At the foot of Jinkouling outside Chizhou Prefecture, there is a Woshi Town. The town is not big, and most of the villages make a living by mining copper ore. A thatched hut was built on the mountain at the south end of the town.

It was June and the weather was hot.

The old tree was listless, with leaves hanging down, and the temperature was high for several days. Even the old dog at the door of the hut was too lazy to move, lying on the ground, sticking out his tongue.

On that day, a middle-aged man in silk came to the hut under the leadership of a friend. The middle-aged man was over forty years old, not tall, and looked a little rich, and he looked like a wealthy family. He came to the hut and looked around, but his face was a hint of respect.

Outside the hut, an old man dressed in a farmer was picking up manure to fertilize the vegetable garden. Cucumbers, beans, and loofahs were planted in the garden, all of which were seasonal fruits and vegetables.

The guy said to the middle-aged man, "Butler Li, this is the senior Yang of Jiangnan with one sword. He is also one of the three gold medal killers in Hongxing Hall. He doesn't come out of the mountain easily. Whether he can invite him depends on your ability."

Hongxingtang is not famous in the world, but in the underground world, it is famous. It is everywhere in the Dengwenyuan. The comparison organization is known as the three major killer organizations in the world. Unlike the latter two, the Dark Night Organization has no official background and only accepts commercial assassination tasks. The headquarter is located in the capital and is divided into five-level killers of gold, silver, copper, iron and wood. Each killer is ranked by the number of killers and the difficulty level, and only by killing two people in the Tongxiang Realm can he become a gold medal killer.

Butler Li looked at the old man and saw that he was old, but his hands were not trembling at all when scooping the manure soup, and the rhythm was very rhythmic. Every time he poured a spoon, he would speak to the fruits and vegetables.

"Darhuang, you have grown very fast these days. This spoon of gold and water is your reward. As long as you can grow half a pound, I will find another woman to accompany you underground."

The guy said, "Senior Yang, are you chatting with Brother Dahuang again?"

The old man surnamed Yang said, "Yes, when people get old, they become nostalgic. If he had not died back then, he would have been a gold medal killer now. But it would be better if he died, so he would be buried below and listen to me nagging him."

Only then did Butler Li realize that there was a killer from Hongxingtang buried under this cucumber, and his level was not low.

The old man said again, "Killer, you can't take a wrong step in your life. As long as you take a wrong step, this will end up."

"I'll introduce you to the business."

The old man said, "Please go back, this gentleman. I have washed my hands with golden basin and no longer care about the affairs of the world. I just want to plant a vegetable garden and spend my old age in peace."

When Mr. Li saw that the old man named Yang was introverted and had no trace of a master, he knew that his martial arts had reached the level of being wise and foolish. He bowed, "Senior Yang, here is...

"Stop!" The old man surnamed Yang stopped him, "You don't need to know your name when you do our business, let alone, I'm not going to take on the job."

The guy said, "Senior, this noble man is generous. He is going to pay 500,000 taels to buy one's life."

The old man said, "I, Yang Wei, have I been in the world for decades, have I never seen silver? Ten years ago, when I killed Tongxiang in northern Sichuan, I also earned hundreds of thousands of taels. I have only 500,000 taels, but I haven't seen it yet."

Mr. Li said: "As long as the senior is willing to take action, I can add another price, one million taels, how about it?"

The old man said, "It's hot, come to the pavilion to talk."

He picked a few cucumbers and picked one, but he didn't like to wash it, so he threw it to Butler Li. Butler Li thought of his hand that he had just poured manure, and he didn't eat it, nor did he not eat it.

The old man said, "What? I think it's dirty and don't eat it? If I don't want to eat it, then don't leave. My leeks have not yet been fertilized."

Butler Li knew that the more legendary these people in the world were, the more quirks they had. He forced himself to endure it and took a bite. It was not bad.

The old man also picked up one, wiped it without wiping it, put it in his mouth and held it in his mouth. He took a bite, slammed, and vomited a tooth, and blood flowed out. He didn't realize it, and swallowed the blood and cucumbers.

"One and a half thousand taels!"

Butler Li was angry. Killing only one million and a million taels of people was faster than robbing money. If it weren't for the inconvenience of the masters in the family, wouldn't it be that the strength of the Li family in Jinling should have to ask for a killer from outside?

“This price…”

The old man said, "It is a big deal to guess the person you want to kill. However, those who can afford one million taels don't care about adding another 500,000 taels. These 500,000 taels are just the cost of my return. If you can, talk, and you can't. Please give yourself a try."

After saying that, he said lightly, "Now, there are not many gold medal killers in the world."

Butler Li remembered that before the master came, he specifically told him that he would not let that person go back to Jinling alive at any cost. Thinking of this, he was cruel and cruel, "Okay, one hundred and five."

The old man shook his head and said, "One hundred and fifty, plus fifty comeback fee, totaling two million taels."

"You just..."

The old man sneered, "Don't bargain, I'll add money again."

Butler Li gritted his teeth and "find the deal."

He took out a few silver notes from his arms, "This is a deposit of 500,000 taels. After the matter is done, I will pay you."

The old man glared at him, "Why do you think you are buying cucumbers? The rules of Hongxing, the gold medal killer takes action and pays the full amount. If the mission fails, there is only one way to die. Then you will take back the money."

Butler Li originally took two million taels, but wanted to spend 500,000 yuan, and left the remaining 1.5 million yuan himself, but the old man asked for a huge price and made up his mind that when things were done in the future, he would let the masters in the family kill the old man first.

He took out a stack of silver notes from his arms and handed them to him, "Two million taels are all here."

The old man took the money, counted it carefully twice before putting it in his arms, and slowly said, "Tell me, who do you want to kill."

"The third young master of the Li family in Jinling, Li Qingcheng!"

The old man said proudly, "The money owner is so generous, I thought I was going to be preparing to assassinate which prince? It turned out to be

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A guy who has no dry breasts."

"He has good martial arts."

The old man sneered, "If our Red Star's gold medal killer had to rely solely on martial arts to kill people, he would have been dead dozens of times."

"How do you kill someone?"

"Walking in the world, the most dangerous thing is the heart of the people. We are the gold medal killers, killing people with our hearts. If the other party is a human, if it is a human, you have weaknesses. If it is a weakness, you can be exploited. How did the King of Chuanbei in Tongxiang die? I used his wife, son, and daughter to force him to commit suicide."

...

After Butler Li left, the mate said with envy, "Senior Yang, I want to have half of your ability to make money, that's great."

The old man gnawed cucumbers while packing his things. "You kid is still young and you still have to learn a lot."

"Are you going to leave now?"

The old man said, "I have to run away quickly after collecting other people's money." He took out two silver notes from his arms, "This is 200,000 taels..." After thinking about it, he took back another one, "This is 100,000 taels. You go to Chuzhou and find the silver medal killer Niulanshan, tell him about Li Qingcheng's appearance, characteristics, and preferences, and then say I've introduced him to a job."

"Where will I go to find you after that happens?"

The old man thought for a while, "Go to Yinyang."

The old man packed up his gold, silver and fine materials and was a killer for life. He didn't expect to make a lot of money before leaving. He heard that the land there was cheap. With this money, he would go to Shitou City to buy a house and spend the rest of his life. Wouldn't it be a pleasure?

Gold medal killer? Humph, it's just a false reputation, how can you be a free man?

...

Above the Yangtze River.

A cargo ship went downstream, with a three-meter-long length. The upper floor was a cabin and the lower floor was dedicated to cargo pulling. It contained peppers and Shu brocade from Shu. Of course, there were also many smuggled salt goods.

It is already June, and the Yangtze River has entered the flood season and the water level has become higher. Unlike the countercurrent, it is different from the fact that it is pulled by fibers. Only two or three ships can take the helm of the ships flowing eastward from the Yangtze River.

Above the bow of the boat, two people were one horse and one skinny donkey.

Although the savage donkey was the king on the road, he became very dizzy as soon as he got on the boat. He couldn't even eat too much food for days, and after more than a month, he lost a lot of weight.

Xiao Jinyan and Li Qingcheng stood on the bow of the boat and enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the way. They left Yinyang City, drove along the horses and rushed to Jingzhou, took a boat in Jingzhou, and walked down the Yangtze River all the way, but they didn't encounter any trouble.

The river breeze blows, and the river surface is cool.

Two shipmen were singing an unknown tune.

The older man said justice: "Cornosis is bitter, bitter melon is bitter, how can I get more bitter than boatman's. Come in the wind and go in the rain, and I will eventually earn a lot of mud."

The young shipman sang, "Sweet sugarcane and tangerines, how can I get the sweetness of the boatman? Yangtze River water, Wuchang fish, and Jiangzhong Poo Saifuji."

When Li Qingcheng heard this little song, it had a unique flavor. He couldn't help but remember that when he was on the boat west, Li Jinping had taught him a little tune. When he thought that he would see her soon, he couldn't help but smile.

The young man is fair, "This is the weather, after finishing this order, we will learn from the young man in Jinling City, go to the Qinhuai River to have a drink of flower wine, and then have a piece of iced watermelon to live a fairy life!"

The older man is fair, "Oh, just the wages you earn from this boat are better to save as your wife's account, and you still want to go to the Qinhuai River. Do you know that a piece of iced watermelon can be worth the money you have on the boat!"

In the Ming Dynasty, ice cubes were extremely difficult to preserve. Most of them were built several feet underground. Ice cellars were made and stored in winter to keep the air bright. They were not taken out in summer for use by court officials and wealthy families. It is said that in the dog days, the price of a piece of ice could be the same as the silver of equal weight, which ordinary people could not afford.

Xiao Jinyan was so hot that he was sweating all over and asked Li Qingcheng, "Does the Li family have an ice cellar?"

Li Qingcheng Road, "Every year, the Li family collects water from Huishan, Changzhou Prefecture and travels a long distance to Jinling, so in summer, the ice cubes in the palace are all supplied by our Li family."

Huishan is located in Wuxi County, Changzhou Prefecture, and is famous all over the world. In Lu Yu's "Tea Classic", Huiquan was called "the second spring in the world". The spring water is sweet, and using this spring water to make ice is naturally a top-notch product.

Xiao Jinyan was afraid of heat and said, "When you arrive in Jinling, you can let me live in an ice cellar."

The boatman heard them discussing Jinling and asked with a smile, "Two young men, are you going to Jinling?"

“That’s right.”

"Then you are really here!" The elders were fair. "This year is the New Year of the Li family worshiping ancestors in Jinling. The Li family members who came from all over the country gathered in Jinling, which was very lively."

Xiao Jinyan deliberately asked, "Is the Li family very famous in Jinling?"

The shipman said to him as if he had never seen the world, "Then you have to say it! The Li family in Jinling has a history of 600 years. It is known as the Li family along with the Li family in Longxi. Its business covers the world. The Li family business has a semicolon in the 13 provinces of the Ming Dynasty. There are nearly a hundred people in the direct clan, not to mention the eight branches. If we count it, it is not an exaggeration to have half of the city in the entire Jinling."

The boat was about to arrive in Chizhou, and the boatman pointed to the dock and said, "Did you see that most of the ships on this dock are from the Li family in Jinling or dependent on the Li family."

Li Qingcheng pretended not to hear about it.

Xiao Jinyan was amazed, "So many!"

"That's of course. Over the past three hundred years, there have been 108 Jinshi people and students from Jinling, three of whom have become prime ministers."

There was no prime minister in the Ming Dynasty, but once officials entered the cabinet, they were called prime ministers among the people.

The shipkeeper said again, "Li Shaoqing, the son of the second house of Jinling, has become a fifth-rank official at a young age. Everyone says that he is the next prime minister of the Li family in Jinling."

Li Qingcheng smiled and said, "You have long ears!"
To be continued...