Qingfeng Xu Xu

After receiving the response, Xu Qingjiu also looked up at Xu Mulin, smiling as if he had received the best thing in the world.

"Senior brother, can we still go out occasionally like this in the future instead of always staying in Ziqingtang? We saw many nice places along the way, but we didn’t have time to enjoy them all."

"Okay, I have learned a lot of local delicacies along the way. How about we find a small town with simple folk customs and open a small restaurant. I will be the cook and Qingjiu will be the accountant."

"Okay, okay, that's best, a down-to-earth and quiet life is best. But when did senior brother learn how to eat? Haven't we always been together?"

"Once you try it, you'll learn it."

"Senior brother, you are so awesome. In this case, I will just be a little boy to help him light the fire, greet the guests, and serve food. Then senior brother will only need to give me some salary every month."

"...Qingjiu should be the boss, it would be a shame to be a clerk."

"deficit? how come? I can help senior brother attract customers. With senior brother's skills, business will definitely be booming."

"Qingjiu is a buddy...I'll eat a little while the fire is being lit, and a little while serving the food. Where will the bonus at the end of the month come from to help Qingjiu start working? Then he will definitely have to take care of food and shelter."Facing Xu Qingjiu's warning eyes, Xu Mulin smiled more and more willfully,"If this is the case, this small shop may not last for half a year, or even a month...."

"Senior brother you...you..."Faced with Xu Mulin's"accusation", Xu Qingjiu, with his greedy character, could not refute it, so he could only forcefully come up with the boss's plan,"Okay, then I will be the boss and you will be the cook. I only care about food and accommodation every month, regardless of wages. Every day I earn money, I buy delicious food for my boss. This way I can balance my expenses and make a huge profit."

"Great idea, boss."Xu Mulin is very optimistic about the future and agrees with the boss's good management.

"You don't need to flatter me. I have remembered all the words you slandered me just now. Don't think about wages." Xu Qingjiu knew the boss's style very well,"Let's see how you behave in the future. If If you do well, I'll reconsider it then."After saying that, Xu Qingjiu laughed like the cunning businessman in the play.

Xu Mulin on the side pursed his lips tightly to hold back from laughing, worried that this"black-hearted boss" would seek revenge in the future, but in Xu's case When Qingjiu's theatrical laughter sounded, Xu Mulin couldn't help laughing after all.

Seeing Xu Mulin like this, Xu Qingjiu couldn't help laughing. The laughter of the two people burst out from the empty broken house. It was reported in the media that the entire small village became alive again after more than ten years. As the night gradually deepened, Xu Mulin went outside to find some hay and made a simple bed for the two of them. After the two lay down, Xu Qingjiu fell asleep within a moment. Seeing Xu Qingjiu sleeping, Xu Mulin's gaze became bold and uncontrollable, and he just kept looking at it. Suddenly he remembered what he wanted to confess to Xu Qingjiu today. In the end, he still couldn't say it. Although he might be able to explain it in a short sentence or two, Xu Mulin couldn't say it. Even if it was just one word, as long as it might make Xu Qingjiu feel uncomfortable or evoke something Xu Mulin doesn’t want to have bad memories

"It will all pass. As long as I am here, I will never let anyone hurt you."Xu Mulin looked at Xu Qingjiu and promised softly.

Not long after the two fell asleep, the fire gradually dimmed. It was winter now, and the house was leaking air everywhere. Xu Mulin got up twice to add firewood, but this time The fire still failed to burn until the next morning. Xu Mulin woke up early and was about to go out to find something to burn and come back to light the fire. Xu Qingjiu also woke up. The two were unprepared As for dry food, there was almost nothing left after eating last night. The two of them really didn't expect that they could not find an inn to rest in Zizhou for a while.

"Then let's hurry on and wait until we find an inn and restaurant to have a good rest."

"It's foggy now, so I'd better go find something to light a fire to warm up, and wait until the sun comes out before we hit the road."Xu Mulin opened the door and saw a vast expanse of white outside. When the wind blew in, he couldn't help but feel excited.

"I think it's almost time, so I just need to burn the hay I made last night. It's too cold outside, so don't go out, senior brother."Xu Qingjiu was also invaded by the wind outside, and hid behind a burnt black charcoal that should have been a cabinet.

"It's okay, I'll just look for some nearby and come back. The fog won't clear for a while, and the hay can't help but burn. You wait in the house for me to come back."After saying that, Xu Mulin went out, and did not forget to turn around and close the door with the hole in it.

After Xu Mulin left, Xu Qingjiu was not idle, thinking to see if there was anything in the house that could be burned. , but it’s a pity that I have seen it from every corner. Even the bed was burned and collapsed with just the slightest touch, and the fractures were scorched black.

"What's this?"When the bed collapsed, a small figure that looked like a clay sculpture fell out. The two people next to him fell into pieces when they fell to the ground. Xu Qingjiu picked up the little figure whose head had been separated, and saw that there was a faint figure behind the little clay figure. When Xu Qingjiu held the word"Qing" in his hand and played with it, he felt that the little clay figurine was still splitting apart, so he quickly found a flat place to piece the little clay figurine together and put its head down. After a while, Xu Mulin came back, It was already clear and clear outside, but the two of them lit the fire and rested for half an hour. They shared the remaining dry food and ate some. Seeing that the sun had fully come out and it was much warmer outside, they continued on their way.

The two of them rode fast for nearly two hours before finally seeing more people on the road, so they found a noodle stall on the roadside for pedestrian merchants to rest, ate a bowl of hot noodles, and led the horse along the way while asking questions.

It’s a pity that after arriving all the way to Zizhou City, we still didn’t get any information.

"It is really impossible to say that the disciples of Guxia Village misjudged the person here or passed on false information."After entering the city, the two of them asked all the stalls and merchants along the way. Unexpectedly, no one had seen Li Jihua. This was not at all consistent with the news that Li Jichu had received before. Things were strange, so the two of them had to find an inn early. After settling down first, they asked the waiter to prepare some food and bring it to the room. After entering the room, the two closed the door and began to sort out this very strange situation.

"This matter is extraordinary. Jichu must have arranged for someone trustworthy to come, and the person entrusted to inquire about the information must also be a trustworthy person. Otherwise, if someone with evil intentions takes advantage of it, it will increase the risk. But we inquired all the way, but basically got nothing. Now we have arrived at the place where Jihua has been before, but there is no news at all. It can only mean that...Someone interfered and completely hid Jihua's whereabouts"

"Is it possible that Jihua sensed that the people in Guxiazhuang were looking for him, so he did it deliberately?"

"It's possible, but if it can be done like this, I'm afraid it will be difficult for Li Jihua to do it alone. Jichu said before that the last time Jihua returned to Guxiazhuang was Siqian. He could not have the financial resources to bribe so many people by relying on himself to make a living outside. If he was talking about authority, it would be even more impossible. If he was If you can have such great power in Zizhou, it is impossible for you to say nothing in the world these years."Xu Mulin opened the map again,"Zizhou? Which Jianghu sect is in charge now?"

"I've never heard anyone mention this. But Zizhou is adjacent to Luzhou, could it be the Yuanyang sect?"

"If so, Li Jihua's current situation may be very bad. However, does Du Shengyang need to hide Li Jihua's whereabouts?"

"Could it be that he first noticed that someone was looking for Jihua, in order to prevent him from being found by Guxiazhuang first, so that's why he did this?"

"If he had this intention, he would definitely not leak any information. The information Ji Chu got was that the person who initially inquired found that Li Jihua had appeared here. Later, when Zhuang Shang's disciples came, they also inquired about the information, but they couldn't find the person. But maybe, maybe Du Shengyang hadn't started taking any action against Jihua at that time."

"If I were Du Shengyang, for the sake of safety, I would definitely have Li Jihua's whereabouts in my hands, so that when I want to take action, I can hit the target without having to create additional details."

"...After thinking about it, I still can't figure it out."Xu Qingjiu only felt a headache

"But for now, there is no news from Ji Chu, which may be good news. If Li Jihua really had an accident under Du Shengyang, then Du Shengyang must have taken the matter to Guxia Village to stir up trouble."

"Brother's analysis makes sense."After worrying for such a long time, Xu Qingjiu was inevitably a little sleepy and felt weak lying on the table.

"Master, your food is ready."

Xu Qingjiu stood up from the table and casually pushed the map he had just opened and the portrait of Li Jihua sandwiched in the map to the corner of the table. The waiter came in with a tray and placed the dishes on Xu Qingjiu's table. The name of the dish was announced at the empty seat. However, Xu Qingjiu noticed that the waiter's eyes were always looking at the corner where the map was placed. Xu Qingjiu looked sideways and saw that Li Jihua's portrait was completely displayed there.

Xu Qingjiu noticed Qingjiu reached out and took the map over. The waiter's eyes were still looking at the corner of the table. Xu Qingjiu reached out again and took the portrait of Li Jihua over. The waiter's eyes followed suit.

Xu Mulin, who was sitting opposite , They also saw the whole process. The two looked at each other and understood in their hearts.

"Guys, which restaurant here has the most famous dishes?"Xu Qingjiu asked.

The waiter placed the dishes, put away the tray and was about to leave. After hearing this, he enthusiastically replied to Xu Qingjiu:"The shop has all kinds of dishes, but if you two want to have some wine, you can You can go to Yuehua Restaurant, which is the most famous restaurant in Zizhou. But it's just that it's more expensive. But judging from the conversation and clothing of the two young masters, it must be nothing."

"Thank you."Xu Mulin took out a piece of silver from his sleeve and put it on the waiter's tray,"I want to ask you, is there a director of any sect in Zizhou? My younger brother and I were new to the world and wanted to pay a visit."

The guy took the money and naturally said a lot,"Sect? Zizhou is the only place that leads to the frontier fortress. In recent years, it has been under the control of officials. If there is any sect, I am afraid that Gaoyangyang has some connections. After all, Gaoyangyang’s Wu family is a relative of the country."

"High balcony in Taiyuan Prefecture?"

"Exactly, I heard that Yuehua Building is run by Gaoyang Balcony. Every wealthy businessman who passes by will go there. The business is so good that one day can be worth half a year or even a year for a small shop like ours."

"Zizhou is close to Luzhou, so are there any people from the Yuanyang sect who have settled here?"

"Yuanyang sect?"The waiter's tone seemed to be full of disdain,"That kind of sect is nothing in front of the high balcony, and it is impossible for anyone to have the ability to go against the relatives of the country."

"OK, thank you."Xu Mulin took out another ingot of silver and put it on the waiter's tray.

"The young master is too polite."The waiter accepted the money with quick eyes and hands,"But no one is here at Gaoyang Balcony. If the two young masters want to visit, I'm afraid they can only go to Taiyuan Mansion, but Gaoyang Balcony is not close to here. After saying that, he nodded and bowed and prepared to leave.

"Man, let me ask you something again."Xu Qingjiu looked at the portrait in his hand and said

"The young master just asks, the villain will definitely tell you everything he knows."

"My eldest brother and I came out on this trip to find my younger brother."Xu Qingjiu unfolded the portrait in front of the waiter,"Dude, have you ever seen it?"

"...Brother? This doesn't look like it either."The guy's eyes flashed back and forth between the portrait and Xu Qingjiu, and he said with a smile after a long time.

"He is the younger brother of a friend of mine. My brother and I are just entrusted by others. Xu Qingjiu took the portrait and put it aside,"Just answer whether you have seen it or not." I just saw you looking at this portrait for a long time. Does it look familiar to you?"