Chapter 199 Yicheng Family
The clothes of the young master named Tang were scratched underwater by the edges of the boats, the rocks that he passed, and bitten by the fish, and were in tatters. Everything on his body fell off, and even his long knife sank to the bottom of the water. Meng Qi didn't find anything of value.
The pale moonlight shone on the face of Mr. Tang, making the sincerity and unwillingness in his eyes extremely obvious, and the two lines of tears evaporated a lot, leaving mottled traces.
"Huh?" Meng Qi's eyes opened early, and under the changing light and shadow, he realized that something was wrong with his tears. It was not the tears, but his skin.
His left hand groped the face of Mr. Tang, gradually and slowly, and suddenly he picked up a layer of skin from the corner of his ear and peeled it off.
It’s actually a human skin mask!
Meng Qi held the mask, looked at Mr. Tang's face, and let out another soft sigh.
This is not because the young man surnamed Tang has become another person, but because the real appearance under the other person's skin mask is the same as the appearance and features of the person wearing the human skin mask. The only difference is that his real face is covered with criss-crossing lines. Although the wound was not a new one, it was extremely deep and difficult to heal. It became even scarier and more hideous after it became scarred and wrinkled.
"The reason why he wears this human skin mask is probably just to cover up his disfigured face." Meng Qi looked at the thin mask in his hand and secretly speculated.
This mask was so exquisitely made that it would have been difficult to spot it with my own eyes if the young man surnamed Tang had not shed tears before his death.
"There are so many wounds on the face. They are definitely not caused during a fight. They look like they have been tortured by life..." Meng Qi made a judgment.
If it was caused by a fight, there would only be one or two deep wounds. Unlike now, they are crisscrossed and densely packed, making people shudder. It was obviously someone who deliberately did it.
Then I think of the slightly fearful and vigilant expression of Mr. Tang when he mentioned that he was going out to explore, and when he was watching Shan Xiumei fighting against the Huanxi Demon and the Iron Hand Demon, he was killed by another assassin and jumped into the river. From experience, Meng Qi can be sure that things are not simple. The young master named Tang may have offended someone he shouldn't have offended, knew something he shouldn't know, was brutally tortured, and was stabbed to death by an assassin.
After thinking for a while, Meng Qi picked up the human skin mask, found something heavy, tied it to the young master named Tang, threw him into the river, and carried out a water burial.
"The matter is unknown, and I can't wade into your muddy waters." Meng Qi sighed, wiped away the traces, and walked back to the cabin. The human skin mask is intended to be used in the world of reincarnation. If there is a camp confrontation mission, the enemy will return The main world can only seek revenge on Mr. Tang, who has been missing for a long time.
In the next few days, the building boat passed through the "cold winter" and sailed into the "midsummer". The peaks on both sides of the bank met the sky, the apes and monkeys were constantly chirping, and the trees were green and green.
After passing the steep mountains, the building boat enters the plains, thousands of miles of fertile soil, and a vast array of houses.
Meng Qi has been concentrating on staying in the cabin. With the help of Lei Hen, he has officially entered the "Purple Thunder Jin" and can start practicing the "Crazy Thunder Shaking the Sky" of the Purple Thunder Sword Technique.
The building boat sailed up the river and entered the Yahe River, a tributary. In a few days, it arrived at Yicheng, and beyond that was Yedu.
Because the Iron-Hand Killer was too conspicuous that day, no one came to harass Meng Qi during this period. After arriving in Yicheng, he left the remaining shipping money in his room and left at night, making it unclear where he got off. ship.
Carrying the package, Meng Qi looked like a scholar seeking relatives. At dawn, he paid the door tax and entered the small but prosperous city.
Qi Zhengyan was easy to find. He randomly asked a man who looked like a good man in the world and asked him where the leader of the Huanhua Sword Sect was. Meng Qi got the location he wanted. He wandered over slowly, watching as he walked, and occasionally bought a bunch of candied haws for seasoning. .
The plaque "Huanhua Rice Shop" came into view. Meng Qi straightened his gauze hat and clothes and stepped in with a smile.
It was early in the morning, Qi Zhengyan was wearing a blue robe, and was giving orders to the shopkeeper and waiters expressionlessly. When he suddenly saw a handsome boy coming in at the door, his face suddenly changed slightly, and his surprise was palpable.
The shopkeeper and waiters rarely saw any expression on Chief Qi's dead face. They turned around and saw Meng Qi smiling brightly and saying enthusiastically: "Cousin, I'm here to join you!"
Qi Zhengyan's mouth twitched, his expression returned, and he said in a brotherly manner: "Come in with me."
He turned and walked towards the backyard. Although Meng Qi had always told him that he would come to him, who knew it would come so quickly and suddenly.
When the shopkeeper and waiter saw that it was Director Qi's cousin, they looked surprised and weird. They even forgot to say hello, which made Meng Qi a little confused.
After entering the backyard room, Qi Zhengyan closed the door and poured Meng Qi a cup of tea: "Junior Brother Meng, aren't you still in Xuanwu?"
In previous exchanges, Meng Qi mentioned that he had eaten with Zhang Yuanshan in Xuanwu.
"Senior Brother Zhang has a big tree and attracts the attention of others. I will give up when I see it and come to join you, Senior Brother Qi. Is it not welcome?" Meng Qi deliberately said in a teasing tone, "By the way, we treat each other as cousins, and we can't reveal our secrets."
Qi Zhengyan's face twitched: "It's not that I'm not welcome, but you should come to see me quietly first to discuss your words."
"Um, what's the problem with my cousin?" Meng Qi once asked Qi Zhengyan. He bought a property for his parents in his hometown, but he didn't take it to his side. After all, the position of the principal is not fixed, and he may be sent to other places to look after him at random times. Send out the industry.
Since his parents are not here, there shouldn't be any problem pretending to be his cousin, right?
Qi Zhengyan shook his head: "My cousin came to seek refuge before and got into trouble. Suddenly another cousin came, and he always attracted attention."
"No wonder the shopkeeper and the waiter have weird expressions." Meng Qi suddenly said, "Last time we met, I realized that you have something on your mind, Senior Brother Qi. Could it be that it's your cousin's fault?"
He took the opportunity to complete Jiang Zhiwei's instructions.
Qi Zhengyan's expression darkened a lot: "It's a long story."
"Then speak slowly." Meng Qi stared into Qi Zhengyan's eyes.
Qi Zhengyan knocked on the table: "Our sect has two chiefs in Yicheng, one chief and the other."
"I know, you are the deputy, and one of your uncles is in charge." Meng Qi continued.
Qi Zhengyan clasped his hands and said, "When I first came here, my uncle was very wary of me. Later, he saw that I was silent and honest, often unable to leave the hospital, so he gradually gave me the management of the rice shop and part of the farmland."
The Huanhua Sword Sect has vast fields, many villages and shops in the city, which is nothing to a large sect, but in the eyes of ordinary disciples in the awakening stage, just grabbing a little bit can make themselves rich and resources are no longer tight. .
Therefore, the uncle of the Huanhua Sword Sect was initially wary of Qi Zhengyan trying to use him to gain his position. However, as time went by, he discovered that he was taciturn and liked to practice martial arts behind closed doors, and was quite honest, so he shared some of the money that he did not have. Give him such important rights to prevent him from being unable to stay any longer, applying to return to the mountain, and having a deputy who is difficult to deal with.
"Cousin, you don't care about this. The extra income is just a windfall. It's for those who are popular and drink spicy food." Meng Qi strengthened his title to avoid calling him by mistake when he was outside.
Qi Zhengyan shook his head and said: "I am very satisfied with the current situation. I have extra money to buy properties for my parents and brothers, but the situation in Yicheng has changed."
"Huh?" Meng Qi probably understands Qi Zhengyan's worries. He is afraid of losing the stable life in the main world, unable to practice martial arts and improve with peace of mind, cope with the tasks in the reincarnation world and the idea of becoming famous in the future.
"Although the city is small, it is backed by Yedu. There are many merchants coming and going, and it is bustling and lively. There are four major families, Tang Ye Lingwan, and the Ye family. The Ling family is attached to the Zhoujun Wang family. They want to suppress us and erode our industry here, and the Tang family The Wan family is close to the sect, and they are in the same spirit, advancing and retreating together, maintaining the balance of the city. "
Qi Zhengyan's worries had been hidden in his mind for a long time, and finally he was asked by Meng Qi, "A month ago, the old man of the Tang family was seriously ill and could not manage the affairs. Several sons were fighting. Some wanted to rely on the Wang family, and some wanted to ask us to come forward. People were panicked. , the undercurrent is turbulent.”
"Since then, people from all families have gradually become alienated from us. I don't know what happened in the meantime."
Meng Qi frowned slightly: "You, the Huanhua Sword Sect, just have to express your attitude and fully support one person. There is nothing to worry about, right?"
"This is the intention of the sect, but if you want to support me, you will have to compete. I am not afraid of most of the masters in the city, but my martial arts are special and I cannot do it with all my strength in broad daylight, otherwise I will easily be jealous." Qi Zhengyan showed a hint of sadness.
"Huntian Baojian" is the peerless magical skill on the first page of the redemption manual for the Lord of Six Paths of Reincarnation. It is comprehensive and powerful, and is different from most other skills. Although Qi Zhengyan only completed the four orifices and was close to opening the nose, the fourth After achieving the level of Bibi Bingxue, he was confident that he could defeat most of the masters from the seventh or even eighth apertures head-on, let alone the ordinary six-apertures.
Meng Qi laughed: "It's a trivial matter. My cousin will take care of the future battles. When you encounter a strong enemy that you and your uncle cannot defeat with their apparent strength, you can also ask for more help from the faction."
"Yes." Qi Zhengyan nodded slowly. With Meng Qi here, most of his concerns would no longer matter.
"What happened to your cousin?" Meng Qi asked.
Qi Zhengyan rarely showed his annoyance: "Half a month ago, my cousin came to Yicheng to seek refuge, but one night he was picked off by Li Sui, the guest of the Ye family, the 'Ghost Shadow Sword', and his hand tendons and hamstrings were broken. There are all the witnesses and physical evidence. People from the Ye family But they said that we deliberately framed him with false accusations and asked people close to him to give false testimony to protect Li Sui. The uncle was afraid that the matter would get serious and provoke a direct conflict between the Ye family and the sect, which would lead to the intervention of the Wang family. He advised me to cure the Tang Dynasty first. Brother, let’s wait until the Tang family’s affairs are settled before we discuss it.”
Meng Qi frowned slightly: "What is the attitude of your Huanhua Sword Sect?"
"Uncle Master didn't report it." Qi Zhengyan looked gloomy, "I sent my cousin back to my hometown to recuperate. Even if the broken tendon is repaired, there is no hope for the future of martial arts."
Meng Qi nodded, then asked: "How strong are the four Tang Ye Lingwan families?"
"It has been passed down for a long time, and there are precious soldiers to suppress the family, but for many years there has not been half a step outside, and the power has shrunk and cannot go outside the scope of the city." Qi Zhengyan said simply, "But after all, it is an aristocratic family, and there is no shortage of resources and accumulation. Eight orifices, nine There are many masters of skill.”
Meng Qi nodded lightly and said with a smile: "Let's not mention the unhappy things for now, cousin, you have to treat me to a drink of Jiefeng Wine!"
"I'm going to make a jar of sweet-scented osmanthus wine." Qi Zhengyan said with a dull expression.
Meng Qi said with a smile: "Okay, what good food is there in the city? I can buy it to drink with you?"
"There is a Wufeng Tower nearby. The pork head meat and soy sauce beef are very good." Qi Zhengyan thought for a while and said.
Meng Qi walked out of the backyard, stepped onto the street under the eyes of the shopkeeper and waiters, stopped a passerby and asked:
"Brother, I wonder how to get to the Ye family?"