Chapter 260: Your servant, Aisin-Gioro Nurhaci, kowtows to the young master!
"Boom boom boom."
The long fairy track drove out of the cave, and in the distance, some building outlines could be seen through the rain.
Jiuwazi Town is located in Nanjing City, northwest of Jiangning District. It is also a popular gathering place for many wandering cultivators.
"Swish!" The fairy track drove into the entrance of Jiuwazi Town. A burst of hot white smoke emerged above the rails, and a gentle, mellow and sweet female voice sounded in the carriage.
"We've arrived at Jiuwazi Town Station."
"This station is the last stop of this Xiangui service. If you need to transfer back to the city, you can choose the Xiangui service at this station. If you are leaving Yingtianfu, you can take the high-speed Xiangui service on the underground first floor. This Xiangui service has ended. Please leave in an orderly manner."
Soon, there was a noise in the Xiangui carriage, and several doors on the Xiangui opened at the same time.
"Old Wang, wake up, we're here." The drowsy Li Baole suddenly woke up, yawned, looked around, and after seeing that everyone had gotten off the bus, he looked at his best friend beside him.
"He's so handsome..."
Looking at his best friend's sleeping profile, Li Baole felt emotional, a hint of envy emerging in his eyes. No wonder he was so popular with female classmates.
"Hmph." At this moment, the young man with his arms folded and eyes closed let out a smug laugh and said:
"If a man is considered handsome by other men, then he is really handsome! Baole, are you wondering why I am so handsome?" As he spoke, the handsome boy opened his eyes and teased.
"What's the use of being handsome? A man's character is about his inner qualities." Li Baole curled his lips and looked down at his fat belly, but his tone sounded somewhat guilty.
"A man's inner qualities are not in his big belly." Wang Chu patted Li Baole's belly and stood up. He looked at the time on the photo stone and said, "Let's go. It's seven o'clock in the evening. In two hours, No. 2 Middle School and No. 3 Middle School will start playing."
"Let's go to the underground fighting arena to place our bets first, and then go to the private room and order a 'Moon Pot' hot pot..."
In the ninety-ninth year of Jiajing, great changes took place in the world.
After nearly three decades of development, the old system of time calculation has been replaced by the new 24-hour system.
The reason why the old twelve-hour system was replaced is entirely because, with the advent of the spiritual industry era and the spiritual network era, the requirements for time accuracy are also increasing.
When forging many spiritual industrial products, the timing must be just right and more precise, so this timing method is naturally adopted.
Of course, it was Jiajing who proposed the 24-hour system, mainly because it combined the memory of later generations, was simple and convenient, and also because of the numbers.
Moreover, according to the news brought back by the Jinyiwei from the Womor Empire, numbers had already been used and started in the country.
However, since the gods who passed down civilization were all servants of Emperor Wanshou, everything in the past, present and future exists because of Emperor Wanshou.
Therefore, the people of the Womor Empire believed that numbers and everything in the world, visible and invisible, were created by Emperor Wanshou.
Well, although the imperial court knew that this was another country trying to curry favor with him, it was not easy to offend others, so they could only let him do what he wanted. After all, as the old saying goes, you should not hit a smiling person.
"Old Wang, do you really want to place a bet? I don't know why, but I always feel uneasy in my heart..." Li Baole quickly caught up with his best friend Wang Chu, and while talking, the two of them opened the big umbrella together.
"I say, kid, you're so fat, how come you're so timid?" Wang Chu glanced at Li Baole with disdain. His originally handsome face now had a bit of ruffian air.
Seeing that Li Baole didn't say anything, Wang Chu sighed. He also knew that his best friend was doing this for his own good, so he stepped forward and patted his best friend on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, I won't bet too much. I'll just bet on three years of New Year's money, 30,000 Spirit Sources."
"Do you know the odds of betting on a 2?"
"How much?" When Li Baole heard that he had to bet thirty thousand taels of spiritual energy, he took a breath, but he was still attracted by the odds.
"Humph," Wang Chu showed a smug smile on his handsome face, raised two fingers, looked around, and whispered, "Bet one and win twenty!"
"Hiss!" Upon hearing this outrageous odds, Li Baole's eyes widened and he took a breath of cold air and said:
"How is this possible? This is too outrageous, right? The strength of No. 2 Middle School and No. 3 Middle School is not much different, right?"
"What do you know?" Wang Chu turned his head and spat, looking like a gangster, which was in stark contrast to his handsome and elegant appearance.
"Normally, the strength of No. 2 Middle School and No. 3 Middle School is not much different, but the Gaul from No. 2 Middle School was captured by the government!"
"You know about Gaolu, right? In this fight, three of them are at the third level of Qi training, and one is at the fourth level of Qi training."
"Gaolu is the one who is at the fourth level of Qi training!"
"Although there are only two people at the third level of Qi training in No. 3 Middle School, Liu Yu, who is at the top of the league, also broke through to the fourth level of Qi training not long ago."
"If a fight really breaks out, will definitely win!"
"Then shouldn't you bet on No. 3?" Li Baole blinked and said belatedly.
“Humph,” Wang Chu smiled, “You are an outsider in this regard. I won’t say more. For the sake of brotherhood, you should place a bet with me later and bet on the second one!”
"I know you're poor," Wang Chu pouted before Li Baole could speak, "Don't tell me you can't even take out your monthly pocket money. You have three hundred taels of spiritual energy, right?"
There was some confusion on Li Baole's fat face.
Based on his understanding of his best friend, if he didn't have any inside information, he would never be so sure to bet on the second number to win. With such high odds, betting on one would win twenty!
If he wins, he can get 6,000 taels of spiritual energy in addition to the original capital... Li Baole couldn't help but feel dazed.
"Huh." After a moment, Li Baole took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and said with pain: "I won't bet anymore!"
He is timid and always feels that this matter is too risky.
First of all, would the market maker set such outrageous odds? Yes, they did, and it wouldn’t be fake.
Secondly, on the surface, everyone knows that the odds of winning are higher for three bets, after all, the odds of winning for two bets are too outrageous, but what if two bets really lose? Then, are those who bet on two bets being cheated?
"Old Wang, is your inside information reliable? What if the operator who opened the market specifically ripped off regular customers? That would be..."
However, before Li Baole could finish his words, his best friend Wang Chu interrupted him and said, "Have you forgotten who my cousin is? He is the flag bearer of the Red Knight Lao Mo under the East Star Jidao!"
Flag Bearers, an underground gang, has a set of rankings in status from low to high, starting with the lowest-level errand boys, the "Yaerzai".
Then there are the “tangzishou” who debut for a certain period of time.
These "gang hands" are specifically responsible for running errands for gang members of a certain status and doing some reliable things. When necessary, they need to carry a knife for the boss and be ready to die for the boss at any time.
Above the "tangzishou" is called the "qibearer", who is famous for his bravery and often stands up for the boss, so he can be called the number one thug.
Above the "Flag Bearer" is the "Red Knight", who is specifically responsible for carrying out the boss's secret missions, which are high-risk and have a high mortality rate.
Usually, this kind of person becomes another boss in the gang when the boss is not around, and everyone has to obey his orders.
As for the highest "Red Knight", above there is the "Incense Master". Large gangs have some territories and branches, also called halls, and the one who sits in the hall is the "Incense Master".
The highest ones are the "veterans" who founded the gang, mainly the old guys who have shed blood and done things for the gang.
The last one is the leader of a gang, commonly known as "dragon head" in the underworld, and more decently called "gang leader".
The whole sequence is: leader, elder, incense master, red hero, flag bearer, hall bearer, and bud boy.
Upon hearing that his best friend's cousin was actually the "flag bearer" of Dongxing Jidao, under Red Knight Lao Mo, Li Baole's fat face wrinkled even more. Having been hanging out with his best friend for a long time, he knew all this well.
To be honest, if his father hadn't been suppressed everywhere in the family, their life would have been very difficult. In his eyes, these so-called extreme gangs were really not worthy of being mentioned in the public eye.
However, a hero does not brag about his past achievements. My father's character determines his achievements. He is a strong man at the eighth level of Qi training. If he can join the Immortal Clan Chamber of Commerce, there will be people vying to hire him, right?
For a moment, Li Baole's thoughts became a little confused again. He felt depressed because of family matters, home matters, and his own future.
Li Baole is a person who is good at being prepared for danger in times of peace, but he has no sense of security and tends to get distracted when he thinks too much.
“You’re so stupid again.” Seeing his best friend like this, Wang Chu slapped his forehead helplessly and said, “Alright, alright, I won’t force you anymore. Just follow me later. Let’s go. Stop wasting time.”
After saying that, he took a step forward and walked out of the station.
Seeing this, Li Baole shook his head, suppressed the thoughts in his mind and the faint uneasiness in his heart, and quickly followed.
Although Jiuwazi Town is called a town, it was not on the list of Ming government officials before the 70th year of Jiajing.
The main reason is that the old Wazi... well, it was formerly called Wazi Town, and it was the gathering place of the secretive Ming Dynasty immortal cultivation world.
Here, all cultivators in the world of immortal cultivation can trade freely, exchange goods for goods, or use various spiritual resources to exchange for what they need from others.
Later, with the development of the art of cultivating immortals, all kinds of strange and bizarre things emerged in an endless stream, such as talismans, mechanisms, magic tools, puppets, precious clothes, elixirs, etc.
Basically, anything that a cultivator needs can be traded and purchased here. As the world of cultivators came to light, the number of people in Wazi Town decreased, and then gradually declined.
However, this town built by immortal cultivators has been preserved and registered by the government.
Most of the independent cultivators like to stay here, and gradually the place has become a mixed crowd and more and more lively. The most important thing is that the "annual total tax" of the town of Wazi is equal to the "total tax" of some underdeveloped districts in Nanjing.
Such brilliant political achievements naturally became a place for many well-connected people to gain experience in officialdom for the first time.
As for the gray industry here, as long as it is not too excessive, many officials will not pursue it.
After all, it is easy to clean up this area, but it will affect the overall economy. What should we do with the annual "total tax"?
The revenue of this small town was concentrated on the head of the magistrate of Jiangning District. When he reported to the imperial court, the county's "total tax revenue" had been growing steadily every year!
Who wouldn’t like such a precious place?
In other words, with the existence of the old Wazi Town, at least the magistrate of Jiangning County would have a guaranteed political performance.
Moreover, it is such a good place to make achievements. If the children of officials from the six ministries in Nanjing and below enter the government, wouldn’t it be a place to gild their reputation? Later, they can be promoted to other prefectures, states, or the capital...
These are all solid resumes, okay?
"Boom." The sky became increasingly gloomy, but the streets of Jiuwazi Town were full of lights and music.
From time to time, you can see magnificent ancient bronze temples on the side of the wide streets, with the big characters "Da Ming Xian Ku" inscribed on them.
Huge high-rise buildings can be seen every few streets. The outside is covered with dark green glazed stones, and from time to time huge fonts flash with the words "Donglou Square" written on them.
The "Donglou Square" is very famous. In the current Ming Dynasty, every city has it. Why? The word "Donglou" represents many things.
Who in this world doesn't know that the head of the Ming Dynasty's cabinet, the son of Yan Song, the Junior Cabinet Minister Yan Shifan, was called Donglou?
This "Donglou Square" is the Yan family's property!
There are also "Yanxuan Pawnshop", "Yanxuan Real Estate", "Yanxuan Theater", "Yanxuan Pavilion", etc. All those that start with the word "Yanxuan" are all the property of the Yan family.
The Yan family's businesses cover all walks of life. Even the Donglin Academy once joked that the people of the Ming Dynasty could not escape the word "Yan Xuan" from birth to death.
As soon as this statement came out, there was an uproar on the spiritual Internet.
Therefore, the Yan family is still ridiculed by many people on the spiritual Internet.
The person in charge of the Yan family's business never responded to this. With the Yan family's ability, it would take only a few minutes to delete the news on the spiritual network. Unfortunately, the spiritual network department is controlled by various forces in the cabinet, and neither side can do anything to the other.
The opportunity to strike the Yan Party has finally come, and although all parties will not get involved in such a small-scale fight, they are happy to watch the show.
The Lingwang is also called by a group of people headed by the "Donglin Party" as the most fair, just and transparent place in the Xian Dynasty!
However, the statement that "the people of the Ming Dynasty could not escape the 'strict selection' from birth to death" is just a joke at best.
In the Ming Dynasty, no family dared to control the people. All the people knew that it was the "Donglin Party" that was attacking the "Yan Party", which was just a dog-eat-dog fight.
That’s right, with decades of development, thanks to the support of Prince Yu’s Mansion, Prince An’s Mansion, as well as Cabinet Lords Zhang and Wang, Donglin Academy is now in its heyday!
Yan Song's evaluation of Shen Shixing at the time, "Donglin has the potential to become a political party," really came true.
Today's "Donglin Party" is based on the power deployed in Yingzhou Prefecture by Shen Shixing, who was the prefect of Yingzhou Prefecture at the time. It is directly deployed from the port of Chongming Island and the surrounding counties and prefectures. Its power goes straight to Changzhou Prefecture and then all the way down to the southwest.
Relying on the layout of Prince Yu's Mansion in Huguang, in the past thirty years, it managed to carve out a way out of the unbreakable power layout of the Ming Dynasty officialdom.
Of course, the credit for all this naturally goes to the fact that behind the Donglin Party is the Prince of Yu, Zhu Yijun!
If it weren't for the influence of Hai Rui, Zhang Juzheng and others in Yingtian Prefecture, and Guangdong, Fujian and other places being the sphere of influence of the Yan family, the Prince Yu's Mansion would have taken over a large area of power in the southeast.
From this we can see how fast and rapidly the "Donglin Party" has developed in recent years!
"..."
"Drink freshness, you and your family, a wonderful companion every moment - Su Ji Herbal Tea..."
"Speed and passion, driving the future - Xianmi Speed 303333 shuttle, extraordinary speed, only ..."
“The warmth of home starts here—selected real estate.”
"..."
“Capture life, share moments – Huaxun Photography.”
"A new healthy choice, a source of vitality every day - Zhouji Green Tea..."
Along the way, I saw high-rise buildings on both sides and on the huge stone walls, there were gorgeous advertisements one after another, some were passionate and some were as warm as spring.
The pavilions and towers that appear from time to time are antique and interspersed between the steel forest and neon buildings. Such a scene does not seem abrupt, but instead has an indescribable different feeling.
On the streets, various small shuttles, some luxurious and some ordinary, are suspended half a meter above the asphalt road.
"Buzz buzz buzz." And in the air, from time to time, there were fist-sized golden spheres with wings flying.
Directly in front of these golden spheres is a dark green stone wall with red spots flashing inside.
This item is called "Traffic Deacon Constable", abbreviated as "Traffic Constable". It is a magical tool refined by "Dao Ge" that is specially used to hunt down and manage the travel of flying shuttles.
The speed is incredibly fast. Once it locks on to an object, its upper speed limit is the same as that of the shuttle.
The principle behind this is that any flying shuttle intended for the general public must have an interface in its internal array specifically reserved for "handover and capture".
Once the "Interception" starts the tracking array, the array inside the shuttle will be activated and connected with the "Interception".
However, in general, as long as the "handover" is blocked, the words asking the shuttle owner to cooperate will be projected on the photo stone in front, and many people will cooperate obediently instead of choosing to run away.
Once you choose to escape, the consequences will be serious.
The punishment may be light, such as a ban on cultivation for three to five years, detention for half a month to half a year, confiscation of the shuttle, and a fine ranging from three hundred to three thousand taels of spiritual energy.
The most important thing is that as long as you are detained, a case record will be left, which will affect your descendants' chances of taking the imperial examinations and becoming an official.
When a shuttle is parked on the street and affects traffic order, it will be marked and transmitted back to the local "Daoge" branches through the spiritual network, and the shuttle owner will be punished.
"Are you broken? Look carefully, I was going straight and he turned left and forced his way in. I hit him, so why should I be held fully responsible?"
A fat young man on the roadside looked at the golden ball of light floating in front of him and asked angrily.
The owner of the red shuttle was a girl with short hair and a linen dress. She was chewing something, with her hands in her pockets, leaning against the shuttle and waiting.
"Buzzing."
The golden light ball flapped its wings, and a line of neat handwriting was projected onto the dark green stone wall in front.
"The verdict is correct. If you have any questions, you can go to the Nanjing Dao Pavilion through the spiritual network and request a re-determination. Please pay the fine first and compensate the owner of the damaged shuttle."
"Fuck!" The fat young man got anxious on the spot, "I don't accept it, and I won't pay the money. If you have the guts, catch me!" After saying that, the young man got on the shuttle and flew away.
As for the golden ball of light, the originally dark green stone wall where the image was recorded instantly turned red, and its wings flapped at an extremely fast frequency.
"At the T-junction of Xipu Street in Wazi Town, the shuttle was spotted escaping and the pursuit began." A cold voice sounded, and the golden light ball instantly turned into a golden stream of light and rushed out.
Suddenly, there were cries of surprise on the street!
"Are you crazy because of poverty? You want three thousand taels of spiritual energy from me for a second-hand fairy rice and three image stones?" On other streets, casual cultivators would often quarrel and bargain with vendors.
"Bitch, how dare you look at other men in front of me, on the street?!" A Taoist couple was arguing.
“Bulls, buns, spiritual vegetable buns…” In the street bun shop, the girl shouted while holding hot buns oozing with spiritual energy.
"Qian Qianyi, a talented scholar from Donglin, wrote lyrics for Qinhuai Street and Fengyu Tower, and the top-notch girl Hongluo sang the song... Flowers bloom and fade, the sky is full of flowers, and it is you who appear and disappear..." There is a street shop selling musical instruments, and on the photo stone, the woman's gentle and sad singing voice is played.
The whole street was extremely lively.
The dazzling lights and the changing advertisements on the stone wall made the entire block look hazy in the rain and fog.
However, for Li Baole and Wang Chu, who live in the new era, all this is nothing new.
Without taking the time to appreciate the increasingly prosperous and bustling streets of Jiuwazi Town under the night sky, Li Baole followed Wang Chu to the entrance of the underground passage in a remote area in the westernmost part of Jiuwazi Town.
"Come in," the burly man guarding the door, wearing a black cloak, glanced at the cards in Wang Chu's hand, tilted his head, and motioned for the two to go in.
A spiral went down, with blue fireflies flashing on the road, and the noise from the outside world gradually disappeared. But soon, as we went deeper, the noise gradually came back.
However, unlike the bustling streets, the entire underground space is like a hidden beast roaring.
Waves of spiritual energy kept coming.
From time to time there were heavy drum beats, majestic music, and the shouts of a group of people.
Underground fighting arena! Li Baole naturally knew about this place.
With the rapid development of the Ming Dynasty and the prosperity of the immortal cultivation industry, many entertainment industries have also emerged.
However, the old ways of listening to music in brothels or reciting poems and composing essays can no longer satisfy the people of the Ming Dynasty.
Then, in order to make a profit, some people came up with many more exciting entertainment activities, and then the fighting arena appeared.
Of course, on the surface, there are some fighting arenas in the big cities that are legal for cultivating immortals. After all, the Ming Dynasty is now an immortal cultivation dynasty. There are many immortal cultivators within the dynasty. It is illegal for a hero to use force, let alone an immortal cultivator who possesses extraordinary powers?
What if there are conflicts among the immortal cultivators?
As the saying goes, it is better to loosen up than to block. In order to avoid greater chaos, some legal fighting arenas naturally emerged.
In the arena, cultivators can fight freely. As long as it does not endanger life or death or disability, they can duel at will.
Of course, it doesn’t mean that anyone who wants to fight can really fight. If you want to enter the fighting arena, you must have permission from the government.
If there are legal fighting arenas, there are naturally illegal ones as well.
Then, the underground fighting arena was born!
In the underground fighting arena, it doesn’t matter whether you fight to the death or not. You take care of your own life and death, but you have to sign a life and death contract.
As time goes by, underground fighting arenas not only take on the demands of settling grudges, but also take charge of some competitions.
As long as there is competition, there is gambling.
Many independent cultivators would receive generous bonuses for every life-and-death match, and of course they could also place bets off-site.
For a time, the entire underground fighting arena became a highly profitable industry.
"The duel between Nanjing No. 2 Middle School and Nanjing No. 3 Middle School will start at 9 ." The female cultivator from the south of the Yangtze River, who looked gentle and generous, said with a smile at the counter of the underground arena, "Would you two like to place a bet?"
Looking at the gentle, generous and well-spoken elder sister in front of him, Li Baole blushed. Fortunately, in the underground fighting arena, except for the bright ring, the surroundings were dark, so his face could not be seen clearly.
"I've already placed my bet, raise it!" Wang Chu acted much more naturally than Li Baole. He winked at the decent-looking female cultivator in front of him, then teased Li Baole, "Baole, lend me one thousand taels of spiritual energy."
"Ah?" Hearing this, Li Baole was stunned and said, "Didn't you place a bet..." However, before he could finish his words, Wang Chu interrupted him with a wave of his hand and said, "I want to raise the bet."
"Even if I lend it to you, if you make money, it's yours. If you lose money, I'll return your principal!"
"Lao Wang, you..." Li Baole was a little moved when he heard his best friend's words. He knew that his best friend saw that he didn't dare to place a bet, so he was helping him in disguised way.
"Why don't I place a bet..." However, Wang Chu was too lazy to pay attention to him. He directly took out a "Silver Vault Crystal Card" made of a photo stone from his pocket and handed it to the woman.
"Bet on the second one, one thousand taels of spiritual energy!"
"Okay," the woman took the "Silver Vault Crystal Card" with a smile, but she looked at Wang Chu with a reproachful look, because just now, Wang Chu had hooked her palm with his little finger.
Seeing this, Wang Chu shook his head and smiled, saying: "Arrange a private room on the second floor for us, with drinks, fruits and vegetables..."
Nine out of ten women like this are full of contrasts. He has seen too many, too many of them in their bestial forms in bed.
Dressing up as a pure and innocent girl is just to seduce some freshmen.
After all, more than a decade ago, many methods of dual cultivation were circulated in the world of immortal cultivation and were very popular among some people.
"Okay." After the woman placed a bet with the "Silver Vault Crystal Card", she returned it to Wang Chu and handed him a room number plate.
"Let's go to the private room." Wang Chu took Li Baole away.
At this time, in a private room on the third floor of the underground fighting arena that was not open to the public, in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling window, sat a nine-year-old boy wearing a bright, moon-white specially made flying fish suit.
"Click." At this time, the door of the room opened, and a figure wearing a black cloak knelt on the ground.
"Your servant, Aixinjuelu Nurhaci, kowtows to the young master!" Hearing this, the young Zhu Youjian turned around and said, "I've said it before, there is no such thing as a servant in the Ming Dynasty. From now on, I will call you a slave."
"..."
(End of this chapter)
