one's door

The tea room is actually a cubicle, not covered.Many customers in the store were looking at this side carefully, after all, a few personal guards guarding the door were eye-catching enough, not to mention that sitting inside was Lord Zhou Cang, the majestic city guard of Langyuan City.

At this moment, seeing Zhou Cang stand up and cup his fists to salute a young man, many people exclaimed in their hearts, wondering why that young man has such a big background?Can Zhou Cang be so polite?

And some people who had heard about the background of Zhang Ji Wooden Ware Shop were secretly dumbfounded. It turned out that Zhang Yan, the second member of Zhangjiaxing, really had a good relationship with Zhou Cang?And it seems that he can still make friends with Zhou Cang on an equal footing?But... why?

Isn't the Zhang family just ordinary ordinary people?The second son of his family heard that he had been a criminal soldier, so why did he leave immediately?Still talking about friendship with a big man like Zhou Cang on an equal footing?

There are many people who don't understand.But this does not prevent them from raising the Zhang family up.Especially those so-called high-class people who want to take advantage of Zhang's hot business idea, really have to weigh their own weight, whether it is enough for Zhou Cang to slap him in the face.

On the way Zhang Yan came, he guessed that Zhou Cang didn't go to the house, but came directly to the store, maybe he wanted to help Zhang Jiazhuang, and he deserved this favor.Of course, I don't think it's easy to repay the favor.Compared with now, Zhou Cang needs him more.As Zhang Yan's cultivation base and alchemy gradually improved, these changes, he thought, would only get bigger and bigger.

"I was busy with business before, so I couldn't come to the store to congratulate in person. Don't blame Mr. Zhang."

"My lord is too polite to say that. The Zhang family can do business so smoothly, and you need to take care of me."

"Hehe, Mr. Zhang is too modest. With Mr.'s ability, what else can be difficult for Mr.?"

We exchanged pleasantries for a while.Zhang Yan could clearly feel that this meeting, Zhou Cang's posture was much lower than the last time we met.I wondered in my heart whether it might be related to Luo Changshan?

But even if Zhang Yan guessed right about these things, he wouldn't ask them.Everyone has their own way of life and relationships, even if there are more worries involved, it is their own business. It is not beneficial to point out that many times, it is good to know it in your heart, otherwise it will easily hurt the other party's face.

The so-called "keep an appropriate distance" actually means this.

"Just now I chatted with Brother Zhang Shun for a while. This wheelchair is really a good thing for the benefit. The business should be good. And it should be better. It is also of great benefit to the people of the country..." Zhou Cang was full of praise, Especially for the most highly rated wheelchairs, the price of one can be affordable even by ordinary people, and it won't even hurt too much.As for those high-end and expensive wheelchairs, it doesn't matter how expensive they are, they are not for ordinary people anyway.

"Your Excellency is right. My elder brother is deeply troubled by disability. Now he has the help of a wheelchair to return to his normal life. I deeply feel that this thing should help more people who need it. So I am also considering expanding some stores recently, or in Shop some goods in other places, so that more people can know the good things.”

How can Zhang Yan not know how to pay for gold?Lead the business to "good deeds" and make money by the way. There is no shortage of fame and benefits, and you can still win word of mouth. How cheap is it?

And to expand the business, it seems that the most direct way is to use Zhou Cang's contacts.Zhang Yan is also leaving a hole in advance for future matters, so that it won't be abrupt to bring it up when the time comes.

But what Zhang Yan didn't expect was that Zhou Cang didn't mean to "keep it" at all along his mouth, and said directly: "It just so happens that I have an idle shop at the side of Xiangkou. If you need it, Mr. Zhang just take it." Exactly." As he said that, he even took out the deed of the house...

Zhang Yan blinked and was a little stunned.He didn't expect that the other party would be waiting for him here.And I took a look at the size of the storefront on the deed, it was more than double the size of the Zhangji Wooden Ware Shop in Langyuan City, and it was also the busiest market block in Xiangkou.Is Zhou Cang going to bet heavily on him?

Chapter 139 Army

The deed of a large five-bay store in the most prosperous district of Beijiang County.The value of this is definitely not much less than the money that Zhang Yan won from Hetong Qianfang before.

That is a lot of money even for a powerful figure in the army like Zhou Cang, and under normal circumstances, this kind of high-quality real estate will not be sold, it is used to pad the family.

Now Zhou Cang directly takes it out, and doesn't talk about money at all, just saying "take it and use it".The meaning of this is obvious, it is to establish a closer relationship with Zhang Yan.I don't want to belong to the relationship of pure exchange as before.In other words, Zhou Cang wants to "add on the cake" after the previous "send charcoal in the snow".

"Master Zhou, the Zhang family will not be rewarded for their merits. If you do this, I dare not accept it." Zhang Yan didn't go to get the house deed that Zhou Cang pushed in front of him.

Zhou Cang did not intend to take back the deed.He smiled, took a sip from his teacup, and said, "I got some bone-strengthening pills from Mr. Zhang before, and because I thought it was good, I presented it to Master Shi Xuanshi, the commander of the Eastern Army. Just as Master Shi is about to break through, Things can be regarded as Mr. Shi's appreciation. Let me show my face in front of Mr. Shi once.

I'm not afraid of Mr. Zhang's jokes. For me, this is a climb in my official career, which is of great significance.As the saying goes, drink water and think of its source, how can I not think of my husband's credit when I get benefits?

Even though a mere pavement is worth a few bucks, what is it compared to the great help Mr. has done?What's more, how can the mystery of bone strengthening pills be measured by money? "

What Zhou Cang said has one meaning: Bone Strengthening Pill is very important, I value it and need it very much, and hope to make friends with you.

In fact, it has become a little abrupt.This is not the usual way adults develop friendships.

Why didn't Zhou Cang know this question?His original idea was to take his time, build a friendship with Zhang Yan bit by bit, and eventually become friends.But the development of things quickly exceeded his calculations, so he had to hurry to get closer to Zhang Yan.For this reason, he deliberately chose to meet at Zhangji Woodenware Shop, and intentionally brought the topic to business, and then took out a generous gift he had prepared to express his thoughts.

Zhang Yan didn't make a sound.There is no such thing as "how much I will buy".People don't give shop faces for money, but for favors. If you open your mouth to give money, it will be ugly. You will be ugly, and the other party will be ugly too.So, either reject it or accept it, there is no compromise.

It's not that Zhang Yan can't accept this favor.Just curious.

"Master Zhou, the Zhang family remembers your kindness. If you hadn't helped the Zhang family when they were in distress, the old and weak in the family would have suffered untold hardships. Therefore, the friendship of the adults will never be forgotten in the Zhang family. Although the bone strengthening pill is good, It is also not worthy of the favor of adults. There is really no need to mention the friendship here..."

"Mr. Zhang! Since friendship is mentioned, then this shop should be taken away without hesitation. It is only a piece of family property in my hands, but in the hands of Mr., it is a great thing for the benefit of the people. Why bother?"

Although Zhang Yan's words made Zhou Cang feel very comfortable.I also believe that Zhang Yan is not a person who forgets his roots.But kindness is not endless, it is impossible for people to be grateful to you for a lifetime of gratitude for a meal, right?No matter how old you are, it's good to listen to this kind of thing as a joke.

So Zhou Cang believes in the progression of relationships.Sending shop is the most suitable way he can think of so far.Even if it's a bit abrupt, it should be able to... right?

But I have to say that what Zhou Cang brought out really fit Zhang Yan's recent needs.And he planned to use the other party's contacts to promote the wheelchair business of the carpentry shop.Therefore, it is really inappropriate to reject the kindness extended by the other party.

"Since your lord's words are all about this, why don't you obey your orders instead of being respectful?"

"Hahaha! Good! Refreshing! Mr. Zhang is worthy of being a member of our army. It's refreshing to speak quickly."

"Your Excellency is ridiculous. Zhang Yan was a criminal soldier when he joined the army. Fortunately, the army gave him the opportunity to plead guilty. Otherwise, there would be no bones left?" Zhang Yan shook his head with a smile.

"Sir, you don't need to be shy. After pleading guilty, you have been recruited for two years. He is a real soldier in the army. Although he is out of the bag now, how can we know what will happen in the future?" Zhou Cang saw Zhang Yan's house deed Putting it away, he was in a good mood, and then revealed the reason why he was eager to deepen the relationship with the other party.

Zhang Yan naturally heard something in Zhou Cang's words, so he asked with a smile: "Master Zhou, please don't tease me. With my background as a criminal soldier, how can I be valued by the army?"

"Sir, why should you be self-effacing? The military is not just schoolbags in temples. Strength is the last word. Real ability is much more important than status and the like.

What's more, how important is the master's means to the army, this point must be clear with the wisdom of the master, right?So no matter sooner or later, Mr. can't get around the door of the army. "

"Master Zhou, what did you hear?" Zhang Yan said in his heart, "It came so fast", although he thought that the Taoist methods he revealed would be praised as a "resource" by others, but how long did it take? , is it about to start?

Zhou Cang moved closer, and said in a low voice: "For the first time in the military newspaper, the gossip formation you took out was named as 'Miscellaneous Learning and Thaumatology'. Although your name was not directly mentioned, it is already in the I prepared the groundwork for you. And yesterday Shi Junshuai officially retreated, which means that there is a high possibility of a successful breakthrough. At that time, your bone-strengthening pill will be famous in Nanyuan country, and you will not be able to hide it. Junwu and Mr. It has an origin, not to mention another special move, but at least it will give Mr. a convenient status."

"Portable status?" Zhang Yan muttered in a low voice, and he was also prepared in his heart.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Cang got up and left.The three brothers and sisters of Zhang Yan's family sent them to the door, and waited for the other party to go far away before returning to the store.

Zhang Shun couldn't bear it any longer, he took his second brother by the arm and went to the inner room of the store.He asked urgently: "How dare you want it! How can you get it from the shop?!"

"Brother, don't worry, I know it well. Our family's business can't be expanded without Zhou Cang for the time being. He also wants to have a closer relationship with us when he gave away the shop. So there is no way to refuse this matter. What's more, the favor will be returned in the future. that is……"

Halfway through speaking, Zhang Huiyuan's voice came from outside, shouting: "Second Brother, Mr. Luo is back!"

Mr. Luo?Luo Changshan?

Zhang Yan patted his elder brother on the shoulder, gave him a "don't worry" look, then turned his head and opened the curtain and walked out.When Luo Changshan came back, he must have brought back the wonderful book "Miscellaneous Scrolls of Spiritual Affairs" that he had been thinking about all along.

I don't know if this strange book can clear up Zhang Yan's doubts and let him see the deep appearance of the ghosts in Huangtianyu.

Chapter 140 Enchanting

In fact, Zhang Yan was not the only one who was worried.Luo Changshan was far more anxious than Zhang Yan.Not only were the post horses of the army rushing away in a hurry, but they also took a shortcut and went back to their thatched cottage first, and took out three volumes from under the bookshelf to take away.Then I went to Huxinzhu, a place frequented by some old friends, and briefly talked about what I learned in Langyuan City this time.

Luo Changshan's body has always been strong, but he was also exhausted after these tossing and tossing.

When Zhang Yan saw Luo Changshan, the old man's complexion was not good, and he was gray and in a bad state of mind.

"Zeng Hao, take senior to the inn to rest first, let's talk about tomorrow if we have anything to do." Greeting Zeng Hao, he then cupped his hands at Luo Changshan and said, "Senior, you've already hurt yourself after traveling so hard, you should take a rest quickly. Get a good night's sleep, Zhang Yan will visit Mr. Zhang again tomorrow, we can talk slowly, don't be in a hurry."

Luo Changshan didn't hold back anymore.He also cared about his body at this age, if he hadn't been really stimulated this time, he wouldn't be in such a hurry.Nodding at this time, he handed a box in his hand to Zhang Yan, greeted him, and followed his apprentice Zeng Hao away.

"Brother, what is this?"

"Book. Do you want to read it?"

"Oh!" Zhang Huiyuan heard that the prefix of "book" was big, so she turned around and left without any curiosity.She didn't like reading at all.But after Zhang Yan came back, he was forced to speed up learning Chinese characters in all his spare time, and had to take a test every other day after closing the shop and returning home.If I can't write it, I have to play it on a handboard.So much so that during this period of time Zhang Huiyuan always walked around her second brother whom she had always loved, fearing that she would be punished if caught.

In fact, Zhang Yan forced Zhang Huiyuan to learn calligraphy so much, in the eyes of his family, it was a bit too demanding.After all, it's not that Zhang Huiyuan doesn't know a single word, it's just that she can't write a whole article.Nanyuan Kingdom has a dispensable attitude towards women's studies.If it wasn't for Zhang Yan being the master of the Zhang family, Wang Lanping would have stood up to help Zhang Huiyuan.

Only Zhang Yan understood his plan.Learning characters is enlightenment, and only after enlightenment can one hold a book and understand reason.In his plan, the Zhang family is going to push up.My sister can't be like those foolish women who only know the family's shortcomings.

Shaking his head, Zhang Yan and his eldest brother Zhang Shun greeted each other and returned home.According to the recent habit, he opened his eyes to cover up his room.Then he opened the box Luo Changshan gave him.Inside were three scrolls.

Miscellaneous Volumes of Spiritual Affairs, Yu Wenbing's essays.

Zhang Yan did his homework before, so that when he got the three volumes of "Miscellaneous Spiritual Affairs", he could first understand the deeds of this "Yu Wenbing", and then look back at the three volumes of "Miscellaneous Spiritual Affairs" to go deeper. and meticulous.

When Luo Changshan mentioned this person before, his tone was regretful and sad many times, which showed that Yu Wenbing was not just a monster.

Zhang Yan spent a lot of money in the bookstore in the East Market to find a very old and fragmented copy, which is full of biographies of some ancient characters.Among them is the length of Yu Wenbing.

Yu Wenbing's original name was Yu Xiao.His place of birth is unknown, nor his family background.He was first remembered for his paintings.At the beginning, it was the name of Yu Xiao who was falling, and later he changed his name to Yu Wenbing after his fame grew.

Yu Wenbing's paintings are still treasures in the hands of collectors. Even after his identity as a monster is exposed, it still does not prevent his paintings from being pushed to the point where they are hard to find.And it is called "the monster".

It is precisely because of his superb painting skills that Yu Wenbing entered the top circle of literati, and then began to write books.Not only was Huang Tianyu's mainstream school studied thoroughly by him, but he also mastered the methods of miscellaneous studies, and soon enjoyed a very high academic status at that time.Even in the medicine books used by doctors in medical clinics today, many pharmacology and prescriptions are written by Yu Wenbing.

Although Yu Wenbing didn't have a lot of space in the biography that Zhang Yan saw, but the written content alone is enough to make people speechless.It's hard to believe that one person can master so much knowledge.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Yu Wenbing is an amazingly talented and all-knowing monster.Even Zhang Yan felt that this description was just right.

The characteristics of the demon species seem to be magnified several times in Yu Wenbing's body.

Moreover, Yu Wenbing has a way to conceal his identity as a demon, and in addition to having little contact with people, he is mostly famous for writing books, so he has been hiding it very well.

The identity of the demon species was revealed by Yu Wenbing himself.

"This is an idealist with amazing talent." Zhang Yan commented on Yu Wenbing's life in this way.

The reason why Zhang Yan would comment on Yu Wenbing like this is because the purpose of Yu Wenbing's self-disclosure is to use his achievements and cultural status in the human race to prove that the demon race, a special minority of mixed blood, can actually bring a lot of benefits to the human race, at least it is useless. Harmful.I hope that the human race can try to accommodate the existence of the demon species, instead of blindly killing them all.

The final outcome was no surprise.

The human race can accept the same kind of amazing talent, but it is absolutely impossible to accept the amazingly talented alien, even if this alien looks almost indistinguishable from itself and looks harmless.

It was also after reading the biography about Yu Wenbing that Zhang Yan suddenly became interested in the group of monsters behind Yu Wenbing.Because no matter how amazing and talented Yu Wenbing is, he can't really subdue the thousands of years of knowledge accumulation of the human race on his own.It must be possible for the ethnic groups behind him to support him.

So what kind of gathering do those demon species hidden in the secular crowd look like?In the realm of the human race, what role do they play?After all, Yu Wenbing can hide without being discovered and make a big name. It makes no sense that other monsters can't do it, right?

And the three-volume "Miscellaneous Volumes of Spiritual Affairs" in my hand didn't even appear in Yu Wenbing's book list.Maybe it was regarded as Yu Wenbing's imaginary and random writing?

Zhang Yan collected his mood.Opening the first scroll, the first sentence that caught his eye made his brows twitch.

"The living things in the world are all made up of soul and body. After death, the body returns to the earth, and the soul returns to the sky. But there are exceptions in the world. For those who are exceptions, the soul breaks away from the common sense, is abandoned by the heaven and the earth, wanders around, and has more or less intelligence. It can be called spirit."

Just such a sentence, basically there is no difference from the description about the origin of ghosts in the Dragon and Tiger Mountain Gate.Just replace the word "ghost" with "spirit".

After reading this, Zhang Yan has confirmed his previous guess.Yu Wenbing definitely knows about ghosts, and has even done some research on them.Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to make up three full volumes of text...

Chapter 141 Spiritual Objects

Zhang Yan hasn't read a book all night for a long time.

The three volumes of "Miscellaneous Spiritual Affairs" were read by Zhang Yan in one night, and the general content inside was also loaded into his mind.There are familiar parts and novel parts.Although it can't be called a complete picture, it can definitely make him draw a rough outline of a ghost belonging to the wild world in his impression.

According to Yu Wenbing in the book.Ghosts are called "spirits" but are subdivided into five types.

hunting spirits.It should be the target wild ghost.But compared to the wild ghosts on the earth, the spirit hunters in the wild sky are much worse.As the lowest level of ghosts, they have almost no room for further growth, and they are not recognized by other ghosts. A word of "hunting" can tell a lot of clues.Let's look at the behavior of the ghost boy that Zhang Yan saw on the mass grave before. Combined with the words in the scroll, hunting spirits is a kind of prey or food, to be hunted.

Soul boy and soul feed.These are two ghosts.Moreover, there are no records of the ancient books in the Dragon and Tiger Mountain Gate, and there are no special species of ghosts in the Huangtian Territory that have not been used as analogies.In fact, if you look at the essence of the two, they should both belong to the category of ghosts.But because of their different positions in the ghost ecology of the wild world, they were subdivided.

As for why these two kinds of ghosts are put together, it is also because of the special relationship between them.

It's like a pig and a swineherd in a pigsty.A soul boy is a pig, and a soul feed is a swineherd.

To be honest, when Zhang Yan saw this, a thought popped into his mind: Is there still such a thing for fun?

Although there is no such record about ghosts on the earth, Zhang Yan has some experience in the wild world.The most intuitive and most impressive one was in front of the beheading platform in the east market of Langyuan City, where he witnessed a scene of one big, two small and three ghosts eating the souls of death row prisoners.

Could that female ghost in red be the "spiritual feeding" that Yu Wenbing mentioned in the book?

Those two ghost children are "soul boys" raised as pigs?

Since Zhang Yan regarded him as a pig, the fate of the soul boy would not be much better than that of the pigs in the pigsty, and it could even be said to be exactly the same.

It's just that it's not easy to keep a soul boy in captivity, and it takes a long time. If you're lucky for five or six years, it's not uncommon for you to be unlucky for [-] or [-] years.Once cultivated, the ones who enjoy the soul boy will naturally not be the ghosts like the female ghost in red, but the higher-level ghosts in the circle of strange ghosts in the wild world.For example, the two generals that Zhang Yan saw dressed as ghosts.They also have a specific title, called "spiritual generals".

Zhang Yan's understanding is that this "spiritual general" is the existence of "fighting" among the ghosts.It is no longer a pure ghost, but has stepped into the ranks of ghost cultivators.Compared with the half-baked ones like the spirit beasts, these spirit generals are serious ghost cultivators.It's just that it is very different from the number of ghost repair roads recorded at the Dragon and Tiger Mountain Gate.

The spirit will go up to be the holy king with a higher status.The "king" in the fragments Zhang Yan intercepted most likely refers to the holy king.If the analogy continues, the holy kings must be ghost cultivators at least at the ghost king level.It is also Zhang Yan who understands the quality of the opponent he needs to face next.

But here you think it's over?Is this the state of the ghost circle in the wild world described by Yu Wenbing in the three volumes?

No, no, these are not all, nor are they the part that Zhang Yan cares most about in these three volumes.

In the third volume "Miscellaneous Volumes of Spiritual Affairs", a new concept called "Sanctuary" was thrown out.

It doesn't really matter what it's called, what's important is that this so-called sanctuary is described in Yu Wenbing's book: a kingdom of spirits constructed entirely of spiritual things.

This is scary.

Previously, Zhang Yan guessed that since there was a ghost king, would there be a ghost mansion and a ghost cultivator sect?But I never thought that my vision is still short-sighted, and people will directly give you a "country" to come out.

ghost country.Isn't this much scarier than ghost houses and the like?Even when Zhang Yan saw the words "Lingzhiguo", what he thought of was actually "underworld".But after thinking about it, I found that although both the Jifu and the "spiritual kingdom" described by Yu Wenbing are gathering ghosts, the former is "reincarnation and control", while the latter is probably "self-contained".

The two seem to be similar, but they are actually different in essence.

Then the problem is coming.

Since there is a sanctuary like the "spiritual kingdom", why is it that the human race is still calm, and there is not even a little cognition that can be related to it?

Oh, that's not right, this "Miscellaneous Scrolls of Spiritual Affairs" is actually very detailed, but it was passed around among the human race and was not accepted by people, and it was even regarded as a joke.This in itself seems abnormal and illogical.It's understandable that those who are obsessed with natural sciences don't believe in Yu Wenbing's theory, and those mainstream schools don't believe in these things?The more Zhang Yan thought about it, the more he felt that he seemed to have discovered something strange.

Is it limited to Nanyuan Kingdom?Or is it the same for all nation-states?

In addition, since Yu Wenbing came from the demon clan, what he learned must also come from the accumulation of the demons from generation to generation.So does it mean that compared to the strange reaction of the human race to ghosts, it is completely opposite to what the demons have passed down.