In early spring, the grass grows and the warbler flies, which is the best time of the year. From a distance, on the road leading to the mountain city, a horse-drawn carriage drove leisurely, and it could be seen that the driver was very experienced, and the speed was not fast, but it was very stable.

Lifting the curtain on the side of the carriage, a fresh breeze blew in, but with a burst of fresh air of grass and trees.

"The sun is shining, the water is green and the mountains are green, but the hazy sky at home can't be compared!"

"Yes, young master, the popularity in the county is turbid, and it is indeed not so beautiful, but when has there been a haze in the county?" A female voice came out, and it turned out that there was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old rich boy and a maid of the same age sitting in the carriage. The son is dressed in green clothes, although his appearance is delicate, he is not handsome, his body is fat, and he has a yellowed book in his hand, and he is a person who reads at a glance.

The girl is dressed as a maid, but she is neatly dressed, and there is a expensive hairpin on her head, which can be seen that the master is very good to it, and it is worth noting that a sheathed short sword next to the maid is placed next to the saddle, and I don't know whether it is used for decoration or self-defense.

The young master in Tsing Yi ignored the little maid in front of him, and looked at the scenery outside the car again. The young master knows his feelings, but no one can understand them, even the closest people.

Qin'er saw that the young master ignored herself, and it was very boring, so she also took out a guqin from behind her, and plucked it at will, and the elegant voice came out of the carriage, and the little maid was quite talented.

The wheels ran over the land, leaving an indistinct rut mark, and soon it was covered by the dust blown by the breeze, but it was not known what the story of the young master and servant would belong.

The Xiao family is one of the three major families in Shancheng, alongside the Qi family and the Tang family. The Xiao family compound is in the southwest of the mountain city, it is the largest house in the mountain city, there are dozens of houses in the courtyard alone, there are more than a dozen maids and old mothers, and there are nearly thirty or forty people in the nursing home.

In a courtyard in the inner courtyard of the Xiao Mansion, two maids were whispering, their voices were very low, and no one else paid attention

"I heard that the eldest son of the second master's family can return today, it's been ten years, and it seems that it's going to be lively again, but let's not follow the disaster early!" said the older maid

"What my sister is worried about is that since ten years ago, the second lady was pregnant with the second master's flesh and blood and lived in the Xiao family, and the second master's original eldest lady and the second master left angrily after the second master's fight, and it has been ten years in a flash, and I heard that the eldest lady died of illness in her hometown eight years ago. Speaking of which, the eldest young master and the second lady can be regarded as enemies, but I don't know what will happen in the future!" the young maid responded

"If you want me to say, you have been careful recently, who knows when the eldest prince will come to avenge his mother, and the Xiao family is from a martial arts background, and it is common for one to accidentally pull you out with me and kill with a cane. ”

The two stumbled and talked for a long time, and then left together until the work in hand was done.

At noon, Xiao Yi and the maid Qin'er finally entered the mountain city, looking at the people coming and going on the street, I don't know how many times more prosperous than the county town in the countryside, after all, the mountain city is a big city with a population of hundreds of thousands, and it is the largest city in Qingzhou.

"Old man, bring me two strings of rock sugar gourds!" Xiao Yi knew that Qin'er, this girl, was becoming more and more greedy like herself, and when she saw that there were rock sugar gourds, she bought two strings casually

"Thank you, young master, there are clothes made there in the young master, we didn't bring a few clothes this time to the mountain city, why don't you make two for the young master?"

"Let's go back to the clothes and talk about it, let's go to the guest house for dinner first, I don't know how the food in this mountain city compares to home!"

"Okay, good, but if you want me to say that although the welcome house in the mountain city has a good reputation, but that's what it is, I can't think of it as delicious as the one made by the younger sister at home!"

Xiao Quan, the guard of the Xiao Mansion who was leading the carriage behind him, looked at Qin'er unexpectedly, and he didn't know where this girl's confidence came from, so she didn't put the Qi family's century-old store in her eyes, but the young master in Tsing Yi just nodded and smiled, and didn't seem to think that the little girl was talking big. Xiao Quan, the first-class guard of the Xiao family, shook his head and followed the two quietly.

At a table near the window on the second floor of the welcome house, Xiao Yi and Qin'er sat together, looking at the menu that Xiao Er took out, while listening to Xiao Er's introduction:

"Just sweet and sour fish, spicy chicken, assorted tofu, soft-fried tenderloin, and seasonal fresh vegetables?"

"Forgive me, it's early spring at this time, and there are no fresh vegetables, but there are a lot of vegetables last year!" Xiao Er nodded apologetically

"Well, forget it, two more bowls of wild chrysanthemum chicken soup, and the soup dishes should be put with oil and salt."

"Yes, yes, the villain can save it," Xiao Er said respectfully

"The little girl is also very tricky!" Xiao Yi said

"Childe, you said that we should transport the fresh vegetables from the countryside that will be taken off the shelves immediately, but you have worked so hard to grow them, and you haven't eaten them yet."

"Forget it, it's too troublesome, it's all left to Uncle Wang's family and the master's family."

"Oh, fortunately, the young master's high-grade refined salt is easy to carry, I brought a lot of it this time, I think it is enough for us to use it for a few months, and I want to know that the high-grade refined salt is also yellowed here, Xiao Mansion, and good," the girl babbled.

Xiao Yi nodded, but agreed with the girl's approach, the general household salt in the Xia country where Qingzhou is located is not bitter and unpalatable, but there are still many impurities, even the high-grade salt ordered by the girl in the inn is only barely passable in Xiao Yi and the girl's opinion.

"Girl, what do you think of Xiao Quan's skills?"

"Young Master, didn't Xiao Quan say that he was just an ordinary guard of the Xiao family, just a rough fist and kick, and he could also attract the attention of the young master?"

"Well, don't underestimate him!" Xiao Yi smiled

"Oh!" Qin'er agreed in a low voice, the little girl knew that the young master must have seen the truth of the family when he said this. The Xiao family is a martial arts heirloom, and their status in the rivers and lakes is not low, and it is naturally not uncommon for the family to guard the martial arts. It's just that it's not easy to be appreciated by the young master, you must know that in private, you and Sister Hua'er have rarely been praised by the young master in this regard, but Sister Shijian, who came first, is often praised by the young master, and Sister Hua'er is still doing things in her hometown, I'm afraid it will take a few more days to come over.

"Young master, how many people do you say can win Qin'er here, and Qin'er's martial arts have improved again!"

"The mountain city is not as good as the countryside county, let alone you, even the Liuyun swordsmanship that is almost complete in the sword is nothing, the rivers and lakes are sinister, you and I are new to the city, and you should be careful. ”

"Got it, young master" Qin'er agreed and began to pour tea and vegetables for the young master

"Girl, you see, it is worthy of being the first restaurant in the mountain city, the tofu in this assorted tofu is like the mountain spring water used, and the ginseng whiskers that have been added to the chicken soup for decades. Xiao Yi said rather outwardly

"Yes, although it costs dozens of silver, all the restaurants and inns in the county can't be compared in any way" Obviously, after a meal, the food in the restaurant made the maid look better.

Just when the two of them were eating lively, the shopkeeper called a guy to whisper a few words, the guy bowed his head and quickly returned to the back room to change his clothes, walked quickly through the back door, and walked away quickly, about a quarter of an hour, the man came to the backyard of a house, and saw that the size of the house was not much smaller than the Xiao family, but there was no plaque hanging on the back door. The man knocked on the door a few times, and an old man dressed as a housekeeper in his forties and fifties came out, and after the two whispered a few words, the man returned, and the old man hurried towards the study in the front yard.

Although Xiao Yi guessed that his arrival would affect the hearts of many people in the mountain city, he did not expect that his whereabouts would be known by people with a heart only half an hour after entering the city.

After they were full of wine and food, seeing that the hour was already early, the two met Xiao Quancai and walked to Xiao's house again.

The door of Xiao Mansion is very large, and the two big characters of Xiao Mansion on the plaque are vigorous and powerful, as if they have practiced calligraphy for decades, Xiao Yi squinted his eyes, and his divine sense naturally swept over, and he felt a trace of sword intent, thinking that it was written by a master.

"Young master, this is the old lady's question before his death," Xiao Quan introduced when he saw Xiao Yi paying attention to the plaque.

"Grandpa, uncle and aunt were seriously injured and died, can the murderer be investigated clearly?"

"There are still some suspicions, the old lady and the eldest master were seriously injured and died by the master when they went out, although some eyebrows were found, it may be related to the Tang family, but the old lady and the eldest master are both first-class masters in the mountain city, even if the Tang family is afraid that they will return with a feather, so there are still many strange things, at least only the Tang family can never do it. ”

"Well, if you think your father is worried, it will soon come to light, and your father is now in the house?"

"No, this is the time of the spring famine, last year the river flooded, flooded several provinces, the southern part of Qingzhou was affected, the imperial court bought a large amount of grain in the nearby provinces, several famous lords and more than a dozen grain shopkeepers in the mountain city were invited by the county lord Huangfu to discuss the disaster relief. ”

"It's been an eventful season, in recent years, the Demon Sect in the south has become more and more rampant, there are Turks in the northwest to become bigger, and last year there were many natural disasters. Xiao Yi muttered.

Without waiting for Xiao Quan to speak, the gate of Xiao Mansion opened, and an old man in his sixties and seventies came out, the old man was dressed in a subordinate costume, with gray hair, and a broom in his hand, thinking about what he wanted to clean.

"But Young Master Yi is back? The old man asked Young Master Yi to say goodbye. ”

"Is it Grandpa Hong, it's me, it's me Xiaoyi who is back. Xiao Yi hurriedly went to help him up. Mr. Xiao Hong, whose original surname is Hong, later changed his surname to Xiao after following the old lady, for decades, Mr. Hong has been loyal, and Xiao Quan is the son of Mr. Hong. Ten years ago, when Xiao Yi's mother and son left, it was Old Man Hong who escorted them back to the county. Now that Old Man Hong is old, he is taking care of his life in the mansion, and he doesn't care about anything.

"It's good to come back, it's good to come back!"

"Is Grandpa Hong okay?"

"Old man, I have three bowls of rice every time, I'm afraid I won't be able to die for a while, and how can the old man wait until Young Master Yi gets married before dying!"

"Grandpa Hong said that he laughed, and his health is good"

"Young Master Yi, please come with me, the second lady is waiting for the young master in the main hall. "After that, Old Man Hong should lead the way in front first.

Going around and around, Xiao Yat and Qin'er walked into the main hall under the leadership of Old Man Hong, the old man stopped outside the door, and Xiao Yat and Qin'er entered the room.

I saw two women sitting in the center, and on the chair on the left was a young woman in her thirties, with a beautiful face, a plump body, and a bun in her hair. I think it is the second wife of the legendary father, Liu.

There is also a woman sitting on the right hand side in the middle, a little older, nearly forty in appearance, with a sad face, holding a handkerchief in her hand, although Xiao Yi was only six years old when he left the Xiao family, but he remembered that his wife was the wife of the uncle, that is, the eldest aunt Wang.

On the chair on the left side of the second lady Liu sat a teenage boy, the boy was quite naughty, his hands and feet were moving, and the maid behind him was coaxing. The boy seemed to be angry with the maid. The mouth is bulging, and it is estimated that it is his half-brother.

In the first place of the eldest aunt's hand sat a young man about her own age, with a face like a crown of jade, high buns, and a straight back, like a sword out of the sheath. Xiao Yi remained silent, knowing that it should be the younger brother of his uncle's family, the legendary genius, the same age as himself, it is said that after the death of the uncle, this younger brother practiced martial arts hard, and cultivated to a great advance in just two years, I am afraid that it is not far from the uncle's back then.

"Xiaoyi visited her aunt and aunt. Xiao Yat stepped forward and saluted.

"Xiao Yi doesn't have to be polite, this is the younger brother of your uncle's family, and he is also the genius Xiao Jian of our mountain city, Xiao Jian has been good at martial arts since he was a child, and you will have more contact in the future. Liu introduced.

"I've seen my brother!" Xiao Jian got up and saluted Xiao Yi, but Xiao Jian was half a head taller than Xiao Yi, spoke loudly, and his saluting movements were extremely standard, even the most picky old pedant could hardly find a trace of fault. However, Xiao Yi's senses were extremely sensitive for special reasons, and he still faintly sensed a trace of uneasiness, and Xiao Yi's heart moved, suppressing his uneasy feelings.

"Second brother is polite!" Xiao Yi returned the salute

"This is your third brother Xiao Zhan, your third brother is nine years old, Zhan Zhan, hurry up and salute your brother!" The latter sentence was said to Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Zhan did not come over obediently to salute, but tilted his head to look at Xiao Yi, said "soil buns" and competed with the maids beside him. The bear child really doesn't play according to the routine, obviously he is spoiled.

As soon as the smile on Liu's face was closed, he was about to have a seizure, and the eldest aunt on the side comforted him twice

Seeing this, the bear child turned around and went back to sit down again.

After Xiao Yi sat down, everyone chatted a few more words, most of them were aunts and aunts asking Xiao Yi about the details of his previous life, and Xiao Yi answered them one by one.

"Your father is estimated to come back at night, I asked Xiaolian to clean up two wings for you, and then let Xiaolian arrange an obedient maid when I go back, so let her take you to have a look!"

After the aunt finished speaking, the maid behind the bear child Xiao Zhan walked out and walked out slowly.

Xiao Yat and Qin'er got up to follow.

After the two left, Xiao Jian also got up and said goodbye to the two, leaving only two young women and a bear child in the room to talk.

Follow the maid Xiaolian through the corridor, pass by the rockery, and walk to the backyard. Xiaolian took the two of them to an independent courtyard, the yard is not small, there is a main room, sitting north and facing south, it is two upper rooms, there is a wing room on the left and right, the middle of the courtyard is not small, there is a well in the middle, a jujube tree, a pavilion, a stone table and four stone benches,

Qin'er and Xiaolian went to the house to put things in the house, Xiao Yi went to the stone table alone, muttered for a while, then closed his eyes slightly, let go of his heart, and his thoughts were gone in an instant, a few maids in the nearby yard were whispering something, and occasionally heard words like "big young master" and "little young master", Xiao Yi didn't pay attention to it, and his mind went again, and skipped the young woman talking in the main hall and the nonsensical bear child, and his mind was put farthest, and the old man Hong in the front yard was explaining something to Xiao Quan. For a while, all the people and things in the area within a radius of kilometers came to mind, and most of the Xiao Mansion was instantly in its own perception, carefully searching for useful information.

If there is a first-class master of the inner family present, he can recognize that it is actually a perceptual power that only a first-class master of the ninth layer can master, but at this time, the Xiao family naturally does not have a master above the ninth layer. When I was a child, I heard my mother say that sweeping the martial arts master with a divine thought can be regarded as a provocation, and it is easy to cause misunderstanding, so Xiao Yi quickly accepted his thoughts.

Judging by the information gathered, there are two places that have caught their own attention. The first is in Xiao Jian's courtyard in the distance, Xiao Jian is practicing swords, his internal strength is drumming, his clothes are supported by internal strength, and his internal strength is obviously quite good. Even the painting that was washed by himself and the piano is also a little different, which is worthy of the first day of the mountain city. It is especially rare that in addition to the strong internal strength, the mystery of swordsmanship does not seem to be under the sword.

In addition, I also perceived a picture just now, in the corner of Xiao Mansion, it was clear that a family Ding whispered to another person, "Three days later, Xishan at noon." Xiao Yi silently wrote down that since he returned to the Xiao family, he was a member of the Xiao family, and he shared the glory and disgrace with the Xiao family from the moment he entered the Xiao family today, which is beyond doubt.

Since this news came from the Xiao family, there is no doubt that this matter has a great relationship with the Xiao family.

He also recalled the general strength of Xiao Mansion, when he reached the ninth-level realm like Xiao Yi, even if a martial artist whose cultivation was much lower than himself had the intention to hide, he could also perceive his martial arts cultivation, unless it was similar to himself.

From the perception just now, the masters above the seventh layer of the Xiao Mansion currently only know Xiao Jian alone, there are more than a dozen on the sixth layer, more than a dozen on the fourth and fifth floors, and there are more at the lower level. However, the level of internal strength is only one aspect, and it is impossible to specifically judge the combat effectiveness of everyone.

"Young master, the room here is bigger than the country room, and the furniture is better!" After Xiaolian left, Qin'er came behind Xiao Yi, put her little hand on her son's shoulder, and rubbed it gently.

"After all, it is a prefecture, and it is the No. 1 Shangfu in Qingzhou, so it is naturally not comparable to the counties!"

"Well, it would be nice if Sister Hua'er could come with her, Qin'er doesn't even have anyone to talk to here."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to get out of Qingxian for a while. ”

"I know, young master, it's just that my sister can't come for a while, and I'm alone with the young master! ”

"It's okay, the sword has already arrived one step earlier, how did the background of the person who came to assassinate me last time check?"

"It's been checked, it was done by the Salt Gang, and it has nothing to do with Shancheng, and the specific situation will not be known until Sister Shijian arrives. ”

"Well, that's good, the Salt Gang isn't in a hurry to deal with it, it's just a rabble. I'll think about it again, you go down first, and buy some living things in the past two days. ”

"Yes, young master"

After Qin'er left, it was still early, Xiao Yi took out a book from the baggage in the room, looked carefully at it was a chess book, and took out a few chess pieces along with the chess game, Xiao Yi put the chess game aside, and played with a white chess piece in his right hand and fell into thought...