The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

"Master Yue..."

As soon as Yi Huawei stepped out of the gate of the mansion, he heard a shout from behind. Looking back, he saw Feng Menglong chasing after him, panting.

When he got closer, Feng Menglong bowed and asked, "Mr. Yue has an extraordinary demeanor. I wonder which master in Huashan taught him?"

Yi Huawei stopped walking, his expression calm, and replied calmly: "My master is Yue Buqun, known as the 'Gentleman Sword' in the martial arts world."

Feng Menglong nodded gently: "So you are Mr. Yue's disciple, no wonder you are so majestic."

After a brief pause, as if he was thinking about his words, he asked, "Master Yue, are you coming to the capital for matters concerning the martial arts world?"

Yi Huawei's mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a faint smile: "The affairs of the Jianghu and the world are one and the same. I came here this time to listen to Mr. Zhao's views on the current situation. But after a conversation, I was really disappointed."

Feng Menglong's eyes flashed with admiration: "What a saying! 'The affairs of the Jianghu are the affairs of the world'! Master Yue has the world in his heart. I admire him."

Yi Huawei looked into the distance with a calm expression, and said slowly: "There are many people in the government who can see the general trend, but there are only a few who really sacrifice themselves for the people."

Feng Menglong laughed and bowed again: "Master Yue, Madam Yue, it is a great honor to meet you two today. If there is a chance in the future, I will definitely ask for your advice again."

Yi Huawei responded with a smile: "Mr. Feng is very talented and will become a great man in the future."

After saying this, he turned around and walked towards the place where the horses were tied with Yue Lingshan. The two of them mounted their horses and waved goodbye to Feng Menglong. The sound of horse hooves gradually faded away and disappeared at the end of the street.

Feng Menglong looked in the direction they left and stood there for a long time before turning around and leaving.

………………

Baoding Prefecture.

Dusk fell, wrapping the whole city in darkness. The north wind swirled, carrying tiny snow particles, whistling over the green tile eaves of Zuixianju.

The icicles hanging from the eaves collided with each other in the strong wind, making crisp and crackling sounds.

In the elegant room "Tingxuexuan" on the second floor of Zuixianju, four people from the martial arts world were sitting around a rosewood eight-immortal table.

There were several dishes of appetizers on the table. The braised beef was cut very thinly, and each slice was shiny; the fried peanuts were plump and had an attractive golden color; a plate of braised donkey meat was still steaming, and the fragrance filled the room.

The silver bone charcoal in the charcoal brazier was burning vigorously, and the red charcoal fire made the whole room warm. The old wine in the copper pot was bubbling under the charcoal fire, and the aroma of the wine mixed with the smell of charcoal fire made the atmosphere in the room more comfortable.

The scarred man sitting by the window was in his early forties, with a three-inch scar on his left face running diagonally from his brow to the corner of his mouth, looking particularly fierce. He wore a jade ring on his right thumb and was using chopsticks to pick up a piece of beef, slowly putting it into his mouth and chewing it carefully.

"I heard that the Yellow River Gang has been active in the Juma River area recently. I'm afraid they're going to make a big move."

Scarface put down his chopsticks, picked up the wine glass and took a sip, then slowly scanned the people present.

The tall and thin man opposite snorted coldly upon hearing this, with a hint of disdain on his face. He was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, wearing an indigo cotton gown, with a short sword in a sharkskin sheath hanging from his waist. His right index finger tapped the tabletop rhythmically, his nails neatly trimmed.

"That old bastard Jiang Tianshou is just relying on his numbers. If we really start fighting..."

He suddenly pressed his left hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, his knuckles turning slightly white. "I, Zhou Ziling, the master of the Cloud Piercing Sword, would like to learn his River-Breaking Sword Technique."

The short and fat man sitting at the bottom hurriedly tried to smooth things over, with a smile on his face and a flattering tone: "Brother Zhou, please be careful with your words. The Yellow River Gang is now so powerful that even the government has to give it some face."

As he spoke, he rubbed his red, frozen hands and moved closer to the charcoal brazier: "Last month they robbed a salt merchant's ship in Cangzhou. I heard that they got 50,000 taels of silver in cash."

"Government?"

The fourth person who had been silent all this time suddenly spoke up. He was about fifty years old, with a gaunt face and several deep wrinkles around his eyes. He wore an ordinary brown cotton robe and looked like an accountant. The only difference was his pair of eyes, which were bright and reserved. When he occasionally glanced at everyone, one could tell that he was not a simple person.

"Captain Zhang from the Baoding Jinyiwei was transferred here last month. He is said to be a tough guy. If the Yellow River Gang is too ostentatious..."

Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps on the stairs, breaking the silence in the room. The waiter's panicked voice came from outside the door: "Sir, the private room upstairs is full--"

"Go away!"

With a loud shout, the door curtain was suddenly opened. A man wrapped in a gray squirrel fur coat rushed in, bringing in a bone-chilling cold that made everyone in the room shiver. The man was about thirty years old, his face was as pale as paper, his lips were frozen purple, and his eyebrows and temples were covered with white frost. It was obvious that he had been running around in the wind and snow for a long time. There was a black wooden token hanging from his waist, with the two seal characters "Fuwei" engraved on it.

The four people in the room stood up at the same time. Scarface had his right hand on the hilt of the knife. His fingers exerted a little force, his knuckles turned white, and his eyes were fixed on the newcomer. His gaze was like a knife, and he shouted in a deep voice:
"who?"

The man was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, his face full of anxiety, and he took out a brown paper package from his arms, with the seal of Fuwei Escort Agency stamped on the wax seal.

"Urgent report!"

His voice was hoarse and trembling from the excitement: "Secret order from the Chief Escort - the 'red cargo' will arrive in Beijing in three days, and all the spies have already moved!"

Zhou Ziling, the "Cloud Piercing Sword", took a quick step forward and snatched the letter, unfolding it in the candlelight on the table. The few words on the parchment made his pupils suddenly shrink, and he couldn't help but blurt out: "One million taels of silver?!"

His voice was a little distorted due to shock, and his face was full of disbelief.

The room suddenly fell into a dead silence, and everyone was speechless at the shock of the news. A piece of charcoal in the charcoal brazier "crackled" and exploded, sparks flying everywhere, breaking the suffocating silence.

The short and fat man was the first to come to his senses. With a somewhat anxious look on his face, he leaned over to read the letter. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he muttered to himself, "What kind of escort did Fuwei Escort Agency accept this time? There are so many..."

The old man in brown narrowed his eyes and looked at the messenger. "This brother looks unfamiliar. I have been dealing with Fuwei Escort Agency for many years, how come I have never seen him before?"

He leaned forward slightly, as if trying to see the next person's expression more clearly.

The messenger wiped the snow water off his face, took off the token from his waist and handed it over, his movements a little flustered: "I am Chen San, I have just joined the escort agency for half a year, and I usually go around the Cangzhou branch."

The old man took the token and examined it carefully. He stroked the secret mark on the edge of the token with his fingertips and nodded slightly: "It is indeed the waist badge of Fuwei Escort Agency."

He handed the token back to Chen San and suddenly asked, "How is Chief Escort Lin these days? The book "Military Classics" that he asked me to find last month..."

"The chief escort has been in the capital for the past month."

Chen San answered without hesitation, his face showing a bit of nervousness: "I just returned to Baoding the day before yesterday, and I didn't mention any books."

The old man's eyes sparkled, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, and he smiled faintly: "I'm old and confused, I remembered the wrong month."

Turning to the other three, his expression became serious: "This matter is of great importance. With a million silver darts passing through the border, there will probably be a bloody storm in the martial arts world." Zhou Ziling had already folded the letter and stuffed it back into the envelope. The corners of his mouth slightly raised, and his right thumb pushed open the scabbard retaining spring. The dagger came out of the scabbard three inches, and the cold light reflected on his face made his eyes look even colder. He sneered: "It's a good time to meet heroes from all walks of life."

Scarface suddenly held Zhou Ziling's wrist with great force. Zhou Ziling struggled but failed to break free: "Wait a minute, Brother Zhou. This is very strange."

Turning to Chen San, he stared into his eyes and asked, "Why would the chief escort send messages everywhere when he is escorting such a huge sum of money? Aren't you afraid that the news will leak out?"

Chen San's face changed, and his originally pale face became even paler. He took a half step back and his eyes began to evade: "This... I am just following orders."

With a bang, the door of the private room was pushed open. A Jinyiwei dressed in Feiyu uniform and four lieutenants rushed in. The Jinyiwei in the lead was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a stern face and no expression on his face. The copper decoration on the scabbard of the embroidered spring sword on his waist shone coldly under the candlelight.

"I am Zhang Chengzong, a captain of the Baoding Jinyiwei."

His sharp eyes swept through everyone in the room, and finally landed on Chen San. His eyes were like a hook, as if he wanted to hook out all of Chen San's secrets. "I just received a tip-off that some gangsters are plotting to rob the escort."

The old man in brown stepped forward and saluted, his gesture neither humble nor arrogant: "Master Zhang, please understand. We are just drinking and chatting here, how can you say there is a conspiracy?"

Zhang Chengzong sneered and suddenly reached out to grab the token on Chen San's waist, his movements were as fast as lightning. Chen San reacted very quickly, dodged sideways, and his right hand was already on the hilt, his fingers trembling slightly. The four Jinyiwei captains immediately drew their swords, pointing the sharp blades at Chen San, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.

"Someone from Fuwei Escort Agency?"

Zhang Chengzong stared at the black wooden token and said in a cold voice: "I remember that the Cangzhou branch was robbed last month, seventeen escorts died, and all the tokens were lost."

Cold sweat oozed from Chen San's forehead, beads of sweat the size of beans slid down his cheeks, his right hand trembled slightly, and his eyes kept scanning back and forth between the crowd and the Jinyiwei, as if looking for a chance to escape.

Zhou Ziling suddenly stood in front of him, folded his hands in front of his chest, with an unruly smile on his face: "Master Zhang, this brother has just arrived in Baoding and does not know the rules. If he has offended me, I will apologize on his behalf."

Zhang Chengzong's eyes lingered on Zhou Ziling's face for a moment, revealing a hint of inquiry, and then he suddenly turned around: "Let's go."

The five Jinyi Guards left as quickly as Tathagata.

Chen San let out a long sigh, clasped his fists towards Zhou Ziling, his face full of gratitude: "Thank you, Mr. Zhou, for your help."

Zhou Ziling waved his hand and turned to the old man in brown clothes: "Mr. Zhao, what do you think?"

The old man in brown clothes called Mr. Zhao stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said slowly: "The sudden appearance of the Jinyiwei is definitely not accidental. It seems that the news of the million silver darts has alarmed the government."

Scarface lowered his voice, so low that it seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: "I heard that this batch of silver was the tax silver that the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau handed over to the inner treasury. Because the canal was frozen, they changed to land transportation."

The short and fat man's eyes lit up, and a greedy look appeared on his face: "If it's government silver, the Yellow River Gang may not dare to touch it. But if it's private silver..."

"Private bank?" Zhou Ziling raised his eyebrows, with a hint of doubt on his face, "Who has a private bank worth millions?"

Mr. Zhao coughed lightly, and his expression became serious: "Be careful with your words. This matter is complicated, and we can't get involved." As he said that, he took out a few pieces of silver from his sleeve and put them on the table: "Let's stop here today."

The four of them left one after another, leaving Chen San standing in front of the window, looking at the snow falling harder and harder outside. He unbuttoned the collar of his fur coat and took out a white jade pendant the size of a copper coin from the hidden pocket inside the lining - a lotus was delicately carved on it. He placed the jade pendant in his hand, stroking it gently, with a strange smile in his eyes.

To the south of Baoding City, there is a branch of the Yellow River Gang.

Jiang Tianshou sat on the armchair, playing with a pair of iron gallbladders in his hands. He was in his early fifties, with a burly figure and a face full of flesh. A scar ran from his left forehead to his right cheek, making him look ferocious and terrifying. He wore a brocade cotton robe, and a short knife with a gilded sheath hung on the jade belt around his waist. He exuded a fierceness.

"Has the news been confirmed?"

The sound is hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against each other.

The thin man standing below clasped his fists and said:

"My spies from Zuixianju saw it with their own eyes. Fuwei Escort Agency did receive a million yuan in silver and will depart from Baoding in three days and take the official road to Beijing."

Jiang Tianshou's iron gallbladder turned faster, making a harsh friction sound. He frowned slightly, with a hint of doubt on his face: "Lin Zhenyuan, that old fox, actually dared to take this kind of dart."

He suddenly stopped and looked at the lean man, his eyes revealing a hint of ferocity: "Are there any of our people along the official road?"

"Brothers are guarding the Juma River ferry, the Black Pine Forest, and Shilipo. As long as the leader gives the order..." The thin man said as he made a gesture of wiping his neck, with a cruel smile on his face.

Jiang Tianshou raised his hand to interrupt him, his expression becoming a little hesitant: "No hurry. Let's first find out where this batch of silver came from. If it's official silver, we can't touch it; if it's private silver..."

A trace of greed flashed in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a ferocious smile: "Let Lin Zhenyuan taste the power of the 'Broken River Blade'."

The thin man hesitated and said, "Boss, I heard that the Jinyiwei has already taken notice of this matter. The new Captain Zhang..."

"Jinyiwei?"

Jiang Tianshou sneered, his face full of disdain: "Prepare a generous gift, I will personally visit Captain Zhang tonight. In this world, there is no door that cannot be opened with money."

As he said this, he slammed the iron gall bladder heavily on the table, making a loud "bang".

At the same time, in a secret house in the west of Baoding City.

Chen San—now he should be called Chen Ping, the leader of the White Lotus Sect—knelt on a cushion, in front of him was a painting of the White Lotus Mother. The flickering candlelight cast his shadow on the wall, making him look particularly tall.

"Holy Mother, I have spread the news as planned." He lit a stick of incense respectfully, his movements pious and solemn: "The Yellow River Gang and the Jinyiwei have taken the bait."

A man in black wearing a bronze mask walked out of the shadows, his voice hoarse, as if something was blocking his throat: "Well done. The headquarters has sent the 'Blue Lotus Messenger' with 20 assassins to meet us. We must get this batch of silver."

Chen Ping lowered his head, a hint of hesitation on his face: "Disciple understands. But the Fuwei Escort Agency is quite powerful, and Lin Zhenyuan has a good relationship with the Five Mountains Sword Sect..."

"no need to worry."

The man in black took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and said, "Put this in the escorts' food and drink. No matter how powerful their martial arts skills are, they can't escape the effects of the Thousand Day Drunk."

Chen Ping took the porcelain bottle with both hands, put it away carefully, and a trace of doubt appeared on his face: "The Yellow River Gang..."

"Let them fight each other first and get hurt." The man in black sneered, his voice full of calculation, "When both sides are defeated, we will reap the benefits."

Outside the window, the snow was falling even harder.

On a winter night in Baoding Prefecture, undercurrents surge. (End of this chapter)