It was snowing outside, but the room was warm as spring. The firewood in the fireplace was burning vigorously, and the copper kettle on the iron rack was sizzling with steam. A few skewers of rabbit meat next to it were already roasted to a crispy outside and tender inside, emitting a strong aroma. Zhang Yuan sat on the armchair in front of the fireplace, and the bright firelight shone on his face, making him breathe a sigh of relief. The winter in Xiaxu is quite long. With abundant supplies, the life of hibernation is quite comfortable. During this period of time, Zhang Yuan deliberately shortened the time of cultivation. Because his martial arts practice has reached a bottleneck, no matter how hard he practices, he can't improve it. On the contrary, too much is as bad as too little. Zhang Yuan used the free time on some trivial matters in ordinary life. Shoveling snow, chopping wood, making tea, cooking, barbecue, reading... Let the mind really calm down and review his martial arts career bit by bit.
He read "Jianghu Lu" over and over again, and repeatedly comprehended Liu Qiniang's experience of breaking through the realm. Silently making the final preparations for opening up the sea of qi. The rabbit skewers are already cooked. Zhang Yuan sprinkled some salt on them and took a bite. The taste was quite good. For long-term storage, the meat stored in his home was basically homemade smoked meat and bacon. The freshly grilled rabbit meat in his hand was the spoils of the red-eyed crow. This high-level spirit seemed to have awakened its instincts. It patrolled the nearby area every day to hunt small animals such as hares, mountain mice, and golden-tailed chickens that foraged in the snow. As a result, Zhang Yuan's ingredients were greatly enriched. A bite of barbecue and a sip of hot tea to relieve greasiness were delicious and satisfying! But he had just finished eating two skewers of rabbit meat when he suddenly frowned. Because at this time, the red-eyed crow guarding outside suddenly sent a warning! Zhang Yuan immediately switched to the perspective of the red-eyed crow, and found that a group of five people were stepping on the thick snow and trudging towards his home. Although the place where Zhang Yuan's house was located also belonged to the scope of Xishanji, it was quite far away from the neighbors. There were no other families nearby. So this group of people must be coming for him! Zhang Yuan also saw that three of them were carrying huge sacks, and he didn't know what was in them. After thinking about it, he sat up from the armchair covered with tiger skin, left the room and went outside the yard. Zhang Yuan opened the door directly, stood in front of the door expressionlessly, and watched the other party and others come over. This group of people wore thick animal skin coats, bear skin hats on their heads, and wore swords and weapons around their waists. They were all strong and exuded a sense of sturdiness.
The leader was a sturdy man with a lion's mouth and a wide nose. When he saw Zhang Yuan coming out to wait for his group, he couldn't help showing a hint of surprise on his face. The sturdy man smiled immediately, strode to the front of Zhang Yuan, clasped his fists and saluted, saying: "I am Wei Chongshan, the incense master of the inner hall of Zhenwu Gate. May I ask if it is Mr. Zhao Yun in person?" Zhenwu Gate! Zhang Yuan nodded: "I'm Zhao Yun, what do you want?" He immediately remembered what Qu Hong and Old Man Kou had said to him. It is said that the Zhenwu Sect is a gang in Xixu. They lost in the conflict over the territory and suffered heavy losses. They were forced to withdraw from the city and intend to make a comeback. And they set their sights on Xishanji, intending to use it as a temporary base. This news had spread throughout Xishanji before the arrival of winter. It caused quite a stir. But everyone believed that even if the Zhenwu Sect was going to come, it would be when winter was over and spring was coming. For the residents of Xishanji, how to survive the winter was the most realistic problem compared to the threat of the Zhenwu Sect. So this matter blew over like a gust of wind, and although it caused a circle of ripples, it soon calmed down. Zhang Yuan did not expect that the people of the Zhenwu Sect would come to his door in the snow before the half of the cold winter. The visitor is not kind! To be honest, Zhang Yuan was extremely annoyed at this moment, and even had a trace of violent impulse. That is to instantly add multiple powers to kill all the people in front of him. All of them will be saved! In order to avoid powerful enemies, he had to separate from his loved ones and run to this desolate place to live in seclusion. However, even in Xiaxu, where the power of Daqian cannot reach, there are still disputes, grievances, and interests. There is no way to avoid it completely! The killing intention suddenly arose, and Zhang Yuan forced himself to suppress it. He replied calmly: "It turns out to be Master Wei Xiang, I wonder what you can do for me?" Killing people at the moment is unrealistic. You must know that Zhenwu Sect has a fifth-level and four fourth-level. Even if the current strength is greatly reduced, it is not something that Zhang Yuan, a third-level warrior, can deal with. And the group of people in Zhenwu Sect in front of him must not have come here secretly to cause trouble. Once he died here, the Zhenwu Sect would definitely investigate. If a fourth-level Qi warrior came at that time, Zhang Yuan would have to abandon his home and flee far away, and find another place to survive.
This icy and snowy place, how troublesome! Wei Chongshan was slightly stunned. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt creepy, as if he was close to the abyss. It was Zhang Yuan in front of him who gave him a strong sense of danger! But this feeling only lasted for a moment and disappeared immediately. But Wei Chongshan also put away his contempt, his eyes flashed, and he smiled: "It's nothing big, but my Zhenwu Sect plans to set up a name in Xishan Market after the spring, and I would like to ask you to help support it." The Zhenwu Sect incense master waved his hand: "Bring it up!" The three warriors immediately placed the sacks on their shoulders in front of Zhang Yuan, and then saluted. Wei Chongshan smiled and said, "Mr. Zhao Yun, this is a little gift from our sect, please accept it." Zhang Yuan thought for a moment and said, "You're welcome." After a pause, he added, "I will definitely go there when the time comes!" Zhang Yuan had no interest in the "kindness" of the Zhenwu Sect, but now was not the time to turn against each other, and there was no need to hit the other party in the face - after all, Wei Chongshan's attitude was very good. As for other things, let's wait until the Zhenwu Sect really comes! Wei Chongshan laughed and said, "Thank you, then I will go back first, Mr. Zhao Yun, we will see you in the spring!" "Goodbye." The Zhenwu Sect's incense master was also very straightforward, and turned around and left with several men. Not dragging his feet at all. Zhang Yuan watched the group gradually go away and disappear in the vast snow. He reached out to open the rope of one of the sacks and found that it contained a cleaned mutton! The handout was big, so the plot must be big! Zhang Yuan smiled coldly, and then opened the other two sacks. One was filled with rice, and the other was stuffed with dozens of bamboo jars. He was not unfamiliar with this kind of jars, which were usually used to store oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, spices, etc. It must be said that the kindness sent by Zhenwumen to the door was really like sending warmth in the cold winter! Zhang Yuan believed that many people in Xishanji would like this pie in the sky. It's a pity that the pie was poisoned!