Chapter 204: Goose Step Punch
At this time, Yelu Hongji had just been on the throne for less than three years and was still very young.
And Empress Xiao was naturally very young.
The Xiao family is a large family, with more than a hundred direct descendants, not including the direct lineage.
Almost all the Khitan queens were from the Xiao family, and the current queen is no exception.
Just as the queen was returning to her parents' home, Lu Sen, with his beard sticking to his face, walked by not far away with his hands tucked into his sleeves.
He saw the strict defense ahead and knew that there must be important figures from the Khitan Kingdom coming and going here, but he had no interest in taking action.
Although he intended to weaken the Khitan State, it was meaningless to kill only one or two Khitan dignitaries, as they would soon be replaced by others.
The really good way is to let them consume their own energy and energy for a long time, and consume the Khitan's resources until they are no longer a threat to the Central Plains.
When Lu Sen walked by, Empress Xiao, who had been talking to her father, suddenly turned around and looked at Lu Sen's receding back through the gaps between the guards with a serious expression.
The middle-aged man next to him looked over in confusion, and then asked, "Queen, is there anything strange over there?"
Empress Xiao shook her head and said with a smile, "No, I just seemed to see someone I know, but when I looked at his back, it didn't look like him."
Oh... the middle-aged man didn't think much about it. After all, it was not strange to occasionally meet a stranger who looked like someone he knew.
Lu Sen strolled around Linhuang Prefecture, not afraid of being disturbed by the Khitans.
Not only do most Khitans wear Song clothing here, but there are also a large number of Song people, some of whom are even high-ranking officials.
The current Khitan official uniforms are similar to the Song court official uniforms, almost carved from the same mold, so Lu Sen can easily recognize the other party's identity.
After walking two or three streets, Lu Sen sat down in a tavern.
He had been walking for so long and this tavern was the one with the most people. Looking at the decoration inside the store, it was also the most luxurious.
He didn't have a private room, so he just sat in the hall on the second floor. There were many people here and it was a good place to collect intelligence.
He ordered two or three dishes and after tasting them, he shook his head.
The taste is just so-so, and it's not as good as the dishes made in ordinary restaurants in Hangzhou.
He was originally very handsome and should have attracted a lot of attention, but after putting on that confusing mustache produced by the formula, he became ordinary in the eyes of outsiders.
After listening for a while, he heard a lot of interesting content.
For example, some time ago, Zhang Tianci, the Minister of Revenue, was ambushed by Song warriors, hit by a sword and almost died.
For example, in the middle of last month, the censor An Yinan was assassinated by a Song warrior and lost one arm. Although he saved his life, he could not contribute to the country, so he had to resign from his official position and prepare to become a rich man in his old age.
However, just a few days ago, the group of warriors who ambushed the Khitan officials were found and almost wiped out. Eighty to nine out of ten were captured and killed, and only two or three escaped.
Hearing this, Lu Sen felt a little impressed. No matter how bad his impression of the group of knights was, it was undeniable that there were always some exceptions.
For example, Zhan Zhao, and these knights who are willing to lurk in Linhuang Prefecture and tie their heads to their belts.
But this news is still not what Lu Sen wants.
He really admired these warriors who dared to face death, but he knew better that the starting points of these warriors were not very important.
After listening for a while, Lu Sen waved his hand and asked the waiter, "Shopkeeper, I'm new here and would like to hear about any strange people or interesting things in Linhuang Prefecture. Can you tell me a few?"
After saying that, he placed a piece of silver the size of a finger on the table.
The waiter was a Khitan. He took the silver coins into his arms with a smile and said, "Sir, you have asked the right person, my guest from Song. Although I don't know what the interesting stories are, there is one person who knows a lot. I can tell you where he is."
"That person is very powerful and well-informed?"
"Old man without roots!" The waiter lowered his voice and said, "He is over eighty years old. He has served two kings in the palace. Now that the new king has taken office, he has been released. He has no children and can only make a living by selling secrets."
"Is the current king not afraid that he will leak palace information?"
The waiter chuckled and said, "Of course we're not afraid. The guards in the palace will change their passwords and patrol times every once in a while. Once you leave the palace, you'll only know some secrets."
Lu Sen understood.
The newly appointed Yelu Hongji did not want to go too far, so he not only released a group of old eunuchs, but also a group of old palace maids.
It is said to be kind, but in fact, it is also to reduce expenses and not to support idle people and waste.
Lu Sen understood the reason as soon as he thought about it. It was an old trick. It had been training and supplying top talents to the society for fifty or sixty years every year.
"Where is the old man who knows all the secrets?"
He placed another small piece of silver on the table.
Lu Sen knew very well that money could solve most problems, so there was no need to waste time trying to find out information in a roundabout way.
"Exit the store, turn left, turn left, then right. You will see an alley. Go to the end and you will see a mud brick house with a door that is better and stronger than the others. That is it."
"Thank you very much."
Lu Sen stood up.
About two incense sticks later, Lu Sen found the mud brick house with the "best door".
It is indeed the best, because almost all the houses around here have no doors, and even if they do, they are just two shabby thin wooden boards put together.
Lu Sen knocked on the black wooden door three times, and soon a weak voice came from inside: "Please come in, the door is not locked."
Lu Sen pushed the door open and walked in.
This adobe door is not big, and you can see almost everything at a glance.
Tables and chairs, wardrobes, a wooden bed, and an old man with a pale face and gray hair sitting with his back against the wall.
Many people have the impression that eunuchs are effeminate.
This is actually a stereotype. There are effeminate eunuchs, but they are very few in number. The vast majority of eunuchs or fathers-in-law look very powerful and masculine.
Because they know they don't have that thing anymore, so even if they are pretending, they have to pretend to be very manly.
This itself is an external manifestation of inferiority complex.
The old man seemed to be in good spirits. He did not look like a man in his eighties, but rather in his early fifties.
Moreover, the other party's eyes were very bright. When Lu Sen was stared at by him, he felt as if he could feel two swords scraping his body.
If someone else came, they would definitely feel uncomfortable, but Lu Sen was naturally immune to this kind of mental oppression.
He clasped his fists and smiled, "Excuse me, are you the old man who came out of the palace?"
"You'd better call me Old Rootless." The old man clasped his fists and returned the greeting: "Song Ren... young man, you are not simple. What do you want to do here?"
Lu Sen's mediocre performance made the old man feel a little pressured.
If he were thirty years younger, he would have captured the young man immediately and asked him if he was an assassin sent by the Song court.
But now, he is old, over eighty years old. No matter how good his martial arts skills are, or how powerful his internal energy is, at this age, it would be good if he could keep half of them.
"I want to ask you about the interesting things in Linhuang Prefecture!" Lu Sen took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and placed it on the table: "The more mysterious and subtle, the better."
The other party is an old man, and in this era, old people are synonymous with knowledgeable.
The old man picked up the silver and looked at it: "Song Dynasty official silver...but you removed the seal, it's quite interesting."
“The old man is amazing.”
The silver was indeed made using the palace's forging technology, because Lu Sen asked the Prince of Runan for these supporting technologies.
"I can't accept this money. I promised the king that I would not sell any information about the palace."
The old man made a gesture of invitation and stared at Lu Sen with burning eyes.
The old man's muscles were tense, and he would take action immediately if there was anything wrong with Lu Sen.
Lu Sen waved his hand and sat down directly, then said: "Don't worry, old man. Although I am a Song Dynasty person, I have no interest in the Khitan court. I just want to know the interesting things that have happened in Linhuang Prefecture since ancient times. The more magical and weird it is, the more interested I am."
"Mysterious?" The old man looked Lu Sen up and down.
"Yes." Lu Sen smiled and said, "I am a person who seeks immortality and the way. I am only interested in the supernatural. I have explored all the supernatural places in the Song Dynasty, but I have not found anything special. That's why I came to the north to look for it."
"You are not wearing Taoist robes, nor monk's robes."
"I may not wear a Taoist robe, but I have the Tao in my heart."
The old man raised his eyebrows, and his muscles slowly relaxed. He glanced at the silver ingots on the table, and then said, "You are the first one to come here to inquire about the supernatural. People who came here before all asked me about the preferences of the nobles in the palace. Well, I am free today anyway, so I will tell you about the ancient stories and the supernatural things I have heard since I was a child and have seen with my own eyes."
Lu Sen immediately took out a notebook and pen from his system backpack, placed them on the table, and prepared to take notes while listening.
When the old man saw the thing that suddenly appeared, his eyes froze. After a brief moment of distraction, he looked at Lu Sen in surprise, but quickly calmed himself down and slowly recounted everything he had heard and experienced in the past eighty years.
About three hours later, the old man drank water three times and finally finished the story.
Lu Sen put away the notebook, pen and ink, and took out a silver ingot, placed it on the table, and said with a smile: "Old man, you told so many good stories. I am very grateful. Thank you very much."
After saying that, he stood up and was about to leave.
The old man stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to say something, but finally put it down and said, "Young man, I am an old man with a disability, so I won't see you off. Please take care."
Lu Sen nodded, turned and walked to the door. As soon as he pushed it open, he frowned slightly.
It was already dark at this time. Two people were standing outside the door. One of them was dressed as a monk, and the other was a young man wearing a bamboo hat. He looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, but there was something strange about him. Although he was young and had black hair, his thick eyebrows were white!
White as snow.
Moreover, the expressions of these two people were solemn, and something seemed wrong.
Lu Sen clasped his fists and said, "Excuse me, my two friends, could you please give way?"
The two people opposite took two steps back. As soon as Lu Sen walked out of the door, the middle-aged man dressed as a monk next to him entered the room with a whizzing sound, very fast. Lu Sen was blocked by the white-browed boy.
"My dear, you look like you are from the Central Plains. What do you mean by blocking my way?"
The young man clasped his hands together, and also clasped a long sword in front of his chest. He said coldly: "My master didn't let you go, so you can't leave."
Lu Sen turned around and saw that the middle-aged monk was already standing in front of the old man.
"The guest outside the door is just here to ask some questions. How about we let him go, two friends from Central Plains?" This was the voice of the old man in the room.
The middle-aged monk smiled and said, "I don't think the person who comes to see you is a good person."
The old man was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "Since I left the palace, there have been thousands of visitors, if not ten thousand. Can't I kill all of my two Song friends?"
"It is enough to kill you and then kill the traitor in front of me."
Hearing this, the white-browed young man took another step back, unsheathed his long sword with a clang, pointed it at Lu Sen's chest, and shouted, "Master said you are a traitor, you deserve to die, so you must die. Remember, I am Xu Liang, nicknamed Shanxi Goose, and my father is the famous sandrat Xu Qing. When you go to the underworld, when the King of Hell asks you who killed you, you can tell me my name."
Lu Sen's expression looked grim. The experience of being hit in the middle of the forehead by Han Zhang's hidden weapon four years ago came to his mind again.
He immediately became irritated, and said unhappily: "You guys are going to take action without asking for the truth. Aren't you afraid of unjust killing?"
"Those who achieve great things do not pay attention to small details." The white-browed young man snorted, "Master said that if you are timid, you will never achieve great things."
Lu Sen sighed and said, "As expected of the descendants of the Five Rats, even their ruthlessness in causing trouble for others is exactly the same."
The white-browed young man was stunned for a moment and asked, "Do you know my uncles?"
Lu Sen was about to speak, but the monk in the room suddenly said, "Liang'er, don't waste time talking to him. He is just deceiving you to buy time. Now that you have decided to take action, you can't hesitate. What's the point of being so fussy?"
At this time, the old man in the house smiled.
"What are you laughing at?" The middle-aged monk was a little puzzled.
"I laugh at you idiot."
The middle-aged monk was stunned at first, then he immediately reacted, turned around and rushed out the door.
At this time, the white-browed young man Xu Liang had already taken action. Changyin turned into a silver light in the night and pierced Lu Sen's throat.
But at this time, Lu Sen had already got into a marching and punching posture, and the space around him seemed to be slightly distorted.
When the silver light was about to reach him, he stepped forward and punched out.
A simple goose-step punch.
A violent airflow formed in front of Lu Sen. It was not blown out by a fist, but suddenly poured out from a hole in the void.
It was as if a terrible hurricane rushed out of a huge cave.
"Liang'er, run away quickly."
The young man's reaction was extremely fast. When the silver light was almost in front of Lu Sen, he was able to change his moves in the middle. He suddenly dodged to the side, and then a terrifying internal energy passed by him.
A deep trench was carved into the ground, two meters wide and at least six meters long.
Xu Liang, who was hiding aside, turned pale and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
