Chapter 557: Strange Events at the Xu Fu

He had been discovered!

Li Yan felt a shock in his heart and pressed his hand to his saber hilt.

He was carrying the Dragon Snake Token, yet the other party could still discover him; their cultivation must be extraordinary.

Just as Li Yan's whole body tensed, ready to strike, a woman's voice came from inside: "It's so late, husband, go to sleep early. It's almost New Year, can't you rest for a few days?"

The tone was mournful and full of complaints.

Afterward, the man's voice from before sounded again.

But this time, the composure was gone, and the tone was full of terror. "Wife, shh, listen, there's a ghost outside!"

"Sigh~ sleep, husband, don't be afraid."

The candle in the room went out, and rustling sounds came from within.

So it was a fool...

Li Yan was instantly speechless.

He had almost been scared by a fool; if this got out, he would be laughed to death.

He shook his head and continued forward, disappearing into the shadows...

Not long after he left, sounds came from the room again.

"Husband, what exactly did you see that day?"

"Tang Yuan, hehe, Tang Yuan..."

…………

The Ministry of Rites of the Great Xuan Dynasty had rules for house construction.

Although the trend of extravagance had prevailed among wealthy merchants building large mansions in recent years, and the imperial court was no longer strict, most officials still dared not overstep the rules.

The Chief Clerk of a Feudal Prince's Wang Fu was a Rank 5 official.

According to the rules, the mansion was a three-section courtyard with gray tiles and blue bricks, prohibiting the use of glazed tiles and vermilion lacquer; the main hall was three bays wide and five rafters deep.

The "number of three and five" alluded to the Doctrine of the Mean.

Moreover, the roof ridge could not use beast ornaments, the beams and pillars were painted with bamboo patterns to imply integrity, and the floor tiles were mostly paved with tortoise-back brocade to imply longevity and secrecy.

The Xu Fu was the same.

Li Yan feared alarming the house-suppressing stone lions outside and dared not use his divine ability to investigate recklessly, but he was clear about the house layout.

He sneaked forward in the dark, sometimes hiding in the shadows, sometimes leaping up to avoid the guards' eyes.

He didn't know what had happened at the Xu Fu.

But they had hired over a dozen martial arts masters to guard the house.

There was even one who had already stepped into the Dark Strength realm.

Don't underestimate this; although Dark Strength was no longer anything to Li Yan, who could easily crush them, it was beyond the scope of ordinary people.

Dark Strength eruption was extremely fierce.

Ordinary people simply couldn't withstand it.

If the technique was clever, one could even injure internal organs with a light palm, causing the victim to vomit blood and die only after returning home.

Achieving Dark Strength allowed one to be a small leader in some local organizations or a head escort in an escort agency.

Hiring so many people required quite a lot of silver.

And this was precisely where Li Yan found it strange.

The Chief Clerk was the general manager of the Wang Fu; the Prince of Shu's Wang Fu had gathered many Jianghu experts over the years, so why spend extra money to hire others?

There were plenty of people willing to flatter.

Moreover, the atmosphere in the Xu Fu was also a bit wrong.

Tomorrow was the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, the day for folk to send off the Kitchen God; the people of Shu not only had to offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God but also make Tang Yuan.

The wealthier the family, the more particular they were.

Anyway, the servants did the work, so they could toss and turn as they pleased.

But this Xu Fu had no festive atmosphere at all, and a sense of oppression permeated from top to bottom...

Li Yan was curious and soon felt his way to the backyard.

This was where the Chief Clerk, Xu Yongqing, lived.

Generally speaking, the Chief Clerk lived in the Wang Fu most of the time, which was convenient for office work and for listening to orders at any time.

Especially now that the Prince of Shu was critically ill and the Wang Fu was in chaos, it was even more inseparable from the Chief Clerk's management.

Li Yan had only come to try his luck this time.

But listening to the guards' words, Xu Yongqing was indeed in the mansion.

The backyard also had five guards.

That Dark Strength expert was even holding a sword, sitting cross-legged on the steps, eyes closed to rest, looking like he was guarding the place to the death.

Sneaking in silently was harder than ascending to heaven.

Li Yan was not in a hurry but observed the surrounding environment.

This backyard was no different from an ordinary official's mansion, except for a gold-plated plaque hanging on the study door, inscribed with "Guan Wei Xuan" (Observing the Subtle Pavilion).

The study candle was dim yellow, vaguely reflecting a figure sitting at the desk, seemingly reading by candlelight.

Unknowingly, the wind and snow grew heavier.

Seeing that the guards had no intention of leaving, Li Yan finally grew impatient; he didn't want to wait here in the cold all night.

With a thought, Li Yan did not hesitate, pulled down the black cloth on his bamboo hat to cover his face, and then exerted force suddenly.

Swish!

A black shadow rushed into the courtyard.

The guards were instantly shocked.

Some drew their sabers, others prepared to shout.

However, their speed was still too slow.

Clatter!

The invisible Soul-Hooking Rope was thrown out.

That Dark Strength expert couldn't react in time and had his soul suppressed; his body stiffened, unable to move.

Another person was also unable to move.

Li Yan also acted at the same time.

He had practiced Red Fist since childhood, so his movement technique was naturally flexible, and later he learned the North Emperor Divine Movement Art, integrating the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams into it, making him even more like a ghost.

The remaining two only felt a black shadow flash before their eyes, followed by pain in their necks, and they fainted as everything went black.

Li Yan gave a roar of the Great Cloud Thunder Sound.

Li Yan struck two more casual blows, knocking out the two suppressed by the Soul-Hooking Lei Suo, and then strode toward the study.

Creak~

Pushing the door and entering, the scene inside the study came into view.

This study was not luxurious but was arranged very elegantly, especially the two rows of multi-grid bookshelves, densely packed with books, classified by classics, history, philosophy, and literature, which was very particular.

Sitting at the desk was a middle-aged man in a green shirt.

He had gaunt features, a goatee, wore a square cap, was dressed in green cloud-patterned brocade, and had a jade pendant hanging at his waist; he was dressed very meticulously.

Hearing Li Yan's movement, this person did not turn his head but sighed, closed his eyes, and said indifferently, "Do it."

Li Yan was somewhat surprised and said in a deep voice, "No wonder you're dressed so neatly; are you waiting for death?"

The middle-aged man was precisely the Chief Clerk, Xu Yongqing.

Hearing Li Yan's words, Xu Yongqing seemed not to want to pay attention, just closed his eyes and stretched his neck.

Interesting...

Li Yan was lost in thought and looked around.

Everything in the room became clear in an instant.

He sneered, "What you have hanging on the wall is 'Yue Fei Receiving the Imperial Edict to Return the Army.' What is it, loyalty and righteousness are hard to balance?"

As he spoke, he came to the desk and saw eight large characters written on the rice paper: "My heart is like the bright moon, shining upon the cinnabar steps."

Xu Yongqing seemed to have come to his senses, opened his eyes, turned to look at Li Yan, and said in a deep voice, "You are not here to kill me? Who sent you?"

Li Yan did not answer but asked directly, "At the gold and silver shop in the East City, you went there; do you know who did it?"

Xu Yongqing suddenly realized. "So it was someone from the Cheng family."

He sighed, shook his head, and said, "This matter is indeed related to me, but I do not know the identity of the person who did it."

Li Yan frowned. "What exactly happened?"

Xu Yongqing was silent for a moment before saying, "That senior, Cheng Yuanhai, was an old friend of mine. Someone asked me to buy tea and take a few people to visit."

"I didn't expect them to suddenly take action at the banquet..."

"That's strange."

Li Yan sneered, "The Prince of Shu is critically ill now; there aren't many who can command you. Which Commandery Prince is it?"

Xu Yongqing gritted his teeth and stopped speaking.

Li Yan was displeased and looked at the "Yue Fei Receiving the Imperial Edict to Return the Army" on the wall again, suddenly widening his eyes and saying, "Is it the Prince of Shu? He is faking illness!"

Xu Yongqing's body trembled, and he lowered his head. Seeing this, Li Yan felt inexplicably angry and sneered, "Why are you so hesitant? The one who wants to kill you is also the Prince of Shu, right? What kind of ghost is he playing?"

Seeing Xu Yongqing still not speaking, Li Yan's eyes rolled. "You are loyal to him, but he wants to exterminate your whole family. Could it be that you are prepared to die so cowardly?"

Hearing this, Xu Yongqing burst into tears. "Even ants cling to life; who wants to die?"

"It's just that I can't figure out why the Prince would want to kill me..."

At the same time, clamor came from outside the courtyard.

It was the other guards who had discovered the knocked-out people.

"My Lord, are you alright?!"

Those people were shocked and were about to rush in.

Li Yan gave a look, and Xu Yongqing sighed slightly, got up, opened the study door, and said, "It's fine, an old friend is visiting, it's all a misunderstanding, you all disperse."

Having said that, he closed the door and came to the desk again.

Li Yan picked up a brush and said while playing with it, "You hang 'Yue Fei Receiving the Imperial Edict to Return the Army,' presumably because you are dissatisfied with the Prince of Shu's actions, but due to past kindness, you can only advise him."

(Note: Repetitive error in source.)

"You are clearly waiting for death, yet you hired guards, which means you still don't want to die! You might as well tell me the truth."

Xu Yongqing gritted his teeth. "Can you represent the Cheng family?"

Li Yan said indifferently, "Why think so much? No matter who I am, are you willing to lose your life just like that, without knowing why?"

This sentence completely broke Xu Yongqing's psychological defense.

He pressed his hands on the table, his whole body trembling, veins bulging on his forehead. "What exactly is going on? I am still confused to this day."

"Over the years, the Prince of Shu's temperament has changed drastically. He used to trust me, but later, he wouldn't let me intervene in many things."

"A while ago, the Third Commandery Prince died, and the Prince was furious, left the mansion, and caused a scene at the Chengdu Prefecture Yamen. After he returned, he fell ill and couldn't get up."

"But that day, he suddenly sobered up and asked me to take people to visit Cheng Yuanhai. The accompanying guards suddenly took action, and afterward, they told me to go home."

"The next evening, strange things happened at home. My third younger brother got up at night, didn't know what he was scared by, and became crazy. It wasn't until the next day that I discovered a dead cat had been placed in front of the door."

"I knew the Prince had already decided to kill me..."

Li Yan was lost in thought. "Because of the faking illness?"

"No."

Xu Yongqing swallowed his saliva, his voice trembling, his eyes full of fear. "The Prince... when he was talking to me, his white hair suddenly turned black, and he became young!"

As he spoke, seemingly thinking of something, he trembled: "Over the years, the Prince has gathered many eccentric people and strange scholars, searching everywhere for the elixir of immortality."

"I didn't pay attention; after all, who wants to die? Even the First Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han couldn't do it. I thought the Prince was just unwilling to let go."

"I didn't expect he would actually succeed!"

"The Prince of Shu's Wang Fu has been growing in strength over the years and has occupied many gunpowder mines; every single one is a capital crime."

"I was afraid in my heart and felt I had failed the imperial court, but I advised him several times, and the Prince wouldn't listen; instead, he took away my seal..."

The more he spoke, the more afraid he became, and his body was shaking.

Seeing his appearance, Li Yan was not surprised.

The position of Chief Clerk seemed glorious but was actually awkward.

It was a Rank 5 position, yet lower than a local Prefect, and had limited authority when facing a Feudal Prince; often, they were caught in the middle.

Those who could serve as Chief Clerk were all Jin Shi who had passed the imperial examinations, but because of this position, they were considered "idle and redundant" by high-ranking court officials and basically had no hope of promotion.

The most unfortunate thing was their responsibility.

According to the regulations of the Great Xuan Dynasty, the Chief Clerk was responsible for remonstrating with the Feudal Prince and acting as the court's eyes and ears, needing to report secretly to the Emperor regularly; they were the "chains" used by the central government to monitor the Feudal Prince.

But the Chief Clerk had no majesty when facing the Feudal Prince.

If the Feudal Prince rebelled, the Chief Clerk might be implicated for "negligence";

If they reported the Feudal Prince's misconduct, they might face retaliation.

In short, they lived very stifling lives.

Seeing that the Prince of Shu was suspected of rebellion and had inexplicably regained his youth, this old scholar had already collapsed from fear.

Thinking of this, Li Yan asked in a deep voice, "Why didn't you report it?"

"I couldn't leave!"

Xu Yongqing stood up suddenly, his eyes full of fear. "I sent someone during the day, wanting to go to Chengdu Prefecture to see the Wang Wang Yushi, but as I walked, I would inexplicably return home..."

"I left at night, but as soon as I stepped out of the courtyard, a voice would ring in my ears."

Li Yan frowned. "What voice?"

Before he could finish speaking, a floating, hoarse voice came from the darkness outside the window.

"Selling Tang Yuan~ Selling Tang Yuan~"

"That's it! That's it!"

Xu Yongqing went crazy, pulling Li Yan's sleeve hard, his eyes bloodshot. "Did you hear it? Did you hear it?"

"Humph!"

Li Yan shook off Xu Yongqing and said coldly toward the window, "Who is it, playing the ghost in front of me!"

Having said that, he dragged Xu Yongqing directly out of the study.

As soon as he stepped out, he immediately realized something was wrong.

Everyone in the courtyard was standing motionless, including the guards, heads lowered, like puppets.

Clearly, the wind and snow were blowing, yet all was silent around them.

Crack!

The sound of stone shattering came from afar.

Vaguely, it seemed there was the sound of a beast wailing in the distance.

The house-suppressing stone lions were destroyed!

Li Yan understood instantly.

He narrowed his eyes and pinched a seal, taking a deep breath.

Now that something had happened, there was naturally no need to hide; he could exert his divine ability to the fullest to investigate the movement around him.

Immediately, he discovered the anomaly.

A sweet smell permeated the courtyard.

His olfactory divine ability could easily distinguish brown sugar, walnuts, peanuts, sesame, lard...

It was Tang Yuan filling!

When he left, the Commandery Prince's Wang Fu was preparing for the festival, and those old women had made quite a lot, so he remembered it very clearly.

But this smell was also a bit strange.

It seemed to be mixed with a faint stench of blood.

It was exceptionally rich on everyone.

Only Xu Yongqing did not have it.

After he came out, the "Selling Tang Yuan" voice stopped abruptly, and his divine ability investigation did not find the other party's location.

What kind of heretical art was this?

Li Yan frowned slightly and asked, "Has anyone eaten Tang Yuan in the mansion these past few days?"

Xu Yongqing looked around in terror. "The old women in the kitchen made it, and they all ate it. I don't like sweets, so I didn't eat any."

"Go, to the kitchen!"

Li Yan didn't say a word, dragging Xu Yongqing away.

"Roar!"

Those guards suddenly raised their heads, their eyes full of madness, their complexions had turned iron-blue, saliva flowing, and they rushed toward them crazily.

Li Yan ignored them and strode forward.

The Soul-Hooking Lei Suo rattled, and before the guards could get close, they fell to the ground with a thud and stopped moving.

These people had all been poisoned by some kind of curse, falling into madness and unable to control themselves; Li Yan was too lazy to harbor murderous intent.

He dragged Xu Yongqing along, also fearing he would be silenced.

After all, this person was the key to testifying against the Prince of Shu.

Arriving at the kitchen, it was empty. In the distance, the servant quarters' door was wide open, and a maid lay on the ground, bleeding from seven orifices, her skull directly shattered.

"Go!"

Li Yan didn't talk nonsense and dragged Xu Yongqing out of the Xu Fu.

Staying in the mansion, those who were still alive were actually in more danger.

It was late at night, the wind and snow howled on the street, the red lanterns swayed slightly, and all was silent around them.

Xu Yongqing was dragged by Li Yan, looking extremely disheveled, and said tremblingly, "Where are we going?"

Li Yan was lost in thought. "To find that Wang Wang Yushi!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an old, hoarse voice faintly came from the street in the distance, "Selling Tang Yuan~ Selling Tang Yuan~"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 558 =====