Chapter 371: Climbing Up the Nose to the Face (Begging for Monthly Passes)

"It can't be Xu Gou!" Gao Wanli immediately rejected this guess.

Gao Wanli felt she had not revealed any clues to Xu Yuan.

There was no way Xu Yuan could have traced it back to her, then rushed out of the city overnight to kill all the evil spirits.

If Gao Wanli put herself in Xu Yuan's shoes, she too would definitely be unable to find out.

Furthermore, in this bizarre world, there were many unimaginable methods, such as the "calculation method," which could identify the mastermind behind the scenes even without clues.

But Gao Wanli had used a blood seed to create a "quarantine" in advance.

Even with a fifth-rate "calculation method," the final result would only point to the blood seed.

It would be very difficult to calculate further and trace it back to her, Gao Wanli.

Besides, if you say the case happened today and Xu Yuan asked someone to calculate, that would be reasonable.

Yesterday, before she had even launched her plan, what reason did Xu Yuan have to calculate?

Gao Wanli fell silent.

After Xu Yuan and his group finished checking Dongzha Village, they headed to the next village.

Gao Wanli followed without making a sound.

This time, Xu Yuan did not drive her away again.

After visiting all seven villages, Gao Wanli inspected them even more carefully than Xu Yuan.

She had painstakingly devised a particularly brilliant conspiracy, only to have it mysteriously dissolved into nothingness!

A good night's sleep and a good mood this morning were now completely ruined.

Full of expectation, only to be utterly disappointed in the end.

This feeling...

Was like spending countless schemes to finally subdue a handsome favorite of a great lord, only for the other party to leak just as she was about to sit down and enjoy the ride.

Gao Wanli's face was so gloomy it could be wrung out like water.

However, Gao Wanli also noticed certain situations but did not speak up.

She realized that these seven villages were actually saved by two people, not one.

It should have been two people.

One of them cultivated the "Dragon Transformation Art"!

Only when encountering evil spirits related to the "Dragon" would that person intervene.

Without a doubt, this person was cultivating using the "bait" method.

Moreover, it could be determined that this person's "Dragon Transformation Art" had an improper origin.

Otherwise, he would not try so hard to minimize the number of times he intervened.

Gao Wanli recalled the other two missions she had undertaken upon arriving at Zhan City.

If not for these two missions, and if the powerful backers behind her had not promised huge benefits, she would have certainly changed cities if she failed to secure the position of "Lawkeeper" of Zhan City.

Xu Yuan lightly flicked his horse whip: "Alright, let's return to the city. Jia Yi, after you return, organize the case files for these incidents."

"As you command."

Gao Wanli did not leave; instead, she said to Xu Yuan, "Such a major incident occurred last night; there might be another evil spirit attack tonight, so we must be on guard."

"Does my lord Gao wish to stay?"

"Yes, I will bring men to stay in the village overnight. Even if something happens in other villages, it will be more convenient to send support from outside the city."

Xu Yuan waved his hand indifferently: "Then you may stay."

Xu Yuan and his people left with a flourish.

Gao Wanli stared at his back, concealing none of the hatred in her eyes.

"I must link the 'Dragon Transformation Art' with Xu Yuan!"

"The Fu family members are narrow-minded and vindictive."

"Regardless of whether there is concrete evidence, as soon as they discover that the loss of the 'Dragon Transformation Art' might be related to Xu Yuan, they will surely kill him to silence him!"

Gao Wanli certainly did not stay to protect these common people.

She carefully inspected the villages where traces of the "Dragon Transformation Art" had been found once again.

Efforts were not in vain; finally, she discovered the traces specifically left by my lord Xu, pointing toward Ghost Wushan.

Gao Wanli was overjoyed, as if she had found a treasure!

In fact, she did not know that even if she did not exaggerate, the Fu family would not let Xu Yuan go.

Lady Fu Shuanghui's death was inextricably linked to Xu Yuan.

The Fu family had not told Gao Wanli all the information they possessed.

When Xu Yuan returned to the government office, Miao Yu and Zhu Zhanlei came together to invite him for a drink.

The place was set at Baiyue Hall.

Xu Yuan didn't know why, but he felt a sudden pang of guilt and absolutely refused to go!

The two of them could only drag Shi Bading away.

Shi Bading, looking unwilling and waving his hands repeatedly, said, "It won't do, it won't do..."

But his feet were slippery, and one pull and he was gone.

Xu Yuan had dinner with Aunt Wang; his stepmother had locked herself in her room, as that fourth-rate craft item seemed quite difficult.

Now my lord Xu didn't need to wash dishes; the filial sons and descendants of the Three Ladies Society would take care of it.

However, today Miao Yan cautiously said to my lord Xu, "My lord, in a few days our Three Ladies Society's restaurant will open; would my lord honor us with your presence?"

He quickly added, "It's not far from the government office, just on the street ahead."

Xu Yuan nodded in agreement: "Very well."

Miao Yan was overjoyed: "Thank you, my lord!"

Just as he was about to leave, Xu Yuan called him back: "Discreetly spread some news, saying that the atmosphere in Zhan City has loosened, and let the Pingtian Society open another branch there."

Miao Yan immediately laughed, understanding what my lord intended, and patted his chest: "Rest assured, leave it to me."

Xu Yuan nodded: "Go."

After Miao Yan left, Xu Yuan returned to his room to rest.

By using schemes to lure the Fu family here, it would inevitably draw himself into the matter.

My Lord Xu had prepared for this long ago.

This was, in any case, unavoidable.

It was just unknown whether the people the Fu family sent this time would be of the Fifth Grade, or the higher Fourth Grade?

Early the next morning, Gao Wanli returned to Huicheng in a hurry.

In such a dilapidated village, even though Gao Wanli had requisitioned the best house, it was still very uncomfortable to stay in.

She did not wish to stay a moment longer.

The two subordinates Gao Wanli had taken out returned today with only one Mr. Lu.

Mr. Jiang, holding Gao Wanli's secret letter, was nowhere to be found.

Three days later, a fast steamship arrived from Zhengzhou and docked at the pier outside the city.

This ship differed from the fast steamships of the Huangming; some of its designs leaned towards foreign styles.

Its speed was indeed faster than that of the Huangming.

This sparked a crowd gathering at the pier.

Yet no one could approach to watch, because early that morning, the River Supervisor and Gao Wanli had gone to the pier to welcome them.

The River Supervisor had even ordered the Canal Gang to dispatch hundreds of people to maintain order.

They kept all the onlookers at a distance of a hundred zhang.

Moreover, the people on the ship put on a grand display; when disembarking, two Wu Xiu first led dozens of servants to pull open two long brocade curtains on either side, so the onlookers could only vaguely see a figure inside.

Under the cover of the brocade curtains, that person walked directly into a sedan chair carried by four people.

The River Supervisor and Gao Wanli were only qualified to accompany them outside the sedan.

The commoners on the pier did not even have the qualification to look at them once.

The sedan was carried all the way into the Canal Office; after the River Supervisor cleared the area, the person inside the sedan emerged leisurely.

It was not because of her breathtaking beauty, but because she was molting!

Seven or eight tenths of the scales on her body had fallen off, and there were vertical cracks on her skin, running from her forehead all the way down to her neck!

Although her facial features suggested she should be a beauty of unparalleled grace, her current appearance was truly terrifying.

"Please, come inside, Your Excellency," the River Supervisor said carefully, bowing his body and lowering his head, daring not to look at her.

Once the woman entered the hall, she pointed at Gao Wanli: "Explain the situation."

Gao Wanli exaggerated the account, emphasizing the "suspicion" surrounding Xu Yuan.

The woman's eyes, which shimmered with a gray-blue hue, were unaffected by Gao Wanli's words.

She tapped her fingers lightly on the table a few times, thought for a moment, and then ordered her personal maid: "Rongrong, take the ticket and go ask Master Ruan Tian what he means by harboring someone in Ghost Wushan who secretly practices our 'Dragon Transformation Method'?"

"These past years, the Dragon King has been too lazy to deal with him, yet he has become even more arrogant!"

(End of Chapter)