The days passed quietly in such a boring rush life, and before you knew it, summer had come to an end. However, it seems to want to give off one last bit of majesty, so the weather has been particularly hot these days, and the air is so dry that it almost bursts into flames, making the population thirsty.

Xu Huaigu braved the scorching sun, walked on the yellow sand road between the woods with a bitter face, sweat kept dripping down his cheeks, and then dripped from his chin to the ground, this is the only water in this weather.

He lifted the kettle made of sheepskin, tilted his head and poured the last sip of water, shaking vigorously to make sure that there was no water left before slowly closing the lid of the kettle.

Xu Huaigu was reluctant to swallow the water in one gulp, but first took the water in his mouth, moistened his mouth, and then swallowed it in small gulps.

After more than two months of traveling, Xu Huaigu is no longer the immature child, and his current appearance is probably not even recognizable to Li Zi.

His skin has been tanned black, he is dressed in gray-black clothes, and he is wearing a hat, which makes it difficult to see his face. Behind him was a long sword with a bamboo sheath, a short unsheathed sword in his hand, and a dagger stuck in his sleeve. In addition, he was already tall, and even though he was only nine years old, he dressed like a short swordsman who traveled the rivers and lakes. In fact, he didn't have a few real kung fu, and he dressed up like this just to disguise himself, so as not to find some unnecessary trouble.

Xu Huaigu wiped the sweat from his forehead, and straightened the long sword behind him. For two months, he has been following Deng Zhiyuan's instructions, carrying the long sword and Xiaoyu day and night.

Under the tempering of this heavy sword, his physique has also improved rapidly, and it is far from being comparable to a nine-year-old child, and because of his cultivation, he can probably be comparable to an adult.

The road ahead is still long, with no end in sight. Xu Huaigu smashed his dry lips, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and complained: "What the hell is this weather, I was drenched to death in the rain in Hongfang, and I was dyed of thirst on the road, it's really weird!" ”

As soon as he finished speaking, a few birdsongs sounded in the woods, as if echoing his complaints.

Xu Huaigu smiled self-deprecatingly and continued on his way. As if luck had favored him, not long after complaining, a small wooden house appeared in a hidden place in the woods by the roadside.

His eyes lit up.

Walking the rivers and lakes for two months is not in vain, and he now knows a lot of rules and stories about the rivers and lakes.

Roadside cabins like these are places for passers-by to stop, and of course tea and simple meals are provided. This is undoubtedly the best news for him, who is running out of food and water.

Without hesitation, he immediately walked in the direction of the cabin, and pressed down on the brim of the hat to better cover his face, so as not to be seen as young as possible.

He walked to the door of the wooden house, deliberately increased his strength, knocked heavily on the door, deliberately lowered his voice, and shouted outside the door: "Shopkeeper, come out and open the door quickly!" I'm dying of heat outside! ”

There was immediately the sound of "tuk tuk" footsteps inside, and a woman's complaint: "Come on, don't worry!" ”

Xu Huaigu turned a deaf ear.

Just waiting for the woman to open the door, he ignored the woman standing at the door, didn't look at it, and stepped directly into the store. Then he put the short sword in his hand on the nearest table, and said to the woman, "Shopkeeper, do you have a room to live in?" ”

The woman was very annoyed by his rude behavior, but seeing that he still had two swords in his hand and a good temperament, she was silent, and replied in a slightly charming tone: "Yes, as long as the guest officer needs it, I have everything in this store." ”

She obviously regarded Xu Huaigu as a real charlatan, and deliberately accentuated her tone when she said the word "what". However, Xu Huaigu could not understand her hints, and only thought that the store was boasting, so he replied: "Then bring me a guest room, as long as the tea is not alcohol, as for the meal, although it is the best." ”

The woman let out a soft "huh" in her heart. This turned out to be a wealthy lord, but don't all quacks like to drink? How can this person dressed as a swordsman drink tea like a scholar?

She was puzzled, but she still didn't ask, but gently stroked her hair, and said with a smile: "Since the guest officer is going to stay, then we will see you when we look up and look down, and allow me to introduce it." My name is Jiang Shan, and I am a local from this crested mountain, and I have been running this small shop here for several years. On weekdays, it's just me and this kid in the store. The child's name is Sangou, which is not a good name, but his father and mother died early, and I will help him pick it up at will, and I hope the guest officer will not mind. ”

Xu Huaigu nodded, as if he understood. He was a little puzzled, a weak woman and a child could even open a shop in this wilderness for several years, when was the world so peaceful?

The woman named Jiang Shan saw that Xu Huaigu didn't look up at her, she just felt bored, so she put away the charming style, and instructed the other teenage child in the store: "Sangou, go and serve tea to the guests, and make a few good dishes." ”

Sangou went to prepare without saying a word, Jiang Shan saw that this Jianghu guest was a taciturn person, and also turned around and left to prepare the room, Xu Huaigu took the opportunity to look up at the woman.

The woman's back looks quite beautiful. He has a slender figure, wearing a gray cardigan skirt of ordinary fabric, his hair is scattered behind his shoulders, and an ordinary wooden hairpin is inserted. Although he is dressed in a simple and unpretentious dress, he has a good face and is of the right age, so he didn't get married for some reason.

Xu Huaigu was too lazy to think so much, and waited until the little boy named Sangou brought the tea, and he was already thirsty, and he directly drank three full pots in one go, and filled the sheepskin kettle before he looked at the little boy in front of him.

Sangou is black and thin, and his teenage age is similar to Xu Huaigu, but his height is a head shorter, and his body is also very thin, and he looks like he is not living well on weekdays.

Xu Huaigu felt a little sympathetic to this child, so he took out a small ingot of silver from the bag he carried, threw it to him, and said casually: "This ingot of silver is given to you, and it will be regarded as a reward for you to pour tea for me." ”

Sangou's eyes widened as he watched Xu Huaigu throw out a piece of silver shining, and hurriedly reached out to pick it up, it was really a piece of silver! He panicked for a moment, and he was in a hurry, not knowing what to do.

He had seen silver. Every time Jiang Shan finishes a business, there will always be money coming in. However, he also knew that silver was a very valuable thing, and Jiang Shan never let him touch it. At the moment, he didn't know whether to accept it or not, so he held the ingot of silver and looked at Jiang Shan at the counter for help.

Jiang Shan also looked at Xu Huaigu in surprise, and was surprised. Unexpectedly, this person's shot was so generous, and her shock didn't last long before she regained her composure.

She smiled with crooked eyebrows: "Sangou, since you give it to you, you can take it." Hide it well, be your wife in the future, and don't forget to thank this God of Wealth. ”

Sangou carefully grasped the ingot, put it in his coat pocket, and looked at Xu Huaigu again. As a result, he seemed to be a little shy, and ran directly into the woods outside, without saying a word from beginning to end.

Jiang Shan said with a smile: "The child is not sensible, this old man has a lot, please don't take it to heart." ”

Xu Huaigu scolded in his heart, and said angrily: "What is your name, master, am I that old?" My surname is Xu and my name is Huaigu. ”

Jiang Shan heard such a strange name for the first time, but she still smiled and said, "Okay, Xu Gongzi, your guest room is ready, the meal will be ready soon, do you want to eat at the table or go back to the guest room to eat?" ”

"It's on the table."

Jiang Shan heard the reply, but did not walk away, but stood at the table and looked at Xu Huaigu with a smile. Xu Huaigu knew what this meant, and said casually: "Isn't it silver?" Since I can send it to the children, I will naturally not lose your room money and food money. Tell me, how much does a night's room and these meals cost? ”

Jiang Shan replied, "Two taels of silver." ”

It's affordable.

Xu Huaigu did not hesitate, took out a money bag, searched for a long time, and found the smallest ingot of silver in the money bag, which was also ten taels. This...... Too much money seems to be a hassle.

The woman Jiang Shan was a little surprised when she saw his money bag on the side. It was all silver, at least a few hundred taels. I know that this person is rich, but being rich is not such a rich law!

With so much money, why not rent a carriage and walk in the scorching sun? It's puzzling.

Of course, she didn't know that Xu Huaigu still had 10,000 taels of silver tickets in her bag......

Xu Huaigu scratched his head and said embarrassedly: "I don't have a little silver here, I'll give you this piece, and the rest will be used as a reward for you, buy more delicious food for Sangou, and children should eat more meat when they grow up." ”

The woman was stunned for a moment, her eyes were even more strange, she didn't go to take the silver, but frowned and looked at the swordsman in front of her who covered her face with a hat, not knowing what she was thinking.

Xu Huaigu was worried that her real age would be seen through by her, and was about to speak to ease the deadlock, when she heard someone shouting outside: "Shopkeeper, old rule, bring me a jar of good wine, brothers are waiting to open the wine and meat!" ”