The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 129: You can see it, touch it, but you can’t take it away
After leaving Ma Dao Po's ancestral temple, Li Jingxiao took advantage of the three or four hours left before dawn.

He then went to the homes of several other fortune-tellers and Taoist priests and looked around.

The amount of gold, silver and copper coins looted was more than 60,000 taels, and Li Jingxiao also discovered that the secret techniques in these people's hands were basically all unorthodox techniques.

Moreover, many records are incomplete and severely damaged.

But I still learned a lot of useful spells.

The horse-falling technique, the flying head technique, and the disaster-bringing technique.

But more often than not, it is just a scam. To put it bluntly, it is just trying to cheat people of their money and sex.

Moreover, an account book was found in the last place. Li Jingxiao sneered after reading it.

I had heard from Jia Rong before that there were hundreds of temples and Taoist temples of all sizes in the capital.

Among them, there are more than twenty houses with the most prosperous incense, and the one in this account book is related to Guanghui Temple.

He was actually doing money lending in private.

In this case, Li Jingxiao will certainly not let it go.

After entering the temple and finding the warehouse where the silver and money were stored, the first thing I saw was more than twenty silver winter melons placed in the middle of the warehouse.

Li Jingxiao's heart beat faster when he saw this.

Silver winter melon is a silver lump made of silver. It has a slippery surface and each one weighs at least two or three hundred pounds.

Some of them weigh as much as seven or eight hundred kilograms to prevent theft and robbery.

The 24 silver winter melons in front of Li Jingxiao were as big as marble boulders in his previous life.

Each one is specially engraved with the words "Six Hundred Jin of Pure Silver", so they are not afraid of you stealing it.

If we calculate that one catty weighs sixteen taels, this silver winter melon is worth 9600 taels.

16 equals 23.04 taels of silver.

Damn, a temple actually has so much cash hidden, which shows how brutal the looting is.

Li Jingxiao put all 24 silver winter melons into the game inventory without hesitation.

There were also about 2 taels of gold and silver ingots on the wooden rack.

There were also more than a dozen baskets, containing several hundred strings of copper coins, which were all taken away.

Then he returned home quietly, changed his night clothes, and fell asleep in his arms while Qin Keqing was still sleeping soundly.

It was a little after 8 o'clock in the morning. Although Li Jingxiao had only slept for three or four hours last night, he was in good spirits.

During morning exercises, Qin Keqing, Baozhu and Ruizhu were more active than Li Jingxiao.

Although she knew that she would never be able to defeat her husband, she could still strike with her sword freely during the duel.

Moreover, the flirtatious glances she exchanged with the official made Qin Keqing, a young lady from an official family who usually never left the house except to visit her father, somewhat fascinated by him.

After losing three times in a row, Qin Keqing put away her sword thinking that Baozhu and Ruizhu were still waiting.

Sure enough, Baozhu and Ruizhu's faces lit up with joy, and they looked at their master with anticipation.

Li Jingxiao had no choice but to wave at Baozhu.

After a round of competition, Baozhu and Ruizhu actually followed Qin Keqing's example and only competed three times each.

Get 450 experience points.

Character level 18 (480/1800)

Li Jingxiao thought to himself that he would have to think of a way to let his wife compete with him more times tomorrow.

Even if you only play one more game, that's 50 experience points.

If Baozhu and Ruizhu follow her, the combined points will be 50.
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While having breakfast, a maid came in hurriedly to report that the Jinyiwei had come to ask for a meeting.

Li Jingxiao originally thought that Guanghui Temple, Ma Dao Po and several other witches and shamans would not report to the authorities.

If the outside world knew that Guanghui Temple and the ancestral temples were so rich, it might not be a good thing.

I went to the front yard and met the thousand-householder Zhou Xu and the hundred-householder Zhou Gongzhi, uncle and nephew, in the reception room.

After drinking tea, Li Jingxiao asked, "How has the commander been these days?"

Zhou Boxu sighed and shook his head, "I'm fine, but..."

Li Jingxiao understood as soon as he heard it. It would be strange if Zhou Boyi could get used to retirement life after resigning from his official position.

Li Jingxiao comforted him a few words, and Zhou Xu then started talking about the incident in which the abbot of Guangyuan Temple went to Shuntian Prefecture to report to the authorities this morning.

It was said that 30 taels of silver were stolen from their temple overnight.

Shuntian Prefecture was so frightened that it didn't dare to take the case alone.

He asked for help from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Factory Guard, and the Dali Temple, hoping to get a few unlucky guys to share the pressure.

On the contrary, Ma Dao Po and other witches, just as Li Jingxiao guessed, did not dare to report to the authorities.

Li Jingxiao waved his hand, picked up the tea bowl and took a sip before speaking to Zhou Xu.

"I never get involved in worldly affairs. Besides, the monks' silver was stolen. Why should I, a Taoist priest, help them investigate this case?"

After saying this, he held the tea bowl in his hand, neither putting it down nor continuing to drink tea.

Zhou Xu and Zhou Gongzhi, uncle and nephew, knew at a glance that Li Jingxiao was serving tea to see off the guests.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say a few more words of advice.

But on second thought, even the retired emperor or the emperor would not force the marquis to investigate this case.

He stood up, bowed, and was about to say goodbye.

But then Li Jingxiao asked, "Captain Zhou, how is your swordsmanship going?"

Zhou Gongzhi's face lit up with joy, then tensed up again.

The reason for his happiness was that Li Jingxiao still remembered to teach him a sword technique.

Being nervous is because you worry that you haven't practiced well enough, and the relationship you've worked so hard to build might be broken.

He politely bowed and replied, "Your Excellency, I have been practicing diligently these past few days and have not dared to slack off for even a moment."

Li Jingxiao nodded and called Erfu in.

"Have a few moves with Captain Zhou and see if you two have made any progress in the past few days."

Erfu naturally had no objection.

Nodding to Zhou Gongzhi, the two of them left the reception room and saw Li Jingxiao and Zhou Xu following them out.

I couldn't help but become more serious.

Seeing this, the guards and servants also stood around the yard and watched.

As soon as Li Jingxiao saw Zhou Gongzhi's opening move, he knew that this guy had really put in a lot of effort.

Seeing that Erfu was ready, he said, "That's enough, let's get started."

Erfu and Zhou Gongzhi nodded to each other and drew their swords at the same time.

The Five Tigers Breaking Door Sword techniques are brutal, agile, strong and powerful.

The Hu family's swordsmanship has both yin and yang, and uses both the real and the fake. It is sometimes fake and sometimes real, yet it is tough and tenacious.

In terms of swordsmanship, the Hu family's swordsmanship, which combines both hardness and softness, is superior.

But no matter how good your swordsmanship is, whether it is effective in actual combat depends entirely on the individual.

Erfu has been practicing the internal skills that go with the Five Tigers Breaking Door Sword, and has already developed internal strength.

It has been decided that his strength has already surpassed Zhou Gongzhi.

Moreover, Erfu had served as a soldier in the border county for many years. Before he practiced the Five Tigers Breaking Door Sword, his martial arts skills were probably far inferior to those of Zhou Gongzhi, who had a profound family background in martial arts.

But the people in the border counties are not allowed to stay at night, as they are people living on the brink of death.

His courage, perseverance and ruthlessness are absolutely beyond the reach of Zhou Gongzhi, a rich young man.

The two men exchanged only seven or eight sword strikes, but even Zhou Xu, his uncle, could see that his nephew was being beaten by the leader of the Marquis's guards.

The more Zhou Gongzhi fought, the more anxious he became.

Li Jingxiao turned his wrist, and a stone appeared and popped out from his finger.

It hit the two people's swords that were colliding with each other, and a huge force made Erfu and Zhou Gongzhi fall apart.

Li Jingxiao scolded with a smile, "Erfu, you are not allowed to use your internal energy."

Erfu chuckled, clasped his fists and saluted, then said to Zhou Gongzhi with a smile, "Again?" Zhou Gongzhi secretly rubbed his wrist, and looked at Li Jingxiao with more admiration and awe.

Just now, a stone hit the knife, making me lose my balance and my arms limp. I took three or four steps back before I could steady myself.

If this stone hits a person, it can kill him.

However, considering that the Marquis is so powerful in Taoism, it seems normal for him to know hidden weapons.

He clasped his fists to thank Li Jingxiao, then nodded to Erfu.

The two men fought again, but in terms of moves, the advantages of the Hu family's swordsmanship were revealed.

Enwrap, slide, twist, rub, pull, and cut.

If you look at the essence of the sword technique, you will know that this sword technique has a bit of the meaning of using slow to beat fast and defending to counterattack.

Zhou Gongzhi's many years of experience in martial arts also played a significant role.

No matter how fierce Erfu's attack was, Zhou Gongzhi could always hold on.

The two men fought back and forth, and in a short while, more than ten moves had been exchanged.

Li Jingxiao looked at Zhou Gongzhi's expression, smiled, and nodded from time to time.

Zhou Xu, who was watching the game from the side, looked delighted.

Zhao Junheng, Jiang Liu, Liu Qi and others couldn't help but worry.

Erfu himself was a little anxious, but fortunately this kid had served as a soldier in the border county back then, and it was not in vain.

Seeing that the quick attack was not going to work, he hurriedly made adjustments.

Now, the following fight became a bit boring.

One didn't dare to attack with all his strength, and the other only thought about defending and counterattacking, so every move they made was a fake one.

People who don't understand the situation will see that the two of them combine real and fake moves, and their moves are complicated and varied. Often, the swords don't even touch each other before they start changing moves, which makes it even more exciting.

But in Li Jingxiao's eyes, it was a complete waste of energy.

However, considering that they have only been training for two or three months, this performance is a testament to their talent and hard work.

After more than ten moves, Erfu saw that Zhou Gongzhi's defense was more than enough, but his offense was a little lacking.

He couldn't help but feel secretly happy and changed his moves again.

Even if Duke Zhou wanted to use slowness to defeat speed, there was a limit.

Especially if you lack eyesight and experience, not only will the knife in your hand be messy, but your steps will also not keep up.

Sure enough, when Erfu attacked again, he was no longer charging forward.

When he attacked with the Embroidered Spring Sword in his hand, it seemed swift and fierce, but he also held back some of his strength.

As the moves became faster, the transitions between them became more complicated, and soon Zhou Gongzhi was unable to cope with it.

In particular, physical strength is consumed faster.

Erfu did not use his internal energy in his swordsmanship, but he possessed internal energy, and the circulation of this internal energy in his body gave him a significant boost in physical strength.

Seeing that Zhou Gongzhi's steps were already disordered, Li Jingxiao said, "Alright, stop it."

Erfu chuckled, while Zhou Gongzhi was a little out of breath and looked at Li Jingxiao uneasily.

Li Jingxiao glared at Erfu unhappily, then looked at Zhou Gongzhi and said with a smile, "Not bad, it seems that you practice diligently on weekdays.

He also has a great talent for swordsmanship and is a skilled martial artist."

The uncle and nephew of the Zhou family then laughed.

Li Jingxiao looked at Zhou Gongzhi and said, "If you have nothing to do on weekdays, go to the Dianqian Yamen and challenge Erfu and the others to a duel.

No matter how well you practice at home, it won’t be as profound as the experience you get from fighting with someone.”

Duke Zhou was ecstatic. With this relationship, no one in the Jinyiwei would take advantage of his misfortune to cause trouble for him in the future.

The uncle and nephew thanked him again, and before leaving, Zhou Xu secretly handed an envelope to Li Jingxiao.

Needless to say, there must be silver bills in the envelope.

Seeing that Li Jingxiao had accepted it, Zhou Xu secretly relaxed and whispered, "It was the New Year's Day a few days ago, so it was not convenient to disturb you.

My cousin is a criminal and it is not convenient for him to come in person to thank the Marquis for saving his life.

That’s why it’s been delayed until today, and I’m asking this humble official to kowtow to the Marquis on his behalf.”

After saying this, he pulled open the hem of his robe and knelt down.

Li Jingxiao reached out to hold Zhou Xu's arm, but when Zhou Gongzhi knelt down, Li Jingxiao ignored him.

To be honest, I have saved the lives of two generations of the Zhou family.

He couldn't help but smile and said to Zhou Xu, "Surviving a great disaster is already a great blessing.

And to be honest, it is not easy to retire peacefully from the position of Jinyiwei Commander.

Let Mr. Zhou be more open-minded."

Zhou Xu nodded. As generations of Jinyiwei, the Zhou family was very clear about this.

However, when a high-ranking official holding great power suddenly becomes an ordinary person, very few people can see things in a positive light.

Many people's bodies have obviously aged significantly after only three to five years of retirement, which shows how difficult it is to "let go".

After watching the Zhou uncle and nephew leave, Li Jingxiao turned back to look at Erfu and said with a smile, "I didn't expect that your talent for sword training isn't the best.

But being smart and adaptable is rare.”

It sounds simple to keep three-tenths of your strength when making a move.

But when it comes to real competition, very few people can understand this principle on their own.

Erfu originally thought that even if the adults were satisfied, they would still curse a few words like their superiors in the past to prevent him from becoming proud and complacent.

I didn't expect adults to praise me.

He scratched his head and chuckled, and the complacency in his heart disappeared.

Li Jingxiao came from later generations and knew that if the people below him did well, they should be praised.

Being a strict teacher all the time is not a good thing.

He smiled and said to Jia Heng, "Brother Heng, have someone kill a few sheep and stew the mutton today as a snack for Erfu and the others.

By the way, it can also satisfy the cravings of the servants, maids, and women at home."

Jia Heng nodded quickly, and Erfu and other guards and servants were all delighted.

Although it was still the first month of the lunar year and the food in the mansion was good, the servants did not have meat to eat all day.

Although Li Jingxiao holds a high position, he was just an ordinary person in his previous life, and frugality has long been ingrained in his bones.

It is impossible that even the maids in the Jia family enjoy the same treatment as the daughters of ordinary officials.

Although Qin Keqing came from an official family, Qin Ye was only a fifth-rank official after all, so it was naturally impossible for him to be extravagant.

But for servants, it is already very good to have three meals a day, have vegetables, and get decent wages.

But guards like Erfu have meat to eat every day.

Moreover, they all had a share of the food and wages of the Palace Front Office and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard was even given double the food and wages.

It is equivalent to receiving three parts of food and salary, and the lowest one is still a small flag officer.

Li Jingxiao provided enough money and food, so his loyalty was naturally very high.

After returning to the inner courtyard and getting dressed, he said to Qin Keqing, "Madam, I will go to the palace to report for duty today.

My husband has to go to Ningguo Mansion for a banquet this afternoon, so he won't be eating at home in the evening. You don't have to wait for me."

Qin Keqing pouted and nodded, gently tied the belt of her man's cloak, and told him not to get drunk.

Then he was sent out.

Li Jingxiao could see that his wife was jealous.

But the Jia family must go.

If there is a chance today, I will take the opportunity to teach Yuanchun some sword techniques or boxing skills.

Maybe I can compete with Yuanchun before getting married and gain some more experience.

If it is not convenient for Yuanchun, then teach You Erjie and You Sanjie.

(End of this chapter)