Wei Qiqi went to Xinyang Town to sell animal skins, and sold the money to buy Huoyao salt and tea leaves, the meat is greasy, and the tea soup with salt can eliminate food and relieve greasyness, which is indispensable.

Passing by the withered vine ditch, I visited the bedridden old Liu Tou, his legs and feet were still badly swollen, red and purple, although he applied herbs, he didn't get better.

Old Liu Tou knew that he was going to the town, so he asked Mulian to carry the medicine basket on her back and go with her, so that she could take care of her.

The two of them walked out of the withered vine ditch and followed the mountain road to the east, Mulian grew thin and couldn't keep up, so Wei Qiqi had to slow down a little bit, and it wasn't until noon that he stepped into Xinyang Town.

Xinyang Town is located in the remaining veins of Lao Yaling, with mountains and rivers at its back, the tributaries of the Xiluo River pass through the town, and three stone bridges run through the east and west, namely Shangguan Bridge, Yuanlong Bridge and Xiapu Bridge, and most of the shops and vendors gather between Yuanlong Bridge and Xiapu Bridge.

Wei Qiqi led Mu Lian to Chongyuan Hall first, threw the animal skin at his feet, helped Mu Lian unload the medicine basket, and put it on the counter. The shopkeeper's surname is Song, holding back a bitter gourd face, picking and choosing, and he can't look down on the goods in the medicine basket. Mulian stared nervously at her toes, twisting the corners of her clothes with her hands, rolling them up and loosening, not knowing what to do.

Shopkeeper Song picked out more than a dozen herbs, quoted a price, and said, "That's all, take the rest back." Mu Lian's face turned white all of a sudden, she was waiting for money to buy rice and salt, and she had to boil a few plasters for her father, which were not enough at all.

Wei Qiqi knew in his heart, the shopkeeper Song looked at his face, although he pressed a few points, it was fair, Lao Liu Tou couldn't enter the mountain, just relying on Mulian to toss near the left of the withered vine ditch, it was not easy to find these. He thought about it, and pushed the remaining herbs picked by the shopkeeper into it, asking for an extra hundred dollars.

Shopkeeper Song shook his head, "I said Brother Wei, these herbs are not worth anything, you better go and ask elsewhere." ”

Wei Qiqi asked casually: "How to collect bear bile?"

Shopkeeper Song's eyes lit up, "Do you have bear bile on hand?"

Wei Qiqi bowed slightly, but did not move, the shopkeeper Song understood, took out the half-hanging money and put it on the counter, Mu Lian glanced at him, and timidly put the money away.

Wei Qiqi took out a shriveled bear bile from the animal skin, gray and black in color, the size of an adult's palm. Shopkeeper Song took it carefully, looked at the light for a long time, nodded and said, "The condition is good, no matter how you say it, it is worth four or five taels......"

"Ten taels of silver, official silver. ”

The official silver is full of color, and ten taels of silver can be used as eleven taels of silver, this lion opened his mouth, and the shopkeeper Song gasped, and was about to bargain, Wei Qiqi added coldly, "This is golden gall." ”

Bear bile is divided into golden gall, iron gall, cauliflower gall, gold gall is also known as copper gall, gall is golden, bright as amber, is the best grade that can not be found. Shopkeeper Song knew that he was an understanding person, and he couldn't fool him, so he had to give a real price, "Brother Wei, you are also an old customer, Jin Gut is not worth the price......"

Someone on the side interjected, "Shopkeeper Song, is this a good golden gall?"

Shopkeeper Song was a little annoyed, and when he was talking about business, he made a taboo in Chongyuantang, he looked up with a tiger face, and immediately changed his color, and greeted with a bit of flattery: "Steward Deng, your old man is here, but you want to grab medicine?"

The man who interjected was an old man in his fifties, with a clear appearance, gray sideburns, a goatee, and bloodshot yellow eyes. He looked Wei Qiqi up and down, and asked with a pleasant face, "This little brother is a hunter in the mountains?"

"Exactly. ”

Shopkeeper Song was busy in the middle of the introduction, "He is Wei Seventeen, the Orion of Lao Yaling, he is a good hunter in hunting, bears, tigers and leopards are not a problem, and he can collect the best tiger bones and bear bile every year." Brother Wei, come and see Steward Deng, Steward Deng is in charge of Zhao Yuanwai's Mansion in Shangguanqiao, and it is your blessing to have his old man take care of one or two. ”

Zhao Yuanwai is a wealthy businessman in Xinyang Town, who started by selling mules and horses, and his family is rich, and his hands and eyes are all over the sky. He has three cronies under him, Deng Abacus, Wang Xiangma, and Xie Yiti, among which Deng Abacus is Deng Zhang, the housekeeper of Zhao Mansion who is in charge of the entry and exit of Qian Valley.

Wei Qiqi saluted with his hands forked, "I've seen Steward Deng." ”

Deng Zhang nodded, and did not spare the circle, and said bluntly: "Zhao Mansion is just lacking bear bile, Song Shopkeeper, you take it first, go back to Zhao Mansion, and go to the account room to receive the silver, you will have a few points of interest, and you will not be embarrassed." ”

Shopkeeper Song agreed one after another, making money is a trivial matter, and he has done the master, so it is the top priority to have a relationship with Zhao Fu and form a good fate. He carefully put away the bear bile, took the silver taels and handed them to Wei Qiqi, knowing that Steward Deng must have a good intention to intervene, and there was nothing for him to do next.

"Brother Wei, the old man has something to ask for advice - have you ever eaten?"

"Don't hide it from Steward Deng, he came in a hurry, but he didn't eat. ”

"There is a restaurant near here, the beef and mutton are well done, and the old man comes to do the east, and talks while eating. ”

"Okay, thank you Steward Deng for your kindness. Wei Qiqi picked up the animal skin and told Mu Lian a few words, asking her to buy a few steamed buns to satisfy her hunger first, and then wait for him in Chongyuan Hall.

Deng Zhang listened to him talk refreshingly, neither humble nor arrogant, and he first had a little appreciation in his heart.

The two of them went out of Chongyuan Hall, walked along the revetment to Yuanlong Bridge, and saw a restaurant from a distance, with a green flag and a roll, written with two big characters of "Dongxing".

The guy led the two of them to the upstairs seat, Deng Zhang instructed him to take care of the wine and food he was good at, and the guy agreed with a smile on his face, but he was a little puzzled in his heart, could it be that the man was a distant relative of the Zhao Mansion, and he wanted to alarm Steward Deng to accompany him to dinner.

After a while, the guy served four plates of cooked vegetables, a pot of wine, four dishes are braised beef tendon, white-cut mutton, crockpot chicken, sea rice and simmered cabbage, and the wine is self-brewed Ximao Spring, which is fragrant.

Deng Zhang didn't move his chopsticks much, and blindly persuaded Wei Qiqi to drink wine and eat meat, Wei Qiqi was not polite, he ate smoothly, the beef and mutton were swept away, most of the chickens fell into their stomachs, and they drank wine and added another pot. Deng Zhang touched his bottom by idle talk, Wei Qiqi had one thing to say and two to say, not boasting, nor self-deprecation, and the answer was calm and realistic.

After eating a meal for more than half an hour, Wei Qiqi was full of wine and meat, put down his chopsticks and waited for the following. is a smart person, Deng Zhang looked up to him again. He noticed that when Wei Qiqi called himself, he only said "I", not "below" and "small", and he was a little arrogant in his bones, and he was by no means an ordinary hunter. After a moment of silence, he decided to get straight to the point.

"Brother Wei, the old man has something to ask for. ”

Wei Qiqi smiled, "Steward Deng, but he said it's okay." ”

"Lao Yu has a grandson, swaddling convulsions, long-term illness did not heal, asked a famous doctor to diagnose, prescribed a prescription, including three flavors of valuable main medicine, two flavors have been made, there is still a lack of bear bile. At that time, the famous doctor who prescribed the prescription said that this bear bile was the most important, it must be more than 50 years old, if it is replaced with ordinary bear bile, the effect of the medicine will be greatly reduced, the disease can not be cured, I am afraid that I will not live to be 20 years old. Lao Yu is such a grandson, so he had to ask the owner for help with an old face, and finally found out that Lao Yao Ling seems to be infested with golden-backed bears. ”

Wei Qiqi thought for a while, frowned and said, "Isn't it the old bear in Black Pine Valley?"

Deng Zhang's eyes lit up, "Brother Wei has seen that black bear?"

"If you have a golden retriever on your back, you are the old bear in Black Pine Valley. ”

About two years ago, Wei Qiqi passed by from the old crow ridge hunting, and saw two green wolves fighting with a golden-backed black bear from a distance, the black bear was fierce and abnormal, one palm hit the head of the green wolf, and the thick stump of the bowl was discounted together, and the other green wolf pounced on its back and bit it fiercely, but it couldn't tear off the thick fur, but was hit by the black bear fit, and broke the waist. He crouched upwind, not daring to wear it, and watched as the black bear emptied the internal organs of the two green wolves and staggered towards the Black Pine Valley.

Knowing the whereabouts of the golden-backed bear, Deng Zhang breathed a long sigh of relief and asked tentatively: "Brother Wei, how many people do you need to hunt that black bear?"

Wei Qiqi refused, "No matter how many people there are, it won't work." The old bear was no ordinary beast, it was so powerful that it could break a tree with a slap, and it had been tickling in the pine forest for many years, and the pine resin had seeped into its fur, so hard as armor that a strong bow and arrow could not penetrate. ”

Wei XVII's reaction was expected by Deng Zhang, "The golden-backed bear that is more than fifty years old, it is a monster that has become a spirit, and of course ordinary hunters can't." In this way, the old man will arrange the manpower, and Brother Wei will only lead the way, no need to do it, after the matter is completed, the old man will offer three hundred taels of silver, how about it?"

Wei Qiqi lowered his head for a moment, and asked tentatively, "Could it be that an immortal master has made a move?"

Deng Zhang narrowed his eyes, subconsciously knocked twice on the table with the index finger of his right hand, and said slowly: "The old man has a distant nephew who worships under the Xiandu Gate. ”