Republic of China

Chapter 386 Recruitment
This attack embodies the blind Taoist's lifelong obsession and is the paranoid madness that remains in desperation.

He had countless opportunities to get away, and he shouldn't have risked his life for money.

Before this, the blind Taoist priest had always pretended to be invisible. Even when the Feng Shui battle between Nalan Rongcuo and Liu Mangfan had reached a life-and-death point, he still did not put in any effort.

But after meeting Kang Muang, he seemed like a completely different person.

Stubbornness, extremism, madness, and desires that he could never control in his life.

In the last moments of his life, his skin and flesh shrank and dried up rapidly, as if his internal organs were being drained of their marrow by some invisible object.

Logically speaking, the blind Taoist priest should have been dead when the ghost was defeated by Kang Mu'ang's Yangshen Thunder.

However, he found the strength to deliver the final blow to Kang Muang.

What is death?
I am willing to sacrifice ten or a hundred reincarnations in exchange for killing such a genius!

However, Kangmu Angyang's spirit has not yet returned to his body. Even if he has mastered thousands of magic skills, it will be of no use.

Until the broken iron fan pierced through and blood bloomed
"If your eyesight isn't good, don't come out and stab people."

Liu Mangfan's pierced palm tightly grasped the broken iron fan, his tone grim.

After rushing and hurrying, he finally arrived at the last step and prevented his brother from dying in front of him.

The last time I ran so fast was when I heard the news that my wife was going to give birth prematurely on my way home from work. When I got home, I found out that it was because of indigestion.

"Reaching the sky, searching for light, digging into the heart of the sky"

The blind Taoist's arms fell limply, his withered body shrank by nearly half, and he was completely dead.

I have exhausted all my skills but still have not seen the magical power of the Three Emperors. I don't know if I can rest in peace.

"Go away, go away, and die quickly."

Liu Mangfan kicked away the twisted corpse of the blind Taoist priest, and then prepared to light three soul-protecting lamps to stabilize Kang Muang's spirit.

Although I don't know what that move was, how can I not see that it is a rather outrageous technique? My brother has forced me to use my Yang Spirit.

"Brother Liu."

Kang Mu'ang, whose Yang Shen spirit had just returned to his body, was extremely weak. In his current physical condition, it was very difficult for him to even say a complete sentence, but he still reached out his hand with difficulty to hold Liu Mangfan's wrist.

"Sanyuan, go find Sanyuan"

Liu Mangfan laughed when he heard this, "Oh my silly brother, with his current ability, he won't die for a while even if he runs into Qi Sihai, but you, you don't even have the energy to piss, right? You're sending out the Yang God, not going out for a fucking walk, the Yang God is furious, you're really capable of doing that, hurry up and slow down first."

Things have their priorities. In Liu Mangfan's heart, none of his brothers is more important than the other. They are all equally important, and it won't do if anything happens to any of them.

Besides, there is no need to elaborate on Sanyuan's abilities. We should be more worried about his opponent.

"Corpse worm."

"Who? Who? Listen to your brother Liu and regulate your breathing and qi. I will lead the charge against whoever you decide to charge at later."

"It was Sanyuan who was lured out by the corpse worms. We must find him quickly and kill the corpse worms. It may be too late if we delay any longer."

!!!

The words Liu Mangfan was about to use to persuade him were stuck in his throat. His expression changed suddenly and he was so shocked that he forgot the pain in his mouth for a moment.

I do have a problem with my ears, they sometimes work and sometimes don't, but I could still hear clearly what Xiaokang said just now.

Corpse worm?

Is that the corpse worm?

Can this thing really be drawn out of the body?

I wondered why Xiaokang was in such a hurry. It would be terrible if it was true!

"Brother Liu, give me a hand."

"What are you still holding on to? I'll carry you on my back!"

Liu Mangfan carried Kang Muang on his back without saying a word, knowing that there was no time to waste.

With Sanyuan's temperament, he couldn't even imagine the consequences of having the corpse worms lured out, but the question was how to solve it?

Let's not talk about whether there is a way to kill the corpse worms. Anyway, I definitely don't know how to do it. Even if I do, will Sanyuan still be the same after killing it?
"Do you have a solution?" Liu Mangfan ran out with Kang Muang on his back without looking back, but his voice was so weak that he could hardly hear it clearly.

The neon lights are brilliant and the life is peaceful and harmonious.

Chilling in the dark alley, starving.

For ordinary people, Tianjin this night was no different from any other night, as they were pushed forward numbly by the numb world.

But there are still people who are working hard and whose ideals and ambitions have not been worn down.

Just like Xie Xiaoya, she had done enough homework for tonight, and was glad that she could put her knowledge into practice and create a better future with the skills she had learned through hard work.

At the same time, she also felt that she was lucky because the reward for this order was beyond her imagination. There were many masters of antique appraisal in Tianjin, so why did such a bad thing happen to her?

It's not that I didn't suspect there was something fishy going on, but on the one hand, the other party was very generous, giving a deposit of a thousand dollars in banknotes, and on the other hand, I was a female student with ordinary looks and no background, so what could be worth being tricked into doing?

After much thought, Xie Xiaoya could only attribute it to her strong professional level.

"Hello ma'am, please follow me."

When the car door was opened from the outside, Xie Xiaoya's thoughts were brought back to reality. Because she was lost in thought, she didn't realize that she was being pulled to the southwest corner of Yamato Park in the Japanese Concession.

In front of you is a magnificent courtyard. After entering the gate, you will see a lot of fine sand and gravel on the ground, using sand to represent water and stone to represent mountains. This is the dry landscape layout that many Japanese nobles like. It has all the typical Japanese gardens such as flat garden, tea garden, mountain garden, and wandering garden.

Xie Xiaoya followed the housekeeper to the tea garden, where several older men were sitting, the youngest of whom was at least 40 or 50 years old. They were talking around a stone table. When they saw the young girl Xie Xiaoya, they were stunned and then looked at her with contempt.

"Don't worry, everyone. This lady is an expert hired by the master, just like you. Please hurry up, as the reward will be generous."

The housekeeper smiled and signaled Xie Xiaoya to hurry up and work.

The first few masters who arrived were not very famous. They were just small-time people who were frustrated. But like Xie Xiaoya, their professionalism was unquestionable and they all had some skills.

After hearing the word "reward", they perked up, knowing that their success depended on this one move. Whoever could give the answer faster and more accurately would get more reward money.

As for whether you know how important the thing you are identifying is?
of course I know.

Twenty years have passed since the earliest unearthed oracle bones. Although the general public has basically never heard of it, few old masters who deal in antiques and collectibles are unaware of it. Moreover, in a prosperous city like Tianjin, there are even imitations on the market that are specifically designed to fool foreigners.

so what?

I don’t care where the Japanese got the oracle bones from. I didn’t sell them to them. Only a fool would not get a sky-high reward just for identification.

“There are no signs of sticky mud smearing the cuts, nor signs of soaking. The earth color penetrates deep into the inscriptions of the characters. The quality is very good.”

"It has a heavy sense of antiquity. Since oracle bones are very easy to break, fakes usually choose ox bones. If they are imitated from ox bones, they will rot and even emit a rancid smell."

"It is mysterious and profound, and the carvings are exquisite and unrestrained. I think it is an oracle bone from the Pan Geng period."

"Yes, it must be from the Pan Geng period."

Several old masters had already communicated with each other through their eyes, and no one was trying to disrupt each other.

They are all experienced people who have worked hard for decades, so just be safe and don't try to be too clever.

But Xie Xiaoya is not like that.

The energetic female college student is also a progressive young person who is pragmatic and never hides her opinions.

"too early."

"What?" "I said it couldn't be an oracle bone from the Pan Geng period. The dates you gave are too early."

"You-what do you know, a little girl!?"

Several old masters were puffing their beards and glaring, like foxes whose tails were stepped on.

Pan Geng period?

Ghosts can identify which period it is from.

They say Wu Ding because Zu Xin lived much longer ago, which sounds more prestigious. If possible, they even want to say that it was carved by the founding monarch of the Shang Dynasty himself.

Xie Xiaoya opened the schoolbag she brought and took out a large amount of borrowed materials and documents.

"According to my research, the carving techniques of oracle bones during the Pan Geng period were rough and rugged, with large carvings being majestic and small carvings being handsome. These characteristics are not prominent on the oracle bones on the table. Although I don't know the meaning of any of the divination words on them, the style can still be identified."

Then he placed several documents brought from the capital on top and continued in a gentle but firm voice: "The carving marks on this batch of oracle bones are not heavy, and the style is delicate. Overall, they are a bit decadent and weak. They are almost the same as the style of the batch of oracle bones unearthed that year, and that batch of oracle bones was tentatively identified as Linxin--"

The words stopped abruptly.

It wasn't that anyone interrupted, nor was it that Xie Xiaoya made up something and forgot the words.

At this moment, she saw a man walking out from the corridor. This man was wearing a dark blue kimono. He was the mysterious man whom Xie Xiaoya met in the coffee shop. The butler served beside him with a servile attitude. When Xie Xiaoya heard their conversation, her face changed drastically.

"That's nonsense!"

"How dare you talk so arrogantly based on a tattered book you got from who knows where?"

"I have been learning from my master since I was eight years old. It has been fifty years now. Why can't I see better than a little girl like you?"

Several old masters also saw the real boss arrive, and they all wanted to eat Xie Xiaoya alive.

The mysterious man walked to the tea garden, looked at Xie Xiaoya with a smile, and asked, "Ms. Xie, why don't you continue?"

Xie Xiaoya's expression became colder and colder. "You didn't say you were Japanese before."

"Oh? Is he a Japanese? Does it have anything to do with identifying antiques?"

"Have!"

"Please give me some advice, Ms. Xie."

Xie Xiaoya's tone was solemn, even with a bit of uncontrollable anger, "How could the treasure of my ancestors fall into the hands of you Japanese?"

The mysterious man still smiled and answered with four words, "I don't steal or rob."

"Ah."

Hearing this, Xie Xiaoya sneered undisguisedly and refuted with disdain, "Not stealing or robbing? It's coaxing and cheating! I can't do this job, and I don't have the face to earn this money. I will return the deposit in full. Goodbye."

The mysterious man looked a little helpless, because from their previous encounters, Xie Xiaoya seemed well-educated and well-mannered, which was totally different from her current tough style.

But it doesn’t matter anymore. It doesn’t matter what period these oracle bones are from, as long as they are real.

The old masters were a little bit at a loss, thinking, "What's wrong with you, little girl? You're about to get the money, why are you so angry?"

When the butler saw the change in the master's expression, he made a gesture behind his back.

The servants who had been silent at the steps of the tea garden suddenly attacked. The wakizashi in his sleeve suddenly pierced the neck of an old master. Blood was bubbling from the wound, and he had no idea what had happened until his death.

Before anyone could react, the wakizashi was stained with fresh blood and pierced the heart of another old master.

Every blow of the sword was deadly and cruel in the extreme.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me! I don't want the money! Madam, just treat me like a piece of shit—"

Before he could finish his words, the third old master had his spine chopped off. He knelt on the ground and begged for mercy before collapsing forward, his severed head clanging on his neck. Red and white blood flowed all over the ground, and the tea garden was filled with a pungent smell of blood.

The mysterious man had a calm expression, and even took the fragrant tea handed to him by the official and sipped it leisurely, as if the dead were all lowly ants that could be crushed to death at will.

He watched with interest the back of the fourth master as he ran away, especially the moment when he was pierced through the chest by the wakizashi. There was simply no more wonderful scene.

All Chinese who participated in this appraisal must die. This is the task assigned by Consul Sanada, and there cannot be any mistakes.

Then Sanada Hachiro's secretary turned his gaze to the last Yanhuang man. He was very much looking forward to Xie Xiaoya's reaction before death.

Indeed, Xie Xiaoya had never been so frightened as she was now.

Living people were slaughtered in an instant like piglets, and their blood splattered on their faces, still warm.

If I had known earlier I would be silenced
If I had known he was Japanese
如果
Countless possibilities flashed before my eyes.

But even though her legs couldn't stop shaking, and even though she was extremely scared, Xie Xiaoya didn't run away, nor did she kneel down and beg for mercy.

Since we know we will die, why should we humiliate ourselves?

What’s more, my father died on the East Bridge of Luota Station at the hands of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

"You are not afraid?"

"afraid."

"If you are afraid, why don't you ask me to spare your life? Maybe I will really show mercy."

"Beg for mercy from you? Beg for mercy from a Japanese?"

The secretary's question actually eased Xie Xiaoya's fear. She looked directly into the other person's pupils, and her uneasy tone gradually became a little proud.

"At least eight Japanese died at the hands of my father, and countless at the hands of my grandfather. Although I hate their killing, I know that some people don't deserve to live. You want me to beg for mercy from the Japanese? Dream on!"

Not getting the desired effect and being severely insulted by the weak prey, the secretary felt a little embarrassed. He waved his hand in annoyance, signaling the servants not to wait any longer and to kill.

Facing death, Xie Xiaoya clenched her fists and straightened her back, watching the cold light reflected from the sharp blade approaching in an instant, and the familiar figure suddenly blocking her way.

Ding!
Sparks fly!

The wakizashi was blocked by the shovel, and no one present expected that there would be a sudden betrayal.

"Little devil, open your eyes, you dare to touch my woman?"

Zhang Xiaogou descended from the sky, holding a knife in one hand and protecting Xie Xiaoya behind him with the other. Both his lines and timing were a textbook example of a hero saving a damsel in distress.

The secretary and others were not only shocked that Zhang Xiaogou sneaked in without anyone noticing, but they were even more shocked that he could fend off the attendant's wakizashi. He was not just a servant who served tea and water.

The attendant himself was somewhat incredulous.

He looked at his wakizashi, then at Zhang Xiaogou, and fell into deep thought for a moment.

As for Xie Xiaoya, she could no longer hold back her tears of grievance in the midst of great sorrow and joy. All her toughness was gone. She was still a girl, no matter what. How could she have experienced such a bloody storm? She was not corrupted by wealth and power, and she was not bent by might. She had done well enough.

Then, for the first time in her life, she grabbed Zhang Xiaogou's clothes tightly, as if she was grasping her destiny. It was also the first time she made a lifelong promise.

"puppy."

"Don't be afraid, I'm here, but there are reasons for fighting today."

"Marry me."

"Ah, ah!? I, I, I, I, I, I haven't saved enough for the betrothal gift." Zhang Xiaogou was so excited that he almost bit off his tongue. It is said that when dreams come true, people will be overjoyed, but this one happened too quickly and it almost blinded me.

Xie Xiaoya smiled and said the most iron-blooded words in the most tender tone.

"Either I die here tonight, or you use their heads as a betrothal gift to marry me!"

(End of this chapter)