Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 252 Waiting for the Person
Xiao Yuanmu did not stay in the capital for long. After briefly telling Zhao Wumian about his past experiences, he made two agreements with Su Qingqi, took her out of the capital, and hurried to Shu.

The so-called two methods are: one is that Su Qingqi and Zhao Wumian cannot be prevented from being together; the other is that Su Qingqi cannot be forced to harm people in the court.

Su Qingqi only has these two conditions.

Xiao Yuanmu had already found out that Zhan Yan's hairpin was stolen by Qing Liantian. He came to the capital just to find Zhao Wumian, otherwise he would have gone to Chengdu and chopped off Yangshe Congyun's brains.

How dare you steal her things? And that hairpin was given to her by Zhao Wumian.

But the main thing is to find Jiuli Gu and Tian Xuanchen. Two months is not a short time, but it is definitely not long either. Xiao Yuanmu is already extremely anxious and dares not delay for a moment. And the most important thing is... Zhao Wumian is now a government official, and both publicly and privately, he should not mix with Xiao Yuanmu.

They could only have an 'underground relationship' and meet secretly behind the backs of Luo Chaoyan, the Queen Mother, and even Chief Constable Su, Xu Ran and other people in the court... It was impossible for Xiao Yuanmu to talk to Luo Chaoyan, the Queen Mother and others in a friendly manner, and he didn't even want to meet them.

If it weren't for Zhao Wumian, Xiao Yuanmu would have taken advantage of the opportunity created by Lan and hacked at people in the chaos...

I can only take Su Qingqi with me... Xiao Yuanmu sat in the car, lowered the curtain, retracted his gaze, and glanced forward.

Su Qingqi sat upright with her eyes closed, resting. However, as the carriage moved on the road, occasionally running over stones, the front of her clothes trembled, which made Xiao Yuanmu raise his eyebrows, thinking to himself, could it be that Zhao Wumian likes older ones?
Before the retreat, Xiao Yuanmu had a graceful and beautiful figure, but now...

Su Qingqi noticed Xiao Yuanmu's gaze, opened her eyes calmly, and frowned, "What are you looking at?"

Xiao Yuanmu picked up a round fan beside him and fanned himself gently, his every move was elegant and luxurious, and he said lightly: "You are rude... don't you know how to call me Master?"

"I haven't taught you anything yet, so why do you call me Master?" Su Qingqi raised her face and gently lifted the curtain to look in the direction of the capital.

"Do you think anyone can become my disciple? You don't know how to cherish it at all." Xiao Yuanmu picked up a grape from the fruit plate beside him and put it into her pink lips.

"Don't you have an apprentice?"

Su Qingqi frowned slightly and recalled. According to the intelligence from the Detective Department, in recent years, Xiao Yuanmu has been accompanied by a woman who looks younger than her. She seldom appears in the world and no one knows how strong she is, but people in the world guess that she is Xiao Yuanmu's successor.

"Who?" Xiao Yuanmu looked at Su Qingqi with a puzzled look, and then he realized what was happening and laughed, "She is not my apprentice. On the contrary, I am her disciple."

Su Qingqi couldn't believe it, "But the portrait shows that she is so young..."

"After communicating with the bridge of heaven and earth, her life span is close to 200 years old. Master has always been unwilling to admit that she is old. Obviously, I should call her mother..." Xiao Yuanmu paused, and then shook his head slightly. There was no need to talk about such family matters with Su Qingqi. After all, the two women were not too familiar with each other, so he stopped the topic and showed a helpless smile, saying:

"Thanks to this, she put more effort into maintaining her beauty, so of course she looks younger."

Jiu'er's sister, who is also Xiao Yuanmu's master, has been hiding behind the scenes since Xiao Yuanmu took over the position of Palace Master of Taixuan Palace. She basically no longer shows up in the world. The last time she took action was under the alias Mu Wanwan, helping Zhao Wumian steal the Naraku Red Silk and restrain Guiyi Zhenren.

Now that Xiao Yuanmu has come to the north, the Taixuan Palace headquarters must be left alone, so she still stays in Jiangnan to take charge of the overall situation.

Xiao Yuanmu used a round fan to cover the lower half of her face. Her big eyes were full of the cuteness and spirit of a little girl. She looked at the younger generation with a calm and peaceful expression, which was a little bit disconnected, but it also had an inexplicable charm and charm. She said patiently:

"I have also learned the art of maintaining beauty. It is not about makeup, disguise or other external things, but an internal skill. After learning it, I guarantee that you will be the same as today even after forty years... Do you want to learn it?"

"I'm only seventeen this year, not an old woman. Why should I learn internal skills?" Su Qingqi shook her head lightly.

The real old woman, Xiao Yuanmu, stared at her expressionlessly.

Su Qingqi was stared at so hard that her entire body was creeped out. "Is the reason you are in this state now related to this inner strength? I don't want to become like you..."

"There is a certain relationship." Xiao Yuanmu casually stretched out his little hand, and a faint white mist flowed out from his fingertips.

Su Qingqi was a little confused, but after sensing a little, she was surprised to find that this was true Qi that was so pure and strong that it was almost in a solid state. It could also be called internal breath or internal strength, which mean the same thing.

There was a hint of astonishment in her eyes. After all, the bridge connecting heaven and earth only possessed an infinite quantity, but the white gas at this moment was of almost the ultimate quality... Even for the other martial masters, most of them could not condense their true energy into this state.

"Human body's true qi comes from the refining of grains, and the true qi is collected from the middle burner, enters the upper burner, then enters the twelve meridians from the lungs, sinks into the Ren and Du meridians from the kidney meridian, returns to the lower burner, and returns to the Dantian... The Dantian is just a place for storage. What really affects the true qi is the three burners." Xiao Yuanmu raised his hand to disperse the white air and patiently explained to Su Qingqi:

"Only by strengthening the three energizers can one refine the true qi and improve the quality. However, I went to extremes when practicing and focused too much on quality. Although my strength improved significantly, it was ultimately a deviation from the norm... There are countless deviations from the norm, but once they are applied to the human body, they are no different from magic."

Su Qingqi was not a novice in martial arts. When Xiao Yuanmu said this, she had already guessed the general idea, "True Qi belongs to Yang, and Qi and blood belong to Yin. When the true Qi is condensed to your level, the Yin and Yang are out of balance. Logically, you should have died long ago... You want to stay alive, but you don't want to give up this true Qi, so you try every way to replenish Qi and blood... I guess your beauty-preserving technique is also related to Qi and blood?"

True Qi is Yang, and Qi and blood are Yin. This is the medical principle, which is completely different from the so-called fire-attributed internal breath and ice-attributed internal breath... That is, no matter whether your internal energy is extremely hard and Yang, or icy cold, it is Yang in the human body, opposite to Qi and blood.

Xiao Yuanmu nodded slightly. Su Qingqi's martial arts talent was indeed good. She hit the nail on the head. She continued:

"The Bei Ming Divine Art is the method I found for this purpose, but it was of little use. Later, I turned my attention to the art of beauty care. What you said is correct. The principle is indeed related to Qi and blood, but if you don't have a special physique, then there should be no method in this world that can condense Qi and blood to compete with this true Qi.

I refused to believe in evil, so I tried the beauty-preserving technique and tried to condense my qi and blood as much as possible. Unfortunately, something went wrong. In order to survive, I changed myself into this state, otherwise I would have exploded and died."

Just hearing this made Su Qingqi shudder. Condensing Qi and blood in one's body? Can that thing be condensed casually? Most people would go crazy when they first started, but Xiao Yuanmu could actually survive...

Xiao Yuanmu didn't care, and gently waved his round fan, "To put it bluntly, I don't want to give up this strength, but my blood and true energy are too strong, and my body can't bear it, so I do the opposite, dissipating my true energy while my tendons and bones shrink, and my blood and qi gradually disappear, so that the yin and yang in my body can barely achieve a delicate balance."

Why did he go to such lengths... There was no need to think about this question. Why did Xiao Yuanmu work so hard and even figure out such an extreme magic skill? Wasn't it just to rebel against Li Fuchen?

Xiao Yuanmu's words were simple, but strengthening the three energizers, condensing the true qi, retracting the tendons and bones, and gradually disappearing the qi and blood, which step was not a life-and-death struggle? God knows how many times Xiao Yuanmu almost died while practicing?
Su Qingqi was completely clueless about any of the steps involved and didn't even know the specific methods.

Wudamu is now over a hundred years old and can be called the patron saint of the Rong people. Xiao Yuanmu is only 29 years old this year, but he is as famous as Wudamu. The efforts, bitterness, and dangers he has endured are simply beyond the understanding of outsiders.

For the first time, Su Qingqi looked seriously at this woman in front of her who looked younger than her. Regardless of her position or identity, her character alone was worthy of Su Qingqi's admiration.

"So now... can you still change back?" Su Qingqi asked.

"It is possible. After all, I have actively retracted my muscles and bones, so there is naturally a way to change back. But even if I change back, the problem cannot be solved. I will explode and die within an incense stick of time." Speaking of this, Xiao Yuanmu frowned slightly, secretly distressed.

She is not a woman with a strange fetish who can turn into a plump and tall beauty. Who would want to turn a small bowl upside down and have no life in the valley? Moreover, she has become a doll now. Her true energy, blood, tendons and bones are not as good as before, and her strength is not as good as her heyday.

If Wudamu came out to kill her now, Xiao Yuanmu really didn't have the confidence to escape from him.

But Wudamu's current situation is not much different from Xiao Yuanmu's. Ever since he was chased back to Taiyuan like a stray dog, his injuries have not healed. Now it is estimated that he has not even recovered half of his strength. Even if he is given the courage, he would not dare to run to the Central Plains.

"Can dual cultivation cure it?"

Xiao Yuanmu looked at Su Qingqi with doubt, "Last time I said you were dissolute, I was just scolding you to vent my anger. Could it be that you are really dissolute? Do you think everything can be solved by dual cultivation? And even if it can be solved, which man in this world is worthy of my eyes? Who is qualified to practice dual cultivation with me?"

Su Qingqi's face turned red after being scolded. She wanted to say that anyone could be worthy of the young master, but when the words came to her lips, she quickly changed her words and nodded continuously, "Yes, yes, there is no man in this world who can be worthy of you, ah no, Master..."

In order to prevent Xiao Yuanmu from hooking up with her lover Zhao Wumian, Su Qingqi sincerely called Xiao Yuanmu "Master".

Xiao Yuanmu narrowed his almond-shaped eyes, shielded the lower half of his face with a round fan, and said with a smile, "Since you call me master, I can't just teach you nothing... I will teach you some Qinggong right now. Go, I will sit in the car and you go run below. Only in this way can your Qinggong level rise with the tide."

Su Qingqi's expression froze, but she was completely powerless to resist. After listening to Xiao Yuanmu's detailed explanation of the key points of Qinggong, she was grabbed by the collar and thrown out of the car.

"Xiao Yuanmu! You are such a petty woman, you think I stole your master!"

"If you keep talking, you won't be able to eat tonight."

Capital.

Zhao Wumian did not leave Beijing immediately, his mind was full of thoughts about his past.

He had had some vague guesses before, but he never thought that his relationship with Jiu'er would be that close... He was raised by her.

She accompanied Jiu'er in searching for the Four Glazed Jades every year, and only got together with Xiao Yuanmu during the New Year. But Song Yun said that when Jiu'er first met her, she said that she only had about ten years left to live... Is she really dead?
In short, after Jiu'er disappeared, Zhao Wumian was still out every year, either looking for Liuli Siyu or doing something else.

When Xiao Yuanmu was still a little girl, she had been active near Lin'an. After she built the bridge between heaven and earth and succeeded to the position of Palace Master of Taixuan Palace, she killed an old spear tyrant in Jiangnan. Since then, she has been dominating the south, accumulating strength and developing her sect. She rarely acted with Zhao Wumian, which is why she always said things like she was not familiar with Zhao Wumian at all.

It was obvious that her resentment was greater than her reality. If they were really not familiar with each other, she would not have started crying as soon as she found out that Zhao Wumian didn't remember her.

In this way, Zhao Wumian was really caught between Taixuan Palace and the imperial court, Xiao Yuanmu and Luo Chaoyan, and was in a dilemma.

On one side are Jiu'er and his childhood sweetheart Xiao Yuanmu, who raised him with great difficulty; on the other side is Luo Chaoyan, who would rather kill her brother than not protect him.

I wonder what Luo Chaoyan would think after knowing this...

Zhao Wumian staggered back to the Su Mansion, only then did he realize that Su Qingqi had left.

There was a carriage parked in front of the Su Mansion. Madam Su was dressed like a noble lady, carrying a small package in her hand. When she saw Zhao Wumian, she approached with a gentle smile on her face, "Qingqi left something for the Marquis."

Zhao Wumian was slightly stunned. He took the package, opened it and saw two pieces of clothing inside. In terms of workmanship, they were not as good as those Zhao Wumian had worn before, not to mention the dragon robe. But they were all in the style that Zhao Wumian liked, simple, elegant and refined.

"Qingqi has been asking me for advice on needlework recently... The Marquis may not know this, because her father died at the hands of the Rong people, and she has a deep hatred for him. Qingqi has been practicing martial arts since she was a child, and she has never asked about needlework. Now she suddenly learns these things, and I think she has begun to think about the future with the Marquis." After saying this, Madam Su smiled gently at Zhao Wumian again, but she felt a little sad when talking about Su Qingqi's father, so she stopped talking, got on the carriage, and said, "Qingqi is going to Shu to do business, and I have no reason to stay in the capital, so I am going back to Jiangnan today..."

The carriage swayed, and Madam Su's voice faded away, "I hope to receive the betrothal gift from the Marquis this year..."

Zhao Wumian sighed. How could he choose? Did he really have to abandon one side? Don't be ridiculous. He had to find a way to properly resolve this matter. However, Zhao Wumian had no idea for the time being. He decided to go to Shu to find Jiuli Gu first to save his life.

If possible, he would rather not use Naraku Hongsi's method of retracing his past, in case he repeats the past... He has already made Xiao Yuanmu cry for him, and he cannot make Su Qingqi, Luo Chaoyan, and Master cry again.

I remembered, where is Shen Xiangge? Has she returned from Canghua Tower? If she has, do you want to go to Shu together?
After arriving at the Shen residence, Zhao Wumian sneaked in through the back door as if he was having an affair and entered the backyard which was full of female relatives. However, he did not see Shen Xiangge, only Qihe, the maid who kept her bed warm.

"The young lady hasn't come back yet. She just sent you a letter through the sect."

Qi He still didn't like Zhao Wumian very much, and still remembered the grudge of being hung on a tree and blowing in the cold wind, but her tone couldn't help but be a little more respectful. She obviously didn't expect that the man who was stealing horses in Taiyuan in a sneaky way has now transformed into Wei Ming Hou, who has achieved harmony between man and nature and is in a very high position.

When Zhao Wumian opened the letter, he saw beautiful handwriting.

[Zhao Wumian, if you come to the Shen Mansion to look for me in January and see this letter, I might give you a reward when I come back... Haven't you always wanted to kiss me? ]

[But if you see it in February, you will die. ]

[I have some important matters to take care of. Remember to cover for me and don't let my aunt find out that I'm not in the capital.]

[In case you miss me too much, I left you my handkerchief. It’s not washed yet. You can hold it while you sleep.]

There were only four short sentences, without any formatting, and the words used were very casual. It was indeed what Shen Xiangge would say, but the handwriting did not show any haste, and it was still delicate and lovely. Zhao Wumian's mind flashed with the quiet appearance of Shen Xiangge writing the letter by lamplight, and he missed her a little in his heart.

Miss Shen is the niece of the Queen Mother and is also a member of the Dali royal family... I have to think of a foolproof plan.

"Where's the handkerchief?" Zhao Wumian stretched out his hand towards Qihe.

Qi He's eyes twitched. She didn't really want to give it, but she didn't dare to disobey Empress Cang Hua. She handed over the handkerchief reluctantly, and then watched Zhao Wumian put the handkerchief into his sleeve.

"How did she hide her departure from the empress dowager? Now she even needs my help to cover up for her."

"How should I know? I just came to the Shen Mansion a few years ago..." Qi He pondered for a moment, recalled what the Empress had told her before she left, and answered honestly, "I think it has something to do with you."

“How come you see?”

"Because of you, the queen thinks highly of the young lady and probably wants to take her in as her apprentice and train her as the second-in-command of Canghua Tower."

Zhao Wumian raised his eyebrows frivolously, "That old whore actually thinks so highly of me?"

Qi He's eyes twitched, and he took a deep breath, forcing a smile. "To accomplish great things, one should not be too particular about small matters. Your Majesty has always been able to judge people by their abilities. Speaking of which..."

Qi He raised her hand slightly, and a group of girls in bright clothes and lovely faces came running out and surrounded Zhao Wumian, with spring eyes and gentle smiles on their faces, calling him "Marquis" one by one.

"Don't even mention Miss Shen. All of our disciples in Canghua Tower have nice bodies and pretty faces, and they are all virgins. As long as the Marquis wants, three virgins can be broken every day, and the Marquis can have fun for half a year without repeating the same thing... Hey, don't run, Marquis..."

Seeing Zhao Wumian fly away, Qi He stamped his feet and said, "What kind of person is this? There are so many beautiful girls in front of him, but he is not moved at all?"

A disciple of Canghua Tower smiled foolishly, "Isn't this good? If he is really the pervert who pounces on us when he sees us, not only the queen, but we will all look down on him."

"Yes, yes—"

"You're talking too much!" Qi He glared at them. "What? Are you really obsessed with this guy? A seductress from Cang Hua Lou, who would cause chaos in the martial arts world if she left the sect, how could she really be obsessed with a man?"

A female disciple muttered, "I haven't even talked to him, why are you obsessed with him... I just think the Marquis is quite elegant."

"Yes, yes—she is good-looking, graceful, and skilled in martial arts..."

"Shut up! I think you are just idle. Go, each of you have a cup of tea and put three eggs in it. Whoever dares to use the true energy again will be sent to the Benwo Hall to practice sex skills with those slutty women."

"what?"

Zhao Wumian took out the handkerchief left for him by Shen Xiangge from his sleeve, put it to his nose and sniffed it. It was indeed the fragrance of Shen Xiangge. He hoped that the witch Niang Canghua would not make things difficult for Miss Shen.

Alas, both are evil women from the Demon Sect, but Zhao Wumian is happy no matter how he looks at Xiao Yuanmu, but when it comes to Empress Canghua, Zhao Wumian is only wary and cautious.

While he was thinking, Zhao Wumian rushed to the palace. Luo Chaoyan had just finished the morning court session and was having lunch with the empress dowager in the Fu Mo Palace.

When Zhao Wumian came, he ordered more bowls and chopsticks.

When Zhao Wumian was still wondering whether to tell Luo Chaoyan about his affairs, the Queen Mother gently poked Zhao Wumian with her jade chopsticks, "When does the Marquis plan to go to Shu?"

Zhao Wumian came back to his senses and ate a mouthful of rice. "Master is poisoned. If we delay any longer, we can't be sure what will happen. Of course, the sooner the better. After lunch, I will go to the Detective Department and ask the old witch what she used to poison me..."

Before Zhao Wumian finished speaking, Luo Chaoyan winked at the female official Zhongli beside her. Zhongli bowed to say goodbye and left Fu Mo Hall. A moment later, Chief Constable Su strode forward.

Seeing Zhao Wumian having lunch with the current emperor and the queen mother, his expression did not change. He came into the hall, bowed, and said directly: "The assassin from Wuchang City was not stubborn either. We have already interrogated him in one night..."

As he spoke, Chief Constable Su recalled and explained in detail, "According to her, the old Patriarch of the Tang family had some involvement with the Jiuli tribe when he was young and learned a lot of skills, including the method of refining the Jiuli Gu. The Jiuli Gu is the king of poisons of the Jiuli tribe. It is rare in the world, but it is also the lifelong pursuit of the old Patriarch of the Tang family...

However, the Jiuli Gu requires the five major poisonous Gu in the Jiuli tribe to be refined using a special method. The old patriarch of the Tang family had no way and no materials, so he found another way. He planned to use the method of refining the Jiuli Gu to refine a poison that is no less powerful than the Jiuli Gu, named "Xiayun Gu", which also requires five kinds of poisonous Gu, all specially made by the Tang family, and Mingye Brew is one of the five poisonous Gu. "

Chief Constable Su paused for a moment before continuing, "When Du was young, she had a connection with the old patriarch of the Tang family. They shared the same ideals and knew how to refine the 'Xiayun Gu'. So she borrowed Master Mu Jian's body to refine this Gu... To refine this Gu, five kinds of poison are needed, including Mingye Brew. Now that Master Mu Jian has three of them in his body, it may be difficult to cure. We still have to go to the Tang family to see the specific situation."

Zhao Wumian frowned, "Du is still alive?"

Chief Constable Su nodded slightly.

"Kill him." Zhao Wumian said calmly.

Chief Constable Su bowed and said, "The current head of the Tang family, Tang Weiyu, seems to have communicated with the bridge between heaven and earth, but he has not challenged Yangshe Congyun since he lost to him once in the sixth year of Jingzheng. But even so, he is undoubtedly the second best in Shu. Marquis Weiming wants to go to the Tang family to ask for the antidote, but remember to be careful. He is completely different from Li Jingnan and Turga and should not be underestimated. When necessary, you can find the King of Shu and lead the troops to attack the border."

Zhao Wumian nodded slightly. After Chief Constable Su said goodbye and left, the Queen Mother poked Zhao Wumian's shoulder with her jade chopsticks again. Her mature and beautiful face was full of desire, "My Lord, you are going to challenge the former Sword Master. Why don't you take me with you to Shu?"

Zhao Wumian was slightly stunned, "Why are you going there? That place is very dangerous."

The Queen Mother puffed out her chest a little, "This is about the martial arts champion plaque, so someone from the imperial court must be there to endorse it... With my status, is it not possible?"

With Zhao Wumian's status, why did he need the endorsement of any so-called court officials? The empress dowager actually just wanted to leave Beijing for fun, so she found an excuse.

Zhao Wumian wanted to refuse, but then he remembered that Shen Xiangge asked him to help cover up... If the Queen Mother was left in the capital, she would be bored and go to the Shen Mansion to play with Shen Xiangge, and then Miss Shen would be exposed...

So Zhao Wumian looked at Luo Chaoyan, "What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Luo Chaoyan held the small bowl and took a sip of the broth slowly. "If your mother wants to go, then go. I certainly won't spoil your mood. But Your Excellency..."

Luo Chaoyan paused, and looked at Zhao Wumian with her beautiful eyes. Her eyelashes, as thin as cicada wings, trembled slightly. "If you take the queen mother out, you must bring her back to the capital safely... Okay?"

This statement has profound meaning.

The Queen Mother was looking for an excuse to go out of the capital for a trip, and Luo Chaoyan was also looking for an excuse herself... to make Zhao Wumian return to the capital.

She knew that people from Taixuan Palace would definitely show up in Shu, so she was afraid that Zhao Wumian would go to Shu and never come back.

If the Queen Mother is going with them, then Zhao Wumian should at least escort her back to the capital, right?

This is Luo Chaoyan's little girlish thought.

The Queen Mother glanced at Zhao Wumian and Luo Chaoyan, thinking that Luo Chaoyan's reaction was really quick and her hint was not in vain.

The Queen Mother naturally shared the same idea as Luo Chaoyan. If she went with him, it would also give Zhao Wumian a reason to return to Beijing.

Zhao Wumian nodded slightly.
"wait me back."

"Well, I will wait for you in the capital. Now that the Marquis and the Queen Mother are gone, I will be alone. From now on, I will have to bathe and eat alone... Marquis, please don't keep me waiting for too long."

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Daily transition.

(End of this chapter)