Chapter 552: First Meeting with Xiao Jinghong

In fact, Li Yan had already sensed something was wrong.

Across the courtyard wall, he could smell several auras hiding in key areas, and even the smell of wild beasts.

And these people had Gang and Sha energies lingering on them.

All sorcerers, with the same aura.

From the same sect!

Not only that, there was another strange thing.

Back on Mount Qingcheng, Ming Shanzi said to go to the Wu family gold and silver shop in the east of the city, where someone would meet and arrange things.

But they had asked people on the road.

That Wu family gold and silver shop had caught fire inexplicably some time ago and was robbed, and not a single living person was left from top to bottom.

Combined with the expression of that man...

The Cheng family had likely handed this matter to someone else!

"Sneaky bastard..."

Sha Feifei clearly had some guesses too, cursed, and asked in a low voice: "What should we do?"

Li Yan's expression was calm, and he said in a deep voice: "We have arrived at the agreed time and have not breached the contract. Let's follow the Jianghu rules; at least we must get the things first."

He got involved in this muddy water, naturally for his own reasons.

One was Wang Daoxuan's inheritance.

The Cheng family treasured a "Five-Head Divine Art," an ancient Qi-refining technique of the Eight Immortals of Tang Yao, "Chijiang Ziyu," which was the source of Wang Daoxuan's inheritance.

The Cheng family promised this book as a reward, so he must get his hands on it.

The second was the Dragon Girl's commission.

Not only to compete for luck with the Jiang Shen Great Lord, but also to help her re-condense incense; this Fifth Commandery Prince was also a helper.

Precisely because of this, Li Yan ran here without fear of hardship.

They were not nobodies.

No matter what, they had to have an explanation.

After a while, the man walked out of the Commandery Prince's Mansion, threw the token away casually, and said: "Follow me."

After saying that, he turned and left.

This action was extremely rude.

Slap!

Li Yan caught the token, narrowed his eyes, but didn't flare up, gave a wink to the others, and followed into the Commandery Prince's Mansion.

The front gate of the Commandery Prince's Mansion had three doors, one large and two small.

According to the rules, only Commandery Princes and Princes were qualified to walk through the main gate, so the main gate was closed, and only the small side gate on the left was open.

After entering the gate, there was another gate tower.

Around it, the courtyard wall was two meters high, and several men in green were patrolling everywhere, dressed exactly the same as the person leading the way.

The difference was that two of them had fire guns on their backs.

And they were new-style fire guns, with styles extremely similar to the Divine Fire Gun.

Seeing Li Yan and the others, their eyes were indifferent, and they didn't mean to come up to greet them at all, carrying a trace of contempt.

"Interesting..."

Sha Feifei laughed, shook his head.

The man leading the way in front turned his head suddenly, but what he met were Li Yan's cold eyes.

For some reason, a chill rose in this man's heart.

"Hmph!"

He let out a cold snort and continued to lead the way in front.

Li Yan looked at the surroundings calmly.

He had already inquired about this matter before coming.

This place was the front gate, and its function was somewhat similar to an urn city, considered the defense of the Commandery Prince's Mansion; if a thief came, they had to break through the second gate.

Generally speaking, a Commandery Prince did not have the qualification to have soldiers guarding, so he could only hire retainers to guard the courtyard.

If there was anything else different, it was that the threshold was very high.

It almost reached people's knees.

This was exactly the so-called "high-gate and large-household."

Passing through the front gate, the view suddenly opened up; the courtyard was deep, the ground was paved with huge gold bricks, and rows of green bamboo were planted in the distance.

The area of the Commandery Prince's Mansion was not large, nor did it exceed the regulations, and it was not luxurious, but the layout was very tasteful.

In the majesty, there was a trace of elegance.

This was the front hall, a place for receiving guests.

The hall door was wide open, and a young man in a brocade robe was sitting in the head seat, his features handsome and fair, looking at a letter, with a maid pouring tea beside him.

The man leading the way stepped forward to report.

Li Yan and the others waited behind with expressionless faces.

They had seen wealthy and powerful people, and even Princes, before.

They naturally knew what was going on with this formation.

Even if they saw it, they had to report first before entering.

This was the rule, symbolizing status.

This was also the reason why Li Yan didn't want to deal with people from the imperial court.

He had lived two lives and never had any "ruler-subject" concepts in his brain, and he would definitely not kneel even if he met the Emperor.

But rules were not so easy to break.

Just a single "not kneeling,"

didn't know how many people would die.

In this world, it was still far from that time.

"Report to the Commandery Prince."

The man in green bowed respectfully: "The people have arrived."

After saying that, he raised his hand and bowed to make a gesture of invitation.

Li Yan took the crowd into the front hall, his expression calm, bowed his hands and said: "Seen the Commandery Prince."

Since he accepted the task, he naturally had to clarify the intelligence.

On Mount Qingcheng, he had already asked that this Fifth Commandery Prince was named Xiao Jinghong, who was not only well-read but also practiced cultivation since childhood because his mother came from the Cheng family, and even awakened supernatural abilities.

Of course, his cultivation talent was average.

Even with the Cheng family's resources, he only reached the Second Floor.

Wanting to go further, there was no hope in this life.

But even so, he was the most outstanding among the descendants of the Prince of Shu, but he lived in seclusion and was deliberately hidden, so he was not known to outsiders.

"Everyone, no need for formalities."

The Fifth Commandery Prince Xiao Jinghong was not old, and he did things by the book, but his tone was gentle, nodded and said: "Everyone, please sit, Lanzhu, serve tea to the guests."

"Yes, Commandery Prince."

The maid's temperament was gentle; after going out, she didn't take long before bringing in several maids, holding tea trays, and serving tea to everyone.

Li Yan couldn't be bothered with nonsense, sat down and said directly: "Commandery Prince, we are all rough people, and we speak directly."

"Looking at this appearance, I'm afraid you have found someone else; regarding the agreement between us and the Cheng family, who do you think we should look for?"

"Presumptuous!"

The man in green also followed into the main hall.

Seeing Li Yan and the others like this, he was already dissatisfied, and upon hearing this, he scolded directly: "How can you be so rude when speaking?"

Li Yan glanced coldly: "I am talking to the Commandery Prince, what are you interrupting for? Is there any place for you to speak here?"

Originally, they were all Jianghu fellows, seeing each other every day.

But with the opponent's appearance, he couldn't be bothered to give a good face.

"You..."

The man in green heard this, and his fists clenched immediately.

"What are you doing!"

Xiao Jinghong on the hall frowned instantly.

Seeing his ugly expression, the man in green hurriedly bent down and bowed: "Commandery Prince, forgive me, it's just that they are too rude."

Xiao Jinghong wanted to compete for the position of Prince of Shu, so he was naturally not a fool, and he knew the man in green's thoughts like the back of his hand.

His expression softened slightly, shook his head slightly and said: "Everyone is a fellow, and they are all our own people, don't hurt the harmony." As he spoke, he turned to look at Li Yan and introduced: "This is Master Cao Yuanhuai of the Du Sect, and also a disciple of the Huaguang Sect; there are some misunderstandings, Young Master Li, don't blame me."

Du Sect?

Li Yan glanced at him faintly.

No wonder he was so arrogant; it turned out to be an Emei disciple.

Emei had the saying of "Five Flowers and Eight Leaves."

The Five Flowers were Qingniu, Dianyi, Tiefo, Qingcheng, and Huang Ling.

The Eight Leaves were the eight word-gate fists of Seng, Yue, Zhao, Du, Hong, Hua, Zi, and Hui.

The "Five Flowers" were basically sects.

And the "Eight Leaves" mostly walked in the Jianghu, and the situation was relatively scattered; some opened martial arts schools and escort agencies, and some simply joined the Gelao Society.

The source of this "Du" sect was also very ancient.

(Content omitted)

Back then, Zhuge Wu Hou set up the Eight Formation Diagrams, which had eight gates: "Rest, Life, Injury, Du, View, Death, Surprise, Open."

"Du" meant blockage and closure. So "Du" sect fist techniques were good at blocking, preventing the enemy from attacking.

They used few fists and many palms, with tight blockades and good at using soft energy.

Most of the fist techniques in the sect had this characteristic.

This sect mostly engaged in the business of guarding, and they were good bodyguards.

But how did they get connected with the Huaguang Sect?

Although the relationship between "Five Flowers and Eight Leaves" and Emei was getting further and further away, and even Qingcheng could already compete with Emei, it was still a bit unexpected for Li Yan to join another sect.

However, this was someone else's family affair, and he couldn't be bothered to pay attention.

After a simple introduction, Xiao Jinghong said: "There is another reason for this matter; it is not that I intentionally breached the contract."

As he spoke, his expression was solemn: "A few days ago, my father was bedridden, and several brothers were already restless. I went to visit, but was blocked and not allowed to enter."

"Just three days ago, the Cheng family's secret hall in Chengdu was suddenly uprooted, and that night, someone sneaked in to spy, fortunately, a few retainers fought to the death to repel them."

"My master, the great Confucian Yang Duo of Shu, spoke personally, and the next day invited the Du Sect righteous men to come and protect..."

Listening to his account, Li Yan immediately understood.

No wonder, it turned out someone had already taken action.

Also, the great Confucian Yang Duo of Shu was a member of the Confucian Sect. It was precisely because he exerted his influence on his disciples in the capital that Xiao Jinghong got the opportunity.

Now that goods were rare and could be held for a high price, the Confucian Sect naturally wanted a share of the pie.

Although this Fifth Commandery Prince didn't say it clearly, Li Yan heard the meaning; sending the Du Sect to take over was Yang Duo's intention, and he couldn't refuse.

And at that time, it was also a critical moment.

Thinking of this, Li Yan no longer had the intention to intervene in this matter, nodded and said: "Since that's the case, we will leave, please Commandery Prince, point out where the Cheng family people are in Chengdu Prefecture; we have something to ask."

Xiao Jinghong pondered for a moment and said: "To tell you the truth, at that time in the gold and silver shop, there was a Cheng family elder, with a cultivation of the Fourth Floor, and amazing sword skills, who also met with misfortune."

"I have already sent someone to notify, but the weather is cold and the road is difficult, I'm afraid they won't be able to arrive for a while."

As he spoke, he said again: "Young Master Li, don't be anxious, I have no intention of breaching the contract, and still invite you to come and protect."

As soon as this remark came out, not only Li Yan, but even that Du Sect's Cao Yuanhuai was stunned, a trace of dissatisfaction flashing in his eyes.

He had naturally heard of Li Yan's reputation.

But precisely because of this, he couldn't cooperate with him.

When he came, his master had explained that Xiao Jinghong was likely the next Prince of Shu, and doing this well was the Du Sect's opportunity.

The reputation of the Twelve Yuan Chen had been resounding in the Jianghu during this period.

If it succeeded, whose credit would it be?

Besides, it was also inconsistent with the Jianghu rules.

"Both of you, listen to me."

Before they could speak, Xiao Jinghong said solemnly: "That Cheng family elder of mine not only had profound cultivation but also brought several disciples, but I have already sent someone to check, and they didn't even have the strength to fight back!"

"The enemy is not easy to deal with; at the critical moment, we cannot do without the full support of the two of you."

Li Yan pondered for a moment and nodded: "Okay."

"That's very good."

Xiao Jinghong smiled: "I have long heard of the great name of the Twelve Yuan Chen. There are Du Sect masters in the front residence of the Prince's Mansion, which can ensure safety. The back of the Prince's Mansion is a piece of wasteland, close to the city wall, and it is also a weak point."

"I ordered people to plant bamboo forests there and built a bamboo forest cottage, which is very elegant; everyone can stay there."

The man in green, Cao Yuanhuai, heard this, and all his dissatisfaction disappeared.

To be honest, the Commandery Prince's Mansion was not large, and he and his fellow disciples lived here, three people in one room, which was a bit crowded.

And the bamboo forest cottage at the back was more spacious and comfortable.

But some things cannot just be looked at on the surface.

That bamboo forest cottage, although it was also the Commandery Prince's property, was not in the Prince's Mansion; this immediately showed the difference between closeness and distance.

His purpose was to curry favor with Xiao Jinghong through this opportunity, so he always regarded

And Li Yan nodded upon hearing this: "Very well, we shall follow the Prince's wishes."

After making the arrangements, Xiao Jinghong immediately ordered his servants to take them around the small garden of the Prince's mansion and leave through the back gate.

After exiting the small gate, the view suddenly opened up.

They saw that the surroundings were surrounded by a bamboo forest, which grew very densely, and a fence had been erected; through the towering bamboo forest, one could see the distant city walls of Chengdu Prefecture.

In the middle of the bamboo forest was a large open space, with a pond dug in the center; in the dead of winter, it had already frozen over.

But beneath the ice, one could still see colorful koi swimming.

Beside the pond, several rooms of various sizes had been built, looking somewhat like a thatched cottage, with small red lanterns hanging on them, reflecting off the snow-covered bamboo forest; it was very elegant.

Li Yan was also a man of taste, and he liked this place as soon as he saw it.

After entering the bamboo cottage, he was even more satisfied.

Although the room was somewhat cold, the furniture was antique, kept spotlessly clean, and there was even a faint scent of sandalwood.

Since leaving the Jinzhou Guild Hall, he hadn't stayed in such a clean room; at the very least, his nose didn't suffer.

"Gentlemen."

The servant smiled and bowed: "The Prince has already given orders; hot water and meals will be sent over shortly. After this matter is concluded, we will definitely make up for the welcoming banquet for you gentlemen."

"No worries, thank the Prince on our behalf."

Li Yan nodded slightly and dismissed the servant.

As soon as the servant left, Sha Lifei sneered: "Brother Yan, this Fifth Prince has quite a few tricks up his sleeve."

"Knowing that the Du Sect seeks power, he arranged for them to stay in the mansion and crowded them to the front to strengthen the defensive forces."

"Knowing that we seek profit and aren't used to the rules of the Prince's mansion, he arranged for us to stay here, knowing we wouldn't complain."

Li Yan nodded: "After all, he wants to contend for the throne; how could he do it without a brain?"

"No matter. Since the Du Sect wants to show off, let them suffer more; we'll just watch. As long as we keep our people safe and get the items, that's all that matters."

"The end of the year is approaching; we can take this opportunity to rest and reorganize."

"San'er, Daoist, set up the defenses first."

"Old Sha, you go check the surrounding environment to prevent the enemy from attacking with firearms..."

Upon hearing this, the group didn't waste words and each busied themselves.

Lu San released his falcon, Lidong, to scout, and had Mouse One and Mouse Two gather a swarm of rats to hide in the surrounding bamboo forest.

Wang Daoxuan set up a simple array in the bamboo forest...

Sha Lifei climbed to various high points under the guidance of the falcon...

The group coordinated tacitly, and everything was done in an orderly fashion.

All of this was seen by the servant.

He ordered the hot water and meals to be put down, then went to the study in the back of the Prince's mansion to recount the performance of Li Yan and the others.

Inside the study, there was also a woman in palace attire who was grinding ink for Xiao Jinghong; her features were average, but her temperament was gentle and graceful.

After the servant left, the woman smiled: "Beast taming, Feng Shui arrays, firearms—all have been considered; it should be foolproof."

"After all, they have a reputation abroad."

Xiao Jinghong didn't seem surprised; he put down the book in his hand, sighed slightly, and turned to look at the woman: "Aman, if it weren't for you, I truly wouldn't want to snatch this position of Prince of Shu."

"Is this truly the only way you can survive?"

(End of chapter)