Zhang Zhiqiang turned his ear and heard carefully, but there seemed to be no sound, but the sound waves surged, which made him qi and blood surge, and the jade ring also changed from low to sharp. When the second sound wave came, the jade ring had already started to get hot, and the color had also changed from gray to green. There were blood lines on the surface, intertwined, mottled, as if it was about to explode at any time.

Looking down at the back of the main courtyard of the Taoist temple, it was already wrapped in rolling fog, and everything was not really visible. Zhang Zhiqiang was anxious and observed the front and back terrain. He saw a protruding rock about dozens of meters away in front of the road facing the backward courtyard wall. Standing on it, he should be able to look directly outside the corridor wall, so he ordered, "Watch here, no one is allowed to get close."

The young man who followed the class looked confused, wondering why the boss suddenly lost his composure. He just heard the sound of bells and drums, which seemed to come from a very far place, and was very melodious. He originally thought that it was the Taoist temple on the mountainside ringing the bell, but from the distance, it seemed that it was not the case. But no matter how confused the boss was, he nodded immediately after the boss's instructions and could not be vague.

Zhang Zhiqiang had already run along the path quickly, and several leaps had already stood on the rock. The reason why the young man was guarding the path was because he didn't want anyone to see the strangeness of the jade ring in his hand. This is a secret that has been passed down by his family for nearly a hundred years. Whether it is as magical as the legendary legend can be seen tonight.

More than a hundred years ago, a strange man appeared in the Zhang family in Yunlong, Yanbei. He was the youngest son of the old master of the Zhang family at that time. He was named Zijiu. He has been smart and has a very high understanding since he was a child. He likes some strange things very much. He talks all day long and no one can control him. The Zhang family's family background is mysterious, but the family believes in Buddhism, but this child refuses. Once, he urinates in public in the Buddhist temple and is repaired by the old master's family law. This son is slightly restrained, but he suddenly disappeared strangely when he was eight years old.

Someone saw that he was following a blind Taoist You Fang and went to the south. The Zhang family mobilized the entire clan's strength to search for it but failed. There was no news for more than ten years since then. When he came back, he was already a handsome and handsome young man.

With the ancestral jade amulet hanging on his neck and childhood memories, Zhang Zijiu successfully recognized his ancestors and returned to his hometown. After that, he became stable and married a wife. However, when he talked about the past ten years of his disappearance, he was vague and avoided it. He just said that he followed the old Taoist priest to the south, wandering around the streets and alleys, and lived by fortune telling, and occasionally made a temple for others. Year after year, the old Taoist priest died and left him a note with the address of the Zhang family. Then he returned to his hometown according to the address.

The general idea is that. No matter how much you ask in detail, Zhang Zijiu said that he couldn't remember it clearly, or he was just having a headache. Old Master Zhang had to let it go. But for the entire Zhang family, Zhang Zixiang's loss was very strange. Except for Old Master Zhang and his biological mother, he almost rejected him and was more cautious.

Zhang Ziji didn't care, and ignored his mother's reminder. He locked himself in the house and read some strange books all day long. When he was tired of staying, he went out for a walk, but he could basically come back before nightfall. Over time, everyone got used to it and regarded it as a nerd who was indifferent to the world, and his defense towards him was greatly weakened.

Why beware? This is very common in a big family. If Old Master Zhang kicks his legs, the entire Zhang family will face the question of who will inherit the head of the family. The old master has five sons, two legitimate sons and three illegitimate sons. Zhang Zijiu is the youngest, and according to reason, his competitiveness is average. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be the eldest brother on duty.

But the eldest brother Zhang Zihui is weak and sickly, and he is also a soft-hearted person. The old man has never liked him very much. The second brother Zhang Ziqi has the highest reputation. Not only is he a lot of books, but he is also a business genius. He is meticulous. Most of the Zhang family's big and small business names are in his hands. Unfortunately, he is a concubine, but Old Master Zhang admires him very much and his attitude is quite ambiguous. It is not ruled out that he can depose the elder and establish the young.

The Zhang family's family's wealth is far from being as seen by people. The Yunlong Zhang family is actually not surnamed Zhang. The real surname is the same. It originated from the Helian family, which is prominent in Manchu. The ancestors of the ancestors never exceeded the third rank, but they have a transcendent status. Qianlong quelled the Mongolian rebellion, and the ancestor of the Zhang family was ordered by the emperor to go to the north of the desert. Later, he left the army in Dalahan, Mongolia and led his troops south and stayed in Jingbian. On the surface, he was a small garrison army, but legend has it that he was carrying a secret mission and could not return to Beijing without the emperor's handwritten edict.

In fact, this army of less than 200 people never had the chance to return to the capital, and it seemed that it was soon forgotten. In the first few years, there were supplies and military pay, and two large-scale transportation of supplies, but then there was nothing.

While writing a letter to ask to return to Beijing, he started his business by himself. Where did the money come from? No one knew except his personal guards, and the adults came here with their family members. He was not very active in returning to Beijing, and it was very likely that he would live for a long time.

In the fifth year of the garrison, there was a mutiny. The homesick soldiers rioted. After a melee, Tongtu won a tragic victory. Two-thirds of the two hundred soldiers lost, only 60 garnished. Most of them were his personal soldiers. Under threats and intimidation, everyone swears to the sky and vows to the death to be loyal to the Lord Tong and never return to Beijing.

Tongtu was also very interesting. He took out a lot of money to reward everyone to stabilize the morale of the army, and the incident subsided. Later, two soldiers were accidentally escaped, one of whom had no news, probably died in the desert, and the other ran more than 100 miles to Huaiyuan Mansion to sue the officials, saying that Tongtu had ulterior motives and concealed the royal property and intended to rebel.

In response to this, fifteen personal soldiers accompanied him and personally went to Huaiyuan Garage Mansion. Two days later, he brought the escaped soldier back and slapped in public. No one dared to have a second thought since then.

In the eighth year of the garrison, a horrific bloody case occurred. Near the new castle in Tongtu was attacked by a brigade of men in black. Tongtu led a few poor personal soldiers to fight bravely. It was not until dawn that the men in black were repelled, and the few soldiers under his command were killed and injured.

In this incident, the garrison troops were in name only. The garrisons of Jingbian and Huaiyuan counties quickly recruited township warriors to prepare to supplement the lost soldiers of the generals. The elders all accepted it with a smile and asked for as much as they came, but they were all organized into caravans, which was too a bit of a caravan. The elders of the garrison asked at first, but later, after being humiliated once, they had no choice but to stay away from this arrogant man with a royal secret edict.

From then on, no one asked about Tong's master. An Anxin continued to do his business. Over time, she became Tong's master. However, no one around Jingbian dared to provoke him. The caravans at his hand were fully armed guards, and their equipment was even better than the personal soldiers he brought back then. Later, it was said that they were equipped with muskets and their combat power was very strong. What's more important is that the local garrison master turned a blind eye to Tong's master.

Later, my husband died of illness. It is said that the secret edict was passed to my son again. My son was even more cruel than his. The caravans traveled from south to north, took away the fur of the pack horse, and brought back various daily necessities such as tea and salt from the mainland. The business became bigger and bigger. When it was in its prime, large caravans with more than one hundred mules and horses had to set off three to four batches at the same time, which was awe-inspiring moment.

It was passed down to the generation of grandson. The old family changed their surnames and Zhang. Even the family tree was changed. No one could tell why. The garrison that had lived in for nearly a hundred years was abandoned. The family moved westward to Yangning Fort and Liushujian. It is said that a Mongolian prince colluded with the Russians to rebel. In order to avoid disaster and not affect business, it was forced to do so.

The grandson is as strong as his father and grandfather, and he pays great attention to establishing good relations with the surrounding powerful people. He has made many prominent forces. Although he has not carried forward his business, he has also maintained a large caravan with no trouble. When it comes to Mr. Zhang's generation, it is obvious that the world is getting worse.

At that time, the Central Plains were not peaceful, and the Qing Dynasty lost the war with foreigners. The Lord of Lafayette ran from the capital, Chengde and then went west through the Rehe River, and finally ran to Shaanxi. Some people said that it was a slight and eye-catching person who had secretly visited the Lord of Lafayette in Xi'an. I don't know if it was true or not. In short, the Zhang family was too mysterious. This happened the second year after Zhang Zixiang returned.

There are many versions of the mysterious legend of the Zhang family, but without exception it is related to the royal treasure. Otherwise, with a small general in Tongtu, where did he get so much money to do business? Why can't Tongtu return to Beijing after stationing in the capital? Is the so-called secret edict of the emperor on him real? Has anyone seen it? Has Mr. Zhang really been to Xi'an? Everything has become a mystery.

But on the night when Mr. Zhang returned to heaven, after Zhang Zijiu was summoned and walked into the old man's room, he believed that the rumors were true.

One night in the autumn of the third year when Zhang Zixiang returned, the old man returned to heaven.

The eldest brother Zhang Zihui finally sat in the position of the master, but died suddenly in just three months. Zhang Ziqi tried to take advantage of the chaos, but he didn't expect that Zhang Zijiu was killed in the slanting way. His methods were ruthless. Not only did he get the support of his two uncles, but he also took out the evidence that Zhang Ziqi had always held the business and embezzled a large amount of family money. Zhang Ziqi, who was in chaos, never expected that this wild brother who was not in conflict with the world would dare to attack suddenly, and he hurriedly organized a counterattack and was killed on the spot.

Although the bloody internal struggle was quickly covered up, the news of Zhang Ziqi's killing spread. The two largest shopkeepers of the Zhang family's largest business ran away, causing the beginning of the Zhang family's fission. Zhang Zijiu was even more strange. After snatching the ranks and seizing power, he did not become his old master, nor did he rush to arrest the two shopkeepers. Instead, he handed over the power to his third brother Zhang Zishan. He disappeared soon. The bizarre scene was staged again, causing the Zhang family to fall into chaos and finally fell apart.

This is also the fundamental reason why the Zhang clan moved south in batches. Under the leadership of four generations of strong men, the Zhang clan has been a big family for more than a hundred years. After the old master Zhang, he was divided into several clan relatives. From then on, he established a sect and passed through his own. The only ones who knew the secrets of the family were the third Zhang Zishan and the youngest Zhang Ziji.

Zhang Ziji went to the south to be a Taoist priest. During this period, he only went back to Xishan once because Zhang Ziji died of illness in middle age. He also took some mundane things by the way. He stayed in a short day and disappeared again. Zhang Ziji had a once very loud Taoist name, Wuyouzi.

All of these history and legends were found by Zhang Zhiqiang from a family note. The person who wrote the notes was Zhang Zishan, the third son a hundred years ago. (To be continued)
Chapter completed!