Chapter 755: Shadow of the Jianmu

"Let's go, let's meet up with them first."

Seeing that there were many people around the other party, Li Yan and Wang Fu were more concerned about the safety of others, so they didn't bother anymore and quickly flashed into the abandoned old courtyard at the end of the alley.

In the alley outside, it was full of Lu San's rat eyes and ears.

Therefore, before they even got close, the gate had already opened.

"Master Li! Daoist! You've finally returned!"

Sha Lifei was the first to greet them, his face full of tension, "It's not peaceful in the city. Is everything okay on the mountain?"

"Let's go inside and talk."

Li Yan scanned them, confirmed that everyone was basically unharmed, nodded slightly, and after entering the door, recounted what happened.

"The Jade Emperor Temple was attacked. The opponent is an Earth Immortal named Shi Xuanming, whose strength is formidable, trying to seize authority while the Taishan Prefect is rotating. Jade Emperor Temple Master Xuansanzi appeared but failed to take him down. It is suspected that two other Earth Immortals also participated..."

"Taishan Prefect rotation?!"

Kuai Dayou gasped, "Good heavens, this is a big deal! No wonder there is haunting and sealing of the mountain. This water is deep!"

Sha Lifei and the others were also shocked, not expecting it to involve such a big matter.

Everyone's gaze unconsciously looked toward Li Yan.

Taishan is a channel between Yin and Yang. Li Yan, as a Living Yin Messenger, must be closely connected to this.

However, Fatty Lin beside him was absent-minded, his face exceptionally ugly.

"Fatty?"

Sha Lifei noticed his abnormality and asked, "What's wrong with you? Scared silly?"

Fatty Lin suddenly raised his head, looked at Li Yan and Wang Fu, and said tremblingly: "Dao... Daoist, when you were coming back on the road just now, you said... you saw my clan uncle? Sitting in a blue cloth sedan chair? Just not far from here?"

"Correct."

Wang Fu nodded affirmatively, "That blue cloth sedan chair, with strong servants guarding it, passed by in a hurry. A strong wind happened to lift a corner of the sedan curtain, and I saw it clearly; it was indeed your clan uncle who is stationed in the capital. I've seen him a few times before."

Slap!

Fatty Lin sat on the chair, feeling his mind blank, and the last trace of luck was also shattered.

He said dejectedly: "How could he be here?"

"He... absolutely shouldn't have appeared in Jinan Prefecture, let alone Tai'an!"

Under the gaze of everyone's suspicion and confusion, Fatty Lin steadied his mind, gritted his teeth and said: "I won't hide it from you all. My family's fleet was looted by Japanese pirates, and the losses were heavy. Everyone knows this more or less."

"But there is another story to this! My family has been sailing for generations, our news is well-informed, and the routes are highly confidential. The batch of goods looted was no small matter, so it was kept even more secret. After the incident, the whole family investigated thoroughly, but discovered..."

He took a deep breath, his nails almost pinching into his flesh, "Discovered... the key information such as the fleet's departure time, route, and strength of the escort ships was extremely likely leaked to that group of Japanese pirates in advance!"

"The action was too precise, too targeted!"

Fatty Lin's voice became increasingly low, filled with suppressed anger and pain: "The family has always suspected... suspected there was a mole! But this person's status is not low, and their actions are extremely secretive. All clues were broken, and until now, there is no conclusive evidence, making it a cold case."

"It was this disastrous defeat that caused my family's vitality to be severely damaged, and rebuilding the treasure ships is also out of reach! I came to look for Bohai Bohai Qiu Mu, also under great pressure, hoping to find a glimmer of survival..."

Saying this, he suddenly looked outside the door, his face gloomy: "My clan uncle Lin Yaozong was in charge of the family's business in the north, including Beijing and Tianjin. According to common sense, he should be presiding over the overall situation in the capital at this moment, or running around to raise funds for reconstruction. How could he run to this Tai'an City?"

"The two of you just saw him in the territory near the Prince De's Mansion and the Yamen, just when we were surrounded by unknown forces! This... I'm afraid it won't be a coincidence..."

Once these words were spoken, everyone in the old house looked at each other.

The contention for the Taishan Prefect divine position was already treacherous, and now it involved a secret family infighting.

Divine position, Earth Immortal, unknown forces, the Lin family... Tai'an City was already facing a storm.

"Young Master Lin, are you talking about the Japanese pirates?"

Just at this moment, the god-catcher Bai Laojiu suddenly spoke.

He frowned and pondered, couldn't help but unload the earth tobacco pipe from his waist and smoke a few puffs. It wasn't until Sha Lifei was already a bit impatient that he opened his mouth: "If I remember correctly, the village of the Laoshan Daoist Xuanwei was also slaughtered by Japanese pirates."

"In these two years, Japanese pirates have been increasingly active in the Divine Land. Could it be that Xuanwei came to Tai'an related to this?"

This statement of his was purely speculation, but it was also a possibility.

"Go and check, and you will know."

Li Yan said in a deep voice: "The three Earth Immortals on Taishan were told that a large number of Living Yin Messengers were killed, so they dared to take action. This matter is very likely related to the Jianmu, and the Jianmu cooperates closely with the Japanese pirates."

"If I'm not mistaken, there are also their arrangements in Tai'an City."

"Dawn is almost here. Tomorrow morning, we'll disguise ourselves and first figure out the situation..."

The morning Tai'an City woke up in the thin mist.

Yesterday's haze had not yet dissipated, and the market's fireworks had already flourished.

Shops along the street set up door panels one by one, stoves sprayed steaming white gas, and the fragrance of oil cakes, meat buns, and porridge mixed with the sandalwood of incense shops, plus the neighing of mules and horses, gathered into the taste of the market.

The incense pilgrims stranded by the mountain sealing gathered in the wine shops and teahouses in the city, discussing anxiously.

But the shouting of the city merchants became increasingly lively:

"Spiritual Taishan Stone Dare-to-Go! Guard the house and keep safe——"

"Newly tied high incense paper horses, accumulate merit before the Yuanjun!"

Sha Lifei wore a wig, his face smeared with ash, pretending to be a down-and-out Jianghu traveler, and squeezed directly into the "Fast Life Forest" gambling den in the city.

The gambling den is the most chaotic place in the city, and it is also a place where news flows.

"Big or small, everyone place your bets!"

"One, two, three, leopard!"

Amidst the steaming sweat and inferior tobacco smell, the dice cup shook with a clatter.

Sha Lifei wore a greasy short jacket, squeezed to the table where dice were played, deliberately lost three hands in a row, then put his hand on the shoulder of a gambler with sunken eye sockets, and laughed casually: "Old brother, your luck is bad. I heard a batch of fat sheep came to the city; didn't you think about getting some capital?"

That gambler lost his eyes red and spat: "Didn't see any fat sheep, but saw bad luck!"

"The day before yesterday, a few black canopy carriages came to the Nanmen, and seven or eight sacks were taken down, looking like children... but the city guards didn't even check and let them pass!"

He lowered his voice, "What's strange is that the carriages evaporated into thin air after entering the city. I asked the old dog at the labor agency, and he said this is the third wave..."

Sha Lifei's pupils shrank, and he threw a piece of broken silver: "Which Nanmen?"

The gambler originally regretted talking too much, but after seeing the silver, he immediately took it, bit it hard, and then whispered: "Which other one? The one where Guard Liu Lame is on duty!"

"Don't go out and talk too much, those people are not to be trifled with."

"That's right, old brother is right..."

Those who went out to explore news were mainly Li Yan, Sha Lifei, and Kuai Dayou.

After all, all three were old oil-slickers with rich Jianghu experience, and with a little disguise, they weren't so conspicuous.

Kuai Dayou dressed as a small carpenter from out of town, carrying a small wooden box, wandered to the West City.

Here lived various shops, which could be considered the gathering area for Tai'an City's craftsmen.

Among them, there were quite a few Mystic Sect craftsmen who were good at making magic artifacts.

Kuai Dayou carried his carpenter's box, walked back and forth on the street a few times, and knocked on an old shop with a secret code carved on the plaque.

Seeing the old master polishing the gilded bell, he deliberately shook his head and tutted: "This cloud-thunder pattern is carved too shallow; it can't suppress the Yin energy of the underground palace."

The old master suddenly raised his head: "Expert? Could it be that you also took that batch of urgent work?"

Kuai Dayou was stunned, deliberately avoiding it and laughing: "What you are talking about is..."

"Don't pretend!"

The old master was obviously a bit impatient, "Since you are an expert, I don't know whose rice you eat?"

Kuai Dayou's eyes rolled, and he casually reported the spring code of a Hui-style craftsman sect. ===== CHAPTER 756 =====