Chapter 102: The second military advisor Xu Xingzhi, Pegasus Ranch, and the world’s number one craft

Chapter 102: The second military advisor Xu Xingzhi, Pegasus Ranch, and the world’s number one craft

Chapter 102: The second military advisor Xu Xingzhi, Pegasus Ranch, and the world’s best craftsman Lu Miaozi!
"Mr. Xu, please stand up quickly!"

Seeing the thirty-something scholar in front of him calling himself Xu Xingzhi, Qin Shuang's heart suddenly moved.

As far as he knows.

Xu Xingzhi is a clerk working under Fang Daoyuan, the right vanguard of Jingling Duba Villa. He is a man of great wisdom and strategy.

Later, because Fang Daoyuan was killed by Fang Zetao, Xu Xingzhi had nowhere to go, so he was recruited by Kou Zhong to become his military strategist.

Qin Shuang didn't expect this.

I met Xu Xingzhi here.

"If Xingzhi is not mistaken, the benefactor should be the recently famous leader of Yangzhou Qianlong Society, Qin Hui, right?"

At Qin Shuang's signal, Xu Xingzhi stood up, looked at Qin Shuang, his eyes moved slightly, and asked respectfully.

recent.

Qin Shuang, the leader of Yangzhou Qianlong Society, occupied Yangzhou. Recently, he killed Ren Shaoming, one of the two tyrants in Jiangnan, with one sword. He also seized Jiujiang and Jiangdu, and his reputation shook the world. He had already heard about it when he was in Duba Villa.

"Exactly."

Qin Shuang nodded and asked again, "How did Mr. Xu meet the four bandits?"

He found.

Xu Xingzhi was thirty years old, with straight eyes and nose, and five long beards. With his handsome features, he looked like an immortal.

"Hey, it's a long story."

Xu Xingzhi sighed and said, "I am a clerk under Fang Daoyuan, the right vanguard of Duba Mountain Villa. However, Lord Fang was killed by Fang Zetao. I escaped because I was out. I didn't expect that I would meet the four major bandits again when I went down the villa and was chased by them. If it weren't for the master's rescue, we would have died!"

"I see!"

Qin Shuang's eyes flashed with a strange light when he heard this, and he looked at Xu Xingzhi and asked, "Mr. Xu, what are your plans for the future?"

"I was planning to seek refuge in Guangdong, but I feel a little reluctant, so I don't have any plans yet."

Xu Xingzhi smiled bitterly and said.

"In that case, why don't you join our Qianlong Society?"

"Give me a hand?"

When Qin Shuang heard this, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes and he laughed.

"My benefactor is willing to take me in, and I am willing to do so!"

"My lord, please accept my greetings!"

Hearing Qin Shuang's words, Xu Xingzhi's eyes flashed with brilliance. He immediately turned over and knelt in front of Qin Shuang, performing a great salute.

Although he was in Jingling.

But I have heard that my benefactor’s Qianlong Society has occupied Yangzhou, seized Jiujiang, and most recently, seized Jiangdu, and its reputation is known throughout the world!
Besides, I have nowhere to go, so if I turn to my benefactor, maybe I can do something!
At this moment, the eleven men following behind Xu Xingzhi also knelt down after hearing the sound.

"Mr. Xu, everyone please stand up quickly!"

Qin Shuang hurriedly helped Xu Xingzhi and others up.

now.

He was very satisfied.

He already knew about Xu Xingzhi's talents. He already had a military advisor, Zhuge Cheng. If he could get another Xu Xingzhi, he would have two great military advisors!
To know.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei was able to achieve success on both ends after obtaining Zhuge Liang and his phoenix. However, it was a pity that the phoenix later died at Luofeng Slope. Qin Shuang had always thought that if the phoenix had not died and had shared the pressure with Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei might have been able to defeat Cao Cao and unify the world.

"I wonder if you are going to Pegasus Ranch?"

Xu Xingzhi looked at Qin Shuang and the others, with a thoughtful look in his eyes, and asked.

"We are indeed going to Pegasus Ranch, but it is just a side trip. The main purpose is to go to Lingnan Knife Grinding Hall to learn swordsmanship at the invitation of the Song clan leader."

Qin Shuang said in a calm tone.

"The leader of the Song clan in Lingnan invites the lord to the knife sharpening hall to learn swordsmanship?"

Hearing Qin Shuang's words, Xu Xingzhi's eyes flashed with light and his body shook.

He is a man of great intelligence.

From what the lord said, I could guess it almost exactly.

It seems that the leader of the Song family has seen the great potential of the lord and is willing to carry out deeper cooperation.

After all, he already knew.

The Song clan and the Lord's Qianlong Society have already had preliminary cooperation.

"Ah."

Qin Shuang nodded and said, "Since Mr. Xu has joined our Qianlong Society, how about you take this flying knife token and go to Jiujiang to meet with the garrison commander Liu Yong and Tu Hongzhen and wait for me to return from Lingnan?"

"I will follow the Lord's orders!"

Xu Xingzhi clasped his fists respectfully towards Qin Shuang.

Xu Xingzhi took the flying knife given to him by Qin Shuang and headed towards Jiujiang with the eleven people who followed him.

Qin Shuang led the ten men under his command to Pegasus Ranch.

The group continued to move forward, and after an hour, they had climbed over two mountains.

Finally, we saw a stretch of hills ahead.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from behind Qin Shuang and others.

Qin Shuang turned around and saw a group of knights coming from behind. The men on horseback were all wearing identical grey tights with a flying horse with wings embroidered on their lapels. There were twelve riders in total and more than ten other strong horses were saddleless wild horses, tied together with reins.

At this time, the team riding wild horses was only about fifty feet away from Qin Shuang and others. The leader was a middle-aged strong man with only one eye. His face was crude, but his one eye was still shining. Seeing someone blocking the way ahead, he immediately signaled the people following to slow down.

"Nephew Liu!"

At this moment, behind Qin Shuang, Ding Buyi looked at the one-eyed burly man in the lead and shouted.

Ding Buyi didn't expect to meet Liu Zongdao, the son of an old acquaintance, here.

"Eh? Uncle Ding, is that you?"

"Why are you here?"

The one-eyed strong man noticed Ding Buyi behind Qin Shuang when he heard the voice, and a look of surprise immediately appeared in his eyes.

"Our club leader wants to purchase a batch of horses, so we came to meet the owner to discuss."

Ding Buyi smiled slightly and explained the reason for his visit.

"I see!"

Liu Zongdao suddenly realized.

After discussion, Qin Shuang learned that Liu Zongdao had traveled far to the frontier to bring back these dozen good-bred Hu horses for breeding, and happened to meet Qin Shuang and his group on the way.

Ding Buyi got acquainted with the second deacon of Pegasus Ranch, and they immediately went to Pegasus Ranch.

Southwest of Jingling County, two branches of the Yangtze River, the Zhang River and the Ju River, outline a vast, nearly triangular, fertile land. The two streams flow along both banks, nourishing the fertile fields, and finally return to the main river.

The weather here is warm and pleasant all year round, the soil is fertile, and it is a place with abundant resources.

The pasture was located in an area with lush grass and surrounded by green mountains. The green land within a dozen miles was only connected to the outside world by narrow roads at the east and west ends, and the natural geographical advantage formed a barrier. Qin Shuang followed the team through the winding mountain path and stood on a mountain, overlooking the green carpet-like farmland and the mirror-like lake. He felt quite peaceful in his heart.

Further away, there are endless mountains.

Flocks of white sheep, yellow-brown or light gray cattle, and strong and nimble horses of various coat colors were leisurely strolling and grazing.

A majestic ancient castle stands on the northwestern highlands, with an almost vertical steep cliff behind it and a curved stream like a ribbon in front of it, forming a magnificent picture that makes people excited.

Qin Shuang and others followed Liu Zongdao to the entrance of the gorge.

There is a tower at the exit of the gorge, and in front of the tower a tunnel three meters wide and five meters deep is dug, crossing the gorge. The bottom is covered with spikes, and a suspension bridge is required to pass through. It is indeed a situation where one man is guarding the pass and ten thousand men are unable to cross.

Left side of the castle.

Liu Zongdao and the short old man Lao Xu took the fine horses from outside the Great Wall to the stable to settle down, while Qin Shuang, Ding Buyi and others were received by the chief steward Shang Zhen.

"Master Qin, the horses in our ranch have indeed been reserved by the Li family. If you really want to buy them, you can discuss it with our owner. However, our owner has left the ranch to pick up a guest and has not returned yet. Master Qin, can you wait for the owner to return?"

Shang Zhen was a burly bald man dressed in a brocade robe. He had a large jade ring on his right hand, which made him look very noble. He politely clasped his fists towards Qin Shuang.

"Oh?"

"When will the mall owner be able to come back?"

Qin Shuang's eyes showed a thoughtful look. She saw a gleam of brilliance in Shang Zhen's gaze and realized that Shang Zhen's internal strength had reached the level of a first-class master. No wonder Pegasus Ranch had been able to stand for so many years.

"The mall owner went out yesterday. If he doesn't come back today, he will definitely come back tomorrow!"

Shang Zhen looked at Qin Shuang and clasped his fists.

now.

Shang Zhen was very curious about Qin Shuang.

The name of Flying Dagger Qin Shuang has recently caused a sensation in the martial arts world.

Is this young man, who is only twenty years old, really as scary as the flying knife in the legend?
He was actually able to silence Ren Shaoming, one of the two most famous tyrants in Jiangnan!

"Okay, I'll wait!"

Qin Shuang looked thoughtful and nodded.

If you want to build up the Iron Cavalry, you must get horses and you can't give up halfway!

Seeing that Qin Shuang insisted on waiting for the mall owner to come back, Shang Zhen immediately arranged for a young man named Luo Fang to take Qin Shuang and others to stay in the guest rooms specially set up for guests at the ranch, and then he said goodbye to Qin Shuang and left.

Qin Shuang was practicing the flying knife technique in the guest room, working hard to improve his proficiency.

unconsciously.

It was already evening. After dinner, Qin Shuang stood in the guest courtyard and looked around.

He discovered that to the left of the guest room was the Pegasus Garden of the owner's mansion, behind it was the attic, to the right was the back mountain, and opposite the canyon exit it led to an unknown place.

"By the way, Lu Miaozi lives here!"

Qin Shuang's powerful perception spread out, and he heard the sound of gurgling water behind the guest room. He suddenly remembered that in the original drama, Lu Miaozi, the world's number one craftsman, lived in the attic in the backyard of this horse farm. Now that he came to Pegasus Ranch, it would be unreasonable not to go and see Lu Miaozi.

You should know that Lu Miaozi was proficient in martial arts, medicine, gardening, architecture, military tactics, disguise, astronomy, calendar calculation, mechanisms, etc. The famous Yang Gong Treasure House was designed by him.

If we could obtain Lu Miaozi's mechanism-making skills and bring them to the battlefield, it would definitely be of great use.

Moreover, maybe I can find a way to enter Yang Gong's treasury in the future. Currently, Yang Gong's treasury is located in Chang'an. If I can get the things inside before Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling go to Yang Gong's treasury, it will be of great help to my fight for dominance in the world!

Qin Shuang thought of this.

He immediately walked along the guest room towards a moon-shaped door.

After passing through the moon-shaped gate, there is a garden and a corridor at the back. There is also a lotus pond on the left. A small hexagonal pavilion is built in the middle of the pond, connected to the shore by a small bridge.

The moon hangs in the sky on the right, casting silver light on the quiet back garden, creating an extremely moving scene.

Qin Shuang turned left and right, passed through the corridor and bamboo forest, and came to a cliff a hundred feet high. Across the cliff was a waterfall cascading down, with an imposing momentum. If it were not for the bamboo forest, the thunderous sound of the waterfall could be heard in the courtyard.

Walk ten feet to the left, and the view suddenly opens up. On the terrace near the cliff, there is a two-story building in a dangerous position.

at this time.

There was still light on the second floor, which showed that someone was still living there.

"This should be the loft where Lu Miaozi lives!"

Qin Shuang looked at the attic, thinking about how to interact with Lu Miaozi. Suddenly, an old voice came from upstairs. "Since the distinguished guest is here, why don't you come up and meet me?"

"In that case, I am sorry to bother you, Senior!"

Qin Shuang clasped his fists towards the attic and climbed up the wooden steps on the side of the attic. He knew that the old man in the attic was undoubtedly Lu Miaozi!
The second floor has two rooms, one with tables and chairs, and the other should be Lu Miaozi's bedroom.

By the window, there is a tall old man in wide robes with big sleeves, which makes people feel like they are looking up to a mountain.

"Little brother, please take a seat and try the six-fruit liquid I brewed!"

The old man slowly turned around, waved his hand and pointed at the wine jug on the table.

Qin Shuang saw the old man's face clearly. He was wearing a goose-shaped hat and a wide belt. His face was strange and he looked as tall as a pine or cypress. He looked very old.

"Drink! Get drunk when you have wine, what is life like!!"

Seeing that Qin Shuang didn't move, Lu Miaozi murmured, his tone revealed a deep helplessness, making people feel that he must have a sad past.

"Thank you, senior!"

Qin Shuang stepped forward, picked up the wine jug, and filled two cups. The aroma of fruit wine filled his nose.

Seeing that Lu Miaozi was still motionless, Qin Shuang picked up a glass and drank it all.

When the fruit wine goes down your throat, the taste is mellow, soft and refreshing, leaving a long aftertaste.

Lu Miaozi said calmly, "This wine is made from six kinds of fresh fruits: pomegranate, grape, orange, mountain dregs, green plum, and pineapple. After the process of fruit selection, water bleaching, crushing, pitting, soaking, juice extraction, fermentation, adjustment, filtration, and mellowing, it is then put into wooden barrels and aged underground for three years. It tastes good, right?"

"The seniors have extremely high attainments in brewing wine, which is rare in the world."

Qin Shuang praised sincerely.

"You have a Yangzhou accent. The ranch rarely hires outsiders. What are you doing here?"

Lu Miaozi said in a gentle voice.

"I am Qin Shuang, the leader of Yangzhou Qianlong Club. I heard that the best horses of the mall owner were reserved by the Li family, so I came to see the mall owner to see if he could make some concessions. I was unaware of the taboos and disturbed you. Please forgive me!"

Qin Shuang then explained his origins and how he had accidentally entered the place at night.

"He who does not know is not guilty!"

Lu Miaozi looked at Qin Shuang deeply, smiled slightly and said, "Do you know why I, who lives in seclusion, would invite you to come up and see me?"

Qin Shuang knew what he was going to say, but shook his head.

"If it weren't for this fruit wine keeping me alive, I might not be able to see you today, little brother."

Lu Miaozi showed an exhausted expression, slowly sat down, took the six-fruit liquid and drank it all, and smiled bitterly.

"Senior is injured?"

Qin Shuang asked, he knew that Lu Miaozi had an old injury from decades ago.

Lu Miaozi nodded and said, "That was the injury I received thirty years ago. Although the demonic power of that witch was powerful, it still failed to kill me. I used the terrain of the mountains and rivers to escape thousands of miles away and hid here. For thirty years, building the garden here has been my spiritual sustenance, otherwise I would have died of my injuries long ago. However, these days, my old hatred has been lingering in my heart. This is a sign of a recurrence of my injuries. I am afraid that my time will come soon."

(End of this chapter)