Chapter 297 Dai Guo’s forces
Although Xia Zheng was hostile to them, Su Ziyi still accepted Cui Yu's kindness.
After all, as if he didn't answer, he actually looked a little weird to someone who was interested.
He reached out to take the key, thanked Chen Qiuci, and then looked at Chen Qiuci's excitement, which was already starting to be overwhelming, so he didn't stay any longer, sent the person outside, and said goodbye to each other. .
As soon as Chen Qiuci turned around, he couldn't help but jump on the horse's back. With a squeeze of his legs, the horse started galloping in the alley, causing flowers to fly all the way.
After Su Ziyi watched him leave, he turned around and returned to the courtyard. At this moment, Bian Qing and Su Yulang had taken a general look at the place, and found that it was surprisingly clean. There was no sign of anyone living here, but it was spotless. Cui Yu or Chen Qiuci must have had someone clean it in advance. I don't know if it was. The custom is still to entertain them.
After seeing Su Ziyi come in, the two of them looked away, gathered around Su Ziyi, and asked what they should do next.
It was a cold winter day, and Su Ziyi didn't want to stay outside, so he led the two of them into the main hall, sat down, and then said: "We have just arrived and don't know much about the situation in Xuancang City, so we will go outside to see the situation in the next few days. ." His eyes moved around the room: "If this place is okay, then we will settle in Xuancang City first, and then we will have someone help us find a house with a shop like before, and move out from here."
Neither Bian Qing nor Su Yulang had any objections to his words.
Although this place is nice, it is someone else's home after all and has nothing to do with them at all.
However, Su Ziyi smiled as he spoke: "Xuancang Sect is good at refining weapons, and the weapon refining style in Xuancang City is definitely better than other places, so if we decide to stay, we can stay longer."
This was said to Bian Qing, and his tone was much gentler: "You have always been interested in weapon refining. Unfortunately, you didn't have the opportunity to learn before. Now is the time." What he said made Bian Qing aware of it early. I thought of it, so I nodded fiercely.
Therefore, they didn't plan to disturb them too much, so the three of them only cleaned up two guest rooms and didn't touch other rooms. They didn't plan to open fire. Seeing that it was getting late, they went directly outside to prepare for dinner. They also inquired about the news and saw what was unusual about the scenery in Xuancang City.
At dusk, lights are also lit in Xuancang City. Unlike the intoxication of Tianlan City, the lights in Xuancang City give people a solid sense of security. The kind in the small streets and alleys, under the shouts of the shop owners, is even more entangled with the smell of fireworks, attracting people who yearn for warmth to step in.
As soon as they entered this small restaurant, the proprietress greeted the three of them warmly.
They each ordered a bowl of noodles based on the proprietress's recommendation, and then took advantage of the proprietress's efforts to ask about things in Xuancang City. As for the few people who were clean and had a relatively gentle temperament, the proprietress naturally did not resist. After a few conversations, she told them everything she knew.
As Su Ziyi and the others have seen along the way, in this Xuan Cang City, ordinary people can live a good life, can do what they can, and will not be overly exploited, or have to worry about their lives all the time. . Therefore, settling down here is a great blessing for ordinary people.
"The previous generations of our family are not from here." The proprietress quickly helped several people, and while using long bamboo chopsticks to break up the noodles in the pot, she said cheerfully: "At that time, my grandpa Zeng was still here. They are trying to make a living in the territory of the Cha sect. There, ordinary people live worse than pigs and dogs. They are precarious. After today, they still don’t know if there will be a tomorrow.”
“Several of my great-grandfather’s brothers just left”
"However, fortunately, the people who were waiting to come to the Xuan Cang Sect traveled there and rescued my grandpa Zeng and the others when they encountered injustice. My grandpa Zeng and the others also took advantage of the chaos to leave the territory of the Rakshasa Sect and fled to the territory of the Xuan Cang Sect. We have lived a stable life until now." In her words, the landlady spoke highly of Xuan Cang Zong because of this kindness.
As soon as she mentioned this, the always talkative lady boss couldn't hold back her chatter and began to talk to herself: "Actually, the reason my great-grandfather and his family are so miserable is because the royal family is so incompetent." She said She shrugged her nose, obviously disapproving of the royal family she spoke of: "Obviously it is orthodox, and there is Xuan Cang Sect to help, but it is suppressed by evil cultivating sects like the Rakshasa Sect, and a large area is lost, so that my grandpa Zeng and the others have to live a life that is not human."
Looking at the look on her face, she almost said "bah".
The noodles were cooked very quickly, and they were already cooked while she was speaking. She poured them on the noodles and brought them over.
At this moment, there were no other customers in the store except the three of the Su family, so the proprietress sat down at another table and continued: "I heard my grandfather said that for dozens of generations of our family, they were all I was working hard for the royal family and farming hard to make money, but I couldn't save much money all year round. All the taxes were paid to the royal family."
"So, life was not good at that time."
"But now, not all Have you survived? I think your children will live better and better, Auntie." Su Ziyi picked up a pair of chopsticks and said with a smile.
His words really touched the heart of the landlady. He patted her thigh and nodded happily, "That's right." Then she started talking about her two promising sons. . Although the eldest son is an ordinary person, because of his good luck, he was selected into the city guard and was responsible for guarding the city gate.
The younger son, because of his clever mouth and pleasant appearance, directly found a job in Qibao Pavilion. Although it depends on the face of the cultivator, he can make a lot of money. "In a few years, I can save enough money to buy a small yard." The landlady said happily.
As for the Treasure Pavilion that the proprietress mentioned, from the few words she said, it is not difficult to infer that it is a place that specializes in buying and selling items needed by cultivators.
This is somewhat attractive to Su Ziyi.
However, as the boss lady talked, she started talking about the good days of others and the bad days of others: "Although I was not born and raised in the place where my great-grandfather and his family grew up, I also heard it from the words of passers-by. I’ve heard about the situation over there. After comparing it, I realized that thanks to my grandpa Zeng and his friends, they left early, otherwise I wouldn’t necessarily be around now.”
“It’s okay if there is a Rakshasa sect. I don’t know where they came from in recent years. A force called the "Red Scarf Army" came out and started trouble in the Rakshasa sect's territory with great fanfare, making life even more difficult for the people who were already having a hard time."
As she spoke, she smacked her lips: "However, it is the royal family that is the most troubled by the Red Scarf Army." Although it was not obvious, Su Ziyi and the other three could hear a trace of schadenfreude in it.
"I've never heard of the Red Scarf Army. I wonder what the Red Scarf Army does?" "
Tsk, isn't it something similar to those small-time cultivators." The landlady snorted. : "They say they want to overthrow those evil cultivators, but aren't they actually just grabbing territory? When they succeed, they will naturally become another Rakshasa sect and Blood Refining sect. There is no difference to us ordinary people"
There are too many such forces that cause trouble every year, but how many have succeeded so far? They are all dead." After saying this, the proprietress who was excited about it suddenly reacted and realized that she was actually there. He made a rash comment about cultivators, and suddenly a cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he looked at Su Ziyi and the others warily.
But fortunately, Su Ziyi and the others were still eating noodles happily, with no other strange colors on their faces.
The landlady was relieved.
However, at this time, the landlady did not intend to continue talking. She pretended to be busy and began to work, refusing to have any further communication with Su Ziyi and the others. After the three people from the Su family exchanged glances, they stopped saying anything and immersed themselves in eating noodles.
But when the noodles bit into his mouth, Su Ziyi still frowned.
Just hearing these words from the landlady is enough to get a glimpse of how chaotic the entire Dai Kingdom is. Not to mention the old forces with big families and big businesses, those emerging forces who are dissatisfied with the status quo are also constantly tossing. No matter good or bad, they always want to come up with something, even if they fail in the end. Although the boss lady didn't say it, even Su Ziyi wouldn't believe it to death. There was no influence from those old forces.
Otherwise, with so many bloody examples to show off, why would the actor be so desperate for his life?
In addition, the power of Dai Kingdom's royal family also attracted Su Ziyi's attention. Judging from what the boss lady said before, this royal family must have been a very powerful presence in the entire Dai Kingdom before, but for some unknown reason, it gradually declined. It didn’t even need super large forces like Xuan Cang Sect and Ji Le Sect to take action. The Rakshasa sect and the Red Scarf Army were playing tricks on each other.
Such a royal family is really a bit frustrated.
This can't help but remind Su Ziyi of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in the history of China. Although there was a so-called "royal family" at that time, under the separatist rule, such a royal family has long existed in name only. Whether it can continue to live depends on everything. Are other forces happy to keep him? Such a subtle feeling inevitably made Su Ziyi feel weird.
Among all the forces, the most popular one is undoubtedly the Xuan Cang Sect. In the hearts of ordinary people, the Xuan Cang Sect is a symbol and sustenance worthy of awe and aspiration, representing a better life.
As for other forces, those who are hostile to Xuan Cang Sect are naturally bad and bad.
Those who are not as good as Xuan Cang Sect and cannot bring practical benefits to people are also bad.
...
If you think about it this way, all good impressions are actually based on comparison.
Not to mention, there is also a person who is like a holy father who speaks for ordinary people to pray for ordinary people. This Dai country is more chaotic than imagined.
Chapter 298 Entering the Treasure Pavilion
In the next two days, the three people of the Su family walked through the entire Xuancang City.
Going into the market and listening to the words of the common people allowed them to integrate into Xuancang City in a more rural and customary way, and they also learned clearly some things that they should pay attention to in Xuancang City.
Among them, the major forces in Xuancang City are the first to bear the brunt.
That night, they heard from the noodle shop proprietress and knew that although Xuan Cang Sect had the final say in Xuan Cang City, the muddy water in it would definitely not be less than that in Qixia Town where aristocratic families gathered. Sure enough, in the past few days, the three of them saw the branch strongholds of seven or eight forces one after another. Each stronghold occupied a high-rise mansion with red and Chinese characters and engraved characters, standing clearly in front of thousands of people in Xuancang City. In the black tiled house.
With that kind of momentum, ordinary people would subconsciously take a few more steps to leave if they took one more look at it.
Among these forces, the most outstanding one is the Qibao Pavilion where the youngest son of the noodle shop owner works. Judging from the monks coming and going in Qibao Pavilion and the exquisite artifacts held by it, we know that it has a very high reputation among practitioners and ordinary people.
There is no other reason than that Qibao Pavilion is the largest cultivator trading house in the entire Dai Kingdom.
Its business branches are spread throughout the Dai Kingdom. Whether it is the royal family or the Paradise Sect, wherever there are practitioners, there are branches of Qibao Pavilion. And because of the energy of Qibao Pavilion and the power behind it, these forces dare not touch it. Instead, they maintain a good relationship with Qibao Pavilion, fearing that the other party will evacuate the area where their forces are located.
After all, in the strife-ridden Dai Kingdom, having a force that could buy and sell cultivation resources like Qibao Pavilion was really valuable.
Due to many reasons, Qibao Pavilion has become one of the forces that cannot be underestimated in the entire Dai Kingdom. Its business scope ranges from spiritual herbs, spiritual minerals and other materials to elixirs and magic weapons, as well as spiritual cultivation and magic methods. You can also find them here. Basically, as long as you dare to think about it, you can't find it here. of.
Therefore, the position occupied by such a wealthy Qibao Pavilion in Xuancang City is not bad.
Su Ziyi and the others inevitably became curious about the Qibao Pavilion. When they reached the door of the Qibao Pavilion, they walked in.
The location of Qibao Pavilion is not in the center of Xuancang City. Instead, it is a bit remote. It is located in the northeast of Xuancang Sect and is surrounded by shops. A nine-story exquisite building like it stands among them. Without any other means, it attracted everyone's attention immediately.
As soon as we entered Qibao Pavilion, we were greeted by enthusiastic store clerks.
I don’t know what Qibao Pavilion’s considerations are. In the lobby on the first floor, the shop assistants who greet customers are all good-looking ordinary people. The smiles on their faces seem to be born. They look very... Qiao Qiao also speaks very cleverly. With just a touch of his upper and lower lips, he talks about the things in the store, making people's hearts flutter.
The layout of the first floor is very detailed. A two-foot-wide red velvet carpet leads directly from the door to the stairway of the second floor. It is embroidered with complicated totems in gold thread, which looks very delicate. The layout of the counter was designed in a circular shape based on the original structure of the stairs, with goods placed one after another on it, making it easy for people to see clearly.
Su Ziyi and the others walked around casually and found that the things sold here were not too exotic, they were all very common spiritual herbs and spiritual items. The only thing that surprised Su Ziyi and the others was that Qibao Pavilion actually provided mass sales services for these ordinary spiritual grass and minerals. This function was similar to wholesale, and it seemed that it was not suitable for Qibao Pavilion's identity.
I don’t know what the owner of this Treasure Pavilion is thinking.
There were not many customers on the first floor, and there were even some ordinary people inside. It's just that these ordinary people are very brightly dressed. Although the materials on their clothes are not very expensive, they are not affordable for ordinary people. Looking at them negotiating in low voices with the store clerk, who should they be? Within the shopkeeper or housekeeper of the power.
As for these people, although the store clerk's face is full of smiles, there is no trace of fear in his eyes, and even if the other party talks about it, he will not let go.
No wonder the noodle shop owner’s wife thinks so highly of her youngest son.
It is really not that simple for an ordinary person to gain a foothold in this Qibao Pavilion.
Although the things on the first floor are nothing rare, they can still be used by Su Ziyi and the others. After all, he wants to refine elixirs, and Bian Qing plans to learn to refine weapons. There is a huge demand for low-level spiritual objects. Sorry for the trouble, you can come directly to this Qi Bao Pavilion to buy it.
It should be known that the people who come and go in Qibao Pavilion are cultivators who are not easy to offend, so no matter how many people there are on the first floor and how fierce the negotiation is, their voices are kept low for fear of getting angry. of practitioners. Su Ziyi watched some Qi refining practitioners walking upstairs, then took Bian Qing and Su Yulang to the second floor.
The second floor is an area where finished arts and crafts are sold.
There are all kinds of elixirs, talismans, magic weapons... although the grade is not high, only the first to second grade quality, but it is of great benefit to cultivators below the seventh level of Qi refining, so here None of the cultivators walking around were below the fourth level of Qi Refining. Even if there are, they come in groups with others.
Therefore, the second floor is much more lively than the first floor.
Su Ziyi walked around with Bian Qing and the others for a while, bought some introductory books on weapon refining, and then continued towards the third floor. The flow of people on the third floor is much less than that on the second floor. They are basically practitioners from the tenth to eleventh level of Qi Refining. Although the things sold here are of various kinds, they are not of the highest quality in terms of level or other aspects. The following two levels can be compared.
When entering the fourth floor, they encountered a slight glitch.
When Su Ziyi stepped onto the fourth floor, he felt a wave of spiritual power. When he looked back, he found that Bian Qing and Su Yulang were blocked from the door, and they couldn't even get in. After recalling the fluctuation of spiritual power just now, Su Ziyi immediately understood that this was a magic circle set up by the Treasure Treasure Pavilion. Only monks in the foundation building stage were allowed to enter, and ordinary people in the Qi refining stage were not allowed to enter.
Such a formation only serves as an isolation and reminder, and the level is not very high. If a practitioner in the Qi Refining Stage with a higher level of cultivation intends to break in, he can also use violent means to break through the formation and get in.
But this is Qibao Pavilion. Who would not give Qibao Pavilion face?
Therefore, this formation has been set up here for who knows how long, and it has never encountered any problems.
The moment they were stopped, Bian Qing and Su Yulang were also a little confused. They exchanged a look and then looked at Su Ziyi in front, their eyes full of confusion. Su Ziyi stepped out from the fourth floor, holding one hand with the other, wrapping the two of them with his spiritual power, and then entered the fourth floor easily and without any obstruction.
Compared to the three floors below, there are several times fewer people on this fourth floor. At a glance, there are only a dozen foundation-building practitioners looking at things at the counter, and there are more waiters than guests. Moreover, the lowest level of work cultivation here is at the third level of Qi Refining, which is enough to show that Qibao Pavilion attaches great importance to practitioners in the foundation building stage.
The things here are naturally not comparable to the three floors below.
Taking Bian Qing and Su Yulang with him, Su Ziyi slowly walked towards the counter, declined the shop assistant's introduction, and looked at it with interest. Then I discovered that there are still things here, and they are indeed suitable for practitioners in the foundation building stage. However, it is not very rare to see whether they are precious or not. It is just that they are of relatively high value.
Su Ziyi saw a few third-grade high-end and fourth-grade elixirs, as well as a few scattered fifth-grade elixirs. He couldn't help but curiously asked about the price. After taking it, he found that the price of the elixirs in the Qibao Pavilion was actually higher than that in the Yuan Kingdom. Two to three percent.
I don’t know if this is because Qibaoge and his family have raised the price, or if this is the price of Dai Guo’s elixirs.
Su Ziyi took a look at these things but did not make a move, and then continued to lead people to the fifth floor. However, when they went to the fifth floor, some cultivators on the fourth floor still looked over curiously, but they were also He glanced at it for a few times, then turned his head and continued to do his own business.
There is not much difference between the fifth floor and the fourth floor, except that all the goods are of a higher level. There are quite a lot of sixth-grade elixirs, and even seventh- and eighth-grade elixirs, as well as talismans and magic weapons. Spirit grass and spirit minerals are also quite rare. Su Ziyi even saw a ghost-faced leaf vine seedling here. Although it was only a seedling and could not be used for medicine, it was priced at ten spirit stones, which showed how precious it was.
There are really only a few people on the fifth floor, and these people are basically in the middle or late stages of foundation building. Su Ziyi, who came in at the early stage of foundation building, seemed particularly out of place. Especially for the two Qi-refining period practitioners, Bian Qing and Su Yulang, staying here, the pressure from those people makes their breathing uncomfortable.
Seeing this, Su Ziyi had no intention of continuing shopping.
He glanced at the stairway leading to the sixth floor, where two practitioners from the 12th level of Qi Refining were guarding. It was obviously not easy for anyone to enter. Therefore, Su Ziyi did not go up to ask more questions, gave up the idea of going up, and walked down with Bian Qing and Su Yulang. As soon as they left, a sneer filled their ears.
"Where did you come from, such a fool, that you dared to bring two disciples in the Qi Refining stage to the fifth floor in the early stages of foundation building."
Su Ziyi immediately frowned, but before he could do anything, Bian Qing grabbed his hand. Then Bian Qing forcibly pulled him downstairs. When they reached the second floor, Bian Qing turned back and shook his head: "We are new here, so it's better not to conflict with these people."