Chapter 63: Mr. Gao

A man like Mr. Gao can only be used once.

He lives alone in a small courtyard north of the city.

He is not under Old Man Qiao's command, but comes from the Northern Capital.

After Chen Liangxuan explained the situation, Mr. Gao held up two fingers and said, "Two matters. First, since we have taken action, we must send word to the Northern Capital; the follow-up arrangements must be launched immediately."

"The message has already been sent."

"Second, the weather is just right today, but to cast my spell, I still need five lives." He emphasized, "They must be lives of Huangming people!"

"Very well."

Old Man Chen agreed without the slightest hesitation.

The servants of the Chen household walked on eggshells for two full days, yet still could not escape it.

After the master went out and returned, he entered the gate and found all sorts of trivial excuses to unleash Lei Ting, beating five servants to death with a staff in succession!

The front courtyard reeked of blood; even the heavy rain could not wash it away.

Only a few of the elderly stewards in the house harbored inner doubts, yet dared not speak plainly: all those beaten to death this time were Huangming people.

Southern Jiaozhi has been conquered for over a century; the local natives have already been sinicized, speaking Chinese and using Chinese characters, yet there remain significant differences in certain treatments between Huangming people and local natives.

Especially for a retired high official of Huangming like the master of this house, who in the past made obvious distinctions among the household servants; previously, those punished were always local natives.

This time, however... why?

A carriage drove into River Works Alley.

Carriages in Southern Jiaozhi are mostly made with woven bamboo bodies, thin wooden board roofs, lacquered with large lacquer, being light, cool, and waterproof.

However, the season is now late autumn; in recent years, the autumn and winter seasons in Southern Jiaozhi have gradually grown colder.

Old Man Yan sat inside the carriage; outside, a fine rain misted down, dampening the carriage body.

A thread of chill seeped in; Old Man Yan wrapped his padded Daoist robe tighter, thinking to himself, "Old as I am, I no longer withstand the cold."

Last night, Old Man Yan and Ma Tianshou discussed and analyzed the case together; the general outline has now emerged:

At present, the mastermind appears to be Chen Liangxuan, and the executor is Qiao Ziang.

Qiao Ziang is a pawn planted long ago in Qihetai Town.

Otherwise, no matter what methods he possesses or what crafted weapons he hides, a mere ninth-rank literary cultivator could never have monopolized the interests of Qihetai Town for so many years.

Because the Old Chen behind him, and the power represented by Old Chen, would handle matters for Qiao Ziang when he encountered trouble.

Now, evidence to accuse Chen Liangxuan is insufficient; thus, one must return to the true "vortex center" of the case—Qihetai Town.

More accurately, it should be: Ghost Wushan.

Early this morning, Ma Tianshou had Fu Jingyu prepare to depart, while simultaneously sending Old Man Yan to fetch Xu Yuan to the county yamen to "discuss further."

The young man wants to bargain; then give him some benefits.

First, Ma Tianshou values Xu Yuan, and the deep, unfathomable strength behind Xu Yuan in River Works Alley.

Second, to go to Ghost Wushan, Xu Yuan is indeed needed as a guide.

The result was a fine rain, making travel impossible; they could only wait and see if the rain would stop.

Old Man Yan then volunteered: "I will go first to fetch Xu Yuan."

The rain is not heavy; there should be no danger walking within the city.

Ma Tianshou agreed.

Old Man Yan arrived in the alley, knocked on the courtyard gate, and Xu Yuan came out holding an umbrella to open the door.

Old Man Yan took one look; this was precisely the umbrella Xu Yuan held yesterday when he killed two seventh-rank cultivators!

This is a crafted weapon.

"So cautious?" Old Man Yan teased. Xu Yuan invited him in: "On such a rainy day, why have you come, old sir?"

"Do not enter," Old Man Yan said. "Lock the door, get in the carriage and come with me; my lord requests your presence."

Xu Yuan shook his head under the umbrella: "I will not go; today is not suitable for going out."

One stood inside the gate, the other outside.

Old Man Yan made his words even clearer: "My lord has specifically invited you today; whatever thoughts you have, you may discuss them with my lord at this opportunity."

Xu Yuan understood, of course, but still shook his head: "Yan Lao, I am not going out today. Qiao Ziang's accomplices will surely make their move today as well!"

Old Man Yan said, "I will protect you; what is there to fear? Once at the county yamen, with my lord presiding, there is even less need to worry."

Xu Yuan looked at him with a faint, eerie gaze; yesterday, it was you who escorted me.

Old Man Yan's face flushed red; he coughed twice and said, "Very well, then I shall enter to beg for a cup of tea."

Old Man Yan left the carriage and walked toward the courtyard; Xu Yuan helped hold the umbrella for him.

Old Man Yan dodged the rain, leaning under the umbrella, and reached out to hold the umbrella handle together.

An old hand spotted with age, at the very instant it was about to touch the umbrella handle, suddenly transformed into more than a dozen fleshy tentacles; half wrapped tightly around Xu Yuan's hand holding the umbrella, while the other half swiftly stabbed toward Xu Yuan's chest!

Xu Yuan was caught off guard; his right hand and the umbrella were tightly entangled by seven or eight fleshy tentacles. Dense Yin Qi surged from the tentacles; Xu Yuan's arm was instantly polluted, turning a patch of blue-black.

The seven or eight fleshy tentacles stabbing toward the chest also pierced through the clothes, touching Xu Yuan's chest.

Yet Xu Yuan's face showed no panic or confusion; instead, he wore a smile of "hospitality," saying, "You try mine as well."

From Xu Yuan's left hand, a flexible and supple "tentacle" whipped out.

Swish!

Xu Yuan's tentacle also swiftly entangled "Yan Lao"; as the beast-tendon cord tightened, "Yan Lao's" skin tore, revealing a patch of dark red flesh beneath!

After Xing Guolong severed the beast-tendon cord, Xu Yuan retrieved it and re-refined it.

The flesh monster draped in the skin of "Yan Lao" frantically drove its fleshy tentacles, only to discover that those stabbing into Xu Yuan's chest were blocked by something supple, unable to penetrate even a fraction.

The tentacle binding Xu Yuan's arm was the same; it felt as though something lay between it and Xu Yuan's hand.

Xu Yuan had felt something was amiss when he woke that morning, so he returned to continue refining the beast skin used as bait with the Fu Zhong Huo in his belly.

The range the Skin Pill could cover had expanded again.

Moreover, it could be split into several parts.

The instant "Yan Lao" made his move, half the Skin Pill became a glove, while the other half protected his chest.

After the Sinew Pill trapped the flesh-and-blood monster, Xu Yuan opened his mouth: Hoo—

At a distance of less than three feet, the Fu Zhong Huo blasted fiercely onto the flesh-and-blood monster's face.

Its skin instantly turned to ash and vanished; it turned out to be a painting, depicting Yan Lao's likeness.

This was the brush-and-ink technique of a Literary Cultivator.

The flesh-and-blood monster writhed in the Xiong Xiong flames, melting away rapidly.

Attempting to disguise oneself as an acquaintance to ambush a Fate Cultivator was not without its chances.

After all, a Fate Cultivator could not keep "Gazing at Fate" active forever.

But Xu Yuan, seeing it was raining today, had a premonition that trouble was coming, so he was extra cautious.

When opening the door, he used "Gazing at Fate" for a glance and indeed saw it was not Master Yan.

Half of the flesh-and-blood monster was instantly burned away; the carriage driver outside the gate swiftly twisted the carriage body, aiming the rear at the courtyard entrance.

Crash!

The lightweight carriage body was overturned, and a pitch-black tube pointed straight at Xu Yuan!

It was as thick as an infant's fist.

The carriage shaft was actually a shoulder-fired rifle disguised!

And without a doubt, it was also a creation of the "New Artisans."

A shoulder-fired rifle requires one person to carry it at the front and another to fire it from behind, but mounting it on a carriage was perfectly suitable!

Boom!

A ball of flame erupted from the muzzle; the gunshot was so loud it made one mistake it for a heavenly thunderclap striking the alley.

(End of this chapter)