() Two flowers, one on each branch.

Since the departure of the three sect masters of Chiri, Taiqing, and Yeli, Yan Guangyu, the king of Guangxing, ordered to search for Luo Huailiang, the tomb robber who dared to use Huohuan cloth to pretend to be the Five Dou Star Silk. The three patriarchs of Muzhou searched almost every inch of the city, but they did not find his shadow. Also, a small tomb robber who defrauded tens of thousands of taels of silver with a fake five-dipper star silk, of course, would not be so stupid as to stay in Muzhou and wait for the matter to be revealed.

The congratulatory gifts sent by the three major families were originally enough to make Yan Guangyu very happy, but the result was that he saw the flowers in the mirror and looked at the moon in the water, which also made him lose face in front of the three sect masters, he was so angry that his teeth itched, not only in Qianlong County to investigate thoroughly, but also asked Zheng Xiangnan, the king of Pingyu in Xianglong County, and Meng Xiangwu, the king of Ningjin in Tenglong County, to look for it together. It's just that the Qinglong Continent is so vast, and it's not easy to find a small thief.

Yan Haolei, the eldest son of Yan Wangfu, and Yan Haoli, the second son, were responsible for finding Luo Huailiang in the north and south parts of Qianlong County, and by the way, investigating the clues of the Five Dou Xingjuan. The existence of the Big Dipper Silk and the Big Dipper Silk is a secret, so people think that there are still three Star Silk that have not yet been found.

At noon on this day, Yan Haolei was sitting in the "Liukeju" restaurant in Qianlong County and Prefecture, looking at the snow scene outside, and slowly tasting the warm local famous wine snow and ice tide. Hezhou is a big city in the north of Qianlong County, and "Liukeju" is the most luxurious restaurant in the city. During his stay in Hezhou, Yan Haolei liked to drink here, and every time he came, he overbearingly chartered the entire restaurant. People knew that he was the eldest prince of the Guangxing Palace, and they didn't dare to provoke him to anger, so as long as they saw him, they immediately checked out and left. I heard that Yan Haolei was short-tempered, and people didn't even dare to take the road in front of the "stay guesthouse".

But today, there is a person who dares to harass Yan Haolei. Yan Haolei was relaxing when he suddenly heard a noise downstairs. He came to the window and looked down, and a man in a green shirt was being pushed outside the restaurant by his own guards. The man shouted, "Let me in, I have something important to report to Young Master Yan!"

The guard shouted: "Young Master Yan is drinking wine and resting, I don't have time to see you!

Yan Haolei snorted coldly: "Which guy who doesn't have long eyes, don't you know that I hate being disturbed the most when I drink?

The man looked up and saw Yan Haolei by the window, and hurriedly shouted: "Young Master Yan, I do have something important to report! After listening to it, you can decide whether to cut off my head or not!"

Seeing that this person was so persistent, Yan Haolei ordered the guards: "Since this is the case, let him in." If you dare to deceive me, you will not be spared!"

The guard let go and got out of the way. The man straightened his clothes, strode into the "guest house", went up to the second floor, came to Yan Haolei's table, and bowed respectfully: "Meet Yan Gongzi." ”

Yan Haolei put down the empty cup, filled the pot, and asked without raising his head: "Who are you?

"My name is Che Zhongxing, a small official in the district and state. I heard that Yan Gongzi came to Hezhou to find clues about the Five Dou Star Silk, and I also came for this purpose. ”

When Yan Haolei heard this, he looked up at Che Zhongxing, who looked like a monkey with a sharp mouth, and he really didn't look like an honest person. "Then you found the clue to the Five Douxing Silk?"

Cha Zhongxing replied: "That's true. Yan Gongzi, do you know that there is a large trading market here in Hezhou? The market is held in Shuntianfu in the south of the city, and it is held on the 15th of every month and ends on the 17th. Yesterday it was the fifteenth day, and I went to the market to browse, but I found a strange person selling something strange. ”

Yan Haolei was a little curious: "Oh?"

"Most of the goods sold in this market are rare minerals, medicinal herbs, blades, armor, etc., so it attracts many swordsmiths, healers, and nobles. Yesterday, I pondered buying a high-quality sword weapon for Xiao'er, so I went to Shuntian Mansion.

Suncheonfu is a building specially allocated by the lord of Hezhou City, which is used exclusively for market transactions. The building has five floors, of which the first and second floors are for herbs, the third and fourth floors are for minerals, and the fifth floor is for swords and armor. When I walked to the fifth floor that day and was carefully selecting a sword, I suddenly saw an old man squatting next to me, with a box in front of him. I saw that the box looked quite beautiful, so I asked him what it contained, and he said it was a piece of five-dipper star silk!"

"What?" Yan Haolei was taken aback, "Is it true or fake?" Father was deceived by Huo Huanbu, of course he didn't dare to believe it easily.

Che Zhongxing said: "The old man said that it was genuine, but if you don't buy it, you won't let you see ......it."

Yan Haolei interrupted anxiously: "Then you can buy it and take a look, whether it's true or not, I will give you money!"

"Yan Gongzi, it's not that I don't want to buy it, it's just that the old man's price is too high, he opened his mouth and asked me for 100,000 taels of silver, where can I get it......" Che Zhongxing made a bitter face helplessly.

"One hundred thousand taels?" Yan Haolei exclaimed exaggeratedly, "He's poor and crazy, isn't he! Go, take me to see it!" Although he doesn't know the authenticity, there is a trace of clues to be fully explored, and he has made up his mind that he would rather make a mistake than let it go.

"Okay!" Che Zhongxing happily led the way. He came to report this time purely to appease Yan Haolei, and he was tired of doing it with the state officials for a long time, and it happened that Yan Haolei met an old man selling silk during his stay here. If the star silk is fake, it has nothing to do with him, if it is true, then he is a great achievement, and it is a certainty that he will rise to the top from now on.

Shuntianfu was originally the largest restaurant in Hezhou, but then the boss died suddenly, and the business collapsed. The lord of Hezhou forcibly requisitioned this restaurant and turned it into a trading market. This luxuriant bazaar is also a reason for the longevity of the state.

Before reaching the gate of Shuntianfu, you can smell a smell of herbs from a distance.

Interestingly, the rarer the herb, the more pungent the smell. According to people's understanding, it is due to absorbing a lot of essence from heaven and earth. Smelling this somewhat choking smell, Yan Haolei frowned slightly.

After entering the Shuntian Mansion, the stalls selling medicines filled the lobby, and the sellers saw Yan Haolei dressed brightly, followed by a group of guards, guessed that he should be a rich kid, and hurriedly and enthusiastically peddled their own medicines to him. Yan Haolei seemed to be very disgusted, and went straight to the second floor without even looking at it.

"It's a guy with no one in his eyes again...... "Many people pouted, muttering secretly in their hearts.

Although the lower two floors of Shuntianfu are all selling herbs, there are also low-grade and high-grade ones. If you want to set up a stall in Suncheonfu, you must get the approval of the Hezhou Chamber of Commerce, and the president of the Chamber of Commerce is the younger brother of the city lord. At the end of each transaction, the state chamber of commerce takes a tenth of the seller's profits as a tax. One-tenth is not a small amount, Shuntianfu is huge, can accommodate hundreds of stalls, and the goods sold must also go through the strict control of the state chamber of commerce, and non-treasures cannot be sold here. Many of the buyers who came here were dignitaries and wealthy people who came here, and they were naturally generous. Therefore, one-tenth of the tax revenue of the Suncheonfu Market is one of the main sources of money for the Chamber of Commerce.

The medicinal herbs sold on the second floor were obviously much more precious than those on the first floor, and the sellers were not as enthusiastic as those on the first floor. Anyway, rare medicinal materials are rare after all, and the sellers all put on a look of whether they like to buy or not. Yan Haolei was even more lazy to take care of them, the medicinal smell on the second layer was even stronger than the first layer, so he hurriedly covered his nose and went to the third layer. The third and fourth floors are full of minerals, and this is where many swordsmiths like to come from.

Coming to the fifth floor, there are obviously many fewer stalls, but on the contrary, it is the first floor with the most customers. There was a crowd of people in front of each stall, especially the stall selling swords. The people of the Qinglong Continent worship the sword style, and people with status even if they can't make a sword have to wear one to show their identity.

In the midst of the bustling crowd, there was only one corner that was deserted. Che Zhongxing was leading Yan Haolei in this direction. There is an old man sitting alone in the corner, drinking hot tea leisurely, on the ground in front of him, there is a small and delicate wooden box, the wooden box is carved with dragons and phoenixes, exquisite.

"This is it. Che Zhongxing pointed to the wooden box road.

Yan Haolei first took a closer look at the old man, although his beard and hair were all white, his face was ruddy, his body was slightly rich, his thick cotton clothes were wrapped in satin, and his upper body was covered with a leather horse jacket, which made people feel different from ordinary people. Such an outfit looks out of place among sellers.

The old man put down the teacup, glanced up, and said lazily, "You're here again, who is this?"

"This is the eldest son of Yan of Guangxing Palace. Che Zhongxing introduced.

The old man was taken aback, quickly stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "It turned out to be Yan Gongzi, disrespectful, disrespectful, and the old man's surname is Lu Minghai." ”

Yan Haolei nodded and went straight to the point: "What you have in this wooden box is one of the Five Dou Star Silks?"

"Exactly. Is Yan Gongzi interested?"

"I heard that you offered 50,000 taels?"

Lu Dahai hurriedly waved his hand: "How dare you, that's the price offered to others." If Yan Gongzi takes a fancy to it, I will offer it with both hands. ”

Yan Haolei smiled faintly: "No, even if I am from the Yan Palace, I can't break the rules here." Besides, do I look like someone who can't afford to pay?" With that, he waved his hand back and said, "Little Four, pay!" One of the attendants behind him stepped forward and took out a thick stack of silver tickets.

"Not so much. Don't hide it from Yan Gongzi, I also bought this piece of silk from someone else for 5,000 taels, if you really want to give it, give me 5,000 taels. Lu Dahai said.

Yan Haolei laughed out loud all of a sudden: "Five thousand taels to buy fifty thousand taels to sell?

Lu Dahai touched his head embarrassedly: "Isn't it the same thing to do business, let Yan Gongzi laugh." ”

Unexpectedly, Yan Haolei suddenly took a breath, and reprimanded with a straight face: "Five thousand taels can buy five dou star silks?

This startled Lu Dahai, and he hurriedly bowed and bowed: "Yan Gongzi, don't worry, the situation is a bit complicated, let me explain it in detail."

I am not from Hezhou, and I opened a gambling house in Guzhou, northeast of Hezhou. A few days ago, a young man from another place suddenly came, and he made a lot of money, gambling heavily for several days, and losing a lot of money, but he didn't care. Such a wealthy young man is rare, so I sent someone to keep an eye on him, but found that he was temporarily living in a brothel, and had a famous Oiran girl in Guzhou.

This man seemed to me to be a big piece of fat, and it just so happened that he liked to gamble, and he came to me during the day to gamble, and at night he went back to the brothel to be merry. And so it went on for a few days, and one evening he was due, and he was supposed to pay me two thousand taels of silver, but he said that he would pay it the next day. Since he had been paying very happily, I made an exception and asked him to pay on credit. The next day he came, and in the evening he lost another two thousand taels, but he still did not pay, saying that he would pay on the third day. I was afraid that on the third day he had slipped with oil on the soles of his feet, so I sent for someone to follow him secretly, and saw that he had entered the brothel, and there was no sign of escape. On the third day, he really came, and lost another three thousand taels. This time I didn't let him continue on credit, but he told me that his silver ticket had been stolen by the bustard three days ago in collusion with the Oiran lady, and that he had only two thousand taels left on him.

Of course, I would not let him go, and at last he took out a piece of silk cloth and said that he would use it to compensate for the remaining five thousand taels. I asked him why silk cloth was so expensive, and he secretly told me that it was one of the five star silks. Isn't that what I bought for five thousand taels?"

Lu Dahai explained the truth of the matter in one breath. Yan Haolei nodded: "Then have you ever identified the authenticity? Don't be deceived by him." ”

Lu Dahai smiled and said, "Of course."

Of course. After I got the white silk, I slashed it with a dagger, tore it hard, and burned it with fire, and it was really scratched but not broken, torn but not cracked, burned but not burned, it was a real piece of five-star silk!"

With Yan Guangyu's previous experience, Yan Haolei still couldn't believe it: "Let me see!"

Lu Dahai hurriedly opened the box, carefully picked up the boxy white silk, and handed it to Yan Haolei's hand.

Yan Haolei touched it lightly, and his heart suddenly felt cold. He had touched the pieces of fire cloth in Yanwang's Mansion with his own hands, and the white silk in front of him was exactly the same as the touch of those pieces.

"You've been scammed, it's fake. Yan Haolei threw the white silk towards Lu Dahai's chest.

Lu Dahai was taken aback, and asked suspiciously: "Young Master Yan, what do you mean by this? You can test it yourself!"

"Don't try it, it's not a five-star silk, it's just a piece of fire cloth. Fire Raccoon Cloth is just as tough, you've been deceived. Yan Haolei was very disappointed, "Go!"

Che Zhongxing was so anxious that he stomped his feet, looked at Lu Dahai, turned around and chased after him, and said, "...... Gongzi Yan"

"Huo Huan cloth?" Lu Dahai turned over the white silk in his hand and looked at it for a long time, he had never seen Huo Huan cloth, and he couldn't figure out whether it was true or not.

When he was wondering, Yan Haolei suddenly went back and forth, came to the stall and asked him, "Do you know what is the name of the young man who sold your white silk?"

Lu Dahai shook his head: "I haven't asked, I don't know." ”

"Then does he look like a roe deer and is thin?"

"Yes, yes, he's thin and small, and a little bit of a thief. ”

"Where is he now?" Yan Haolei was almost certain that the young man was Luo Huailiang.

"After he sold me white silk, he left Guzhou, and I don't know where he went. Lu Dahai secretly complained in his heart, if the white silk was really the fire cloth that Yan Haolei said, it would be worth more than a thousand taels of silver at best, and he spent five thousand taels, but he lost a lot of money. In fact, people's minds will become very strange in the face of greed, Luo Huailiang used to squander the total amount of money at will in Lu Dahai's gambling house, far more than five thousand taels, in fact, Lu Dahai did not lose, just made less money, but he didn't think so, in his opinion, what he deserved was not obtained, that is, a loss.

"It seems that I have to go to that brothel and ask ......," Yan Haolei thought to himself. Then, he ordered Lu Dahai: "You quickly pack your things and follow me on the road, and we will go to Guzhou immediately!"

"Yes!" Lu Dahai didn't dare to slack off, and followed Yan Haolei and his party to leave Shuntian Mansion.

On the way to Guzhou, Yan Haolei in the carriage asked Lu Dahai: "I still have something to understand. After you got the white silk, why didn't you think about exchanging some elixirs with any immortal cultivation sect?"

Lu Dahai looked very surprised: "What is the use of the elixir for me? I don't fight, I don't cultivate immortals, what kind of rare elixir that saves lives and heals wounds, it is useless for me at all." ”

"Isn't it just a panacea to save lives and heal wounds? Some elixirs can strengthen the body and prolong life for decades, which is a dream for us ordinary people. Yan Haolei estimated that Lu Dahai should not know the preciousness of some pills.

"Ah, can it still prolong life?" Yan Haolei was right, Lu Dahai really didn't know much about the efficacy of the precious pill, "There are no big immortal cultivation sects nearby, and besides, my Five Dou Xing Juan is still an impostor, it seems that I have no hope of getting a life-prolonging pill." He sighed regretfully.

"Help me find that young man, I've got a reward. Yan Hao said.

Guzhou is not far from Hezhou, and around evening, they arrived at their destination. Lu Dahai led the carriage through the city in front, and finally stopped in front of a palatial building.

The plaque on the door clearly reads: "Yanyu Building". In front of the door, a group of girls with different colors of clothes and heavy makeup are welcoming guests. Seeing Yan Haolei walking out of the carriage, he was dressed gorgeously and immediately greeted him. If you want to put it on hold in normal times, Yan Haolei must have hugged a few girls to go in to drink flower wine, but now it is important to track down Luo Huailiang's whereabouts.

After drinking the girls, Yan Haolei told the bustard his identity. The old bustard hurriedly welcomed the distinguished guest into the door, poured wine and served the food, no problem. Then, Yan Haolei asked the Oiran lady to accompany the wine. After a while, a woman with flowers and branches walked down from the upper floor, although her appearance was beautiful, but her acopricot eyes flowed, and between her gestures, the lustful spirit was revealed.

After three glasses of wine, Yan Haolei explained his intention and asked Luo Huailiang's whereabouts, but the Oiran lady and the old bustard were not clear. It is no wonder that they welcome guests from the south to the north every day, and they only have the guests' money in their eyes. The people who come here are also spending money to have fun, buying and selling money, and there is no friendship at all. As the so-called:

Love at night like husband and wife,

Walk with strangers at dawn.

Gold and silver treasures are in the bag,

Hurried friendship leaves no trace.

Fushi smiled at the aroma of wine and meat,

When he was poor, he swept out the door with a cold face.

Fireworks women's scene,

It hurts the mind.

Yan Haolei inquired about Luo Huailiang's whereabouts to no avail, and couldn't help but be a little disappointed. At this time, a small servant in the brothel said an important message: one morning, he saw Luo Huailiang carrying a burden out of the west gate of Guzhou City.

Yan Haolei was happy at first, but after thinking about it carefully, he was worried again. There are countless state cities in the west of Guzhou, how do you know which one Luo Huailiang has gone? Moreover, there is another point that Yan Haolei is puzzled about, because the fire cloth is very rare, so it is very valuable. The Huohuanbu sold by Luo Huailiang plus Lu Dahai's piece is a total of five pieces, and its total value is five thousand taels of silver, and it is still a situation where there is no market. Luo Huailiang, a tomb robber, where did he get so many rare fire cloths?