Shi Lei, a Qianhu household in Laizhou Prefecture, has been separated from his daughter Shi Xiaohan for a long time because he is an official abroad.
What he regretted recently was not being able to spend his eighteenth birthday with his daughter.
"That girl is staying alone in Yishui, and she doesn't have any relatives to accompany her on her birthday. It's so pitiful." The more Shi Lei thought about it, the more distressed he felt. He wished he could fly back to his mansion with his sword immediately to take a look. Did Shi Xiaohan have enough to eat, was he unhappy, and was he bullied in the yamen?
But at the same time, as his daughter grew up, he was also worried about his daughter's marriage.
On the one hand, girls from wealthy families in the Da Qi Dynasty usually get engaged when they are still young.
Although the Shi family is not as powerful as Zhao, Chen, and Shen, it can still be regarded as a wealthy family with a long history. Not only is it rich because of its alchemy workshop, but its ancestors have also had many conflicts with The Zhao family in Youzhou had experience in marriage.
In such a family, there are very few people like Shi Xiaohan who have not yet been engaged after reaching the age of eighteen.
On the other hand, Shi Lei didn't want to be too hasty in this matter - he didn't want his precious daughter to spend the rest of her life in misfortune.
"Although my girl is a little willful, her cultivation qualifications are far beyond ordinary people. In addition, she has inherited her mother's fairy-like pretty face - in my opinion, she must Only the best young men in the entire Da Qi Dynasty are worthy of her."
This is the truest thought of a daughter controlling her father.
So, on the 19th day of the twelfth lunar month, Shi Lei sat in the lobby of the Yamen of the Exorcism Department of Laizhou Prefecture, looking at the "gods" who came to report to him with a critical eye like a son-in-law. A young monk in the reserve force of the "Machine Battalion".
The first person to arrive here was a young man dressed simply.
He was wearing a cloth shirt that had been washed until it turned white. His hair was tied up casually with a cloth. He had a sword hanging on his waist and a wooden sword on his back. His appearance was also ordinary. It's the kind that you can't find if you throw it into a sea of people.
"Jiange Su Xiao, I have met Lord Shi." The young man nodded slightly, and at the same time took out the "Divine Machine Token" from his pocket and handed it to Shi Lei expressionlessly.
Shi Lei took the token, saw the white tiger pattern engraved on the token, and confirmed the young man's identity.
"Brother Su, you have come all the way from Shu, it's really hard work!" Shi Lei smiled and said polite words out of habit.
For Shi Lei, who has been in officialdom for a long time, speaking nice words has become an instinct.
"I can fly with a sword, it won't be hard." Su Xiao said lightly.
"How is Pavilion Master Xu doing recently? I heard that she has made a breakthrough in swordsmanship recently. When little brother Su returns to Sword Pavilion, please tell her my regards."
"The Pavilion Master has been doing very well recently. I don't need to worry about you."
"I see that little brother Su is calm and energetic. I must be worried about this."Are you ready for your trip to the Laoshan ruins? "
"Personal matters cannot be disclosed. "Su Xiao said in a calm voice.
Having said this, he paused for a moment, and then said to Shi Lei: "Master Shi, do you have anything else important to tell me? If not, I will go back to the inn to practice swordplay now. "
"Go back! Just come to the Yamen on time to see me tomorrow morning! "Shi Lei waved his hand impatiently.
To be honest, Shi Lei has never seen anyone with such a low emotional intelligence in all these years.
He decisively put this He was kicked out of the son-in-law candidate list.
Although Su Xiao has extraordinary qualifications and is the proud direct disciple of the Master of Jiange Pavilion, he is the target of many wealthy families.
But in Su Xiao's mind, maybe the sword on his waist was his true lover.
Shi Lei could even imagine that if his daughter met this guy, What kind of scene will happen——
Shi Xiaohan: "Look, this heroine has killed an evil ghost with two blows. Isn't she powerful? ”
Su Xiao: “It’s okay.” ”
Shi Xiaohan: “Can you stop being so perfunctory?” Can you give me a few serious compliments? ”
Su Xiao: “Actually, in my opinion, there are still many flaws in your move, and you have to go back and practice again.” "
"..."
In Shi Lei's eyes, Shi Xiaohan is the apple of his eye and needs to be coaxed. How can he suffer such injustice?
< p>…………Within a quarter of an hour after Su Xiao left, the second monk from the "Shenji Camp" came to the Yamen to report.
It was a handsome man. The young man, wearing a gorgeous brocade robe, was looking around, seemingly curious about everything around him.
"Too young"
"Too active. . ”
This was Shi Lei’s first impression of this young man.
Besides the young man, there was a middle-aged man wearing a dark blue robe with a white face and no beard.
“I didn’t expect that Eunuch Cao would come in person! "Shi Lei quickly recognized the eunuch Bingbi of the Da Qi Dynasty.
At the same time, Shi Lei could also guess that the person next to the eunuch Cao Tong was the fourth prince of Da Qi. Xiao Shangzhen
“I’ve met His Highness, I’ve met Eunuch Cao! "Shi Lei stood up and saluted first.
The two people in front of him had extraordinary status, and he did not dare to neglect them.
As for marrying into the royal family, Shi Lei did not consider it at all.
He knows that every prince and princess fights to the death for the "Tai'a Sword"... He doesn't want the Shi family to get involved in this muddy water.
"Master Shi. There is no need to be polite," Bingbi eunuch Cao Tong said politely, "This time when I go to the Laoshan ruins, I have to ask you to take care of His Highness. ”
“Of course. "Shi Lei said with a smile.
Then, Shi Lei looked at Xiao Shangzhen and said to him: "Your Highness, can you show me the token?"
Xiao Shangzhen took out the "Divine Machine Token" from his pocket and put the " The words "Divine Machine" were displayed in front of Shi Lei - however, he held the token tightly in his hand and would not let Shi Lei see the code name on the back until he died.
Shi Lei nodded, recognizing his identity.
At this moment, Xiao Shangzhen said eagerly: "Master Shi, is 'Suzaku' here?"
Shi Lei shook his head: "Not yet."< /p>
Xiao Shangzhen shook his head regretfully: "Oh, what a pity. I'm still waiting to fight him to the death!"
…………
The third person to arrive at Laizhou Mansion was Shangguan Jin.
Because Shangguan Jin is a close confidant of Luo Sishou, Shi Lei has dealt with her several times before, and the two parties are no strangers to each other.
The two of them chatted politely for a while.
Shi Lei praised Shangguan Jin for being even more beautiful than before.
Shangguan Jin praised Shi Lei for caring about the country and caring for the people.
In addition, Shangguan Jin also mentioned from time to time, "I heard that you have a daughter who is as beautiful as a fairy", "I heard that your daughter has an extremely outstanding talent in cultivation", "I heard that your daughter has killed countless ghosts. "Far ahead on the merit list"...
Shangguan Jin has never met Shi Xiaohan.
But this did not prevent her from praising Shi Xiaohan as a flower.
As a daughter-in-law, Shi Lei felt unfazed when others praised him; but as long as others praised Shi Xiaohan, he would smile.
So even though he clearly knew that the other party was making fun of himself, he had to admit that it was very pleasant to talk to Guan Jin.
"How prepared are you, Sir Shangguan, for the opening of the Laoshan ruins this time?" Shi Lei asked politely before leaving.
Shangguan Jin smiled and said: "My little girl's cultivation is mediocre. I don't expect to win the inheritance in the hands of the geniuses. I will be satisfied if I can get a small share of the pie."
"Sir Shangguan is so humble," Shi Lei said with a smile, "I guess there are not many people in this 'Shenji Camp' who can make Lord Shangguan feel afraid!"
"I just have a question to ask Lord Shi," Shangguan Jin took advantage of the situation and asked, "Has 'Suzaku' come to Laizhou Mansion now?"
Who exactly is this "Suzaku"?
Why is everyone mentioning his name?
Is he very powerful?
Shi Lei shook his head: "I haven't seen him yet."
Shangguan Jin sighed regretfully, but still smiled elegantly and said: "No rush, no rush "Since we are going to the Laoshan ruins, we will see him sooner or later."
Shi Lei remained silent, becoming more and more curious about the mysterious "Suzaku".
…………
Next arrival in LaizhouThe person in charge of the government office is Chen Yanping, the concubine of the Chen family in Xiangyang.
He is an old acquaintance of Shi Lei.
A year ago, Chen Yanping proposed to Shi Lei that he wanted to marry Shi Xiaohan.
Many people believe that these two people are a perfect match.
After all, Chen Yanping has fourth-level qualifications - he has just reached the age of being crowned, and has reached the peak of the third level. Among the many disciples of the Chen family in Xiangyang, he is one of the best, even It is very likely that he will become the successor of the Chen family's most precious treasure, the "Book of Holy Words."
And his status as a concubine also restricted his marriage with the other three powerful families.
Being married to the Shi family, who is wealthy but slightly inferior in family status, can be said to be mutually beneficial and win-win.
However, Shi Lei decisively refused.
Because he could tell at a glance that Chen Yanping was an extremely utilitarian person.
Chen Yanping has never met Shi Xiaohan, and has never understood Shi Xiaohan's character - the reason why he wants to marry Shi Xiaohan is just because he is greedy for the Shi family's money, pills and connections.
Chen Yanping hopes that the Shi family can help him fight for inheritance rights in the future.
In his eyes, marriage is just a transaction.
Shi Lei has always doted on his daughter - he values her daughter's happiness more than anything else.
How could a person like him use his daughter as a bargaining chip in a transaction?
Shi Lei did not misjudge the person.
One month after being rejected by Shi Lei, Chen Yanping immediately married Yao Sirou, the legitimate daughter of the Yao family in Longxi - the Yao family in Longxi was good at refining magic weapons, and their territory was rich in red. Magical weapons containing the power of the flaming sun, such as copper and flaming iron, were also produced by extremely wealthy families in the Daqi Dynasty.
After marrying Yao Sirou, Chen Yanping's voice in the Chen family was greatly improved. He began to travel to many places across the country and manage many family properties.
But at the same time, he and his new wife were living apart in two places and could not see each other for several months.
Because of these unpleasant experiences in the past, when Shi Lei saw Chen Yanping today, the atmosphere was extremely awkward.
"Master Shi, this is my token."
As Chen Yanping said this, he handed a "magic token" engraved with a candle dragon pattern to Shi Lei's hands.
"Oh, I saw it." Shi Lei nodded, his attitude was very perfunctory.
At this time, Chen Yanping asked again: "Master Shi, I heard that the heir to the Lu family's famous weapon 'Jinghong Brush' also plans to go to the Laoshan ruins this time. Has Master Shi seen him?"
Shi Lei shook his head impatiently: "No."
"Thank you, Mr. Shi, for letting me know!" After hearing Shi Lei's words, Chen Yanping left knowingly.
The goal of his trip is the inheritance of immortals in Mount Laoshan.
If he is lucky enough to pass the test of Kongxuan Sanren and obtain the skills left by the immortal,Moves or relics, his status in the Chen family will undoubtedly rise to the next level.
During this process, Chen Yanping did not want to cause unnecessary complications.
Shi Lei was also silently thinking about what Chen Yanping had said.
As a member of a thousand households in the Qingzhou Prefecture, he often read the imperial newspapers of the Qi Dynasty. Naturally, he knew that not long ago, a young monk with a commoner background solved the case of the haunted Lu family's haunted house in Qingzhou Prefecture and became one of the top ten. One of the two famous weapons - the heir of "Jinghong Brush".
If he remembered correctly, the young man seemed to be called "Gu Xu", and like his daughter, he was also an official in Yishui County.
But in the letters written by Shi Xiaohan, the name "Gu Xu" was never mentioned to him.
Even if Shi Lei asked her: "Is there a young man named Gu Xu in your Yishui County Yamen? How do you usually get along with him?"
Shi Xiao Han would simply reply: "Ordinary colleagues. Occasionally we go on ghost-killing missions together."
Shi Lei asked again: "Does he have a strong talent for cultivation?"
Shi Xiaohan responded: "It's okay."
Shi Lei also asked tentatively: "Is that guy handsome?"
Shi Xiaohan replied: "It's just so-so."
"He was able to solve the case of Lu's murderous house, so he must be very capable, right?"
"It's really okay. But compared to this heroine, There's still a lot to be desired!"
Seeing Shi Xiaohan's simple and casual answer, Shi Lei really thought that the two of them were innocent colleagues.
He may never have imagined how complicated his daughter’s inner activities were during the process of writing the letter -
“It’s over, it’s over, my father actually asked Gu in front of me again. Xu...if I praise him and say good things about him in my letters, will my father mistakenly think that I like him..."
"I have said it in front of my father more than once before, I want to As a heroine who slays demons and eliminates harm for the people, she will never delay the love of her children... If my father becomes suspicious, this heroine's reputation will be completely ruined..."
You know, in order to come up with a suitable sentence, Shi Xiaohan's ears were not only red, but the pen was almost bitten by her.
After all, she is not a good liar.
And Shi Lei never imagined that his daughter, who was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper, would one day tell lies in a letter to him.
…………
At this time, Gu Xu and Chen Jisheng finally arrived at Laizhou Mansion.
This is also an important town in the Daqi Dynasty.
Although it is not as majestic as Qingzhou Prefecture, it still looks particularly prosperous and open compared to the remote Yishui County.
PS: Sorry for the lag, the update is a bit late.