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"boom--"

The door to the hall burst open, and a figure walked in, swept by the wind and rain.

The man was wearing a black cloak, his face was sinister, his eyes were like lightning, and his whole body was full of energy, which actually forced the raindrops back three feet.

"Let me do it!"

Miyamoto Musashi's pupils suddenly shrank and his voice trembled.

"Do you know me? Why don't you surrender yourself obediently!"

Ren Woxing grinned, revealing his sharp white teeth: "You are so bold to plot to assassinate the imperial envoy."

Miyamoto Musashi's eyes were filled with murderous intent. His figure flashed, and the blade of Muramasa cut through the rain and went straight for Ren Woxing's throat!
Ren Woxing did not dodge or evade. He grabbed the knife in mid-air with his right hand and his five fingers were like hooks, actually grabbing the blade!
"Iai Flash!"

Miyamoto Musashi's figure left a trail in the rain, and the blade slashed upward from bottom to top, the cold light cutting through the rain curtain and going straight for Ren Woxing's throat. The blade was so fast that it was difficult to see with the naked eye, and the blade plowed a three-inch deep gully on the carpet.

Ren Woxing took a half step back with his right foot, and the cloak in his left hand suddenly fluttered like a sail.

With a clang, the blade was blocked by the black iron mesh lining the cloak. Amid the flying sparks, Ren Woxing's right hand turned into a claw and dug straight into his heart, his five fingers breaking through the air with a sharp sound like a whistle.

"Yan Hui!"

Miyamoto Musashi twisted his waist strangely, and Muramasa drew a full moon arc in the air. The blade changed direction seven times in a row, stabbing at Ren Woxing's eyes, Adam's apple, heart, pubic region and other seven vital points. Each slash was chilling, freezing the falling raindrops into ice crystals that fell.

“Hahahaha~ Great!”

Ren Woxing suddenly laughed loudly, and drew a Tai Chi arc with his palms in front of his chest. The strange internal force stirred the air flow, and the seven sword lights seemed to be stuck in a quagmire. With a loud shout, Miyamoto Musashi felt that the sword force was involuntarily deflected, and Muramasa almost slipped out of his hand.

"How dare the insects from Japan be so presumptuous?"

Ren Woxing slapped the back of the knife with his left palm, and grabbed Miyamoto Musashi's wrist with his right claw. Before his five fingers reached him, the strong wind had already pierced the wrist acupuncture points and caused a dull pain. This is the "Bone-Splitting Hand" among the 72 Shaolin Kung Fu skills. If it is grasped firmly, the meridians in the entire right arm will be broken.

Miyamoto Musashi knew the danger, and suddenly let go of the knife, floating backward like catkins. A cold light flashed in his left sleeve, and three poisoned sleeve arrows shot towards Ren Woxing's face in a triangular shape. At the same time, his right foot hooked up Muramasa who was about to fall to the ground, and the handle of the knife accurately hit Ren Woxing's Dantian acupoint.

"Little tricks!"

Ren Woxing's chest suddenly sank three inches, and the sleeve arrow brushed past the tip of his nose. His abdominal muscles undulated like waves, completely dissolving the attacking force of the knife handle. With his right palm, he grabbed in the air, and five invisible energy forces covered Miyamoto Musashi like a cage.

The rain curtain suddenly twisted, and Miyamoto Musashi's short sword was unsheathed. The secret technique of the two swords, "Double Dragon Flash", suddenly erupted, and the two swords intertwined in the air into a silver storm.

The sword energy twisted the rain into a spiral water tornado, and the beams and pillars of the hall were instantly covered with spider-web-like sword marks.

Ren Woxing retreated for the first time, and a corner of his black iron cloak was cut off. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he grinned and used all his strength. The skin on his palms turned a strange blue-gray, and a vortex-like cyclone appeared in his palms.

"Let me show you the true martial arts!"

Miyamoto Musashi suddenly felt that the two swords in his hands had become as heavy as a thousand pounds. The blade of Muramasa trembled violently, making a dying hum. He was shocked to find that his internal energy was leaking out along the handle of the sword. He wanted to withdraw his hand but it was too late. Ren Woxing's right palm penetrated the sword net like a ghost, and his five fingers spread out to hold his crown.

"The magic of attracting stars!"

The terrifying suction force poured in from the Baihui point on the top of his head, and Miyamoto Musashi's meridians felt as if they were being bitten by thousands of ants. He couldn't help but cry out in pain.

The internal energy he had cultivated for thirty years turned into a rolling torrent, pouring out along the vortex in Ren Woxing's palm. His eyeballs bulged out, and he saw that his hands holding the knife were shrinking and withering at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Ugh—!"

Amid screams, Miyamoto Musashi's sturdy body quickly hunched over. His skin lost its luster, and wrinkles spread like spider webs.

“Hahahaha~~~~”

Ren Woxing laughed wildly and increased the suction force. The opponent's black hair turned gray and fell off in an instant. When the last bit of internal energy was drained, the swordsman who once dominated Japan had become a skinny corpse.

"boom!"

The withered corpse fell to the ground and broke into several pieces like a rotten wood. On the woven gold carpet, the Muramasa Demon Sword let out its last mournful cry, and countless cracks appeared on the blade before it shattered with a loud bang.

Ren Woxing closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, white mist gushed out of his pores. His hair, wet by the rain, moved without wind, and the brilliance in his eyes suddenly grew three inches.

“Good nourishment.”

He licked his lips and looked at Shen Wanjin and the others who looked pale: "Whose turn is next?"

There was a dead silence in the hall; even the sound of breathing seemed to be choked off.

The eight major silk merchants stood there frozen, their faces as pale as paper.

Zhao Bancheng's legs went weak and his knees hit the ground with a "crack". His forehead rested on the gold-woven carpet. His whole body was shaking and his lips were moving as if he wanted to beg for mercy, but no sound came out.

"Someone! Someone!"

Sun Jiuxiao suddenly pulled out the dagger from his waist, his Adam's apple rolled, and his voice was hoarse like sandpaper rubbing against it.

However, the only responses he heard were the screams coming from outside the yard, the dull sound of knives entering flesh, the crisp sound of breaking bones, and the wails of dying people, all mixed in with the sound of rain and getting closer and closer.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Four figures smashed through the carved wooden windows, flew in, and stood at the four corners of the hall. The four men had fluttering black robes, with sun and moon patterns embroidered on their cuffs. They were the four elders of the Sun and Moon Sect!
"Stop shouting."

Ren Woxing sneered, slowly raised his right hand, opened and clenched his five fingers, as if he was crushing something invisible: "Your servants are all dead."

Shen Wanjin felt cold all over, and turned around and rushed to the side door. As soon as his fingers touched the door frame, they froze... In the courtyard outside the door, dozens of Zhang family members knelt on the ground, trembling. Zhang Weimin's wife, Wang, had disheveled hair and a bloody mark on her forehead; his youngest son, Zhang Yu, was pinched by a man in black, his face pale, tears rolling down silently.

"Boss Shen, where are you going in such a hurry?"

Ren Woxing approached slowly, his boots rolling over the broken porcelain pieces on the ground, making a harsh friction sound: "Your wife, concubines, and children are all waiting in your yard."

"You...what do you want?!"

Shen Wanjin's voice was hoarse, and his fingers dug into the door frame tightly. Wood chips pierced into the gaps between his nails, oozing blood.

Ren Woxing stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes swept over everyone in the hall, and he spoke word by word:
"Yang Lian was ordered to investigate the land, but you did not repent and colluded with the Japanese pirates to assassinate the imperial envoy."

He glanced at everyone and a cold smile appeared on the corner of his mouth:
"According to the law, all nine clans should be executed."

Chen Yushu rushed forward, his knees leaving two bloody marks on the carpet. He grabbed Ren Woxing's clothes with both hands and said in a hoarse voice:

"Master Ren! I am willing to offer all my property, just spare my life!"

Ren Woxing looked down at him, his eyes looking at him as if he were an ant. He raised his hand and waved.

"kill."

The four elders attacked at the same time!
"puff!"

Xiang Wentian's five fingers were like hooks, inserted directly into Chen Yushu's back, and his fingertips pierced through the chest, bringing out a bloody section of spine.

"Crack!"

Sang Sanniang bent her wrist and broke Zhao Bancheng's neck, twisting his head into a strange angle.

"laugh--"

The judge's pen in Zhao He's hand touched Sun Jiuxiao's forehead, the tip of the pen passed through his brain, and blood plasma dripped down the pen.

"Shh!"

Shangguan Yun swung his sword horizontally, and Shen Wanjin's head flew up, drew an arc in the air, and fell heavily on the incense table. His eyes were wide open, and his lips were still trembling slightly, as if he could not believe that he would end up like this until his death.

"Pass the order."

Ren Woxing turned and walked out of the hall, his voice cold:

"The eight silk merchants' houses were all confiscated, and their families were all thrown into prison to await their fate."

In the courtyard, the cries of the women suddenly rang out. Wang struggled to throw herself towards Zhang Weimin's body, but was kicked over by the man in black.

Shen Yu screamed "Mother!", but was picked up and thrown into the corner like a rag.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and blood flowed through the cracks in the bluestone tiles, into the gutter, dyeing the entire street red.

………………

March 6th, Hangzhou City.

The continuous rain for several days finally stopped, and the long-lost sunshine penetrated the clouds and sprinkled on the wet bluestone slabs.

At the city gate of Hangzhou, a team of Jinyiwei escorted a green-curtained official sedan chair slowly into the city.

The curtain of the sedan chair was slightly lifted, revealing a stern face. It was the imperial envoy Yang Lian.

He was wearing a spotless, plain official robe, with a precious imperial sword hanging from his waist. The scabbard was as black as ink, and only the gold thread wrapped around the hilt sparkled in the sun.

"Lord Yang is here——"

The gatekeeper shouted loudly, and his voice echoed in the quiet street.

Hangzhou officials of all ranks had already knelt on both sides of the street, headed by none other than Hangzhou prefect Liu Bojing.

Liu Bojing was wearing a red gown with a solemn expression. When he saw Yang Lian getting off the sedan chair, he immediately stepped forward and bowed:

"I am Liu Bojing, your humble servant, respectfully welcoming the Imperial Envoy!" Yang Lian nodded slightly, glanced at the crowd, and said calmly:
"Master Liu, please don't be polite."

His voice was not loud, but it revealed unquestionable majesty.

Liu Bojing straightened up and caught a glimpse of the Jinyiwei behind Yang Lian from the corner of his eye - all of them were wearing Feiyu uniforms, embroidered spring swords, and their eyes were as sharp as eagles.

"Lord Yang has been exhausted from the long journey, I have already prepared a welcoming banquet at the government office..."

“No need.” Yang Lian interrupted him, took out a yellow silk imperial edict from his sleeve, and held it high above his head:

"According to the imperial order, the investigation of farmland in Jiangsu and Zhejiang will begin immediately."

As soon as these words were spoken, the officials kneeling on the ground suddenly became agitated.

Liu Bojing's expression remained unchanged, and he clasped his hands and said:
"Lord Yang is swift and decisive, and I admire him. But there has been some chaos in Hangzhou recently. The eight major silk merchants colluded with the Japanese pirates and have been destroyed..."

"I have been informed."

Yang Lian looked at Liu Bojing with a gleam of lightning in his eyes: "We'll discuss this later, let's get down to business first."

As he said this, he turned around and gave the order to the Jinyiwei Qianhu behind him:

"Order Hangzhou Prefecture, Qiantang County, and Renhe County to immediately seal up all land registers and fish scale maps. No mistakes can be made!"

"Yes!"

The Jinyiwei quickly dispersed, with the sound of horse hooves like thunder, and headed straight for the various government offices.

A hint of darkness flashed across Liu Bojing's eyes, but he quickly returned to normal.

"Lord Yang, please."

Hangzhou government office, meeting hall.

Yang Lian sat in the main seat, with account books piled in front of him.

Liu Bo sat quietly at the bottom with a serious look on his face.

There were also a number of officials in the hall, including the Hangzhou prefect, the associate prefect, and the deputy prefect, all of whom were silent.

"Master Liu"

Yang Lian suddenly asked, "Do you have the military token of the Hangzhou Garrison?"

Liu Bojing's heart trembled, but he didn't show it on his face:
"Your Excellency, I will take charge of it for the time being."

"Hand it over."

Three words, no doubt about it.

The air in the hall froze instantly.

Liu Bojing couldn't help but look up, but was forced to lower his head again by Yang Lian's cold gaze.

After a moment of silence, he slowly took out a copper tiger talisman from his arms and presented it with both hands:

"Please check it, Lord Yang."

Yang Lian took the tiger talisman, rubbed the patterns on it with his fingertips for a moment, and put it into his sleeve after confirming that it was correct.

"During the period of land survey, the Hangzhou Garrison will be under my control for the time being."

Liu Bojing cupped his hands and said, "I obey your command."

But no one saw a hint of coldness flash across his lowered eyes.

The next day, Hangzhou Wei Suo.

Yang Lian was in charge personally, and the Jinyiwei stood on both sides with knives in hand.

The commander of the garrison knelt on the ground with cold sweat on his forehead.

“Why doesn’t the roster of military households in the garrison match the fish scale atlas?” Yang Lian asked coldly.

The commander said in a trembling voice:

"Reply, Reply Sir... maybe due to the passage of time, something has been missed..."

“Omitted?” Yang Lian sneered and slammed the table. “Three thousand acres of military farms disappeared. Is this what you call an omission?!”

The commander was trembling all over and didn't dare to look up.

Yang Lian stood up and said sternly:

"Order! From now on, all officers of the Hangzhou Garrison are not allowed to leave the camp! Anyone who has occupied military land must surrender within three days to receive a lighter sentence. Those who fail to report within the deadline -"

He drew out his imperial sword, the blade gleaming coldly:

"cut!"

.........

In just three days, Yang Lian conducted a thorough investigation of the land with thundering means, shocking the entire Hangzhou officialdom.

The prefect of Hangzhou was dismissed from his post and investigated for forging the fish-scale map in the government office and concealing more than 5,000 hectares of farmland.

The commander of the garrison was imprisoned on charges of embezzling military land and withholding military pay.

The remaining gang members of the seven major silk merchants were all arrested, their properties were confiscated, and their lands were seized.

night.

Liu Bojing, who was dismissed from his post and investigated, sat alone in the clean room with a flickering candlelight.

There was a secret letter on the table, with the wax seal already opened.

There was only one line in the letter:

"As long as Yang Lian is not dead, Jiangnan will never be at peace."

Liu Bojing stared at the letter for a long time, then slowly brought it close to the candlelight.

The flames devoured the paper, casting a gloomy look on his face.

"Yang Lian..." He murmured in a low voice: "Do you think that you can rest easy after taking away the military power?"

Outside the window, a dark shadow passed by quietly.

...............

March 9th, midnight.

In an abandoned salt warehouse in the west of Hangzhou, more than a dozen men in night clothes quietly came.

Liu Bojing took off his official uniform and put on an indigo silk shirt. He had a standard military knife hanging from his waist and looked at the few people:
"Everyone is here?"

A scarred man emerged from the shadows and clasped his fists, saying, "The servants of the Xie family in Shaoxing, the Chen family in Huzhou, and the Wu family in Jiaxing are all here, a total of 320 people."

He handed over a scroll of bamboo slips and said, "This is the list of the assassins handed in by each family."

Liu Bojing looked carefully in the moonlight and suddenly sneered: "A dignified Jiangnan gentry family only has these old, weak and sick people?"

The ink on the bamboo slips was still fresh, recording that half of the more than 300 people were evil servants expelled from various governments.

"Your Majesty, it's clear."

A middle-aged man dressed as a scholar came out from behind Liang. He was Xie's aide Zhou Ruchang: "Since the murder of the eight major silk merchants, each family has been shrinking its power. Although these are not elite, they are better in..."

"Is it better to die without feeling sad?"

Liu Bojing interrupted the conversation and slammed the bamboo slips on the pile of salt.

Zhou Ruchang calmly took out a roll of silk from his sleeve and said, "This is a contact map of the old Hangzhou garrison. Although the commander was imprisoned, the families of the officers above the rank of captain are mostly in Jiangnan."

He pointed his finger somewhere and said, "Especially Zhao Desheng, the commander of the Firearms Battalion. His mother currently lives in the old house in Shaoxing."

Liu Bojing's eyes flashed. He certainly understood the implication - these military families were the best bargaining chips.

…………

The third watch gong sounded, and several shadows flashed behind the wall of the imperial envoy's residence. Just as the Jinyiwei sentry was about to sound the alarm, three swallowtail darts suddenly appeared in his throat. The shadows climbed over the wall into the courtyard, and the blades glowed blue in the moonlight, clearly poisoned.

In the main room, Yang Lian was reviewing the land register. The candlelight suddenly flickered, and he said without raising his head: "Since you are here, why hide your head and show your tail?"

"boom!"

The window frame burst, and seven steel knives stabbed in at the same time!

(End of this chapter)