In the city of Qizhou, Shandong, people come and go on the street, businessmen from all over the country ride donkeys and drive horses, bustling, teahouses and restaurants, and business is booming.

Suddenly, there was a commotion on the busy street.

At a small food stall on the side of the street, dozens of plainclothes officials surrounded a middle-aged scholar who sat at a small table and drank alone.

"Mr. Ling, I don't tell stories in Cuifeng Building, but I came here for a drink, let's find it for a while, come with us, King Xia is invited."

The middle-aged scholar's robe was shabby, full of patches, but his face was quite complacent, he looked like he was ignorant of it, he drank a bowl of water and wine slowly, and waved his hand: "Ling Mou has already said that he only likes to go through the mountains and villages, and he has no intention of working for anyone on a drunken day today, let alone King Xia, even if the Three Emperors and Five Emperors come in person, Ling Mou is also saying this, please go back and tell King Xia and find another master." ”

More than a dozen officials looked at each other, not knowing what to do, obviously there was an order from above, and they could only be courteous, not able to invite.

Counting this time, it was the third time that they had come to invite this outsider named Ling Jing to chase him around the city.

This person's name is Ling Jing, he is a storyteller in the city, eloquent, well-informed, good at telling some strange and strange things, and is very famous in Qizhou City, and occasionally tells a wonderful story in major restaurants, which often attracts many people who come to listen to his story, and gradually becomes famous.

Dou Jiande snared talents everywhere, and he was also recommended by some discerning people, Dou Jiande specially sent someone to invite him, but he had a perverse temperament, and no one gave face, telling stories just to survive, and asked him to say that the price of books was not cheap, but he was telling a story to rest for more than ten days, and when there was no money, he went into the city to talk about it again to earn some wine money.

He had no fixed place to live, and he wandered around with an old father, and it was not easy to find him, and they had worked so hard for a few times, and they had managed to find him several times, but they were all closed.

One person couldn't help it, and shouted: "You poor scholar, you don't know what to do, King Xia sincerely hired you with a thousand taels of gold as a promise, but you relied on King Xia to always be a corporal and not force others, three times and twice to hang yourself high to sell, you are a storyteller, you are really so great!" You don't think about yourself, but also for the sake of your old father, you really angered King Xia, do you think you can still have your hidden dreams in Shandong! ”

The scholar laughed and said, "Bow first and then soldier, could it be that this is also the way of Corporal Lixian?" ”

"A stubborn person like you, toasting and not eating and drinking, if it weren't for King Xia's order, you would have been arrested and beaten with a hundred boards by virtue of your repeated disobedience to King Xia's will, so that you don't know what to do!"

"Wouldn't it save a lot of tongue to say this earlier, let's do it, Ling is a scholar in a mere area, and he has no power to tie the chicken, but he also has to follow the example of the ancients, and raise this mighty and unyielding, Mount Tai collapsed in front and the color remained unchanged! How can you be intimidated by your minions and hawks to retreat and change their principles! ”

An official was finally angered by his arrogance and insults, and one scolded: "What Lao Tzu is most unaccustomed to is that you are poor scholars, relying on knowing a few small words, playing a good mouth, pampering and arrogant, not taking us errand in your eyes, even if you lose your head today, you must let you see the power of our eagle dog!" ”

Amid the dissuasion of the other officials, the official strode up to the scholar and swung his fist in the face.

With a bang, he hit the bridge of his nose, and when he landed, he knocked the beautiful scholar on his back and fell to the ground, and his nosebleed flowed.

The calm Deng Shi just now was gone, crying and crawling up, crying "I'll fight with you", and rushed towards the official, hugged the other party's waist, and hit his head with his head.

The other officials had already held back their anger, and when they saw this, they glanced at each other, turned around and drove away the other onlookers.

"Gone, gone, nothing to see!"

A group of people surrounded the scholar, punched and kicked, and beat the scholar to the face full of injuries, but did not hurt the muscles and bones, until the other party was lying on the ground and couldn't move, stopped his mouth, and then stopped, and spit on the ground one after another, scolding: "Let your mouth owe!" Let's go, go back and tell King Xia, just say that this person is actually just a wasted person, a poor sour who is useless! ”

The officials cursed and left, leaving the scholar lying on the ground gasping for air.

After a while, even the onlookers left, and the scholar got up in embarrassment, patted the dust on his body, wiped the blood on the corner of his mouth, sat back in his original position as if nothing happened, picked up the bowl of water and wine that had not been drunk, took a sip, and let out a comfortable sigh: "Ah, it's finally quiet, and drinking wine doesn't make people stop...... Boss, settle accounts. ”

At this time, the owner of the snack stall walked up, holding a plate of freshly fried side dishes and placing it in front of him: "Mr. Ling, this is the guest officer at the next table who invited you, and your wine money has been settled by a guest officer." ”

"Oh?"

Ling Jing turned his head and looked at a guest at the next table, a man of about thirty, with a strong build, broad shoulders, a mustache on his upper lip, and a scruffy beard, which looked unkempt, but had another peculiar style.

The most unique thing is that the scar under the left side of the other party's face looks like a burn, although it is covered by a beard, the outline of the scar can still be seen, and from a distance, it looks like some kind of animal pattern.

The other party nodded slightly at him and raised his glass to invite.

Ling Jing snorted and raised his voice: "Ling Mou drinks a little wine, and he doesn't need others to pay for it!" This kind of little trick is too unpopular, and Ling Mou disdains a thousand taels of gold, could it be that this little favor can buy me? Don't drink it, it's a waste of fun! ”

After speaking, he took out a few pieces of broken silver from his waist, slapped them on the table, and got up and left.

The man who had been sitting at the other table had a twinkle in his eyes, took out his drink money and put it down, and then stood up and followed far behind.

……………………

He had been following Ling Jing not far behind, and saw that Ling Jing had gone to the vegetable shop in the city to buy some fresh pork and wine, and then to the pharmacy to buy some medicinal herbs, carrying these things, renting a carriage, and going out of the city, and only then stopped in front of a dilapidated house in a farm farm outside the city.

This is a dilapidated and simple wooden house, the rubble on the house is broken, the wood has been corroded a lot by the rain, wind and sand, and there are gaps in the air everywhere, so that the house, in winter, the north wind pours into the house, can not keep out the cold at all.

From inside the house came the coughing sound of an old man.

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