Chapter 575: The Snow Stops, the Wind Does Not

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Li Yan frowned and said, somewhat surprised.

He knew that Sha Lifei and the others hadn't contacted him, so there must be a problem, but Young Master Wuxiang's words still left him confused.

The martial world underworld didn't have so many scruples.

When encountering this kind of thing, people would hide before it was too late; why would they take the initiative to get involved and go against the Prince of Shu, who was currently in the ascendant?

"The Prince of Shu wants to open the Dragon Palace Water Mansion."

Sha Lifei behind him suddenly spoke, saying in a low voice, "He is still missing two things: one is the Ruyi Yang Baozhu, and the other is what he is holding."

So that was it...

Once Li Yan heard this, he understood instantly.

So their guts had grown fat, and they wanted to double-cross him.

Thinking of this, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he said meaningfully, "Do you know what they want to take?"

"I don't know."

Young Master Wuxiang was very frank, then raised his eyebrows, looked around, and sneered, "Although I don't know, the Prince of Shu has exhausted most of his treasury and even risked the charge of treason; it must be something extraordinary."

"If he can take it, why can't we?!"

When the people around heard this, they shouted one after another:

"Right, exactly!"

"After pulling off this job, where in the world can't we go?!"

"In the legendary Dragon Palace Water Mansion, treasures are piled up like mountains. Hehe, we don't ask for much, just grab a handful like this, and the rest of our lives will be set!"

For a time, the atmosphere became heated.

It was as if the life-and-death disaster just now didn't count for much.

Only that Sichuan saber-wielder Cui Sandao remained cold-faced and said, "I don't want treasures; I only want the Salt Gang and the Prince of Shu to die!"

"Brother Cui, rest assured."

Young Master Wuxiang patted his shoulder and said sternly, "This old immortal Prince of Shu also has a grudge against me; I won't let him off!"

This matter couldn't be considered a secret.

Before the current emperor ascended the throne, the situation was not good.

Internally, there were relatives of the empress interfering in government; the empress wanted to abolish his position as crown prince and let her own young son gain the position, and the old emperor was also bedridden year-round, half-comatose and half-awake. Externally, there were invasions from the northern borders and southern Yue, with constant warfare.

The emperor fought his way out with his life, and his younger brother, the Prince of Shu, was his right-hand man. In the bloody battles in the capital and the campaigns in the south and north, he wrote many legends.

And the Young Master Wuxiang of that year could also be considered a famous family in Sichuan.

But because the family stood on the wrong side, they were slaughtered by the Prince of Shu. Since then, he had drifted in the martial world, learned various means, and since then became the leader of the Chengdu underworld.

Therefore, the two sides had always been at odds.

Being able to take revenge and seize treasures at the same time.

It was no surprise that Young Master Wuxiang participated in this matter.

However, Li Yan noticed something strange.

Losing one's reason due to profit was not uncommon in the martial world, but this Young Master Wuxiang had experienced so many storms; only caution could keep him alive until now.

The other party definitely knew something...

Li Yan saw through it but didn't say it, also looking solemn as he said, "Senior's words are reasonable. Let's not talk about the treasure for now; this Prince of Shu is colluding with demon people and harming the common people. We won't let him off!"

It was just acting; who couldn't do it...

"Well said!"

Young Master Wuxiang let out a laugh and raised his hand, "Please!"

After saying this, he took the lead in guiding the way in front.

Li Yan gave Sha Lifei a look, followed behind calmly, and at the same time activated his supernatural powers to memorize the route of the secret passage.

Young Master Wuxiang was right about one thing.

The current Prince of Shu had great power, not only with the help of experts from the evil paths of the southwest but also controlling the surrounding garrisons, which added up to at least fifty thousand troops.

Moreover, there were a large number of firearms, enough to launch a war.

How many sorcerers could the Mystic Sect have? Even if Mount Qingcheng sent reinforcements, they would be helpless in the face of this massive army.

This secret passage became crucial.

But very quickly, Li Yan noticed something was wrong.

Young Master Wuxiang hadn't walked far when he suddenly turned, opened a rotten wooden door, and entered another secret passage to the left.

And this secret passage was filled with adobe, with broken salt jars on the ground; it was clearly a secret passage used for smuggling.

"Senior, this is..."

"A secret passage of the Salt Gang. Rest assured, those who knew have already been killed by me!"

Young Master Wuxiang dodged the question and played dumb.

Li Yan looked at the people around him again; even Cui Sandao was cautious, looking like he had just arrived at this place, so he simply stopped asking.

This leader of the Chengdu underworld clearly wanted to hide this bargaining chip.

The torch flickered, and the air in the secret passage was turbid.

After walking for about another three sticks of incense, a dead end finally appeared ahead, but upward was an earthen vertical shaft, the top covered by a heavy iron plate.

Young Master Wuxiang didn't explain much, leaped up, supported himself with his legs, and knocked on the iron plate with a rhythmic thud, thud, thud.

Rumble!

The iron plate was moved away by someone, and dust kept falling.

The light above was also dim, vaguely revealing gun barrels one after another; although they were ordinary firearms, if they fired, they could also shoot people into a hornet's nest.

"It's the leader, put away the guns!"

An indifferent voice came, and the sound of guns being put away rang out clattering.

The torch was lit, and Young Master Wuxiang was the first to jump out. A thick hemp rope was also thrown down, and everyone left the secret passage one after another.

After Li Yan came up, he looked around, somewhat surprised in his eyes.

This was actually a side hall of a temple with a not-so-small area. The people around were dressed as commoners and temple keepers.

On the offering table, the statue of the god wore a crown and dragon robe, and the spirit tablet of King Yu stood there.

King Yu Temple?!

If he hadn't guessed wrong, it was in the North City.

He hadn't expected that in such a short time, they had walked so far.

What surprised him even more was the expressions of the people around, which were also very strange, looking around full of vigilance.

Good fellow...

Li Yan guessed the reason instantly.

A cunning rabbit has three burrows; the subordinates of the different parties didn't meet each other.

And this King Yu Temple, although it couldn't compare to the Qingyang Palace and the Wenchang Temple in terms of incense, was also a large temple in Chengdu.

He hadn't expected it to also be Young Master Wuxiang's lair.

No wonder he had been against the Prince of Shu for many years and had never been caught.

"Little Brother Yan!"

Footsteps rang out outside the door; it was precisely Wang Daoxuan and the others.

When Li Yan saw this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hahaha..."

Young Master Wuxiang laughed, "Since I want to cooperate with Li Li Shaoxia, how could I mess around? They have all been treated with good food and drink."

After saying this, he looked to the side, his face quickly becoming gloomy, "Someone leaked the secret; Master Lu is dead, and Brother Wang is also gone. Before dawn, bring the person who leaked the secret to me!"

"Yes, leader!"

Several cold-faced men cupped their hands, full of murderous aura.

Li Yan's heart stirred, and he quickly said, "Senior, since there is a traitor, the Mingxiang Pavilion is probably not safe either. Please send someone to warn them."

"Easy enough, you guys handle it as soon as possible."

Young Master Wuxiang nodded and gave the order.

They didn't suspect the manager of Mingxiang Pavilion, Lu Qingshan; the other party knew Li Yan's identity. If he had leaked the secret, it wouldn't have been just these people coming tonight.

Those subordinates left quickly. After leaving the main hall, they actually turned directly into the side hall; clearly, there was also a secret passage there.

After arranging everything, Young Master Wuxiang turned his head and said, "Li Li Shaoxia, you've been tired enough tonight. Since you all have met, you probably have a lot to say. I have already arranged a place for you to stay." "Thank you."

Li Yan smiled and cupped his hands, taking the others away.

He knew that Young Master Wuxiang probably had other arrangements and didn't want them to know, but now the two sides were still in a cooperative relationship.

Some things could be understood without being said...

Sure enough, as soon as they left, Young Master Wuxiang immediately changed his expression, looking out the window with murderous intent, "Everyone, the Prince of Shu has great power, with strong soldiers and sturdy horses. If we want to snatch chestnuts from the fire, we must not be careless."

"Mainly those firearms!"

A man beside him suddenly spoke.

He was dressed as a peddler, but his head was wrapped in a black headscarf; he was clearly a Tujia person, and the nine-section snake bone whip at his waist was still stained with blood.

This person was from the Pi Sect and was called Xue Asi; he was a Miao witch doctor and extremely skilled in Gu poison. He had joined Young Master Wuxiang's subordinates many years ago.

He said with lingering fear, "If it were a dark battle, none of us brothers would be afraid, but those firearms forming a formation are truly a big trouble."

"That's right, we need to think of a way."

(Content omitted)

"I'd rather be stabbed than die under that thing; we must think of a way to break it..."

Everyone spoke at once, all feeling indignant.

Young Master Wuxiang turned his head to look to the side and cupped his hands, "Brother Tang, I know you have opinions about me, but now that things have reached this point, I assume you don't want to see the Prince of Shu succeed either."

"You are proficient in firearms; I wonder what your views are?"

Seeing everyone's gazes converge, Tang Ling said in a deep voice, "Since I arrived in Sichuan, I discovered that very few people in the martial world here use firearms, far less than outside. Now, Mount Meishan is full of people from various Dharma lineages seeking instruction."

"There's no way..."

Immediately, someone laughed bitterly, "The reputation of the new-style firearms has long spread far and wide. The rebellion in Bozhou was quelled so quickly, and firearms contributed greatly. How could we not want to use them?"

"First is this gun license. Those famous orthodox sects got some, but most were swallowed by the Salt Gang. Every family is dissatisfied with this matter, but they have the Prince of Shu's mansion supporting them, so we simply can't snatch them."

"Second is this new-style gunpowder. Part of it is in the Chengdu Prefecture Yamen, and the rest has been taken away by the Prince of Shu's mansion, so we can't get it either."

Tang Ling pondered for a moment, "Although new-style gunpowder is terrifying, it is ultimately a dead object, and there are many hidden dangers."

"If I haven't guessed wrong, the Prince of Shu's mansion will definitely force the Chengdu Prefecture Yamen to hand over all the remaining new-style gunpowder..."

Pi Sect's Xue Asi's eyes lit up, "We go and snatch it?"

"What's the use of snatching it!"

Young Master Wuxiang shook his head, "This thing needs to be used with new-style muskets. Besides, we have few people; even if we snatched it, we couldn't deal with the army."

"Right, we can't snatch it."

Tang Ling said coldly, "New-style gunpowder must have a storage warehouse. We will scout in secret; as long as we find the place and detonate it, the Prince of Shu's Black Feather Guards will be no different from ordinary soldiers!"

"Good idea!"

A smile also appeared on Young Master Wuxiang's face, "However, we are not in a hurry to show ourselves. Li Yan and those people, as well as the imperial censor, are probably more anxious than us. We will talk to them then."

"The leader is wise!"

Everyone flattered him one after another.

Tang Ling frowned slightly and sighed secretly, but didn't say anything...

…………

On the other side, Li Yan and the others also returned to the side room.

Wang Daoxuan didn't say a word, activated the Ruyi Yang Baozhu, and a cold aura shrouded the entire room before everyone started talking.

"Little Brother Yan, it's good that you're okay!"

Wang Daoxuan breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "You didn't come back after you went out that day, and the Prince of Shu suddenly launched an attack, making us very worried."

"There were some twists and turns that day."

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "I got intelligence at Mingxiang Pavilion, went to the pier at night, and ran into that..."

He recounted the intelligence, and everyone was quite surprised.

Sha Lifei said speechlessly, "Alright, you made us search for a long time; it turns out the person was hiding at the pier."

Wang Daoxuan was more concerned about another matter and frowned, "Qingyang Palace also participated in it, and those people are also people of profound cultivation. Aren't they afraid of ruining their thousand-year reputation? Why would they do this?"

"That goes without saying!"

Sha Lifei said disdainfully, "It must be that Lu Sheng promised some conditions, and those old Daoists were blinded by greed and took the evil path."

"Hmm."

Li Yan pondered for a moment and said, "To make these people tempted, it's either immortality or ascending to godhood; perhaps it's related to the Nine Tripods."

"Lu Sheng's goal is the Nine Tripods, and Young Master Wuxiang probably knows something. Everyone be on guard; don't let him sell us out."

"This person might not be able to help with anything, but at a time like this, he can definitely ruin things. Don't provoke him for now."

"Also, I'll find an opportunity to go to the Chengdu Prefecture Yamen tomorrow."

"What are you going to the Chengdu Prefecture Yamen for?"

Lu San frowned, "It definitely won't be peaceful there."

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "I learned one thing from the Fifth Commandery Prince Xiao Jinghong: the Prince of Shu can control the army because the Great Commandery Prince invited those garrison generals over and cast a soul-bewitching curse on them."

"As long as we break this curse and regain military power, plus the reinforcements from Mount Qingcheng, we can suppress the Prince of Shu."

"I'm afraid this is our only chance..."

After some discussion, everyone finalized the subsequent plan.

Unknowingly, the wind and snow outside the window stopped. Just as dawn was about to break, a man suddenly came to invite them, "Li Li Shaoxia, the leader invites you all to come over."

When Li Yan heard this, his heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that something happened to Mingxiang Pavilion?

He hurried to the main hall, only to see Young Master Wuxiang and the others all looking gloomy, with a man dressed as a carriage driver tied up on the ground, beaten until he was covered in blood, and all ten fingers had been cut off.

"Is this person the mole?"

Li Yan frowned and asked, "How is Mingxiang Pavilion? Was anyone caught?"

The hidden Bamboo Forest Six Leisurely Ones were also an important force; he naturally wouldn't talk nonsense to Young Master Wuxiang.

"He can't be considered a mole!"

Carriage firm leader Xie Huaiqing's eyes were bloodshot, and he gritted his teeth, "This person was a secret agent sent by the Salt Gang from the beginning, lurking for several years..."

"It's hateful that this old man didn't recognize people well and harmed my martial world brothers."

While speaking, he still had lingering fear.

Fortunately, half a month ago, he had vaguely sensed something was wrong and secretly sent his family to Ezhou; otherwise, it would have been a disaster of extermination.

"Mingxiang Pavilion has already been destroyed."

Young Master Wuxiang continued, "We left on the front foot, and the garrison soldiers surrounded Mingxiang Pavilion on the back foot, but some experts released poisonous smoke, and the people inside didn't know where they ran to."

"By the time my people arrived, it had already been reduced to ashes."

When Li Yan heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Hearing this, it was clearly Liang Yu's method; sure enough, the old blade was still sharp.

Seeing Li Yan's expression, Young Master Wuxiang's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said meaningfully, "Li Li Shaoxia, that Mingxiang Pavilion, I'm afraid it's not that simple."

"Just caring about friends."

Li Yan laughed it off and changed the subject, "Senior, after the battle last night, the Chengdu patrols are probably even stricter. I want to go to the Chengdu Prefecture Yamen to contact Imperial Wang Wang Yushi Wang. I wonder if there is a tunnel?"

"No."

Young Master Wuxiang shook his head, "A few years ago, there was a group of reckless fools who wanted to use a tunnel to enter the Prefecture Yamen prison to rescue prisoners, but they were discovered. The Law Enforcement Hall specially sent people to use supernatural powers to scout, and the tunnels over there have all been destroyed."

"Is that so..."

When Li Yan heard this, he frowned instantly.

Now that it was already dawn, the Chengdu Prefecture Yamen must have already been surrounded; even if he used an escape technique, it wouldn't be easy to sneak in.

Who knew, Young Master Wuxiang said in a deep voice, "If Li Li Shaoxia wants to go to the Chengdu Prefecture Yamen, it's actually easy to handle; just walk directly from the street."

"Go outside the door and take a look, and you'll know what's going on."

When Li Yan heard this, he hurried out of the main hall, came to the front gate, and looked outside through the door crack.

He saw that on the street, there were martial world men pulling ox carts passing through the street, the carts piled high with goods, both salt bags and various odds and ends.

Some people were beating gongs and drums, and some were shouting loudly:

"A timely snow promises a good harvest; the Sichuan Salt Gang is celebrating for the Prince of Shu, distributing seasonal gifts, every commoner in Chengdu has a share!"

Listening to this sound, more and more commoners pushed open their tightly closed doors and poked their heads out...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 576 =====