Chapter 86: Wind and Clouds in Menggui City

The reason Lu Xingzhou didn't go out was simple: he was waiting for Huo Lu.

Yang Dechang’s information was just one sentence, and Lu Xingzhou couldn't know why Huo Lu was coming to Menggui City from it.

And he waited for the Alchemy Department’s official letter before going out, clearly arriving a few days later than Huo Lu’s scheduled arrival time, but he flew all the way and arrived first.

Lu Xingzhou didn't want to find local Yama Palace assassins to work every time he went to a place, so he simply sent the Fifth-Grade assassin from Dongjiang who came to report Pei Chuyun’s information to him first, letting him go to contact the Yama Palace people here to understand the relevant intelligence about Huo Lu.

It was also only at this time that he properly asked for the person’s name; this assassin was called Ying Shuang.

He needed to wait for Ying Shuang’s investigation news. Before all information was unknown, Lu Xingzhou had never acted rashly.

If Pei Chuyun knew this truth, I’m afraid she wouldn't have been blindly eaten so many times.

Pei Chuyun had been watching for three days and really didn't want to watch anymore. This place was not like the broken place of Xiazhou; there were many things in the prosperous big city that she wanted to visit, so what was the point of squatting here... But she had already watched for three days, the sunk cost was too high, and Pei Chuyun couldn't bear it.

Just bored, she suddenly saw a person in a black robe ringing the bell outside Lu Xingzhou’s cave dwelling.

Pei Chuyun’s spirit was lifted, and she saw the cave dwelling open a crack, the black-robed man slipped in, and the cave dwelling closed again.

Pei Chuyun: "..."

She decided that if this black-robed man didn't come out after another three days, she would blow up the inn.

"My lord, the situation is not complicated." Ying Shuang drank tea, his expression relaxed and smiling: "Similar to our Dongjiang side, it’s also a matter of a Prefecture Assistant..."

Lu Xingzhou waved his hand: "Don't, Dongjiang is not a matter of a Prefecture Assistant, don't deceive yourself by reading too many reports. What happened to this Menggui Prefecture Assistant?"

"Uh..." Ying Shuang coughed twice and continued: "It’s a wealthy family surnamed Qian in the local area. It is said that they performed demonic acts, killing many infants to make some kind of 'Hundred-Child Soup.' The victim reported it to the prefecture, and the Prefecture Assistant covered it up. Not only was the Qian family fine, but several victim families were ruined."

Lu Xingzhou pursed his lips: "And then?"

It was no wonder Ying Shuang’s expression was relaxed. Although the Yama Palace didn't do such things itself, it belonged to the demonic path, and they had seen more vicious things.

To put it bluntly, most people who play with the Ten Thousand Soul Banner are more vicious than this. Lu Xingzhou is an exception... However, in the eyes of outsiders, since Lu Xingzhou plays with the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, he is one of the synonyms for viciousness.

Ying Shuang continued: "Originally, the case was suppressed, and it was calm. Only a commander surnamed Jing in the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division investigated desperately... In the end, he hit walls everywhere and couldn't investigate further. The Demon Suppression Division claims not to be subordinate to the local area, but in reality, the net of human relationships, no one can escape... He is ultimately not Sheng Yuanyao, and doesn't have a good father."

Lu Xingzhou said: "So he was also killed?"

"That’s not it. This person is quite tough. Since he couldn't investigate officially, he simply resigned. On the night of the New Year’s Eve, he killed the Qian family up and down cleanly, and finally took a knife to the Prefecture Assistant’s house, cut off his head, hung it on the city gate, and left. He said that he joined the Demon Suppression Division to seek justice, and since he couldn't seek it in the division, he just went out to seek it himself..."

Lu Xingzhou gave a thumbs up: "He’s a man. What does this have to do with Huo Lu? Could it be that the people on the Prefecture Assistant’s line are also from the Huo family?"

"Whether it’s from the Huo family is unclear, but Huo Lu has his eye on the vacant Prefecture Assistant position, and he is here to fill the vacancy."

"Before, even the Prefecture Governor position in Dongjiang was vacant, and he didn't like it?"

"How can a poor place like Dongjiang compare to a prosperous big city like Menggui City? Besides, Menggui City is halfway closer to the capital." Ying Shuang’s smile had a deep meaning: "Besides, Huo Yu died in Xiazhou, and on the surface, everyone says it was killed by demons. Does the Huo family really have no suspicion that it was you, my lord? How could Huo Lu run under your nose..."

Lu Xingzhou sneered, his meaning unclear.

After a long while, he asked: "Where is Huo Lu now?"

"He should arrive in two or three days." Ying Shuang lowered his voice: "My lord, if you want to plot against Huo Lu, you must do it before he takes the Prefecture Assistant position. Once he officially fills the Prefecture Assistant position, it will be the murder of a court official, and the nature will be different..."

"Hmm... how much power did he bring?"

"Huo Lu is here to be an official, so he won't bring too many people. He himself is only at the mid-stage of the Fifth Grade, and his personal guard is roughly the same as Huo Yu’s, all ordinary guards of the lower three grades, but there should be protectors above the Third Grade."

"Third Grade..." Lu Xingzhou tapped the armrest and fell into deep thought.

Ying Shuang made a cutting gesture: "Should we simply contact our top assassins of the Yama Palace and just perform an assassination and beheading?"

Lu Xingzhou shook his head: "This kind of assassination and revenge is not what I want... Otherwise, when I asked sister... asked the Yama King to help me kill a few people back then, she would have been willing, but I didn't do that."

"My lord wants to kill him with your own hands?"

"Yes, I want to break their pride with my own hands, watch them fall into the abyss step by step, and struggle in fear." Lu Xingzhou sighed: "If I want to do these things, I have to drag the Yama Palace to accompany me to lay out the plan slowly. This matter is that I didn't trouble the Yama King, and I thought about doing it myself after leaving."

Ying Shuang stopped talking.

Lu Xingzhou pondered for a moment and suddenly asked: "The Qian family who performed demonic acts before, and was killed by Commander Jing... who is the demonic cultivator behind it? Has it been dealt with?"

Ying Shuang was stunned: "This should not have been investigated. It was suppressed and couldn't be investigated. Commander Jing might not even know, and in the end, he could only kill the Qian family and that was it. Others don't know even more."

"The Prefecture Governor must know. Just relying on a Prefecture Assistant to cover the sky with one hand and suppress the Demon Suppression Division commander to the point of helplessness?" Lu Xingzhou sneered: "If the Prefecture Governor has no major relationship with this matter, just covering it up, that’s fine. If the Prefecture Governor is the real protector, this Great Qian is really rotten to the core."

Ying Shuang hesitated: "My lord doesn't want to manage this, right?"

"It’s not that I want to manage it. I’m thinking, Commander Jing has been in the Demon Suppression Division for so long, he shouldn't be unable to think of this... He hung his head on the city gate and left, it is very likely that he is just making a gesture, maybe he is still investigating the Prefecture Governor in secret. You help me pay attention, if there is a clue about this person, I want to talk to him."

Ying Shuang didn't understand what this had to do with Huo Lu, but still took the order: "Yes. But this should be hard to find..."

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "It’s okay, I will also try to find it."

Ying Shuang was even more confused. You are a newcomer, you have no manpower, how can you find it? But he didn't say anything and soon said goodbye.

Seeing Ying Shuang leave, Lu Xingzhou turned to A-Nuo and smiled: "Not complicated, there is no net waiting for us, we can go out shopping."

A-Nuo jumped up and pushed the wheelchair and ran: "The things here must be delicious!"

Pei Chuyun was in tears, you finally came out...

The embroidered shoes in Lu Xingzhou’s ring moved suddenly, and people were stunned.

No way, little demoness, you really followed here, and squatted for three days?

You say you have this perseverance to do something else... even if you go to a brothel to be a Bodhisattva, you would be financially free by now...

"Master, Master, I want to eat this!"

Lu Xingzhou turned his head to look, but it was a malt sugar stall, using sugar to pour patterns like the twelve zodiac signs, strung on a sign, and a bunch of children were watching. A-Nuo was also staring intently: "I want that pig."

So the sales of dragons and phoenixes are not as good as pigs; cuteness is the killer skill.

Lu Xingzhou smiled, accompanied A-Nuo, who was looking forward to it, in line, and bought three pigs.

A-Nuo stuffed the pig into her mouth and looked at Master strangely: "Why buy three?"

"Keep one as a souvenir." Lu Xingzhou smiled and pinched her face: "Go, let’s see something else."

In fact, even the second one Lu Xingzhou didn't eat. Seeing that A-Nuo had finished hers, he handed his to her.

A-Nuo smiled so much that her eyes couldn't be seen.

Pei Chuyun followed behind, looking at A-Nuo’s round, smiling face, silent and not knowing what she was thinking.

That pig was stuffed into her mouth, and her face was deformed...

A-Nuo was not very interested in toys, only looking at food along the way, often leaving Lu Xingzhou’s wheelchair and squatting by the stall to wait. Pei Chuyun had many opportunities to sneak attack Lu Xingzhou, but for some reason, she didn't do anything while following.

Lu Xingzhou basically didn't do anything either, just smiled and watched the child play. The doting in his eyes made Pei Chuyun very puzzled.

Isn't he a vicious demonic path senior...

How many people has the Yama Palace killed over the years... He also plays with the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.

Even the Ghost Boy doesn't look like a ghost now. It seems that as long as she is with her master, the ghost becomes a human.

Following silently all the way, she found that the master and disciple seemed to have a clear destination, and after walking, they arrived at a large mansion.

White banners were faintly floating in the mansion, and pedestrians passed by in a hurry, all looking very unlucky.

Lu Xingzhou asked a passerby casually: "May I ask if this is the Qian family?"

The passerby spat: "Looking for the Qian family? Don't look for them, they are all dead."

This attitude... I’m afraid the Qian family’s broken business of making Hundred-Child Soup is known to everyone, but Commander Jing was still forced to make such an extreme move. Lu Xingzhou shook his head: "I’m not looking for the Qian family, just come to see... is there anyone inside?"

"Don't know, maybe there are people from the Demon Suppression Division inside." The passerby didn't want to say more and left in a hurry.

Lu Xingzhou pondered for a moment and pushed the door open directly.

There was no one inside, countless coffins were piled up in the courtyard, white banners were everywhere, looking very creepy.

It is estimated that the government just collected the corpses and no one had the heart to help them keep the vigil.

Lu Xingzhou took out the Soul Banner to test it, all the corpses’ souls were destroyed, and there was no soul to collect. He shook his head with some regret, arrived in front of the first coffin, and lifted it casually.

Inside lay a fat man whose body was black, his neck had been cut, and the black demonic power traces on the corpse were still very obvious.

"This demonic power..." Lu Xingzhou checked for a while and shook his head slightly.

If the demonic power involved body tempering, his medical skills could roughly analyze what kind of technique was practiced from the corpse’s physique, so as to trace the source. If it was just Qi refining, the corpse gas would dissipate, and it would be very difficult to judge.

It’s a pity that this corpse is Qi refining, and the muscles are looser than his Lu Xingzhou’s.

Lu Xingzhou thought for a while and suddenly said: "Black Flame."

The Soul Banner made a sound: "Master."

"Can you perceive the situation of the residual souls here? If I set up the Nine Yin Cave Underworld Formation, can I briefly gather a little Yin soul spiritual light?"

Black Flame said: "Not too easy... Master, are you overestimating the ability of your own Soul Banner? This banner ultimately only has a thousand souls..."

Lu Xingzhou: "...Yes, I overestimated your ability."

Black Flame didn't speak, as if he just remembered that he was the main soul of the Soul Banner, and the waste of the Soul Banner meant that he was a waste. But why do other masters’ Soul Banners have ten thousand souls, so it’s still the master’s problem.

A-Nuo said: "Master, do you really want to manage this?"

"At least I have to have a count in my heart... Huo Lu will come to take over this stall, it should mean that he knows the inside story, otherwise, according to their nature of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, how could they come to wade in this muddy water? So if the demonic cultivator behind this and Huo Lu are united, it will make our things more difficult to do." Lu Xingzhou said coldly: "In addition, those who kill infants can no longer be counted as people, and they should die early."

On the roof in the distance, Pei Chuyun stood quietly on a high place looking out, her lips tightly pursed.

She might know who the other party is.

Not everyone in the same path has dealt with each other, and everyone’s intersection is different. Lu Xingzhou has never seen the other party, but she might know him.

But what does this have to do with her... If it’s really an acquaintance, shouldn't it be to cooperate to kill Lu Xingzhou together?

A-Nuo suddenly realized: "Master didn't go out to block Huo Lu, is it because this person might have already been with Huo Lu?"

Lu Xingzhou sighed helplessly: "Little fool, Huo Lu has a Third-Grade protector by his side, what am I blocking? Investigating this case is to unite with Commander Jing. That is a man worth making friends with... If I can solve this case for him, he can naturally help us a few points."

"Is that so?" A cold voice came from the mansion: "But I don't believe you."

Lu Xingzhou smiled brightly and "thumped" to take out a jar of wine, directly placing it on the coffin: "I invite you to drink, can you believe a few points?"

A big man carrying a long knife strode out of the mansion, his tiger eyes like electricity, staring tightly at Lu Xingzhou.

Lu Xingzhou set up a big bowl on the coffin as if nothing had happened, patted open the wine jar and poured wine: "This is my own spirit spring self-brewed, so far only given to one teacher, he should not have drunk it yet, this first time treating guests is handed over to Commander Jing, it is not in vain for this wine."

Pei Chuyun was expressionless.

No, I have drunk it.

That Commander Jing’s expression was also a bit strange, strode over, and sat on another coffin: "You... are evil. In front of so many coffins and corpses, drinking without changing your face... You say who can believe you are a good person?"

Pei Chuyun nodded vigorously.

Lu Xingzhou smiled freely: "You slaughtered the Qian family, killed the official and cut off the head and hung it on the city gate, wanted by the court, not tolerated by the world. But I believe you are a good person, what can I do?"

While speaking, pouring wine without stopping, after finishing a sentence, a bowl of wine was just filled.

Lu Xingzhou flicked his hand, and the wine bowl floated in front of Commander Jing: "Please."

Commander Jing took it, checked it secretly, found no poison, but was still a bit cautious and didn't drink it for the time being: "What is your name?"

Lu Xingzhou continued to add wine to himself: "Profound Heaven Sect, Alchemist Lu Xingzhou."