On the seventh day of the seventh month, Jinling City is very lively.

On this day, almost half of the people in Jinling City came to Shanhefang in the south of the city, and the surrounding area was flooded, just to witness the grand ceremony of the Li family in Jinling once in ten years. The Li family in Jinling is the head of the four major families, the first martial arts family, and a big family that has stood for hundreds of years. For the people, the rivers and lakes are too far away, and the Li family has built bridges and paved roads over the years, and their business has spread all over the world, making the people's lives more convenient, which is what they are concerned about.

In order to celebrate this ancestor worship, dozens of shops of the Li family in the city have launched promotional activities, sending eggs, firewood, rice, oil and salt, and some commodities that were originally used by the rich in the city have also launched civilian prices, so those uncles and aunts came to the shop early in the morning and lined up in a long line.

Qingliang Temple, Drum Tower, Qinhuai River, Confucius Temple, etc., set up a porridge field, for ten days, to the homeless, beggars and other people in the city to give food, so even some beggars in the neighboring counties have poured into the city, and finally under the intervention of the government, directly outside the city to open a porridge field.

The people who come to watch the ceremony can be described as diverse.

There are people in the rivers and lakes. After all, this is a big clan with the same name as Shaolin Wudang, and it is known as the world's sword collection, this time to worship the ancestors, the head of the family Li Xiaohua retreated bravely, and it was located in Li Chengcheng, it can be said that this move will determine the fate of Jiangnan martial arts and even the entire Central Plains martial arts in the next 30 years.

There are people in the government. The Li family has a deep foundation in the court, and there have been many elders in the ancestors, and seventy percent of the Jinshi who have entered the imperial examination in Jiangnan Province over the years are members of the Li family or Li clan, and the relationship with the Li family is intertwined, so this kind of scene will also give them face.

There are people in the palace. Li Xiaohua had the merit of appeasement back then, and had an old relationship with the emperor, and the master of ceremonies, Gao Yuan, and his father-in-law had already been ordered to come to Jinling, just waiting for the day of the ancestor worship ceremony to show his favor to the Li family.

In addition, the collection of Xiaosheng Jianghu and Gossip Weekly is also interspersed, and this prosperous era will be tracked and reported. It's just that Xiaosheng Jianghu and Gossip Weekly have different directions. The former is the mouthpiece of martial arts, focusing on announcing some official news, while the gossip weekly is more of a lace insider, the former focuses on authority, and the latter focuses on entertainment.

Of course, there are also some vendors who pick up the goods, interspersed in the crowd, and take the opportunity to do some business, for this matter, the Li family did not stop it, but also specially demarcated a designated area for them, so as not to make the scene chaotic.

The people who watched the ceremony, according to their different identities, arranged different viewing areas, and different people in different areas were responsible for on-site scheduling, everything was orderly, lively and not chaotic.

The marble slabs on the long street of Shanhefang have long been spotlessly cleaned by the servants of the house, and in the early morning, they were washed again with water splashed on the street.

Early in the morning, the clansmen from the thirteen Li clans across the country were already waiting outside the gate of Shanhefang, waiting for the start of the ancestor worship ceremony.

Xiao Jinyan, as a friend of Li Chengcheng, did not go to the Jianghu District, firstly, because the current martial arts alliance leader Zuo Tan had a bad relationship with him, and also because in Yinyang City, because of the matter of Yuwenshuang, Xiao Jinyan opened a killing ring, which provoked the anger of the public, he didn't want to provoke right and wrong today, once the ancestor worship began, it was determined that the high prince and the eunuch in the capital left the palace, and he mixed into the palace to find out.

At this moment, he and Li Chengcheng are in the courtyard.

Because it is a ceremony to worship ancestors, Li Chengcheng, like other clansmen, wore a black, the clothes are inlaid with crimson edges, and the waist is covered with yellow ancient jade, according to the etiquette system, only officials above the third grade can use crimson, and wearing this dress today also symbolizes the status of the Li family in the court.

Xiao Jinyan joked with Li Jinping, "From today on, you can't call him Li Shaoxia in the future, but the head of the Li family." Little Master will need to take care of it more in the future. ”

Li Jinhua helped Li Qingcheng tidy up his clothes, and looked at him dressed up, his eyes were full of tenderness. Li Chengcheng said, "I always feel that things will not go so smoothly." ”

Xiao Jinyan laughed, "It's unfounded." Today, the masters of the Li family are all here, even if the Western Chu army attacks, they may not be able to go back alive. ”

There was a roar outside, followed by the sound of gongs and drums, and it turned out to be a team of lanterns and colorful dragon boats invited by the Li family to pass by on the long street.

After passing, Li Chengcheng asked, "Are you ready?"

Xiao Jinyan nodded, "Once it is confirmed that the master is coming, I will leave, and if it goes well, I can catch up with your succession ceremony." ”

"Be careful on the road and wait for you to come back for a drink. ”

Li Jinhua has no name now, and women can't attend the ancestor worship ceremony, so Li Chengcheng ordered Qingcao and a few other sword servants to guard her in the other courtyard.

By the time the explanation was finished, it was almost the same.

Three cannons rang out, and Li Chengcheng walked out of the courtyard and came to the Li family ancestral hall to wait.

The elders of the Li family's three rooms and sixteen branches gradually arrived, and according to the ceremony, when the auspicious time arrived, Li Xiaohua would lead the Li family to pass through the long street and arrive at the ancestral hall.

Xiao Jinyan also came to the crowd and blended into the area of the people watching the ceremony. The people in the city were talking, discussing the Li family swordsman who was about to appear.

An old man said, "The number of people and the scale of this ancestor worship are comparable to that one thirty years ago, when the old lady was still alive." ”

One young man asked, "What's the difference?"

"That time to worship the ancestors, Mrs. Li relied on a golden light sword to defeat the top ten masters of the rivers and lakes in Xuanwu Lake, and the Li family swordsman also made great achievements in the rebellion of King Ning, and became famous in the rivers and lakes. ”

For these old things, the old man said that he was the first to say, but it was a long time, but it could not arouse the interest of the young man, and the young man looked at the end of the long street, "It is said that the Li family swordsman is famous all over the world, and he can finally see it today." ”

Another drum sounded.

There is a master of ceremonies and said, "The ancestor worship ceremony begins!"

Nineteen cannons rang out, deafening, symbolizing the prosperity of the Li clan of the three rooms and sixteen branches. After the cannon fire, there was a whistling sound in the crowd.

The young man suddenly said, "Here we are!"

A team of white-clothed swordsmen, lined up in eight rows and eight columns, holding long swords at their waists, walked slowly across the long street to the sound of drums.

I heard a Xiaosheng Jianghu Cai Feng introduced, "Coming towards us is the white-clothed Jianqing team, which is composed of sixty-four swordsmen from the Xuanzhong Realm, and the leader is Li Changsheng from the third room. These white-clothed Jianqing, before joining, were mostly famous in the rivers and lakes, and the Li family in Jinling was known as the first family, and they were unique in the reserve of masters in the rivers and lakes, among which there were nearly 100 masters of Zhixuan, and the entire rivers and lakes were only 2,000 people, and in terms of numbers, only the Shaolin faction could compare with them. The white-clothed Jianqing is the main team of the Li family to carry out the tasks of the rivers and lakes and maintain peace in the rivers and lakes, and it is also the standing swordsman team of the Li family. ”

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but sigh with emotion, and they were impressed by the absolute strength and huge influence of the Jinling Li family in the rivers and lakes.

The white-clothed Jianqing passed by the ancestral hall, raised his sword one after another, and said in unison: "Strong style, can win battles, maintain peace, and defend the family!"

The sound is uniform, wafting above the long street.

The heroes of the various sects in the rivers and lakes who came to watch the ceremony couldn't help but be impressed. In the middle realm of Zhixuan, as long as there are more than two, you can dominate one side, and if there are more than ten, it can be regarded as a major sect, and the Li family has a hundred people!

Another exclamation.

Thirty-six black-clothed sword faces looked awe-inspiring and stepped forward.

Na Caifeng shouted, "The black-clothed sword ministers have come over! Thirty-six black-clothed sword ministers, all of them are in the upper realm of Zhixuan, half-step through the image realm, the black-clothed sword phase has a long history, and has made great achievements in the battle of Jingjing, the siege of Quzhou and the battle of Chuzhou, have experienced the test of blood and fire again and again, and have become a strong backing within the Li family!"

The young man asked, "Is the black-clothed sword very powerful?"

The old man said, "They are swordsmen trained by the Li family since childhood, and very few people walk around the rivers and lakes. Therefore, those lists of Xiaosheng Jianghu can be made by looking at them!"

When Xiaosheng heard this, he said, "Uncle, it's not right to say that. Our major lists, which are arranged by a comprehensive combination of various strengths, do not have any moisture. The Li family in Jinling doesn't participate in the ranking, so it's no wonder that we're not going to do it, right?"

The young man said, "But I heard that for only one thousand taels of silver, you can enter the top 100 of the three lists of heaven, earth and people!"

"It's all hearsay." If you want to enter the three lists, how easy is it, there is no record of fame, where can you enter the list of 100 people, a radish and a pit, a row for three years, unless you win the people in the list of 100 people, you will have a chance to enter the list. ”

The young man sighed, "Originally, I wanted to spend a thousand taels to buy a personal list to play with." ”

Hearing the news, business came, and said, "If the little brother is really interested, I can also help." ”

"Didn't you say a turnip and a pit?"

Cai Feng smiled, "Having said that, it's not that there is no room for operation, after all, some radishes are grown by ourselves, as long as you pay the money, we can arrange a competition, pull out a radish and fill you in." ”

"Isn't this a match-fixing?"

Cai Feng said, "Everyone is on the list by strength, and being rich is also a kind of strength." Little brother, it's the end of the month soon, and I still have to rush the task, or I'll apply for a discount for you, and you can help out!"

"There are so many rich people in the world, why are you looking for a three-legged cat like me?"

Cai Feng sighed, "These people in the rivers and lakes are strong in martial arts, love face, refuse to kill people and sell goods, and refuse to make a cheap living, so most of them are poor." ”

When Xiao Jinyan heard this, his brows furrowed, "Isn't this scolding?" After thinking about it, he said, "It makes sense!"

The young man shouted, "What kind of miscellaneous swordsmen are these people, they don't walk neatly, they are much worse than the white-clothed Jianqing!"

Xiao Jinyan looked up and saw more than ten swordsmen in different clothes walking in front of him, and their martial arts had entered the initial realm of the Enlightenment, and several of them were unstable, presumably because of the creation of the sword keeper.

One of them heard the young man's ridicule, his fingers moved slightly, and a sword qi shot towards the young man, but the young man still didn't know that if he really hit him, he was afraid that he would be killed on the spot.

Seeing this, Xiao Jinyan turned to one side, and inadvertently waved his long sleeves to take the sword qi down, and couldn't help but be secretly angry, you are a dignified and well-known realm, and you actually shot at ordinary people, it is too shameless.

Seeing Xiao Jinyan catch the sword qi, the swordsman was slightly stunned, glared at him, and walked forward with the others.

Cai Feng said, "Don't underestimate them, these people are the sword marquis and Keqing of the Li family, they are all in the Tongxiang realm, and they are usually taken out by one person, and they are the heads of the gate sect on the rivers and lakes, and they are specially designed to deal with the people who come to ask the sword, if it is not for today's ancestors, you want to see it, and you can't see it!"

The Li family in Jinling is famous all over the world, and the people who want to become famous in the rivers and lakes are also proud of fighting with the Li family swordsmen.

"Is the Elephant Realm very powerful?"

"These ten people, even if they are white-clothed Jianqing together, they may not be their opponents. If it were you, one look at you, and you'd be dead. ”

The young man opened his mouth wide, "It's too exaggerated, isn't it?"

"Maybe it's an exaggeration, but if I point it at you, you'll definitely die." ”

This is true, if it weren't for Xiao Jinyan to help him block that finger, I'm afraid this young man would have been dead on the street.

In the crowd, there was a burst of laughter.

Everyone looked at it, two plainly dressed old men, with swords hanging at their waists and crutches in their hands, supported by two people, trembling and majestic, walked over to this side.

"This is also the master of the Li family?"

"I guess the teeth are gone, and I can still hold the sword?"

Cai Feng also wondered, "I don't know them." ”

Xiao Jinyan was shocked in his heart, not to mention that these two old men were the people who were supported next to him, and his martial arts were already in the middle realm, if he guessed correctly, it should be Li Changlu and Li Changshou among the three major sword servants of Fu Lushou, as for the old man who was supported, Shenhua was introverted and had no internal force fluctuations, but Xiao Jinyan felt extremely dangerous, the sword was in essence, invisible and shadowless, at least he was also a master of Li Chuntie and Yuwen Tianlu series.

When Xiao Jinyan looked at the two of them, the old man also sensed him and glanced at him, Xiao Jinyan only felt dizzy in the sea, and even retracted his mind and resisted with all his strength. The old man sighed, ignored him, and walked in the direction of the ancestral hall.

The old man seemed to be a little excited, and said, "It turns out that they are not dead yet!"

Caifeng got the news before, and there was no introduction from the two of them, but they were also interested at the moment, and asked repeatedly, "Old man, who are these two?"

The old man said: "They are the two worshippers of the Li family, have you heard of the rebellion of the Li family a hundred years ago?"

"I've heard a little. ”

"The two of the top ten swordsmen of the Li family back then, if it weren't for them, I'm afraid that they would be the head of the family now, and they wouldn't be in this vein. Thirty years ago, when they worshiped their ancestors, they showed their faces, but they didn't expect to be alive now. ”

When the two arrived in front of the ancestral hall, Li Xiaohua took the second and third rooms out of the line, personally supported the two of them, and stood in the first row, which shows the high status of these two people in the Li family.

The second-generation disciples led by Li Tingcheng followed their fathers and stood in the second row. The rest of the clansmen stood behind, and as for the Li Jian swordsmen who appeared earlier, they were distributed throughout the Li Family Ancestral Hall and Shanhefang.

All the clans returned to their positions and stood on the square in front of the ancestral hall, with great momentum.

The sound of drums sounded, and everyone under the leadership of Li Xiaohua performed worship one after another. The big family worships ancestors, there are many rituals, and it is very cumbersome, but fortunately, the old master Li Dongyang once served in the Ministry of Rites and presided over the royal ceremony, so it was not chaotic.

Slaughtering cattle, sheep, dolphins, dogs, chickens, killing fish, shrimp, ginseng, mussels, crabs and five fresh foods, preparing rice, millet, millet, wheat, and grains, and then incense to worship ancestors, sprinkling wine to offer the lord, and finally, Li Xiaohua on behalf of the clansmen, to the ancestors, saying that it is to worship the ancestors, in fact, it is also for the living, the purpose is nothing more than to highlight the power of the Li family.

A set of processes came down, nearly half an hour.

After the ancestor worship is completed, the onlookers retreat one after another, and when they leave, they do not forget to go to the gate of Shanhe Fang to receive a souvenir.

All the guests stepped forward to say goodbye, and the people from all the major sects also came forward to congratulate and say some painless words, and Li Xiaohua took Li Tingcheng to introduce it to everyone, which can be regarded as officially pushing Li Tingcheng to the various major sects.

At this moment, someone suddenly shouted, "Gao Yuan, the master of ceremonies in the capital, has arrived!"

A carriage, escorted by more than ten red-clothed forbidden soldiers, slowly drove towards this side, Xiao Jinyan sensed that there were two people in the carriage, in addition to Grandpa Gao, there was also a master hiding in the car, presumably it was the master in the palace.

Xiao Jinyan knew it was time for him to leave.

He took advantage of the fact that everyone was not looking, followed the crowd, and slowly walked out of Shanhefang, at this time, someone said from behind, "Tang Dabao!"

Xiao Jinyan looked back and saw that it was the Master of Compassion. At this moment, he was tanned and blackened, described as haggard, pale, and lost more than 20 pounds.

"How did you get here?"

The Master of Mercy scolded, "Lao Tzu has been trapped on the roof for ten days, and it is only today that those swordsmen have been withdrawn. ”

Xiao Jinyan's face was full of sympathy, "How did you survive these days, what should you do if you eat, drink, and Lazar?"

The Master of Compassion said, "The sparrows, rats, centipedes, and scorpions on the roof did not starve to death. What about you, did you succeed?"

Xiao Jinyan sighed, "Don't mention it, Zhang Tou'er ran away." Even if you complete the mission, you won't have a place to ask for money. ”

He didn't plan to tell about Zhang Tou being killed by the Li family.

The Master of Mercy scolded, "Well dead. ”

Xiao Jinyan still wanted to go to the palace, and he didn't want to entangle with him, so he said, "I still have something to do, so I'll leave first." ”

The Master of Compassion said, "Anyway, we can be considered a tribulation, what do you do, I am familiar with Jinling, I can take you there." ”

Xiao Jinyan thought that if you are not afraid of death, it will not hurt to take you with you, so he said, "It's not far from the east of the city." ”

The two chatted and walked at the same time, Shanhe Fang was less than three miles away from the palace, and after a while, they arrived outside the palace wall, and the master of mercy asked, "Why don't you leave?"

Xiao Jinyan said, "I want to go in." ”

"Why?"

"Stealing, are you going or not?"

The Master of Compassion was stunned when he saw it, and waved his hand again and again, "Are you crazy? This is heavily guarded, even if you are a master of the rivers and lakes, you will never go back if you get in." How do you get in?"

Xiao Jinyan said, "Break hard!"

While the two were talking, a team of patrol officers and soldiers came over, "The forbidden place of the palace, idle people, etc., are not allowed to approach!"

The Master of Mercy pointed at Xiao Jinyan and said loudly, "Official, I want to report him, he wants to break into the palace!"