"It's finally ......"

Leading the horse, looking at the tall and mighty city wall in front of him, stationed in the elite armor, Xiang Yuan's heart was also slightly excited, Zhuyang is the largest city from Guangling.

At the huge city gate, the peddlers and pawns, merchants and scholars all lined up at the city gate in an orderly manner, accepting the inspection of the city gate guards, and then entering Zhuyang.

The tall and burly Xiang Yuan was obviously very conspicuous in the crowd, especially when Xiang Yuan led his horse to the defenders in charge of inspection.

With a height of more than 1.9 meters and a strong physique, he was almost a head taller than the defenders in front of him.

When facing the defenders, looking down, the heavy shadows and the aura on his body made the defenders in charge of inspection unconsciously take a step back.

"Is it okay?"

Asked by Xiang Yuan, the stunned defenders hurriedly checked the outfit of the big man in front of him, and after finding no contraband, they put him into the city.

After entering Zhuyang and seeing the scene in the city that was far more magnificent and prosperous than Guangling, Xiang Yuan showed a slight smile.

People go to high places and water flows to low places, forever nesting in one place, where can they see more of the world.

After coming to Zhuyang, Xiang Yuan was not in a hurry to find the Guanyi Gate in Wang Chong's mouth, after all, he didn't know much about this Guanyimen.

Although Wang Chong's firm tone made it clear that as long as he took out the letter and half a copper coin, Guan Yimen would definitely accept him.

But since ancient times, Wang Chong has been in Guangling for so many years, and no one knows whether Guanyi is still exactly the same as he remembers.

For the sake of safety, Xiang Yuan still decided to live in this Zhuyang City now, and explore the atmosphere of this gate.

In case in the past few decades, Guan Yimen has become a vicious gang that everyone spits on, or provokes many forces, and is in a state of siege.

Running to join at this time, isn't that equivalent to finding a fire pit and jumping in......

Xiang Yuan, who had been eating dry food and drinking dew all the way, came to the lobby on the first floor of the inn after taking a shower and changing clothes, ordered a few signature dishes, and ate them slowly.

"Did you hear that, the Selective Service Department has started posting recruitment notices again? ”

The two men in regular clothes who sat next to Xiang Yuan started chatting at the dinner table while drinking.

"Isn't it just last month, and I haven't been fighting recently, so why are you recruiting so many soldiers?" said the man with a felt hat on his head who threw a few peanuts into his mouth.

"Isn't it, I've been conscripted four times in the past six months.

Our Zhuyang is okay, we all voluntarily enlisted in the army. I've heard that some small remote towns have begun to be forcibly requisitioned. Pouting, another man with high cheekbones smacked his lips.

"It seems that this peaceful day is coming to an end, and I don't know what's going on, the imperial court is recruiting so much.

There are so many people, so much food and silver must be raised.

Thankfully, we're past the age of enlistment. While smiling, he took a sip of wine, and the man in the felt hat rejoiced.

......

The conversation between the two men sitting next to him was listened to by Xiang Yuan word for word.

Such a large conscription by the imperial court must be for certain things, otherwise too much conscription will also be a great burden for the imperial court.

Thinking of what he encountered in Linquan City before, Xiang Yuan's heart sank, could it be that such an existence as Linquan City was not accidental?

As soon as he thought of this, the strength in his hand tightened unconsciously, and the two chopsticks broke in response!

Although there is a desire in his heart to compete with such an unreasonable existence, the premise of this desire is that Xiang Yuan himself has grown to a certain height.

If an existence like Linquan City blooms on a large scale, then for Xiang Yuan, the original gradual growth path will be cut off and become a chase to catch ducks on the shelves.

And this ...... Apparently he was not happy to see it.

After hurriedly eating and checking out, Xiang Yuan strode out of the inn and began to wander the streets and alleys of Zhuyang to see if he could be lucky enough to meet the equipment.

Still not......

After walking through the shops and stalls in Zhuyang, but still finding nothing, Xiang Yuanyuan sighed and turned around and walked towards Nancheng.

Before coming to Zhuyang, Xiang Yuan's uncle once mentioned to Xiang Yuan that there was a schoolmate of his youth in Zhuyang.

He also instructed his nephew that if something could not be solved in Zhuyang, he could go to his house to ask for help.

Inquired all the way to the gate of the annex in an alley, Xiang Yuan hesitated slightly, and then stepped forward and knocked lightly on the knocker.

Tuk tuk!

There was a knock on the door.

After a while, an old man over half a hundred years old with a brown top hat opened the door and poked his head out: "Who are you looking for?"

Arching his hand slightly, Xiang Yuan said humbly: "May I ask if it is Mr. Liu Xizhu's house?"

"Well, you're ......," nodded the old butler and asked.

"In Xiangyuan, Xiaguangling, my uncle Xiang Wendong and Mr. Liu are old friends. Therefore, the younger generation specially came to pay a visit. ”

After explaining the origin to Xiang Yuan, the old housekeeper's face softened, and then said, "Please wait a moment, I'll go in and inform the master." ”

After that, the old housekeeper closed the door and turned around to inform the master Liu Xizhu.

After waiting at the door for about three or five minutes, the old housekeeper opened the door with a smile: "Please come in to the son." ”

"Thank you. ”

Qian entered the courtyard, and behind the old man who was the housekeeper, Xiang Yuan also saw the interior of this courtyard.

Beside the cobblestone path, there are large green bamboo forests, and when the wind blows, the bamboo leaves rustle, which is refreshing.

Following the housekeeper through a small lake with hundreds of koi fish, he came to a small pavilion built by the lake, and the housekeeper signaled Xiang Yuan to go alone, and he bowed down.

In the small pavilion by the lake, a middle-aged man with gray temples and elegant scholar's clothes is sitting in front of the stone table in the pavilion.

Noticing that Xiang Yuan was coming, the elegant man smiled slightly, and motioned for Xiang Yuan to take a seat: "Brother Wen Dong and I, the last time we met was when we met twenty-two years ago.

Unexpectedly, I didn't see each other for more than 20 years.

Brother Wen Dong is in good health. ”

"Mr. Lao remembers that his uncle is healthy, and when the boy is at home, he also listens to his uncle's words.

said that Mr. is a man of great talent and is a talented person. With a humble face, Xiang Yuan replied softly.

"If Brother Wen Dong hadn't been concerned about his father's health back then, he resolutely quit school and went home, and his current achievements may not be lower than mine. The words were full of regret, and the meaning of Liu Xizhu's words was that Xiang Wendong's talent was no worse than him.

When Liu Xizhu said this, Xiang Yuan was also a little surprised, you must know that in Xiang Yuan's impression, his uncle is a good old man who is kind and kind to others.

It is precisely because of Xiang Wendong's virtuous character that Xiang Yuan's grandfather passed on the position of head of the family to him.

But to say that Xiang Wendong is a literati with the same talent as Liu Xizhu, Xiang Yuan is a little unconvinced.

Who is Liu Xizhu, that is one of the best literati in the entire Zhuyang, not to mention anything else.

Speaking of calligraphy alone, it is a real word, and there is no market.

Seeing the astonishment on Xiang Yuan's face, Liu Xizhu smiled slightly: "Your uncle was in our academy when he was young, and he was nicknamed Xueniu.

Although he is a little less qualified, he is down-to-earth and willing to work.

If it weren't for the accident at home, he would definitely surpass me. ”

"I didn't expect my uncle to have this experience. Liu Xizhu's explanation made Xiang Yuan suddenly realize that his uncle, who had always been wooden, did not seem to be as good as he was.

"You are Brother Wen Dong's nephew, do you have anything to ask me for help when you come to Zhuyang this time?"

Motioning to Yuan to sit down, Liu Xizhu asked with a smile.

"Mr. is clear-eyed, the younger generation is not like the elders in the family, and he is eager to learn and love business.

Because I like to practice some styles since I was a child, I have also practiced some shallow martial arts.

This time I came to Zhuyang to worship the Guanyi Sect in the city to practice martial arts.

But because he first arrived in the raw place, he was not familiar with the city rules. encountered a large-scale conscription again, so the juniors came to Mr. for advice. ”

In the face of a literati like Liu Xizhu, Xiang Yuan also tried his best to restrain his evil spirit and maintain humility.

"Hmm...... Guanyi is also a well-known force in Zhuyang, abiding by the rules, knowing how to advance and retreat, and the place is not bad.

But the apprentices are still relatively strict, and if you want to enter one course, you may need to put in some effort. ”

Holding the pen in his hand, Liu Xizhu thought for a while and said slowly.

"As for the massive conscription...... This matter is the policy of the imperial court, and I don't know the deep meaning of it even if I am a Confucian scholar. ”

Hearing Liu Xizhu say that the whole sect was a serious sect, Xiang Yuan was a lot more relieved.

Liu Xizhu is a famous literati in Zhuyang, and being able to have such a good evaluation of Guan Yimen shows that Guan Yimen's style of acting can barely enter his eyes.

"With Mr.'s guidance, the younger generation has a bottom in their hearts. Liu Xizhu said goodbye when he got up, and Xiang Yuan prepared to leave Liu's mansion.

"In the future, if you encounter difficulties in Zhuyang, come to me.

As long as it's not illegal, I might be able to help you. Because of Xiang Wendong's relationship, Liu Xizhu is very concerned about Xiang Yuan's attitude, just like the elders care about their children and nephews.

thanked Liu Xizhu again, and turned to leave.

......

Leaving Liu's Mansion, Xiang Yuan returned to the inn, and from Liu Xizhu's mouth, although he had already learned that Guanyi was not a sinister place.

But what this sect is like is still to be believing.

Night

Xiang Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed, his burly and strong body slowly exuding a heavy oppressive force even if he sat still.

Zhuyang's unfamiliar environment made Xiang Yuan very vigilant, after all, this was not Guangling, where he had lived for more than ten years, although all kinds of accidents could happen here, he had to keep himself in a state of imminent danger at any time.

Rustle!

On the second watch day, when the night was so dark that almost the entire Zhuyang fell into a quiet sleep, a slight sound of footsteps suddenly came into Xiang Yuan's ears.

In order to sharpen his fighting skills, Xiang Yuan once walked into the deep mountains and old forests with Wang Chong.

In that old woods, the silent night is the most dangerous time.

So since then, Xiang Yuan has cultivated extremely sensitive nerves, and even when sleeping, he can maintain a considerable degree of vigilance.

Hearing the strange footsteps, Xiang Yuan's eyes suddenly opened, and he jumped out of the bed, his body like a dexterous leopard, and jumped silently to the window.

......