Chapter 486

Bloody water churns, and corpses float to the river surface.

The members of the Black Fish Gang are all scared out of their wits.

In the past, only they were fierce in the water.

Dragging people to the bottom of the water, watching them choke on water in despair and fear until they drown, would give these water bandits an inexplicable sense of excitement.

Especially those so-called Jianghu experts.

Entangled by iron nets and hooks, unable to use their martial arts, struggling desperately, covered in blood and flesh, and finally dying in unwillingness.

This is even more of a talking point for these water bandits walking the Jianghu.

But when it was their turn, they finally knew this kind of fear.

No matter how fast they swim, no matter how good their water skills are, they simply cannot escape.

And Li Yan finally knows why Huo Jiao could become the leader of the Pai Sect by relying on the "Dragon Snake Token," and even dare to call himself the Dragon King.

With this item, using the water escape technique is like adding wings to a tiger.

He is like the incarnation of the Water God at this moment; the lives of the Black Fish Gang water bandits are all within his thought, to kill or spare as he pleases.

If his cultivation were higher and he learned corresponding techniques, he could be like those demon creatures, stirring up trouble in the water and overturning boats.

Facing these water bandits, he is too lazy to show mercy.

Kill if he can, and he doesn't show any mercy when attacking.

Among the bandits, only "Black Dragon" has some means.

He is not a sorcerer, but he has secret Jianghu methods; since childhood, he has smeared special oil on his whole body, allowing him to hold his breath longer and move faster in the water.

Discovering something wrong, this person turns and flees.

He originally thought that by abandoning his brothers, he could escape, but before he swam far, he felt pain in his lower body, and both legs were severed at the knees.

Swimming underwater relies entirely on the strength of both legs.

Once these legs were broken, "Black Dragon" immediately became like a bird with broken wings, losing balance, rolling his body, and flapping in the bloody water.

He could also see underwater, and he felt a blur before his eyes, vaguely seeing a pair of indifferent eyes.

Before he could beg for mercy, his neck felt pain, and he lost consciousness.

With this, the Black Fish Gang water bandits are considered completely wiped out.

They were considered notorious on the Tuo River.

But the Jianghu is like this; if you walk the night path too much, you will always encounter ghosts.

No matter how majestic you were before, if you provoke someone you shouldn't, not a single one will survive.

Even, no one will know whose hands they died at.

In the nearby Jianghu, there will be more absurd rumors.

Li Yan naturally doesn't care, and doesn't even know this person's name; after cutting off his head, he shakes his body, shuttling through the water like a sharp arrow, heading straight for those water bandit cargo boats.

On the cargo boat is the middle-aged man in gorgeous clothes from just now.

Seeing the bloody water staining the river surface red, he had long since realized something was wrong and hurriedly steered the cargo boat away.

It's a pity that this person is clearly accustomed to living in luxury on weekdays; perhaps he knows how to steer a boat, but he is not skilled.

Flustered and sweating profusely.

Clatter!

Water splashes, and Li Yan breaks through the water, shakes his sleeves, and stands steadily on the deck.

Looking at Li Yan's indifferent eyes, this middle-aged man kneels on the ground without a word, "Hero, spare my life, Hero, spare my life, I am just a passerby and have nothing to do with this."

Li Yan says lightly: "Du family member?"

The middle-aged man's body stiffens, and he dares not speak again.

Li Yan is even more certain in his heart and says in a deep voice: "It seems you know who I am, and looking at you, you also want to live..."

"I want to live! I want to live!"

Hearing Li Yan's words, the middle-aged man nods hurriedly.

Li Yan looks around and sees Old Butler Luo An directing people to pull out the iron chain, unable to come over for a while, so he asks directly: "I just want to know, why does your Du family want to harm me?"

The middle-aged man hesitates upon hearing this.

Li Yan sneers: "It seems you don't want to live that much."

"I already know about your Du family; with such a large family and business, I don't believe I can't find someone who wants to live."

The middle-aged man's face turns bitter, and he hurriedly bows: "Li Li Shaoxia, I have never met you before and have no grudge against you, and I don't want to offend you either."

"This matter has nothing to do with me; it was an order from the old patriarch himself. As for why he would do this, I really don't know."

"So you're just a confused ghost."

Li Yan sneers after hearing this: "You don't know anything, yet you dare to come and find trouble with me, and you're all alone; could it be that someone set you up?"

As soon as these words are spoken, the middle-aged man's face immediately turns ugly.

There were indeed many strange things about his mission this time.

The guards were all sent to do other things, and a talented person from the clan who followed was acting suspiciously all day, not knowing what he was doing...

Also, that brat is from the third branch...

Li Yan doesn't know that his words have made this person think wildly, and the more he thinks, the more afraid he becomes.

Seeing his expression changing, Li Yan adds fuel to the fire, "Since you don't know anything, just be a confused ghost, but you must ask clearly on the road to the Yellow Springs who your real enemy is!"

Having said that, the Dust-Severing Blade lifts suddenly.

"They are in Ziyang!"

The middle-aged man says hurriedly, gritting his teeth: "They said the Luo family invited strong reinforcements, and they must drag Wu Yuqing down; there is another plan in Yibin, and she must not be allowed to return home."

Wu Yuqing is the mistress on the boat.

According to Old Butler Luo An, ten years ago, there was a great plague in Shu, and several elders of the Luo family all passed away.

In recent years, they were targeted and plotted against, and the head of the family, Luo Qinghui, was so angry that he had a stroke and was paralyzed in bed.

At the critical moment, this mistress Wu Yuqing stood up and gradually stabilized the situation, also winning people's hearts.

She is just waiting for her son to come of age to hand over the position of head of the family.

Now it seems, this is another conspiracy against the Luo family.

Of course, Li Yan has no interest in these, but continues to press for information about the Du family, especially the patriarch.

This middle-aged man is named Du Ping, the eldest son of the Du family's second branch; although he cannot inherit the family business, he is also an important figure in the clan, responsible for selling wine everywhere.

Selling wine inevitably involves dealing with inns and taverns.

Therefore, he has made friends with all kinds of people.

And the situation within the Du family is also very complex.

They are the largest wine merchants in Luzhou, and their strength ranks first in the entire Sichuan-Shu, but within the high walls and large courtyards, there is no lack of infighting.

Li Yan doesn't care about these.

He is more concerned that this old patriarch of the Du family has actually lived to be a hundred years old, still full of energy, and disappears strangely for a period of time every year.

No matter how you look at it, he feels like a Yin criminal.

But according to Du Ping, this old patriarch has never shown any martial arts or sorcery.

Living Yin messengers have always been looking for Yin criminals.

This old thing must be hiding a big secret.

It seems that the other group of people are the ones who know the truth...

Thinking of this, Li Yan says directly: "You follow along; when we reach Ziyang, point out those people, and I will help you vent your anger."

"Yes, thank you, Li Li Shaoxia."

Du Ping stands up slowly, his face full of sorrow.

He knows that Li Yan wants him to betray the Du family.

No matter the reason, there is no turning back.

If this fails...

Just as he is deep in thought, Luo family Old Butler Luo An has led people to sail the pleasure boat nearby.

"Du Ping, so it's you!" Seeing Li Yan bring this person onto the boat, Old Butler Luo An is full of anger, murderous intent overflowing in his eyes.

"Spare his life for now."

Li Yan says in a deep voice: "Whether your Luo family can escape this disaster depends entirely on whether this person cooperates."

Hearing this, Du Ping's face turns even more bitter.

Old Butler Luo An also understands Li Yan's meaning and says no more, but bows respectfully: "Li Li Shaoxia, the mistress is awake and wants to see you."

"Hmm."

Li Yan nods and follows the old butler into the cabin.

But just as he steps over the threshold of the cabin, his heart stirs, and he suddenly turns his head to look at the high mountains on both sides.

"Li Li Shaoxia, what did you discover?"

"Someone seemed to be spying just now; everyone be careful..."

Li Yan doesn't look up, just gives a low reminder, and walks into the cabin...

！.

…………

"He went back."

Behind the hillside in the distance, the enchanting woman says in a deep voice.

This woman looks like she is already over thirty, but she is still graceful, dressed elegantly, and has a beautiful appearance.

This is a contrast deliberately created to be more attractive.

Her name is Jin Cuilian; the name is ordinary, but her identity is not.

The Jianghu Yan Sect is also quite mixed.

There are Golden Swallows, who take the route of bridging gaps and trading information, and although they reside in brothels, their power is not small, and they are well-connected in both the underworld and the righteous path.

There are Colorful Swallows, who use female beauty to deceive people, mostly working alone, and there are also mothers and daughters who cheat together.

And the ones with the worst reputation are the "Demon Black" and "Wind-Fire Black."

"Demon Black" are mostly young women, or they abduct four or five-year-old children, let the children get lost and cry, then pretend to be the child's mother to visit, using deception or scouting for thieves.

The second is using beautiful and delicate women to mix into wealthy families for lodging, then working from the inside and outside to cheat money and steal.

"Wind-Fire Black" uses the same method, but they enter softly and exit hard, then collude with thieves to kill and rob.

This Jin Cuilian is the famous leader of the Demon Black in Chengdu Prefecture, with a bunch of women under her gathering wealth for her.

Because she provoked someone, she took refuge in the Shu Prince's Mansion.

But seeing her forming a seal with her hands, her pupils turn black, and the scene below seems to be right before her eyes, and she can even read words based on lip movements.

Li Yan entered the cabin with his back turned, so she didn't see anything.

An old Daoist beside her shakes his head: "This brat is not easy to deal with; his water escape technique is mysterious, and he is on the river; I'm afraid that as soon as we make a move, he will use water escape to leave, and we won't be able to catch him."

"And that Gang Token is even more troublesome..."

The old Daoist is named Qin Wanpei, the Dharma Master of the Pu'an Temple in Shu; he is cautious and only wants to follow behind to deal with the task this time.

"Everyone!"

A cold snort suddenly interrupts his words.

It is the leader of the fire-musket team.

His expression is gloomy, and he looks at the crowd: "Those who eat the monarch's salary should worry about the monarch's worries; the Prince wants you to take the item back and kill this brat, so this matter must be accomplished!"

Jin Cuilian and Qin Wanpei's expressions turn ugly upon hearing this.

These two have many disciples under their command and are usually people who have a hundred responses to one call, not good-natured people.

If the Shu Prince scolded them like this, that would be one thing.

But a small fire-musket team leader, what qualifications does he have!

It is the "Ghost Painted Face" who suddenly smooths things over: "Daoist Qin is also afraid that the mission will fail, and none of us will be able to answer to the Prince; everyone, don't hurt the harmony."

Saying this, he looks at Qin Wanpei, "Daoist friend is the Dharma Master of the Pu'an Temple in Shu; why not set up an altar to summon heavenly thunder, take advantage of the sneak attack tonight, and kill that Li Yan directly."

Qin Wanpei is so angry he laughs upon hearing this, "Daoist friend is not an outsider, so how can you say such things?"

Pu'an Dharma is divided into Buddhist Pu'an Dharma and Daoist Pu'an Dharma.

Both schools have independent systems, and now they are integrated, mixed with the witchcraft of Shu, so there are both monks and Daoist priests in the Pu'an Dharma sect.

And the most famous Daoist Pu'an is Thunder techniques and curse techniques.

Qin Wanpei is angry because of the harsh requirements of Thunder techniques.

That requires submitting a memorial, and it must have the right time, place, and people to be used smoothly.

Not to mention whether Qin Wanpei is willing to consume the ancestral altar's divine talismans, even if he wanted to, he couldn't immediately summon disciples from Suining.

"Ghost Painted Face" shakes his head: "Since that's the case, Daoist, how about using curse techniques to drag him down? As long as he is dragged down, this fire-musket team will launch, and he won't have a chance to use escape techniques."

Saying this, he looks at the fire-musket team leader, "Sir, this is a desolate waterway; no one will discover it, so you won't refuse, right?"

He said this with an extremely clever trap.

He deliberately mentioned Thunder techniques, knowing Qin Wanpei would refuse, and then proposed using curse techniques, so the other party had no reason to hide in the back and watch the show.

It is the same method for the fire-musket team leader.

Wufeng Creek ancient town didn't open fire, and if he refuses now, he won't be able to justify it.

Qin Wanpei is also an old Jianghu hand; he knew he had been tricked as soon as he heard it, and after cursing secretly, he says: "That brat has the 'Wish-Fulfilling Pearl' to cover him; I must take his personal belongings to cast the curse."

The fire-musket team leader says coldly: "If you can drag him down, I will naturally order to open fire."

"Good!"

"Ghost Painted Face" nods: "I will do it myself, take that brat's fingernails and hair, and leave the rest to you two."

Qin Wanpei says helplessly: "Let's see if you can get them first."

The fire-musket team leader nods in agreement silently.

"Good!"

"Ghost Painted Face" looks at the pleasure boat on the river, murderous intent surging in his eyes, "I know there is an abandoned old village ahead; let's set an ambush there!"

…………

"Greetings, Mistress."

Li Yan raises his hand slightly.

But inside the cabin, a woman in white is already lying up from the bed, but her face is pale, and she needs the embroiderer's help even to drink medicine.

It is the current head of the Luo family, Wu Yuqing.

Her head is still wrapped in white cloth, with faint bloodstains seeping out.

Li Yan laughs secretly in his heart, knowing the reason.

It should be that just now, the pleasure boat stopped suddenly and bumped, causing her to fall from the boat and break her head, but she also regained consciousness as a result.

"Thank you, Li Li Shaoxia."

Wu Yuqing's appearance is miserable, but her speech is still dignified, "Forcing Li Li Shaoxia to work hard is really a last resort, and I hope you will forgive me."

"It should be done."

Li Yan bows slightly and expresses the doubt in his heart, "I have never met the mistress before, so why are you so sure that I will help?"

Wu Yuqing hesitates for a moment, waves her hand to dismiss everyone, and then says: "To tell you the truth, I have noticed you since you were in Ezhou."

Li Yan's heart tightens, "Why is this?"

He wouldn't think this woman just happened to like him.

Wu Yuqing doesn't hide it either, her expression solemn: "To tell you the truth, I come from the Blood-Transmitted Jade Emperor Sect, and my master is also a living Yin messenger."

"Oh?"

Li Yan becomes interested, "It's rare for people of the Dharma Sect to become living Yin messengers; I wonder where that senior is now?"

"My master is dead."

A flash of sorrow crosses Wu Yuqing's eyes, "The last news he left when he passed away was that he had discovered Ghost Sect evildoers."

"I suspect it is that Du family patriarch..."

(End of chapter)