Chapter 298: The Clouds and Mist Gradually Disperse

"This woman came to Wuchang City the year before last and soon became the top courtesan of Shuiyue Pavilion. Wu Jiucheng fell in love at first sight and immediately took her as a concubine, doting on her very much..."

"From the coachman to the maidservants, and several guards in the mansion, they have all disappeared. They were all inserted into the mansion by that concubine Liu Niang one after another..."

"Do those people have families?"

"They are all from out of town. According to several servants, these people rarely interacted with them and always went out in the name of Young Master Wu..."

"Also, that concubine has a Guanzhong accent..."

"Have you asked the people at Shuiyue Pavilion?"

"The madam who introduced Liu Niang back then drowned in the river when she went out less than a month later, but no one cared at the time, and the case was closed hastily..."

In the Yamen hall, the candles were bright.

Through the joint investigation of the Law Enforcement Hall and the Commandant's Office, many clues were summarized. After piecing them together, the process was vaguely restored.

Wu Honglin's face was blue, his eyes gloomy. "Just say why those demon people came and went without a trace; it turns out that rebellious son was playing tricks. I am hard to blame!"

Chengjue said thoughtfully, "It seems they started planning the year before last, gradually infiltrating. There must be more than one dark hall."

"Continue to investigate, ask everyone who knows, see where they often go?!"

"Yes, Feng Feng Shixiong!"

The martial monks of the Law Enforcement Hall hurriedly took orders and left.

Wu Honglin asked again, "Master Chengjue, I am an outsider to Mystic Sect matters. Which faction do you think is behind this?"

Chengjue hesitated for a moment and said, "I suspect it is related to the Ghost Sect."

"That young hero Li from Guanzhong once uncovered the Ghost Sect's plot in Zigui and Yichang. The other party has already united with the Lord Tian Sheng Sect and the Longxiang Army to disrupt the situation in the Southwest."

"Just two days ago, the imperial court's reinforcements gathered in Yunyang Prefecture. Now there are 200,000 troops there, combined with the cooperation of Zhenwu Palace, they have already recovered Zhushan County and are preparing to enter the mountains..."

"As the saying goes, troops and horses move, food and grass go first. The three cities of Wuchang are the logistical hub for this rebellion suppression. Once something goes wrong, the war situation will also have twists and turns."

"The enemy had already calculated this point, so they laid out the layout in advance."

"So that's how it is."

Wu Honglin stood up slowly, thoughtful, walked a few circles, and said, "Regarding the imperial court's grain transport, besides my Chamber of Commerce fleet, the Pai Sect also bears a heavy responsibility. They sent people to infiltrate the Pai Sect, probably still having layouts."

Chengjue nodded. "I thought of this point too, and have already sent people to the Pai Sect to check one by one."

"But the key is still this Feng Shui battle. The main force of those demon people must be lurking in the Barbarian King's Tomb. My Zen Sect has experts waiting outside."

"Once the White Tiger Sha is broken, we can suppress and kill the demon people!"

…………

On the streets of Wuchang Prefecture, it was still bright.

As the Dragon Boat Festival approached, the city became more and more lively. Whether day or night, people were coming and going.

According to the customs of previous years, wealthy households in the city contributed money and effort, inviting opera troupes from all over Ezhou to gather and set up stages everywhere in the city.

Under the lanterns, gongs and drums sounded, and Chu and Han tunes flowed.

The most performed repertoire was naturally to commemorate the Three-Lü Grandee. Besides that, "Three Plays of White Peony" and "Handan Record" commemorating Lu Zu, "Ancient City Meeting" and "Huarong Road" commemorating Guan Sheng Di Jun, and "Slaying the Flood Dragon Record" of General Yang Si were also popular.

Of course, the liveliest was undoubtedly the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea.

The unique skills of Han opera and Chu tunes, such as "Playing with the Beard," "Water Sleeve Skill," and "Kicking Shoes onto the Crown," would all be presented one by one.

"Good!"

"Good!"

Under the stage, the people kept cheering.

Only to see the middle-aged man playing Tie Guai Li on the stage, supporting himself with one hand on a crutch, constantly doing backflips, and finally drinking a mouthful of strong wine from the gourd, spraying fire forward.

The opera troupe disciples playing shrimp soldiers and crab generals jumped backward at the same time, neatly doing backflips, making the people dazzled and cheering continuously.

At the same time, some people were wandering in the crowd.

They were all medicine sellers from the Skin Sect.

Some said their plaster didn't need money, only asking for incense to worship the gods, but this incense could also be replaced by money. This was called "Incense Worker"...

Others rushed directly into the crowd, took a knife to cut themselves, and then sold bruise-healing plaster. The people felt they were hindering the opera, so most would pinch their noses and pay money. This was called "Collecting the Package"...

In short, these people were from the Skin Sect, but they were connected to various Jianghu artist troupes, making money by borrowing their venues.

Of course, afterward, there would be a share of filial piety.

This is the Jianghu; many times, everyone depends on each other.

"Offering incense to Lu Zu!"

"Don't worry, I will definitely help you write your name!"

An "Incense Worker" shuttled through the crowd. He was not young, already over forty, and walked with a limp. Plus, he was eloquent, so kind-hearted people would take care of his business.

Therefore, he had gained quite a lot in a short time.

But this person seemed to be doing business, but a pair of thief eyes kept looking at the Chamber of Commerce on the opposite street.

Not long after, he walked out of the crowd, took out a few copper coins, bought a bowl of fermented glutinous rice balls at a street stall, and while eating, wandered around, gradually approaching the Chamber of Commerce mansion.

Seeing no one around, he finished the fermented glutinous rice balls in two or three bites, threw them aside, suddenly flashed into the dark alley, used both hands and feet, light as a swallow, and climbed up along the wall.

Just as he poked his head out, he was startled.

Only to see a little white fox on the opposite roof beam kowtowing to the bright moon, looking very pious.

The scene before him was truly a bit strange.

And what he didn't notice was that in the corner of the dark alley, several mice were looking up at him, squeaking continuously.

Suddenly, the sound of wind breaking sounded.

The man secretly thought it was bad, exerted force with both feet, leaped, and wanted to jump into the dark alley to escape.

However, while he was still in mid-air, a black shadow leaped over and kicked him in the back.

Bang!

The man fell heavily to the ground, his whole body in severe pain.

Knowing he couldn't escape, he gritted his teeth hard, only feeling a fishy stench drill into his abdomen, followed by spitting blood.

The attacker was none other than Lu San.

He landed on the wall with a beautiful swallow flip, looked at the man spitting blood below, and frowned slightly.

At the same time, the Chamber of Commerce and the monks from the Law Enforcement Hall also arrived. Seeing the man who had already stopped breathing, they looked at each other.

"What to do?"

"Search, notify Feng Feng Shixiong..."

These people also moved quickly, immediately dispersing to the street corners outside the Chamber of Commerce, eyes fixed on all directions, searching for suspicious people.

As for Lu San, he returned to the courtyard in silence.

His task was just to defend. With the Beast-Controlling Technique, plus the people from the Chamber of Commerce and the Law Enforcement Hall, wanting to sneak attack really wasn't that easy.

Of course, Lu San's temperament wouldn't care about other people's business at all. As long as he protected the Tian family, he would rather practice than anything else...

At a wonton stall in the distance, the stall owner greeted guests, but calmly watched all this.

After the people from the Law Enforcement Hall searched to no avail and left, he picked up the wonton pole and left the street swaying.

When crossing paths with an old woman selling incense sachets, he suddenly whispered, "The target is tough, retreat!"

In the dark night, messages were constantly passed.

Finally, it arrived in a dark room.

The candle flickered, and a woman was sitting cross-legged.

She had a beautiful face, carrying a bit of enchantment, but her eyes were a bit vicissitudinous, stroking the cat in her arms from time to time.

"Is that side guarded tightly?"

The woman raised her eyelids slightly and said coldly, "The Master shouldn't have helped him return to life back then. If it weren't for his rebellion, how could so many things have been stirred up..."

Opposite her stood three people, none other than the three brothers of the Meishan Dharma Sect who had ambushed Li Yan.

One of them had a worried look and bowed respectfully. "Incense Master Liu, the plan on Turtle Mountain failed. There are experts guarding Yellow Crane Tower, and this side also cannot get close. You see..."

"Hehehe." The woman made a strange laughing sound and whispered, "The Master's temperament never cares about the process, only the result."

"Red Woman and Tongtian Third Lady failed. If we can't get things done here either, we will all die, let alone helping your master return to life."

"That's not what was said back then!"

Among the three brothers, a young one questioned with full anger, but looking at the woman's cold eyes, he still felt empty in his heart and lowered his head.

The woman didn't care and continued to ask, "What's going on with the Miao people?"

The eldest of the three brothers bowed. "They sent people down to the tomb, but no one who went in could come out. There are people from Baotong Zen Temple on the periphery, so they couldn't send people to support."

"Hmph, sure enough, they are useless!"

The woman pondered for a while. "Since that's the case, stay still for now and wait for the reinforcements from the Lord Tian Sheng Sect."

"The Dragon Boat Festival is the key. Since it's held on the Yangtze River, they won't be able to defend against it."

"You guys pay more attention and see where the Prince's Mansion's Feng Shui earth master hid the Earth Position Altar."

!.

"Also, since that person is hiding in Mulan Mountain, leak the news to Baotong Zen Temple and use the Law Enforcement Hall's hand to force him out!"

"Yes!"

The three brothers bowed together and left quickly.

Inside the room, it fell into silence again.

The woman stroked the cat gently, suddenly exerting force with her palm, and the cat in her arms let out a scream, its head directly twisted off.

She picked up the cat corpse, her eyes full of tenderness. "Good, don't be afraid, come to Mom..."

After speaking, she took a deep breath at the cat corpse, seeming very intoxicated, and her eyes also emitted faint green light in the dark.

"Meow!"

In the dark, the sounds of many cats rang out.

And on the ground, dense plum blossom footprints appeared...

………………

"Stop fighting, stop fighting!"

Inside the tent, Zhang Xiaoshan was panting, looking at Li Yan opposite, his eyes full of annoyance. "You kid, you're really taking advantage of things to death!"

"I did promise to guide you, but not to be your sparring partner. You're really going to cost me my life. If you come to me again, I'll beat you to death directly!"

This old man also met his match.

He originally thought that "guiding" a junior was nothing, after all, the disciples in the sect hid when they saw him.

Didn't expect Li Yan to not be afraid of being beaten at all.

And he, bound by his promise, couldn't take ruthless action.

"Guiding" a junior is cool, but fighting for two days straight, anyone would be annoyed.

Not only that, as Li Yan fell and climbed up again and again, the flaws in his fist techniques were quickly filled, and the time they spent sparring was getting longer and longer.

Cultivating Dan Jin, the whole body's force gathers in the Dantian, which can support long battles. Every move is Dark Jin erupting without fear of fatigue.

Many brave generals in the army are in this realm, so they can wear armor, hold heavy weapons, and kill seven in and seven out in the enemy formation.

But even so, using force still requires blood and qi to support.

Zhang Xiaoshan is old after all and can't hold on anymore.

Li Yan's eyes were full of regret.

He finally knew the advantage of being a disciple of a famous sect. Having this Dan Jin senior sparring and feeding moves, these two days could be called rapid growth.

Pi Gua and Red Fist were completely merged.

The pity is that the other party doesn't know Martial Method, so he couldn't let go and use some moves, only asking for advice verbally.

Moreover, some other things finally had a clue.

Thinking of this, Li Yan hurriedly smiled and bowed respectfully. "Feng Feng Shixiong, you've worked hard. One more move, just one move!"

Zhang Xiaoshan was full of suspicion. "Do you want to use Thunder Method? I can't handle that."

"No Thunder Method."

Li Yan tightened his horse stance, puffed out his chest, and said in a deep voice, "Feng Feng Shixiong, use Dark Jin, please hold back a bit. I won't fight back."

Zhang Xiaoshan was a bit confused and cursed, "You kid, are you addicted to being beaten? Do you really think I can't beat you to death?"

Although he said so, he still moved forward quickly and slapped out.

This palm used "Nine-Section Force," a series of explosions on his body, and it landed solidly on Li Yan's chest.

Of course, he also held back.

It could send Li Yan flying without damaging his internal organs.

This kind of control over force is something ordinary people can't do, which is why Li Yan kept pestering him to feed moves.

If he met someone who couldn't hold back, even the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen couldn't handle it.

Zhang Xiaoshan slapped out this palm, thinking Li Yan would be sent flying like before, but when the force was issued, his expression changed.

He could feel that his force seemed to be slapped into silt, quickly absorbed by Li Yan's body.

At the same time, Li Yan's fascia also trembled.

Borrowing the borrowing momentum method of the Northern Emperor Divine Movement Technique, using the body as a carrier, like a spring, letting this force turn a circle on the fascia, and then quickly bounce out.

Zhang Xiaoshan only felt a counter-shock force suddenly extend from Li Yan's chest. Although it was easily resolved by him, it was exactly the same as the force he had issued, just a bit weaker.

He retreated abruptly, his expression changing slightly. "Taiji Skill?!"

This is the non-transferable secret of Zhenwu Palace. Although it is a martial arts technique, the difficulty of cultivation is no less than Thunder Method.

Yulongzi could pass on the "Heavenly Thunder Subduing Demon Hammer," after all, that method is just for show, and few people can cultivate it.

But "Taiji Skill" can only be learned by true disciples.

Once leaked, it's a big trouble!

"Not Taiji Skill."

Li Yan hurriedly stood up, a flash of excitement in his eyes. "This is the 'Undying Seal Method' created by Junior based on inheritance. It looks similar to Taiji Skill, but it is completely different."

Zhang Xiaoshan breathed a sigh of relief, frowned, and nodded. "It is indeed a bit different. Taiji Skill is Hunyuan as one, borrowing force to hit force. But yours is a bit evil, seemingly borrowing the Five Elements generation and transformation to act hard..."

"Feng Feng Shixiong has eyes like torches!"

Li Yan nodded, secretly praising in his heart.

The eyesight of these old Jianghu people is truly extraordinary.

Who knew, Zhang Xiaoshan's expression was serious, saying in a deep voice, "People have limits, and there are rules in the world. This technique of yours can't possibly resolve all force."

"Even if you cultivate it, some will always remain in the body. Over time, hidden injuries will accumulate, and trouble will arise sooner or later."

"Feng Feng Shixiong is right."

Li Yan also nodded in agreement, but had other thoughts in his heart.

He had a feeling that the current Undying Seal Method was only in its infancy, but by cultivating it with the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen, and turning it into a Martial Method in the future, perhaps it could truly succeed!

While speaking, a monk from the Law Enforcement Hall walked into the tent with broad strides and bowed to Li Yan. "Li Li Shaoxia, Feng Feng Shixiong Chengjue asked me to notify you that the reason why the Tian family was targeted has been found."

"Oh?"

Li Yan's heart moved, and he asked with an unchanging expression, "What is the reason?"

This martial monk said, "Someone secretly sent a message this morning, saying that Tian Han, the second son of the Tian family, is a returnee. People have been sent to surround and capture him in Mulan Mountain, but he ran away."

"Also, the other party's identity is not simple."

Li Yan was curious. "Who is it?"

The martial monk's eyes were full of disbelief, and he said:

"Po Liu Han Baling!"

Second update at 12 o'clock.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 299 =====