Aoyama

The monks of Chongxing Temple remained inside, while murderous intent was clearly revealed outside the temple.

The twelve zodiac animal portraits of the Secret Service are like a net woven in a narrow alley, and then the prey walks right in.

Bai Long stood with his hands behind his back on the bronze incense burner: "Knowing your hiding place and guessing your escape route is not difficult. Chief Han is an excellent swimmer, known as the River-Turning Python. Once you are in the water, even a Grandmaster of the Divine Path Realm might not be able to do anything to you. The nearest waterway to Mule and Horse Market passes through here, so we came to wait for you."

Han Tong tensed up, slightly adjusting his posture to avoid giving himself away. But there were too many zodiac signs this time; two of the top three had come, and no matter how careful and vigilant he was, it was all in vain.

Knowing he was doomed, he finally looked at Bai Long and slowly said, "What does the Grand Chancellor want? I, Han, can hand over the Canal Gang's account books."

Bai Long said calmly, "Not enough."

Han Tong spoke again, saying, "I can hand over the officials who have colluded with my canal gang over the years. There are about a hundred of them, from the capital to Nanjing."

Bai Long smiled and said, "Chief Han is willing to give up anything to save his life. But the Inner Minister doesn't want anything else, he just wants us to take you back."

Han Tong narrowed his eyes slightly: "Does the Grand Chancellor think that by taking me down, he can take control of the entire Grand Canal Gang? I'm afraid it's not that simple."

Bai Long casually replied, "The Grand Chancellor only instructed us to take Chief Han's life back. As for what the Grand Chancellor wants your life for, that's none of our business."

Han Tong sneered: "The eunuch faction is a scourge to the country."

Jiao Tu sat on the roof, her eyes wide: "How dare Chief Han say such a thing? How many villains has your Cao Gang sheltered and fled overseas over the years? Your sworn brother, Lin Daoqian, once kidnapped more than a hundred women in Chaozhou and imprisoned them in the stronghold. When the stronghold was destroyed, more than two hundred skeletons were unearthed. In the end, wasn't it you who helped him escape overseas and become a pirate?"

“Last year, when Yuzhou was flooded, your gang leader Wang Chuo, under the pretense of going south to make a living, abducted more than 700 women. Most of them died on the way due to abuse, and their bodies were left at the foot of Wild Dog Ridge. What your canal gang was transporting was not goods, but blood.”

Han Tong said solemnly, "I have already stabbed Wang Chuo three times and left him with six holes in his body, and hung him up at the Jinling Wharf as a warning to the public."

Jiao Tu smiled and said, "What about Zhu Xiao, one of your subordinates? Two years ago, he heard from someone that eating placenta could enhance male virility, so he dissected and killed two women who were seven months pregnant. How did Chief Han deal with that? He just hung them up and beat them up. Of course, I understand that people have different degrees of closeness and distance, but those two women who died died in vain."

Yun Yang said coldly, "And there's Li Dong, the head of the Xiangtang Hall in the capital, who shelters remnants of the Beggars' Gang, robs merchants, and seizes their relatives. Last year, at least forty merchants disappeared on the Grand Canal, and their fate remains unknown."

Han Tong sneered, "What makes your Secret Service any better? Which of the twelve zodiac animals is clean? The Rabbit and the Sheep slaughtered the entire Xiao family of twenty-seven in Jinling, not even sparing the children; the Monkey caused bloodshed in the martial world over the path to officialdom; the Dog dug up ancestral graves and, after being discovered, killed the entire family to silence them; the Pig used trickery and force to seize business; the Dragon cleansed its own house every year, killing no less than a hundred people; and the Horse eliminated dissidents for the position of Prime Minister. And you have the nerve to criticize me? What a joke!"

Jiao Tu covered her mouth and giggled: "We will get our own retribution. There's no need for Chief Han to worry about us in the inner prison."

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the alley.

Everyone turned to look at the sound, and there stood Chen Ji and Jin Zhu, who had caught up with them.

In an instant, Han Tong clasped his hands together, and the image of the Buddha appeared. The golden Buddha, with his eyes closed, chanted scriptures in a low voice, the sound growing louder and louder, causing one's heart and lungs to tremble: "From his face, the World-Honored One emitted various kinds of light, the light shining like hundreds of thousands of suns. The entire Buddha-world trembled in six ways, and all the countless lands in the ten directions appeared at once. The Buddha's majestic power caused all worlds to merge into one, and in that world, all the great Bodhisattvas resided in their own lands, joining their palms in reverence..."

The Buddha's radiant light illuminated the night sky of the capital.

The golden pig, who had just chased into the alley, cried out in pain, but it was too late to close its eyes. The light, though only for a moment, stung both of their eyes, making it impossible for them to open them.

Jin Zhu covered his tear-filled eyes and said, "You bastards didn't even warn me."

In contrast, the other zodiac animals seemed to have already figured out Han Tong's methods, and closed their eyes when the scriptures were recited.

As the light dimmed, the zodiac animals all opened their eyes and saw Han Tong charging towards the celestial horse, his movements three times faster than before.

Jiao Tu showed no intention of helping, instead sitting down and teasing, "You dare not fight the Treasure Monkey, nor face Lord White Dragon, and treat Lord Pegasus like a pushover? How interesting. Chief Han, you're not exactly a skilled officer, so don't bother."

Tianma's face was as still as water. He drew his bow and nocked an arrow, and a rain of meteor-like arrows shot towards Han Tong's face through the narrow alley.

But they were too close. He had barely drawn his bowstring when Han Tong guessed where the arrow would be shot. He skillfully maneuvered through the alley, dodging the rain of meteor arrows one by one.

Beams of light swept past Han Tong, and he drew closer and closer to the Pegasus.

Tianma retreated, maintaining a distance of three steps from Han Tong. With each step back, he fired an arrow, but still could not hit Han Tong.

The next moment, Tianma nocked another arrow, but the arrow suddenly split into smaller pieces. After leaving the bowstring, the arrow exploded, turning into a gentle spring rain that poured down on the entire alley, leaving Han Tong with nowhere to hide.

Han Tong clasped his hands together, and the Buddha image behind him also clasped his hands together.

when!
The bronze bells rang loudly!

Invisible ripples swept away the accumulated dust in the alley, creating a sandstorm. Jin Zhu and Chen Ji shielded themselves with their arms, their clothes fluttering in the wind. The ripples from the bronze bell, carrying a rain of arrows, flew back to Tianma. The overwhelming shockwave hurled Tianma backward out of the alley, sending him flying.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Han Tong rushed forward, trying to break through the encirclement through the gap.

But just as he reached the alley entrance, Bai Long behind him asked with a smile, "Chief Han, are you just leaving like this?"

Han Tong turned around alertly, but in the darkness, Bai Long still stood with his hands behind his back on the bronze incense burner, showing no intention of moving.

Before he could figure out what Bai Long intended, a person suddenly appeared outside the alley, reaching out from under a black cloak and pressing his two little fingers heavily on his shoulder sockets.

Black snake.

The five signs of decay in the Lesser Deity.

The Five Signs of Decay of the Celestials refer to the signs of decay that appear when a person is about to die. These signs are further divided into the Lesser Five Signs and the Greater Five Signs. The Greater Five Signs are: soiled clothes, withered hair, sweating under the armpits, foul body odor, and displeasure with one's seat. The Lesser Five Signs are: the absence of music, dimming of body radiance, being covered in water, clinging to external objects, and a vacant, blinking body.

When the black snake's two little fingers touched Han Tong's shoulder, Han Tong's vision went dark, he could no longer see anything, and his body became weak.

At the same time, the black serpent, just like the other, staggered backward.

If the opponent's realm is lower than his, the backlash from using the Xingguan Path would not be so fierce. However, since both Han Tong and he are Xingguan in the Seeking Dao Realm, the Xiaotianren Five Decays Path will treat him the same way he treats Han Tong.

Both of them went blind, and there was no cure or way to help them within three days.

Han Tong went mad and tried to drag Xuan She down with him, but Xuan She knew this would happen. After pointing with his two fingers, he retreated without hesitation, even as he crashed into the wall behind him.

In the darkness, Han Tong felt a gust of wind behind him. A hoarse voice from behind Bao Hou's wooden monkey mask said, "Chief Han, you should rest. We have to escort you to the palace to meet the Emperor first thing tomorrow morning."

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Tong was struck hard. A tremendous force slammed into his chest, slamming him against the wall and knocking him unconscious.

Chongxing Temple finally quieted down.

Jin Zhu wiped away his tears and walked closer. He looked down at Han Tong on the ground and said, "After two years of searching, we finally caught this old bastard. It wasn't easy. Lord Bailong, Chen Ji deserves the most credit for this battle. He's been promoted to Hai Dongqing for more than half a year now. Shouldn't we talk to the Prime Minister and have him promoted to a zodiac animal?"

Yun Yang stood on the eaves with his arms crossed: "The zodiac positions are full, who do you plan to have him replace?"

The golden pig said slowly, "Whoever is the most panicked will take their place."

Yun Yang's face darkened and he remained silent.

Bai Long raised his hand to stop them from speaking: "Jiao Tu, Yun Yang, you two take Xuan She back to the Eagle House."

However, Xuan She leaned against the wall and stood up: "No need, my people are nearby, they can take me there."

Jiao Tu chuckled, "Lord Xuan She, are you worried that we'll take advantage of your misfortune? Why be so cautious? We're dear colleagues."

The black serpent sneered, "No need for pretense. If you two were in trouble, I certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity. If I were in trouble, I wouldn't give you the chance either."

He closed his eyes, leaned against the wall, took out a copper whistle, put it to his lips and blew it. A moment later, more than ten spies rushed into the alley and carried him away.

Jiao Tu and Yun Yang exchanged a glance, then climbed over the golden roof of Chongxing Temple and chased after it, their purpose unknown.

Bai Long ignored them and looked at Bao Hou, Jin Zhu, and Tian Ma: "Take Han Tong to the inner prison and bring him to the palace for trial first thing tomorrow morning. Remember, none of you three can let Han Tong out of your sight tonight. If Han Tong is found guilty, all three of you will be demoted to the Sparrow rank."

The golden pig cupped its hands and said, "Rest assured, Lord White Dragon."

Bai Long waved his sleeve: "Go."

After everyone left, only Chen Ji and Bai Long remained in the alley.

Chen Ji stepped forward and asked, "My lord, now that Han Tong's life has been returned to the Grand Chancellor, how can the Grand Chancellor grant Princess Baili her freedom?"

Bai Long said meaningfully, "Don't worry, you'll know tomorrow." (End of Chapter)