Towns naturally have restaurants, taverns, and inns, and the more people there are, the larger the scale and the higher the possible quality.

To be precise, people create everything;

A sufficient number of people naturally calls forth restaurants and taverns, and the different tiers appropriate to themselves.

And when there are enough refugees, restaurants naturally arise.

The refugee队伍 (duìwǔ, ranks) are heading east, with a clear goal: Xue Hai Pass.

For the past three years, a folk rhyme has been circulating among the people:

"Soldiers follow the 平野伯 (Píngyě Bó, Earl of Pingye) and achieve great merit;
Commoners follow the 平野伯 (Píngyě Bó, Earl of Pingye) and eat their fill."

In this era, for most people, being able to eat their fill is the greatest blessing under the protection of their ancestors.

The efforts of Zheng Boye's team in Sheng Le City and Xue Hai Pass over the past few years have finally yielded remarkable results in terms of people's livelihoods.

Firstly, because the 魔王 (Mówáng, Demon King) have extremely clever capabilities in local people's livelihood development and governance,

Secondly, because several foreign wars have ultimately been extremely cost-effective and highly profitable transactions,

Thirdly, the high-level officials centered on Zheng Boye have little interest in pleasure, setting an example, which allows the cake to be distributed more evenly.

Of course, the most important thing is the first point, which is fundamental, and everything else is supplementary.

Even Yan Jing City received the news of the victory over Chu, so the people of Jin Province naturally knew it even earlier.

The common people don't really have a clear concept of war and the overall situation of the country, but as ants in the局 (jú, game), they still have some awareness of ups and downs.

After this battle, the Chu people probably won't be able to attack anymore;

The 野人 (Yěrén, Barbarians) were taken care of by Zheng Boye long ago, and the threat from the snowy plains will no longer appear.

A cycle of sixty years, a century,

is too far away for ordinary people,

Having ten or twenty years of stable days in sight is enough for them to vote with their feet.

The first to come out were the people of Jin Province who had been hiding in the mountains or valleys for the past two years since the 野人 (Yěrén, Barbarian) unrest. Some defended their寨 (zhài, stockaded villages), while others simply formed a mountain bandit-like mode, isolating themselves to seek self-preservation.

In the past two years, the Yan people had been in a state of放养 (fàngyǎng, free-range management) in the eastern part of Jin. The digestion of the western part of Jin still required time and effort, not to mention the eastern part of Jin, which had long been identified as definitely facing further wars and being affected.

Therefore, the Yan army did not carry out large-scale sweeps in this area, that is,剿匪 (jiǎofěi, bandit suppression).

And these "mountain bandits" were also very sensible. Although there were many ambitious people among them, no one was so confused as to raise any "royal旗 (qí, flags)" to try to establish their own destiny.

The royal旗 (qí, flag) of the Jing Nan King had always been in Feng Xin City, and Zheng Boye's郑 (Zhèng) character旗 (qí, flag) was also fluttering in Xue Hai Pass. No one dared to be the first to stick their head out.

After the news of the great victory over Chu came,

the ducks are the first to know when the spring river warms up;

First of all, it is unlikely that war will break out in the eastern part of Jin in the short term, so the people naturally come out from their hiding places, because everyone has the right to pursue a better life;

Being a mountain bandit, eating large pieces of meat and drinking large bowls of wine is only for a few, and most people actually live in rags, extremely difficult, just barely surviving.

And most of the leaders of the various mountain寨 (zhài, stockaded villages) also chose to comply with public opinion, and the other part were those who knew the times, because they knew that when the Yan people finished cleaning up the Chu country, they would definitely free up their hands to clean up the eastern part of Jin.

At this time, taking the initiative to lead the crowd to return could still gain a decent outcome.

This is the first wave of refugees, and their numbers are really not small.

Next, there is the second wave of refugees.

The second wave of refugees is the civilian夫 (fū, laborers)隊伍 (duìwǔ, mobilized to support the war against Chu. Most of the civilian夫 (fū, laborers) are going home, but there are also many who, after seeing the待遇 (dàiyù, treatment) of the civilian夫 (fū, laborers) in Xue Hai Pass and exchanging information with each other, gritted their teeth and decided to slip to Xue Hai Pass.

There is a lot involved here, but the war is about to end, and there are soldiers and officials from Xue Hai Pass staring there, so the Yan state cannot pursue some deserters in other aspects.

Even if they want to pursue it, the local officials of their original籍 (jí, origin) are unlikely to run thousands of miles to come here, and even if they come, would they dare to make trouble at the door of the 平野伯 (Píngyě Bó, Earl of Pingye)'s residence?

The third wave is the refugees who fled from the eastern part of Jin across the Wang River a few years ago due to the 野人 (Yěrén, Barbarian) unrest. It is difficult to leave their homeland, so they are returning home.

On this point, the officials of Yingdu, including the Prince Cheng's府 (fǔ, residence), are actually turning a blind eye. Firstly, they need to give 平野伯 (Píngyě Bó, Earl of Pingye) some face, after all, he is a master who dares to lead troops into Yingdu City to arrest people; secondly, Yingdu has been having problems with refugees for the past few years, which are difficult to solve. Too many people are also a trouble and a great source of instability.

In addition, Jin Province has been experiencing frequent floods this year, so it is conceivable that more refugees will flood here in the future, so it is better to send these troubles out in advance to make room.

Therefore,

With the war against Chu about to come to an end,

a large-scale population movement and migration appeared in the three Jin provinces.

This is a dilapidated town entrance, ruined during the 野人 (Yěrén, Barbarian) unrest, but after all, this is a transportation hub, so because there are many refugees passing through here, some people have set up some stalls.

Some are making food,

Some are shaving heads,

Some are doctors seeing patients;

The food will not be very exquisite,

The haircutting technique is okay, after all, the 拔式 (báshì, procedure) is cumbersome but portable,

As for the doctors, there are not many herbs, they take a look and examine, the medicine is not enough to煎 (jiān, decoct), but the patients can feel more at ease.

Although refugees are refugees, not all of them are extremely poor, so there are still quite a few people who can afford to spend money.

It's just that the hurried pace against the background also heralds that this is a short-lived prosperity like fireworks.

But in general, it still responds to what the older generation said:

In famine years, artisans will not starve to death.

Xu Chuang sat down in front of a stall,

In front of him,

a charcoal stove with a pot on it, cooking a simmering broth, tinged with red.

Winter has arrived,

The weather is cold,

Eating hot pot can驅寒氣 (qūhánqì, dispel the cold).

In fact, hot pot is not Zheng Boye's exclusive creation. This world already has it, but precisely because Zheng Boye likes it, it is extremely popular in Xue Hai Pass.

There are several government-run hot pot restaurants in Xue Hai Pass, which are of good quality and cheap, and the business is always extremely prosperous in winter.

It's just that here,

both the soup base and the涮菜 (shuàncài, ingredients for dipping) are as simple as possible,

not caring about the taste,

Being able to have a hot meal with some flavor is already extremely difficult.

After Xu Chuang sat down, he first threw out a piece of碎銀子 (suìyínzi, broken silver), and then unceremoniously pointed to the broth in front of him,

and said;

"Add ingredients."

The boss knows that he has met a big customer, maybe even someone with official status. Ordinary people rarely use silver, even when they go out to eat.

"Okay, sir, please wait."

The ingredients were quickly put down.

Xu Chuang covered his chest with his left hand, picked up his chopsticks with his right hand, and began to pick up the dishes and eat.

The steaming food entered his stomach,

Xu Chuang's face first showed comfort, then some pain, and then depression.

At this time,

a swordsman holding a sword and wearing ordinary cotton clothes sat down opposite Xu Chuang.

The swordsman placed his sword on the side, and picked up his chopsticks, treating himself as if he were at home, and began to pick up vegetables and eat.

The boss looked over here, and seeing that Xu Chuang was just calmly continuing to eat, he naturally assumed that they knew each other.

Actually,

Xu Chuang doesn't know the swordsman in front of him,

But even though he is seriously injured now,

He can still sense the aura on this swordsman.

The world thinks that the lower the number in front of the character 品 (pǐn, rank), the stronger the strength. People who know a little bit will know that术士 (shùshì, sorcerers) and 炼气士 (liànqìshì, Qi refiners) like this have large fluctuations in their strength;

And only those who have truly entered the door understand that above the fifth 品 (pǐn, rank), it is considered to have entered the hall, and above the fourth 品 (pǐn, rank), it is an entirely different realm. As for the third 品 (pǐn, rank), it is already the peak.

Just as one grain of rice nourishes a hundred kinds of people, there is absolutely nothing absolutely rigid in the path of cultivation;

Just like the zombie puppet he had encountered earlier, who was neither human nor ghost,

In terms of true strength,

In fact, neither he nor the old man was afraid of him,

But the result of the battle,

was that he, alone, almost solved both of them.

Looking at the young swordsman in front of him, there is a rhythm to the way he uses his chopsticks to捞菜 (lāocài, scoop up vegetables) in the pot.

This is actually a kind of temperament, similar to how men like to comment on whether women have a frivolous air, and women compare men to see if they are empty or solid;

People who use swords actually have similar ways of looking at people who use swords.

A piece of wild venison is at the bottom,

Xu Chuang goes to pick it up,

Then,

The swordsman also goes to pick it up,

The chopsticks of the two people collided.

Immediately afterwards,

They collided more than ten times in an instant,

The pot is still the same pot,

There were not even a few ripples in the bottom of the pot,

After a brief test,

Xu Chuang withdrew his chopsticks.

He is injured, so he is ultimately timid.

Actually,

In the previous test,

He had already guessed the opponent's level.

A swordsman who may already be at the fourth 品 (pǐn, rank).

Even if he doesn't have the realm of the fourth 品 (pǐn, rank), he must already have the strength of the fourth 品 (pǐn, rank), and already has that 神韵 (shényùn, divine charm).

Swordsmen are actually similar to术士 (shùshì, sorcerers) in many ways.术士 (shùshì, sorcerers) pay attention to sensing the connection between heaven and man, and swordsmen sometimes also like that kind of神来之剑 (shénláizhījiàn, inspired sword).

In comparison,

武夫 (wǔfū, martial artists), this kind of "big wooden bumpkin," is at the bottom of the contempt chain of many professions.

If he hadn't been injured, Xu Chuang would have been much more composed;

He is injured now,

And he had just been beaten half to death by a inexplicable "zombie puppet",

Therefore,

Now he has a feeling of being bitten by a snake once and being afraid of well ropes for ten years, and he instinctively has some timidity towards this kind of "strong person" of unknown origin.

"You are injured."

The swordsman said while eating other people's food.

"Yes."

Xu Chuang agreed generously.

His injury is difficult to conceal, not only the three holes in his chest, but also the corpse poison inside.

Fortunately,

He did come down from Wenming Mountain after all,

So far, Wenming Mountain has produced very few truly famous figures in the martial world. He, Xu Chuang, can be considered a remarkable one among them;

Therefore, most of the martial artists on Wenming Mountain, after practicing刀 (dāo, saber) and 剑 (jiàn, sword) and failing to achieve anything in either, went to study "side doors and left paths" in frustration.

For example,

Medical skills.

The people of Liang know that the people on Wenming Mountain have not made any amazing achievements in practicing刀 (dāo, saber) and 剑 (jiàn, sword), but the doctors on the mountain are all top-notch.

Most of the imperial physicians of Liang come from Wenming Mountain, and nobles from nearby other countries, even from Jin, Qian, and Chu, go to Wenming Mountain every year to seek medical treatment and medicine.

But even so,

Xu Chuang also felt that it was difficult for him to continue to suppress this corpse poison.

In the end,

There is only one truly effective method left,

That is to散去气血 (sànqù qìxuè, dissipate Qi and blood), that is... 散功 (sàngōng, dissipate power).

Dissipate the corpse poison along with the Qi and blood to save his life.

After that,

What he will face is not only the result of losing seventy-seven or eighty-eight percent of his power, but also the huge deficit in this body, that is, becoming a sickly person.

Xu Chuang is not a saint. It is not easy to cultivate his strength. He still wants to find a way to delay it. He does not want to散功 (sàngōng, dissipate power) until the last moment.

"Still poisoned." The swordsman said again.

Xu Chuang nodded and said, "Yes."

The swordsman continued to eat,

And

Called the shopkeeper to ask for two steamed buns.

Xu Chuang looked at the swordsman in front of him,

Seeing that he stopped talking,

He only said that the other party was deliberately playing tricks,

And opened his mouth;

"Brother, are you proficient in medical skills?"

The swordsman shook his head and said, "I only know how to treat external injuries in the martial world."

Xu Chuang looked disappointed.

The swordsman said again: "But I know a person who is best at using poison. Those who are good at using poison are naturally good at解毒 (jiědú, detoxification)."

Poisoning and解毒 (jiědú, detoxification) seem to be two extremes, but in fact they are a common principle. Without understanding the essence of poison, neither can enter the door.

"Oh, where is that expert?"

The swordsman shook his head and said, "I don't know where he is now, but he should be back soon."

"Back where?"

"Xue Hai Pass."

There is a dwarf in Xue Hai Pass,

Good at潜行 (qiánxíng, stealth), walking on three legs, as fast as flying;

Good at using poison, good at killing people invisibly.

Xu Chuang opened his mouth,

Why is it that place again?

For a time,

Xu Chuang thought that the other party was sent by Xue Hai Pass to hunt him down,

But after thinking about it, he felt that it didn't make sense,

For him,

The other party doesn't need to脱裤子放屁 (tuōkùzifàngpì, make unnecessary moves).

Otherwise, why did he let him go earlier?

"What kind of poison is this?" the swordsman asked.

Xu Chuang pursed his lips and did not rush to answer.

He felt that the swordsman in front of him should be very familiar with Xue Hai Pass.

The swordsman took a bite of the steamed bun,

While chewing, he carefully looked at Xu Chuang,

And said:

"Black pupils... purple lips... dark green complexion... blue veins on the back of the hand... fear of cold... black甲 (jiǎ, nails)..."

As he spoke,

The swordsman put down the steamed bun in his hand,

The expression on his face,

Gradually changed from suspicion to surprise to shock, and finally returned to calm.

Xu Chuang could sense that the person in front of him was not pretending.

Because people who use swords like to be straightforward.

There are really not many people who can use swords to enter the hall and still like to perform deliberately.

The swordsman said very seriously:

"Are you poisoned with corpse poison?"

Xu Chuang was stunned,

Hesitated for a moment,

Nodded,

Then,

Asked hopefully:

"Do you understand corpse poison?"

"I've also been poisoned."

"What!"

Xu Chuang was overjoyed for a moment.

The swordsman said again:

"I was defeated by something that was neither human nor ghost, and then poisoned."

"Yes, yes, yes, right!"

It's one person,

He's talking about one person!

The swordsman nodded,

Then he picked up his sword,

Hovered it in front of Xu Chuang,

And said:

"Since you were injured by him, it proves that you intended to do something wrong to someone very close to the Earl's府 (fǔ, residence), because that person will only protect those few closest people;

Sorry, I can't let you go. I have to抓 (zhuā, arrest) you back to the Earl's府 (fǔ, residence)."

The corner of Xu Chuang's mouth twitched,

And said:

"They let me go."

"Hehe."

The swordsman smiled,

And asked:

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

"........" Xu Chuang.

"Either die under my sword now, or follow me back to Xue Hai Pass now."

"They really let me go. By the way, it was a blind man, a blind man with a high status."

"Mr. Bei?"

"It seems so."

"Then it's even more impossible. It seems you really think I'm a fool. Mr. Bei is always kind and polite, but he is the most ruthless in doing things and likes to cut grass and remove roots. How could he let you go?

You are very good,

You were able to escape,

But you met me,

It's your bad luck.

I will have the Earl's府 (fǔ, residence) people return the money for my meal,

After taking you back to Xue Hai Pass."

As he said,

The swordsman stood up,

Drew his sword,

And held it across Xu Chuang's neck.

"You really, misunderstood, really, misunderstood..."

"Hehe."

The swordsman smiled slightly,

And said;

"Don't take me, Chen the Hero, as a fool."

...

"Are you sure, when will the Earl return?" Xiong Liqing asked the blind man.

The blind man replied; "He will be back in three days. According to the Lord's脾气 (píqì, temperament), he should bring two or three hundred guards back first."

The pile of things there, prisoners of war, seized items, etc., should all be left to Si Niang to handle;

Then,

The matters here will be handled by himself;

Earlier, he went back to Xue Hai Pass to exchange for Si Niang, and it is estimated that he will have to go there soon to exchange Si Niang back again.

"Thank God, he's finally coming back." Xiong Liqing said happily, "The preparations needed inside the關 (guān, pass)..."

"Princess, don't worry, I will take care of these things."

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Bei."

"It's my duty, and it's also within my responsibilities. The Princess and Miss Liu only need to prepare to rest and安寝 (ānqǐn, sleep) the Lord. This time when he returns from the expedition, the Lord should be exhausted.

In fact, the war is over, the reconciliation is over, but the next things may not be easier than fighting a war.

The time to truly build the foundation is coming."

The princess nodded and said, "I understand."

"Then I will go down first."

"Mr. Bei, please be busy."

The blind man walked out of the small hall,

At this time,

A messenger came quickly and reported:

"Mr. Bei, Chen the Hero is back."

"Oh, where is he?"

"Drinking tea in the front hall."

"Okay, I got it."

...

Chen the Hero is a good person.

Although the initial acquaintance was a bit of a misunderstanding, which led to him being almost crippled by Shatuo Queshi in the end;

But later, the misunderstanding was cleared, and he was successfully tricked into being a thug several times.

Previously, before the war started, Chen the Hero was learning swords from the Sword Saint. After the war started, Chen the Hero went to the battlefield once, and then left quietly again.

He is a Qian人 (rén, person) after all, and it is not good to be too involved in the Yan-Chu war.

As for the gang leader performing a play last year to抢回 (qiǎnghuí, snatch back) the princess, Chen the Hero did not think he did anything wrong. He helped his good brother snatch back his wife. Is this considered violating national righteousness?

In short,

Chen the Hero has his own set of moral and national standards, although this set of standards is a bit difficult for outsiders to understand, it is good as long as he can figure it out himself.

The blind man walked into the front hall,

Saw Chen the Hero sitting there drinking tea,

Then,

He saw Xu Chuang, who was bound and placed horizontally on the ground.

Xu Chuang's mouth was stuffed with something, and his shoulders, wrists, and Qi Hai (sea of Qi) position were all restricted.

At this time, seeing the blind man walking in, Xu Chuang immediately began to shout "呜呜呜 (wūwūwū, wuwuwu)".

Chen the Hero sat there leisurely, continuing to sip tea, with a slight arc on the corner of his mouth, like a student waiting to be praised.

The blind man immediately exclaimed:

"Oh, Chen the Hero, we spent a lot of effort to抓 (zhuā, arrest) this beast, but in the end, this beast still escaped.

You are so capable,

You actually抓 (zhuā, arrested) him back for me,

You have really helped us a lot!"

"........" Xu Chuang.
Chapter 1 The Town