Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 127 Pavilion Master

Not good enough for him? Luo An said, "I've heard that Guanyin Pavilion is very unscrupulous. Silver won't go into the pavilion, and gold starts at ten taels."

Xu Sheng said, "I've heard of a wealthy man who went to the Heaven and Earth Palace for treatment and returned as a beggar. Compared to that, Guanyin Pavilion is nothing."

Xu Sheng never admits defeat in front of him? A bird flew by, and a feather slowly landed. Luo An waved his hand and caught the feather: "My wife wants me to go back early so she won't worry!"

Are you taking advantage of him because he doesn't have a wife? Xu Sheng glanced at Luo An: "I'm glad you came..."

Luo An: "If I don't come, your throwing knife will end up stabbing her next time."

"I thought you'd suspect Yan Zeyi? You actually guessed it was me, that's impressive!" Xu Sheng tossed the throwing knife twice: "Did you bring the medicine?"

Luo An said, "I brought it. I gave the medicine and prescription to Xue Yunting. If it's not enough, have the military doctor prepare it according to the prescription."

Xu Sheng asked, "How long will it take you to dispel the miasma of Hengshan?"

Luo An said, "The miasma is not heavy this season."

Luo An asked the military doctor Guan Shan to find a few people to help him grind frankincense, atractylodes lancea, asarum, licorice, chuanxiong, sandalwood, and sandalwood into powder, and then bind them with dry leaves and thatch to make a huge incense stick.

As dusk fell, Luo An ordered his soldiers to light a circle of incense sticks along the edge of the forest the army was bound to pass through, and then used large palm-leaf fans to blow the smoke into the woods. Soon, swarms of enormous mosquitoes, ticks, rove beetles, chiggers, wasps… flew out of the forest…

All sorts of insects flew westward with the wind, forming a dark, dense mass.

Xu Sheng looked on in shock: "Death Valley truly lives up to its name. No wonder my mother almost died in Hengshan... How can there still be so many insects this season..."

Luo An said, "Insects don't choose the season, they choose the temperature and humidity... This is a remote mountain forest, where people rarely go. All kinds of decaying matter are very warm. If you don't believe me, go in and try it..."

Xu Sheng said, "I'm eager to promote you, and you're always trying to kill me? What grudge do you have against me? Do you feel superior just because we're related? Let me tell you, it's fortunate I'm broad-minded and don't hold grudges, otherwise I would have dug up your father's grave long ago, so you wouldn't even know how you died..."

Luo An turned and walked back: "If nothing unexpected happens, you'll be able to cross Hengshan tomorrow morning."

Xu Sheng hurried to catch up with him: "You should stay a while longer. What if the winds change and your drug knocks out our soldiers... Anyway, you're just idling around on Chongming Island..."

Luo An refused: "I'm not free. My wife..."

Xu Sheng interrupted him: "Waiting for you at home? Are you busy with your wife all day?"

Luo An snorted arrogantly through his nose.

Xu Sheng said disdainfully, "Is that all you've got..."

Luo An said, "I'm only this much, so don't try anything with us. This won't happen again, or I won't let you and Xue Yunting off the hook."

Xu Sheng, fanning himself with a folding fan, said slowly and deliberately, "Do you know who caused the current situation? It's all because of your cowardly father! You're just paying off his debts."

Luo An paused in his steps: "Explain yourself!"

Xu Sheng said, "If Nan Yue hadn't been restored back then, this would be the time for Dongyang to unify the world. Now, the world is torn apart again. You and General Yan must have seen the people living in fear and turmoil along your journey..."

Luo An continued walking with a cold smile.

Xu Sheng said, "If it were me back then, I would have imprisoned her in Heaven and Earth for life. Your father is known as the number one talent in Dongyang, but I think he's the number one madman. He went to great lengths to send her back to Nanyue and even supported her in restoring her kingdom."

Your father thought he was a saint, but he harmed himself, your mother, and your godfather. Who among them has had a good life all these years? He died young, full of sorrow, and he also harmed you and me…”

Luo An's face was gloomy, and his fists were clenched.

Xu Sheng said, "I'm not wrong. If you disagree, come and argue!"

Luo An's voice was cold: "If you look down on Southern Yue so much, why are you serving as the commander-in-chief of the Southern Yue army?"

Xu Sheng was quite troubled: "My uncle wants to entrust me with an important task, and I can't refuse his kind offer. How about I give it to you?"

With a flick of his sleeve, Luo An sent a short sword flying toward Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng blocked it with his folding fan, and Luo An's fingers twitched slightly, causing the sword to circle behind Xu Sheng as if it had a mind of its own.

Yan Zeyu and Xue Yunting followed behind them and discovered a transparent silk thread tied to the hilt of the sword, which was in Luo An's hand.

Xu Sheng leaped into the air, his folding fan slicing towards the rope. The rope, made of some unknown material, made a clanging sound when it touched the fan.

The folding fan bounced off the string, and Luo An's sword, no longer under his control, flew in the opposite direction. Luo An gently pulled his finger back, and the sword returned to his hand. With a flick of his wrist, the sword vanished.

Xu Sheng glanced at the chipped folding fan: "You don't go to pay your respects to her, but you seem to be using the things she gave you quite well."

Provoking him time and again? Luo An stopped and stared at him: "Looking for death?"

Xu Sheng unfurled his fan: "You can't beat me!"

This was intolerable. Luo An drew his sword again, and the two exchanged blows for half an hour, sword and fan in hand. The onlookers were dazzled, and Luo An gradually became restless and agitated.

Luo An and An Liangchen sparred, and both fought to a draw, using seven or eight tenths of their strength. Now, Luo An is using nine tenths of his strength, and Xu Sheng seems to be handling it with ease. Xu Sheng's martial arts skills are clearly superior to both Luo An and An Liangchen.

As Luo An was pondering this, he saw Xu Sheng fold his fan, trapping the short sword between it and simultaneously wrapping a rope around it. Each held one end, and the rope tightened further and further. Just as the rope was about to snap, Xu Sheng slightly loosened his grip, using the rope to leap to Luo An's side, raising his hand slightly: "Here you go..."

This was a feint. Xu Sheng circled behind him, held a throwing knife to his neck, and chuckled, "Little brother, I told you you couldn't beat me."

Luo An took the small sword in his hand and straightened the rope. The rope was made of Tianshan snow silkworm silk, as soft as silk and as tough as steel, and it was completely intact.

Xu Sheng withdrew his throwing knife and said with a grin, "You've been traveling the martial world for many years, and I'm probably the most admirable person you've ever met."

The house was just ahead, and Luo An went in first, sitting down at the table in the hall.

Xu Sheng was in a good mood: "Want to play chess?"

Luo An shook his head: "You can't beat me!"

Xu Sheng instinctively wanted to refute but also agreed: "Yes, I can't beat you... It's not that I'm dumber than you, it's that I've practiced less than you."

Luo An picked up a few chess pieces and played with them in his hand: "I want to ask you something. Those medicines are free for you."

Xu Sheng said, "Public and private matters are separate. The cost of the medicine is paid from the military budget, while the fees charged for gathering information are my personal income."

Luo An said to Xue Yunting, "Since you call me brother-in-law, I'll give you a discount on those medicines and prescriptions, only charging you ten thousand taels of gold. I'll ask the Guanyin Pavilion Master for information now and pay him ten thousand taels of gold. Please give it to him for me later!"

Xu Sheng touched his nose: "You win, go ahead and ask!"

Luo An said, "I have a cousin named Princess Qingcheng. Three years ago, she gave birth to a child named Buzhi."

Xu Sheng said, "You're the child's father, right?"

Luo An nodded.

"You know the child's father!" Xu Sheng's smile widened, his tone firm: "Nan Fei!"