Chapter 257: Seven-Star Begonia

"Hah, quite a grand gesture."

"Tell me in detail."

Li Miao smiled.

"Yes."

Wang Hai nodded.

"Coincidentally, the first to receive the invitation was actually not a Jianghu sect, but my Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"Or rather, it was our personnel left behind on Mount Tai to handle the ruins of the Taishan Sect and its disciples."

"That night, an old man arrived outside the Taishan Sect mountain gate along the mountain road; he was discovered by our hidden sentries, who demanded his background, but he didn't answer at all and instead broke in directly."

"A long time had passed since the Ming Sect Gu disaster, and most matters had been handled, so we didn't have many personnel left, but we did have several good hands, equipped with strong bows and crossbows, yet we couldn't keep him at all."

"This person must be a peak expert without a doubt."

Li Miao raised an eyebrow and pointed behind him.

"The one I just killed was also a peak expert. That makes two peak experts."

"No."

Wang Hai shook his head.

"At least three."

"That day, when he saw we were indeed not Taishan Sect people, he left and didn't leave an invitation. It was only later when Sect Leader Lao sent someone to deliver a letter that we asked about the appearance of the person who delivered the invitation, and we were convinced he was the one who broke into the Taishan Sect."

"And gathering news from the other three mountains, as well as the time the letters were sent, it is definitely not the same person as the one you killed today, nor the same person who delivered to the Beggar Gang."

"In other words, this matter already involves at least three peak experts."

Li Miao raised an eyebrow.

"Except for the one who died behind me, were the other two also old men?"

"Yes."

"That's fine then."

Li Miao nodded.

Although being able to pull out three peak experts proved that the organization behind this matter had a deep foundation, there were differences.

Among peak experts, there are also levels.

When Li Miao saw Zuo Lishan last year, he had said that there were several peak experts in the current Jianghu who were not what they seemed, relying only on the deep true energy accumulated over years to suppress others, while in reality, there was nothing to their moves.

These are actually "fake peak experts," or rather, with their talent, their upper limit is peak level. Even if given a Heaven-Man legacy, they couldn't take another step forward.

And like Zuo Lishan, who reached peak level in his prime, it meant his potential hadn't been fully realized. If there were a Heaven-Man legacy, it's possible there really could be another Heaven-Man in the Jianghu.

Therefore, whether the messenger was a young person or an old man represented completely different meanings.

Wang Hai nodded.

"Yes, we thought of that too, but we really don't have many experts we can bring out."

He sighed.

"The Guard Commander needs to stabilize the situation in the capital, and Official Zhu Shoujing is protecting him personally to prevent any mishaps."

"Several retainers loyal to the court cannot be trusted to be used, Bu Lei is dead, and although we have Heaven-Man legacies, I fear we won't be able to break through to peak level within a year or two."

"If it were just these three messengers, we could handle it, but I fear the organization hidden beneath this is also a hidden sect like the Sword King Pavilion, likely with a Heaven-Man holding the fort."

"Therefore, I had to disturb your vacation."

Li Miao smiled and looked at Wang Hai mischievously.

"Why, is Official Wang not leading men to charge over this time? Not thinking of 'sharing my worries'?"

Wang Hai's face flushed red instantly.

"Pacification Commissioner, I…"

"Alright."

Li Miao waved his hand.

"You did the right thing; a few Heaven-Men, I'll just go for a stroll and kill them; if you go, you might lose your lives. No need for that."

"Xiao Anzi."

Li Miao turned to look at An Ziyang.

"How does it look?"

An Ziyang walked over quickly, handed the invitation to Li Miao, and smiled fawningly.

"Pacification Commissioner, look."

Li Miao took it and looked; the poisons that had already mixed together and turned pitch black had actually been sorted into four or five small piles.

An Ziyang smiled proudly and pointed to the poison above with a silver needle.

"Pacification Commissioner, this person hid five types of poison in his mouth. Three are common in the Jianghu, all common things, nothing to speak of; as long as you have money, you can buy them anywhere."

"But the remaining two are interesting."

An Ziyang first pointed to a pile of blue-purple liquid, which he had surrounded with water-repellent powder on the invitation.

"This thing is one of the Tang Men's secret poisons I often use, called 'Funeral Sticker.' But in recent years, one of the raw materials, a poisonous herb, has gradually gone extinct, and the Tang Men cannot cultivate it, so the production is extremely small."

"As far as I know, the vast majority is here with me, and it was only sold once several years ago. As long as news is sent back, we should be able to find out who bought it."

Li Miao smiled.

"Continue with the other type."

An Ziyang pointed to another pile of powder.

"This thing is even more interesting; it can be said that among those who recognize this thing in the world today, except for me, there are definitely no more than five people."

"When I went to the Miao Territory with you last year, when you were fighting the Miao King, the things I threw to you included this."

"Seven-Star Begonia."

Li Miao thought for a moment and smiled.

"I remember, you said at the time it was 'Seven-Star Begonia from overseas,' right? What is strange about this thing?"

An Ziyang hurriedly bowed and flattered.

"The Pacification Commissioner is truly knowledgeable; I said it casually last year, and you remembered it; you are truly—"

"Get to the point."

"Yes…"

An Ziyang stopped speaking resentfully and said.

"This thing is produced in Ryukyu, seven flowers and seven leaves; it blooms every August 15th and withers after only one hour. To take it as poison, one must take it while it is in full bloom."

"And this thing seems to be related to some religion in Ryukyu; the local natives treat it as a god and basically won't sell it; only some sea merchants who often trade with them get a few plants. And these sea merchants, in order not to offend them, basically won't sell this thing."

Li Miao twisted his fingers and thought for a moment.

"In other words, this messenger either has a deep relationship with a sea merchant doing business in Ryukyu, or he himself is someone with connections in Ryukyu."

"Exactly."

An Ziyang nodded.

"I will send a letter to my father, asking him to inquire in the Chamber of Commerce. There are not many people with the capital to go to sea these days; I believe we will receive news soon."

"Plus the records from the Tang Men, verified against each other, this person's identity should surface."

Li Miao smiled upon hearing this and reached out to pat An Ziyang's shoulder.

"Not bad, Xiao Anzi, you are doing things properly now."

An Ziyang also immediately smiled fawningly.

"It is all your cultivation; the little one is deeply grateful."

Li Miao smiled.

"However, I think you will likely not find any results."

"Let's try first."

Li Miao didn't say much more and turned to look at Shen Xunning on the ground.

"How about it, have you recovered?"

"Didn't you want to walk the Jianghu? Come with me, and I'll let you see enough."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 258 =====