Chapter 6

The sky was clear after the rain. Chang 'an's autumn sky was clear and blue, and the fragrance of osmanthus flowers wafted through the streets. Hongjun kicked a sycamore tree hard, and the rainwater that had accumulated on the leaves for the night sprinkled down. He washed his face with the water, drank some, and plucked two sycamore leaves. He put them to his lips and blew on them.

"What should I do?" The Carp Demon was wrapped in a bundle, and it looked as if the sky had fallen.

"This place is so big." Hongjun rubbed his stomach and said, "Let's eat first."

"I don't eat earthworms anymore." The Carp Demon said again.

"I'll find you some meat to eat." Hongjun said, "We'll think of something later. Sigh, why am I so unlucky along the way? Eh? What's that? "

Hongjun was still a teenager after all. When he came down from the mountain and saw the colorful world, he immediately threw all his worries to the back of his mind. He took out some copper coins and went to the market to buy food. The Carp Demon reminded him again, "Why do you eat everything when you come down from the mountain? Aren't you afraid of getting a stomachache?"

Hongjun snorted and stepped on a chair in the restaurant. He held a bowl of noodles and ate it all. The food in the human world was much more delicious than in the Dazzling Gold Palace. There were fried, roasted, pan-fried, and all kinds of food. There was also braised mutton, multicolored flower cakes, and steamed glutinous rice. The Dazzling Gold Palace never made these kinds of dishes, so they could only eat dry food along the way after they came down from the mountain.

During the month on the road to Chang 'an, fortunately, Qing Xiong knew his temperament and prepared a lot of pearls. Hongjun followed the Carp Demon's instructions and exchanged the pearls with the passing caravans for silver, and then exchanged the silver for copper coins to eat. Although he didn't know much about the affairs of the human world, he didn't make too much of a joke with the Carp Demon's advice from time to time.

Hongjun was quick-witted by nature and learned very quickly after he came down from the mountain. At first, he didn't talk much and watched how others did it. As he learned, he learned quickly. Seeing people lining up to buy steamed buns, Hongjun observed them for a moment, then learned from them and bought two steamed buns with copper coins.

Hongjun curiously looked at the fire-breathing performers in the market for a while before saying, "What's so strange about this? When Father sneezes, there's a lot more than this."

Carp Demon: "…"

There were also people who broke boulders on their chests, wrapped iron bars around their necks, and climbed mountains of swords and plunged into boiling oil. Hongjun shuddered at the sight.

"Why am I torturing myself like this?" Hongjun couldn't understand, so the Carp Demon answered, "To earn money. You don't understand. Life is hard."

After the sideshow, they came to ask for their reward. The onlookers threw money into the bowl one after another. Hongjun felt pity for them, so he threw a pearl into the bowl. The Carp Demon was carried behind and could not see what was going on. Someone shouted, "Night Pearl!"

The night-luminescent pearl the size of a little finger immediately caused a commotion. Immediately, someone disregarded morality and reached out to snatch it from the bowl. Wave after wave of people stepped forward and immediately started fighting. Hongjun hurriedly shouted, "Stop fighting! I have more here! Don't hit people! "

The Carp Demon said, "Are you looking for death? Run! "

The market was in chaos, and the soldiers came again. After what happened last night, Hongjun saw the soldiers as if they were ghosts and hurriedly ran away. The Carp Demon kept urging him to quickly report to the Exorcism Department. Hongjun repeatedly agreed, and not long after, he was attracted by the monkey show and stood at the side of the market to look at the monkey.

"You're too much to tie it up like this." Hongjun said to the monkey show man.

The monkey show man glared at him and scolded him. The Carp Demon was about to cry and said, "Little Master, you should leave quickly."

In the past, there was a group of monkeys on Taihang Mountain. They were free and unrestrained. Now, the monkey was actually tied up. It was thin and small, and it had to kowtow to people everywhere when it was hungry.

Hongjun walked about ten steps, and when he turned around, no one noticed, he threw a flying knife. "Ding!" It cut off the monkey show man's chain. The monkey was stunned at first, and looked around.

"Run!" Hongjun whispered.

The monkey came back to its senses and immediately ran away. The monkey show man chased and scolded, and it was chaotic again.

The Carp Demon said, "Hongjun, you put me in front. What are you doing?"

Hongjun smiled as he watched the monkey run away. He was indescribably happy. When he passed by the market, he suddenly stopped. There was a plaque in front of him that said, "Five Carriages of Learning." There were scholars coming and going outside.

"Is that a bookstore?" Hongjun said in surprise.

"It's dark …" The Carp Demon lamented, "Do you have to wander around at this time?"

Hongjun didn't care much and walked in. A fishy smell immediately filled the whole bookstore. Everyone looked at Hongjun strangely.

"Fish can't come in!" The boss said, "Why are you carrying a fish?"

"See, you're being looked down on?" The Carp Demon said again.

"I bought it and braised it." Hongjun explained, "Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish."

The Carp Demon immediately stopped talking. Hongjun said, "I'll just take a look. I'll leave right away."

The Carp Demon: "… …"

Most of the books in the bookstore were poetry books. Hongjun flipped open a book of Li Bai's selected poems. He immediately forgot about the time and stood there to read.

It was past noon, Chang 'an City's Feng Mansion. The autumn sun was scorching hot, and the cicadas in the courtyard chirped intermittently. Li Jinglong was still in the same sorry state he was in when he escaped from Pingkang. His upper body was naked, and his feet were bare. He knelt in the courtyard with the sword under his knees.

"You … … you've simply thrown away the face of your father and your ancestors!"

Feng Changqing limped. In his left hand, he held the waist token with the words "Li Jinglong from the Long Wu Army of the Tang Dynasty" that he had dropped in the brothel. In his right hand, he held a ruler and struck Li Jinglong with it. Li Jinglong stifled a groan as a burning red mark appeared on his shoulder.

Feng Changqing held the ruler in his hand and patted Li Jinglong's handsome face. He was so angry that he was panting. He said, "Today, the streets of Chang 'an are all talking about how you ignored your injured subordinates in the middle of the night and ran to Pingkang to visit prostitutes … … you … …"

Li Jinglong lowered his head and didn't say a word. Feng Changqing roared angrily, "I spent so much effort to get you a position in the Long Wu Army! Do you have any ambition at all?! "

"Say something!"

Feng Changqing said, "Holding a rusty sword, do you really think you're the Great General of the Yulin Army?! Can't you grow up a little?! Can't you?! Throw your sword away! "

Feng Changqing stretched out his leg to kick Li Jinglong's sword that was kneeling on his knees. Li Jinglong didn't say a word and just knelt there.

"By tonight at the latest, your superior will report you!" Feng Changqing was so angry that his whole body trembled. "Tomorrow morning, you'll be the topic of discussion at the Censorate. Where do you want me to put my face? Where should I put my face?! "

The servants and maidservants stood in the winding corridor one after another to watch the show with schadenfreude. In Chang 'an, it was often said that Li Jinglong was an embroidered pillow, but inside, he was full of idiots. When he was young, he was born in Feng Changqing's aunt's family. When he was young, his mother died early. Four years ago, his father, Li Mou, followed Cen Can on an expedition beyond the Great Wall. He was hit by an arrow from the Xiongnu people and died from his injuries.

That year, Li Jinglong was sixteen years old. His father died and he had no relatives. There was no one to take care of him, so he squandered his family's fortune one after another. First, he sought an immortal master to seek the Dao. Later, he spent a lot of money to buy a sword that was said to be able to slay demons and subdue devils. It was a sword that Di Renjie had once used.

A few years ago, when this prodigal son Li Jinglong was sixteen or seventeen years old, he had won the hearts of many girls in Chang 'an. However, Li Jinglong didn't make any progress in his career, nor did he make any progress in his family. Secondly, he always put on an unapproachable attitude. When he met a matchmaker, he didn't even nod his head. For twenty years, he didn't accomplish anything. The talk of marriage also slowly faded away.

He wasn't young anymore. He didn't have a family or a career. He was idle. It wasn't until his cousin, Feng Changqing, defeated the Western Region's Great Balu Kingdom and triumphantly returned to receive a reward from the Xuanzong that Li Jinglong was given a place in the Long Wu Army.

Feng Changqing was simply worried sick about this good-for-nothing cousin of his. The more he spoke, the angrier he became. He fiercely whipped the ruler like a violent storm. When his wife ran over, he repeatedly said, "Master, don't hit him anymore! Don't hit him anymore! "

With Feng Changqing's last strike, the ruler was forcibly broken into two pieces. Li Jinglong's forehead was bleeding, which flowed down his cheeks and dripped to the ground.

"Master, calm down!" Madam Feng hurriedly patted Feng Changqing's back. After Feng Changqing returned to the imperial court, he was waiting for the imperial court to appoint him to an official position. However, this cousin of his had become the laughingstock of the entire Chang 'an City. For no reason, he kept smearing his name and even affected his official career. How could he not be angry?!

After Feng Changqing finished lecturing him, he no longer paid him any attention and limped back inside. Madam Feng then hurriedly ordered a maid to bring a cloth towel to wipe Li Jinglong's blood. She said, "Why is your brain like this? If you just admit your mistake, your brother wouldn't be so angry. "

Li Jinglong just remained silent and quietly knelt until dusk turned around and shone on his body. The setting sun blended together with the bloodstains on the ground.

In the twilight, Hongjun returned to the East Market with a few books in his arms. The crowd dispersed and the market closed. A wisp of crimson clouds appeared on the horizon, and the sound of drums came from the faraway drum tower.

"Dong — — dong — — dong — —"

With the morning bell and evening drum, the Chang 'an was about to enter the night. Hongjun yawned. He hadn't slept at all last night. Today, he had been running around and was exhausted. Thinking about how his Mind Lamp had inexplicably shattered like this and how he had lost a Flying Immortal Dagger and didn't know where it had gone, he couldn't help but feel depressed when the sun set in the west.

"Hey, Zhao Zilong?" Hongjun patted the bag on his back. The Carp Demon was originally sleeping with its mouth open and motionless. When it was patted awake, its mouth opened and closed again.

"Where's the Exorcism Department?" Hongjun asked.

"I don't know." The Carp Demon said, "The last time I came to Chang 'an was eighty years ago."

"How did you get here? Didn't you take a good look around? "

"Last time, I was put up for sale in the East Market. My mouth was curled and blood came out. Why don't you take a look?"

"…"

"Did Lord Qing Xiong write 'no' in the letter he gave you?"

"Let me see … where's Jincheng Lane?"

"It's north of the West Market. Hurry up. After the evening drum, there will be a curfew. If you wander around, you'll be caught."

Hongjun quickened his pace. To walk from the East Market to the West Market, he had to cross more than half of the Chang 'an. He asked as he walked, panting. When it was dark, he finally found Jincheng Lane. The roads in Chang 'an crisscrossed. The main roads separated the various lanes, and inside the lanes, there were alleys and auxiliary roads. Even after entering Jincheng Lane, Hongjun still couldn't find the Exorcism Department. He could only walk towards the buildings with lights.