Hearing this, Xiao Jinyan pretended to be frightened and said loudly, "What? Killing people is not a young man!"

"Shhh ”

Xiao Jinyan was embarrassed to arch his hand at the captain, apologized, and lowered his voice and said to the leader surnamed Zhang, "Killing this thing, if you are caught, but you have to lose your head, it is only forty taels of silver, it will definitely not work!"

The leader surnamed Zhang said, "Add five taels per person." As long as this is done, I recommend you to enter the Red Star Hall to be a wooden card killer, and then you can take over the business by yourself, and there is no middleman to make the difference. ”

Xiao Jinyan nodded, "Okay, who do you say to kill, as long as it is not a person on the second list of heaven and earth, our brother will kill it easily." ”

The leader surnamed Zhang saw that Xiao Jinyan was quite angry, and intended to test the martial arts of the two, but who expected Xiao Jinyan to hesitate and refuse to make a move, and he was worried that he would be forced too quickly, and the two of them retreated in the face of difficulties, so he said, "The ugly words are said in front, in case this business is messed up, don't blame me for not being emotional." ”

So he told the two of them what he had just said to the three killers, but he didn't say who he wanted to kill.

"I've heard of this year's Jinling Li family's ancestor worship, when the time comes, the target will pass through the crowd, and when the time comes, I will show you, you go up, your hands are up and down, I will find someone to take the opportunity to create chaos, cover your escape, forty-two taels of silver, that's it." ”

"Isn't it forty-five taels?"

"Those three taels are the cost of helping you buy your outfits and finding someone to cover your retreat, which is already very cost-effective. ”

Xiao Jinyan and the others agreed, "There is a condition, that is, it is okay to live with you, but we must not restrict our movements, you also know, Jinling City, a man's paradise." ”

"Qin Huai Bayan, I understand, I understand. The leader surnamed Zhang smiled knowingly.

From Chizhou to Jinling, it is only a two-day boat ride along the river, and it will arrive soon.

Jinling City is officially called Ying Tianfu, is the place of Longxing of the Ming Dynasty, after Emperor Chengzu moved north, this place is set as the capital of staying, the terrain is high in the south and low in the north, it is the ancient capital of the six dynasties, the place where the dragon and the tiger are located.

There are more than 100,000 households in the city, with a population of nearly one million, known as the rich in the east and rich in the west, luxurious in the south and simple in the north.

Donggui, originated from the imperial palace and the small six yamen of the capital were built here, and the officials and nobles were in and out. Xifu is close to the Yangtze River wharf and canal, and the materials of Sichuan and Shu and the south are gathered to supply the capital in the north, so the merchants are developed. To the north are military camps and the residences of ordinary people, while to the south are local gentry and Jianghu forces, such as the Li family in Jinling, which is located in Shanhefang in the south of the city.

There is less than a month left, and it is the day of the Li family in Jinling to worship their ancestors. There were many more people coming and going in the city than usual, and the Li family from all over the country came to the city very early and were placed in the Li family's courtyard in Shanhefang. The businesses from all over the Li family and the local forces attached to the Li family have also entered the city one after another, one can take this opportunity to contact feelings, and the other can take the opportunity to negotiate a few deals, which is an excellent time. The major sects on the rivers and lakes also sent elders or disciples with higher seniority in the clan to watch the ceremony.

I heard that Li Xiaohua, the head of the Li family, is very old, and will pass on the position of patriarch to Li Tingcheng in this great ancestor worship, and everyone also wants to take the opportunity to contact him in advance, if there is a chance to leave a good impression in front of him, it will also help them in the future.

Everyone has their own little abacus.

But after I came, I learned that this son of the Li family had not appeared in the rivers and lakes for a long time, and the latest report on Xiaosheng Jianghu only ranked him seventh on the list. Some people said that he was arrogant and obedient, and some people said that he was cruel and murderous, and once brutally killed Sun Qiangu's only son in Yujian Villa, and some people said that he was romantic when he was young, and lingered on the Qinhuai River day and night. Of course, what everyone likes the most is the marriage between Li Chengcheng and Miss Liujia in Hedong. Li Chengcheng disappeared for nearly two years, and it is said that he was also to avoid this marriage. The people don't understand, this Miss Liu family is beautiful and beautiful like a flower, and the Liu family in Hedong is a northern family, and the two of them are right, and they are talented and beautiful, which is a match made in heaven, but why can't they go together? Some people speculate that the son of the Li family does not like women, because he was born more beautiful than women, and rumors are spreading, and the more the people of the Li family refute the rumors, the result is more and more black, and they have everything to say.

Xiao Jinyan and Li Chengcheng entered the city from the west of Dinghuai Gate, and were arranged by the leader surnamed Zhang to live in an ordinary house next to Qingliang Temple, which was a liaison base of Hongxingtang in Suzhou. The news of Li Chengcheng's return to Jinling did not tell anyone in the family, when he was in Yinyang before, he had sent a letter to Li Xiaohua to tell him that he would rush back before worshipping his ancestors, but the scholar Qingcao was watching on the Yangtze River wharf every day, but he did not expect him to get off the boat in advance and enter the city from the west gate.

After dinner, Xiao Jinyan remembered the secret hidden in the palace, and decided to sneak into the palace, stalking, and pulling Li Chengcheng forward, the two changed into night clothes, and were about to go out, when they ran into Zhang Tou'er, "Where are you going to dress like this?"

Xiao Jinyan said, "I just came to Jinling, go and step on the dots everywhere, after all, killing people is not a trivial matter, and it is better to be cautious." ”

Open your head and give a thumbs up, "Professional!"

The two left, taking advantage of the night, through half of Jinling City, to the west wall of the palace. The imperial palace in Jinling City, although it is not as good as the capital, is also guarded by the forbidden army, and it is heavily guarded.

Outside the city, from time to time the patrol team of the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division.

A group of men and horses drove by, and Li Qingcheng was surprised, "Is it him?"

Xiao Jinyan saw the leader of the leader, wearing black armor, thirty years old, purple-faced and golden-chested, hiding from the two of them

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Passing by.

"You know?"

Li Qingcheng nodded, "This person's name is Li Jintang, he is the brother of Li Changsheng in the third room, and he serves as the deputy commander of the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division. He added, "This man is an official fan, and I don't like him." ”

The defense of Jinling City consists of five soldiers and horses in the east, west, south, north and middle, and the commander of the capital is under the command of the envoy, and it stands to reason that there are forbidden guards in the palace, and they are not responsible for patrolling around the palace in peacetime. It can be seen that there should be important people in the palace.

With the two of them now repairing, this three-zhang high city wall is not difficult for them. As soon as the patrol team passed, the two saw the opportunity and climbed over the wall.

The imperial city is divided into two cities, three steps and one post, five steps and one sentry, and the strictness of the security is far beyond the imagination of the two. The two groped for a while, but they couldn't get close to the inner city, and they dodged the guards, and found that they were lost!

Bang Bang!

Above the tower, the drum beats the three watches.

Xiao Jinyan was discouraged and retreated.

"In the Li family's library pavilion, is there a map of the palace?"

Li Tingcheng knew the purpose of his visit, and said, "Do you know that if you secretly hide the palace map, you can conspire against the conviction, and my Li family can't afford this crime." ”

"Is your family doing less of this kind of thing?" Xiao Jinyan said, "Just help me this time." ”

Li Chengcheng thought for a while, "I remember seeing it once in the secret room of the Library Pavilion when I was young, and after a few days, I will go back to the clan and find a way to get it for you." ”

Anyway, when you enter the palace today, you can at least find out the general idea, wait for the map to arrive, follow the map, take advantage of the night, and go down in one fell swoop.

The two of them bypassed the guards and came to the west wall, and were about to climb over the wall, when they suddenly felt a coercion coming from a side hall in the southeast corner.

The two of them were locked by the man's sword aura.

Li Chengcheng is already in the middle realm of the general image, although Xiao Jinyan is in the realm of knowledge, but the combat power is no worse than the realm of the general image, under this coercion, the two of them are sweating.

At least the master of Sun Qiangu Series!

There are many masters in the world, but there are only a handful of people who can make the two of them fearful, Li Chuntie, Sun Qiangu, Wang Banxian, Zhao Lanjiang in Yinyang City, even if you add Jia Fuzi, Zhen Mingshi, Shaolin host, Wudang Zhangjiao, and the heads of the four major families, there are no more than ten people in the Ming Dynasty.

But in this little-known Liudu Palace, there is also a peerless master hidden. I'm afraid that the masters don't want money now, right?

The two stood motionless under the wall.

Since the other party locked the two with sword intent, they already knew their existence, and they knew that if they fled rashly, this strong sword intent would turn into a fierce offensive and attack them. Fortunately, the other party had no intention of making a move, but just locked the two as a warning.

No wonder there are no guards patrolling here!

The side hall door opens.

A Mai sword cultivator walked out of the door and looked at the two of them indifferently.

The two of them had numb scalps, glanced at each other, and were shocked in their hearts, "It's actually a sword cultivator on Shujian Mountain!"

Along the way, the two discussed countless times how to defeat the sword cultivators if they met them again, and came to the conclusion with only one word, "Run!"

This sword cultivator obviously doesn't know the two of them, but fortunately, his killing intent is not heavy, otherwise the two of them would have been splashed with blood on the spot, but if this stalemate continues, it is not a way, if there are patrolling forbidden troops passing by, then the two of them will be unable to fly.

Boom!

The sword is sheathed.

The coercion is gone.

Xiao Jinyan and Li Chengcheng breathed a sigh of relief, even mentioned the internal force, and fled out like crazy, all the way, non-stop, and went straight back to the house.

Li Chengcheng said, "Next time this kind of thing, please don't call me." ”

Xiao Jinyan also said, "I won't go if I am killed." Strange, in the palace, how can there be a sword monk in the Sword Mountain?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know. ”

But in the palace, there are such masters in charge, and the secrets on the Taiji Palace, I am afraid that there is no hope in this life, so I thought about it, "No, have you found it, there is true qi on his long sword!"

"What?"

Xiao Jinyan said, "I heard 1900 say that sword cultivators don't practice true qi. Maybe that person just admired the sword cultivators in the Sword Mountain and deliberately pretended to be dressed like this? It's just that, apart from them, there are people with such cultivation in the world, all of whom are famous masters, and who would bother to imitate the sword cultivators?"

Li Chengcheng said, "The world is big, and there are many masters. The people we heard about were famous, but there were also many hidden masters in the rivers and lakes, especially the emperor's family. ”

"It's okay, he just warned us. If I do, I'm not sure I'll win. ”

Li Qingcheng said proudly, "That's not necessarily. ”

"I found that as soon as you arrived in Jinling, you became crazy. ”

"My territory, my way. ”

Li Chengcheng has always been arrogant and unconvinced, when he was in Yinyang, he may be more restrained, but Jinling is where his Li family is located, even if he can't beat it, with the strength of the Li family, as long as it is not a real sword cultivation, in this Jianghu, he has never been afraid of people.

"That person in the palace, you put it aside for the time being, wait for me to sit on the position of the head of the family, not to mention a package on the Taiji Palace, even if it is the dragon chair in the Taiji Palace, I will grab it for you. ”

Xiao Jinyan said, "Don't be so insensitive. ”

"The key now is that the Li family in Jinling has a total of three branches and sixteen rooms, who hired the Red Star Hall killer to kill me?"

Li Chengcheng did not choose to go home after entering the city, but

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Quietly hiding in the shadows, it is precisely because someone does not want him to go home to inherit the position of head of the family. At that time, Li Jianxin defected and became a monk, and his descendant Li Guangzu designed an ambush on Yinyang Road, for which even Li Changfu, the sword servant of the Li family, also participated, and finally committed suicide in shame. If there was no one in the family who secretly supported him, he would not dare to do so.

Li Chengcheng remembered that before Li Changfu died, he asked him to take care of a family on Yanzi Street, even if he was not his descendant, he had a lot of relationship, maybe he knew a thing or two of the secrets, and made up his mind to go and find out.

Xiao Jinyan said, "If you die, who will succeed you as the next head of the family? ”

Li Chengcheng analyzed, "Of the five brothers in our clan, I am the third. The eldest is Li Shaoqing, the second uncle, who works in the capital, focuses on officialdom, and does not dare to be interested in the family industry. Second Li Jintang, you've seen it tonight. The fourth is Li Changsheng, you have also seen it, and the fifth Li Jinyu, who is only thirteen years old this year. The rest of the children are all from other courtyards, and although they participate in the family business, they are not in the family inheritance system. ”

"That's Li Changsheng or Li Jinyu. ”

"Why?"

"What we can think of, they can also think of, whoever is the most suspicious will be the first to clear the suspicion. Xiao Jinyan said, "I just said casually, the dispute between the head of the family involves many interests, even if it is a small family, the brothers have not divided the family property and fought hard, not to mention the wealth of your Li family? ”

Xiao Jinyan said again, "I suggest, during this time in Jinling, it is better not to show your true face, we can meet the wooden card killer who wants to kill you casually, if the other party really has such a heart, with the wealth of your Li family, how can you spend a hundred taels to hire a killer? I am afraid that there is more than one person who takes your life." ”

......

Shanhefang, Jinling Li family.

Steward Li walked into the study and said to a middle-aged man who was wiping his sword, "Master." ”

The middle-aged man asked, "Li Chengcheng has entered the city?"

According to the eyeliner scattered on the dock, Li Chengcheng entered the city from Dinghuai Gate in the afternoon and now lives in a homestay. ”

"He is also smart, I asked the people of the Lingnan Sword Sect to kill him, but he also escaped, it seems that I underestimated him, and I also sent Li Changfu, who has been arranged by Li Xiaohua's side for more than 20 years. When he came back this time, he showed up without his face, and he must have investigated the matter first. What about the people from the Lingnan Sword Sect, are they here?"

The housekeeper said, "It's already here, and it's settled in the courtyard." ”

"Look at the opportunity, send them to Li Chengcheng, I see if he kills or not. ”

Steward Li should have received the order.

The middle-aged man said again, "When Li Chengcheng enters the city, he will definitely go to Li Changfu's family, you go and arrange it, what to do, you don't need me to teach you." ”

Steward Li said, "The killers of the Red Star Hall have entered the city. Master, my subordinates don't understand, over the years, there have been many masters in the outer village, and they are directly sent to do it, why use outsiders?"

"Waizhuang?" the middle-aged man sneered, "Li Xiaohua is not a fuel-efficient lamp, his eyeliner in Waizhuang is no less than ours in his house, he is a fox in the mountains, everyone knows it." ”

"I'm afraid that the people of the Red Star Hall will mess things up. ”

"Hongxingtang is fighting with people in a bright and bright way, which may not be possible, but in the assassination industry, he is more professional than us, not to mention, Yang Wei was introduced by that person, and with his help in secret, even if he really does it, Li Xiaohua may not be able to do it. The middle-aged man sighed, "It's just that the price is a bit big." ”

The price in his mouth is to let Li Jianxin, who was expelled from the family, return to the family tree. But it's okay, when he becomes the head of the family, the Li family of Jinling, with four rooms and eighteen branches, will regain the glory of the year. As for Li Xiaohua, she has been the head of the family for 20 years, but her means are getting weaker and weaker.

He let out a long breath, "Even if Li Qingcheng doesn't die, he can't be the head of the family, because there is a secret in his hands that has fallen into my hands." As long as that secret is made public, I'm afraid that Li Xiaohua won't be able to tolerate him, haha!"

Steward Li sent a sycophant, "Li Xiaohua is immoral and incompetent, but when the blind cat met a dead mouse, he followed the right master, so that the old man's layout back then was put into flow, if you talk about the way of management, in the whole rivers and lakes, who doesn't know that our house is the mainstay of the Li family in Jinling?"

The middle-aged man listened very helpfully, and nodded, "You have been a housekeeper in our room for more than 20 years, and in the future, I will be the head of the house, and the internal affairs of the sixteen branches of the Li family in Jinling will be handed over to you." ”

Li Guan's parents couldn't kneel, "Thank you, Master for knowing the grace of the encounter." ”

The middle-aged man waved his hand, "You go and arrange it first." ”

Steward Li said goodbye and left, and as soon as he arrived at the door, the middle-aged man suddenly said, "Li Changshun, you must be content, and you must know the length of your hands. ”

When Steward Li heard this, he trembled and fell to his knees, "Master, I know that I am wrong." ”

"Why are you wrong?" said the middle-aged man, "It's only tens of thousands of taels of silver, and the master still has this measure." Compared to the word loyalty, what is silver? Get out!"

Steward Li walked out with his hands down, closed the door, and after leaving the door, his entire back was soaked. He took a deep breath and walked out with a calm face, and along the way, the domestic servants and slaves he met saw him with anger on his face, and they were frightened and avoided him.

Inside the study.

The middle-aged man slowly inserted the long sword into the scabbard and said, "Li Xiaohua, I have been obedient to you for more than 20 years, and I have been waiting for today, this battle, I will let you lose everything!"

(End of chapter)