Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12029

Zhejiang Prefecture.

“There are many martial arts masters in Jiangnan, but not many with ambition. Those old guys who live in seclusion and enjoy a life of ease often stay in Jiangnan, only having a high level of skill but lacking practical combat ability, and even less so the ambition to fight.”

Yan Huang took a sip of water and shook his head.

"This is probably why the founding emperor of the Great Qi Dynasty failed to unify the country."

Luo Xingchen sighed.

"He was just one breath away from death. I met Emperor Taizu of Qi back then. That guy was really amazing. If he hadn't been so obsessed with unifying the world, he could have lived to this day and wouldn't have been worked to death."

The Great Qi Dynasty has only had four generations so far, and only a few decades have passed in total. When Yan Huang was young, he did indeed meet Emperor Taizu of Qi. Back then, he was just a young man in the martial arts world and was considered a junior in front of Emperor Taizu.

"You don't need to worry too much about the Jiangnan area, but you can't ignore it either. Those guys may not be very capable at doing things, but they are very good at causing trouble. Just listen to me, and I guarantee you won't make any mistakes."

The Smoke King put on the airs of a seasoned veteran, and in fact, he was one, which was not wrong.

"It's only been a short time since Lunar New Year's Eve, and it's still chilly in Jiangnan during the first month of the lunar calendar. Can the night market flower queen competition still be held in this season?"

Luo Xingchen asked in confusion.

In the capital, there were also such courtesan competitions in theaters and brothels, but they were usually held in late spring and early summer when the weather was getting warmer but not yet extremely hot.

"The prosperity of Jiangnan far exceeds your imagination. You will understand when you arrive. In two days, we will arrive in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang."

Yanhuangdao.

Luo Xingchen didn't ask any further questions. Anyway, they would arrive in a couple of days, so she could prepare in advance.

Two days later, the fleet anchored at a dock.

The dock here is not large, but it is quite well-equipped.

Ziyan, who had arrived in Hangzhou a step ahead of everyone else, was already waiting at the dock.

Luo Xingchen and his group left the large ship and stepped onto the wooden planks of the dock. They looked up at the distant glow of the sunset; it was nearly dusk.

“There has been some unrest and unrest around Hangzhou these past few days.”

Ziyan handed Luo Xingchen a cloak to keep him warm, a smile on her face.

What kind of trouble will occur in Hangzhou?

Luo Xingchen was slightly surprised.

Hangzhou is an extremely prosperous city, and it is said that no one picks up lost items on the road, making it very safe to walk on the streets.

The "trouble" that Ziyan mentioned was no ordinary matter.

"Nan Taidou Yuan Jinhuang died in the middle of the night. It is said that it may have been done by experts from outside the region in collusion with insiders."

Ziyan was also somewhat helpless.

This happened unexpectedly.

"How could Yuan Jinhuang be dead?"

Luo Xingchen didn't say anything, but Yan Huang's eyes widened.

“I think I’ve heard that name before.” Luo Xingchen frowned.

"No, I have to go to Nandou Gate to take a look," said Yan Huang.

"Shall we go now?"

"The sooner the better... Zi girl, tell me what's going on and make some arrangements. I need to go to Nandou Sect immediately."

If he hadn't promised to protect Luo Xingchen, he would have left right now.

Horse-drawn carriages were already waiting on the side of the dock. Mechanical vehicles were not yet mature in the capital, and horse-drawn carriages were still the main mode of transportation in Hangzhou.

Luo Xingchen and his group got into the car.

The carriage was spacious enough for several people to sit comfortably. After they were settled, Ziyan caught her breath and returned to the topic of Nandoumen.

Nan Dou Men is a large martial arts sect in Hangzhou. In the Great Qi system, the imperial court and the martial arts world are inseparable. Sects like Nan Dou Men are associated with powerful families in Hangzhou.

More importantly, the Nan Dou Sect is one of the forces behind the Jiang family, one of the four major families in Jiangnan. Many things in the martial arts world have been settled by the Nan Dou Sect.

When talking about Nandoumen, one cannot help but mention Yuan Jinhuang.

Nan Dou Men is not an ancient sect; it was founded by Yuan Jin Huang.

In his early years, Yuan Jinhuang traveled the martial arts world and created a style of boxing called Nan Dou Quan. Later, more and more people followed him to practice martial arts, and so a sect was established.

It has been at least several decades since its founding.

"How could he be dead? It's impossible, I'm not dead..."

“Someone killed him? How is that possible? With his strength, even a Grandmaster couldn’t kill him silently.”

"There's definitely something fishy about this."

The Emperor of Smoke kept muttering to himself the whole way, looking completely bewildered.

"Was he murdered? Was he examined for injuries?" Yan Huang asked.

"The examination revealed no injuries whatsoever. It all happened overnight, without any warning," Ziyan said calmly.

"Without any warning? No matter the cause of death, there's always a reason; it's impossible for it to happen without any trace." The Smoke Emperor couldn't understand.

“I am quite skilled in coroner’s work. I can find out all kinds of causes of death for martial artists, even deaths caused by hidden poisons. They all have warning signs. I went to check on them myself last night, but I still couldn’t find anything… It’s that kind of sudden loss of life, where every organ in the body is fine, but it just stops functioning.”

Ziyan pursed her lips.

Just like a precision instrument, for it to malfunction or stop working, there needs to be something wrong inside, even the smallest problem.

But Ziyan just couldn't tell.

"I'll go take a look."

Yanhuangdao.

"Yes, you can go now. I have already sent people to seal off Yuan Jinhuang's residence. Without a secret order from the imperial court, no one is allowed to pass through there."

Upon her arrival, Ziyan took over the local hidden guards and informed the high-ranking officials in Hangzhou, sealing off the area.

"What about the Jiang family? And the other families? Aren't they going to stop us?" Yan Huang asked, looking up.

"I don't need to get involved. The prefect of Hangzhou will handle it. He will exclude the Jiang family."

Purple Smoke Road.

The carriage sped along a secluded path, veering diagonally into a house.

There is a secret passage here that leads directly to the residence of Emperor Yuan Jin.

Emperor Yuan Jin was highly respected, but he was old and disliked overly extravagant places. His manor was not located in the heart of Hangzhou, and because it caused a disturbance, it was quickly brought under control.

The passing of a figure of Yuan Jinhuang's stature has had a profound impact, potentially even altering the entire landscape of Jiangnan.

"The Jiang family said that Yuan Jinhuang was in cahoots with outsiders, and that an expert from outside infiltrated and killed him. That's their version of events, but I can't find any evidence to support it."

As they walked through the dark passage, Ziyan added another sentence.

"Let me see it first."

The Emperor of Smoke was only focused on getting on his way and clearly didn't want to say much.

After traveling through the dark passage for a while, a glimmer of light appeared ahead.

The layout of these underground passages is usually nothing special; they are all common construction methods.

……