Chapter 571

Young Master Wuxiang, Tang Ling of the Meishan Sect, and some other martial world men whose names could not be recalled were all dressed like people from the lower classes and idlers of the marketplace.

Everyone was listless, and some were still carrying injuries.

Looking at these people, although Sha Lifei expressed his thanks, his heart was full of wariness.

Around the time Li Yan entered the Daoist Qingyang Palace, the Prince of Shu suddenly appeared, and the nearby garrison soldiers entered the city; in a short time, they had completely controlled Chengdu.

The incident happened suddenly, and no one had received any news.

If it weren't for Young Master Wuxiang suddenly coming to warn them and arranging for them to hide here, Sha Lifei and the others would likely have been wiped out in one go.

"Hehe, look at how scared you are."

Young Master Wuxiang slowly stood up; his tone was no longer as polite as before, and he said coldly, "We have all been deceived by the Prince of Shu; now we are grasshoppers on the same rope; if we don't join forces, none of us will escape death!"

Sha Lifei remained unmoved, "What do you mean by that?"

"Stop pretending to be stupid!"

Young Master Wuxiang seemed to have lost his patience and said in a deep voice, "That Prince of Shu has problems; everyone is being played in the palm of his hand."

"Stirring up the struggle for the heir was just to stir up the wind and clouds and involve many forces; Chengdu Prefecture officials, garrison generals, the Cheng family, and the Confucian Sect—all parties were watching this matter; to avoid suspicion, Qingcheng and Emei stayed as far away from Chengdu as possible, which cleared space for him..."

"Having conflicts with the imperial court was also intentional; whether it was the Commandant's Office or the Wang Wang Yushi sent by the court, they only guarded against him rebelling, which made them act with tied hands and feet, giving the Prince of Shu time..."

"From the very beginning, his goal was not this!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Sha Lifei and the others were secretly shocked.

Since arriving in Shu, the situation had been a tangled mess: the Dragon-Worshipping Sect causing trouble, the Salt Gang and the Grain Transport Gang fighting with the Shu Merchant Association, the struggle for the heir...

Even they, as outsiders, were overwhelmed.

After being enlightened by this Young Master Wuxiang, the clouds suddenly cleared; all matters seemed to be controlled by the Prince of Shu's residence from behind the scenes.

From the martial world to the imperial court and the Mystic Sect, everything was a mess.

"What exactly does he want to do?!"

Sha Lifei hurriedly stood up to ask.

Their plan was to wait for reinforcements from Mount Qingcheng and the Cheng family to arrive, then join forces with the Wang Wang Yushi to make a move together and capture the fake Prince of Shu.

But now it seemed the Prince of Shu had made his moves faster.

"Hmph!"

Young Master Wuxiang gave a cold snort and said, "You killed people from the Ghost Opera Troupe in Guanxian and left so brazenly; you were quite bold."

"I led my subordinates and was ambushed by people from the Ghost Opera Troupe, suffering heavy casualties; I pretended to flee in fear, but in reality, I have been hiding in the shadows."

"After you left, the Guanxian government and nearby garrisons immediately sent people to blockade the river near Dujiangyan; I investigated secretly and discovered that the Prince of Shu had led a fleet of ships to come and had been busy on the river for several days, consuming countless spiritual materials..."

"Their goal, from the very beginning, was the Long Gong Water Mansion!"

As he spoke, he looked at the few people again and sneered, "Don't think about staying out of this or fleeing Chengdu Prefecture."

"I sneaked in secretly and heard their conversation; now everything is ready, only two east winds are missing."

"One is with me, and one is with you!"

The Wish-Fulfilling Pearl!

As soon as Sha Lifei heard this, he knew what the other party was talking about.

No wonder; no matter how good the "Wish-Fulfilling Pearl" was, it was only a national sacrificial artifact, and there were many others of the same level, yet the Prince of Shu was relentless.

It turned out it was for this matter.

And there was the identity of the Prince of Shu; if he was really parasitized by Lu Sheng, then the ultimate goal was likely to use the Long Gong Water Mansion to fish for the Nine Cauldrons!

Waves surged in Sha Lifei's chest, but he pretended to be stupid, rubbed his big bald head, and cursed, "So that's the matter; damn it, if I had known, I wouldn't have taken it; I wonder if returning it to the Prince of Shu would resolve this matter..."

It was still impossible to return it.

The reason he said this was to test the attitude of this group of people.

Sure enough, when Young Master Wuxiang heard this, his expression immediately turned gloomy, "We don't have much time left; stop playing tricks with me."

"At this point, no one can escape; either we get killed by the Prince of Shu, or we kill the Prince of Shu and split the treasures!"

"This..."

Sha Lifei's eyes rolled, and he smiled and bowed, "You are the leader of the Chengdu underworld and a senior with a resounding reputation in Shu; I wonder what brilliant plan you have?"

"Simple!"

Young Master Wuxiang said in a deep voice, "I know you have a good relationship with Mount Qingcheng and the Cheng family, and you are jointly assisting that Prince of the Fifth Commandery."

"Since all parties have fallen into the Prince of Shu's trap, then we will use his own strategy against him, borrow strength to strike, first destroy the Prince of Shu, and then seize the treasures!"

Sha Lifei narrowed his eyes, "This matter won't be easy to handle..."

"I have my own plans."

Young Master Wuxiang said indifferently, "The Prince of Shu's residence has already posted notices; the Chengdu Lantern Festival and the Martial Arts Tournament on the fifteenth of the first lunar month will be held as scheduled; I presume the time to enter the Long Gong Water Mansion will be on that day."

"I invited you all here to discuss this and unite all parties to launch an attack on that day and hold the Prince of Shu back."

Sha Lifei suddenly realized, "And then you will go to take the treasures?"

"No, it's us!"

Young Master Wuxiang laughed, "I have been in the martial world for so long; I naturally understand the rule of splitting everything in half upon meeting."

"At that time, no matter what treasures are in the Long Gong Water Mansion, our two families will split them in two and take what we need."

"Everyone, rest assured; if you don't trust me, you can hold onto the 'Wish-Fulfilling Pearl' and we will explore the Long Gong together."

"Hahaha, senior is joking."

Sha Lifei also pretended to be heroic and laughed, then said with difficulty, "It's just... our leader, Brother Yan, is still outside, and he needs to contact those people, so it's inevitable that he will have to leave."

"Simple."

Young Master Wuxiang smiled slightly and clapped his hands.

Behind him, several people immediately walked out—some monks, some Daoists, some men, and some women—all dressed like people from the marketplace and the martial world.

"This is Daoist Tie Suanpan from the Jin Sect; he once studied at Emei and is skilled in observing the wind and Qi, as well as hidden weapons..."

"This is Xue Asi from the Pi Sect; he is a Miao witch doctor, and his nine-section snake bone whip is famous far and wide..."

"This is Iron Buddha Lu Zhenshan; he is skilled in the Iron Shirt technique and the Vajra Pestle, and he once snapped the iron lock of Kuimen with his bare hands..."

"This is Cui Sandao, who has an irreconcilable hatred with the Salt Gang..."

"As for this Daoist Tang from Meishan, you should be clear..."

Young Master Wuxiang introduced them one by one and sneered, "I have some connections in the Shu martial world; inviting these fellow Daoists to pull chestnuts from the fire this time is not impossible."

"The Prince of Shu is powerful, but I am the one who calls the shots underground in Chengdu Prefecture; traveling to and from various places is extremely easy; if you want to go out, you must take our people with you."

Seeing Sha Lifei's expression change slightly, Young Master Wuxiang shook his head and said, "It's not that I don't trust you all, but since so many fellow Daoists trust me, I must be cautious in my actions."

Having said that, he raised his hand and said, "If you don't trust me, you can leave now!"

Immediately, a man stepped forward and opened the warehouse door.

Lu San glanced at it coldly and was about to leave.

However, Sha Lifei hurriedly stepped forward, stopped Lu San, turned around, and smiled, "Senior, what are you saying? We naturally trust you."

"Good!"

Young Master Wuxiang clapped his hands and smiled, looking around, "The Prince of Shu's residence has blood-scenting mountain-guarding dogs; this warehouse is not safe; let's change to another place and set up a banquet to welcome you all."

Having said that, he waved his hand.

Several men immediately went to the corner of the warehouse, moved away some straw stacks and broken crates, and revealed a secret door.

"Hahaha, senior is worthy of being the leader of the Chengdu underworld!"

Sha Lifei praised him, then turned his head, his mouth moving slightly, said a few words in lip-reading, and then said, "Since senior is so kind, let's go."

Wang Daoxuan and Lu San nodded silently and said nothing.

Sha Lifei's lip-reading was:

Borrowing a knife to kill; we'll die if we go out!

Young Master Wuxiang clearly knew their strength.

These people he introduced might have some reputation in the Shu Mystic Sect and martial world, but they were far from enough to deal with them. Showing his strength was to tell them he had the strength to cooperate and that he wasn't afraid of falling out with them.

And he didn't even need to make a move to deal with them.

The Prince of Shu's people were searching everywhere outside; if they left, Young Master Wuxiang would inform on them, letting the experts from the Prince of Shu's residence surround and attack them.

This Young Master Wuxiang was indeed cunning and treacherous.

He wanted to use their hands to contact all parties to deal with the Prince of Shu, yet he used the Prince of Shu to threaten them, and they had no way to deal with it.

Sha Lifei believed that Li Yan would definitely be able to find them.

His mission was not to let his companions fall into crisis...

Young Master Wuxiang indeed did not lie.

The group entered the warehouse secret passage and walked downward for twenty or thirty meters, completely isolated from the ground; the surrounding tunnels also turned into brick and stone, covered in moss, and were very ancient.

Seeing Sha Lifei and the others surprised, Young Master Wuxiang explained with a smile, "Since the founding of Shu, dynasties have changed, but the ones who have always lived here are us."

No errors in the content, check it out!

"During the Three Kingdoms period, we smuggled Shu brocade, later smuggled salt and iron, and avoided the disaster of the city being broken; dynasties have dug many tunnels, and this one was built by the Lord of Later Shu, Meng Chang, connecting north and south."

As he spoke, he turned and pointed to his own head.

"The only one who knows all the secret passages is me!"

…………

On the walls of Chengdu Prefecture, soldiers were patrolling everywhere.

At the city gates, it was strictly forbidden to leave.

Even the wharves of several river channels had been blockaded.

It was nearing the end of the year, and there had been several heavy snowfalls; it was freezing cold, the roads were closed, and those who had come to attend the Chengdu Lantern Festival had arrived early.

The timing and geographical advantages were all within the Prince of Shu's calculations.

Therefore, even though they knew something was wrong in Chengdu Prefecture, the high-ranking officials, nobles, and common people who had gone out to the Daoist Qingyang Palace for sacrifices had to enter the city trembling under the soldiers' gazes.

In this weather, they wouldn't survive long if they left Chengdu.

In the dense forest in the distance, Li Yan's expression was gloomy.

He saw all of this in his eyes.

He had already sensed something was wrong at the Daoist Qingyang Palace, but he didn't expect such a big mess upon returning to Chengdu Prefecture.

I'm afraid the Prince of Shu has already made his move...

Thinking of this, Li Yan felt anxious.

He didn't care what the Prince of Shu wanted to do; as long as he confirmed this person was Lu Sheng, then he was definitely a Yin criminal, and he could directly summon the Netherworld troops.

What he was most worried about, naturally, was Sha Lifei and the others.

If the Prince of Shu tore off his mask, Xiao Jinghong definitely wouldn't be able to protect them.

He must enter the city immediately to investigate!

Caw!

Just as Li Yan was about to move, the cry of a hawk came from the sky.

He looked up and immediately dodged backward.

The sky was filled with wind and snow, and several black dots were flying up and down.

Those were the hawks used by the Commandant's Office for reconnaissance!

If he jumped over the wall directly, he would definitely be discovered.

Without any hesitation, Li Yan immediately formed a seal, and eight paper dolls flew out from the leather bag at his waist, spinning rapidly around him.

With the blessing of the Eight Generals of the Outer Altar, the Netherworld Sha Qi immediately gathered.

"Nogao! Heavenly Truth Supreme Essence, Essence of Ren and Gui..."

As the Mystic Water Escape technique was performed, Li Yan's figure quickly faded away.

After doing all this, he leaped out, stayed away from the city gate, found a relatively empty section of the city wall, and climbed upward.

The walls of Chengdu Prefecture were made of huge blue stone bricks, with seams mixed with rice flour and soil; they were smooth and sturdy, making them difficult for ordinary people to climb.

But for Li Yan, it was not a problem at all.

He used both hands and feet, easily climbed over the top of the several-zhang-high city wall, dodged the patrolling guards, and leaped down.

The place he entered was in the south of the city.

Li Yan ran rapidly along the city wall, and in less than half a stick of incense, a large bamboo forest appeared ahead—it was the Bamboo Forest Cottage behind the Commandery Prince's residence.

Inside the Commandery Prince's residence, the atmosphere was gloomy.

Cao Yuanhuai guarded the entrance, looking at the several internal guards monitoring from afar; although his expression was solemn, his heart was very uneasy.

The Prince of Shu's sudden move had disrupted everyone's plans.

Their Du Men had clearly helped the Prince of the Fifth Commandery this time; if the Prince of Shu settled scores later, they would likely have to flee Shu.

And in the backyard of the Commandery Prince's residence, Xiao Jinghong had a pale face, holding a teacup in his hand, wondering what he was thinking.

Behind him, the Commandery Princess helped him warm the tea, also full of sorrow, "Prince, it's all my fault; if you had left Chengdu in the beginning, you wouldn't be trapped in danger now."

"This is my choice..."

Xiao Jinghong gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "If it really is my father, then I will accept my fate, but that is clearly a demonic person; even if I die, I must announce this to the world!"

Creak~

As he was speaking, the door suddenly opened, and a figure darted in.

"Mr. Li!"

Xiao Jinghong was startled, but after seeing who it was, he immediately became excited.

"Keep it down, what happened?"

Li Yan looked out the window and asked in a low voice.

"That person made his move..."

Xiao Jinghong hurriedly recounted the situation.

Hearing that Sha Lifei and the others had already evacuated in advance, Li Yan let out a sigh of relief, then frowned, thoughtful, "This matter... I'm afraid it has to do with me; I killed one of the Prince of Shu's experts last night."

"Also, he didn't make his move suddenly; the people from several garrisons were all hiding outside Chengdu Prefecture, clearly having planned it long ago."

"Perhaps we guessed his plan wrong..."

Although Li Yan didn't know the full picture, he vaguely sensed something.

"It's the Prince of the First Commandery!"

Xiao Jinghong gritted his teeth, "My spies sent news that the Prince of the First Commandery's maternal clan has a close relationship with several generals in the army; after he was bewitched, he invited several generals that very night."

"He said it was a banquet and also invited some garrison generals..."

"They were all hit by a curse!"

Li Yan immediately made a judgment.

He had found it strange; although the Prince of Shu had a high reputation, this was a matter of losing one's head, so how could several garrisons participate?

You must know that there were people from the Commandant's Office hidden there; it was impossible for them not to have sensed it beforehand; it must have been a sudden order.

He had witnessed the soul-bewitching methods of Bai Qihong from the Ghost Opera Troupe.

"Mr. Li."

The Prince of the Fifth Commandery, Xiao Jinghong, said in a deep voice, "We can no longer wait for reinforcements from Mount Qingcheng; as long as we break the curse and use the righteousness of the imperial court to suppress them, we should be able to regain military power."

"We'll talk about this later..."

Li Yan nodded and looked at the Commandery Princess, his expression becoming gloomy, "Prince of the Fifth Commandery, might as well tell me first, what's going on with the Commandery Princess!"

No wonder he hadn't seen the Commandery Princess these days.

After entering the room, he discovered that this Princess was actually a living corpse!

(End of chapter)