Chapter 177: Li Miao

Xue Jinxi's wails were locked within the high walls of the Forbidden City. They echoed a few times in that sunless room before dissipating in despair, unheard by anyone else.

The cold wind of the twelfth lunar month swept across the silent courtyard, vaulted over the palace walls, brushed through the streets and alleys of the capital, and blew outside the city gates.

An Ziyang changed horses along the way and finally arrived at the capital.

That day in the Miao Border, Li Miao had ordered him to take two Great Shamans and the Miao King's notes back to the Shuntian Prefecture and hand them to Xiao Si, so as to resolve the hidden danger within her.

An Ziyang turned around and went to find Lao Qifeng, saying, "Lord Li wants you to dispatch two experts to escort me to Shuntian. They must be the ones with the best martial arts, ruthless, and sparing with their words." Lao Qifeng naturally dared not delay and immediately transferred two Nine-Bag Elders to escort An Ziyang.

Thus, An Ziyang was currently three people with three horses.

An Ziyang looked like a playboy who had indulged too much in lust; the two Beggar Sect elders, who practiced hard-style techniques, were both eight feet tall with arms like cast iron, and they were also carrying two Great Shamans tied up like zongzi on their horses. They looked as suspicious as could be.

The soldiers guarding the city saw this and exclaimed, "Huo! What is the meaning of this? These human traffickers aren't even avoiding people anymore!"

"A 'hook' bringing two thugs, and people are tied to the horses just to enter the city? You're here to provoke me, aren't you?"

The soldiers guarding the capital's gates were different from those in the lower prefectures. As long as you weren't wearing official robes, even if the Wudang Sect Leader came, they would still stop you. An Ziyang and his group were covered in dust and clearly looked like Jianghu people, so he wasn't afraid at all.

He immediately raised his long spear and stepped forward to block them.

"Dismount!"

"Get lost!"

An Ziyang lifted his chin.

"Hey! I'll be damned—"

The soldier was about to start cursing when his pupils suddenly shrank, and he began to tremble involuntarily.

He saw An Ziyang leisurely stretch out a hand and lift his outer robe.

A blade was revealed.

The blade was shorter and smaller than a standard waist saber, and the scabbard was equipped with a scabbard skirt, with tassels woven at the bottom. The cloud patterns were cast in brass, and the hilt was wrapped in cowhide.

This blade was recognized by everyone in the world.

This was a Embroidered Uniform Guard saber.

Thump.

The soldier's legs went soft, and he sat down on the ground.

"My, my, my—"

An Ziyang did not even glance at him, simply continuing to ride his horse past him as if he were alone.

When he was walking the Jianghu in the past, he had often been extorted by these city-guarding ruffians. Now that he had the chance to get it back, he naturally wouldn't let it go.

There were quite a few commoners waiting to enter the city gathered at the gate, as well as some small vendors making a living there. Seeing the soldier step forward to stop An Ziyang, they had all gathered to watch the excitement.

Seeing the soldier scared into sitting on the ground and unable to speak, the commoners also changed color, all lowering their heads in unison, not daring to look at An Ziyang.

An Ziyang was showing off in front, but the two Beggar Sect elders felt he was truly lacking in class, so they covered their faces with their sleeves and followed on horseback.

Just as the three of them were walking toward the city gate.

Amidst the crowd, a gaze filled with amusement looked toward An Ziyang.

"The An family's brat?"

"Oh~"

"Lord Li has actually taken him into the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

An Ziyang was suddenly startled.

"Who is looking at me?"

He played with mechanisms and hidden weapons, was most skilled at plotting against others, and was equally skilled at guarding against being plotted against. He was most sensitive to the prying gazes of others.

An Ziyang turned his head abruptly and looked in the direction of that gaze.

The owner of that gaze was a woman.

Her hands were like soft grass, her skin like congealed fat, her neck like a long-horned beetle, her teeth like melon seeds, and her head was beautiful with moth-eyebrow brows. Even when angry, she seemed to be smiling, and when she glared, she was full of affection.

Her figure was not tall; on the contrary, she was somewhat petite. Standing in the crowd, she was like a point of bright red, making everyone else look dull by comparison.

A pair of deer-like eyes looked at him curiously, and she smiled sweetly.

Even with An Ziyang's experience, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"What a beauty capable of toppling cities!"

If it were any other time, he would definitely have dismounted to get to know her.

But he was not a person who couldn't distinguish between priorities. He was on an errand for Li Miao and had no time to waste on women. He just glanced at her, sighed inwardly, and walked into the city gate.

The woman turned and left, and when she reached a place with no one, her figure flashed suddenly and disappeared.

An Ziyang brought the two Beggar Sect elders and arrived outside the Embroidered Uniform Guard yamen.

On the way, he had taken off his outer robe, revealing the Embroidered Uniform Guard saber Li Miao had given him. The guards at the gate saw the saber and knew he was one of their own, so they quickly stepped forward to welcome him.

"Brother, whose subordinate are you?"

"Under Lord Li Miao."

The two guards' expressions became solemn, and they suddenly became respectful.

"Please come in quickly. Is this your first time home? Do you need me to lead you to the Battalion Commander's courtyard?"

An Ziyang cupped his hands.

"Sorry to trouble you."

"It's only right, it's only right."

The two Beggar Sect elders carried the Great Shamans and followed behind. The guarding Embroidered Uniform Guard led the way, guiding An Ziyang through the gate.

Jianghu people entering the Embroidered Uniform Guard's gate either came in lying down or tied up. Being invited in like this, both the Beggar Sect elders and An Ziyang couldn't help but look around.

The leading guard saw that the three of them looked like they had never seen the world, so he tactfully began to introduce the place.

"This here is the document office, over there is where the Company Commanders on duty work, and further on are the offices for your Northern Depot Battalion Commanders…"

As they walked, An Ziyang thought to himself.

"This Embroidered Uniform Guard yamen, apart from having more military officers wearing sabers, doesn't feel any different from an ordinary government office?"

"It's not as terrifying as the Jianghu rumors say."

He had originally been somewhat afraid, but as they walked, his nervous emotions gradually dissipated.

"This Embroidered Uniform Guard yamen doesn't have anything special about it!"

And the Beggar Sect elders following behind thought the same.

The group walked all the way until they reached Li Miao's office.

The leading guard took his leave.

An Ziyang instructed the two Beggar Sect elders to wait outside the door, then walked into the courtyard.

As soon as he entered the door, a chubby middle-aged man came to greet him.

"Little brother, who are you looking for?"

An Ziyang originally thought he was a gate-keeping clerk and didn't pay much attention, his gaze sweeping over casually.

"Sect Leader Deng!?"

He was suddenly startled.

Wasn't this chubby middle-aged man the Hengshan Sect Leader, Deng Baixuan!?

"A mere Jianghu reputation, not worth mentioning."

Deng Baixuan waved his hand.

"Who is the little brother looking for? I will lead you to see them."

An Ziyang said blankly.

"Following the instructions of Lord Li Miao, I am looking for his adopted daughter, Li Xiaosi…"

Deng Baixuan smiled kindly.

"Oh, looking for Miss Xiaosi. You came at a good time, little brother. She is currently in the yamen, it seems she is interrogating prisoners in the prison."

"I will take you to the courtyard to sit for a while first, and I will go tell her."

Having said that, he brought An Ziyang into the small courtyard.

As soon as he entered, An Ziyang heard a burst of dense sounds of blades clashing.

Ding ding ding ding—

He followed the sound and saw two women sparring with swords. The sword moves were incomparably exquisite, but it seemed there was some old grudge, and their strikes were slightly ruthless. Beside them, a man and a woman were watching with helpless expressions.

When he saw the faces of the three clearly, he was stunned again.

"Songshan Sect Leader, Zhou Yingxue…"

"Huashan Sect Leader, Liu Baiyun…"

"The two watching the battle on the side, aren't they Hengshan Sect Leader Zhang Jingfeng and Taishan Sect Elder Gao Ling?"

"The Five Mountains Alliance has moved here to hold their meeting!?"

Don't look at the Five Mountains Sword Sect as if they were nothing in front of Li Miao, but in the Jianghu, they were all famous major sects. Any one of them was a big shot An Ziyang couldn't see.

Now they had actually gathered all at once!

An Ziyang gripped his hands inside his sleeves, forcing himself to stay calm.

Deng Baixuan led him to a side room, then turned to find Xiaosi, leaving him to wait here.

An Ziyang's thought of "Is this it?" regarding the Embroidered Uniform Guard had completely dissipated, and he was even somewhat nervous.

A moment later, a young man in his early twenties walked in. Seeing An Ziyang, he greeted him enthusiastically.

"Brother, are you also here to report to Lord Li today?"

An Ziyang had been a bit nervous, but hearing that this person was the same as him, he immediately relaxed.

"Yes! What is your surname, brother?"

"I am surnamed You, You Zi'ang. How should I address you, brother?"

"An Ziyang."

"Oh oh, Young Master Lingxu! Long admired, long admired!"

The two became intimate in an instant and chatted enthusiastically. You Zi'ang moved a chair, sat next to An Ziyang, and whispered.

"Brother, you probably haven't spent much time with Lord Li, so you know little. In Lord Li's yamen, second-rate experts are worse than dogs, and first-rate experts are everywhere."

"You and I are both weak here. Since we have this fate, we must look out for each other in the future to get ahead under Lord Li!"

An Ziyang nodded.

"Definitely, definitely."

You Zi'ang saw him agree, nodded in satisfaction, and stood up.

"That's good. I just came to see you. I have things to do now, we brothers will gather again in the future!"

Having said that, he pressed his hands on An Ziyang's arm and was about to leave.

An Ziyang suddenly felt something was wrong and raised his hand to grab You Zi'ang's sleeve.

"Brother, return my things!"

You Zi'ang didn't look back, his arm suddenly circled around, trying to break free.

An Ziyang's gaze condensed, his arm also circled around in the same way, and he looked up at You Zi'ang abruptly.

"Divine Thief Sect!?"

"You are too!?"

You Zi'ang also exclaimed.

The two were actually practicing the same cultivation method!

You Zi'ang laughed.

"Brother, since we are from the same sect, then you should know our sect's motto—a thief never leaves empty-handed!"

"Consider this as me owing you today, I'll let you steal it back in the future!"

Having said that, his figure shrank, and he actually took off his clothes directly. His whole person suddenly turned into a blurry black shadow, and with a swoosh, he went out the door.

"You mother—"

An Ziyang never expected that he, a direct descendant of the Divine Thief Sect, would actually be stolen from by a fellow sect member inside the Embroidered Uniform Guard yamen! How could he endure this!

He also used his light-body technique to chase after You Zi'ang.

But he didn't expect that after vaulting over two courtyard walls, he would lose You Zi'ang's trail.

"This!"

"What kind of light-body technique is this!?"

An Ziyang stopped helplessly.

He checked his belongings and gritted his teeth again.

You Zi'ang had stolen two bags of his pill poison, a bundle of sleeve arrows, and five hundred taels of silver notes.

He didn't care much about the items, but for him, a direct descendant of the Divine Thief Sect, being stolen from was more uncomfortable than being slapped twice.

An Ziyang stomped his feet and sighed long.

"This Lord Li's subordinates really have all kinds of immortals."

"I wonder what other immortals are waiting for me later."

He turned around and was about to walk back.

But he suddenly stopped.

He couldn't help but shiver.

Because he felt a cold gaze staring at his neck.

An Ziyang squeezed out a smile and slowly turned his head to look.

In the courtyard, under a tree, on a meditation cushion.

A young woman in her early twenties sat cross-legged, a long sword resting flat on her knees.

A pair of cold eyes were staring fixedly at him.

"Expert, a sword expert!"

"A first-rate expert!"

An Ziyang groaned inwardly.

This woman was clearly practicing the "Heart-Mind Sword Washing" technique and had been awakened by him and You Zi'ang.

Looking at her demeanor, cold gaze, and the dew condensed on the sword, this person had probably been sitting here since last night, practicing until now!

This person was probably a sword maniac!

Disturbing a sword maniac practicing sword was life-threatening!

"Ex, Excellency, I am a messenger sent by Lord Li Miao. I entered by mistake, I didn't mean to disturb you…" An Ziyang opened his mouth cautiously.

The woman didn't speak, just looked at him coldly.

"Excellency, I'll leave now, I'll leave now, okay?"

The woman still didn't speak.

"Excellency, say something…"

An Ziyang was trembling a little.

The woman still looked at him quietly, without saying a word.

"I, I'm leaving, I'm leaving!"

An Ziyang fled in a panic.

Mei Qinghe suddenly blinked.

"Who was that… didn't recognize him…"

"Forget it, continue practicing sword… this move should be…"

She closed her eyes again.

An Ziyang ran wildly all the way back to the side room where Deng Baixuan had told him to wait. Panting, he felt as if he had escaped with his life.

"Damn, is Lord Li really just a Battalion Commander? I haven't been here for even a cup of tea's time, and I've already run into six first-rate experts!"

"Whatever other immortals are behind, hurry up and bring them out… I really can't take it anymore…"

An Ziyang picked up the teapot on the table and drank it all in one gulp.

Before he could catch his breath, a sound of footsteps came from outside the door.

"Miss Four, the person is waiting here, saying he was sent by Lord Li to find you."

Deng Baixuan walked in quickly and gestured with his hand.

An Ziyang held his breath and focused.

"I wonder who will walk in…"

"Lord Li's adopted daughter, a top expert? Could it be a strange woman eight feet tall?"

Patter.

A petite figure walked in from outside the door.

An Ziyang looked closely and was speechless for a moment.

Contrary to his expectations, the person who walked in was actually a very cute young girl, as if carved from powder and jade.

The young girl walked into the room with small steps, her lively eyes looking at An Ziyang, and before she spoke, two small dimples appeared on her face.

"Little brother, hello."

An Ziyang instead didn't know how to respond.

Xiaosi didn't care, walked quickly to the chair opposite An Ziyang and sat down, her two legs dangling, and asked.

"What did my Battalion Commander ask you to bring me?"

An Ziyang let out a long breath.

Finally, finally there was a normal person.

He reached into his bosom, pulled out the Miao King's notes, and handed them to Xiaosi.

"Miss, these are the notes Lord Li asked me to bring you, take a look."

"Oh."

Xiaosi jumped off the chair, walked over, and reached out her small hand to take the notes.

An Ziyang's pupils shrank.

Where the small hand had touched, a streak of scarlet blood was left behind!

(End of chapter)