Volume 1: The Jianghu is the main thing, who is the guest? Chapter 2: Wine, Sex, Money and Fury
In the dead pine and strange ridges, the desolate mountains and wilderness, in the lonely rain, the book box behind Li Muchan had long been lost somewhere, and he was crawling and running as fast as he could.
But he suddenly fell to the ground again, looking at the figure blocking the road in front of him in horror, then he rolled his eyes up and climbed up from the ground, groping forward like a blind man, muttering to himself: "You can't see me, you can't see me..."
The hall master squatted on a strange-shaped bluestone, propped up his right cheek, squinted his eyes and smiled with interest: "Hahaha, wonderful, wonderful, if you dig out your eyes, you can act more like it."
Li Muchan was startled when he heard this, his face turned pale, but he didn't dare to pretend anymore, and hurriedly said, "Master, spare me, I didn't mean to break in, I didn't see anything."
The hall master looked at him, covered in mud and dirt, and laughed even more: "What's your name?"
Li Muchan hurriedly said, "Li Muchan."
As he finished speaking, someone picked up the book box he had dropped and handed it respectfully to the hall master.
The hall master flipped through it casually, and when he saw the crooked handwriting that looked like insects crawling on it, he couldn't help but laugh: "With your crappy handwriting that can pollute the human eye, you still dream of passing the imperial examination?"
Ignoring Li Muchan's embarrassed reaction, the hall master stood up and coldly ordered his men, "Take him with you."
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Luoyang.
An elegant room was separated by a jade screen. In the corner stood a purple-gold beast furnace in the shape of a toad spitting out pearls. Wisps of smoke were emanating from the toad's mouth, lingering in the air.
"Li Muchan, 23 years old, from Guanzhong. He fled to Luoyang with the refugees three years ago. He first lived in the market, worked as a waiter in an inn, a messenger, a coachman, a butcher, and also guarded a charity cemetery... He changed 17 jobs in total. He started from scratch and made a fortune in the second year... Unfortunately, his property was occupied by others and he had nowhere to turn to. Later, he lingered in brothels and left behind several poems and essays, which were appreciated by others and made him quite famous. Unfortunately, he was cheated of his remaining money by prostitutes. With nowhere else to go, he wrote novels, but he was accused of satirizing the court and almost ended up in jail... Hahahaha... You are so unlucky. It really makes me laugh to death."
The hall master's voice came from behind the screen, and he slammed the table and laughed, and the tone of his voice changed.
Li Muchan sat in front of the screen, feeling a little nervous and fidgety.
It is really difficult to become famous.
Ever since he had entered this world in a daze, even with his modern understanding, it was extremely difficult. If he was not careful, he might not even know how he died.
In this world, the flashing of swords and the sound of sabers are secondary. At least those are visible and detectable to the naked eye. What are really deadly are those invisible means. If they can poison you, they won’t stab you to death. If they can stab you in the back, they will never do it in public. Perhaps the person who was whispering and making love with you the moment before will turn against you and take your life.
What's more, he is a person who doesn't know any martial arts.
Walking on thin ice.
The hall master asked: "Do you know what the person who died in the temple was called?"
Li Muchan shook his head and said, "I don't know."
"Haha," the hall master was still laughing, "If you knew beforehand, you wouldn't be able to speak, but now that you know it, it's just right."
Li Muchan hesitated for a while before asking, "Who is he?"
The hall master said: "You speak."
"yes!"
In the corner, there was another voice.
But then a skinny old man with white hair came out, wearing gorgeous clothes, his loose face was full of wrinkles, and there was a smile on his face.
It turned out to be the old beggar in the temple.
Not only did he not die, he also lived a life of superiority.
The old beggar narrated the story: "That man is nameless, he is from the Central Plains, he was abducted by the Demon Cult when he was young, and later trained by them to become a killer who is rampant in the area . He is good at using the Demon Cult's 'Seventy-two Soul-Chasing Knives', and later got the name 'Knives Twelve'. He sneaked into the Central Plains to plan the Demon Cult's eastward expansion, and coordinated with both inside and outside."
Li Muchan took a deep breath, and he suddenly understood why the other party kept him alive.
He rubbed his hands awkwardly and said in a hoarse voice: "I don't know martial arts."
"Although your handwriting is unsightly, you will definitely be on the list when the results are announced. After the Autumn Examination, there will be the Joint Examination and the Palace Examination. The first place may be a little far away for you, but the third place and the second place are enough for you to choose." The hall master's words came from behind the screen, not hurriedly, but invisibly exuding an air of being in a high position and holding great power, "You might as well open the window and look outside."
Li Muchan stood up hesitantly in doubt, then pushed open the half-closed stained glass window. When he saw this, his eyes suddenly widened, his pupils trembled, and he couldn't help but exclaimed "Ah".
In the drizzle outside, heads were neatly arranged in the yard. There were men and women, old and young, all of them died with their eyes open.
His lips trembled: "These are..."
"These are the people who have offended you, deceived you, and framed you." Under the light, the shadow of the hall master was reflected clearly on the screen. He sat still like a statue of a god. "And, if you were alive, I would not let them live."
The hall master's voice continued to sound slowly: "You can practice martial arts slowly. I have almost eliminated the evil sect's spies. You don't have to worry about exposing your identity. I will not use you easily until the critical moment of life and death. You will be safe. At least in the Central Plains martial arts world, my 'Qinglong Society' will be your biggest backer."
The old beggar laughed softly and said, "Don't worry. In order to be cautious over the years, I have been the one to pass on the orders of the Demon Cult. Apart from me, no one else knows who you are. Even the people in the Demon Cult rarely know the existence of Dao Twelve."
Li Muchan slumped down on the chair, his face covered in sweat, his lips bitten until they bled, and whispered, "I have never hated them."
The hall master said disapprovingly, "It doesn't matter. Hate them or not, they are all dead. You should not think about these things now, but consider carefully whether you want to be the runner-up or the third place... Li the third place... Hahahaha, in the past, Li Xunhuan was the best in the world and the best in the martial arts world. You are lucky to have benefited from it."
The old beggar said with a half-smile, "You should be thankful that you have a face exactly like his. A face can bring you great wealth. Compared to your cowardly life, it's a step up to heaven."
Li Muchan pressed the armrest tightly, his bony fingers became blue with veins, his eyes struggled for a long time , and finally he said in a hoarse voice: "Okay."
The hall master stood up upon hearing this. In a blink of an eye, there was no figure behind the screen. All that remained was a sentence: "Smart."
The old beggar still stood in front of Li Muchan, extinguished the lamp on the table, turned around and walked behind the screen, and said with a playful smile: "Come, let's see the reward given to you by the hall master."
Li Muchan stood up in a daze, his legs still weak, and he followed with unsteady steps.
He had planned to live a mediocre life and stop struggling, but he didn't expect that now he couldn't even control his own life and death.
Only after walking around the screen did Li Muchan see that there was actually a vermilion wooden door behind it. It was carved with patterns and paintings of phoenixes, with exquisite craftsmanship and was very elegant.
Li Muchan followed the old beggar, passed through the wooden door, and walked onto a straight corridor. After walking about a hundred steps, his vision suddenly opened up. Under the silky rain, he saw pavilions and waterside terraces, and on the other side was a vast lake with misty waves.
The two of them walked up to the platform, one in front and one behind.
Li Muchan then saw that there were four doors of different colors in front of him.
First there was a green door.
Inside the door was a huge wooden table, filled with delicacies and fine wines that ordinary people would never see or even hear of in their entire lives; it included food from all over the world and rare treasures from all corners of the world, and they were all hot, fragrant and made one's mouth water.
Then there is a red door.
Li Muchan only took a glance and his face suddenly turned red and his expression became dull, and he quickly looked away.
But why?
It turned out that behind the door was a green pond filled with pink petals, in which several graceful figures in gauze were playing and frolicking; there were Han women with slender waists, and Hu girls with skin as white as snow, red hair and blue eyes, all laughing charmingly; some even stretched out their lotus arms and hooked their fingers towards him, and the fragrant breeze blew over him, making his bones almost soften.
The third door is a yellow door.
The lights inside the door were bright, and beneath the light, there were countless gold, silver, pearls, antique paintings and calligraphy, rare treasures, the dazzling array of which was dizzying.
As for the last door, it is a most ordinary wooden door.
Inside the door are countless volumes of classics and an endless sea of books and words.
There were so many of them that the air was filled with the scent of ink, mixed with a damp, musty smell.
"Inside this is a record of the rise and fall of famous martial arts sects, martial arts masters, and black and white forces and bandits in the past sixty years. There are also many strange stories and martial arts secrets." The old beggar pointed out everything in the room as if he knew everything by heart, and then lit the lantern in the corner. "If you want to make the fake look real, then there must be no flaws. You can't rush your martial arts, but you have to know this 'jianghu' well, if not know it like the back of your hand, at least you have to understand it well."
Li Muchan stood there, her cheeks suddenly reddened, and she looked away and whispered, "What about those gold, silver, jewels, and the foreign concubines?"
The old beggar smiled meaningfully, which made Li Muchan's ears feel hot and his whole body uncomfortable.
Then the old beggar said with contempt: "Look at you, you are such a wimp. Do you really think you can live a happy life without any worries about food and clothing? Look there."
Li Muchan looked in the direction of his finger and saw a dead body lying on the ground. It was Dao Twelve.
"I'll give you three days to do one thing. You must find all the knife and sword scars on his body. You must also pay attention to the details of his facial contours, the depth of his eyebrows, and the location of the calluses on his hands. It's best to know him inside and out." The old beggar had already retreated, but he didn't forget to give him a final warning. "Remember, there are only three days. After three days, if you have done nothing when I come, then you can go down and accompany him... Or, there are food, drinks and women up here. You can enjoy yourself for three days, and then die."
After saying that, the old beggar walked out expressionlessly.
But he didn't notice that, just when he was leaving the house, Li Muchan's embarrassed, evasive, timid and cowardly eyes had become deep and solemn at some point, like two bottomless ancient wells, silently looking at the corpse on the ground.
