The middle-aged man subconsciously protected Chi Suwen behind him and asked in a deep voice, "What is the purpose of your visit, sir?"
"Uncle Chen, he came here to buy a horse." Chi Suwen explained softly.
"It's you!"
Uncle Jin, with a golden knife on his waist, rushed out from behind the curtain in the backyard with an alert look on his face. The golden knife was half-out of its sheath, flashing with a cold light.
Xu Yunfan was a little surprised. He cupped his hands and smiled, "I didn't expect to meet you two here."
When Uncle Jin, who was so tense that he almost got goose bumps, learned that Xu Yunfan was here to buy a horse, finally calmed down, his tense nerves relaxed, he sheathed his sword, and his expression eased a little.
He bowed and said no more.
Uncle Chen on the side moved aside and stood next to Chi Suwen, staring at Xu Yunfan closely. If the other party made any unusual movement, he would naturally do his best.
The threat posed by the other party to him was no less than the oppression posed by those in the Flesh Refining Realm.
Chi Suwen noticed Uncle Chen's expression and naturally knew that Xu Yunfan was quite capable. She smiled and said, "Although there was a small incident before, if you want to buy a horse, you are welcome. Qingzhou is famous for its fine horses. We bought quite a few from Qingzhou this time. If you want one, just go to the stable boy at the inn and pick one out."
Chi Suwen also wanted to make friends with him. When they first met, the other party was just a second-level martial artist, but in four or five months, he made Chen Bo, a great martial artist, nervous. Naturally, he would not reject such a martial artist with huge potential.
Xu Yunfan clasped his fists in thanks and followed Chi Suwen into the stable.
In the slanting morning light, the chestnut horse's mane shone with a red-gold luster, which was 80% similar to his previous mount. Xu Yunfan fell in love with it at first sight. This horse could carry a thousand pounds and still run briskly, and could gallop a thousand miles at full speed with ease.
Xu Yunfan stroked the horse's mane and couldn't help but sigh. It was a pity for the horse that was fostered at the foot of Jilei Mountain.
Just as he was about to untie the reins, he suddenly heard the faint sound of a golden hairpin swaying beside him.
"Young Master Xu has traveled extensively throughout the Three Mountains and Five Peaks. It's a great coincidence that you've met me in Cangzhou. Have you ever thought about finding a place to stay?"
Chi Suwen stroked the horse's mane with her slender fingers, and the silver thread pattern embroidered on the white cuffs moved slightly in the wind.
This is the intention of recruiting him.
Xu Yunfan said, "I'd like to find a sect to become a disciple of. Rumor has it that the eight sects in Cangzhou each have their own strengths. I'm planning to visit each one and see which one is the best."
"If you join my Chi family and become a tribute, you will never be short of elixirs or spiritual food. Every year, you will receive valuable tributes, including thirty Xuanyuan pills, one hundred bushels of yellow sprout rice, and five thousand taels of silver per month."
At the end, he added, "The Tianzi No. 1 offering can read the fragments of the Great Zhou Wu Jing."
Xu Yunfan's eyebrows moved slightly. He had not been idle all these years for nothing. Naturally, he had heard that this Great Zhou Martial Arts Classic was compiled by the founding emperor of the Great Zhou and nine great masters of Qi training, in order to spread martial arts throughout the world and make everyone as powerful as a dragon.
Unfortunately, it died young, leaving only fragments. I didn't expect that the Chi family still had some remaining fragments.
Unfortunately, it is only a fragment.
"I've heard that your family's unique martial art, the Wandering Dragon Shocking Step, is unrivaled in northern Hebei. Could you please share it with others?"
Chi Suwen's jade fingers stroking the horse's mane suddenly froze, and after a long moment, he said, "Family martial arts are only taught to the direct descendant."
Before he finished speaking, Xu Yunfan had already climbed onto the horse. The chestnut horse snorted loudly and made crisp hooves as it stepped on the ground.
"Miss Chi, I appreciate your kindness."
He tightened the reins and looked towards the end of the long street, which was the direction out of the city.
"But I, a falcon used to being wild, can't stand the rules of a golden cage."
When nine hundred-liang silver notes with the words "Datong Yinzhuang" printed on them were handed to the counter, Chi Suwen leaned against the vermilion lacquered pillar of the inn and watched the figure in green riding his horse into the dust of the market.
"Why do you insist on doing this, Miss?"
Uncle Chen finally straightened his back and walked forward, his cloudy old eyes staring at the smoke and dust gradually dispersing on the bluestone slabs.
"This boy's entire body is filled with blood and evil, and there's a hint of war between his brows. He's clearly been through a lot of fighting. This kind of person is wild, lawless, and disdains the law. If they're not satisfied, they might do something daring and outrageous."
Chi Suwen shook his head slightly: "Uncle Chen, he is extremely talented. If we can recruit him in advance, perhaps a Grandmaster at least at the Marrow Cleansing Realm will appear in the future."
Uncle Chen laughed twice.
"Miss, reaching the Marrow Cleansing Realm is not that easy. The Great Zhou has a population of tens of millions, and how many masters of the Marrow Cleansing Realm are there now? Those who wander around the world like this might die on the road one day."
She looked at the clouds gathering and dispersing in the sky, muttering to herself, "Who is now in charge of the Chi family's grain transport in Yuezhou?"
The last sound of horse hooves at the end of the long street dissipated at this moment, mixed with the sounds of hawking in the morning market, crushing an unfinished answer in the May spring breeze.
Xu Yunfan naturally would not regret it. If he really agreed, his life would be like this and there would be no room for advancement.
It's okay for the sect, but for the children of aristocratic families like the Chi family, if they have no blood connection, they will be restricted in what they can do, and you might even be blamed in the end.
Xu Yunfan galloped all the way, the horse under his crotch neighing.
Although there were some minor incidents along the way, he easily resolved them all the way to Cuibo City, the capital of Cangzhou, and looked out at the city that appeared in his sight.
Xu Yunfan reined in his horse at the willow-lined embankment. The hundred-foot-long city wall was immersed in the emerald light of the lake, and the bronze plaque with the words "Cui Bo" (Green Wave) was emitting a moist glow.
A canal boat came through the fog on the Wengcheng waterway. Cormorants at the bow flapped their wings and dived into the water from time to time, emerging with a fish in their mouths.
There are many merchants coming and going, and the pedestrians are peaceful and calm. You can faintly hear the laughter of children playing.
This place is completely different from Wuzhou, which was engulfed in war and had no people for thousands of miles.
After dismounting and leading the horse into the city, Xu Yunfan finally saw the Changfeng Restaurant standing in a corner of the city center again. Willow catkins on the street were brushing past the words "Changfeng" embroidered in gold thread on the restaurant flag.
He couldn't help but smile.
"My dear fellow, take good care of the horses, feed them the best hay, and I want a private room on the second floor."
"Okay, one in the private room on the second floor!"
The man walking towards me was a one-armed guy.
"Sir, this scaly horse is well-tended."
He stroked the horse's mane, adoring it, and asked, "Sir, would you like three ounces of wormwood and half a penny of dragon's blood (herbs) in the back trough?"
"Just look at Jia."
Going up to the elegant room on the second floor, the carved window on the second floor is half opened, and the eaves of the Lanyue Pavilion can be seen right away.
When the waiter came in with the dish, he saw a three-foot-long silver-scaled fish lying in a green porcelain bowl on the dish. The waiter flicked his finger on the edge of the bowl, and the fish broke into hundreds of pieces. Each piece of fish was wrapped in ice crystals as thin as a cicada's wing. It was a snow trout that took ten years to grow at the bottom of Cuibo Lake.
When the second dish arrived, the aroma of charcoal fire mixed with the smell of blood hit my face. A half-broken corner was inserted diagonally on the charred brown meat steak, and the growth rings on the cross section were as dense as stars.
The two dishes made with the meat of exotic animals were very expensive, and together with the other dishes on the table, they cost Xu Yunfan nearly ninety taels.
But I enjoyed the meal.