C1

Niu Yang City. Just half a mile below the foot of Shaolin Temple.

This was an extremely ordinary small town, just like any other small town in Kai Feng City. It looked no different from any other small town. At that time, the Shaolin Temple was full of incense. From the emperor down to the ordinary people in cloth clothing, they would often visit the temple to pay their respects or learn Buddhist arts or practice kung fu or bestow incense on their ancestors. As a result, there were many customers and merchants, and most importantly, an official road just happened to pass through the city. As a result, Niu Yang City gradually became the most prosperous city in Kaifeng at the time. Although there had been battles outside for years, the strange thing was that there was no effect on Niu Yang City at all! People lived in peace, and for the past ten or so years, they had lived in peace. They did not fight against the world, and this attracted a large number of outsiders to settle down or do business in Niu Yang City.

At that time, his surname was Zhu, and in the eyes of the people, he was an upright man who hated evil. However, in the eyes of the people, this Imperial Guard was more of a mystery and a legend. No one knew where he had been transferred from, nor did he hold any ceremonies when he took office. Although no one had seen how he had captured Liu Ruyan, the rapist who had run amok for thirty years on the first day he took office, and how he had captured the best scum in the world of martial arts, when the next day he saw the criminal, who had been in prison for decades, locked up in a carriage and roaming the streets, the people had all clapped their hands in celebration. Since Zhu's arrival ten years ago, the officials who had come to Niu Yang City to collect taxes had disappeared as well, including the Jinyi Guards, who had visited this town late at night. The third day after taking office, he announced to the people outside the city gate that there would be no more taxes, that the families would cultivate their own fields according to the distribution of the population, and that the people would treat the newly appointed county magistrate with great respect and respect, and treat him as their parent.

Half a mile south of the city, at the foot of the five peaks, there was a large courtyard covered by a small bridge. The entire courtyard had a courtyard structure, and the area was large enough to fit two sides! The outer wall was made of green rock. Each rock was of a uniform size and was meticulously polished. The wall was two zhang tall and was extremely sturdy. In front of the main door, it was even more majestic and luxurious. Two large white jade pillars were carved with dragons and phoenixes, and the workmanship was exquisite. The door was made of pure steel, with two three-meter high doors. On the top of the door was a seven foot long signboard with the words "Purple Qi from the East" written on it.

When he entered the courtyard, he saw a completely different scene: the courtyard was filled with many peach trees. There were many peach trees; there were at least thirty thousand of them! What was even more shocking was not the peach tree, but the peach blossoms! It was August and should be the season for peaches to mature. How could there be peaches blooming at this time? But the fact is, it's really hard for you to believe! Looking at them closely, the way these peach trees were planted was also very strange. It seemed to have some similarities with the Peach Blossom Island of the past. Could it be that the owner of this house was a descendant of the Yellow Alchemist? Of course, this was just a guess. However, it was unlikely that the Peach Blossom Island back then would have such a grand scale!

At this time of day, the sun was blazing outside, but in the Peach Blossom Forest, it was extremely cool and refreshing. The fragrance of flowers seeped into one's soul, making one unable to forget about it; it was like a paradise on earth. Deep within the peach forest, one could vaguely see a small pavilion appearing within the peach forest. It was arranged in an orderly manner, and small bridges and flowing water meandered within it. Following the path, he saw a green bamboo forest at the end of the peach blossom. Next to the bamboo forest was a house, a house built from bamboo, the craftsmanship so exquisite that people would be amazed, every bamboo was carved out of thin air, or had characters or flowers, birds or people, the size of the house was sure to shock you, there were at least twenty small and large houses.

The biggest door in the center also had a red lacquer plaque on it. It said "Three Friends House". The words were not as grand as the front yard, but they had a lot of elegance to them. At the corner of the hall was a study, with windows facing the back of the house. The arrangement of the study was simple and fragrant. The walls were covered with calligraphy and paintings, and all of them were masterpieces. Next to the window hung an iron fan ? a pitch-black iron fan. It was made of mystical steel and incomparably peculiar. Along with the iron fan was a short sword, the same pitch-black short sword. It was also made of darksteel. The sword was one foot and three inches long, but it had no sheath! In the pitch black darkness, there was a cold purple glow, and on the hilt of the sword, there was a faint word, "peach". In the pitch-black, there was a cold purple word, and on the hilt of the sword, there was a word, "peach".

At this moment, a middle-aged man in white was sitting at a desk, writing a book. This person was around 35 years old. His face was white and clean, and his eyes were clear and lively. The few strands of eight-character beard that he had deliberately left behind added a bit of elegance to his appearance.

Beside him, on a bamboo chair, was a eight to nine-year-old girl kneeling. She had big eyes and an oval face. Although she was small, she exuded an aura of beauty. At this moment, she was grinding ink for the man in white.

"Daddy, can you ?" Could you... Teach me to write? " the little girl asked as she grinded the man in white. Her big eyes blinked as she stared at his face. The man in white must be her father.

"Of course I will teach my darling Ling'er. Mn, when daddy finishes this big affair, we will live in seclusion with your mother, and father will teach Ling'er every day, haha ?" The man in white put down his brush and picked up the little girl. He used his hands to stroke her hair as he spoke, and his words revealed a deep love.

"Then when will Father, Mother, and Father live in seclusion?" Although the little girl did not know what her father meant by "living in seclusion", she knew that her father could teach her to write every day. She was very happy to see that day.

"Haha, aiya, I never would have thought that my Ling Er is even more anxious than daddy. Hehe, yeah, daddy promises you. It won't be long, haha ?" Then, he fiercely kissed Ling'er on the cheek. "Daddy loves my Ling'er so much. Mn, daddy too!"

Before the little girl could kiss him, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard outside the door.

"My lord, a guest wishes to meet you from outside!"

"Who?"

"That person won't tell me. He only told me to give the lord one thing. He said that as long as the lord sees this thing, he will naturally meet with the lord."

"Hmm?" The man in white's expression turned serious. He slowly put Ling'er down and said, "Be good, Ling'er. Go to daddy. Daddy has things to take care of ?" As expected, Ling'er was sensible and skipped out.

"Come in!"

"Yes, my lord!"

A young man with the appearance of a government official came in, holding a yellow embroidered box in his hands. He presented it to the man in white with both hands. "This is the item."

"Mm. You can leave. I'll call you if you need anything!" The man took the box.

"Yes, my lord!" The youth withdrew.

The man in white placed the embroidered box on the desk, his face filled with confusion. What was it?

Then, he opened the brocade box. The moment he opened it, the expression on the man in white's face seemed to freeze. Furthermore, it was filled with pain, as though he had been stabbed in the weak parts of his body.

Inside the box was a fake finger, a fake finger with a ring on it. On the ring, there was a bright red plum blossom.

After a while, the man in white seemed to wake up from a dream and closed the box. "Ling Feng, prepare the palanquin, return to the yamen immediately!"

The man in white was none other than Niu Yang Town's Prime Minister, Zhu Kai--known as Master Diao. This little girl was his darling nine-year-old daughter, Zhu Ling'er. The young man who had just delivered the letter was his right-hand man ? Leng Lingfeng, who was the direct disciple of the martial arts talent known throughout the world ? Fu Qingzhu, the number one expert of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.