On the south gate of Kunpeng Mansion City, two guards guarding the city were chatting casually, looking at the scenery of fireworks in the city, looking forward to going home to eat a hot dumpling after the shift later.

I didn't notice that the full moon overhead had been obscured by a black tide for some time.

A dim black shadow rolled up the wind and snow, and quickly crawled on the city wall, like walking on the ground, sweeping over the city wall for dozens of zhang.

The eternal brazier burning on the city wall instantly turned a dark blue.

The shadow swept past and swooped into one of the guards, his body shaking.

The expression on his face struggled, and he wanted to open his mouth to call for help but couldn't open his mouth, and he couldn't even reach out to warn his teammates next to him. His face was visibly covered with a layer of frost, and the blood-colored veins of his face spread rapidly like cobwebs, covering most of his face.

Not only the face, but also the rest of the body surface is covered with blood-colored lines, like living creatures, writhing like earthworms.

His eyes turned blood-red, and his limbs quirked and twisted.

“…… I heard that there is a new Oiran in the Happy Forest recently, and she looks like a beautiful country, and if you can sleep once in your lifetime, it will be worth dying. "My companion is still dreaming.

After waiting for a long time, I didn't hear a response from my companion, and when I turned my head to look, my eyes almost fell to the ground.

"Evil ...... Evil spirits! ”

He stood on his legs, and even his voice trembled.

At this time, the companion had completely completed the demon transformation, and his body was twisted into a three-meter-tall aberrant monster, with slender limbs and smooth muscle lines, but two additional arms grew from under the ribs, and rushed towards him like tentacles.

"Ahh

He had just woken up from a dream.

He ran away, shouting as he ran: "Enemy attack, evil spirit invasion." ”

At this moment, he just wanted to ring the Dharma bell quickly, but it was only twenty zhang away from the Dharma bell, which was comparable to a ravine.

A pair of stretched claws had already grabbed his neck.

The fanged maws bit at his neck.

"Bell Bell Bell ~"

Just when he was about to despair, the Dharma bell was struck violently, and the ripples were washed out like a curtain of water.

The demon that had grabbed him let out a sudden roar, and a cloud of smoke spread out of his body, twisting and roaring.

The monster's attack also stopped at the right time, and he took the opportunity to quickly break free and quickly run towards the tower.

It turned out that Fang was in the distance, and the guards in the other towers rang the bell.

Immediately afterward, the bells were sounded like firecrackers, and the flames of the eternal brazier on the beacon tower rose and the flames illuminated the entire city wall. The higher you rise, the farther you go into the wilderness.

The angle of view is widened, and then widened.

On the white snow of the wilderness, a strange figure approached silently, densely packed, and covered the mountains and fields. Stepping on the snow, snorting, and gradually joining together.

Demons besiege the city.

Just tonight.

……

Whew~

Li Sui'an was waving his long knife again and again in the room.

He lost sleep for the first time, on Chinese New Year's Eve.

After the bell rang, the outside had been taken over by the Zhenbei Army for martial law. The Lion Rock next door was brightly lit, and in the city and outside the city, countless lanterns rose into the air, dispelling the darkness and illuminating most of the city.

It wasn't a Kong Ming lantern, nor a lantern-shaped ritual weapon, but a living thing.

The text bubble in the field of vision clearly shows:

[Lantern ghost: A kind of ghost in ancient legends, usually appears at night, likes to hang on trees, resembles a lantern, red, and glows. Night walkers are often chased by lantern ghosts as they pass through the woods. Lantern ghosts will suck up people's blood and bone marrow and use them as lamp oil, and those who are attacked and killed by lantern ghosts will die extremely ugly.

Later, it was sealed by the Lantern Division with a secret method and made into a magic weapon. The light of the heart lamp has the effect of illuminating the darkness and expelling evil spirits. 】

Every long night, the black tide hits, the demons are excited, and the evil spirits are raging.

The lantern makes the lantern in his hand, and the night watchman ascends to the city.

Tonight, the lights of the whole city will not go out.

I believe that there are few who can sleep.

It wasn't until dawn that the shouting stopped.

Fortunately, it was defended, and the city was not breached.

[Martial Arts]:

Basic Knife Trick LV2 Half-Baked (1230/10000)

Moon Slashing Knife LV1 Beginner Practice (15/10000)

……

The basic sword technique was upgraded overnight, but it could not dispel the uneasiness in my heart.

Because the sky was still covered with a layer of gray fog, the skylight was visibly reduced.

Several crematoriums in the city were about to explode, and corpses were being brought back, apparently the situation last night was not optimistic.

Li Sui'an decided to practice swordsmanship in the dead house, and Guishoutang asked people to send a message and ask him to go.

"If the demons continue to besiege the city tonight, all the warriors may be mobilized. Martial arts halls, dart games, and major families will be the first choice for recruitment. ”

"Has it come to this point that I have to defend the city too?"

Huang Henian looked at him silently.

Li Sui'an was a little confused.

"You are a member of the martial arts hall, although you are a registered disciple, you have also filed a case in the government. What's more, with the situation of your family, counting the family and nursing home, you have to go to at least five people. Don't worry, if you really want to go up to the city wall, you and other warriors who have just begun to quench their bodies will not be placed at the front. At that time, let's talk about the situation, and I will let your senior brother take care of you more. ”

Li Sui'an swallowed his saliva, "If you want to go, then I'm not afraid." ”

When I returned home full of worries, I didn't wait for the call from the government, but I waited for the tax officer.

"Baojing and civil tax, one hundred taels! This is a new order from the Governor! ”

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, he went door-to-door to collect taxes.

Li Sui'an really didn't understand this operation.

The various entries presented by the tax collector were examined, as well as the Grand Seal of the Governor's Palace. It is said that there were too many casualties in the incident last night, and the government issued bereavement pensions to the dead and injured, and set up a special tax to protect the territory and people, and the merchants collected it according to special regulations.

But one hundred taels is still a rare high surtax.

No way, hand it over.

As soon as one hundred taels were paid, another group of patrols came to the door, "Baojing and civil tax, Ruyifang, you need to pay one hundred and twenty taels." ”

Fu Qingnian couldn't sit still, "My lord, we just paid our taxes. ”

"Made, you've been preempted."

The head catcher scolded in a low voice, "What about the tax slip, take it out and take a look." ”

Fuqing year handed over the tax slip.

"You only paid one hundred taels, and there are still twenty taels missing, and you need to make up for it immediately."

Fu Qingnian sighed, and was ready to make up for the silver taels, and the matter was calm.

Li Sui'an suddenly stepped forward, "May I ask this adult's surname, can he have a tax collection certificate." ”

"What's the matter, you still have to check our official card, are you worthy? Acquaintances hurry up to pay taxes, and close your shop at the wrong time. ”

In the Darun Imperial Dynasty, although the merchants were rich, their social status was not high.

Li Sui'an said with a kind face: "The adult has misunderstood, the tax will naturally be paid, and the adult needs to show the entry and write down the tax collection record." ”

The security guards in the restaurant stood silently behind him.

Fu Qingnian looked worried.

Several people who caught the "swish" drew their knives and scolded in their mouths, "What's the matter, you dare to rebel, you don't want to do business." ”

"My lord misunderstood, we just don't want the next group of people to come in and collect taxes again. A small business can't afford such twists and turns. ”

The head catcher glared at Li Sui'an coldly, and Li Sui'an took it calmly and did not back down.

If he really collects taxes for the defense of the city, he will pay without complaint, but he can't be the wrongdoer.

"Hmph, I don't know how to lift, go to the next house."

A crowd of people came and went, and soon rushed into the neighbor's inn.

"Alas~"

Fu Qingnian sighed, "Whenever there is turmoil, it must be the first chaos in the city." ”

"I'm afraid this tax collection is just the beginning, and then there will be donations to be raised. The young master is watching the house at home, I will invite a few colleagues to discuss with President Xu, if it is for our restaurant industry, we also need to think of a countermeasure. ”

The president Xu he said is the general president of the Kunpeng City Restaurant Association.

The second young master of the Xu family, a child of a thousand-year-old family. There are many people in the family who have joined the ranks and served as officials, and they also have backgrounds in the army. The business run by the family is also spread over various industries, and it can be said that it is very wealthy.

The drunken spring breeze of Ruyifang is somewhat famous, but compared with the Xu family's big restaurant, it can only be regarded as a medium-sized industry. The sky is falling, and there are still tall people on top. If you don't look for an association at this time, wouldn't those initiation fees be paid in vain?

"Uncle Fu, be careful, Chen Zhong and you will follow Uncle Fu for a trip."

"Yes, host."

Li Sui'an grabbed Fu Qingnian and asked him to inquire about the name of the meaty head catcher in Fang Cai, and then went back to the backyard to continue practicing knives.

Today, strive to brush up on the basic knife skills to 5,000 proficiency.

Before nightfall, there were no pedestrians on the streets.

Ruyifang closed the door early.

In the evening, the city walls are full of swords and drums.

The eternal brazier is burning, the beacon tower is full of wolf smoke, and the soldiers are ready for battle, and they have reached the point of five steps, one sentry, and ten steps and one post. Archers, pikemen, sword and shield bearers, a team of ten, under the leadership of a shi, are on duty for dozens of meters.

Every 100 meters in the tower, there must be a lantern messenger, leading dozens of night watchmen to guard, and the huge lantern above his head illuminates the heaven and earth.

Before nightfall, the Kuroshio tide surged.

The demon made a comeback again.