Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 296: The Jianghu Remains the Same
Jianmen Pass is located at the break of Dajian Mountain in Shu. There are steep cliffs on both sides that reach into the sky. The peaks are like swords leaning against the sky, and the cliffs are separated and the two walls face each other. It looks like a door, so it is called "Jianmen".

The terrain of this pass is steep and easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is far better than the Piantou Yanmen pass in Jin. However, Shu is now located in the southwest inland of Dali. If the Rong people can reach this pass, Dali will be destroyed soon... This pass was mainly used when warlords were fighting for power before the founding of the country. Now, it is more common for people from the martial arts world to fight here.

At the foot of the mountain on the south side of Jianmen Pass, there is a town called Jiannan. It is not large, but it is also a place frequented by people from the Shu area.

According to legend, the Jianmen Pass was founded by a swordsman who gained enlightenment on swordsmanship hundreds of years ago. There are remnants of his sword arts, and it is possible that he could have gained some insights and developed some magical skills... In fact, these are all rumors spread by people in the martial arts world. Wherever there is something wrong, there will be some rumors.

The real reason is that in the previous dynasty, there was a sect in Dajian Mountain called Jiange, which is similar to the name of Jianzong. A hundred years ago, there was also a saying in the martial arts world that "North Jiannan Pavilion". It was because a predecessor of Jianzong could not stand being ruled by the Rong people in Yanyun, so he moved to Shu with a large number of disciples. Logically, they should have split up, but as time passed, a gap between the two lineages arose, and they were divided and ruled.

Jian Ge is to Jian Zong what Huan Zhen Ge is to Wugong Mountain; both were split off from Jian Zong, but Jian Ge did not develop as well as Huan Zhen Ge. Within the sect, there was only the one martial arts champion who was the best when the sect was founded, and there was a lack of successors. Therefore, when Dali took back Yanyun, Jian Zong would naturally not tolerate 'one country, two swords' and simply took action against it.

Either they consider themselves a branch of the Sword Sect and be controlled by the Sword Sect, or they speak with swords... There is nothing wrong with the Sword Sect, after all, the Sword Pavilion's inheritance was learned by the Sword Sect, and even the Huanzhen Pavilion has a large number of martial arts from Wugong Mountain... If it were not so weak, Wugong Mountain would have wiped out the Huanzhen Pavilion long ago.

At that time, Jian Ge had long since stopped recognizing Jian Zong and naturally refused to surrender… As a result, Jian Ge was destroyed, and this was already a long-standing story of the Hong Tian Dynasty.

The few remnants of Jiange's magic weapons, elixirs, and martial arts secrets were scattered around Jianmen Pass after the battle at Jianshan that year... This is the origin of Jiannan's prosperity.

The raindrops in Shu always fall silently, just like the day and night, the flashing of swords and the shadows of sabers have become a part of the Shu world.

Ding Jingcheng led the horse, pressed down his hat, looked up at the sky, and slowly walked into the town of Jiannan.

Most of the people around were martial artists holding swords and knives. No one recognized that the man in front of them was the famous former Five Mountains Master Ding Jingcheng, and Ding Jingcheng didn't care about them either.

He walked into a wine shop with a familiar feel... This wine shop seemed to be old, with yellowed wine banners and a faint word "sword" visible on it.

The town was called Jiannan, and the wine shop was named "Jian", which was also ordinary and did not attract anyone's attention.

The owner of the wine shop was an old man with white hair and beard, looking unremarkable. It was late at night and there were not many customers. He sat alone at the table, looking out the window. Raindrops hit the window, and the water droplets turned into water threads, leaving winding curves on the window paper.

Rustle, rustle————

There seemed to be only the sound of raindrops falling in the wine shop, until the untimely sound of horse hooves was heard.

call----

Ding Jingcheng tied the horse to the wooden stake in front of the wine shop, opened the door curtain, and the evening breeze mixed with raindrops blew into the wine shop.
He got straight to the point, his tone slightly cold, and said: "Don't be in a daze, you should repay the favor you owed me back then."

The owner of the wine shop glanced at Ding Jingcheng, slightly surprised, "Are you finally willing to leave the desert?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Time is short. There's no telling when he'll come." Ding Jingcheng sat down opposite the owner of the wine shop and looked him up and down. "After so many years, you can still lift a sword?"

"It's been a long time since I fought anyone, so who knows?" The owner of the wine shop took a sip of wine, looked at the wine in the glass, and asked softly, "Who do you want to kill?"

"Xiao Yuankong and Xiao Yuanmu." Ding Jingcheng stroked his fingers and whispered, "Xiao Yuankong is also Zhao Wumian. You should have heard of him. As for Xiao Yuanmu... I don't know if she is with Zhao Wumian. But if she is, you can hold her back. It will be enough for Meng Po and I to kill Zhao Wumian... Otherwise, I don't want to disturb your seclusion."

The shopkeeper paused. Even if he had retired from society for a long time, it was impossible that he had not heard of Xiao Yuanmu's name... Xiao Yuankong didn't have much impression of him, but he vaguely remembered that many years ago, a female knight in white came with a young man to his wine shop to drink and inquire about the matter of the Four Glazed Jades.

That young man was quite talkative. His martial arts skills were not very high, but he talked a lot about the "Nine Swords of Dugu" and "No sword is better than a sword" because of the Sword Pavilion.

The white-clad female knight was very skilled in martial arts and had guessed his identity back then... He was deeply impressed.

"So many years have passed in the blink of an eye?" he whispered to himself.

"What do you mean?" Ding Jingcheng poured himself a glass of wine, drank it all, smacked his lips, and said, "The court was founded more than fifty years ago, and Jiange was destroyed only for more than forty years... less than a hundred years."

The shopkeeper smiled faintly and did not answer.

When Jiange was destroyed, he was seriously injured and exhausted. He fell off a cliff at Jianshan Mountain and was about to die. It was the man in front of him who saved him.

Since Ding Jingcheng came to him and asked him to help kill someone, there was naturally no reason for him to refuse.

The shopkeeper sighed calmly, "I have been holding the sword for forty years. Now I am a hundred years old. Half of my body is buried in the ground, but I still have to be pulled into the rivers, lakes and seas by you?"

"Once you enter the martial arts world, it's not easy to get out. You are the martial arts champion, only a hundred years old, and you still have a fight to fight. I am only less than ten years younger than you." Ding Jingcheng smiled indifferently, stood up and shook off the raindrops on his cloak, flicked a few copper coins with his thumb, turned around and left, lifted the wine curtain, and was about to step out, but suddenly remembered something and said:

"By the way, Zhao Wumian is also considered a disciple of the Sword Sect. He worships Little King Yan as his master and learns this sword... This is your martial arts. If you lose, it will be too embarrassing."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ding Jingcheng gently lifted the door curtain, stepped into the rain, loosened the hemp rope that tied the horse, and rode away.

This sword is a martial art that has been passed down in the Sword Sect for 270 years. The martial arts master was not created by this person... but he was the master of this sword in the previous generation.

In terms of identity, he was once considered Zhao Wumian's ancestor. Of course, he had already betrayed his master when he left Yanyun with a group of disciples and traveled to Shu... Things were very complicated at that time, and it was a dispute over ideas.

When the Sword Sect was in Yanyun, it was under the jurisdiction of the Rong people. The Sword Sect's leader at that time believed that everyone wanted to expel the Rong people, but the Rong people were at their peak at that time, so it was better to endure and wait for an opportunity to raise the flag and draw the sword... In fact, the Sword Sect did the same thing back then. When they left the south and headed north, the Sword Sect did create a lot of trouble for the Rong people in the rear.

But at that time, the shopkeeper was in his twenties, in the prime of his youth. He couldn't stand this humiliation, nor did he want to endure it. Who knew when the opportunity would come?
So he took his like-minded disciples and headed south to develop in Shu... At that time, Shu was under the jurisdiction of Chen State.

After Ding Jingcheng left, the shopkeeper still sat silently at the table. After an unknown amount of time, several people from the underworld came here to buy wine. Among them was a woman wearing white clothes who looked quite fairy-like...

The shopkeeper glanced at her, and a scene from many years ago seemed to appear before his eyes. He remembered it very clearly. It was also a rainy day...

Tap tap tap————

There was the sound of horse hooves outside the wine shop, and then a woman in white, who looked to be no more than twenty years old, with a sword on her waist, lifted the door curtain and said to him with a smile: "Boss, give me a pot of wine."

"Can I have a drink?" asked a tall boy next to her.

"Okay." Jiu'er nodded slightly. As Xiao Yuanmu said, no matter what Zhao Wumian said to her, her answer was usually just this one word.

Zhao Wumian smiled, but after taking a sip he found the drink unpalatable, so he threw it aside and began to tell a story to Jiu'er... Linghu Chong of the Huashan Sect became a disciple of Feng Qingyang, and learned the Dugu Nine Swords, a top swordsmanship that is better without a sword.

Jiu'er sipped his wine, listened quietly, and said nothing, very quietly.

The shopkeeper listened with great interest, thinking that this boy's martial arts skills were not that great, but his sword-fighting theories were well-organized and self-contained... However, with his martial arts skills at this level, these theories were just for fun.

Everyone has his own martial arts.

When Zhao Wumian was thirsty from talking and didn't want to drink anymore, Jiu'er took out a silver note from his sleeve and handed it to him, "Go buy whatever you want to drink. If you encounter an enemy, remember to shout, don't be beaten to death without making a sound."

"I'm not destined to make enemies everywhere. I just went out to buy some things. How could I get into a fight with someone?"

"You often fight with Yuan Mu at the end of the year."

"I tease her because I like her."

Zhao Wumian left the wine shop, and Jiuer looked at the shopkeeper, bowed and stood up to salute, "But is it the sword master here?"

The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, looked up and down at Jiu'er, and was a little surprised, "How did you know that?"

Jiu'er said impartially: "The reason why Jiange was able to gain a foothold in Shu was because of the support of Chen State... Now Chen State is destroyed and Jiange is dead, but I still remember it."

The shopkeeper's eyes turned cold, "This matter is a secret, and I should be the only one who knows about it... Who are you?"

"My last name is Xiao." Jiu'er shook his head slightly, and said nothing more, straight to the point: "Today's visit is not to ask you to come out of seclusion to return to Li Fuchen, but... when the country was destroyed, the four colored glaze jades seemed to be scattered all over the world, but in fact there are traces to follow. If nothing unexpected happens, the green jade pendant is protected by you... I want to take it back."

"My surname is Xiao..." The shopkeeper looked a little stunned and fell into an unspeakable silence. After Jiu'er finished speaking, he whispered, "The green jade pendant was lost along with the demise of the Sword Pavilion."

Jiu'er raised her eyebrows frivolously, "Was it taken away by the Sword Sect?"

The shopkeeper shook his head and was silent for a long time before he said, "It was stolen from the Western Regions during the chaos." Jiu'er frowned, "The Sword Sect went south to wipe out the clan, and the Western Regions stole the jade pendant during the chaos... and as far as I know, Mr. was saved by Ding Jingcheng, is there any story behind this..."

The shopkeeper waved his hand. "Whether it's true or not, it's been more than 20 years. It's true that Ding Jingcheng saved my life, and the green jade pendant... I also protected him until the last moment. Now that I've died once, I've repaid the favor of Chen Kingdom, and I don't want to be involved in the past anymore."

Jiu'er was silent for a few seconds, nodded slightly, said thank you, and said nothing more. He sat down to drink again, waiting for Zhao Wumian to come back, thinking about how to get the green jade pendant from the hands of the Western Region Saint Church.

It seems unlikely that she can rob, so she might as well steal... She has a friend who is known as the King of Thieves of Xiliang, so she might give it a try.

The shopkeeper said that he didn't want to get involved in the past, but he never thought that he would see the descendants of the Chen Kingdom's royal family again in his lifetime, so he couldn't help but ask: "Is that young man just now... your son?"

"No, I'm still unmarried. I picked him up..." Jiuer smiled.

"What is your name?"

"Xiao Yuankong."

As they were talking, Zhao Wumian walked into the wine shop with a few oranges.

"You just bought a few oranges to quench your thirst?" Jiuer asked curiously.

Zhao Wumian sat down at the table, picked up the bowl, peeled the orange, put the pulp into the bowl, and then shook it with his internal energy... and the bowl was filled with orange juice.

He pushed the bowl towards the wine and said, "Try it."

Jiuer picked up the bowl and took a sip.

"Does it taste good?"

"kindness."

After paying for the drinks, the two men left, and their conversation could be vaguely heard behind the door curtain.

"Where do you get so many weird ideas every day?"

"See that flower in the pot? It's very beautiful. The flower will thrive under gentle and careful care..."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just that Sister Jiu'er takes good care of us..."

“I didn’t grow those flowers.”

"You raised me."

“Are you a flower?”

"…How did you raise me when you are so stupid?"

"You've been a very well behaved kid... Hey, you called me stupid? Do you deserve a beating?"

……

"The shopkeeper, the shopkeeper?"

The call in his ear brought him back to his senses. He looked at the drinker in front of him and shook his head slightly to clear away his distracting thoughts.

I didn't expect that after all these years, I would become an enemy of that young man.

What Ding Jingcheng said is true. Once you enter the underworld, it is not easy to escape... The underworld remains the same.

He was silent for a moment, then turned and left the wine shop.

Two days later, late at night, the evening breeze blew.

Two horses were parked on a high slope south of the city.

Zhao Wumian wore a bamboo hat and a cloak, and looked into the distance, sizing up the city, hoping to find something wrong.

The lights in Jiannan City were just coming on. The yellow lights cast circles of hazy and dim light in the rain. People were scattered around the town, and nothing could be seen with the naked eye.

Xiao Yuanmu stood beside Zhao Wumian, holding his cloak to block the rain, and looked at Jiannan for a few seconds before looking away. "This is the only way from Xuzhou to Qingcheng. If you want to kill him, this is the best place... But after all, these are just guesses. We can't avoid the disaster. Let's take whatever tricks we have. Let's go."

Guan Yunshu was standing aside holding an oil-paper umbrella, and she had the same idea. In two days, with the help of "Liu Wujing", Naraku Red Silk and healing pills, her strength had recovered a lot. Even if Ding Jingcheng really wanted to kill her, she would not be completely powerless to resist.

Zhao Wumian pondered for a moment, then got on his horse, pulled Xiao Yuanmu up and sat him in front of him, then bowed his head and said, "Ding Jingcheng, Meng Po, I guess there are many masters who are here to kill us... We might die here tonight."

"Are you the kind of person who is cowardly before the battle?" Xiao Yuanmu frowned slightly.

Guan Yunshu glanced at Zhao Wumian for a few seconds, and then withdrew his gaze indifferently, "He wants to use this as an excuse to kiss you..."

"I know his little thoughts, so there's no need for you to remind me." Xiao Yuanmu glanced at Guan Yunshu. He had long been fed up with this nun... She was chatting with Zhao Wumian, so why was this nun butting in?

She usually likes to say these words to tease Zhao Wumian...

Zhao Wumian really couldn't understand why the two of them could always tell what he was thinking. His little thoughts were exposed, and he estimated that it was impossible for him to taste Xiao Yuanmu's pink lips. He was alert and lightly saddled his horse, ready to enter the city, saying, "I'm not so careless as to think about men and women at this moment... Let's go. Staying outside the city and thinking about random things is just scaring yourself."

Unexpectedly, just after the horse ran a few steps, Xiao Yuanmu held the saddle with both hands, sat back, and stuck close to Zhao Wumian.

It was time for Zhao Wumian to set off again, but unlike the fleeting moment that night, this time Zhao Wumian felt it clearly.

Warm and delicate...

Zhao Wumian's heart began to burn.

Xiao Yuanmu suddenly turned his head and said to Guan Yunshu, "He has evil thoughts about me now, a little girl. It shows that he is not a gentleman at all."

Guan Yunshu was stunned for a moment, glanced at Zhao Wumian, and then withdrew his gaze indifferently, "Beast..."

Xiao Yuanmu looked up at Zhao Wumian, smiled smugly, and prepared to stand up, but a pair of hands appeared at his waist and held him down. He heard Zhao Wumian say, "It's already this hour and you're still teasing me... Don't move, there may be an ambush in the city."

Xiao Yuanmu's smile faded and her face became expressionless, but she was not the kind of girl who would be easily shy. Not only did she not dodge, but she also took the initiative to rub back and forth.

Zhao Wumian sucked in a breath of cold air and quickly lifted Xiao Yuanmu up a little. Then Xiao Yuanmu grabbed him with one hand and twisted it hard as if in revenge.

But she was actually afraid that Zhao Wumian would break it, so she didn't use too much force, and instead it was more like she was helping him glue it...

"Zhao Wumian?"

Guan Yunshu's voice came from the side, without any emotion at all.

"kindness?"

"Put Xiao Yuanmu down."

"Oh……"

(End of this chapter)