I've never felt happy to become an immortal.

Chapter 125: Jianghu affairs (two in one)

Two days later, Langya Prefecture, Langya City.

The escort team arrived in the evening. As the sun was setting, the city was already decorated with lights.

There is a curfew in Southern Chu, but it is not enforced in Langya.

The night market can boost the economy to a certain extent. This is also something that the Lin family has decided. Even the imperial court cannot interfere.

"Ah, we're finally here!"

Xi Qingqing opened the curtain and looked out impatiently. Seeing that the streets were bustling with activity on both sides, her tired expression disappeared and she became very excited.

"You've never been here before? Why are you acting so excited?" Bai Xuan asked casually.

Xi Qingqing said, "You have to be careful when traveling around the world. I don't usually go to busy markets."

"With your strength, are you still considering these things?" Bai Xuan squinted.

"Are you afraid of flies?" Xi Qingqing made an analogy. Although she was not afraid of flies, it was also annoying to be bitten by a fly.

She continued, "Besides, I've been wandering around the world since I was little, so how could I dare show my face in public? I could dress up as a beggar, but no one would do business with me."

Bai Xuan: "What kind of Huang Rong are you... and it's just a stroll in the market, it shouldn't be that serious, right?"

Xi Qingqing rolled her eyes in a way that didn't affect her beauty, and pouted at Ning Jianshuang: "Sister Ning, why don't you talk about him? I think he doesn't understand at all!"

"Qingqing's approach is correct." Ning Jianshuang stood on Xi Qingqing's side this time. She said softly, "Erlang, just take a look outside and you'll know."

Bai Xuan lifted the curtain and took a look.

Ning Jianshuang approached Bai Xuan and explained softly, "Look, there are basically no women traveling alone on the road. They basically travel in groups, and most of those who go out alone are men. If you go out alone, it's okay if there are acquaintances watching you near home, but it's not okay to go out in public. You need to be extra careful."

"Are you afraid of danger?"

"There might not be any danger inside the market, but it's hard to say if you go out. It would be even more troublesome if you were targeted by criminals." Ning Jianshuang said softly, "Not to mention Qingqing is pretty. If she walks outside alone, she will easily be targeted."

Xi Qingqing crossed her arms and said, "Did you hear that?"

Bai Xuan was puzzled: "If that's the case, why would Xingyue Sect allow you disciples to go out alone?"

Xi Qingqing asked back, "Why do you think the Star-Moon Demon Sect has such rules? Generally speaking, although everyone is a competitor, they usually stick together to get through the difficult first few years."

"Then what's your situation?" Bai Xuan asked, "Aren't you fighting alone?"

"I'm fighting alone." Xi Qingqing said with a strong sense of justice: "It's not that I don't want to find a team, it's just that no one wants me!"

Bai Xuan was speechless and raised a thumbs up to show his respect.

"Actually, this is fine." Xi Qingqing closed her eyes and began to ponder the plot of the cool novel: "In the future, I won't have to show mercy. What about three slaps to break up the sisterhood of the sect? It's so funny. I will just give them three slaps and send them to reincarnation."

"You practiced so hard to this extent in order to prevent your rivals from succeeding?"

"How is that possible? They haven't reached that point yet..." Xi Qingqing waved her hand. "I was isolated because of my talent and beauty. What does my hard work have to do with my current situation? Did you gain your strength through hard work?"

…I only saw the numerical value.

Bai Xuan certainly wouldn't say that: "Can't you see the effort and sweat in my strength?"

Xi Qingqing looked disgusted.

Ning Jianshuang sat silently, she didn't say anything nor responded.

On the day of departure, when Xi Qingqing came to her on her own initiative, she was a little surprised at first, but after thinking for a moment, she did not refuse.

Although she couldn't figure out Xi Qingqing's thoughts, she thought it should be harmless.

This woman is ranked second on the Crouching Dragon List, and is also a demonic woman from the Demon Sect. Her name has a certain deterrent effect.

After spending a few days together, I found that the girl was quite nice.

More importantly, Xi Qingqing seems to be a big threat, but in fact she is not. Whether it is Bai Xuan or Ning Jianshuang, it can be seen from their attitude that neither of them is afraid of her at all.

Even if they really fall out, the danger this little witch brings is very limited, so it's better to take her along to relieve the boredom.

At the same time, Ning Jianshuang also secretly drafted an agreement with Xi Qingqing, which was known only to the two of them.

Ning Jianshuang is very busy and cannot stay with Bai Xuan all the time. Xi Qingqing acts as a surveillance camera. She does not have to intervene or disturb Bai Xuan directly, but she needs to report to herself about what is happening around him.

With so many factors combined, Ning Jianshuang agreed to cover Xi Qingqing's food, accommodation and travel expenses, which didn't cost much at all.

……

There is also a branch of the White Horse Escort Agency in Langya.

The convoy stopped in front of the escort agency.

Zhao Xiangma began to check the number of people.

The escort mission was basically over at this point. It was obviously impossible for the escort to be robbed in Langya City.

Next, take a night's rest, and deliver the treasure to the Lin family residence the next day. Then, once the capital receives the news, the final payment can be made.

"Where are we going next?" Xi Qingqing asked, holding a string of candied haws in her hand.

"Inn." Bai Xuan said concisely.

"Given your status, it's strange that the Lin family didn't come to greet you."

"That's not surprising. The Lin family probably doesn't have time to deal with such trivial matters right now." Bai Xuan said, "The inn is comfortable. If you want to visit the Lin family, just introduce yourself. The Lin family will definitely be willing to entertain you, the second-ranked one."

Xi Qingqing gritted her teeth and said, "I don't want to. I want to live with Sister Ning."

Ning Jianshuang smiled: "Don't worry, Juyi Pavilion also has business in Langya. There is a branch here. I mentioned my visit a few days ago, and they should have already arranged the reception."

……

There are many halls under the Juyi Pavilion. The five masters of the building manage seven or eight halls on average. Each hall has a hall master, and below the hall master is the incense master.

On the surface, it is a gang force, but in fact, Juyi Pavilion is a chamber of commerce. The owner of the building is equivalent to the chairman of the board, and the hall master is equivalent to the department manager.

This hall is located in Langya, so it is naturally Langya Hall. Its business is just average.

When doing business in Langya, you can't avoid the Lin family. The most profitable businesses have been booked, which is almost 70% to 80% of the market.

Other merchants could only pick up the remaining 20%, but Langya was very rich and could make money even with a 20% market share.

Next, Juyi Pavilion wants to do business with the Lin family, and Langya Hall is the key. In the future, it may be upgraded from a hall to a separate first floor to lead the business in Wuzhou.

Ning Jianshuang attached great importance to this, so he came in person to take care of it.

This Langya Hall is located in a corner of the city. It is a relatively secluded office space. The downtown area is suitable for doing business but not for discussing business.

The three of them were not in a hurry. They strolled around the night market, tasted snacks along the way, and slowly arrived at Wenchang Street.

But something unexpected happened when we got there.

The head of the Langya Hall did not come out to receive the guests, or rather, he was unable to come out to receive the guests. It was his second daughter who came out to meet the guests.

The little girl was sixteen years old this year. When she saw Ning Jianshuang coming, she stopped pretending to be strong and rushed over, burying her head in his chest, and her little pearls fell off with a puff.

After the two incense masters who came to inquire about the situation told the story, the three of them learned the whole story.

Langya Hall will become a focus of Juyi Pavilion's business in the future. Hall Master Zhang had already learned about this at the meeting, so after returning with great confidence, he decided to buy a building first. This place was too old.

It was this decision that caused a conflict with the other force.

In business, the highest bidder wins. Besides, no normal underworld force would dare to challenge Lord Juyi's gang.

It just so happens that the other party has a great background. They are a newly emerged underworld force in Wuzhou in the past ten years, named Bijing Villa.

The world of martial arts is not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and worldly wisdom... This statement is both right and wrong.

If new forces want to break the pattern of old underworld forces, they must either find another way or rush in and snatch food from the tiger's mouth.

The Bijing Villa belongs to the latter group. They dare to fight and struggle. If they want to expand their sphere of influence in Wuzhou, they must enter Langya, and naturally they cannot avoid the towering tree of the Lin family.

The development direction of the family is not to become a behemoth like the five major sects, but to be firmly rooted in one place.

This also determines that no matter how the underworld forces develop, they will eventually become part of the Lin family's armed forces.

The apprentices he took in, the business he did, his eating, drinking, defecating, urinating, clothing, food, housing and transportation, every one of them was closely related to the Lin family.

Therefore, the Lin family has always turned a blind eye to the forces in the underworld.

The guest official from the Bijing Villa had a fight with Master Zhang.

The latter was defeated, and the affairs of the martial arts world were left to the rest of the world. The hall master was seriously injured and was in a coma for three consecutive days.

Ning Jianshuang comforted Zhang Erniang and frowned slightly. "Langya is the Lin family's territory. How dare the Blue Whale Villa cause trouble for the Juyi Pavilion? Are they ill-informed or are they deliberately looking for trouble?"

It's understandable that people in the underworld are not well-informed, but it's impossible for a new force that is developing well not to pay attention to the underworld news in Nanchu, right?
A master of incense said, "The Blue Whale Villa came with such force this time, and with the Hall Master unconscious, we dared not act without authorization. We knew that the Ning Dukedom was coming, so we waited patiently. Whether we attack directly or have an open discussion, it's all fine."

Another grumpy incense master pinched the walnut kernel in his hand and said, "What's there to talk about? The hall master is injured like this. I can't swallow this anger."

"Alright," Ning Jianshuang said, "We'll get justice for Hall Master Zhang's case... But this is Langya, and we're not a small clan. We can't engage in a head-on battle. It's not worth it to shed a river of blood over a building."

Several people looked at each other.

Then a calm voice was heard.

"It's been a bumpy ride, you stay here and have a good rest."

The young man in white put down his teacup.

"Let me go."

What you said should always be fulfilled.

From now on, I will carry this Juyi Pavilion for you.

Ning Jianshuang's eyes curved: "Well, go quickly and come back soon."

Bai Xuan nodded.

Xi Qingqing shouted, "I want to go and watch the fun, too."

"what ever."

As they talked, they walked out of Langya Hall one after the other.

The two incense masters immediately stood up and said in unison: "I will lead the way!"

Then look at each other.

"Old Fu, you stay here and look after the Hall Master!"

"I'm a big, rough guy, not very careful at all. You should do it, you're more careful."

"Hey, you're still cursing secretly!"

After the argument, it was Zhang Erniang who ran out quickly and caught up with the two of them.

"I'll take you there!" Bai Xuan paused, turned his head and looked at the little girl standing on the road, grabbing the corner of her clothes and biting her lips.

"Then please invite Miss Zhang."

"No, you're welcome." The sixteen-year-old girl's cheeks flushed slightly.

……

The branch of Bijing Villa in Langya is called Bijing Hall.

With Zhang Erniang leading the way, they found the place quickly.

The distance is not far, just two streets, 1.5 kilometers.

There is no curfew in Langya, so the night market is even more lively.

Because people who work during the day have time to go out drinking and having fun at night, and only consumption can boost the economy.

The Bijing Hall, although it appears to be a branch of the underworld forces, actually does business as well. The business it does is the same as that of the Langya Hall: tea and wine.

In the past two days, the news of the conflict between Bijing Villa and Juyi Pavilion has been quietly spread in Langya.

Three days have passed, and there has been no response from Juyi Pavilion. Many people are waiting to see what happens.

Things in the underworld are left to the underworld.

The court doesn’t care, and the aristocratic families don’t care.

Everyone knew there would be a loud explosion, but they didn't know what form and what kind of noise it would make.

……

The Bijing Hall is located in the building that the two sides are fighting for. It has now been renamed from Zhuangyuan Building to Bijing Building.

Standing at the door was a middle-aged steward in charge of entertaining guests. He was in his forties or fifties, with bright eyes, and was also a follower of the old owner.

Seeing a familiar figure walking towards him, his face suddenly turned cold and he groaned.

"Zhang Erniang, why are you here again?"

"Your father and I, the Master of the Bijing Hall, were just fighting in the martial arts world. It's normal for him to accidentally injure someone. We also compensated for the medicine."

"Today is the day for the Hall Master's birthday and the Hall's relocation. It's a double celebration. Don't force me to chase them away. It will only make both sides look bad."

Zhang Erniang bit her lower lip. In the past, with her hot-tempered personality, she would have started scolding without saying a word.

She herself is a local of Langya, born and raised here, and everyone here is a neighbor. Why would she be afraid of a foreigner?
But today she had to try very hard to maintain her reserved appearance, even squeezing out two tears, and turned to the side with tears in her eyes.

The young man in white crossed his figure and said calmly, "I am from Juyi Pavilion. Please ask your hall master to come out and see me."

The middle-aged steward waved his hands irritably: "We won't be receiving uninvited guests today. Hurry up and leave! If you don't leave now, don't blame me for being rude!"

Bai Xuan asked, "Although I came uninvited, I am still here to celebrate your birthday. Are you sure you don't want me to?"

The middle-aged manager's patience ran out. "A man of the underworld should be able to afford to lose. What has a fight between two major factions got to do with a junior like you? You're so bold as to come here and cause trouble. I don't want to see bloodshed on this happy occasion today. If you take another step forward, I'll have to teach you a lesson..."

Before he finished speaking, Bai Xuan had already taken a step forward.

"Okay, okay!" The middle-aged manager pulled his hands together, and there was a crackling sound from his sleeves. He had been practicing martial arts for decades and had reached a certain level. He whipped out with a whip at such a fast speed that only an afterimage could be seen in the air.

But the afterimage is just an afterimage.

Compared to the middle-aged steward's sharp movements, the young man in white simply leaned forward slightly, raised the weapon in his hand, and lightly bumped with the front end of the hilt. It seemed that he did not have much strength, but he arrived first.

The steward was like being hit by a galloping horse, and his body flew backwards into the bustling first-floor hall, knocking over two tables of delicious food and wine.

Upon seeing this, the guests and disciples in the sect hurriedly raised their hands to help the man. The steward who helped him up vomited blood repeatedly, and his sternum was broken and sunken a little. He was not in danger of death, but it was difficult for him to speak.

Zhang Erniang's eyes widened... This, the fight started right away? They hadn't even exchanged a few words, and suddenly they started fighting?

The martial arts world is not about fighting and killing. Even if there is a fight, she thinks the real boss has to come forward.

Xi Qingqing patted the little girl on the head and spoke a wise saying from the martial arts world: "Solve problems simply and violently. If you're stronger than him, there's no need to reason with him. Just draw your sword, and he'll figure it out on his own if he doesn't want to die."

Bai Xuan raised his foot and was about to step over the threshold.

Then he took it back.

People around him thought that this guy might be scared.
Bai Xuan turned around and asked in a voice transmission, "How much is the usual amount given as a birthday gift?"

Xi Qingqing rolled her eyes. "Do you think I've ever been to a birthday party? Where would I go? If I went, I'm afraid it would turn into a funeral."

Zhang Erniang whispered, "If you like it, give more. If you don't like it, just give a few hundred coins."

Bai Xuan nodded in understanding, but he didn't have any copper coins on him.

He stepped into the main gate of the Bijing Tower and took out a tael of silver and handed it to the doorman next to him.

"One or two taels of gift money."

Bai Xuan emphasized: "No need to look for it."

The doorman was stunned.

He glanced at the steward who was still vomiting blood, then looked at the one or two taels of silver in his hand, which felt extremely hot.

Thank you, that's quite polite.

"Call the names." Bai Xuan reminded.

The doorman who was in charge of calling out names was about to shout, but then stopped and asked, "Excuse me, what is your name and background?"

"Juyi Pavilion, Jiang Family, Bai Xuan."

When the doorman heard the name, his legs almost trembled.

Even a small figure like him at the bottom of the underworld had heard of this gentleman's name and seen the Book of Patching the Sky that lit up in the sky.

At this moment, the ruthless man who had chopped down the incarnation of the Northern Zhou Grandmaster and was still able to escape unscathed was right next to him. Not to mention the sound, even his heart and gallbladder were trembling.

Although everyone knew that the Bijingtang would not let the Juyi Pavilion go easily after attacking it, who could have imagined that one of the top four people on the Bu Tian Shu list would actually appear here.

"Juyi Pavilion..."

"Did you not eat?"

The doorman took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Juyi Pavilion, the top of the Crouching Dragon Ranking, Jiang family's Bai Xuan, comes to pay his respects!"

Call the name of the coming ones.

In an instant, the crowd on the first floor who were surging and talking all cast their eyes over, and then parted like a tide, and no one dared to step forward.

The steward who had just been helped up sat down again, looking at the snow-white clothes and thinking of his arrogant attitude just now, his face became even paler.

……

The Blue Whale Villa became prosperous more than 30 years ago. It was named this way because the owner killed a rare big whale and hunted enough wealth. After accumulating some initial wealth, he returned to his hometown to start a business and established his own underworld power.

The old owner of the manor was a master, but as he got older, he gradually retired to the second line and handed over the business to his sons, who then had disputes and conflicts among themselves.

The eldest son was the successor at the Bijing Villa, but he had no great ambitions; the second son was in charge of business, and he was quick-witted. When he realized that he could not take over, he went out to explore the world; the third son actively advocated external expansion.

The reason why Bijing Villa has developed so rapidly in the past ten years is all because of this youngest third son.

Because his thoughts and morals declined at the same time, he made progress.

He was persuaded by the Northern Zhou spies.

The person in charge in Langya now is the third son, Bi Dongyou.

In a dark room in the hall, Bi Dongyou sat on a chair, tapping the pear wood with his fingers, his face not looking very good.

He stood up, paced back and forth, and kept asking, "Are you sure this won't bring me disaster?"

In front of him, a man with a scar on his face twirled a knife in his hand and said calmly, "What are you afraid of?"

Bi Dongyou asked back: "What else could I be afraid of? Of course I'm afraid of..."

"Bai Yueguang?" The man with the scar on his face sneered, "He's just the top of the Crouching Dragon List. What's there to be afraid of? Can he even wipe out your family?"

"Of course I'm not afraid of a Crouching Dragon Ranking, I'm afraid of the Lin family!" Bi Dongyou gritted his teeth and said, "Everyone in Langya knows that Lin Jiaolu is in love with Bai Yueguang. This time, he has offended the Juyi Pavilion. The chain reaction will cause a warning from the Lin family soon."

The scarred man picked up a knife, cut off a piece of mutton and stuffed it into his mouth: "The Lin family will not turn against you for a dead person... Bai Yueguang is only valuable if she is alive. Even the Lin family will not do anything for a dead person."

"Since you've attacked Juyi Pavilion this time, I think they'll definitely intervene... All we need to do is make a bigger noise and lure him out."

"When the time comes, after I kill Bai Yueguang, your Bijing Villa will naturally be safe and sound, and I will also give you everything I promised you, enough to make your Bijing Villa a first-class force in Wuzhou."

Bi Dongyou stopped talking, but he just sneered in his heart.

He didn't completely trust the scarred man, although he knew that he was indeed very powerful.

The original intention of cooperating with the Northern Zhou Dynasty was to utilize the resources in its hands, but in recent years it has been increasingly trapped and bossed around by the other side.

This time, a genius from one of the five major sects came and asked for the cooperation of the Bijing Villa to kill the top of the Wolong list, which made him terrified.

He didn't care about Bai Yueguang's life or death, but he knew that this matter must not be exposed, otherwise the entire Bijing Villa would be ruined.

He said in a deep voice: "If you want to kill Bai Yueguang, you can't just rely on this arrangement."

"I invested a lot of money in the magic world and hired a pair of magic masters, known as the Tiger and Leopard Twins."

"They have already accepted the order and will arrive in Langya in the next two days."

The scarred man raised his eyebrows slightly: "You don't trust my strength?"

"I just want to add a layer of insurance," Bi Dongyou said. "If you're afraid of competing with them, I can stop."

"Provocation?" The scarred man sneered, "Besides that lunatic Tuoba Han, how many others can I be afraid of... You'd better be careful. The magic path has no professional ethics. What if they sell out your employer?"

Bi Dongyou waved his hand: "I am naturally careful in what I do. The Tiger and Leopard Twins have no idea who their employer is."

Scarface touched the wound on his face, his expression slightly gloomy.

"I'm twenty-nine and still haven't made it onto the Human Ranking. Once I kill this Bai Yueguang, my name will definitely be on it."

At this time, a mouse climbed up his trouser leg, landed on the back of Scarface's hand, and made a chirping sound.

Bi Dongyou showed a strange expression: "Do you understand rat language?"

"I don't understand, but this is just my pet." Scarface licked his lips and said, "I have good news for you. He's taken the bait."

Bi Dongyou's expression changed.

"There's more bad news." Scarface said calmly, "If your guest official confronts Bai Yueguang head-on... I think he'll be ruined."

(End of this chapter)