Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 388 Cangshan Gu Tomb
At nightfall, sparse raindrops were swept by the evening breeze and fell obliquely. Inside Dali City, the outlines of each brick and tile were slightly hazy. The half-ruined city wall had not been repaired, and the rain flowed down along the gap.

Ta-da, ta-da————

The sound of horse hooves sounded in front of a restaurant. The waiter hurried out. First, he felt the cool and wet feeling of rain on his face. Then he saw a man of the world wrapped in a cloak and with a sword slung at his waist helping a young lady in luxurious clothes to dismount from her horse.

A gangster, a noble lady? When young men and women of this status get together, it is inevitable that they will "become incompatible" or "elope".

"But can you speak Central Plains Mandarin?"

While the waiter was pondering, he heard the man from the martial arts world ask with a sidelong glance.

"Yes, yes. Ever since that Marquis Weiming took over the imperial city and left the army to enter the pass, those of us who serve our guests will have no jobs in the future if we don't learn the Central Plains Mandarin!"

The man from the martial arts world nodded slightly, walked in with the noble lady, and sat down by the window. Although he was well-dressed and looked like a noble, his tone of voice did not sound condescending.

"What special delicacies do you have in Hetuo? Present them all to me. I can't do without your money."

"Okay! Erhai Casserole Fish, Milk Fan Soup, Carved Plum Braised Pork, these are all our chef's specialties... Sir, you have come to the right place!"

There were still some guests seated in the lobby, and they paid no attention to this Jianghu man and the noble lady. They just chatted among themselves, all talking about the matter of the Weiming Marquis.

"Damn it, in exchange for three cups of blood for the wine, the dragon head was lifted up to light the sky at night. It turns out that the one who issued the declaration of war was the Marquis Wei Ming!"

"But why did Marquis Weiming have nothing better to do than to set fire to the mountains in Yongchang? He even gave himself the name of a male and female arsonist..."

"A rough fellow." A scholar holding a wine glass sneered, "Otherwise, why do they say that Marquis Weiming is surrounded by so many beauties..."

Upon hearing this, the noble lady glanced at the martial arts man sitting opposite her, her eyes showing curiosity but also a hint of resentment.

The temperament of a noble lady is pitiful and sympathetic, but once she becomes resentful, anyone who sees her will wonder if she has done something wrong.

The man found it funny, tilted his head to look at the scholar, and took the initiative to talk to him.

"Marquis Weiming has great power in the government and in the country, and he is the master of the martial arts world. I heard that he is also very handsome and is liked by girls. Is it strange?"

"No, no." The scholar picked up a piece of ice from the restaurant's cellar and put it into the wine glass. He held it in his hand and shook it left and right, looking like a romantic scholar wandering among the flowers. He said firmly:
"Arson, arson, the key is not arson, but the word male and female... This fire was set by Wei Minghou for his beloved."

"Really... What if the fire was not set by Marquis Weiming, but by his female relatives? He was just implicated..." The man from Jianghu found it even more interesting and said with a smile while looking at the noble lady.

The noble lady poured herself a cup of tea, held the cup and drank it, ignoring him.

The scholar took a sip of wine and glanced at the two of them. The noble lady was extremely beautiful, even the best courtesan in Dali could not compare to her. Although the man who was traveling with her was also good-looking, his dress and appearance were obviously not the same as the noble lady.

Zhumen against Zhumen, Zhumen against Zhumen.

These two people, one a playboy and the other a lady from a wealthy family, are destined to have no good ending... Such cases are very common in the underworld.

The book friend asked: "Brother, you are from the Central Plains, but you brought this young lady to a remote country like Hetuo... is it eloping?"

"Elopement? It's a bit like that..."

The man looked at the noble lady and asked her if she was willing to elope with him. The noble lady nodded, and the two of them laughed to themselves.

The scholar picked up the wine pot and poured himself a glass of wine.

"This lady left her hometown on impulse and came to a remote country like Hetuo with her brother. But she will regret it as time goes by."

"Why?" The Jianghu man didn't believe it at all. "My family is wealthy enough to let her live a comfortable life in Hetuo that is no less comfortable than before. If I can't let her live a good life, I will never take her away from home."

The waiter first brought the fragrant stone pot fish and two bowls of fragrant rice. The aroma from the pot was so fragrant that even though the noble lady had eaten not long ago, she felt her stomach was empty at the moment. But when she looked up, she saw the man from the martial arts world with a serious look on his face, still chatting with the scholar.

She found it funny why someone would be so serious with a stranger... She stood up, picked up a few pieces of tender fish with her chopsticks, dipped them in the pot, let the fish absorb the soup, and put them on the man's rice.

"Because you are not Weiming Hou." The scholar picked up a peanut with his fingertips and threw it into his mouth.
"Because every woman will eventually be fascinated by Wei Ming Hou?"

The Jianghu man looked at the noble lady and asked, "Do you like Wei Ming Hou?"

The noble lady blinked her eyes, picked up the fish meat on her own initiative, held it in her small hands, and handed it to his mouth.

Just eat, why are you talking so much?

"So that lady will definitely regret it in the end. You actually still think that there are so many beautiful women around Wei Ming Hou because of these worldly things like power, martial arts and appearance."

The scholar gulped down the wine, his face looked a little tipsy, he laughed a few times, and continued:
"Power, martial arts, and appearance can allow Marquis Weiming to play with women of different styles every night, but it is impossible for him to find a Marquis' wife who truly treats him well."

The Jianghu man picked up his bowl filled with rice and fish, "This is my future wife. We have been engaged since childhood, but we only found out after we fell in love with each other."

"Different."

"What's the difference?" The man was unconvinced.

"This lady is willing to give up her wealth for you. It is impossible for a young lady to follow you to such a foreign country without fear, but she still followed you... That's why she is more like Marquis Weiming."

The man from Jianghu understood what the scholar was talking about.

"Only by loving beauty more than the country can Marquis Weiming find a Marquis' wife who truly treats him well?"

"Half right."

"Only half? What else?"

The scholar took another sip of wine and became even more drunk. He laughed loudly:
"And the people of Jianghu act as they please, wandering around freely and unrestrainedly! Wei Ming Hou had nothing better to do, so why did he set fire to the mountain? It must be because his beloved wanted to burn it, so he burned it!"

The Jianghu man was slightly speechless, and looked at the noble lady opposite him, "Do you want me to burn the mountain to make you laugh?"

The young lady shook her head repeatedly. How could she be the kind of woman who would disregard others for her own pleasure?

"You still don't understand." The scholar took out a fan from his waist, swung it open in the air with a snap, revealing a picture of a beauty on the fan. He smiled and said:
"Women who approached Weiming Hou for worldly things such as power and appearance, when they saw Weiming Hou burning down the mountain, would only feel that they were so charming that they could make this marquis crazy, and secretly rejoice.

But if the lady really treats Wei Ming Hou well, she will only think that this idiot would set fire to the mountain just to make me laugh. It is really absurd. But besides feeling absurd, she will definitely think in her heart, why is this idiot so nice to me..."

"All the men in the martial world are playboys who risk their lives to make a living. Why would there be any young lady willing to follow these playboys around the world, endure countless hardships, and even risk her life?" The scholar snapped his fan shut.

"It is because they can see the goodness of the prodigal son in his carefree and carefree actions of burning the mountain. This is the secret of how we Jianghu people can marry good wives, and it is also the fundamental reason why Wei Ming Hou is surrounded by so many beautiful women."

"That makes sense." The Jianghu man said to the noble lady with a smile, "The Jianghu is not only about fighting and killing, and the pleasure of revenge, but it also has tips on how to marry a good wife."

The noble lady looked at him helplessly and tapped the stone pot with her chopsticks, making a few crisp sounds... Eat quickly.

As they were talking, the orderly sound of horse hooves could be heard from far away outside the restaurant, accompanied by many suppressed whispers on the street.

"The Li army has entered the city..."

The sound of horse hooves soon approached the restaurant, but then suddenly stopped, scaring the waiter, the shopkeeper, and all the guests so much that their faces turned pale.

The gangster glanced out through the window, placed some silver on the table, and walked out of the door with the noble lady.

On the street, soldiers in black armor, with sabers on their waists, stood in neat rows. At a glance, the black-armored soldiers spread to the end of the street.

But although they were riding tall horses, at this moment there was not even the slightest sound of horses' hooves, which showed how strict the military discipline was.

The only sound on the street was the rustling of military flags in the evening breeze, and the atmosphere was so depressing that it was hard to breathe.

Han Yongliang saw the man walking out of the restaurant, so he immediately dismounted, hurried over to him, and knelt on one knee.

"See you Lord Marquis!"

"Greetings, Lord Marquis————" Immediately afterwards, more than ten thousand soldiers shouted in unison, like a sudden thunder, echoing in Dali City.

Everyone in the restaurant couldn't help but stand up, looking at the back of the man from Jianghu, blinking their eyes. The drunkenness of the scholar had already been scared back into the wine, and his face was pale.

Zhao Wumian looked at Han Yongliang and said, "No need to do that. The Southwest Army is not under my control."

"It took three days to conquer a country, which is unprecedented. This illustrious military feat will allow the brothers to benefit from the Marquis's glory and leave their names in history. Naturally, we all respect the Marquis..."

At this point, Zhao Wumian did not delve into these trivial matters, "Has the emperor's decree arrived?"

"You are joking, my Lord. The capital is thousands of miles away from Dali. We will probably have to wait for a few days..."

Zhao Wumian looked towards the capital and thought to himself that he was too impatient. The court would probably have to hold meetings for several days to decide how to deal with Nanzhao.

He guessed wrong. The most discussed issue in the court right now was his marriage with Luo Chaoyan.

When the emperor welcomes the empress, it is not a simple wedding of an ordinary family. There is a selection of concubines, the issuance of an imperial edict, the acceptance of the betrothal gifts, the acceptance of the concubine and the betrothal gifts, sacrifices to the heaven, earth and ancestors, the enthronement ceremony, the welcoming ceremony... the whole process is no less than a banquet for all nations.

There is a war going on at the front line and the national treasury is already under pressure, but the emperor’s first reception for the empress must not be shabby, otherwise the world will laugh at him.

Zhao Wumian knew nothing about this. He retracted his gaze, climbed onto the horse, pulled Luo Xiangzhu up, and gently squeezed the horse's belly, "Let's go back to the palace."

"promise!"

……

In the inner treasury of the imperial city, rare and precious poisonous insects, gold, silver, jewels, treasures of heaven and earth, etc. have been classified into different categories. Zi Yi set up a small table in the inner treasury, lit a candle, and held a very ancient document in his hand.

The handwriting on the document was Jiuli's own style, which Ziyi could not understand, but she was born smart. Over the past few days, she had looked through other documents, inferred them indirectly, and translated them word by word, and was able to understand a little.

She frowned and muttered to herself.

"Cangshan...hiss, Jiuli's original base was actually in Cangshan. When Zhu Jiutian learned that Zhao Wumian was in Nanzhao, his first reaction was to go to Cangshan...could he have some other tricks up his sleeve?"

Zi Yi sensed something was wrong and felt a little worried.

Zhao Wumian walked into the inner storehouse and said with a smile, "You have to be careful. I just went out to eat and learned the true way of marrying a wife from the Jianghu people. You have to be careful not to be fascinated by me in the future."

"Really? Then what did you and the little princess eat just now?"

"Stone pot fish, made with fish from Erhai Lake, very delicious..."

Before she finished speaking, Zi Yi put the ancient document into her wide sleeves, suddenly stood up, and walked past Zhao Wumian, "You and the little princess go out to live your sweet life, leaving me alone here to count the harvest, lonely and helpless..."

"Didn't I invite you when I went?"

"Is this the true answer you learned?"

"You are so beautiful. I was fascinated by you just now. Why don't you ask me again?"

Zi Yi didn't ask any more questions, as this answer was enough to satisfy her.

She looked up at the sky. Although it was drizzling, it was not very heavy and she did not feel anything when it fell on her body. She turned around and said, "Come on, let's go to Cangshan Mountain with me. That place was once the foothold of Jiuli. Zhu Jiutian also went there before fighting with you. I think there must be something unknown in it."

"Once? How many years ago exactly?"

"This has to be traced back to when Zhu Jiutian became the Imperial Master of Nanzhao. It must have been at least fifty years ago..."

"Fifty years...can Jiuli still keep any good things in Cangshan?"

"It's always a good idea to go and have a look."

Zhao Wumian followed Zi Yi out of the inner storehouse, had someone bring the horses, and said with a smile:

"Cangshan is the mausoleum of the Nanzhao royal family...it can be said that it has gone with you to return to the corpse and the distant place."

"What are you talking about?" Zi Yi found Luo Xiangzhu. Facing the little princess, her attitude was completely different and very gentle:
"Would you like to go to Cangshan with us?"

Luo Xiangzhu would go to sleep after eating and drinking. Unlike Zhao Wumian, Zi Yi and other warriors, she couldn't do without enough sleep every day, otherwise she would feel tired all day.

What's more... Zhao Wumian never lets her sleep.

She shook her head and refused.

Zhao Wumian thought that with the arrival of the army, Luo Xiangzhu's safety would be guaranteed, so he asked Han Yongliang to send a few "Mulan" from the army to protect her closely.

Dali is a martial arts country with a prosperous martial arts culture, which can to a certain extent bridge the gap in strength between men and women. Therefore, it is not surprising that women join the army. There are even many female generals. It's just that Zhao Wumian has never been to the front line and has no channels to get to know them.

Han Yongliang knew Luo Xiangzhu's identity and did not dare to neglect him. He directly sent the third in command of the Southwest Army... A female general in white armor, about thirty years old, hurried over, saluted with a gun, and looked at Zhao Wumian cautiously.

The Marquis is even more handsome than the rumors say.

"See Mr. Marquis."

Zhao Wumian studied her martial arts for a while. As a fierce warrior who had fought in the battle, her martial arts were naturally impeccable, so he left with peace of mind.

Zhao Wumian only had a thousand-mile horse ridden by Ziyi. He wanted to go and come back early, so he rode the same horse with Ziyi. With a few casual words, he stepped out of the palace with the tip of the horse's belly.

"I thought you would take the little princess to Cangshan Mountain to play some wild games..."

"At the grave of the Nanzhao royal family? I don't have that in mind."

"Hehe, who knows..."

Luo Xiangzhu stood under the eaves, watching the two figures disappear in the misty rain, then he yawned, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and turned back to the house.

She just tossed and turned on the couch. She was sleepy, but now she couldn't fall asleep.

It’s not that I’m jealous of Zi Yi, but I think that when Zhao Wumian comes back, it will at least be the second half of the night. If he is hungry, he will have to wait for the chef in the imperial kitchen to cook for him?
The little princess then stood up, dressed neatly, and went to the kitchen accompanied by the female general.

There was no one in the kitchen, as the imperial chef had gone to bed long ago, but the food was plentiful and varied.

"Princess, what are you doing?" The female general was slightly stunned and asked in a low voice.

Luo Xiangzhu rolled up her sleeves, revealing her slender white arms, picked up the kitchen knife, hesitated for a moment, and began to heat the oil and cut the vegetables.

If Zhao Wumian comes back, at least he should be given a hot meal as soon as possible, right?
The little mute went out with Zhao Wumian and listened to him chatting with the scholar. Although he didn't express any opinion, he had some thoughts in his heart...

She must be the good wife that the scholar mentioned.

The night sky was covered with a thin layer of black clouds, and the dim moonlight sprinkled on the potholes and battle scars in the wheat fields.

Ta-da, ta-da————

A fine horse galloped past on the official road, its hooves sounded like thunder, scaring the birds away.

The bodies of the King of Nanzhao and his guards on the official road had long disappeared. They were probably searched for all their belongings and then carried away by wild wolves, leaving only the wreckage of a carriage.

Zhao Wumian rode his horse past the carriage, then retracted his gaze and looked at the man in purple sitting in front of him.

She didn't like to tie her hair up, and as her hair fluttered, some of it touched his face, emitting a faint fragrance.

He wanted to raise his hands to hold Zi Yi's belly and rub her ears, but when he saw her pretty face seriously studying the ancient document in her hand under the moonlight, he gave up these improper thoughts and asked curiously:
"Where did you find this antique?"

"There are so many old antiques in the Nanzhao treasury, you just don't care about them."

"I am a layman, and I can only see the dazzling array of rare treasures, gold and silver."

"Do you still care about these possessions? But in theory, these should all be handed over to the court for confiscation, but most likely they will remain in Nanzhao as funds to appease the people... You can wait for Chaoyan to give them to you, but you can't take them yourself, otherwise it will be considered corruption."

"I am a clean-handed person and have never coveted the money from the imperial court, but if this is used as a betrothal gift, I will definitely break my vow."

"Sweet talk. I will complain to Chaoyan when I return to the capital."

"I didn't say I wanted to propose to you, why are you being so narcissistic?"

Zi Yi leaned back... and the back of his head hit the tip of Zhao Wumian's nose.

"... Nanzhao gives it to Chaoyan, and the national treasury gives it to you. I want both of you to be my master and my disciple... Hey, don't pinch me, don't you know that my injury hasn't fully healed?"

After arguing for a while, the two men rode their horses to the foot of Cangshan Mountain.

Cangshan Mountain is neither far nor near from Dali, but it doesn’t take much time to get there at the speed of a thousand-mile horse.

The inside of the mountain is not too dark. There are stone steps and stone lanterns on both sides. Looking from the bottom up, it looks like two paths of lanterns extending from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain.

Originally, Nanzhao's special soldiers were always guarding the imperial tomb, but now it is obvious that they have scattered and there is no one around.

Wei Ming Hou has become Hetuo's de facto King of Nanzhao, and they continue to defend the imperial mausoleum. Isn't that being "loyal to the old master"?
If he still stays at this moment, it is obviously because he is afraid that he will not be held accountable after the situation stabilizes.

After placing the horses at the foot of the mountain, the two men hiked up the mountain. After just a few steps, Zi Yi suddenly paused, her brows tightly furrowed, and the little white snake emerged from her sleeve. Her cute little red bean eyes showed a rare hint of human solemnity.

"how?"

"This mountain..." Zi Yi pondered for a moment, and subconsciously stroked the little white snake's head with his fingertips, "It's not right. The yin energy is too heavy. Although it is suitable for breeding Gu worms, it doesn't look like an imperial mausoleum, but more like a mass grave."

"Do you still know Feng Shui?"

"You just know how to raise poisonous insects..." Zi Yi didn't know why she felt the cold evening breeze blowing into her collar. She felt uneasy and subconsciously grabbed the corner of Zhao Wumian's clothes with her little hand, "Be careful."

After Zhao Wumian communicated with the bridge of heaven and earth, he knew that there must be yin and yang, national destiny, luck and other illusory things in this world... It was still quite metaphysical, so Zi Yi's words were definitely not groundless.

But he has not been afraid of anyone since he woke up. If he didn't have this determination, he would not have been able to communicate with the bridge between heaven and earth. Therefore, although he was alert, he was not afraid at all.

What's more, in front of Zi Yi, even if he was afraid, he couldn't show it.

He held the hilt of the knife behind his waist, took the little hand of Zi Yi, and climbed up the stairs.

The little white snake was also scared, so it crawled to Zhao Wumian's shoulder and coiled around him. It was small, but looked cute.

Zi Yi didn't care that her little hand was held. Her beautiful eyes were solemn as she kept looking at the dark forests on both sides of the stone steps. She always felt that ghosts would suddenly appear.

Following the stone steps to the heart of Cangshan Mountain, the terrain is slightly flat, with a group of square buildings and the stone steps compacted into a white stone imperial road.

There are human statues on both sides of the imperial road, which are the former civil and military officials of Nanzhao.

Inside the building, it was quiet and deserted, but lanterns were lit, as if to welcome the two of them. This made Zi Yi even more nervous, so she took the initiative to introduce Zhao Wumian:
"This white stone road is called the Shinto Road. It is the main axis of the mausoleum and symbolizes the "road to heaven."

Ziyi pointed to the vermilion gate at the end of the imperial road and said, "This is the middle gate. Only the coffin of the King of Nanzhao can pass through the middle gate. The rest of the people can enter through the side gate... Let's go through the side gate too, otherwise it will be too unlucky."

Zhao Wumian nodded slightly and walked into the mausoleum from the small door on the side. The first thing he saw was the stele pavilion, on which the life of the King of Nanzhao was recorded.

Zhao Wumian and Zi Yi stood in front of the stele and looked at it for a few seconds… They couldn’t understand it, as these were all Nanzhao characters. Zi Yi was too lazy to translate, so she took a quick glance and then looked away, heading towards the Tongtian Treasure Summit behind the main hall.

"Under the top of the pagoda is the underground palace, where the King of Nanzhao was buried... No matter how powerful the King of Nanzhao was, he could still be called the Emperor of Hetuotu. The imperial mausoleum shouldn't be filled with such gloomy aura. It must have been tampered with by the Jiuli people... The underground palace is probably the former base of the Jiuli people."

The top of the treasure is surrounded by a treasure city, that is, a city wall, and there are horse paths for guards to patrol, but where were the guards now? The two of them easily entered the top of the treasure.

Zi Yi frowned even more tightly, "Sure enough, something is wrong. This negative energy is gathering below, it is obviously a man-made arrangement, remember to be careful."

"It would be nice to be a pair of desperate lovers with you." Zhao Wumian put his hand on the hilt of the knife, stepped onto the descending stone steps, and walked towards the underground palace.

"I don't want to die..." Zi Yi muttered, looking at the dark cave entrance. She was silent for a few seconds, then hurriedly caught up with Zhao Wumian.

The underground palace was not very large, and the two walked for a while with caution. Although there were some traps against tomb robbers, they could not stop them.

Coming to the main tomb chamber, this is the tomb of the first king of Nanzhao.

However, at that time, the first King of Nanzhao was not called the King of Nanzhao, but the real Emperor Hetuo... At that time, Hetuo was not yet a vassal state of Dali.

Dali was founded only sixty years ago, but Nanzhao lasted for more than two hundred years.

There were piles of gold, silver and jewels around the coffin. Zi Yi stared at the coffin of the first Emperor Hetuo and noticed something strange.

Zhao Wumian raised his hand and pushed open the coffin lid, but there was no one inside... It was obviously impossible that it was done by tomb robbers.

He glanced at Zi Yi and said, "The Jiuli people used the corpses of the Nanzhao kings to make Gu? With the royal family's national fortune, if they were used to make Gu, they would definitely be far better than ordinary people."

As he spoke, Zhao Wumian looked at the coffin for a few seconds, then raised his hand and pushed it.

Then there was the sound of a mechanism clicking, and under the coffin was a dark hole.

The two looked at each other.

"The Imperial City is probably just a 'peripheral base' used by Jiuli to deceive people. The real good stuff is probably hidden here..."

Zi Yi's eyes lit up, and he didn't care about the gloomy atmosphere, his tone was slightly excited.

Although Zhao Wumian was not afraid in his heart, he never lost his guard and went down first.

"Follow me closely. Jiuli can't have failed to consider the possibility of an outsider breaking in..."

"At worst, I can just become a pair of desperate lovers with the Marquis..."

Zi Yi muttered something, and then she felt a chill in her heart again, and hurriedly picked up her skirt and trotted after him...

(End of this chapter)