Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Qiongying then called upon the female soldier named Xiaohuan.

The three girls walked ahead, looking around and strolling along.

Zhao Yuan followed behind them, watching the three girls' excited expressions.

I'm actually somewhat relieved that we're still in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Although the Song Dynasty was weak in its foreign policy at this time, some of the customs and traditions of the Tang Dynasty still remained among the people.

Furthermore, the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism had not yet emerged.

Only women are allowed to stroll freely through the streets.

If it were a hundred or two hundred years from now, let alone going out on the street, even if a stranger saw your face, you would probably be pointed at and gossiped about.

Qiongying and her companions strolled through several streets and markets, yet remained enthusiastic.

Showing no signs of fatigue, Zhao Yuan, on the contrary, was finding it difficult to continue.

They then used the excuse that everyone else had already been settled and that Shi Qian might have already arrived at Cuiyun Tower.

Finally, they managed to persuade the three girls to stop.

Just as Shi Qian said, Cuiyun Tower is extremely famous in Daming Prefecture.

Zhao Yuan randomly asked a passerby on the street for directions to Cuiyun Tower.

......

When we arrived at Cuiyun Tower,

Seeing the densely packed pavilions and towers, it seemed there were probably a hundred or so rooms upstairs and downstairs.

The three girls were completely stunned.

"Brother, is this the biggest restaurant in the world?" Qiongying asked blankly.

“Although this Cuiyun Tower looks nice, in Bianliang, the capital of Tokyo, the Fanlou Tower is much taller and wider,” Zhao Yuan said with a smile.

"Fanlou... I hope I can visit it someday."

Qiongying said expectantly, and Pan Jinlian and Xiaohuan beside her also showed the same expression.

"Don't worry, there will be other opportunities in the future."

Zhao Yuan smiled slightly and led the three girls into Cuiyun Tower.

Upon entering, the lobby on the first floor was already packed with diners.

"Four esteemed guests, would you prefer a private room or the main hall?" A waiter immediately came forward to greet them.

Just as Zhao Yuan was about to reply, he heard Shi Qian's voice.

"Brother, I'm over here, I've already booked a private room!"

Zhao Yuan looked up and saw...

Shi Qian was standing on the stairs not far away, waving in their direction.

The four of them walked over quickly, and then they heard Shi Qian complaining.

"Brothers, why are you so slow? I've been waiting here for almost half an hour!"

Zhao Yuan smiled without saying a word, while Pan Jinlian and Xiao Huan both felt somewhat guilty.

Qiong Ying, on the contrary, glared and snorted.

"We see this market is thriving, can't we take a stroll around a bit longer?"

"It was my fault for being so talkative. Young lady, you can shop for as long as you like," Shi Qian quickly said.

Having followed Zhao Yuan for these past few days, Shi Qian already knew this.

In Zhao Yuan's eyes, this young lady Qiongying was like a younger sister, and he always doted on her.

Earlier, while they were on the mountain, Qiongying's face was often filled with worry.

But since coming down the mountain this time, she has been smiling more often.

That lively and agile nature gradually revealed itself.

Although they may occasionally act mischievously, they have not committed any serious misconduct.

Therefore, Zhao Yuan's group of brothers, regardless of whether they were new or old, were all like Zhao Yuan himself.

Even Shi Qian treated Qiong Ying like a younger sister, spoiling her as if she were his own sister.

"Brother, this way,"

Shi Qian led the way, guiding Zhao Yuan and the others toward the private room.

The group went upstairs and walked for a while before arriving at a room with a wooden plaque that read "Ding Yin" hanging on it.

As soon as I pushed the door open, I saw two young men already sitting inside.

Both of them were extremely handsome. One of them had lips as red as cinnabar, eyes as black as lacquer, and a face as smooth as jade. He looked as if he had been carved from powdered jade.

The other person, though less handsome than him, was still good-looking and dressed like a scholar.

Upon seeing Zhao Yuan and the others enter, the two men stood up in surprise and asked, "Who are you all...?"

········Requesting flowers·· 0

"You're asking me questions, but I'd like to ask you the same things."

Shi Qian glared at him: "I've already paid to book this 'Ding Yin' room. Who are you? How did you get in here?"

"this......"

The two young men exchanged a surprised glance.

The scholar-like man said helplessly, "Brother Xiao Yi, I never thought that you, a local bully from Daming Prefecture, would have such a day."

It turned out that when the two arrived at Cuiyun Tower, all the private rooms were already full.

The two had no choice but to head to the main hall.

Unexpectedly, someone suddenly came over and said that his friend had something to do and couldn't come, so he didn't need the private room he had booked and was willing to give it up, as long as he could get a refund for the room.

In the past, given their shrewdness, these two would have immediately noticed the flaw.

But today, two old friends have come here to say goodbye, and feeling melancholy, I didn't think about it too much.

0 .. 0

Upon hearing Shi Qian speak, the two immediately realized what was happening.

They've just been scammed.

Seeing that Shi Qian had left the private room to wait for someone, and noticing that the two were in a hurry to have a private room, the man took advantage of this to swindle money from them.

"Brother, please don't make fun of me,"

The exquisitely handsome man gave a wry smile and quickly bowed to Shi Qian, saying...

"We apologize, it was our mistake. We will leave now."

As they spoke, the two turned to leave.

As they reached the door, Zhao Yuan recalled the scholar's earlier address to his friend, and asked, "May I ask if this gentleman is a member of the household of Master Lu, the Jade Kirin, also known as the Prodigal Son Yan Qing?"

The exquisitely handsome man suddenly stopped, looked Zhao Yuan up and down with surprise, then bowed and said...

"I am Yan Qing. May I ask who you are, sir, and why you recognize me?"

"My surname is Zhao. I just heard this scholar address you as Brother Xiao Yi, and I remembered that the rogue Yan Qing had another name, Yan Xiao Yi, so I thought I'd ask."

After explaining, Zhao Yuan extended an invitation.

"Since we have met by chance, and you two are already in this 'Dingyin' room, why don't you sit down with us and have a drink?"

"Sir, you also have female relatives here. We're afraid the two of us might be causing you trouble..."

Yan Qing instinctively wanted to refuse, but Zhao Yuan's next words made him change his mind.

"I have long heard that Master Lu's spear and staff skills are unparalleled in the world. I have come to Daming Prefecture this time to see for myself. I may need Brother Yan Qing's introduction for this matter, so please do not refuse!"

Chapter 121 Xu Guanzhong

Yan Qing lost both his parents at a young age and was raised by the Lu family.

He was Lu Junyi's trusted servant and extremely loyal to his master.

Upon hearing Zhao Yuan's words, which seemed to imply a challenge to Lu Junyi, Yan Qing immediately hesitated.

His scholar companion, clearly knowing his friend well, saw this and offered some advice.

"Brother Yi, since that's the case, we'll have a few drinks with this gentleman."

Yan Qing said with difficulty, "Today was supposed to be a farewell for my brother, but it has been delayed again. I feel really guilty."

Seeing that the scholar and Yan Qing seemed very familiar with each other, Zhao Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

"May I ask how this gentleman is addressed?"

"My surname is Xu, and my given name is Guanzhong. I am just an ordinary scholar," the scholar introduced himself.

"An ordinary scholar? Haha, you flatter me, brother."

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "I have long heard of Brother Xu's name 'Ling Er San'. I heard that Brother Xu is proficient in military strategy, martial arts, and tactics, and knows everything about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Moreover, he is fluent in the languages ​​of Khitan, Jurchen, Tangut, Tibetan, and Mongolia. In his early years, he also traveled to various places and knows the geography of each place by heart! With such a talent in both literature and martial arts, how can he be considered an ordinary scholar?"

"Does the gentleman know me so well?"

Xu Guanzhong exclaimed in surprise, then laughed.

"Then may I ask you, sir, to guess where I am headed on this journey?"

"this......"

Zhao Yuan pondered for a moment.

Upon seeing this, Qiongying immediately retorted with displeasure, "We are meeting you, scholar, for the first time. How could we possibly know where you are going?"

Xu Guanzhong was about to retort when Zhao Yuan laughed.

"If I'm not mistaken, Brother Xu, are you planning to go to Bianliang to take the martial arts examination?"

"you......"

Xu Guanzhong paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Hey, did my brother guess right or wrong? Say something!" Qiongying asked curiously.

"Yes, all correct!"

Xu Guanzhong laughed and said, "Sir, your guess is so accurate that I'm starting to wonder if you're some kind of immortal."

"I am but an ordinary martial artist, how could I possibly be a deity?"

Zhao Yuan mimicked his earlier tone and humbly replied,

Unexpectedly, Xu Guanzhong then said,

"Brother Zhao killed a tiger with a single punch on Jingyang Ridge, then killed the magistrate of Yanggu County and the local bully. Afterwards, he went to Liangshan. Wang Lun, bewitched, tried to kill Brother Zhao, but Brother Zhao seized the opportunity to kill him and became the master of Liangshan! Afterwards, Brother Zhao led his troops down the mountain to borrow grain, publicly tried the evil gentry in front of the villagers, and then distributed wealth and grain to the villagers, winning their hearts. Then Brother Zhao also defeated the army of Yuncheng, scaring Chao Gai, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, into retreating to defend the village! How can such a brave and martial man be considered an ordinary martial artist?"

"you!"

This time it was Zhao Yuan's turn to be surprised. He hadn't expected that Xu Guanzhong had guessed his identity based on just a few words he'd heard earlier.

"Since Brother Xu knows my identity, why not conceal it for now and then find an opportunity to report it to the authorities?"

Upon hearing Zhao Yuan's question, Qiong Ying and Shi Qian, who were standing nearby, immediately became wary.

Xu Guanzhong smiled faintly: "If it were an ordinary bandit, I would immediately report it to the authorities! But what Chief Zhao did in Xixi Village, whether he had ulterior motives or genuinely cared for the villagers, has earned my admiration. Why would I report it to the authorities?"

Zhao Yuan and Xu Guanzhong were talking there.

Yan Qing, who was standing to the side, was taken aback when he learned Zhao Yuan's identity, and felt a little flustered.

Lu Junyi's reputation as the unparalleled master of the staff and the number one martial artist in the world had been circulating in the martial arts world for many years.

In the past, some arrogant individuals had come to challenge him, but they were all soundly defeated by Lu Junyi.

From then on, no one dared to challenge them again.

Now that Zhao Dalang from Tokyo has arrived, if the master is defeated, wouldn't his reputation in the martial arts world be ruined...?

Thinking of this, Yan Qing quickly shook his head.