Chapter 206: The White Camel and the Potbelly Buddha
After Guan Shanfei performed these two moves, he seemed to run out of energy, gasping for breath in place, and then developed into a violent cough, bending over and almost coughing out his lungs.
The blonde woman and the little boy gathered around him, one caressing his back in distress and the other holding his leg to comfort and cheer him up.
It's really happy, Liu Zheng sighed in his heart, he had never experienced this kind of warm scene of a family of three.
"Master, uncle, let's go." He withdrew his gaze and turned to beckon.
"Aren't you going to help?" Ge Baoshan asked.
Of course, he saw Liu Zheng's eyes, and from the fact that he came to the city alone to make a living, he knew that his family would definitely not be happy, regardless of whether his identity as a hunter was made up or not.
After getting along for a while, Ge Baoshan knew that his apprentice was a person who was uninhibited on his face and affectionate in his heart, so he should help the family.
"It's not the time yet." Liu Zheng shook his head and said.
Ge Baoshan nodded and didn't ask again, and the master and apprentice went to the inn at the end of the alley under the leadership of Mingyue.
The inn is called Tongle Inn, which is opened by two shopkeepers, one is from the Central Plains and the other is from the Western Regions.
No one in the Central Plains knew his name, and everyone called him "Big-bellied Buddha", because his belly was big and round, and his earlobes were long and thick, like the Maitreya Buddha offered in the temple.
This nickname has been called too much and for too long, and over time, it has become his real name, and even the tax collectors who come to collect taxes call him so.
The shopkeeper of the Western Regions has a name, not only does it have it, but it is also very long, so long that it is impossible to write on a single page.
According to him, each middle name has a beautiful meaning and represents the expectations of the elders for him.
Unfortunately, others did not appreciate this expectation, and even bothered to remember his real name, and gave him the nickname, "White Camel".
Because his nose was high and big, like the hump of a camel.
No one knows how the two of them got together or why they opened the inn.
Some say that they were originally minions of two caravans, and after encountering a sandstorm, they killed the rest of each other's caravans and gained a lot of wealth.
In order to keep this secret, they opened this inn and watched each other.
Some people also say that they actually want to get the other half of their wealth, so they opened this inn day and night, looking for an opportunity to kill each other.
"They made up at least thirty versions for us, but unfortunately none of them were true." The white camel said with a smile as he poured wine for the three of them.
"And what is the truth?" Liu Zheng asked with interest.
This innkeeper, who looked as thin as a hemp pole, was not at all like a ruthless character who could kill an entire caravan, and even a caravan would not ask for such a burden.
But his intuition told him that the white camel's fingers were not as dry and weak as they seemed.
"The truth is that he and I are actually desert thieves who have robbed enough of their wealth and washed their hands. And he opened an inn with him because he was afraid that the enemy would come to the door, and he was weak. "White Camel's Central Plains dialect has a slight accent, but the pauses and tone changes are infectious.
"How many versions have you made?" Mingyue asked with a smile.
"The thirty-first version, one more than they made up for me." The white camel said with a smile.
"But it's four fewer than I made, and the story isn't as exciting as mine." A man with a big belly moved over, looking at his difficult appearance, making people wonder if he was about to give birth in the next moment.
"Come on, your story is old-fashioned." The white camel said disdainfully.
"Then let others judge, this little brother, do you want to hear my story." The pot-bellied Buddha to Liu Zhengdao.
"Of course, there's no one who doesn't like to hear stories." He nodded.
"He and I are actually slaves of a nobleman in the Western Regions, and because he behaves very meekly, he has won the trust of the nobles. During an affair between a nobleman and his lover, he took the two of us as escorts. For the sake of freedom, he and I attacked and killed the nobleman and his lover, and looted their treasures. Then he fled all the way to Yangguan and opened this inn. ”
The big-bellied Buddha finished the story in one breath, and then looked at Liu Zheng expectantly.
He thought for a moment and said, "I still think the previous story is more exciting. ”
The pot-bellied Buddha was puzzled: "Why? Obviously, I have more words than his. ”
"Because I prefer to hear stories about bad people with good results." Liu Zheng grinned, revealing a row of big white teeth.
"Why? Do you want to be a bad guy? "The pot-bellied Buddha is even stranger.
"Because stories are people's fantasies, and I want the bad guys to have a good outcome as a fantasy." He smiled.
"Hahaha, okay, what an interesting young man, I invited you to drink today's wine." The white camel laughed.
It was hard to imagine how his skeletal body could let out such a loud laugh.
"I've invited people to drink, and I'm fooling people with pottery cups, so why don't you go and take out your glow-in-the-dark cup." The pot-bellied Buddha squeezed and said.
"What I said is that Daoist Mingyue came again and brought such an interesting young man, so he should change the luminous cup. Everyone, wait a minute, I'll go and go back. The white camel slapped his thigh and immediately stood up.
The four of them waited for a while, and then the white camel came with a box.
He carefully opened the box, and there were eight jade cups in the middle of it, small and exquisite, crystal clear.
"Hey, you have changed your sex today, and you are willing to take out this set of Qilian Mountain jade cups and use them." The pot-bellied Buddha was surprised.
"Grape wine luminous cup, if you want to drink the pipa immediately urge", the poems of the heroic prince Yu of that generation made the luminous cup a world-famous wine vessel.
Legend has it that when the wine is placed in this kind of cup and placed in the moonlight, the cup will sparkle, hence the name of the luminous cup.
The Qilian Mountain jade cup is the top grade in the luminous cup, the decoration is natural, the cup is thin as paper, bright as a mirror, smooth inside and outside, the jade color is transparent and bright, and a cup can buy a house.
A few people drank the wine in the cup, the entrance was slightly sour, but there was a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste, which was indeed a unique taste.
"This year's wine is not as good as last year's, but it is not a loss to be able to use this set of Qilian Mountain jade cups." The pot-bellied Buddha smacked his lips and said.
"Is the Qilian Mountain Jade Cup the best glow-in-the-dark cup?" Liu Zheng asked with a wit.
"If it is definitely not the best in the Western Regions, the Hetian Jade Cup is better than the Qilian Mountain Jade Cup, but it should be the best in Yangguan." The white camel said proudly.
"What about the glass luminous cup?" He asked the questions he really wanted to ask.
"Glass luminous cup? The little brother has seen Guan Shan flying. The pot-bellied Buddha smiled and said with a smile.
"I just went to his house to buy naan, and when I saw someone asking him for a glass luminous cup, I was a little curious about what kind of treasure it was." Liu Zheng said calmly.
"The baby can't talk about it, it's just the ordinary color of the river jade carving, and it's because the jade color is not pure and there are too many variegated colors that it is called the glass luminous cup." The white camel shook his head.
"Then why did that Ilham Tohti want it so much?" He wondered.
When the white camel heard the name, he subconsciously looked around and saw that there was no one else, and then he remembered that it was in a private room and breathed a sigh of relief.
"In Yangguan, the name Ilham Tohti is better to be mentioned sparingly." He admonished.
"Why? Is he a serpent? Liu Zheng said with a smile.
"He was originally a strong dragon crossing the river, but after entrenching here for more than ten years, he became a rough snake." The white camel said in a deep voice.
"In Yangguan, 70 percent of the industry has a stake in Ilham Tohti, and one out of every two people works for him directly or indirectly. If anyone offends him, the best outcome is to die in the stinking ditch the next day, because death is his greatest mercy. The pot-bellied Buddha also lost a smile on his face.
"Won't the guards of Yangguan clean him up?" He asked.
"Fifty percent of that seventy percent of the industry is his, and Tohti's men will help maintain order and deal with those who cause trouble. Why would the Keeper want to pack up a person who reduces trouble for himself? The white camel asked rhetorically.
"He really has no reason." Liu Zheng nodded.
"So, in Yangguan, in addition to the guards, it is Ilham Tohti who is the biggest." The pot-bellied Buddha concluded.
"Then why didn't Ilham Tohti directly grab the glass luminous cup, but also use the troublesome way of forcing debts?" He asked.
"Because Guan Shanfei is a disciple of Huashan." This time it was Mingyue who answered his question.
"Daoist Mingyue really has a torch in his eyes. Yes, Guan Shanfei is indeed a disciple of Huashan, but he only used to be. The pot-bellied Buddha praised it, and then added.
"He was expelled from the sect by Huashan?" Ge Baoshan was surprised.
That's not right, if he is expelled from the sect, at least he must be forbidden to use his own martial arts, how can he still use the golden lock chain palm in a grand manner?
"Then I don't know. When Guan Shanfei came here three years ago, he called himself an outcast of Huashan, and no one knew why he left Huashan. But he did use Huashan martial arts several times, and the Huashan faction did not send anyone to investigate, so everyone also believed in his identity. The white camel shook his head.
These famous parties are extremely strict in investigating those who pretend to be identities, and once they are discovered, they will definitely be investigated to the end and even lynched, so few people in the rivers and lakes dare to pretend to be disciples of the big faction.
And even if he is an outcast of Huashan, after all, he was once a person from Huashan, and it is natural that Tohti does not dare to rob it.
"I see Guan Shanfei's footwork being vain and his palm power fluctuating, and it seems that his serious injuries have not healed." Mingyue said.
"It's not a serious injury, it's a serious illness. Guan Shanfei came to Yangguan with his wife and children, and he had a hidden illness, and he finally broke out a while ago, and he had to eat a lot of precious medicinal materials every day to suppress the disease. The pot-bellied Buddha shook his head.
"And then deplete the family wealth for this, and Tohti takes advantage of the fire to rob?" Ge Baoshan stroked his beard and said.
"Yes." The white camel said simply.
"What kind of magic does the glass glow-in-the-dark cup have that makes Ilham Tohti want it so much?" Liu Zheng was puzzled.
"It's not worth much on its own, but it's said to be the key to unlocking a lost treasure in the Western Regions." Pot-bellied Buddha Dao.
"What lost treasure?" He asked.
"I don't know, about the glass luminous cup, that's just one sentence. Probably Ilham Tohti knows better. The white camel shook his head.
The white camel and the pot-bellied Buddha left, leaving the three of them to continue tasting.
"The three of us have become Jiang Qianglong." Ge Baoshan squinted his eyes and said.
"It's also a hook that we bite ourselves." Mingyue took another drink.
"It's in vain." Liu Zheng frankly admitted his mistake.
"A good thing is not necessarily a bad thing, just a little bit of a pass, there are more lice and no itching, and there are more debts without worrying." Mingyue doesn't care.
"When the road is uneven, it is chivalrous to help each other, and you can do what you can." Ge Baoshan also said.
Although Yangguan is prosperous, it is only a border town, and there are not even six gates.
That Ilham is a grandmaster, and it is not false for him and Mingyue to join forces.