It was quite busy outside, but the waiters were quietly preparing food in the kitchen.
Because of the recent drought, the cook ran away a long time ago, and now he and the shopkeeper are the only two people left in the restaurant. They are in charge of the front and back of the house and have no specific responsibilities.
Therefore, the only dishes left on the menu are a variety of simple pickles and cooked beef that can be served at any time.
He was preparing to serve the food when Yin Xiu walked in unexpectedly.
"Hey, guests are not allowed in the kitchen."
The guy pointed to the side door and said, "Get out."
Yin Xiu ignored him and just handed over a plate, "Another pound of cooked beef, it's not enough."
The waiter glanced at him, then took the plate, cut off some beef on the chopping board, and covered the remaining beef with a white cloth.
"Here, a pound."
Yin Xiu didn't answer, "Is the scale enough?"
"If it's not enough, cut off my hand."
In this way, Yin Xiucai finally took the beef, but did not walk away.
"When the officials came to see you, how did you respond? Qiu Xiaosi?"
Qiu Xiaosi is the clerk’s original name.
He paused for a moment, then returned to his cold expression.
"I said, those two people went to Jiaozhi. If you ask me again, I only know so much."
Qiu Xiaosi looked at him again, "Also, I have never heard of this name."
After saying that, he continued to cut the beef on the chopping board, no longer looking at Yin Xiu, just pretending that he was not around.
Yin Xiu didn't take it seriously and just said his own words.
"On the way here, I heard someone say that there used to be such a young knight who was a chivalrous and righteous man who loved to fight against injustice.
Not to mention the local evil gentry and bullies, he also beat up foreign devils.
Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, he suddenly disappeared and his whereabouts are unknown.
Some people say that he was attacked by ghosts and betrayed by locals. Anyway, he was shot and fell off his horse and died.
Another theory is that he fell in love with a woman and wanted to retire to the world with her, stay together and fly together, and become a couple of gods and heroes.
Unfortunately, the woman left him later. ”
Bang!
Qiu Xiaosi slashed the knife on the chopping board and pointed at the side door.
"There is no one named Qiu Xiaosi here. Guests cannot enter the kitchen. Please get out!"
"Losing your temper?"
Yin Xiu handed the plate over and said, "Have a piece to calm down the fire? I don't mean any harm."
"Get away!"
Qiu Xiaosi waved his hand and touched Yin Xiu's hand. Suddenly, he felt like reality was slapped on the rock. The hand and the plate did not move at all.
"This beef is not easy to cut. The locals make cooked beef in large pieces, like winter melon, and throw it into the pot to cook. They also add saltpeter to it to make the beef refreshing but not tough, soft but not rotten.
But it takes a lot of effort when cutting, and many times you have to use your whole body's strength.
However, I saw that when you cut the knife just now, your hand was steady and strong, and I knew that you were already a..."
"Master?" Qiu Xiaosi asked.
"A high-level cook."
Qiu Xiaosi burst into laughter, and the anger on his face disappeared slightly.
But he still insisted: "That's all I have to say, and I can't say anything else."
"Why?"
Yin Xiu frowned, "What you know affects my friends, I must know."
"It also concerns my friends, so I can't talk about it."
Qiu Xiaosi was very determined, as if he planned to hide this secret in his stomach.
"Don't make me kill you."
Yin Xiu said seriously: "I promise, if you die, I will know more."
Qiu Xiaosi has no doubt that Yin Xiu has such ability, and it is not just to intimidate or deceive him.
So he set up his posture and stood upright.
"Come on! I'm mentally prepared."
"Are you willing to die for your friends?"
"Of course, I'll go out of my way to protect my friends."
"Then let me ask you, how would you choose between the world and your friends?" Yin Xiu asked suddenly.
"The world?"
Qiu Xiaosi hesitated for a moment, never expecting that his friend's whereabouts would be related to the so-called world.
The reason why he was unwilling to disclose his friend's whereabouts before was just because he knew the court's behavior.
As long as you get involved with something, no matter what you do, you will definitely end up with a river of blood.
Aren’t the affairs of the imperial court also the affairs of the world?
It seemed that what Yin Xiu said was all nonsense.
So Qiu Xiaosi returned to his original cold demeanor.
However, at this time, Yin Xiu said again: "I am not from the imperial court. Speaking of it, I should be the imperial court's great enemy."
"Then you are talking about world affairs? Are you from the White Lotus Sect?"
"Me neither, but what I want to do is indeed related to the world."
Yin Xiu threw a piece of firewood into the stove, and sparks immediately burst out.
"It doesn't matter what you wanted to do before but you haven't been able to do it. I will help you do it."
"Can you do it?"
Qiu Xiaosi picked up the tongs and took out the firewood.
"Don't keep stuffing firewood inside. The bigger the fire, the better. If the fire is too big, the vegetables will get burnt easily.
When making cooked beef, saltpeter is the primer, and heat is the foundation.
When the heat is too high, the beef becomes old, and the firewood becomes stale, no matter how much saltpeter you add or how much seasoning you add, it won't be able to save it.
It's useless to add more firewood before the time comes, it will ruin a good pot of food. ”
"Really?"
Yin Xiu also picked up the fire tongs, but put the wood back.
"This stove is too old. Who knows how much firewood it needs? Can you estimate it, or can I figure it out?
What everyone saw was just a black hole, full of ashes and embers, and nothing could be seen.
Throwing this firewood in does not make the fire enough, and throwing that firewood in will make it too hot and burnt. Neither is a good thing.
But how will you know if you don’t try? ”
Yin Xiu picked up another piece of firewood, "Maybe we need to burn this stove thoroughly, and then we can know what it is like, what kind of heat it needs to be, how much firewood should be used, and how long it should take to burn. Once you understand these things, you won't do anything wrong next time." Wrong.”
"Do you know the price involved?" Qiu Xiaosi stared at him closely.
"I know that you have to pay a price for everything you do."
"What do you know!?"
Qiu Xiaosi brought the red poker over, only an inch away from Yin Xiu's neck, and the heat burned his skin.
However, Yin Xiu had no intention of retreating from the beginning to the end.
"Aren't you afraid that I will kill you?"
"I didn't say I wasn't afraid."
Yin Xiu threw the firewood into the fire, and sparks flew everywhere.
"I just believe you won't kill me.
Qiu Xiaosi, it’s just that you can’t do it anymore, it’s not that you don’t want to do it, that’s all. ”
Hearing this, Qiu Xiaosi threw the tongs aside and said dejectedly: "I suffered serious internal injuries, and it is impossible to regain my previous skills." He pulled away his collar and exposed his chest.
I saw a black palm print on his chest. Even though it had been many years, it still looked shocking.
This palm hit him squarely in the heart, probably destroying his eight meridians. Just being able to survive until now is already a miracle.
The young boy Lang is dead in the world. Qiu Xiaosi is not dead yet, but this palm has made it impossible for him to walk in the world again.
Yin Xiu said seriously with respect: "Just leave the rest to me. I will be the one to light the fire."
"Then kill me."
Qiu Xiaosi leaned closer, "I said, I don't want to betray my friends, so just kill me."
"Why bother?"
Yin Xiu sighed and stood up.
He looked around and suddenly said: "How about this, let's fight without using internal strength, just relying on moves. If you beat me, I will leave Southern Xinjiang and never come back.
If you lose, you don't have to die. Tell me where my friend has gone. I promise you that I will never kill innocent people indiscriminately. ”
Qiu Xiaosi did not doubt the truth or falsehood of Yin Xiu's words, because he believed that a person who takes world affairs as his goal would never bother to lie.
So he nodded in agreement.
The two fought in the cramped kitchen.
Qiu Xiaosi opened his stance, kicked his legs up, down, left and right, and measured the distance.
The place where he stood now was only enough for him to straighten his legs.
Yin Xiu stretched out his hands, rowed forward, grabbed it back, and determined the position.
The space here is only an arm's length away from the left.
The two stood still, listening to the splashing sound of the water in the pot.
drink!
Qiu Xiaosi rushed to attack and stabbed Yin Xiu in the chest with a sharp and cruel kick.
Yin Xiu took a step back, and Qiu Xiaosi immediately changed his whip legs and swept towards Yin Xiu.
Yin Xiu leaned back, dodged the whip's legs, and at the same time took a step forward to get rid of Qiu Xiaosi's standing feet.
Qiu Xiaosi retracted his legs and took a step back. Yin Xiu persisted and moved forward again, still trying to keep his feet away.
Qiu Xiaosi stretched out his hand and used his hands like eagle claws to grab Yin Xiu's chest.
Yin Xiu stretched out his hand to block it, and then grabbed the opponent's pulse gate.
The two of them spun almost at the same time, neutralizing each other's strength.
Qiu Xiaosi reached into Yin Xiu's sleeve and grabbed his arm, trying to control his arm first.
Yin Xiu flew up and kicked Qiu Xiaosi in the crotch.
A strong wind suddenly rose. Qiu Xiaosi grabbed Yin Xiu's arm and jumped up. He performed a chain of legs in the air, kicked with both feet and brought up the afterimage, and kicked out several times in one breath.
Yin Xiu stepped back repeatedly. After Qiu Xiaosi's kick missed again, he lowered his body and got under Qiu Xiaosi.
top!
Yin Xiu pushed his shoulders upward, and Qiu Xiaosi suddenly felt that his lower body was unstable. He took off and fell to the ground, and the hand holding Yin Xiu's arm released.
The kite turns over!
Qiu Xiaosi exerted force on his waist and made an arc in the air. While landing steadily, he quickly raised his knees and made a knee strike.
Yin Xiu happened to make the same move. After the two exchanged knees, Qiu Xiaosi used the eagle claws, but Yin Xiu used kicks.
call! call! call!
A series of breaking sounds rang in Qiu Xiaosi's ears.
Yin Xiu's kicks were sharp and steady, full of an elusive rhythm, which Qiu Xiaosi could only resist and retreat continuously.
Finally, he retreated and retreated in the small kitchen, his back hitting the wall.
Oops, I'm cornered!
Qiu Xiao was unable to retreat. He fixed one foot on the wall and stepped forward while supporting his body. While avoiding the kick, he bent down to grab Yin Xiu's shoulder.
Yin Xiu quickly jumped back half a step to avoid the claw attack.
Then the moment he landed, his ankles exerted force again and he deftly jumped forward half a step.
Half-step collapse fist!
Qiu Xiaosi felt a strong wind blowing against his face.
Yin Xiu's fist hovered in front of his nose but did not hit it.
"I lost." Qiu Xiaosi admitted frankly.
"Concession."
"Actually," Qiu Xiaosi smiled bitterly, "If you had also used your internal strength, I would have been beaten to death by you in just a few moves. We are not opponents of the same level at all."
"I said, it's just a fist and kick competition."
"No wonder you say you are someone who can do anything in the world."
Qiu Xiaosi finally understood that Yin Xiu was not exaggerating.
A great master of the synesthesia realm, there are probably only two warriors in the world who can touch the three secret treasures in total.
For such a person, who is still so young, if he says he wants to decide the world's major events, no one will doubt him.
"In the Thousand Buddha Temple in Jiaozhi, my friend took your friend to the Thousand Buddha Temple."
"So that's it."
Yin Xiu nodded, "Does your friend live there?"
"He is a monk who practiced with Monk Kongda."
Qiu Xiaosi touched his face, "Master Lokong is known throughout southern Xinjiang. The great holy monk, even General Zhennan, is proud to meet him.
Monk Lokong has no fixed abode, but my friend said that he is at Qianfo Temple. It seems that your two friends also went to Qianfo Temple to find Monk Kong. ”
"Thank you." Yin Xiu nodded.
"Thank you for what?"
Qiu Xiaosi waved his hand, "If I lose, I have to keep my promise and tell you what I know. That's all."
"Even so, I still want to thank you for telling me so much."
Yin Xiu suddenly took out a prescription from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"By the way, I don't know if you can use it or not. This prescription can cure internal injuries. It is said that it is used by everyone.
The medicinal materials above are not difficult to find. If you go find them and drink them, they may be useful for your injuries. ”
Yin Xiu said seriously: "I can see that you are missing the three secret treasures, and you seem to be missing a layer of window paper."
"After fighting with you today, this paper is as thin as cicada wings."
Qiu Xiaosi sighed and took another look at the prescription.
"Thank you, but..."
"But what?"
"Why didn't you take it out from the beginning and use this prescription as a condition in exchange for me telling you that information."
"If I exchange a prescription with you, wouldn't I look down on you?"
Yin Xiu didn't look back and walked out with the beef, leaving only Qiu Xiaosi standing in the kitchen.
When Yin Xiu walked outside, Bai Fenghuang and the others had left, leaving only Ma Xiaoyu on the table.
"Where are the two of them?"
Ma Xiaoyu didn't answer, but took the plate first and put a piece of beef in it.
"Gone."
"Are you leaving?" Yin Xiu glanced at the door.
"What, you're disappointed, do you want someone else to stay?" Ma Xiaoyu glanced at him.
"Not really."
Yin Xiu explained: "I was just wondering which sect they were from."
Ma Xiaoyu touched the earrings.
"I'm afraid it's not a good thing. We have to be careful. After all, the witchcraft in southern Xinjiang is unpredictable and weird." (End of Chapter)