Anjun City is located in the central and eastern part of Guliang Kingdom, surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one side. The Hanzi River flows through this place. The water gradually slows down and flows eastward around the city, irrigating tens of millions of acres of fertile farmland.

The city's terrain is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. As the capital of the ancient Liang Kingdom, it is difficult for ordinary wars to affect this place. After hundreds of thousands of years of living and reproduction, the people in the city can be said to be prosperous and happy, with a dense population and a large number of merchants.

Not only is it the location of the ancient Liang Kingdom Imperial City, it is also one of the largest cities in the northeast of Yuntian Continent.

It was midsummer at this time, the sun was shining brightly, the streets in the city were bustling with traffic and people, various businesses and pawnshops, and the restaurants were full of people coming and going, making noises one after another, making it look extremely lively.

In contrast, the northwest corner of the imperial city is much quieter, and occasionally the noisy hawking sounds can be heard from far or near.

There are many high-rise buildings here, row after row, with cornices hanging on the walls. Each building is carved with dragons and phoenixes, which is extremely classical and magnificent. This is where the high-ranking officials, wealthy businessmen, and relatives of the emperor live, so pedestrians occasionally pass by here.

Don't dare to make a loud noise casually. Otherwise, if you encounter an unhappy gentleman and disturb his tranquility and elegance, it would not be a wise move to slap him with any crime, which may result in bruises all over his body or even his head falling to the ground.

Among the many deep houses and compounds, there is a large house built on the main street. Rather than a big house, it is more appropriate to call it an old house. The house covers an area of ​​dozens of acres without any trace of dragons and phoenixes, but it gives people a weather-beaten solemnity.

A sense of solemnity.

At the entrance of the house is an ordinary vermilion door, with a stone lion on each side of the door. The lion's body is mottled and peeled off by wind and rain over the years, giving it a somewhat desolate look.

Directly above the red door, four large Chinese characters with flying dragons and phoenixes are written in gold lacquer: "Anguo Prime Minister's Mansion". This house was the residence of Chu Yutian, the prime minister of the three dynasties.

At this time, Chu Yutian, who was already over seventy years old, was sitting in the study, looking very worried, as if something was difficult to decide, with deep worries on his brows. Even the maid who brought him his favorite Bamboo Bamboo Tea didn't even have it.

Take a sip.

"Master, when you came back from the court today, you were frowning and restless. Did General Liu suffer another defeat on the front line, or did those traitors Zhang Weishan impeach the master again in front of the emperor?" Mrs. Chu saw this and was worried.

asked.

"Humph, Zhang Weishan and others colluded with their cronies to use their power for personal gain. They defied the rule of law, slandered the emperor and deceived the emperor. They also secretly harmed the loyal and good people, preying on the common people. Although they would die a hundred times, most of the ministers in our court are loyal and loyal.

Generations like him, the current emperor is a rare wise king in several generations, no matter how much trouble Zhang Weishan and his like make, it is just a few waves in the sea, nothing to worry about." Chu Yutian replied with a cold snort.

"If it weren't for this thief's slanderous words behind his back, what else could make the master worried?" Upon hearing this, Mrs. Chu asked in surprise.

Chu Yutian let out a long sigh and was silent for a long time. Then he suddenly turned and asked, "Where's Ming'er? Why haven't I seen him in the past few days? So I said I had something to ask him and asked him to come see me."

"Haha, you know this, sir." When she mentioned Chu Ming, the only heir of the Chu family, Madam Chu's eyebrows spread with a look of love and pity on her face:

"In addition to studying diligently in the study every day, this child has somehow become fond of martial arts and fighting skills recently. In his spare time every day, he always pesters three instructors to teach him martial arts skills. In recent days, he has always shown off to me.

As for the skills I learned, I felt very distressed when I saw Ming'er with a bruised nose and a swollen face. However, I always felt that children, due to curiosity and naughtiness, would give up after a little suffering. But now it seems that besides completing the daily tasks, this child

In addition to his homework, he just practiced hard in the martial arts field. After trying to persuade him a few times and seeing how serious he was, he just let him go. The master wants to see Ming'er, so I'll send someone over right now."

After Mrs. Chu finished speaking, she turned around and called out: "Xiao Lian, go and call the young master, and tell him that he is back and wants to see him."

"Yes," a sixteen or seventeen-year-old maid standing next to her quickly responded obediently, turned around and left the study.

Passing through a nine-curved corridor and passing by a lotus pond, you can faintly hear the clashing of weapons and constant cheers. When you reach the end of the lotus pond and pass through the Moon Gate, you suddenly see a custom building covering an area of ​​nearly 100 feet.

Martial arts field.

At this time, two people were fighting vigorously on the field.

One is a capable man in his thirties, with a white face and no beard, holding a Yanling knife in both hands, and his body is moving around, rolling up the shadows of the snow-white knife.

The other is a strong man like a bucket, holding a brass stick in one hand. He looks like a strong and stupid man at first glance. His moves are also wide open and closed. The brass stick makes a "whirring" sound, forcing him to turn white.

Young people kept wandering around him.

Around the martial arts training ground, there were more than a dozen generals and servants dressed as martial arts masters, who were in high spirits. While watching and applauding, they occasionally pointed fingers at the two people in the field.

Directly to the north of the martial arts training ground, there sat a thin middle-aged man in green clothes with a belt, his eyes were deep and sharp. He was drinking tea and watching the competition between the two people in the field with a smile.

What is the year-old boy talking about.

The young man has an ordinary appearance, with a slightly pale complexion. He wears a gold silk square scarf on his head and a light satin white robe. His body looks extremely weak, but there is no weak and morbid feeling at all. Instead, he gives people a free and easy aura.

At this time, the young man was watching the fight in the field, listening to the words of the thin man and nodding frequently, as if the middle-aged man's words convinced him.

Xiaolian hurriedly took a few steps, came to the young man, bowed her hands and said softly:

"Sir, the master and madam have summoned you to meet in the study immediately."

"Oh, has Father returned to the court? Well, Uncle Yu, I'll go and come back." The young man looked at the two people fighting in the field, and then said to the middle-aged man with some reluctance.

The thin man quickly stood up and clasped his hands in his fists: "Master, please, do you want me to accompany you?"

"Haha, Uncle Yu is too cautious. Why bother to see him off at home?"

After that, he ran straight to the front hall in a hurry.

"My son has seen his father and his loving mother. He didn't know that his father had returned to the court and could not greet him. He hoped that his father would atone for his sins." As soon as the young man arrived in the study and saw Chu Yutian, he immediately knelt down and bowed respectfully.

"Ming'er, there's no need to be polite. My father has been busy with state affairs these days. It's rare that I take the time to come back early today. Haha, come on, come on, let me take a good look at you." Chu Yutian looked at the young man in front of him lovingly, and suddenly felt old.

Feeling relieved, I gave a rare smile.

After hearing this, the young man responded, then stood up respectfully, walked to his father and stood with his hands tied.

"Okay, okay, okay, I haven't seen you in a few days, and my Ming'er has grown a lot taller." Old Xiangguo looked at the young man up and down, and said three good words in succession while twirling his beard.

"I don't know why my father suddenly summoned my son today." The young man bowed and asked a little embarrassed.

"Xiao Lian, you go down first." Old Xiangguo twisted his beard with his hand, turned to the maid next to him and said.

"Yes, sir." Naturally, the maid did not dare to disobey the order. After giving a salute, she turned around and exited the study.

"Could it be that something happened when my father called me here today?" The young man noticed the frown between his father's brows and couldn't help but said solemnly.

Chu Yutian looked at his wife and his beloved son in front of him. He was silent for a long time, and finally sighed, with a look of reminiscence in his eyes:

"Alas! It's a long story. When I was a child, I met a person with my grandfather. I heard from my grandfather that this person is omnipotent in heaven and earth. It seems that this person is the elder of my Chu family, but he has never been born.

It was just a matter of fact, but he had a close affinity with his grandfather. Under the protection of this man, this branch of the Chu family was able to serve as officials for generations and enjoy the glory that has been passed down to this day."

Chu Yutian paused for a moment when he said this, looked at Chu Ming who was entranced, and then

Speaking of:

"However, as the saying goes, blessings and misfortunes depend on each other. Although the Chu family has been high-ranking officials and generous salaries, they have enjoyed all the benefits.

Rong Hua, at that time, I vaguely remembered that a member of the family knew that his end had come, and once gave something to his grandfather. It was said that this thing was a rare thing in the world. I didn’t know its specific use at the time, but later I heard that my grandfather accidentally

It was said once that if this thing is eaten by ordinary people, it has the effect of strengthening the body and prolonging life. If it is obtained by the rumored immortal cultivators and uses this thing to make gold and stone elixirs and takes them, it is said that it will have the effect of hitting the bottleneck.

Incredible ability.”

With a look of yearning and reminiscence, Old Xiangguo revealed the secret that had been hidden in his heart for many years, while Mrs. Chu and Chu Ming were dumbfounded.

"Alas! There is no such thing as immortality in this world. At that time, the ancestor of the family also knew that his time had come, so he gave this treasure to his grandfather. He also repeatedly warned his grandfather that this thing should never be shown to others. Ming'er has been weak since he was a child.

, seeing it growing up day by day, I originally wanted to take this thing out of the ancestral hall in the near future and give it to Ming'er for use, but who would have thought that the principle of holding a jade is eternal and unchanging, and somehow, the Chu family has this thing.

The news got out, and on the way to the palace this morning, a sudden gust of wind blew up the curtain of the sedan, and this letter suddenly appeared in my sedan."

After saying that, Chu Yutian reached out and took out a piece of gold-edged platinum paper from his arms, and stretched out his hand to unfold the platinum paper.

The paper is only a few feet square. On the top of the picture is written in small blood-colored characters: "Hand over the blood ginseng, the green python is impermanent. If you don't obey, your head will be severed and the person will die." There are sixteen large characters, and a few strokes below outline a mountain pattern.

"This is..." Although there were only a few strokes of the pattern, the drawing was extremely clear. When Chu Ming saw it, he said in surprise.

"This seems to be the Green Python Mountain in the north of the imperial city. Although I have never been to this mountain, Uncle Yu not only has superb martial arts skills. In addition to teaching me the art of fighting to protect myself, he also has rich experience in the world. He often tells the child about various gangs and situations in the world.

It is probably the place where it is entrenched. Because Qingmang Mountain is relatively close to the Imperial City, Uncle Yu explained it in great detail and even drew a rough map of the mountain, so the child recognized it at first glance."

After Chu Yutian and Mrs. Chu heard this, they looked at each other and saw relief in each other's eyes.

"What Ming'er said is true. The painting here is about Qing Python Mountain. Qing Python Mountain and Qing Python Ridge are where the 'Four Green Python Evils' have been entrenched all year round. My father also warned the emperor several times and sent troops to encircle and suppress them. The emperor began to

I also agreed with my father's proposal, but for some unknown reason, I put the matter on hold on the grounds of sending troops for no reason and wasting money and people. After entering Cambodia several times with no results, the matter was dropped. Now it seems that there is something else involved.

The reason is unknown." Chu Yutian narrowed his eyes slightly and said thoughtfully.

"Sir, if it's just as what I and Ming'er said, they are just bandits on the Qingmang Mountain road, and with the three brothers, Coach Yu, here, even if they can't hurt anyone in my Chu family, what do you have to worry about?"

After Mrs. Chu heard this, she breathed out and said.

"Hey! Madam, I don't know. The 'Four Green Pythons' alone are not a concern. Although my house is not a dragon's pond or a tiger's den, since I took charge in the house of my brothers, the young people have never dared to cause trouble. However, I am afraid that only one of them will cause trouble."

I'm afraid that my grandfather's words will really be followed, and it is the so-called immortal cultivators who are here for this thing. If this is really the case, I am afraid that the entire Chu family will really not be able to escape this disaster..."
Chapter completed!