#122 - Target: A cheat book that costs ten dollars!
Chapter 124: Goal: Manuals for Ten Yuan Each!
The sun gradually set.
Zhao Zheng stayed in Fumanlou, looking at his pocket watch from time to time.
As time passed, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
The agreed time with Song Haitang was 6:00 PM, and it was almost 6:20 PM now.
If it was delayed any longer, he would almost miss the train.
Yes, in this era, there were already trains.
It's just that the technology was very backward, and it ran very slowly.
Tonight at 8:00 PM, there was a train that could go to Shanghai Bund.
In Zhao Zheng and Song Haitang's plan, the next stop was Shanghai Bund!
Because the Shanghai Bund now was full of concessions, it had almost become a foreign territory, and the imperial court's control over there was very weak.
There, the two of them could show their skills.
Old Chu also said that Shanghai Bund and Jinmen were the places with the most martial artists.
However, Song Haitang's failure to appear disrupted Zhao Zheng's plan.
Zhao Zheng was certain that Song Haitang would never be late due to negligence or forgetting the time.
Her failure to appear must mean that something had happened, and she couldn't come!
Looking at the time again, Zhao Zheng couldn't help but stand up.
He was going to Song's house to see what was going on.
Just then.
A guy wearing a bamboo hat suddenly walked into the restaurant.
The other party ignored the diligent waiter, glanced around, and after finding Zhao Zheng, came to Zhao Zheng.
Then, the other party stuffed a letter into Zhao Zheng's arms, didn't say anything, and left the restaurant directly.
Looking at the back of the other party leaving, Zhao Zheng frowned slightly.
In addition, the governor-general received a temporary order to suppress the rebels.
It is estimated that he will definitely not be back for ten days or half a month.
The wedding date with the Song family can only be postponed!
So, Song Haitang is temporarily safe.
The letter also told Zhao Zheng not to worry about Song Haitang for the time being, the task was important, so he should complete the task first.
As for Song Haitang, she would find a way to protect herself, find a chance to leave the Song family, and then go to meet Zhao Zheng…
The two were teammates, and they had a telepathic connection with each other, and could sense the other's location, so they were not afraid of losing contact.
Finally, Song Haitang emphasized that he must not go to Song's house to find her for the time being.
Because before the governor-general went to suppress the rebels, he sent one of his subordinate adjutants to station in the Song family, seemingly to discuss cooperation with the head of the Song family.
Song Haitang had a distant glimpse of the court official today, and the feeling the other party gave her was very terrifying!!
…
After reading the letter, Zhao Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.
It's good that Song Haitang is safe!
Could it be that the letter was written by someone else to confuse Zhao Zheng?
Zhao Zheng could be sure that it wasn't!
This letter must have been written by Song Haitang.
Because the content on the letter was all in simplified Chinese characters.
And in this era, simplified Chinese characters had not yet appeared, and all the books were in traditional Chinese characters.
Currently, the only ones who know simplified Chinese characters are transmigrators.
Zhao Zheng stayed where he was, thought for a moment, and soon made a decision.
He would follow Song Haitang's intentions, go on the road alone, and carry out the task!
Because his current strength, in the eyes of real experts, can only be considered average.
Dragon Roar Iron Shirt is not invincible.
If he forcibly broke into the Song Mansion, he might end up falling there.
Song Haitang said that the adjutant sent by the governor-general was very terrifying!
Even if the other party is not a demon or monster, he is probably an expert above the level of Inner Strength!
So.
The best option now is for Zhao Zheng to carry out the task alone, challenge martial artists, and at the same time see if he can find internal cultivation methods to improve his strength.
Without strength, even if Song Haitang really encounters danger, he would be powerless…
Thinking of this.
Zhao Zheng immediately set off, taking the letter and silver notes, and left the restaurant.
…
Half an hour later.
Zhao Zheng arrived at the "Train Station"!
The so-called train station was just a temporary fence built in the wild, which was very simple.
At the entrance, there were some foreign soldiers guarding it.
Because the trains and railways were all built by foreigners.
The imperial court didn't have this ability.
If you want to go in and take the train, people have to pay money to buy tickets, even goods have to pay money to buy freight tickets, and the fees are charged according to the degree of value and weight.
Of course, even if you pay the money, if the goods are lost on the train, the foreigners will not give any compensation, and you can only consider yourself unlucky!
This is the rule set by the foreigners!
If you want to take the train, you must abide by it.
At this moment.
There was a long queue at the entrance.
Most people were carrying large and small bags, bringing their families with them.
There were also quite a few people like Zhao Zheng who were alone.
There was still half an hour before the train departed, and Zhao Zheng was also honestly queuing up to pay.
Half an hour later.
Zhao Zheng finally boarded the train smoothly.
In order to prevent being harassed by thieves and local ruffians, he specially bought a "first-class ticket" and came to a relatively clean carriage.
If it were an ordinary carriage, it would really be crowded with people, with all kinds of smells, which was really uncomfortable.
It was more than a thousand kilometers from here to Shanghai Bund.
At the speed of this iron train, it would take at least three days to arrive.
Let Zhao Zheng endure in a dirty and chaotic environment for three days?
He couldn't bear it for even a day.
So he bought a first-class ticket.
Of course, the fare for first-class tickets was also ten times more expensive than ordinary tickets.
Most of the guests sitting in the first-class carriage were foreigners, and there were also some Orientals, but each of them was dressed neatly, either rich or expensive.
After Zhao Zheng found his seat, he sat down directly and closed his eyes to sleep.
The so-called first-class carriage, in his eyes, was not comparable to the ordinary carriages of high-speed rail in later generations.
It's just that the seats are wider and not so crowded.
…
The journey was smooth, and no one came to disturb Zhao Zheng.
Three days later.
Zhao Zheng finally arrived at Shanghai Bund smoothly.
Although the Shanghai Bund in this era did not have as many high-rise buildings as in later generations, the degree of prosperity was not inferior at all.
Standing on the street, as far as the eye can see, there are all kinds of people making a living.
The number of rickshaws alone was many times more than in Foshan.
There were also cable cars in the middle of the road, moving slowly.
Among the pedestrians on both sides, the men basically wore suits and long gowns, while the women wore cheongsams that highlighted their figures.
This Sino-Western style is amazing.
Zhao Zheng looked around.
Suddenly.
A running child crashed into him.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sir…"
After the child bumped into Zhao Zheng, he apologized repeatedly, and then quickly left.
Zhao Zheng grabbed him and took his wallet back from his hand.
The thief's face turned pale with fright, thinking he was about to be beaten severely.
However.
Zhao Zheng didn't hit him. After taking back his wallet, he turned and left.
A moment later.
Zhao Zheng arrived at the famous Peace Hotel.
Of course, it was still called the Palace Hotel at this time; it would only be renamed decades later.
Song Haitang had given him two thousand taels of silver notes. These notes were accepted nationwide, so he wasn't short of money at all.
Since he wasn't short of money, he definitely had to stay somewhere nice.
Besides, staying in a place like this could also avoid a lot of trouble.
After all, anyone who could open a hotel like this in Shanghai had a very strong background, and no one would dare to cause trouble or make a scene here.
… …
At the same time.
FS City.
After three days of hard work, Ma Jun finally raised his realm to the peak of Ming Jin and mastered many external martial arts.
He was very confident in his current strength.
Thus.
He came to Baozhilin, wanting to challenge Master Huang.
The result… …
He was severely taught a lesson by Master Huang's disciple, "Ghost Foot" Liu.
Because, although Ma Jun's martial arts and realm had improved, his combat experience was far lacking.
Ghost Foot Liu was also a battle-hardened martial artist, so it was normal for him to beat Ma Jun.
What made Ma Jun even more uncomfortable was that he learned from Ghost Foot Liu that Master Huang had already taken the initiative to admit defeat to a young man three days ago.
That young man's surname was Song! !
Upon receiving this news, Ma Jun almost vomited blood from anger!
He didn't understand why he was so much slower than Song Haitang?
He had already worked very hard these past three days, constantly challenging martial artists, and had almost been beaten to death several times… …
Even so, he was still so far behind?
He couldn't even beat Master Huang's disciple, yet the other party had already forced Master Huang to take the initiative to admit defeat?
Could it be that the gap between him and Song Haitang was really that big?
… …
The Palace Hotel also offered guest rooms, and there were quite a few of them.
Zhao Zheng settled down in the hotel, rested for a few hours, and left the hotel in the afternoon, intending to take a stroll outside.
He hadn't walked far on the street when he saw dozens of gang members rampaging through the streets, frightening passersby into hiding.
These gang members were all wearing black suits and black top hats, like social elites.
However, each of them had a sharp axe in their hands!
This combination surprised many out-of-towners who saw it for the first time.
The locals, however, turned pale with fright.
"It's the Axe Gang! Hide quickly."
"Brother, may I ask what the Axe Gang's background is? Why are they so arrogant?"
"The Axe Gang is one of the four major gangs in Shanghai, but since the new gang leader took office, these people have become ruthless and merciless, killing people without batting an eye, and they don't even spare the old or the young. They are extremely vicious, so you must not provoke them!"
"What four major gangs? The current Axe Gang is about to become the head of the four major gangs. Apart from the Zhendong Gang, the other two factions don't dare to go against the Axe Gang."
Inside a shop.
Several customers watched the Axe Gang members walk further and further away, and they discussed among themselves.
Zhao Zheng was next to them, and he heard these discussions clearly.
He wasn't surprised to see Axe Gang members here.
Because his teacher had said that there were four major gangs in Shanghai, and he should try not to provoke them if possible.
Especially this Axe Gang, which was the most ruthless and merciless, and would use any means to achieve their goals.
Once you provoke them, the best way is to leave Shanghai… …
Watching the Axe Gang members swagger through the city.
Zhao Zheng suddenly revealed a smile.
He had just seen a relatively familiar face among those Axe Gang members.
In that case, some of his previous guesses could now be confirmed.
Thinking of this, Zhao Zheng left this place and continued forward.
Next.
He didn't go looking for those special martial artists to compete with, but instead searched the streets and alleys every day, looking for something.
Finally.
On the fourth day.
Zhao Zheng found his target!
It was a beggar, very old, with messy hair and a very weak body.
However, the beggar had a pair of bright eyes.
When Zhao Zheng found the beggar, the beggar was trying to fool a boy:
"Little brother, I see that your bones are extraordinary, you are a once-in-a-million martial arts prodigy! The task of maintaining world peace rests on you. I have a secret manual here. I see that you are destined for it, so I'll sell it to you for ten dollars, how about it?"
The boy was very naive and actually believed it. He immediately took out his piggy bank and smashed it open, barely scraping together ten dollars.
Finally.
He exchanged it for a "Buddha's Palm" manual from the beggar!
Zhao Zheng was very surprised when he saw this.
He didn't expect to meet that chosen one here.
The beggar, having "cheated money", was preparing to pack up and leave.
Zhao Zheng immediately rushed over.
"Wait, I'll buy all the secret manuals here!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Zheng took out a large silver ingot.
He had exchanged it for silver notes at the Palace Hotel.
The beggar was stunned when he heard this.
His target group was very clear, which was those ignorant children. How could adults believe it?
Glancing at the silver ingot in Zhao Zheng's hand, the beggar shook his head without thinking, "I'm not selling, I'm not selling."
Zhao Zheng frowned immediately.
"You can sell it to that kid, why can't you sell it to me?"
"Alas! Let me tell you the truth!" The beggar said, "These secret manuals are all fake, wholesale for fifty cents a copy. I can only fool those children, how dare I fool you, sir?"
Zhao Zheng smiled: "It doesn't matter! I have money, I'm not afraid of being cheated, sell all the secret manuals to me!"
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, the beggar was stunned, and then he seriously sized up Zhao Zheng.
Seeing Zhao Zheng's half-smiling expression, the beggar was a little surprised.
He had disguised himself so well, how did the other party see through it?
"Still not selling!" The beggar shook his head again and said, "My secret manual is only for those who are destined for it."
"Someone destined? I wonder what the standard is for the person destined in your words?" Zhao Zheng asked.
The beggar chuckled, revealing his missing teeth: "Naturally, it's a martial arts prodigy with a righteous heart, one in a million!"
Seeing this, Zhao Zheng simply stopped pretending and immediately said: "If you sell the secret manual to that kid just now, at most he will become a master when he grows up, and this world will still be the same."
"Selling the secret manual to me is different!"
"I dare not say that I can save this world, but I can drag all those monsters hiding in the temples out and kill them! !"
Hearing Zhao Zheng's words.
The beggar was shocked!
He looked at Zhao Zheng with suspicion, carefully observing Zhao Zheng's face, and finally found that he couldn't see through this person's face at all.
