Chapter 691: The bloody night never ceases

Under the moonlight, Kong Shangzhao's green robes fluttered in the night wind.

A faint red glow lingered in his eyes, and a mocking smirk played on his lips, as if he were sneering at everyone present.

Li Yan had not expected this demon to appear before them so brazenly.

"How dare you!"

Killing intent surged in Li Yan's eyes as he gripped his Gou-Die.

A large part of the reason he had become a thorn in the side of the Jianmu organization was his identity as a "Living Yin Messenger." No matter how formidable these old demons were, they were only rampant in the mortal world; once they encountered the troops of the Yin Office, death was their only fate.

But as he gripped the Gou-Die, Li Yan's brow furrowed slightly.

His Gou-Die had no reaction.

The opponent must be carrying a state sacrificial artifact, requiring him to get closer...

Thinking of this, Li Yan pushed off with his feet, instantly darting seven or eight meters away.

His Gou-Die was inlaid with a jade pendant, giving it stronger sensing capabilities.

But at the same time, Kong Shangzhao flew backward, his speed even faster than Li Yan's.

Li Yan immediately stopped and made a gesture behind his back.

Boom!

Sha Lifei didn't hesitate, raising his gun to attack.

This was their team's secret signal, meaning fire support.

The roar of gunfire erupted, lead bullets tearing through the air, aimed straight at Kong Shangzhao's chest.

But when the smoke cleared, everyone's pupils constricted.

A large hole had been blown through the roof of the inn in the distance, tiles and bricks scattering everywhere.

At this distance, the firearm should have been a guaranteed hit, but before the sound of the shot had even faded, Kong Shangzhao's black robes suddenly rippled like water—the lead bullets propelled by the gunpowder had passed straight through his body, shattering the roof behind him, while only the hem of his robe had been stirred by the wind.

"How is that possible?"

Sha Lifei swallowed hard, his face full of disbelief.

Since the appearance of new-style firearms, they had been invincible, changing the landscape of the martial world.

No matter how good your skills were, if you were surrounded by a dozen firearms, you had to temporarily avoid their edge.

Some lamented that the emergence of firearms might signal the decline of the martial world.

The Commandant's Office had even specifically established a firearm squad, practicing formations to deal with Grandmasters.

This was the first time they had seen someone ignore firearms.

"You thieving coward!"

Sha Lifei didn't believe it, cursed, and prepared to reload.

"Don't waste ammunition."

Wang Daoxuan stopped him in a deep voice.

He possessed the Divine Eye ability, and his vision was a cut above; in that split second, he had captured seven afterimages and said with some uncertainty, "This seems to be some kind of movement technique—seven shifts in an instant, difficult for ordinary people to see."

Only then did everyone remember Kong Shangzhao's background.

The opponent was one of the ten great Grandmasters of the Northern Song, his martial arts already reaching the pinnacle, and he was also an Imperial Tutor.

"It's the 'Yin Script Eight-Legs'!"

Kong Shangzhao had also returned to the post station with Luo Faqing, hiding in the back and exclaiming in shock.

Li Yan really wanted to ask what "Yin Script Eight-Legs" meant, but now was clearly not the time.

On the street in the distance, dense footsteps sounded like muffled thunder.

It was the soldiers stationed near the post station arriving upon hearing the news, their torches forming a winding dragon of fire in the night.

"Over there!"

A sharp-eyed soldier shouted, his torch pointing directly at the flickering figure on the roof.

In the critical area of the capital, the sudden sound of gunfire caused the soldiers to immediately enter combat mode.

They couldn't care about any orders to capture alive and raised their firearms to aim.

Bang, bang, bang!

A series of deafening gunshots pierced the night sky, lead bullets pouring out like raindrops.

The tiles on the roof exploded in the hail of bullets, debris scattering.

Kong Shangzhao's figure was like a ghost, flashing and shifting through the hail of bullets.

Seeing reinforcements pouring in from all directions, he snorted coldly and turned to flee.

A cold light flashed in Li Yan's eyes as he pushed off with his feet, pursuing relentlessly.

However, as Kong Shangzhao opened and closed the folding fan in his hand, it produced a strange rhythm.

The Qi of Gang and Sha stirred up a wild wind; with every flick, his figure became increasingly elusive, as if he had merged with the night.

With two whooshing sounds, the green figure disappeared at the end of the alley, leaving Li Yan standing in place, his fists clenched until they creaked.

"Damn it!" Li Yan spat fiercely.

This was the first time he had been completely suppressed in terms of movement technique.

Even Cheng Jianxian, famous for his light-body technique, probably didn't have this kind of speed.

At this moment, a large troop of soldiers had surrounded the street.

The officer in the lead saw the waist token Luo Faqing held up and immediately knelt on one knee:

"Subordinate Yuan Cheng, Commandant of the West City Military Office, pays respects to you, my lord."

Luo Faqing's expression was solemn as he gestured: "Commandant Yuan, please rise. You've come at the right time. Immediately take these rebels into custody, and at the same time, dispatch troops to follow me in wiping out the Iron Anchor Society's lair."

"This..." Yuan Cheng's face showed difficulty, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, "The Iron Anchor Society has deep ties behind it; this subordinate fears..."

"I hold an Imperial-bestowed token; this case was personally approved by His Majesty!" Luo Faqing shouted sternly, "Whoever dares to obstruct will be treated as a conspirator!"

"Understood!"

Yuan Cheng dared not hesitate any longer, turned around, and shouted orders: "All troops, listen! Follow me!"

The heavily wounded members of the Iron Anchor Society were bound tightly and dragged away.

Li Yan looked at the direction where Kong Shangzhao had disappeared, cold light flickering in his eyes: "Let's go, let's go together and meet this bunch of scum!"

Having finally found a lead, he naturally couldn't be negligent.

As Luo Faqing issued order after order, the elites of the Commandant's Office and the experts of the Law Enforcement Hall arrived one after another.

The East City Military Office also received the urgent report and had already surrounded the Iron Anchor Society's incense hall tightly.

Torches illuminated the night sky, and warhorses snorted uneasily.

Inside the warehouse, the members were pale, none daring to take even half a step out.

Although their warehouse had been modified into a fortress, it could only defend against people from the martial world.

With government troops mobilized and carrying a large number of firearms, resistance clearly meant a dead end.

Finally, the man with the gold-capped teeth walked out trembling, his face full of fawning smiles: "Officers, I don't know what law we have broken..."

"You dog! Do you still recognize your grandfather?"

Zhang Tiankui leaned on his long saber, limping out of the crowd, smiling with particular ferocity.

"The sky has fallen—brothers, grab your weapons, show your steel, and pull your red! Set up the incense hall before the King of Hell's palace; if you're a brother, hand over the life-and-death note!"

The gold-toothed man's expression changed abruptly, and he shouted as he tried to flee.

Zhang Tiankui had kidnapped people and escaped, and the experts in the society had all gone to hunt them down; Kong Shangzhao was too lazy to remind them.

Therefore, only now did he realize the matter had been exposed.

These martial world underworld slangs were the signal that there was no turning back, a fight to the death. Unfortunately, he had only taken two steps before he was entangled by an iron chain thrown by an expert from the Commandant's Office, dragged into the formation like a dead dog, and bound tightly.

Clatter!

At the same time, the doors and windows at the top of the warehouse were all smashed open, and dozens of dark gun barrels poked out.

In an instant, the sound of gunfire was like thunder, and smoke filled the air.

This incense hall of the "Iron Anchor Society" had long since become a den of thieves; even if they didn't know Wang She's secret dealings, they had done plenty of kidnapping children and robbing as fake water bandits in their daily lives. Seeing disaster imminent, the members fought like cornered beasts.

However, the ordinary firearms in their hands were no match for the twenty-plus divine fire guns of the Commandant's Office.

After a round of volley fire, basin-sized holes were blown into the thick brick walls of the warehouse, and the load-bearing wooden beams were shattered.

The entire building was tottering, as if it would collapse at any moment.

Some desperate criminals tried to break out, only to have their legs broken by lead bullets or be dragged back by iron hooks and chains and tied up like rice dumplings.

In less than half an incense stick of time, this den of thieves that had been entrenched for many years was pulled up by the roots.

"My lord, we have a discovery!" a searching bailiff suddenly exclaimed.

Everyone followed the sound and rushed over, only to see a dozen young boys and girls curled up in cargo boxes, all pale and already suffocated to death.

"Beasts!" Luo Faqing's eyes were splitting with rage, and he shouted sternly: "Take them all back to the prison; we must get to the bottom of this tonight! Also, immediately summon Luo Gongsheng of the Iron Anchor Society to see me!"

Order after order was issued like thunder, destined to make this another sleepless night.

But Li Yan and the others couldn't hide their disappointment.

Apart from these kidnapped children, they still hadn't found any trace of the Jianmu organization...

…………

In the back hall of the "Rouyuan Post Station," candlelight flickered, reflecting the solemn faces of everyone.

Kong Shangzhao gently stroked the teacup on the table and said in a deep voice: "As you all know, the primary focus of our Confucian sect's method is to cultivate the vast and righteous Qi. Whether practicing martial arts or performing sacrificial rituals, everything is based on a righteous heart. Although Kong Shangzhao was born into the Kong school, he has already fallen into an evil path."

He rubbed his temples and continued: "This person was once one of the ten great Grandmasters of the Northern Song, and even more, an Imperial Tutor. The records of the Qufu Kong family state that he later snuck into the ancestral temple and burned many classics, leaving only a few fragments recording his evil methods."

"He inverted the path of Zhu Xi's 'preserve heavenly principles, extinguish human desires' and created the evil art of 'planting human desires to erode heavenly principles.' Based on the eight sufferings of human life, he twisted the righteous path of Confucianism into an evil one; this is the 'Yin Script Eight-Legs'."

"The one just now was called the 'Funeral Pace,' stepping on the Nine Palaces using funeral directions, confusing opponents with the three changes of 'starting the funeral, guiding the soul, and burial.' He was famous for his superb movement technique in the past."

Li Yan's brow furrowed tightly: "Does he have any weaknesses?"

Kong Shangzhao shook his head: "The weaknesses are unclear. However... since he uses evil thoughts to drive his martial arts, perhaps the Confucian sect's vast and righteous Qi can break it."

Wang Daoxuan's expression was solemn, "This demon is not easy to deal with. Is the Grandmaster that Wu Lao Tou mentioned who ambushed the Living Yin Messenger him?"

"Hard to say."

Li Yan's brow furrowed slightly, "The Living Yin Messengers were robbed after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Kong Shangzhao had been active in Cangzhou before that, plotting for the Jizhou Tripod. The timing doesn't quite match, but it cannot be ruled out."

"There is one more thing." Kong Shangzhao suddenly lowered his voice, "Kong Shangzhao is not only proficient in Confucian studies but also skilled in Feng Shui construction. In the past, many temples and monasteries invited him to preside over their construction."

Everyone naturally knew about this.

The main hall of the Shangqing Palace on Mount Mangshan had been tampered with by this person.

Just as they were talking, Long Yaner walked over, wiping her hands, "That young man has woken up."

Everyone hurriedly stood up and went to the adjacent side room.

Inside the room, "Son of a Bitch" had already been bandaged and covered with herbal medicine.

Long Yaner's medical skills far surpassed Wang Daoxuan's, and she had now become the physician for the Twelve Yuan Chen.

"Son of a Bitch" only had external injuries, which naturally couldn't stump her.

Looking at Li Yan's face, "Son of a Bitch" let out a sigh of relief while crying again, "They killed Old Man Crooked Mouth. I looked for you everywhere in the city but couldn't find you, so I went to find Wu Lao Tou, but as soon as I got there, I was caught by people from the Iron Anchor Society."

"They beat me, wanting to know Wu Lao Tou's whereabouts."

Listening to his account, Li Yan understood the cause and effect and sighed slightly, saying: "This matter was my lack of consideration. I didn't expect them to have so many eyes and ears in the city. Don't worry, I will have Old Man Crooked Mouth buried properly, and when this matter is settled, I will find you a job."

The dead cannot be resurrected; this was all he could do.

"Son of a Bitch" nodded, his spirit exhausted and his heavy injuries not yet healed, and he fell into a deep sleep again...

…………

After a busy night, by noon the next day, Luo Faqing came to the Rouyuan Post Station again.

"The confessions have all been obtained."

He handed a few pages of paper to Li Yan and said in a deep voice: "Those members were all fools who helped the tyrant, only knowing that Wang She gave them a lot of pocket money; they knew very little about the Jianmu organization..."

"That gold-toothed thug was specifically responsible for dirty work in the 'Iron Anchor Society.' According to his confession, he was instructed by Wang She to secretly kidnap young boys and girls. We had been looking in the wrong direction before, keeping our eyes on the Westbound Beggar Sect..."

"The leader of the 'Iron Anchor Society' came to find me; they didn't know about Wang She's affairs and are currently sending people to search the whole city."

Li Yan said coldly: "Can a single word of negligence easily brush this matter aside?"

Luo Faqing hesitated for a moment and shook his head: "This is all I can do."

"Luo Gongsheng of the 'Iron Anchor Society' is a man of Prince Yan, Xiao Jinglie, and he is also a disciple of Huo Yin of the Shenquan Society. Even if we report this to the Emperor, it might not make the entire 'Iron Anchor Society' pay the price; instead, it would provoke enemies."

Saying this, he sighed, "This is the capital, where things are constrained everywhere. Our main business is important; don't touch those people."

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Yan understood instantly.

Because the Emperor hadn't established an heir for many years, the Imperial Princes were also fighting fiercely.

This year, because of health reasons, a Crown Prince was finally established.

But that Crown Prince was said to have a cowardly and pedantic personality, not favored by the Emperor.

So the struggle for the throne probably hadn't been settled yet.

They weren't involved in the court, so there was naturally no need to provoke such things.

After giving some instructions, Luo Faqing left in a hurry.

The affairs of the Prince of England's mansion hadn't ended, and now the "Iron Anchor Society" had created this situation.

Although the harvest was not small, it had to be said that since Li Yan entered the capital, Luo Faqing had been so busy he hadn't had a moment's rest, not sleeping soundly for days and nights.

After he left, everyone looked at each other in silence.

"Forget it."

Sha Lifei shook his head: "This capital is really troublesome; you can't do anything, and investigating a case requires worrying about this and that. Anyway, the imperial court has already dispatched experts; why don't we just stop worrying about it and let them worry about it themselves."

"You say it lightly."

The reticent Lu San suddenly spoke, "We can't avoid this matter. Do you know why Kong Shangzhao appeared last night? I've figured out the reason."

"The Jianmu demons we encountered, whether it was Lu Sheng or that Ghost Emperor of Northern Mang, all had the 'Earth Official Amnesty Treasure Proclamation'."

"I suspect he intended to lure Li Yan away last night, then use the 'Earth Official Amnesty Treasure Proclamation' to drive away the Yin Office troops. With his skills, Li Yan would fall into danger, and that Zhao Qingxu might be hiding nearby."

"Once Li Yan is gone, who can stop this demon?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

If it were really as Lu San guessed, then someone among them would probably have died last night.

Li Yan placed the intelligence on the table and said in a deep voice: "San is right; we must strike first."

"I'll go out first; you all stay in the post station and don't run around."

After saying this, he stood up and walked out.

Today was another sunny day, and the midday sun was even a bit blinding.

Li Yan took out a waist token from his bosom and checked it carefully.

This was the token given by the "Jin Yanmen."

Perhaps this powerful intelligence organization could help him find the whereabouts of Kong Shangzhao and Zhao Qingxu...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 692 =====