The beginning of autumn is when the yang energy of heaven and earth is at its strongest and is about to reach its peak and then decline.
This...is a suitable season for traveling.
At this time last year, two young heroes set off from Hangzhou and embarked on their journey in the world.
And this year, there is also a young hero who chooses this day to set off from Cangzhou and rush to Weihai.
This man was born with sword-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes, and a white face and thin lips. He was indeed handsome.
His slender but muscular figure also looks majestic when riding on a horse. A sword hanging on his waist declares his status as a swordsman.
He just rode his horse, walking alone on the road neither fast nor slow.
Pedestrians on the road, regardless of age or sex, couldn't help but look at him twice when they saw him passing by.
The men seemed to be looking at a dream of their youth, while the women also envied or yearned for everything this young man had...
Who has not had the glory of youth? I want to go to the end of the world with my sword.
But in the end, we finally accepted our mediocrity and lived an ordinary life. We occasionally lamented the fleeting youth and regretted that we did not have the courage to take that step.
However, only a few people understand that small people also have their luck, and big heroes have their own price.
You envy them for having what you never had, but they envy you for having what they have long since lost.
Of course, Lin Yuancheng is not old enough to think about these things yet, and even if he is, he is not a person who will think about these things.
Because he is a "person who seeks the truth."
In his eyes, the sword is the best. If you get it in the morning, you will die at night.
Some swordsmen believe that as long as they practice a set or a single move that is invincible in the world, they will be considered successful in the art of swordsmanship.
Wrong.
How wrong.
Is "Tao" something that fluctuates with the upper limit of the world's masters in each era?
According to this logic, if there were no martial arts in the world, then would you be able to reach the limit of swordsmanship if you knew a third-rate sword technique?
In the final analysis... "defeating the opponent" is the simplest step; "invincibility" is a matter of course for those who pursue the ultimate sword, it is just their pursuit of the Tao It is a necessary process in the process, but it is far from the end... There are two steps behind "defeating yourself" and "defeating sword theory".
It’s just that most of the top masters in this world can only take the second step in their lifetime. There are too few people who can take the third step, or know that there is a third step. .
But Lin Yuancheng knew it - he knew it before he was twenty.
He also understands that the path he chooses will be lonely, sad, and costly in the end...
Why do the legendary sword masters always Is it that you can't bear to take action when facing an old enemy, but you have to take action? Because they all understand that once they are in front ofWhen this person dies, the step of "defeating the opponent" is completed. From now on, there will be no one in the world who can understand him.
However, Lin Yuancheng has not yet reached this level. He still has a long way to go; now he needs experience and an "opponent", and this trip to Weihai is a good one. opportunity.
Everyone knows the dangers of the Seven Heroes Association.
Shao Dejin, the sect leader of Cangzhou Xingyi Sect, is not stupid. As the leader of the weaker sect among the seven sects, he must be more cautious.
Therefore, before Shao Dejin set off on his own, he sent Lin Yuancheng to go ahead and go into battle lightly, to step in for the subsequent large forces. If something happened, Lin Yuancheng would be able to escape more easily.
In this way, Shaoxia Lin rode thousands of miles alone, starting from Cangzhou. After traveling for more than ten days, he arrived at the border of Shandong.
Shandong is the territory of the Cao Gang. Their foundation is here and their power network is spread. The reason why this Seven Heroes Meeting was held here is also because of the strong request of the Cao Gang leader Di Bujue. The intention is self-evident - if he, Di Bujue, fails to be elected as the general leader this year, it may be difficult for the other gang members to leave Shandong.
Of course, Lin Yuancheng doesn't care about this.
Whoever chooses the general sect leader is the same to Lin Yuancheng. Even if Cangzhou Xingyi Sect announces its dissolution tomorrow, he will not say a word - he just needs to change the sect. If there is no suitable one, it is not impossible to let him venture into the world alone.
In Lin Yuancheng's eyes, Jianghu is a place for "leveling up." Today, Shao Dejin asked him to be a scout to explore the way, so he would explore the way. If he changes to another sect tomorrow, he will be asked to grab territory. He can also grab it... Anyway, as long as he is in the world, he will always face danger and fight against others... No matter what situation he is in, he can become stronger now, so he just goes with the flow.
On this day, the sun is in the sky and the heat is steaming.
The flagstones on the road were hot from the sun, and the cicadas in the woods on the roadside were screaming endlessly.
Lin Yuancheng, whose whole body was soaked with sweat, wore a bamboo hat and rode on the road.
That horse doesn’t go very fast, because if it goes any faster, it might fall down and foam at the ground. As for Lin Yuancheng, he could only endure it, because it was better to be exposed to the sun on horseback than to be exposed to the sun while walking on the road.
At this moment, Lin Shaoxia also felt a little regretful: when he came out of the last inn, it was still morning, and the temperature on the road was not that high... If he had known that the sun at noon today would be so poisonous, he should have gone again If we rest for a few hours, we can arrive at the next inn before evening.
Now under the scorching sun, horses cannot move fast and people suffer... Isn't this unfortunate?
Just when Lin Yuancheng was thinking about whether he should find a shady place to hide on the roadside, suddenly, a branch appeared in his line of sight.
When the horse reached the fork in the road, Lin Yuancheng raised his eyes again and saw the path.There was a line of smoke rising in the direction. Judging from the direction of the smoke, it was only a stone's throw away from the main road.
This is called wanting to eat ice and hail. Where there is smoke, there must be people. It’s not too much to ask for a bowl of water in the past, right?
Lin Yuancheng thought so, then turned the horse's head and turned along the fork in the road.
The horse passed through the forest, and not far away, there was the wine flag flying in front of them, and a decent wine shop was located there.
When Lin Yuancheng saw it, he immediately got off his horse, quickened his pace and led the horse to the door of the store. After tying the horse casually, he opened the door curtain and got under the cool eaves.
The space in the restaurant is not very large, but there are still five or six tables squeezed in. When Lin Yuancheng came in, the room was almost full; those in silk clothes, cloth clothes, People in short coats, shirtless people, carrying clothes, people carrying burdens, people carrying baskets, people carrying bags...everyone is there at a glance. It seems that there are really not many pedestrians who choose to come here to escape the heat on this hot day. few.
"Hey, sir, here we come." As soon as the waiter in the store saw Lin Yuancheng entering the room, he stepped forward and greeted, "This store is small, do you think you can share a table with others?" ?”
In those days, it was very common to share a table with others when going out. Lin Yuancheng didn’t have that much airs, so he agreed without thinking.
After the waiter got his response, he led him to a square table where three people were already sitting.
Those three people don’t look the same. They are quite different in age and dress: one looks like a farmer, one looks like a businessman, and the other looks like a man from the world.
When Lin Yuancheng sat down, he said "Excuse me" and nodded politely to the three people, who also nodded politely.
"Waiter, hurry up, give me a pot of water first, and then some refreshments." After Lin Yuancheng sat down, he quickly asked the waiter to load things.
Some people will definitely say when they see this: Huh? When these wealthy people from all walks of life sit down in wine shops, don’t they all start with good wine and beef? Why does this Young Master Lin eat so plainly?
Those who ask this question have obviously been fooled by movies and TV shows again...
Where are the people who drink half way through the journey in broad daylight? Not to mention drinking will delay things. Why don’t you try riding a horse when you’re drunk? Riding a horse while driving under the influence of alcohol is more difficult than driving under the influence of alcohol. If not, you might fall off the horse and fall over, causing you to die directly.
Yes, there are a few people in "Water Margin" who did similar things, but they were desperadoes. Normal people would drink several kilograms of liquor and then break into a wildlife sanctuary to sleep in the middle of the night. ?
One more thing, don’t forget the weather outside.
There is a saying that "the more wine you drink, the warmer you get, and the more you drink water, the colder you get." On this hot day, Lin Yuancheng's whole body was already soaked with sweat. If he didn't drink some water to replenish it, he would still be sweating while drinking. ?
As for why he doesn’t eat meat, it’s very simple. Eating high-fat and high-calorie foods will not only raise your body temperatureIt can also make people feel sleepy. At this time, have some crude tea snacks ("sugar" was not so easy to get at that time, so the snacks in small shops were generally very rough and not sweet, and there was no doubt that blood sugar would rise a lot after eating them. (high problem) Just put a cushion on it. If you want to eat or drink, we can talk about it when we get to the inn in the evening.
In a short while, what Lin Yuancheng ordered came to the table.
He is not stupid either. When eating outside, if you don’t have the ability to distinguish poisons, you have to pay attention to "look, smell, and taste first"; when you taste, take a small sip first , take a break after taking this bite, confirm that there is nothing wrong, and then eat the rest. In this way... even if the food is drugged, you will not be too deeply poisoned by just that first bite.
Don’t look at Lin Yuancheng who is hot and thirsty at the moment, but he still adheres to this principle and only nibbles on the edge of the snacks, drinks a small sip of tea, and then endures it there, Wait.
"Ha...little brother, you are a big shot." Seeing his actions, the middle-aged man dressed as a gangster who sat at the same table with him smiled and said, "Drink here. Ju Shui, are you still so defensive?"
There was a bit of sarcasm in his words, presumably he didn't know Lin Yuancheng.
However, Lin Yuancheng was still very calm and just replied calmly: "The world is dangerous, so be careful."
"Hahaha..." The middle-aged man smiled, "This You're right...just bear with me. I'm a little person, and no one can harm me." At this point, he raised his voice and said, "Waiter, warm up two more bottles of good wine!"
"Hey~Come on~" the waiter over there responded immediately.
After a while, the wine was warmed up, and the waiter brought it over on a tray.
"Here are two pots of good wine~ I borrowed it..." The waiter skillfully moved left and right in the small space while approaching the table where Lin Yuancheng and the others were sitting. .
Just when he was not far behind Lin Yuancheng, suddenly! He took out a dagger from under the tray and stabbed Lin Yuancheng in the back of the heart.
As soon as he said it, Lin Yuancheng moved his upper body to one side on the stool, grabbed the waiter's dagger's wrist with his backhand, and said coldly: : "Your murderous aura has started before anyone has arrived, so you want to succeed in a sneak attack?"
He was extremely critical. If a high-level assassin were to come in today, he would at least be able to kill him. The air pressure reaches the moment before taking action; and top assassins can even complete the assassination process without moving their murderous intent at all, and then escape intact.
The waiter in front of me... is so unprofessional.
"Okay! What a Lin Yuancheng." The next second, the middle-aged man at the same table spoke again, "It would be a pity to stab you in the back, or die by a thousand cuts." Only then are you worthy of being the leader of the Young Heroes Association!"
When he finished speaking, everyone in the restaurant, from the shopkeeper to the waiter, to the man in silk clothes, the man in civilian clothes, and the short-haired man! coatThose who were naked, those who were carrying baskets, those who were carrying baskets, those who were carrying bags... all stood up and looked coldly in Lin Yuancheng's direction.
They also took out the weapons hidden under the counter and in the luggage in a hurry and held them in their hands.
Almost at the same time, Lin Yuancheng felt a little dizzy. Come to think of it... it was the small piece of snacks and a small sip of tea he had just eaten that "took effect".
"Huh..." Lin Yuancheng composed himself, snorted coldly, then threw his hand and threw the waiter out, and kicked the table in front of him over. And drew his sword and swept away.
Although this action allowed him to push back the few people closest to him and draw a clearing with a radius of a sword's length around himself, the situation was still not optimistic - he was still He was surrounded by dozens of killers holding weapons in a not-so-spacious room. Moreover, he had faintly heard some movement even on the roof...
"You don't seem very good. Are you afraid?" Looking at Lin Yuancheng's stern expression, the middle-aged man couldn't help but ask again.
"Why are you afraid?" Lin Yuancheng asked.
“Aren’t you afraid of death?” asked the middle-aged man.
"Dying here means that I am nothing more than this." Lin Yuancheng said, "Instead of being afraid, it is better to say that I should be ashamed."
"Ha..." the middle-aged man sneered. , "Are you looking down on us?"
"Then do you think highly of yourself?" Lin Yuancheng asked.
This question made the other party startled...
After a few seconds, the man replied: "Humph...you are indeed a big shot. You are right, there are so many of us. If someone comes to deal with you, you are not worthy of being looked down upon." "It seems that you are also a sensible person," Lin Yuancheng said.
"What a pity, in this world, understanding and understanding cannot be eaten as food." The man said again.
"Then who gave you this meal?" Lin Yuancheng asked tentatively.
"Do you need to know?" the man asked.
"Of course." Lin Yuancheng replied, "If I die here in a while, then I know who instigated you before I die, and I will be considered dead; and what if I don't die in a while? , that means you are already dead. In the future, I will go to settle the accounts with the mastermind who sent you to death, which can be regarded as standing up for you."
What he said... actually makes some sense.
If the other party did this out of "loyalty", Lin Yuancheng's statement would not be valid, but just now the other party had clearly said that it was for convenience... that is, using people's money to do things for others... There is no question of loyalty here.
"Okay, then I'll tell you..." The man thought for a moment and smiled, "It's the leader of the Cao Gang, Di, who wants to buy your life today!"
As soon as he said the word "fate", the killers in the room were ready to take action.
Who knows, at this critical moment...…
“Damn it! I’m so hot!” A distinctive voice came from outside the door. The man opened the curtain and entered the room while shouting, “Boy! Come on! Two jugs of good wine and a pound of beef!”