Chapter 43: Means (Third update, bonus for 500 recommendation votes)

After returning to the Nanwang Mansion from She Wang's territory, Jin Jiuling's expression was terrifyingly gloomy.

Ever since he was nineteen, Jin Jiuling had felt that those bandits caught by others were all stupid pigs.

The reason he committed major crimes under the identity of the Embroidered Bandit was not only to sweep up massive amounts of wealth, but also because he wanted to create a perfect crime.

The early stages of this case proceeded very smoothly; that Lu Xiaofeng, praised by countless people, was nothing more than a clever pig, obediently walking into the trap he had set, until the appearance of Yu Liancheng.

He did not know why Yu Liancheng had appeared in She Wang's territory, nor did he know if She Wang had revealed any unfavorable information about him before dying.

But Jin Jiuling already felt uneasy.

Yu Liancheng said he would reveal the true face of the Embroidered Bandit in two days; did he already know that he was the Embroidered Bandit, and had he already found the key clues?

Although he prided himself on a flawless plan, he naturally understood that the more precise a plan, the easier it was for flaws to appear. Perhaps an inadvertent action had left behind key evidence.

Jin Jiuling very much wanted to dispatch experts to kill Yu Liancheng directly.

In fact, during his time as the "Number One Divine Catcher under Heaven," he had already collected the leverage of many martial arts experts. As long as he was willing, he could easily ruin these people, make them reviled by countless others, and see their life's work go down the drain.

These people had no choice but to do his bidding.

But Jin Jiuling did not dare.

For one, there were only two days left, and among the experts whose leverage he held, many simply could not arrive in such a short time.

For another, the duel between Yu Liancheng and Ye Gucheng had left a deep impression on him; if such a top-tier expert was determined to escape, it would not be very difficult. Instead, he might have his sent assassins captured, revealing even more flaws.

Jin Jiuling's gaze suddenly turned cold.

Yu Liancheng did not necessarily know that he was the Embroidered Bandit, otherwise he would have already said it out loud.

Furthermore, with his status as the "Number One Divine Catcher of the Six Fan School," no one could touch him without absolute evidence.

Therefore, as long as the loose ends left behind in the Embroidered Bandit case were all cleaned up, everything would naturally be foolproof.

These loose ends were meant to be cleaned up anyway; now it was just happening ahead of schedule.

And this matter could only be done by himself; it must never be entrusted to others.

……

…………

Meng Wei was known by the heroes of the Edo as "Three-Headed Snake," and he was always very vigilant when sleeping.

Once there was the slightest disturbance, he would wake up immediately.

His blade was right under his pillow, ready to be drawn at any moment.

He had to be this vigilant.

Because he was a man of the Six Fan School, one of the Nine Divine Catchers, and his methods were ruthless; he was most skilled at torture and interrogation, and he had offended too many experts in the underworld on a daily basis.

Yet, just as he woke up tonight, a person was already standing at his bedside, looking at him with a pair of sharp and cold eyes.

In an instant, cold sweat seeped from Meng Wei's palms.

He did not move, deliberately making snoring sounds through his nose.

He struck suddenly, wanting to draw the blade from under his pillow.

"It's me." The person suddenly spoke coldly.

Meng Wei let out a long breath: "Boss Jin's joke is truly amusing, yet it nearly scared half my life away."

Jin Jiuling said coldly: "I have an urgent matter for you to do."

As Meng Wei put on his clothes, he said: "Just give your orders; whatever you ask me to do, I will complete it for you even if it costs my life."

"Very good, I want you to..." Jin Jiuling's right palm suddenly moved, striking Meng Wei's chest with the force of a thunderbolt. Meng Wei had no time to react, and this palm struck his chest without any pretense, blood spraying wildly: "Go to hell!"

"You... you..." Meng Wei's eyes stared wide, and he fell backward.

……

…………

Dew condensed on the grass as a white-haired, eagle-nosed man was practicing in the morning.

The weapon he used was a pitch-black whip. In his hands, the whip moved with ease, following his heart and mind, the air cracking and popping as if it were a living venomous snake.

"Although your whip technique is not bad, it has quite a few flaws. If you were to encounter a true expert, you would lose your life in ten moves at most." A person walked out from the thin mist; although he was nearing middle age, he was very handsome and dashing, looking just like a playboy.

"Greetings, Chief Catcher Jin."

"White-Headed Eagle" Lu Shaohua cupped his hands toward the newcomer and said respectfully: "This is my family's ancestral whip technique; although it is a bit lacking, it is enough to use."

His attitude was neither humble nor arrogant; although the visitor was his superior, no one would be very polite if someone insulted the ancestral art they took pride in.

"It seems you don't quite believe it."

Jin Jiuling's palm curled into a claw, sharp Qi bursting from his fingertips as he suddenly grabbed toward Lu Shaohua.

Lu Shaohua's eyes lit up, and the long whip in his hand shook even more urgently, as if the sky and earth were filled with whips.

He knew that Jin Jiuling wanted to test his martial arts, and the two had sparred a long time ago.

Unfortunately, just as Jin Jiuling had said, on Lu Shaohua's sixth move, Jin Jiuling probed with his five fingers, and with a "snap," he broke the whip technique, his fingers stopping at Lu Shaohua's throat.

Lu Shaohua broke into a cold sweat; he had never thought there could be such a flaw in his whip technique: "Thank you for the guidance, Chief Catcher Jin."

"Sometimes, a single flaw is enough to be fatal, and your whip technique has far too many."

Jin Jiuling's fingers probed forward, already grabbing Lu Shaohua's throat. Amidst the other man's look of astonishment and fear, with a crisp "click," his throat was crushed: "To have martial arts as poor as yours, you actually have the face to live in this world."

……

…………

In the last two days, three or four quite famous catchers of the Six Fan School had died, but apart from the Six Fan School itself, it did not attract much attention. Like those catchers, they had offended too many people, so it was not strange for them to die at any time.

Furthermore, the eyes of the entire Yangcheng were now drawn to Woyun Lou.

Because Woyun Lou was holding a grand event recently, and this event not only involved the most sensational Embroidered Bandit case in the Edo, but also involved the two prominent Edo figures, Yu Liancheng and Lu Xiaofeng.

Regardless of who won or lost the bet between these two, for ordinary people, it was an extremely interesting and attractive affair.

Woyun Lou had three floors and was built by the lake. Sitting by the windows on the second or third floor, one could take in the lake and mountain scenery, attracting countless scholars and refined people to come and admire it.

Besides this, the "Sleeping Cloud Immortal-Drunken Wine" of Woyun Lou has a long-lasting aftertaste; drinking it makes one feel blissful, as if lying on the clouds, and many drunkards and heroic guests travel thousands of miles just for this wine.

At this moment, the first and second floors were already filled with guests, most of whom were martial artists wearing sabers and carrying swords, who were heatedly discussing something.

There were not many people on the third floor, they could even be counted on one's fingers, but every single one of them was a very famous figure in the pugilistic world.

The reason they came here was precisely to see who exactly the Embroidered Bandit was.

Of course, there were also people who wanted to see the bald-headed Lu Xiaofeng, or perhaps Yu Liancheng doing somersaults while naked.