Chapter 325 There’s a long way to go
December 21st, Tubo.

The cold wind was howling and the snow was flying heavily. The whole area of ​​Qiangtang was covered in white. The streets were empty and every household had their doors and windows closed.

The wind and snow whistled like knives and swords. In a moment, the white snow had completely covered the broken plaque on the door of the inn.

The main door was closed and the snow in front of the door was knee-deep. If an outsider passed by, he would not be able to tell that it was an inn.

This is the "Tianshui Inn", which is not only the only inn in Qiangtang City, but also the only place to stay within a hundred miles.

Even though it was so rare, Tianshui Inn still had a slow business and few customers. Especially in the cold winter, it was difficult to open a room for several months.

However, Tianshui Inn seems to have good luck this year. A few days ago, it sent away a guest, and today two more guests came.

In the evening, the cold wind was raging outside and the snow was flying. Inside the Tianshui Inn, there was complete silence.

"Bang, bang, bang."

A sudden knock on the door broke the silence in the inn.

"squeak!"

Accompanied by the sound of rustling footsteps, the door opened.

At this moment, a simple-looking guy wearing a Tibetan robe was standing outside the door, holding a tray in his hands, on which were a pot of beef, half a bucket of rice, and two pots of barley wine.

The man inside the door was also wearing a Tibetan robe, but he also had a fur coat on the outside. Even so, his face was still red from the cold and he was shivering. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, a straight nose and a wide mouth. He looked very majestic, but his body was disproportionate to his appearance and was very thin.

The two of them didn't say a word. The waiter raised the tray in his hand. The guest took out a few pieces of silver from his waist and threw them on the tray. Then he took the food and drinks with both hands. The waiter quickly took the silver and turned to leave.

After watching the waiter leave, the guest returned to his room with the wine and food and closed the door again.

At this moment, in the dim room, there was a slightly burly man sitting at the table. In the dim candlelight, he repeatedly played with the Tibetan knife in his hand.

This man looked a bit strange, with a sunken forehead, high cheekbones, a big and straight nose, and a mouth tightly tucked into his chin. Although he was not good-looking, his deep-set black eyes occasionally exuded a shrewd look that was completely different from his stupid appearance.

"Master, we have been in Tubo for seven days. We can finally have a hot meal tonight." The short and thin man put the tray on the table with a smile and took the initiative to pour two glasses of wine.

"There is the Tanggula Mountain ahead. After crossing this mountain, we will be not far from Lhasa City." The burly man divided the rice into two bowls, handed one bowl to the short and thin man, and exchanged it for a cup of barley wine. He whispered, "Tang Cong, if I remember correctly, the place where Xunzhen arranged to pick us up is this Tianshui Inn."

These two people were none other than Liu Xunyi and Tang Cong, who traveled from the Jade Dragon Palace in Tianshan to Tubo to steal the Buddha's lotus seeds.

In order to conceal their identities, Xunzhen had specially disguised them and changed their appearance before coming here, which resulted in these two strange-looking "Tibetan warriors" tonight.

"Yes." Tang Cong responded while eating, "Miss Xunzhen is really powerful. Her influence can even extend to the Tubo territory. Hehe... But I still don't quite understand why the sect leader wants to keep her, Liao Chuan, and Liao Hai in Yulong Palace? Why not go to Tubo together? More people can also take care of more people."

"More people means more burdens." Liu Xunyi shook his head. "You call yourself a 'master thief'. 'Robbery' relies on numbers, but for 'stealing', the fewer people the better. Bringing one more person means a greater risk of exposure. Once the matter is exposed, you won't even have a chance to escape."

"What the sect leader said is right." Tang Cong smiled awkwardly, not daring to refute.

"Besides that, there is another reason why I kept them in Yulong Palace." Liu Xunyi said seriously, "to monitor Song Yu and Jian Zhong."

Tang Cong rolled his eyes and asked curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Although Song Yu and Jian Zhong refused to enter Tibet to steal the Buddha Lotus seeds, they have not left Tianshan either, and they seem to be determined to do something evil." Liu Xunyi speculated, "I'm worried that they will take advantage of our trip to Tibet to cut off our support and secretly collude with Ren Wuya. If so, not only will all our previous efforts be wasted, but we will also have to risk our lives in vain and make wedding clothes for others."

"That makes sense!" Tang Cong suddenly realized.

"Xunzhen is very observant and has extraordinary wisdom. With her in charge at Tianshan, I believe Song Yu and Jian Zhong's scheme will not succeed." Liu Xunyi frowned and said thoughtfully, "I have a feeling that Jinjianwu will never give up easily. Although Song Yu rejected Ren Wuya's conditions, he must be brewing some conspiracy in secret..."

"What conspiracy?"

"do not know……"

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Before Liu Xunyi finished speaking, the door was knocked again. Before Tang Cong could get up, an old man's laughter came from outside the door: "Li Bai wrote hundreds of poems after drinking a bowl of wine, and slept in a tavern in Chang'an."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xunyi and Tang Cong's faces changed immediately. They looked at each other solemnly, and Tang Cong hissed, "Master, this is the secret signal set by Miss Xunzhen."

Liu Xunyi hesitated for a moment, then suddenly stood up, walked quickly to the door, and answered through the door: "I will not board the ship when the emperor summons me, and I claim that I am a fairy in wine."

"Hey, Young Master Liu, Young Master Tang, I am half a pound of gold. I am waiting for you two here on the orders of the eldest lady. I am honored to be here."

The door is divided into left and right. A white-haired old man in a blue cotton robe is standing outside the door with a smile on his face.

"Are you talking about half a tael of gold?" Liu Xunyi looked up and down at the unremarkable old man, with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

"Guaranteed genuine." Banliang Jin smiled and then stretched out his right hand, holding a few pieces of silver in his palm, which were the wine money that Tang Cong had just given to the waiter.

In fact, these silver coins had been specially marked by Xunzhen for use in contact at Tianshui Inn.

"please!"

Liu Xunyi let Ban Liang Jin into the room. Before he could say hello, Ban Liang Jin had already taken out a letter from his bosom and handed it to Liu Xunyi, explaining, "Young Master Liu, this is a secret letter sent by the eldest lady yesterday. If you had arrived two days earlier, you would have missed this letter. Haha..."

"Secret message?"

Liu Xunyi hesitated as he opened the letter and read it hastily. His expression changed from initial confusion to solemnity.

"Master, this is..."

"It's Xunzhen's handwritten letter." Liu Xunyi frowned and said in a deep voice, "Not long ago, the palace master sent a letter by express horse to tell her a piece of news..."

"What news?" Seeing Liu Xunyi hesitate to speak, Tang Cong couldn't help feeling anxious.

"The affairs in Shuzhong and Dali all ended in failure. The palace master strictly ordered us to complete the mission of Tianshan Yulong Palace." Liu Xunyi said with a complicated expression, "The letter also said that Di Mo led his men into an ambush in Ailao Mountain and was captured by Longxiang Mountain. The 18 disciples who accompanied him... all died tragically. As for Di Mo, the black fan..."

"So what?"

"Although I was lucky enough to survive, I had my arm chopped off."

"hiss!"

Liu Xunyi's words were like a blow to the head. Tang Cong's appetite disappeared instantly. He became at a loss and dumbfounded.

"Is it possible... is it possible... is it possible that such a thing could happen?" Tang Cong's tongue was tied and he stammered, "Hei Zhishan is such a powerful martial artist, but he actually had his arm chopped off. It's unbelievable..."

"The martial world is dangerous. Not to mention an arm, even life can be lost at any time." Liu Xunyi collected his thoughts and said seriously, "Two of the three tasks of the Palace Master have failed. If we cannot return successfully, the Xianwang Palace will be stuck in the quagmire and it will be difficult to escape. Therefore, we must retrieve the Buddha Lotus Seed and successfully win over the Jade Dragon Palace."

"Master, man proposes, God disposes. Right now, Mr. Deng and Hei Zhishan have both...both messed up their jobs. Do you think we will also..."

"No!" Before Tang Cong could get discouraged, Liu Xunyi rejected it firmly, "We will definitely win this trip!"

Faced with the anxiety and uneasiness of Liu Xunyi and Tang Cong, Banliang Jin seemed like an outsider, standing aside with a smile, listening silently without saying a word.

Seeing this, Tang Cong's eyes moved, and he asked tentatively: "Miss Xunzhen asked you to wait for us, thinking that you must have extraordinary abilities. I wonder... can you help us steal the Buddha Lotus Seed?"

"Young Master Tang, you think too highly of me." Ban Liang Jin shook his head and smiled, "The eldest lady had already predicted that after the two of you stole the Buddha Lotus Seed, the entire Tubo territory would be under martial law. By then, I'm afraid not even a fly would be able to fly out of the plateau alive. As for what I can do, it is just to arrange for your smooth departure after the two of you return safely to Tianshui Inn."

"Your Excellency, do you have such ability?"

"How dare I? I am alone, what ability do I have? All this is arranged by the young lady." Ban Liang Jin said modestly, "I am just following the young lady's instructions and doing things step by step."

"Your eldest lady..." Liu Xunyi asked hesitantly, "Who is she? What is her relationship with the young prince of Qin?"

"Whether it's me or the young lady, we are all serving the Young Qin King in the end." Ban Liang Jin said vaguely, "Although the Liao Dynasty is gone, the royal bloodline is still there, and there are many Liao children and loyal and brave men. We have received the grace of the country for generations, so we should do our best for the Young Qin King. Don't worry, as long as you can return to Tianshui Inn alive, I dare to guarantee my life and send you out of Tubo safely."

"Xunzhen is indeed capable of planning and winning battles thousands of miles away." Liu Xunyi said with emotion, "Before we even started, she had already arranged a retreat for us."

Ban Liang Jin reminded them, "Although the eldest lady can relieve you of your worries, the power of the young Qin King can only penetrate to the north of Tanggula Mountain. As for the secret areas of the south of Tanggula Mountain, you have to rely on your own abilities."

"Thank you." Liu Xunyi smiled bitterly and then bowed in greeting.

"In fact, I have already received the news from the eldest lady and know that you two will be here soon." Ban Liang Jin said with a smile, "A few days ago, a young guest with extraordinary bearing came to the inn. He was also very young, with a handsome appearance. I almost mistook him for Young Master Liu. Hehe..."

"When we open the door to do business, people of all kinds come and go." Tang Cong continued, "It's nothing strange."

Hearing this, Ban Liang Jin just smiled and nodded, without saying much.

"You have been in Tibet for many years and are well aware of the local customs and practices. Could you give us some pointers?" Liu Xunyi changed the subject and pleaded, "It will also help us avoid taking detours in Tibet, a place we are not familiar with."

"Okay! Okay!" Ban Liang Jin seemed to be quite pleased with Liu Xunyi's compliment and grinned, "Today is the 21st day of the twelfth lunar month. If you two want to complete your mission smoothly, I'm afraid you need to walk faster."

"Why?"

"As far as I know, the Potala Palace holds a 'pilgrimage' ceremony on the first day of the first lunar month every year. Devout believers from all over Tibet will go to Lhasa City on that day to burn incense and worship the Living Buddha. The Potala Palace is heavily guarded throughout the year and is only open to the public on that day. If you want to sneak into the Potala Palace, the first day of the first lunar month is undoubtedly the best time."

……

(End of this chapter)