Chapter 27: Being involved in a treasure hunt among martial artists
"It's so sour that I can't even hold the fruit."
Yang Jinhua said as if nothing had happened, leaned over to pick up the fruit, took a silk scarf from the side, wiped the dust off the fruit, and then continued to take a few bites before saying, "Lu Sen, I recognize him."
Zhao Bilian opened her eyes wide and immediately sat down next to Yang Jinhua. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she asked anxiously, "Where does he live?"
Although she felt very sad, Yang Jinhua still pushed Zhao Bilian's face to the west: "Do you see the yard on the right side of the hill? Lu Xiaolang lives there."
"Oh." Zhao Bilian turned her face away, stood up, and looked in the direction of the short hill, her eyes full of curiosity and exploration.
Yang Jinhua looked at Zhao Bilian's profile for a while and asked, "Bilian, do you really want to marry him?"
"I do want to marry a handsome young man with a good heart. It's a pity that he is a layman with no power or influence..." Zhao Bilian suddenly felt disappointed. She sat back opposite Yang Jinhua, leaning on the round stone table, and said depressedly, "In half a year, the lady will help me hold the coming-of-age ceremony. By then, the lady will definitely marry me to the son of a minister of the court. It's a good match. What's the point of me thinking about it?"
The girl lay on the round table, looking at the low mountains in the distance, her eyes full of confusion.
Yang Jinhua put down the half-eaten fruit and sighed, "Indeed, it is true. A wealthy family cannot let us women choose our own partners."
Zhao Bilian looked up at her best friend who was eating fruit across from her and said, "Sister Jinhua, where does your sorrow come from? Among the children in our Bianjing City, your Yang family is the most relaxed and free. You can find whoever you want, and the elders don't even bother to care about you."
Hearing this, Yang Jinhua shook the fruit in her hand and said indignantly, "Where is it?"
"Of course there aren't any!" Zhao Bilian snorted, "Think about the aunts and grandmothers who have passed away in your family... the female heroes, the Xixia princess, the female village chief, etc. You can marry whoever you want."
Yang Jinhua was choked to the point of being speechless. After all, the other party was telling the truth. In the end, she threw the fruit down in embarrassment, rushed forward to tickle her best friend's armpits.
The two girls were playing together, and their clear laughter echoed in the yard.
About two hours later, Yang Jinhua came out of Zhao's house.
She was walking along the street, feeling somewhat lost.
Because she was caught by Lu Sen last time when she lost her temper and was socially embarrassed, she is now too embarrassed to visit Aishan anymore.
Then he heard that his close friend Zhao Bilian had met with an accident, so he came to check on her.
I didn't expect to hear such news.
The person who saved Bilian was Lu Sen, and Bilian was quite attracted to him.
This is a bit embarrassing.
Yang Jinhua sighed and walked slowly. The surroundings were obviously prosperous and bustling, but her mind was not on shopping. Instead, she was thinking unconsciously: What is Lu Xiaolang doing at this moment?
At this time, Lu Sen had just come out of Yang's house and was only across the street from her when he was stopped by someone.
"Brother, brother in front, please wait a moment."
This kind of voice had been heard behind Lu Sen before.
Lu Sen always thought that the voice was calling someone. After all, he was not familiar with the Bianjing City, so he didn't pay attention and kept walking slowly forward.
Then a figure rushed over from the side and blocked his way.
Lu Sen stopped and realized that the other party was calling him.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo, Brother Lu is polite." The young man standing in front of Lu Sen bowed and panted, "I have been chasing you for a long time."
Lu Sen clasped his fists and smiled, "Sorry, I thought you were calling someone else... Well, I remember you were Brother Cao, why didn't you just call me by my name?"
The one who called Lu Sen was Cao You, whom Lu Sen had met not long ago.
Cao You wore a blue shirt today, holding a white paper fan in his hand. He took out a white towel from his shirt, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and said, "I just forgot about it in a hurry. I didn't expect Brother Lu still remembered me. It has been more than half a month since we last met. I am very happy to see Brother Lu again today. It is better to do it today than to wait for a day. I would like to ask Brother Lu to give me a chance to host the party, okay?"
Lu Sen pondered for a while, nodded and said: "Then I'd better obey your command."
He personally doesn't like socializing, but even if he comes here, he will inevitably have to deal with these dignitaries.
Since it was a matter of time, Lu Sen simply went with the flow.
Cao You was overjoyed and pointed ahead and said, "Fanlou is not far away. Let's go there and sit for a while."
Lu Sen naturally nodded in agreement.
Cao You was also accompanied by a servant. The four of them went to Fanlou and sat down in a corner on the third floor.
Cao You originally wanted to book a private room, but it turned out that everyone had left early.
As the number one restaurant in the Northern Song Dynasty, Fanlou was highly praised.
But from Lu Sen's perspective, its level of luxury is actually similar to that of a star-rated hotel.
It’s just that the decoration style is closer to the aesthetic taste of people in the Northern Song Dynasty.
The objects are mainly dark red in tone, and each layer is hung with green or light yellow glass wall lamps, which are lit even in the daytime.
The two of them sat down at the table by the window . Heizhu stood behind Lu Sen, feeling a little nervous. It was his first time in such a high-end place.
Lu Sen seemed very comfortable. With the development of modern transportation, he has been to many places and seen many scenes.
At the very least, I've seen a lot of them on TV.
He was not impressed by the decoration of Fanlou, which was of course also related to his low knowledge of special solid wood utensils.
Soon the waiter came over with a teapot and menu and asked the two gentlemen what they wanted to eat.
Fanlou also has a menu. It is not difficult to make a few exquisite thin wooden pieces and write the names of the dishes on them.
Cao You and Lu Sen randomly ordered five dishes in total, which cost tens of thousands of copper coins.
Fanlou generally does not accept copper coins as it is too troublesome, and only accepts gold, silver and Jiaozi.
After the waiter left, Cao You took the initiative to pour a cup of tea for Lu Sen. After the latter took it with both hands, he asked, "Brother Lu should be a cultivator, right?"
“I guess so.”
"Which kind of magic do you practice?" Cao You asked curiously, "Alchemy or magic? Or the Five Elements Escape Technique?"
Lu Sen shook his head: "You probably haven't heard of it, the system flow!"
Cao You had seen him take out wooden armor from his space backpack last time. Lu Sen knew that even if he denied it, the other party would not believe him.
"What is this system flow?" Cao You was stunned. He had never heard of it before.
There were many masters of alchemy and Taoism in the palace. The Cao family was considered to be royal relatives, so they were close to the emperor and got to know many of them. They also listened to them talk about some of the current methods of cultivation.
Cao You was quite interested in this, and even pestered a master in the palace to learn the art of Qigong for a period of time.
It’s just a pity that I have no talent and haven’t learned anything.
"The system is the name of my master, and this school is his creation." Lu Sen smiled and said, "My master is very powerful, but I am not. I can only use a little trick."
Cao You naturally didn't believe that the wooden armor appearing out of thin air was just a trick, but the other party was unwilling to say more, and he didn't want to ask too much.
He waited for Lu Sen to finish his tea, then helped him pour another cup and asked again, "Brother Lu, I wonder where you live. I'll go to your house to bother you in a few days."
Cao You really wanted to make friends with Lu Sen, and he planned to bring valuable gifts when he visited him to show his sincerity.
Although Taoist Fumu said that he had seen it wrong before and it was just an illusion, Cao You was extremely confident in his eyesight. On the surface, he agreed with Taoist Fumu's point of view, but in fact, deep down, he felt that Taoist Fumu did not have much ability.
Taoist Fumu's kung fu is pretty good, and he can fly high without any problem.
But that’s all there is to it, and it has nothing to do with real magic.
As a worshipper, Taoist Fumu has the strength and ability to protect the Cao family.
But he is not considered an expert.
But the Lu Sen in front of him was different. Just from his extraordinary temperament, he looked more like a cultivator than Taoist Fu Mu.
Besides, Lu Sen has performed the "World in His Sleeves" before.
What’s more important is that Lu Sen is still very young, which means that Lu Sen’s future is even more unimaginable.
Indeed, Lu Sen is unknown now, but when he makes friends with Kunpeng and his humble status, doesn't it better prove his sincerity?
Lu Sen thought for a moment and said, "On the right side of the low hill west of the city."
Anyway, if the other party really wants to check, they will find out sooner or later, so it is better to say it earlier to appear more straightforward.
"It turns out that the yard on the west side of Aishan belongs to Brother Lu." Cao You was stunned for a moment, as if thinking about something.
At this time, a group of geishas were dancing to the music in the center of the lobby, attracting the attention of the guests nearby, who applauded at the wonderful performance.
The atmosphere suddenly became lively.
Here in Fanlou, the private rooms are quiet and the dining in the restaurant is wonderful.
Lu Sen moved his gaze over and nodded slightly.
To be able to perform in Fanlou, these dancers must have good skills.
Cao You smiled and said, "They are all mediocre women. If Brother Lu is interested, we can go to Nuanchun Pavilion to digest the food after we have eaten and drunk enough. I wanted to invite Brother Lu to go there last time."
Lu Sen was about to refuse when three young men in gorgeous silk clothes came up. They looked around and were delighted to see Cao You, and walked over together.
"Cao Xiaolang!" The horse-faced young man among the three called out softly.
Although he has a horse face, he actually has a good appearance.
For example, some people have long faces, but some people look like Liu Qian, while others look like Takeshi Kaneshiro.
Cao You turned around and stood up. When he saw the three people, he immediately smiled. He first bowed to the horse-faced handsome guy and said with a smile, "Chai Erlang..." Then he looked at the other two people and greeted them with a smile in turn, "Zhe Sanlang and Li Dalang, why are you here too?"
"Why, you are allowed to come to Fanlou to eat and drink as much as you want, but the three of us are not allowed to come here to watch the young ladies dance."
"Okay, okay, of course you can. This Fanlou is not owned by my family." Cao You said with a smile: "Come, let me introduce you to my new friend, Brother Lu Sen."
The three of them were slightly surprised.
Cao You is the youngest son of the Cao family, the head of the military family. Apart from the royal family members, it is extremely rare for people of the same generation to call him "brother".
Either they are from a very powerful family or they are extremely talented.
The three of them thought that their status was not higher than Cao You, so they naturally followed Cao You's example and greeted him with a smile, "Brother Lu!"
Cao You then introduced the identities of these three people to Lu Sen.
The horse-faced handsome guy’s full name is Chai Qing, the second son of Prince Chai’s mansion.
The man with the drooping eyebrows is Zhe Jichang, the third son of the Zhe family of the Northwest Army.
Then the chubby young man was called Li Shanyu, the eldest son of Li Shilang of the Ministry of Revenue.
Cao You invited the three of them to sit down and eat and drink together.
It has to be said that Cao You is quite good at handling things. Not only can he chat happily with the three new friends, but he also does not neglect Lu Sen.
But as he ate and drank, Lu Sen's brows gradually furrowed.
Because he suddenly found that the atmosphere around him seemed a little wrong.
There were many new guests in Fanlou. They all looked indifferent and moved very quickly and decisively.
Moreover, Lu Sen discovered that although these new guests pretended to look around as if nothing had happened, their eyes would fall on the people at their table from time to time.
At this time, Cao You was chatting very enthusiastically with the three new friends. After drinking a few cups of Fenjiu, they all became drunk.
People in the Northern Song Dynasty loved to drink, but although they could drink a lot, few of them had good drinking habits.
Chai Qing's face was red, and he seemed to be drunk. He slapped the table and said, "Speaking of rare treasures, the palace has the most, and then our Chai family has the most."
The three people nearby nodded in agreement.
They had to agree, because the Chai family once sat on the throne, but it was later taken away by the Zhao family.
However, Taizong was kind-hearted. Not only did he not exterminate the Chai family, he also gave them the status of princes and the red book and iron scroll that exempted them from death for self-protection.
After all, the Chai Palace was once the royal family's, so it is normal for some good things to be left behind.
"This morning, my master took out a treasure from the cellar of our old home and plans to present it to the government in two days." Chai Qing looked mysterious, looking at the four people around him, and asked proudly, "Do you know what this is?"
Everyone shook their heads. Li Shanshan couldn't help but say, "Chai Erlang, stop keeping us in suspense and tell us now."
“Nectar and Jade Liquid!” Chai Qing said proudly, “It’s not wine, it’s real Nectar and Jade Liquid. After it’s made into an elixir, eating it can turn your white hair black and turn an old woman into a young girl.”
The ancients were extremely curious about these mysterious things. If Chai Qing had talked about night-shining pearls and multicolored glass, these three rich men would have ignored him.
But when it comes to fine wine, the three of them became curious.
At this time, Lu Sen subconsciously looked around and found that although those people with indifferent expressions did not look at Lu Sen's table, their bodies were slightly leaning towards this side.
Seems like he's listening attentively?
Cao You stretched his neck and said, "Is there really such a magical object? Can we go to Chai's house later to broaden our horizons?"
The other two also nodded and agreed with Cao You's opinion.
"No need!" Chai Qing took out something like jade from his arms: "I brought it out. I wanted to show it to the young lady of the Pang family, but she went to Hangzhou and hasn't come back yet. What a pity."
When this jade-like object was placed on the table, it caused the three people to exclaim in amazement.
It looks like an irregular stone with a translucent milky white surface, like jade or glass.
Through the surface, you can see a milky white liquid sealed inside the stone.
When Lu Sen saw this thing, his heart skipped a beat and he immediately knew what the subtle feeling he had just had was about.
He turned his head and looked around, only to see those indifferent people standing up and staring at the table... or to be more precise, staring at the "nectar" on the table.
These people are hostile to each other, but also wary of each other.
They seemed to want to take action but didn't dare to.
Hold!
Lu Sen cursed loudly in his heart, stood up immediately, and retreated quickly while pulling Cao You's collar.
Just as Lu Sen pulled Cao You to make the latter sit down on the ground, a long iron whip fell from the front and directly broke the whole dining table in half.
All the food on the table spilled into the air, including the piece of 'nectar'.
I don't know what technique the iron whip used, but while shaking it back, it lightly hooked the "nectar", and the white object flew higher.
Then many people started moving at the same time.
The first thing that came out was the sky full of hidden weapons... It was almost a blanket attack without a target, but it treated everyone as a target.
Among the dozen or so people who stood up, half of them used their unique skills of hidden weapons.
Lu Sen immediately blocked Hei Zhu and Cao You behind him and covered his face with his sleeves.
It only takes a breath to complete this set of movements.
As for the other three... they were sitting opposite Lu Sen and there was really no way to protect them.
At this time, the three people opposite were still in a daze... No, to be exact, the fat Li Shanyu and the handsome horse-faced Chai Qing were both in a daze.
Zhe Sanlang reacted quickly and rolled on the ground at an extremely fast speed, while at the same time putting the stool under him down to block behind himself.
The sky full of hidden weapons almost covered the entire hall on the third floor, and screams rang out one after another.
At least fifteen hidden weapons hit Lu Sen, and several hit the sleeves he used to cover his face.
With a series of crisp sounds, the hidden weapons that hit Lu Sen bounced off and fell to the ground in front of him, making clanging sounds.
Zhe Sanlang lay on the ground, and the stool helped him block all the hidden weapons. At this time, he looked at Lu Sen in surprise, then supported himself on the ground with both hands, jumped up like a frog, broke through the window and fell outside the building.
At this time, opposite Lu Sen, Chai Qing and Li Shanshan were already lying on the table, their faces dark, and their backs were each hit by at least ten different types of hidden weapons.
Hopeless.
Cao You's servant also fell to the side, and was probably dead.
Lu Sen took the time to look inside the hall. At this time, there were not many people who could stand in the entire third-floor hall. There were only a dozen or so martial artists fighting with indifferent expressions.
The nectar bounced in the air, and whenever someone tried to get it, they would be attacked by everyone else.
Moreover, these martial artists are extremely brutal and have no regard for other people's lives. They will attack anyone who appears next to them.
Some diners who were not hit by the hidden weapons were also affected in the fight and lost their lives.
Moreover, as the fight went on, the center of the battlefield once again moved towards Lu Sen, with the flashes of swords and sabers mixed and the sounds of clinking.
There were also terrifying roars.
"What should I do? What should I do?" Cao You hid behind Lu Sen, unconsciously pulling Lu Sen's clothes from behind, muttering like a startled bird.
Lu Sen took the time to look at his equipment bar and found that the durability of the stone armor had dropped to 80%.
In other words, nearly twenty hidden weapons destroyed Shijia's durability by 100 points.
If it were wooden armor, it would have been shattered by now.
Needless to say, he couldn't withstand the siege of this gang of Jianghu people. Even if he still had several pieces of stone armor in his backpack, it wouldn't work. After all, there would be a five-second "effective period" for changing equipment. If the stone armor was broken, five seconds would be enough for him to die five times.
Lu Sen immediately turned around, took out a wooden armor from his system backpack, put it on Hei Zhu, and shouted hurriedly: "Jump down the building."
Heizhu nodded, and jumped down from the third floor without hesitation in his wooden armor.
Lu Sen took out another wooden armor, put it on Cao You, and shouted, "Jump!"
Cao You leaned on the window, looked down, and suddenly his legs went weak: "I can't jump, or someone will die!"
The Fan Building is very high, with the windows on the third floor at least eleven meters from the ground.
Seeing that the battlefield had moved towards this side, Lu Sen was hit by several darts in the back, and the durability of the stone armor was reduced by another 5%.
He stopped talking nonsense and simply bent down, grabbed Cao You's legs, lifted them up and pushed them out of the window.
A startling scream 'fell' down.
Lu Sen looked back at the martial artists who were still fighting in the hall, and then jumped out of the window.
