Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

These seasoned soldiers, besides guarding the city gates, also had another job: collecting entry taxes.

The soldiers, whose faces were mottled and who looked to be in their forties or fifties, stretched out their arms in front of Li Xiuyuan and Nie Xiaoqian, chuckled twice, and said, "Sir and Miss, if you want to enter the city, you'll have to pay three taels of silver first."

People were coming and going at the city gate, but the soldiers didn't stop everyone. Li Xiuyuan smiled, glanced at the farmer in hemp clothing and a cloth collar who was walking straight into the city beside him, and without saying a word, put his hand into his robes.

When no one could see, with a gentle rub, several gold leaves appeared between Li Xiuyuan's fingers. He pretended to fumble for them and pulled them out of his pocket.

Li Xiuyuan can now easily perform minor spells like turning stone into gold.

Upon seeing the gold leaves, the veteran's expression became even more respectful. He bent over, raised his hands above his head, and accepted two of the leaves with a smile.

He called out, "This gentleman is very sensible. Please come in. If you need anything in the city, just give me a shout."

With a wave of his hand, Li Xiuyuan and Nie Xiaoqian did not linger and went straight into the county town.

Faintly behind them, they could hear the soldiers muttering, "I wonder where this rich young master came from. Look at the craftsmanship of these gold leaves, tsk tsk, the workmanship is really beautiful..."

Li Xiuyuan was already aware of the chaos in the city, so he had Nie Xiaoqian cover her face to avoid unnecessary trouble. Otherwise, with her beauty, everyone would have been moved.

Upon entering the city, it was bustling with activity. The shouts of vendors from various shops could be heard from both sides of the street, making it seem quite prosperous.

Of course, no matter how prosperous it is, it's still just a small county town. There's nothing particularly noteworthy about it.

Most of the houses on both sides were wooden cabins and buildings; the few brick and tile houses belonged to wealthy families in the city. Various paper signs hung outside the shops along the road, making it seem like a market was being held.

On the bulletin board near the city gate, wanted posters were displayed, attracting a large crowd who were all envious of the reward money offered.

These poor people could only watch with envy, while those martial artists who knew some skills and wielded swords would take action.

They wrapped their heads in turbans, wore simple armor, carried sharp weapons, and wandered around in groups of three or five with wanted posters in hand. When they found someone they considered suspicious, they would immediately approach and question them.

Along the shops and roadsides, almost every pedestrian is harassed by them, but as Li Xiuyuan walked along, these people seemed not to see him at all and paid him no attention.

Li Xiuyuan and Nie Xiaoqian were walking down the street. He was looking for an inn to rest for the night when suddenly a figure flew over. He caught the person and said calmly, "Brother, are you alright?"

The young man he was supporting wore a light gray robe and had an angry expression.

Upon seeing Li Xiuyuan help him up, Ning Caichen said gratefully, "Thank you for your help, Master!"

But he wondered to himself, why was there a woman following behind the master, her face hazy and her features unclear?

In the past two or three years, Li Xiuyuan's black hair has grown quite long, but he is still easily recognizable when wearing a monk's robe.

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "No need to be polite. I see you look angry, it seems something is wrong."

Upon hearing this, Ning Caichen's anger intensified, and he sighed, "Alas!..."

At this moment, Li Xiuyuan and the other two were already sitting in the teahouse, listening to what he had to say.

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "If you are interested in getting back the money from the account book, I have an idea."

He couldn't help but smile when he thought of Ning Caichen in the original story demanding his money back.

Upon hearing this, Ning Caichen exclaimed in surprise, "Master, do you have any good methods? I hope you can help me."

As he spoke, he bowed to Li Xiuyuan. By this time, he was already destitute and made a living by collecting debts for others.

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "As long as it's like this..."

In short, Li Xiuyuan made Ning Caichen rewrite the account book himself, and also said that he stayed at Lanruo Temple for a night, and that due to the ghosts, the people near Guobei County were very afraid of Lanruo Temple.

When the time comes, won't they obediently hand over the money and hurry up and send away this jinx, Ning Caichen?

After hearing this idea, Ning Caichen muttered, "Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan retorted, "Do it or don't, this humble monk has already given you an idea. Besides, this money is enough for you to find lodging!"

With that, he waved his hand and disappeared.

After regaining his senses, Ning Caichen looked around and realized that the person was gone. Looking at the silver leaf on the table, he finally made up his mind about how to get it back.

Chapter 111 The White Ape Teaches Skills

In a guest room at the restaurant, Nie Xiaoqian asked in confusion, "Why is the Holy Monk helping Ning Caichen?"

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Amitabha! I just feel that this child is destined to be with me."

As he spoke, he beckoned Nie Xiaoqian over.

Upon hearing this, Nie Xiaoqian pouted, looking quite playful.

Li Xiuyuan smiled and chuckled. After their previous exchanges, he quickly began to play happily with Nie Xiaoqian in the room.

…………

In the deep blue sky, as if painted by a giant's brush, several broad bands of rose color mixed with gold were added.

Occasionally, a few light, transparent white clouds drift by, and a refreshing and enchanting breeze, like ocean waves, makes the grass sway slightly, caressing the faces of passersby.

Li Xiuyuan took a deep breath, inhaling the intoxicating fragrance of the grass, which relaxed his mind.

After leaving Guobei County, Li Xiuyuan headed towards the capital of Yue Kingdom. If he could get the emperor's support, rebuilding Lanruo Temple would be much easier.

Behind Li Xiuyuan was a woman named Nie Xiaoqian. The two had been inseparable lately. The Yue Kingdom had suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Kuaiji, and even King Goujian of Yue had been captured. He wanted to gain the emperor's trust, and he could start from there.

If Li Xiuyuan can help Goujian avenge his humiliation, it would be easy to get his support for rebuilding Lanruo Temple.

Fortunately, Li Xiuyuan was very familiar with this classic story and was confident that he could help the King of Yue.

Ding Ding!

A series of crisp symphonic sounds rang out, faintly carrying the sound of swords clashing. Li Xiuyuan was a master swordsman, and his intuition about swordsmanship was naturally accurate!

what!

Li Xiuyuan led Nie Xiaoqian to the source of the sound, only to find that the people fighting were a young girl and a white ape.

The white ape wielded a bamboo stick, and the girl swung the bamboo stick around in a fierce exchange.

The white ape's staff techniques were ingenious and powerful, with the bamboo staff whistling through the air as it thrust out. However, every time the ape struck, the girl would deflect it and then counterattack with an extremely skillful move.

The white ape wielded its bamboo staff faster and faster, but the girl remained motionless, occasionally thrusting out a staff that flashed like lightning, forcing the white ape to retreat repeatedly.

A few moments later, the two fought fiercely to a standstill, and the white ape eventually retreated quickly.

Seeing the fight between the humans and apes reminded Li Xiuyuan of a story called "The Sword of the Yue Maiden," and how similar this scene was.

Li Xiuyuan praised, "Excellent, young lady, your swordsmanship is superb!"

As he spoke, he arrived with a gust of wind and stood beside the girl.

The girl was dressed in a green shirt, with an oval face, long eyelashes, big eyes, fair skin, and a very beautiful appearance. She was slender and delicate, and it was hard to tell that she was actually a master swordsman.

The girl was Aqing. One day while she was herding sheep, she encountered a white ape that could wield a bamboo stick. From that time on, she often sparred with it using the bamboo stick, and thus learned superb swordsmanship.

Aqing exclaimed in surprise, "Huh! When did you get here? I didn't notice you!"

As she spoke, her dark eyes were full of curiosity. Although she had not practiced martial arts, she was extremely agile thanks to her innate swordsmanship.

At this moment, Nie Xiaoqian walked out and said with a giggle, "Little girl, the Holy Monk has been standing right next to you all along, but you just didn't notice."

As she spoke, she stood behind Li Xiuyuan in a white dress. Indeed, with his strength, he had at least hundreds of ways to avoid being discovered by Aqing.

Upon hearing this, Aqing's gaze sharpened, and she discovered that the woman was an exceptionally beautiful older sister, as if she were a fairy descended to earth. In her presence, Aqing couldn't help but feel ashamed and exclaimed, "Oh! Sister, you are so beautiful."

Upon hearing this, Nie Xiaoqian's face lit up with a smile, and she laughed, "You'll be just like me in the future, you're just not fully grown yet."

Every woman cares about her appearance, even if she is a female ghost. Moreover, the fact that he praised her in front of Li Xiuyuan made her feel very favorable towards her.

Aqing is only about 14 years old, as thin as a bean sprout. If she grows up well, she will definitely be no less beautiful than Nie Xiaoqian.

Aqing asked, "Really?"

Nie Xiaoqian nodded and replied, "Mm!"

When Li Xiuyuan saw Aqing approaching, the corners of his mouth turned up and he chuckled, "Little girl, this humble monk has noticed that your bones are unusual and would like to examine your body."

Without waiting for Ah Qing's reaction, he began to act!

If we're talking about the most formidable character in Jin Yong's novels, it has to be Yue Nu A Qing. No one, not even Xiao Feng or the Sweeper Monk, can compare to her.

Perhaps only the mysterious Dugu Qiubai can be compared to her.

Yue Nu A Qing alone was able to break through two thousand Yue soldiers, who were her disciples. In terms of martial prowess, she was even able to rival the 20,000-strong army of Wu at that time!

Even if we disregard an army of 20,000, and instead focus on just 20,000 pigs, having the likes of Qiao Feng and Duan Yu slaughter them one by one would likely leave them exhausted by the end.

Aqing defeated them all with a single bamboo branch, which was truly remarkable, almost divine!

Although such achievements are nothing special in this world where gods and immortals roam freely, Li Xiuyuan firmly believes that as long as he teaches well, he can become a master of swordsmanship.

Li Xiuyuan's hand touched A Qing's body, commonly known as touching the bones. After a while, he said, "Indeed, she was born with sword bones. Even in ancient times, she was a rare existence."

Having said that, ignoring Ah Qing's flushed face, he said with delight, "Little girl, I see that you and I are destined to be together. Would you be willing to join the Buddhist order?"

Li Xiuyuan inherited the memories of Jianglong. He knew clearly what the innate sword bone represented. This was an unparalleled sword genius. If he was trained by him and did not die young, he would definitely become a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Although Li Xiuyuan himself has not yet become an immortal, he is absolutely confident that he can make A Qing shine with the brilliance of swordsmanship.

Aqing's face was already flushed red after Li Xiuyuan touched her all over. In this world, women are usually precocious, and it is common for them to get married at the age of thirteen or fourteen.

Chapter 112 Six-eared Macaque

Upon hearing Li Xiuyuan's words, Aqing was at a loss for words, only managing to stammer, "I...I..."

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Don't be in such a hurry to refuse. This humble monk can teach you swordsmanship, just like the white ape."

Having said that, he used his finger as a sword and made a slash in the air.