"In the twenty-fourth year of Yuanxi, there is a big year, the late rice is ripe, and the rice is three points. At two o'clock on September 9, auspicious clouds saw it, and it was a sign of great prosperity. - "Yanzhou Local Chronicles".

In the inner city of Yongning City, Yanzhou, a carriage slowly stopped in front of a grand mansion.

The carriage stopped, and a man in his thirties wearing a crimson official uniform walked down, squinting his crescent moon eyes, looking at the words "Zhao Mansion" on the plaque of the mansion, with a solemn look in his eyes.

"Where did this lord come from?" Menzi came out and asked.

"My surname is Liu, and I came to Yingzhou." The man in the official uniform handed over a letter of worship.

"Wait a minute, sir."

Menzi took the prayer and turned to enter the house.

After a while, the door of the house opened again, and out came a purple-faced man in his forties, wearing a hat and a round-necked robe.

Although this person is dressed as a housekeeper, he has a magnificent figure, a rough appearance, and a pile of horizontal flesh on his face, which looks a little nondescript.

The man in the official uniform stepped forward and said, "Brother Tian, can the prince of Zhenguo be in the house today?" ”

"Lord Liu is polite!"

The purple-faced man waved his hand when he heard this, and said very angrily: "Our Lao Tian is just a flat-headed commoner, just doing things in the Zhenguo Mansion. It's like...... A little ghost in front of the palace of Hades should not be called so. ”

Then he smiled and said: "Lord Liu came by coincidence, Zhenguo Gong only returned home on the 10th and 20th of every month, and he happened to be at home today." ”

The official surnamed Liu felt relieved, "Please ask Brother Tian to lead the way." ”

"Please!"

The purple-faced man stretched out his hand and led the way in front first.

The two walked through the hall and the courtyard, all the way through the carved beams and painted buildings, pavilions and pavilions, and the official surnamed Liu couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

When I first met more than ten years ago, today's Zhenguo Gong was just a boxing apprentice, and he was a fast catcher under his hands, but he didn't expect to become Dayue Zhenguo Gong in a blink of an eye, the first person in martial arts today.

All those who worked with him in the past and had some favors have also ascended to heaven and soared.

For example, the Tian Dabang in front of him, who was originally just a small leader of the River Gang begging for food at the dock, has also become a butler of the Zhao Mansion who is respected by everyone.

It's really unpredictable.

But then again, he was able to be promoted quickly, and he was also stained with the light of Zhenguogong.

This official surnamed Liu was the county commander of Qinghe County that year, and because of his outstanding political achievements, he had been promoted to the prefect.

Tian Dabang took Governor Liu to the study, called for tea, and said with a smile: "Guocheng is meeting guests, come over later." ”

Governor Liu thanked him, "Brother Tian, even if you are busy, I can do it myself." ”

"Okay, Lord Liu has something to say."

Tian Dabang said goodbye and left.

Governor Liu drank tea absentmindedly, looked at the study casually, and thought: "Zhen Guogong saw me in the study, this is not treating me as an outsider." ”

The interior of the house is clean and simplely furnished, with only a large bookcase and a bookshelf, and a picture of the Nine Palaces hanging on the wall.

The pattern of the Nine Palaces is somewhat special.

Eight animals are depicted in the nine grids: bears, raccoons, martens, bats, white silkworms, catfish, rats, and red silkworms, and one grid is empty.

Governor Liu was secretly surprised, thinking that so many animals that were unrelated to each other were placed together, and he didn't know what the purpose was......

At this moment, footsteps were heard, and a tall young man with a short beard walked into the study.

The person who came was Zhao Lin.

Governor Liu hurriedly got up, "Xiaguan pays a visit to the Duke of Zhenguo." "When you speak, you have to salute.

Zhao Lin stretched out his hand to support him, and said with a smile: "Lord Liu is polite, please take a seat." ”

Governor Liu humbly conceded a few words before sitting down carefully.

"When did Lord Liu come?"

"This year is a bumper year, and the grain harvest in Yingzhou is good......

After taking a seat, Zhao Lin casually asked a few words about the current situation in Yingzhou.

Governor Liu answered them one by one.

Zhao Lin was crowned a marquis in a war eleven years ago, and won the championship in the next two martial arts competitions, and was awarded the title of Zhenguo Duke at the age of twenty-six.

At the age of twenty-nine, he won the championship as a martial artist in the Yuan Realm, and achieved an unprecedented "Great Four Yuan".

After Liu Xianling was promoted to the prefect, he learned of these secrets, and couldn't help but secretly rejoice that he was kind to Zhao Lin back then.

At this time, he secretly observed that Zhao Lin's face had not changed much from the beginning, and he was more mature and stable, but after all, his identity was different, and he was very powerful when he was looking forward to it.

"Lord Liu, you are the prefect of Yingzhou, are you in accordance with the rules when you come to Yanzhou?"

Zhao Lin turned the teacup on the table and asked intentionally or unintentionally.

"It's okay, the lower officials have other things to do when they come to Yanzhou, so I came to visit Guogong by the way."

Governor Liu replied.

Zhao Lin nodded, and said in a deep voice: "My brother Liang Song...... Any news? ”

After becoming famous, Zhao Lin brought the old and repaid him for his kindness.

Those who are willing to come to Yanzhou will take over and arrange errands, and those who are unwilling to come will also take care of them in Qinghe County.

He also recommended several Liuhe Sect disciples to enter the outer courtyard of Xingyun Sect to practice martial arts, and their qualifications were really ordinary, and they also helped find a way out.

The only regret is that Liang Song, who has the best relationship with him and has a fateful friendship, suddenly disappeared from the world and has not been heard from.

Because of the separation between the two places and the identity reasons, it was inconvenient for Zhao Lin to check in person, so he wrote to Governor Liu for help, and after two months, Governor Liu came to the door in person.

"That's exactly what Xiaguan is here for."

Governor Liu's expression was whole, and he said: "I sent people to ask Liang Song's classmates and neighbors, and recorded all the people he came into contact with in the first three months of his departure, and finally found some clues. ”

"Oh."

Zhao Lin's eyes flashed, "Lord Liu, please speak!" ”

Governor Liu continued: "In January of the nineteenth year of Yuanxi, a Taoist priest came to Qinghe County, and he made a special trip to Shuncheng Street to find Liang Song once, and many people who lived in Shuncheng Street had seen this Taoist priest. ”

"Half a month later, Liang Song resigned from the yamen and left the martial arts hall, and someone saw him leave with the Taoist priest......"

Zhao Lin raised his hand to signal him not to continue, and muttered to himself: "January ...... of the nineteenth year of Yuanxi"

After thinking about it for a while, I remembered that in February of the nineteenth year of Yuanxi, I wrote a letter to ask Liang Song to come to Yanzhou, but before the letter was sent, I received a letter from Liang Song.

Liang Song talked about the past in the letter, and at the end said that he was grateful for his brother and would see you again in the future.

Zhao Lin felt strange at that time, what does it mean to meet again? Sounds like goodbye.

However, at that time, he was preparing for the third martial arts competition, and wanted to contact him later, but he didn't know that there was no news of Liang Song since then.

If it weren't for the letter, Zhao Lin even suspected that Liang Song had been killed or taken away. But before Liang Song left, he not only wrote to himself, but also quit his job of catching fast, explaining that he took the initiative to leave.

"The time is right!"

Zhao Lin nodded, frowning slightly, "Why did you have anything to do with the Taoist priest?" ”

Governor Liu didn't dare to disturb and waited quietly on the side.

After a while, Zhao Lin retracted his thoughts, "Lord Liu, you continue." ”

Governor Liu continued: "I heard from the officers and soldiers guarding the city that Liang Song went out from the east gate. Xia Guan guessed that they might have gone to a neighboring county to the east, so he sent people to track them down. ”

"As a result, I inquired all the way, and it turned out that they did not go to neighboring counties, but went all the way to the southeast, through three states, more than a dozen counties, and arrived in Qizhou."

"And then no one saw them again."

Zhao Lin's expression moved, "Qizhou...... By the sea, right? ”

Governor Liu said: "Exactly." ”

Zhao Lin shook his head and smiled, "Did my brother become a monk with a Taoist priest?" ”

After speaking, he arched his hand and said, "Thank you, Lord Liu,"

Governor Liu hurriedly said: "A little thing is not enough to worry about." ”

……

Sending off Governor Liu, Zhao Lin returned to the study again.

Walking in front of the Nine Palaces, he stood with his hands in his hands, and suddenly remembered the young man who had just crossed over and was hoeing and plowing the ground in the Baitou Mountain.

"Fifteen years......"

(End of chapter)