Chapter 327

"Han Kun!"

The tattooed man held his twin blades horizontally and roared, "Your Cao Gang has crossed the line, doing business on the Yangtze River; do you really think my Pai Sect is easy to bully?"

Han Kun's expression didn't change, and he said indifferently, "What a joke, this is the imperial court's military order; do you really think we dare to defy it?"

"If you're not convinced, go find Commander Zhang yourself."

"Don't you dare use the imperial court to pressure people!"

The tattooed man's eyes were blood-red, and with a roar, he rushed up with his twin blades, and the people around him also swarmed up.

This was a naked martial world slaughter; only the living had the right to speak, relying on having more people and being powerful.

However, a flash of mockery crossed Han Kun's eyes.

He retreated rapidly, and the Cao Gang disciples behind him suddenly raised their fire-lances in unison, pulling the triggers without the slightest hesitation.

Bang bang bang!

Fire burst, smoke filled the air.

The Pai Sect people fell to the ground in a row.

That tattooed man who used twin blades was an expert; seeing the situation was bad, he turned his body and grabbed a disciple to block in front of him.

The Cao Gang people didn't use new-style firearms, and although one round of volley fire took out half of the Pai Sect's men, they didn't have time to fill the gunpowder again, so they drew their weapons one after another.

And that tattooed man dodged the fire-lances, his internal energy suddenly erupted under his feet, his twin blades attacked, stabbing directly at Han Kun's chest.

Han Kun's expression was calm, and he didn't even dodge.

Just as the twin blades were about to get close, a cold light whistled out from the inn, arriving first despite starting later, stabbing directly at the tattooed man's brow.

It was a silver-shafted long spear.

The tattooed man was shocked, hurriedly withdrew his blades, and took advantage of the momentum to perform an iron-board bridge to dodge, then spun his body, stepping in a continuous pace to retreat.

However, the long spear was relentless, simple and clear, the spearhead turning into several shadows, stabbing directly at the man's vital points.

And this man's skills were also astonishing; stepping in a continuous pace, twin blades entwined, fast as light, deflecting the spearhead time and again.

Clang clang clang!

Sparks flew, and although the man blocked it, he was forced out of the inn, stopped his body, and gritted his teeth, "Yue Family Six-Harmony Spear?"

The person who came held the spear horizontally and said coldly, "You have a good eye!"

The speaker was actually another acquaintance.

It was Lei Poshan, son of Lei Zhen of Huang Mei.

Li Yan also saw the man's martial arts; he was using the Wan Sheng Twin Blades.

Wan Sheng Twin Blades came from the Xixia Temple on Wansong Mountain.

The founder was named Wan Shengying, the chief bodyguard of the thirteen provinces of the north and south, and one of the ten great masters of the martial world.

He had many disciples, and his skills were widely spread.

Seeing Lei Poshan also appear, and actually using a fire-lance, this tattooed man already felt that things were going badly, and gritted his teeth, "Retreat!"

At the order, the remaining Pai Sect disciples didn't fight anymore, carried the wounded on the ground, and retreated in a sorry state.

"Li Li Shaoxia, should we say hello?"

On the deck, Sha Lifei's expression was solemn, whispering to ask.

He asked this, naturally for a reason.

Whether it was Han Kun or the Lei family, they could be considered to have a good relationship with them, but looking at the situation, it was clearly a fight between two forces.

Getting involved in it rashly wasn't wise.

Moreover, this Han Kun was also a person from the Jiangzhe Chamber of Commerce, with hidden intentions; whether it was Li Yan or Sha Lifei, they were very wary of him.

However, before Li Yan could reply, Han Kun on the shore noticed them, nodded with a smile, and made a gesture of invitation.

Li Yan had no choice, so he said to Shen Jinghong beside him, "Young Master Shen, you guys wait, I'll say hello and then leave."

"Hmm, good."

Shen Jinghong nodded hurriedly.

He was a person from the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce, taking another path, and also didn't want to get involved in these martial world disputes.

And Li Yan went ashore alone, arched his hands at the restaurant entrance and smiled, "Elder Han, Brother Lei, it's really fate."

While speaking, he didn't even look at the bloodstains on the ground.

Han Kun smiled, "I haven't congratulated Brother Li for making a name for yourself at Guishan yet. I planned to visit when I reached Wuchang, but didn't expect to run into you here; let's have a drink."

After saying that, he invited him into the restaurant.

This restaurant was clearly a secret hall of the Cao Gang; during the fight, even the shopkeeper and chef picked up blades, and now they were acting as if nothing had happened, continuing to work.

Soon, a few small dishes and wine were moved to the table.

Li Yan didn't want to get involved in this martial world fight, but since he had already seen it, continuing to play dumb was too hypocritical, so he asked, "Elder Han, how did you get into a fight with the Pai Sect people again?"

"Don't mention it."

Han Kun sighed and shook his head, "Shi Chen, the Pai Sect leader in Wuchang, colluded with evil people and has already had his home raided, and the forces under him have scattered."

"Over at the Han River in Yunyang, there's a fight between 'Wei Laoba' and 'Black Fish Head'; 'Black Fish Head' was also found to be secretly related to the Heavenly Saint Sect and helped them smuggle fire-lances, and has already been beheaded by the Law Enforcement Hall."

"Originally, 'Wei Laoba' would have accepted these two forces, but after this incident, the imperial court is a bit uneasy about the Pai Sect, so they handed part of the grain transport work to our Cao Gang."

"'Wei Laoba' is not convinced and is stirring up trouble everywhere in secret, but this is the imperial court's order, so what can we do?"

"Sigh~ what an unprovoked disaster."

Han Kun's face was full of helplessness, but Li Yan didn't believe it at all.

If the Cao Gang really didn't want to cause trouble, they wouldn't have taken this job at all; they were probably trying to take this opportunity to expand their power to the Yangtze River.

As long as they stood firm on the Yangtze River, the Cao Gang's power would immediately be able to suppress the Pai Sect; they wouldn't miss this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

"Elder Han has worked hard."

Li Yan didn't expose him and looked at Lei Poshan beside him.

The Lei family were also great heroes of the Ezhou martial world; did they also participate in it?

Lei Poshan was also a shrewd person, guessing what Li Yan was thinking immediately, and shook his head with a solemn expression, "Over at Zigui, the Tusi City forces are gathering again; I'm afraid they have a big plot."

"My father asked me to help transport grain, and we must not let Yichang run out of grain; although this will offend the Pai Sect, it concerns the overall situation, and there can't be any accidents."

"So that's how it is."

Li Yan immediately understood.

The Lei family and the Cao Gang and Pai Sect were different.

They were descendants of the Yue Family Army; although they were in the martial world, all they thought about was making contributions and establishing a career, and they had been leaning toward the military.

They were particularly active in this Southwest war, and it was estimated that after the war, they would be recognized by the imperial court and let the descendants of the Yue Family Army in Huang Mei County enter the military.

Han Kun toasted another cup and asked, "Brother Li, where are you going?"

Li Yan replied, "I took a job to help someone handle a funeral in Jiangxia."

Han Kun laughed dumbly, "With your reputation, Brother Li, do you still need to do this?"

Li Yan replied casually, "We eat this bowl of rice after all."

While speaking, he hesitated for a moment and reminded, "I received some news, but it concerns military secrets, so I can't say much."

"You two are transporting grain, so perhaps what you need to guard against isn't the Pai Sect, but the evil monsters in the river; pay attention to the military's movements, and by no means travel by boat at night."

"Also, don't spread this matter around."

"The host is still waiting, so I'll take my leave first."

After saying that, he stood up and arched his hands to say goodbye.

The monsters in the river had already united with the Ghost Sect evil people, and the military was laying out plans to deal with these things.

This matter was originally a secret, but since he had a good relationship with these two, out of martial world morality, he had to remind them.

"Oh, take care, Brother Li." Seeing Li Yan's appearance, Han Kun didn't ask further.

Watching Li Yan and his group leave, Lei Poshan said strangely, "What does Li Li Shaoxia mean by this? Could it be that the evil monsters in the Yangtze River have unusual movements? But when we came, nothing happened."

Han Kun's eyes narrowed, "Li Yan wouldn't talk nonsense; looking at his appearance, I'm afraid there's another hidden story."

"Involving the Mystic Sect, we have to be on guard."

"I'll send word to the gang immediately to recruit more sorcerers onto the ship. As for Wuchang, my Cao Gang's power is insufficient, so I'll have to trouble Brother Lei to inquire about it."

"No time to lose, let's go!"

After saying that, he took the Cao Gang disciples onto the ship.

Not long after going up the wharf, it was Jiangxia County City.

This place, Jiangxia, had a special geographical location, located at the junction of Jingzhou and the Jiangdong region, and had been a place of a hundred battles since ancient times.

The original county city was broken through several times by the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom during the Daxing period of the previous dynasty, and had long since turned into broken walls and ruins.

!.

The current city walls were built after the Great Xuan Dynasty was founded, and after a hundred years and repeated expansions, the area was not small.

Of course, the group didn't enter the city.

Although the Shen family was a big household in Jiangxia, the house in the county city was only used for resting on weekdays, and they didn't live there as much as in Wuchang City.

Their ancestral home was at Shenjiaba near Liang Zihu, quite close to the kiln factory, and almost everyone in the whole village worked for the Shen family.

On the official road outside the county city, more than twenty people were waiting, all wearing white clothes and carrying sharp swords at their waists.

The leader was a man with a straight physique and a cold, stern face; seeing them, he greeted them directly and arched his hands, "Young Master, the Old Madam asked me to pick you up."

Shen Jinghong's face turned pale, "Did something happen?"

The man said in a deep voice, "The second and third branches are a bit restless. The first branch now only has the Young Master left, so it's better to be cautious."

Seeing this situation, Li Yan and Sha Lifei looked at each other.

Good, it seems there's more than one trouble.

Thinking of this, Li Yan stepped forward and said, "Young Master Shen, you also know our rules, so some things must be said in advance to avoid misunderstandings if something goes wrong."

Small teams like Li Yan's were not rare in the martial world.

If they helped people transport goods, it was called a "Guazi" line.

If they took jobs for killing and robbing, it was called "Eating Ge Nian."

And in the Mystic Sect, there was a nice name, called "Roaming Immortals."

Many people in the Mystic Sect traveled in all directions, either to slay demons and eliminate monsters, or to seek seclusion and explore secrets, or to pursue the improvement of their Daoist attainments, all of which could be classified as this type.

There was even a special type of poetry called "Roaming Immortal Verses."

But no matter which one it was, there was a rule for helping people handle matters: the employer could not hide anything, to avoid accidents.

Similarly, they wouldn't reveal the employer's secrets at will.

This was the martial world's rule; once violated, drawing blades was possible.

Shen Jinghong's face turned pale, and he said hurriedly, "Li Li Shaoxia, don't blame me; it's not that I intentionally hid it, but I didn't expect them to actually have internal strife at this time."

"My Shen family currently has three branches. Father managed the overall situation, and the family property was also inherited by my first branch. Originally, the family business had already declined, but these years it was all thanks to my father that the Shen family grew bit by bit."

"They... sigh~"

Li Yan glanced at those men, "Forgive me for being meddlesome, what's going on with these guards of the Shen family?"

He asked this, naturally for a reason.

Most wealthy households hiring guards were from the Guazi line, all people in the martial world. If they were a bit more powerful, they would have their own martial arts halls, and even have some reputation in the local martial world.

And these people, holding long swords, had the exact same physique and gait, and even their standing positions were particular.

This situation was only seen in the military.

They didn't care about the Shen family's internal strife, but if they were involved in any rebellion, they didn't want to provoke it.

After all, the situation in Ezhou was too complicated.

"Oh..."

Shen Jinghong suddenly realized and shook his head, "Li Li Shaoxia, don't worry, this matter is known to almost everyone in Jiangxia."

"My Shen family also has some origins, originating from the 'Black Cloud Capital,' so some secret arts have been lost, but the skills remain."

"After the family situation improved, my father trained a group of guards and fought off mountain bandits several times; if it weren't for this, it would have been hard to gain a foothold near Liang Zihu."

"So that's how it is."

Li Yan looked at these people with surprise.

"Black Cloud Capital" was the elite force under Yang Xingmi at the end of the Tang Dynasty.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the world was in chaos, with warlords and warlords partitioning the land, demons rising and Dao declining, and both righteous and evil paths participated in the war.

That era was dominated by martial artists, comparing who had the bigger fist, and many Mystic Sect secret arts were used in the military, giving birth to numerous elite troops.

Liu Rengong's "Dingba Capital," Zhu Wen's personal army "Tingzi Capital" and "Luoyan Capital," Yang Shihou's "Silver Spear Effective Capital," Li Cunxu's "Gold Spear Capital," Li Keyong's "Iron Forest Army" and "Black Crow Army"...

Every army cooperated with Mystic Sect secret arts.

In the Mystic Sect, they had a common name:

Tang Dynasty Mystic Soldiers!

That was a bloody era, and Mystic Sect secret arts were also used to slaughter ordinary people, and even worse, people ate people to cultivate evil arts, and demonic paths emerged one after another.

In short, it was chaotic.

His Netherfire Gun was also invented at that time.

Yang Xingmi's "Black Cloud Capital" had 5,000 people, each with superb skills, black silk and black armor, using black cloud long swords, cooperating with Mystic Sect secret arts, and their lethality was astonishing.

The Shen family actually had this origin.

Looking at the long swords used by these people, the sword bodies were wide and thick, exactly resembling the legendary black cloud long swords.

However, one couldn't smell any fierce energy on them; they weren't Mystic Sect cultivators and were definitely far from the original "Black Cloud Capital."

Thinking of this, Li Yan nodded, "I didn't expect Young Master Shen to have such family learning; no wonder you could repel the evil people."

Shen Jinghong smiled bitterly, "The inheritance has long been incomplete; it's just ordinary sword technique, only good at combined attack techniques."

"To tell the truth, I'm not good at martial arts, and Father didn't force me, so I haven't even reached the entry level."

"If there really were the original 'Black Cloud Capital,' my Shen family would probably have been reduced to ashes long ago."

Li Yan nodded, "Young Master Shen sees things clearly."

The secret arts of the Tang Dynasty Mystic Soldiers, those derived from the demonic path and more brutal ones, had long been listed as forbidden arts by the righteous Mystic Sects.

And the normal ones were also listed as military secret arts and taken away by the imperial court.

For ordinary people to dare to possess them was just looking for death.

Having cleared up the origin, Li Yan didn't say much more.

Jiangxia was located in the Jianghan Plain, with flat terrain, fertile soil, crisscrossing rivers, and lakes scattered like stars, a true land of fish and rice.

The group traveled by boat, and when it was near dusk, they arrived at Shenjiaba.

This village was close to Liang Zihu, built against the mountains on three sides, surrounded by water, like a dam.

Just as they entered the village, Li Yan narrowed his eyes.

In the village, almost every household was holding a funeral, paper money was everywhere, mourning halls could be seen everywhere, and the sound of funeral music and chanting was constant.

The whole village was immersed in a sorrowful atmosphere...

(End of chapter)