C278 A Guest in the Middle of the Night

As the voice goes, a man whose age cannot be determined, with messy hair and beard, he was wearing a tattered Daoist robe, and his right hand was waving a broken palm-leaf fan. With a large dark red gourd in his left hand and a pair of worn-out cloth shoes, he leisurely and comfortably walked into the courtyard door as if he had just returned home. He appeared in front of everyone.

Everyone saw that his clothes were wrinkled and tattered, as if they had just been dug out from a garbage heap. His entire body was covered in oil and dirt, shining under the illumination of the torch. As he walked, he seemed to be drunk, but he did not stop at all as he crashed into the hall's door. Everyone was afraid that he would bump into them, so they all backed away. That person, however, didn't seem to notice and continued to ram straight into them. Du Qi, who had not moved at all, only stopped two steps away from him, and fixed his gaze on Du Qi. A bright light flashed in his eyes, and his beard rose and fell. He revealed a neat row of white teeth and said with a smile, "Little friend, since you asked me to come in, are you going to treat me like this?"

Seeing the person who had come, Du Qi felt a sense of familiarity once again. However, he was sure that he had never seen such a Daoist priest before. He didn't understand why he felt this way. As he was deep in thought, he was awakened by the Taoist priest's words. He quickly stepped aside and politely said, "Taoist priest, please come in!"

The Daoist laughed and proudly walked past Du Qi. He unceremoniously entered the hall and sat in the upper seat. He raised the gourd in his left hand and drank a big mouthful. "Coo!" He swallowed the gourd and said to everyone like a master, "Don't be polite. Come in and take a seat. Don't be nervous. This poor Taoist will leave after resting for a while! "

When he heard the sound of "Croak!" once again, Du Qi suddenly felt his heart tremble. He suddenly remembered that he had heard this sound four years ago. That day, he had confronted Ying Dagang, Luo Changhe, and the others at the entrance of the Xiangyang's prison. The mysterious person who had helped him lure away the powerful enemy, linen robed elder, had made this "Gu!" sound after his words. At that time, he had felt that it was strange and mysterious, but he didn't know the reason behind it. That was why he had a very deep impression of it. It had been a long time since he remembered it. He often hoped to have a chance to meet this great benefactor, who he had never met before, to thank him for helping out. Today, when he suddenly heard this voice again, he didn't think about it for a moment.

Now that he had finally met this great benefactor who had helped him in the past, Du Qi couldn't help but feel extremely delighted. He said with a bit of excitement, "So it turns out that the Daoist Priest has arrived. May I know what advice you have for me in this late night?"

The Daoist Priest laughed and threw the colorful gourd in his hand to Du Qi. He said with a smile, "Looking at little friend's expression, it seems like you still remember this humble Daoist. Haha! It seems that little friend's cultivation has improved quite a bit recently. Haha! Come, have a sip of the 'monkey wine' that I got from the mountain. How about it? "

He took over the calabash that the Daoist priest threw over and imitated the Daoist priest just now. Du Qi took a big swig, swallowed it with a 'goo' sound, and then threw the gourd back to the priest. He smacked his lips and said with a profound meaning, "It tastes a little sour in the mouth. It seems to have a foul smell, but the texture is pure. The aftertaste is long. It is indeed a good wine that is hard to come by! "

That Daoist took the gourd and drank a large mouthful with a "goo!" before he smiled and said, "So it turns out that little friend also has this item. Otherwise, you wouldn't have said such words. To be able to receive little friend's evaluation, this humble Daoist has already made this trip worthwhile. Haha!"

Du Qi knew that the Daoist priest did not just happen to pass by. Instead, he had specially come to find him. However, he did not know how the Daoist knew that he was here, and it was not convenient for him to ask about it. He could only say, "The Taoist priest did not bother to work late at night. I think he did not come to find me to drink and comment, right?"

That priest laughed and said, "Little friend, you are even more anxious than me, 'Sloppy Monk', when it comes to matters. As expected, it is to my liking. Haha, haha, this time, this poor Daoist came here to find you. The main reason is to deliver two pieces of news, one of which is official business. The other is private business. May I know which one you would like to hear first?"

When he heard "Sloppy Monk" announce his name, Du Qi's heart couldn't help but tremble. This Sloppy Monk wasn't an ordinary person. He was the person who took turns to protect the safety of Du Mansion under the will of the Yellow Emperor. He was an expert of Taoism in the "Agriculture and Commerce Sect. They originally didn't belong to any organization or clan, and normally wouldn't meet with the people of Du Mansion. It was just that when Du Mansion was in trouble, they would secretly help them get through it. Later on, the situation became more and more serious. The talents of the "Prosperous Agriculture and Commerce" had returned to Heaven One Sect, but their martial arts were still unique. It was different from the martial arts of the Heaven One Sect.

Du Qi saw that Sloppy Monk actually went against the norm and came to meet him. He knew that there must be something very important to tell him. He felt a little nervous and excited at the same time. He quickly said, "Please say whatever you want, Elder Daoist!"

Sloppy Monk glanced at everyone in the hall, but he asked Du Qi, "How long has it been since young friend left Xiangyang?"

Du Qi counted with his fingers and exclaimed, "It has been nearly three months since we left Xiangyang. I did not expect time to pass so quickly! Elder Daoist asked such a question. Could it be that something has happened in Xiangyang?"

Sloppy Monk said, "I am not aware of any changes in Xiangyang. I just received news from Xiangyang that I need to inform little friend immediately and ask him to hurry back to Xiangyang as soon as possible!"

Du Qi's heart could not help but tremble when he heard this. A faint sense of foreboding arose and he urgently asked, "Is this the private matter that Daoist Priest wants to tell me? What's the specific situation?"

Sloppy Monk said, "Although this humble Daoist doesn't know why the news from Xiangyang would invite little friend back, I think this matter should be related to little friend himself. It should be considered little friend's private matter."

Although Sloppy Monk said it casually, Du Qi couldn't relax no matter what. However, it wasn't an ordinary matter for Sloppy Monk to deliver the news personally. The urgency and seriousness of the matter in Xiangyang could be imagined. Du Qi controlled his agitated emotions, but he still felt somewhat uneasy. He said absent-mindedly, "Then, what is the official matter that Daoist Priest wants to convey?"

Sloppy Monk glanced at the people in the hall and said in a mysterious voice, "A few days ago, we received reliable news that the leader of the Mongol Tartart Division, I, is mobilizing troops and generals, preparing to invade my territory."

When everyone heard this, they were all shocked. Just now, they were still discussing the matter of me reporting to Wei Jing nine years ago. Who knew that now, they would hear that he was preparing to invade again. Apart from shock, they were also shocked. They didn't know why Sloppy Monk had come specifically to inform them of this news, nor did they know how to deal with it. All of them couldn't help but look at Du Qi.

Du Qi was just as confused as the others. He couldn't help but look at Sloppy Monk suspiciously. Suppressing his confusion, he said, "This is the national military situation. I am just a peasant in the wilderness, and a young man who doesn't do much. If the Taoist priest didn't report such important news to You Si, why did he come and tell me? Please enlighten me, Taoist priest! "