Chapter 142: Julu River

Ji Song's clouded eyes narrowed, while Mr. You Shan slowly spoke:

"Since bringing that Eighth Imperial Prince back to the Imperial Capital, Cang Yin Yue, whose martial arts cultivation had not even reached the Grandmaster realm, unexpectedly captured a wanted criminal whose strength was comparable to a Wudaoda Sect Grandmaster."

"After that, Cang Yin Yue was captured by experts from the Hou Fu and imprisoned within the Hou Fu, but on that very night, both the Hou Fu and Imperial Concubine Ji encountered disaster."

Hearing this, Ji Song frowned and was about to speak, but Mr. You Shan seemed to read his thoughts and said:

"These events could be called coincidences, but perhaps they are not coincidences at all."

"And there is another matter that almost no one knows: an informant of the Tianji Pavilion in the Imperial Capital's Fuzhou City once saw that Eighth Imperial Prince go to Fuzhou City, and someone personally witnessed him displaying extremely powerful martial arts cultivation."

"After learning this, I sent people to investigate and verify, but was shocked to discover that the power behind Fuzhou City has long since changed hands; the previous City Lord and Vice City Lord of Fuzhou City have both vanished without a trace."

Speaking thus, Mr. You Shan gazed at the withered-faced Ji Song and sighed:

"Mr. Ji, I have a feeling that all the arrogant behavior displayed by that Eighth Imperial Prince previously might not have been due to his ignorance or stupidity, but rather that he possessed a confidence unknown to us."

Ji Song's expression shifted for a moment; his eyes fixed deeply on the middle-aged man before him and he said:

"Does Mr. You Shan mean to say that the murderer of my daughter is that Eighth Imperial Prince?"

Mr. You Shan nodded lightly, then shook his head and said:

"I am not saying the murderer is him, but there is certainly a connection to him."

Hearing this, Ji Song suddenly fell silent; he knew that Mr. You Shan, as the Master of the Tianji Pavilion, was by no means an ordinary person.

Although the other party did not possess the terrifying mysterious calculation power of Tianji Laoren, as the one who commanded the Tianji Pavilion, he possessed a perception of judgment on many matters far more precise than that of ordinary people.

Therefore, when the other party spoke these words, it must not have been without purpose, but rather with great certainty.

However, just at this moment, Ji Song's body suddenly stiffened.

In an instant, he suddenly became dispirited and soulless, and then, with a trembling throat, he said:

"So... back then, when I allowed Zhu'er to cause a scene at the Tianjin Guard, I was actually harming him..."

Mr. You Shan glanced at him, sighed heavily again, and said:

"If I had known these matters in advance, I would have stopped the Third Imperial Prince no matter what at that time; perhaps this tragedy would not have occurred."

Upon hearing these words, unbearable sorrow and regret caused Ji Song's entire aged body to sway dizzily, nearly toppling from his chair.

Seeing this, Mr. You Shan hurriedly reached out to support the other party, but for a moment, he did not know what to say.

After a while, Ji Song seemed to finally calm down; he slowly raised his head and looked at Mr. You Shan before him.

However, meeting Ji Song's gaze, Mr. You Shan was slightly stunned.

At this very moment, from the clouded eyes of this dying old man before him, he actually saw a certain extremely mad determination.

"Please help this old man kill him!"

Ji Song suddenly rose from his chair and knelt sharply before Mr. You Shan, but was steadily supported by him.

"This old man has only this broken body left; I have no other desires in this life. If I cannot avenge my two daughters and Zhu'er, I fear I will not close my eyes in death!"

Ji Song spoke word by word, his hand like withered wood gripping Mr. You Shan's hand tightly, as if a drowning person clutching the last straw.

Mr. You Shan remained silent for a while, then gently helped Ji Song up, finally sighing regretfully and speaking softly:

"Mr. Ji's kindness, You Shan will remember in my heart; I promise to handle this matter."

"However, whether it can be accomplished, I cannot guarantee; I can only do my utmost, please forgive me, Mr. Ji."

Hearing this, Ji Song suddenly raised his head, then immediately bowed deeply and solemnly:

"Just these words from Mr. You Shan are enough!"

Hooves galloped, wheels rolled, kicking up clouds of dust.

Li Musheng and the others, traveling to Lanzhou, had a smooth journey; now, traveling for another half day, they would reach Shengzhou.

Although Luoshen Peak was located within Lanzhou, its influence spread across Lanzhou, Yuan, Zi, and Sheng, making it the leader among hundreds of Jianghuzong Sect factions in this vast region, an undisputed super colossus!

Even merely approaching Shengzhou, Li Musheng and the others could clearly feel the transcendent status of Luoshen Peak's power in this area.

For instance, whenever they encountered Luoshen Peak disciples wearing Cloud Peak Black Robes and stepping in Knock Mountain Boots, whether ordinary commoners or martial arts practitioners, all would actively step aside to avoid them.

When Luoshen Peak disciples went to taverns and inns to eat and rest, the Shopkeeper and waiters dared not ask for food or lodging fees at all; it depended entirely on the disciples' mood. Whether they gave anything, or how much they gave, the staff could only smile and welcome them, daring not to utter a single complaint.

In short, a rule almost tacitly accepted in this area was that everything must give priority to Luoshen Peak.

Even the constables and local officials of the Great Li dynasty dared not provoke Luoshen Peak disciples in the slightest.

Li Musheng observed these situations along the way; although he had not seen Luoshen Peak disciples actively bullying commoners.

But he somewhat understood why the Great Li court wanted to take action against Luoshen Peak.

Because no matter how one looked at it, the look of superiority and the disdainful expression of Luoshen Peak disciples were truly too deserving of a beating.

"Hmm... luckily I have always been relatively humble and never looked down on anyone."

Li Musheng reflected on himself, feeling quite good about himself.

But if Fu Qiwen heard his inner thoughts, he would probably raise both hands and both feet to express strong opposition.

"Whoa!"

Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong, leading the way ahead, suddenly reined in their horses and stopped; seeing this, Cao Gaoshan also pulled the reins, steadily halting the carriage's forward movement.

"Young Master, the road ahead seems blocked; let me go check the situation first."

Wu Shang immediately turned back to report, then dismounted and quickly moved toward the front.

At the same time, a noisy crowd of voices came from the road ahead, along with the impatient snorting and braying of donkeys, horses, and mules.

Murong Xiaoya lifted the carriage curtain and looked toward the front of the carriage, only to see donkeys and horses laden with goods and traveling merchants and passengers, blocking the road ahead completely.

Seeing this, she frowned slightly but said nothing; she simply lowered the curtain, sat in her place, and began to stare off into space on her own.

At this moment, Hu Rui unfolded the silk map in his hand, took a look, then frowned and said:

"Ahead is the Julu River; it seems we are about to pass through the territory of 'Zhanlu Shanzhuang'."

Hearing this, Li Musheng glanced at the other party, seeing that he appeared somewhat unsettled.

A hint of suspicion crossed his face as he asked aloud:

"My lord, is there something special about Zhanlu Shanzhuang?"

(End of this chapter)