Chapter 757: Cutting the Gordian Knot

Three cockcrows, the night fog dissipated.

Just as the sky was showing a fish-belly white, heavy footsteps sounded on the bluestone street of Tai'an City.

Li Yan led the way, wrapped in the cold and murderous aura of the morning, pressing his hand on the hilt of his blade as he walked in front.

Behind him were Lin Yaozong, Zhao Bingzhong, and Zhou Xian, who were tied up like zongzi.

The three wealthy merchants and officials who were still behind-the-scenes masterminds yesterday were now ashen-faced, with hemp balls stuffed in their mouths, only able to make vague 'he-he' sounds, being pulled forward by Sha Lifei, Fatty Lin, and others with ox-tendon ropes, stumbling step by step.

What was even more heart-wrenching was in the middle of the team.

Ninety boys and girls who had been rescued, the oldest being just over ten years old, and the youngest only five or six, were like frightened little lambs, wearing tattered single clothes, huddled in the middle of the team, carefully protected by Kong Shangzhao, Lu San, and the others.

The children's little faces were dirty, and the fear from last night still lingered in their eyes. Shivering in the morning wind.

This movement was like cold water dripping into a pot of boiling oil.

Clang!

The old man selling hot and sour soup at the street corner dropped the long-handled copper spoon into the soup pot, his turbid old eyes staring round, "Good heavens! Isn't that Master Zhou from the yamen? How come he's tied up!"

"The government soldiers are actually with Master Zhao and the others... This is, committing a crime?"

An incense pilgrim who got up early and was preparing to go to the Dai Temple to take a look, his footsteps stopped abruptly, carrying a basket full of yellow paper.

"Look at those dolls!"

"This... these are the dolls abducted!"

"Damn kidnappers!"

An unknown fierce man from central Shandong roared, and suddenly picked up the carrying pole leaning against the shop door.

Sha Lifei laughed, stepped forward to explain the reason.

This immediately attracted more people.

"Worse than beasts! Kidnapping dolls to fill evil methods!"

"May you die without a burial place! You bastards! Why didn't the Mountain God take you!"

"I recognize that one, he's from the government!"

"Let's go, ask them for an explanation!"

The accumulated emotions were ignited instantly, and the crowd was surging.

Pilgrims, stall owners, travelers, the market people who were originally just watching the fun, now had the anger in their chests completely ignited.

The crowd was like a flood opening the gate, wrapped in gnashing curses and angry waves of sound, tightly following Li Yan and their team, surging toward the direction of the Prefectural Yamen.

With such a big movement, the people in the yamen naturally received the news long ago.

By the time the pair of stone lions in front of the yamen gate came into view, the atmosphere was already tense, and the killing intent was permeating.

Only to see below the steps, rows of soldiers in black uniforms had already formed a strict human wall as if facing a great enemy.

They didn't use blades, sticks, or clubs, but a row of new-style rapid-fire guns with cold black light and bright springs!

The pitch-black muzzles, carrying bone-chilling cold, were firmly pointed at the angry crowd surging over!

Tai'an Prefect Cheng Yong's face was livid, standing in front of the vermilion gate, his official robe blowing in the wind.

Beside him, the burly Commandant of the Guard, wearing iron armor, roared at the crowd with a 'clang' as he drew his shining saber, his voice like a bell: "Rebellion! It's rebellion! You mobsters dare to hold officials hostage and attack the important place of the yamen!"

"Anyone who gets closer will be killed without mercy! Give me—aim!"

The latter sentence was roared at the soldiers, carrying sufficient viciousness and ferocity.

Clatter, clatter!

The sound of gun bolts being pulled echoed into a piece.

Like a snake spitting its tongue, the cold breath of death instantly locked onto the people rushing at the front.

The wave of curses from the crowd stalled suddenly, as if their necks had been forcibly pinched by the pitch-black muzzles.

Several men rushing at the front saw the angry flush on their faces fade, swallowed, and couldn't help but retreat.

Impulsiveness is impulsiveness, but when facing life and death, the common people still have to consider a lot.

Li Yan's gaze suddenly turned cold, and he stepped forward, pressing his hand on his blade.

No matter what his status was, it couldn't change his identity as a person in the martial world. Some things couldn't be crossed, even a Grandmaster had to be careful, so as not to violate the taboos of the imperial court and bring unnecessary trouble.

However, the situation on Taishan was urgent.

On the Dai Peak, the sects were plotting against each other, all intending to covet the Prefect position.

After all, supporting their own ancestor to the top might mean rising in one leap and becoming a pivotal force in the Mystic Sect.

The Earth Immortals lurking on Taishan also had ideas.

There were also unknown evil sacrifices in Tai'an City, and the Eastern Japanese were also involved.

And behind this, there was the layout of the Jianmu demons.

The situation was chaotic, and Li Yan had no time to investigate carefully, so he could only cut the Gordian knot.

The biggest problem now was that the government was not acting, and someone was involved, so he simply hijacked public opinion to paralyze the government first.

When leaving the city last night, God-Catcher Bai Laojiu had already rushed to the post station to send a pigeon message.

I think the officials of Jinan Prefecture are already on the way.

By then, they can just take over Tai'an City and then use the imperial court's status to suppress the sects on Taishan.

To put it bluntly, this is a stick, tiger, and chicken method.

Layouts were made according to the weaknesses of different forces.

But what he didn't expect was that this group of scoundrels wearing official skins still wouldn't shed tears until they saw the coffin.

Li Yan couldn't let them slaughter the common people in the street.

There was no choice but to take a heavy hand and scatter the government soldiers first.

His fingertips drooped slightly, flicking lightly on the Yuan Chen flower money hanging at his waist.

On the roof in the distance, Sha Lifei also poked his head out and set up a fire gun, Wu Ba picked up the loaded Tiger-Crouching Cannon, and Lu San blew a soft whistle, and the swarm of poisonous bees in the large gourd at his waist rose like black smoke.

Not to mention, there was Long Yan'er's insect swarm.

Facing these ordinary garrison troops, they had enough ability to suppress them!

"Audacious, what do you want to do!"

There were experts in the Commandant's Office with extraordinary vision, and they immediately found something wrong.

The tied-up Commandant Zhao Bingzhong also used his tongue to push away the broken rag in his mouth and shouted hoarsely: "Hurry up and do it, kill them, these are all traitors..."

Before he finished speaking, his mouth full of teeth was smashed by Kuai Dayou with a slap.

Just at this critical moment, the sound of horse hooves sounded from behind.

"Move! Everyone move

At the end of the official road, two fast horses, like arrows released from a bow, crashed through the sluggish crowd, the sound of their hooves rolling like thunder from afar to near.

In the lead was a scholar of about forty, dressed in a clean, plain blue cloth robe.

His face was lean, his eyes contained a sharp inner light, and as he galloped, his posture on the horse was as steady as a rock, revealing the demeanor of an expert.

Judging by his attire, he was indeed a Master from the Mingde Academy.

With one hand controlling the reins and the other holding high a scroll of letters tied with bright yellow silk, his clear and impassioned voice rang out:

"The hand-written decree of Master Lu Hongyuan, Head of Mingde Academy, is here! Do not act rashly with weapons!!"

That bright yellow silk fluttered wildly in the morning breeze.

Before his voice had even faded, on the other horse riding abreast with him, a dignified official in green robes, dressed in brocade, also shook the four directions with his voice, holding high a palm-sized token that flowed with a pure golden luster in the morning light.

On the front of the token was an engraved "De" character, surrounded by coiled dragon patterns, majestic and awe-inspiring.

"The Imperial Decree of Prince De! Order the Tai'an Commandant Office to immediately—disarm!!!"

These two shouts were like two heavy hammers, smashing fiercely into the hearts of those soldiers.

The Commandant of the Tai'an Garrison, who had been holding his sword high, froze in mid-air.

The Prefect's livid face instantly drained of all color, turning as gray and white as paper.

The soldiers of the Commandant Office, who had formed a formation below the steps, were even more shaken to the core.

The Prince's token!

The hand-written decree of the Mingde Head!