Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 380 Snowy Desert
The man with the shoe-horn face and the drunk turned their heads at the same time and looked at the man who interrupted them.

Qin Huai drank tea slowly to moisten his throat and tongue, and glanced at the person who spoke out of the corner of his eye.

The man was wearing a grey cotton robe, had a dark and yellow face, rough skin, cracked lips, and a wide-brimmed felt hat. His black python-like braid was covered with scattered snow petals and hung down on his shoulders. He had thick eyebrows on his thin face, sharp and intimidating triangular eyes, and an air of poverty and barrenness all over him.

There was a backpack leaning against his feet, with a thick-backed, narrow-bladed ring-handled knife placed in it, and next to it were a few snow lotus and Ganoderma lucidum with fresh soil.

This is a herbalist who has work to do.

The same speculation emerged in everyone's mind.

"The Niangan group has become very powerful in recent years. They have repeatedly suppressed the Boxer Rebellion and never lost. This has caused headaches for many gangsters. In my opinion, they are far from being comparable to the bunch of dandy wastes of the Eight Banners. If the many Boxer groups want to become powerful, they must find a way to get rid of them!"

The diners were secretly amazed, and carefully looked at the young man's figure, and found that he had some extraordinary qualities. He had broad shoulders and a wide back, and a slender figure. The five knuckles of his hands in his sleeves were slender, and there was a slight red light flowing between the texture of his skin from time to time, just like the red light emitted from the cracks in lava. Although it was winter, there was a surge of heat.

"Brother, your insights are extraordinary. Could it be related to those Boxers?"

Someone couldn't help but ask.

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to have any relationship with you."

The mountain husband picked up the food that the waiter had just brought, opened his mouth, and half a bowl of extremely hot and fragrant mutton soup with a rich white steam went down his throat.

That's mutton soup from Baidu! Aren't you afraid that your throat will be burned and painful blisters will form if you eat it this way?

Such a horrifying way of eating really stunned all the diners. Qin Huai narrowed his eyes and was the first to see that the man was extraordinary.

"I am just a wild man begging for food in the mountains. If I hadn't wanted to exchange herbs for some money, I wouldn't have come out of the mountains this time."

Shanfu's voice was low and hoarse, but his words were crisp, as if the hot soup and cold water he had drunk before were no different.

"Oh? Medicinal herbs? I wonder if you, a herbalist, have any treasures in your basket?"

The sound came before the people arrived. The patched cotton curtain at the door was lifted up, and a ball of frost and snow swirled in. The cold penetrated everyone's bones. Then several figures in black military uniforms, carrying swords and guns, squeezed into the tavern. Their shoulders and hats were covered with snow, as if they had been trekking in the wind and snow for a long time.

"Hmm? Someone from the Qing court?"

The diners in the tavern were all experienced veterans who knew that the Yinba Ancient Road was full of smugglers, traveling merchants, hunters, bandits, and even fugitives wanted by the government. At this time, they had only seen the clothes of these people roughly, and they had made their own judgments in their hearts.

A black ripple flashed across Qin Huai's eyes, and he had figured out most of the background of everyone present.

The shoe-horn-faced man and the drunkard at the beginning were, one a member of the Pimen Sect who sold wild herbs, and the other a young man from the Hangmen Sect who performed martial arts; the group of diners with bulging waists next to them were horse bandits who robbed people on the Yinba Ancient Road; and the group of sturdy men in military uniforms who came in at the end were, as expected, soldiers serving in the Qing court.

[Precious Medicine Envoy]: One of the six envoys outside the Niangan Department, he is outstanding in martial arts and well-equipped. He is ordered to search all over China and try every means to collect the great medicines in the world for use by the emperor.

Note: Warriors who have been influenced by the water dragon energy will have extraordinary spiritual attainments.

"Of course there are treasures, but I'm afraid you can't afford the price."

The mountain husband looked at the new soldiers carefully, responded casually, tore off a piece of cold and hard bread from his hand, soaked it in the mutton soup, and paid no further attention to them.

"Oh? Are these enough?"

The leading medical practitioner remained expressionless as he fished out a few silver bills from his bosom and spread them out in his hands like a palm-leaf fan.

"This is the banknote of the Beiyang Zhili Bank, a total of eight hundred taels. If you really have the medicine of heaven and earth, the better the quality, the higher the price we will give you. But if you just talked nonsense just now, don't blame us for taking you on this trip."

The precious medicine master's words turned cold, and he looked at the mountain man with a dangerous look.

"I only accept real money. I don't want these pieces of waste paper that I can't tell are real or fake."

The mountain husband narrowed his eyes. He had been in the mountains for a long time and was a little confused about the origins of the people in front of him, but he continued to speak according to his heart: "But looking at the way you look, there must be some power behind you. Well, even if the deal fails, I will let you see my treasure to avoid more trouble in the future."

Then he hooked his toes, and the backpack beside him fell into his arms. At the same time, his right hand swept away the top layer of ordinary medicinal materials used to conceal his identity, and pulled out a sandalwood box wrapped in layers of coarse cloth and cotton.

The lid of the box was opened, and all that was seen was white. On top of it, there was a green flower as big as a bowl in full bloom, delicate and gorgeous, with a wonderful appearance.
"The Nine Immortal Herbs of Shenzhou, Tianshan Snow Lotus?!"

As the precious medicine envoys specially selected by the dynasty to find medicines, they could naturally recognize how rare the strange flower in front of them was. They were overjoyed at this moment and immediately came closer to take a closer look.

At the same time, no matter whether it was the old hands in the Pi Gua Sect or the hidden horse bandit gangs, they all stared at the green exotic flower in the mountain man's hand with the same scorching gaze as the precious medicine masters.

[Snow Lotus of Tianshan Mountains]: It is nourished by the snow energy of the mountain spirit, can replenish yin and benefit yang, prolong life, and can be soaked in wine and taken by people with yang deficiency to cure all cold symptoms.

If taken by the Yamabushi, it can extend one's lifespan by ten years. For females, it can increase the awakening degree of any inheritance by 6%, and for males, it can increase the awakening degree of any inheritance by 3%.

Note: Taking the petals and soaking them in wine can greatly improve the progress of warriors in training their skin, tendons and qi, and significantly increase the spiritual qi in the bodies of those with compatible qi attributes.

"Yes, I picked this flower at the top of Tianshan Mountain years ago at the risk of my life. There are two of them. I took one to save my life. As the remaining one is not compatible with me, I want to exchange it for some money and treasures so that I can live a more comfortable life."

Facing the hungry wolf-like gazes of the crowd, the mountain husband still had that cold face, and his hoarse voice continued to ring: "The Tianshan Snow Lotus is rare in the world, and this good quality is even more hard to come by. Let alone a thousand taels of silver, even if ten thousand taels of gold were placed in front of me, I would have to consider it."

"What a rare flower, it was born at the wrong time. What a pity!"

The leading treasure medicine envoy carefully examined the Tianshan Snow Lotus, sighed, and said unintentionally: "If you could have discovered this thing a few years earlier and rushed to the capital to present it to the Queen Mother, let alone gold and silver, you might have been able to compete for the third rank hat."

The mountain man said nothing, but quietly closed the lid of the box and wrapped the cloth strips again.

After hearing what the Medicine Master said, everyone present started to think more.

Indeed, the Tianshan Snow Lotus was a rare treasure that could prolong the life of the old and frail Empress Dowager Cixi. Although it could not bring the dead back to the dead or turn bones into flesh, even if she only had half a breath left, eating a lotus petal would guarantee that she could live for a few more months without any illness or disaster.

But is the Tianshan Snow Lotus useless to them?
The answer is of course no. Not to mention the large sum of gold and silver that can be obtained by selling it, even if you take it yourself, I am afraid it will have all kinds of incredible benefits.

Thinking of this, both the wandering Pi Gua and the bandit gang on the road were more interested in the medicine box in the mountain man's arms. Qin Huai also looked at the mountain man with interest, while extending his hand to invite the camel merchant who was traveling with him to sit down and eat.

"You are a native of the wilderness, suspicious by nature, so it is understandable that you don't trust us. If you are brave enough, why not come back to the capital with us? The imperial court will pay a lot of real money to buy this great medicine of heaven and earth, and will never treat you unfairly."

Perhaps because he saw that the mountain man had a rare treasure in his hand, the leading medicine envoy's tone became much more relaxed and gentle.

"Okay, but now, let's eat first."

The mountain husband nodded, picked up the softened crude cake and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Man, bring some sheep and warm up some good wine!"

When the precious medicine envoy saw that the mountain man had agreed, he nodded slightly, sat down at the same table with his comrades, and directly demonstrated to everyone present with his actions that the great medicine had a owner.

Shanfu frowned, but didn't say much.

On the side, the man with the shabby face and the drunk looked at each other, and they understood each other's meaning tacitly, and had their own calculations in their minds.

Not only them, but the gang of six people also knew that talking too much would lead to mistakes. The leader with a scar on his face saw that the bearded man opposite him was getting impatient and was about to reach for his waist to draw his gun, so he immediately gave him a look. The dull man next to the bearded man immediately put his arm around his hand and gently pressed it down, shaking his head slightly.

"There are too many people here, all of them strangers, and I don't know their backgrounds. Let's talk about things when the moon is above the willows."

Seeing that Scarface had made a plan, the bearded man calmed down and resumed his rough appearance, clamoring to eat meat and drink wine.

At this moment, the copper pot of shabu-shabu and other dishes that Qin Huai ordered were brought to the table by several waiters. He simply stopped watching the fun and concentrated on filling his stomach.

The north wind was howling and snow was flying all over the sky.

After having a full meal and a few drinks, everyone went into the guest rooms one after another. They turned off the lights early and heard snoring sounds one after another.

As the saying goes, when you are well fed and warm, you will think about sex. However, the tavern where we were staying was, after all, an inn in a remote and desolate place. It could not compare to the prosperous Shanghai and Tianjin. Not only did it not have brothels where people reveled all night long, but we couldn't even find a girl who was barely decent enough.

These men who had been traveling in the wind and snow during the day were already tired and exhausted, regardless of their status or martial arts skills. There seemed nothing wrong with wanting to have a good sleep.

But the mountain man sitting cross-legged in the room was not fast asleep. He put the sandalwood medicine box on his thighs, leaned against the earth wall, and his eyelids were only slightly closed, but he was still on guard.

How can a person wander around the world without getting stabbed?

He was not a novice or a wild fox, so he naturally understood the principle of not showing off his wealth. However, for certain things, he had to start from the Western Frontier, using precious medicine as bait along the way, intending to catch the big fish he wanted.

The wind and snow passed by, Qin Huai stood in the snow, his bright golden eyes lowered, and he saw another Qin Huai appear out of thin air on the snow in front of him.

"Taowu, this time we will split the troops into two groups. You will lead [Yekui] to the north to see how far the Boxers in Beijing, Tianjin and Zhili have developed. Ao Ling and I will go south to visit Hongying and Uncle Wu to see if it is possible to extend Xiang Bo's life span."

This time, Qin Huai used [Soul Hunting] to separate the Kaiming Beast and Taowu in the Niwan Palace, as well as the ancient martial arts expert who had just broken through a hundred levels. Although the appearance was still the same as the original, for some reason, he always felt that the evil aura in front of him was a little abnormal.

"No problem, just go and enjoy your life with Hongying and Ao Ling. As for those bastards from the north, I will make sure to kill them all for you."

Taowu licked his lips, took the Qilin martial arts uniform handed over by Qin Huai, put it on neatly, and walked into the tavern without looking back: "No sadness, no bitterness, no empty rush, kill everything in the world, this time I finally came out to take a breath, I must enjoy it to the fullest!"

Qin Huai looked at the evil-looking clone of Taowu and touched his chin, feeling as if he had released some extremely ferocious beast.

"Forget it, let's get on with our journey first."

Qin Huai withdrew his gaze from the unarmed back of Taowu, but he was not worried that anything might go wrong with this clone.

Ever since his personal Ninja Zero was upgraded to ace authority, his clones can also share his personal mark space in the same fruit, which is much more convenient.

Now the fully revived Taowu and the Kaiming Beast who completed the second peak breakthrough are both in the clone. With 100% ancient martial arts expertise and a wide variety of consumables in the personal space, Qin Huai really doesn't think that anyone in the current Xin Chou Seven can threaten this Taowu clone who has the guaranteed peak strength of the Eight Extremes.

The snow was still falling all over the sky. Qin Huai spread his cloud wings, a golden-red light flashed, and in the blink of an eye he soared into the sky and plunged into the cold black clouds in the sky.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Not long after Qin Huai split up and acted in the snowy field, two sneaky figures tiptoed through the dark corridor and lay silently outside the wooden door of the mountain man's room.

'Do it! '

The drunk winked at Shoe-Horn-Face, dipped his index finger in his saliva, poked open the thin paper pasted on the window pane of the wooden door, looked inside, and after confirming that the mountain man was indeed sleeping soundly on the bed, nodded to Shoe-Horn-Face who was fiddling with the blowpipe.

Call ~
Shoe Horn Face puffed up his cheeks and blew, and the white incense blew into the room from the small hole poked by the drunkard, and soon filled the room.

Sixty breaths later, Pi Gua and the other two, who had taken the antidote in advance, used their cleverness to pry open the bolt with a dagger and tiptoed to the mountain man's window.

"When the Monkey King shows up, there is no one he cannot charm. I let you show off after getting the treasure. Now you have learned your lesson."

The man with the shoe-horn face stretched out two fingers to feel the mountain man's breath, and the breath he had been holding in his chest let out.

"Monkey, don't forget that the medicine you sell on weekdays is fake. Are you sure you didn't take the wrong medicine bag when you came out tonight? Will he wake up later?"

The drunkard knew the character of Shoe-Horn Face very well. He knew that he was a playboy and a frivolous person. He couldn't help feeling a little unsure at this moment.

"Don't worry, my [Cockcrowing Five Drums Soul-Returning Incense] is a unique secret medicine. I always carry it with me. It can't be wrong."

The man with the shoe-horn face was obviously very confident about the incense in his hand, and immediately reached for the wooden box in the mountain man's arms.

Snapped!
The hand that wanted to take advantage of the situation stretched out impatiently, but was suddenly grabbed by a fleshy palm full of cracked texture, and the hand was squeezed with extremely strong force, causing the person to cry out in pain.

(End of this chapter)