he got up and went to the house to unpack three talismans. Two of them were the lowest quality but most practical evil wind igniting talismans. If there is any evil spirit, the yellow paper will burn on its own. The one at the bottom is the divine walking talisman, also known as the Armored Horse Talisman, which can be poured with spiritual energy or true energy. With just one stick of incense, one can run as fast as a horse, riding the wind, without consuming any physical energy.

Chen Pingan did not refuse, put the three talismans into his sleeves, and joked: "Aren't you afraid that I will just run away?"

The young Taoist priest glared and said, "Chen Pingan, you can't run away!"

Chen Pingan quickly waved his hand.

Zhang Shanfeng laughed to himself.

If Chen Ping'an ran away alone, Taoist priest Zhang Shanfeng would not feel sorry for the expensive magical talisman, but what he felt most sad about was that he lost a good friend.

The three of them separated at the door of the inn. Xu Yuanxia took Zhang Shanfeng and followed Liu Gaohua to the governor's mansion in the west of the county city.

Chen Ping'an happened to follow the scholar surnamed Liu who was heading east out of the city, but one went directly to the east gate of the city, and the other went to the Chenghuang Pavilion in the northeast.

Without the presence of Miss Liu, the scholar surnamed Liu no longer had the psychological burden of a scholar. He bowed his head and followed Chen Pingan, and asked curiously: "Mr. Chen? Are you the legendary martial arts master? Although you are young and just starting out, you are still young. Because you are so talented and come from a famous family, you are actually one of the few masters in the world? That's why that slap that night was so insubstantial that I didn't even see your move. There was no fireworks at all. Doesn’t it count as reaching the state of transformation?”

Chen Ping'an said helplessly: "As long as a martial arts practitioner punches you, you won't even see the other person take action."

The scholar surnamed Liu felt that he had been greatly insulted, "Impossible! Mr. Chen, you must be a martial arts master who is hiding in the market. If I have to guess, maybe you are the famous Sword God in Caiyi who is famous in several countries. He belongs to his old man. Close disciple, who else would carry two swords when going out? One of them is the sword 'Zhuyang' that the sword god used to travel around the world, right? Can you touch it for me?"

Chen Ping'an somewhat admired this man's imagination and didn't want to get entangled with him. He nodded with a straight face and said: "Yes, yes, it's Zhuyang. You have to be careful. The sheath is full of sharp sword energy. As soon as you pull it out, The scabbard will be immediately peeled to pieces by the sword energy, are you afraid?"

"Not afraid."

Liu Chicheng shook his head and said. His hands that originally wanted to touch the sword box were already placed behind him.

After the two separated, Liu Chicheng continued to walk along the street to the city gate. The frail scholar suddenly raised his head and glanced at a figure standing on the city tower. It was the old god on the high platform in the middle of the lake. The old god was beside him at the moment. Also standing were the armored General Ma and two unfamiliar faces, both older and older. The old god was pointing at the county.

Liu Chicheng clicked his tongue and said, "You're leading a thief into your house without even realizing it."

Over there, Chen Pingan quickly arrived at the square outside the Chenghuang Pavilion and looked at it intently. Because he was not a Qigong practitioner, he could not see any clues about the weather. However, his pure martial artist's intuition told Chen Pingan that the red walls, green tiles, dragons, etc. The Chenghuang Pavilion with the fire-glazed roof is a bit more bloody and gloomy than the quiet and peaceful one during the previous tour. It is like someone throwing a piece of charcoal on the ground on a snowy day. Ordinary passers-by may not notice it, but as long as passers-by have discerning eyesight, If it's good enough, you can see it, and it's extremely eye-catching.

The gate of the Chenghuang Pavilion was guarded by government soldiers, and pilgrims were no longer allowed to enter.

Chen Ping'an took a deep breath, looked around, looking for a relatively secluded high wall, walked quietly, and at the same time twisted out an evil ignition charm.

When he got there, while there was no one around, Chen Ping'an jumped over the wall with his toes, turned over and landed inside the wall. As soon as his feet landed, the talismans on his fingertips were burned out.

It is obvious that there is no need to test the truth, it is already a real demon causing trouble.

Chen Pingan took off the sword gourd with one hand and took a big sip of soju.

Passing a hand around his head, he patted the wooden box behind him. The locust wood sword was named Demon Killer, and the one forged by Master Ruan was temporarily named Demon Subduer.

No matter how disdainful the boy in blue and the girl in pink skirt said they were a bad street and vulgar, Chen Pingan still felt that the naming of the two swords for subduing demons and slaying demons was very good.

Since I have chosen such a good name, I cannot live up to it.

Chen Ping'an gently pushed away the venomous snake that was rushing towards him. It seemed that he did it lightly, but the snake's bones were broken into pieces in the air.

Chen Ping'an paid more attention to the two clay sculptures and painted statues of Tianguan standing outside the Zhuqi Gate in the distance. One on the left and one on the right, covered with blood. There were countless colorful venomous snakes twining and squirming, some as big as the palm of a hand. There are scorpions standing on the top of the head or on the arms of the statue. They are as black as ink and show their power. There are even rats crawling in and out of the belly and cheeks of the broken statue, which is extremely bold.

Chen Ping'an remembered the bleak scene of the Immortal Tomb in his hometown for no reason, and suddenly became furious. He walked slowly along the wall, trying to keep his mind clear and his breathing steady. After all, the strength of his punches, the thickness of his body's energy, and the speed of his movement were all related to those in his stomach. It doesn't matter how angry you are or how angry you are.

As Chen Pingan walked, he thought silently in his heart: "Chen Pingan, if you are sure that you can't beat him, you have to run fast enough!"