Knife splashing

Chapter 158 The Courtesan Zhao Wanfang

Jinbao Casino is also located in Pingkangfang.

"Hey, Young Master Li!"

Before I even entered the door, someone greeted me with a bow.

Li Yan turned his head and saw a tall man with a beard, a lion nose, a wide mouth, and lumps of flesh all over his body.

It looks familiar, but I can't remember who it is.

"Hahaha…"

The man clasped his fists and said, "Young Master Li, please don't blame me. I am Tie Feng. Tie Shi Gu is my father. We were mixed in the crowd that night. Young Master's Kung Fu really opened our eyes."

"Oh, sin, sin."

Li Yan raised his hands and clasped his fists, looking apologetic.

That night, the president of the Foot Guild, Tie Shigu, went to lend a helping hand in person. Although it was a favor from the Five Elements, he was still helping them, so naturally he had to be polite.

This man Tiefeng was also a veteran in the martial arts world. When he saw Li Yan coming aggressively, he immediately guessed that something was wrong.

Li Yan had been in the limelight recently, and he was interested in making friends with him, so he frowned and said in a deep voice: "Young Master Li is not an outsider, but if anything happens, let us know, our brothers in the foot trade are here."

Seeing that he had just come out of the gambling house, Li Yan was a little unsure. He glanced at the Jinbao gambling house and whispered, "Brother Tie, are you related to this?"

"No."

Tie Feng shook his head and smiled, "It's almost the end of the year, the snow is falling heavily, the official road and the dock are blocked, and we are free, so we came here to play a few rounds."

"Why, did this family offend Brother Li?"

He also learned to take advantage of the situation, and in a blink of an eye, the "young hero" became a "brother".

Li Yan smiled and said, "It's a small matter. My fellow villagers fell into a trap. I helped them catch a few scammers from Fengmen and get their things back. Who is this family?"

"Don't worry, we're one of us!"

Tie Feng laughed and said, "This Jinbao gambling house was originally owned by a boy named Lv Jinbao. His father was Lv Qing, the former governor of Shanzhou."

"This kid was very arrogant in Chang'an and offended many people. When Lu Qing was imprisoned for corruption, he did not escape and was forced to hang himself."

"This gambling house has already changed hands. You know the new owner, Master Bai of the gambling house. He was talking about you a while ago."

"Master Bai?"

Li Yan instantly remembered this person's appearance.

If I remember correctly, the other party was dressed like a Confucian scholar, usually wearing a pair of white gloves, and his weapon was an iron fan.

Thinking of this, Li Yan frowned slightly, "How come people from the pawnbroker business are also doing business with the Fengmen?"

"It must be a misunderstanding."

Tie Feng smiled and shook his head, saying, "Master Bai is very rich and has many businesses in Chang'an City. How could he rob a craftsman's shop?"

"Let's go, Hall Master Bai is at the gambling house. No matter who did this, they will definitely give Brother Li an explanation."

After saying that, he took Li Yan and the other two into the gambling house.

Just as Tiefeng said, as soon as they entered the door, a waiter from the gambling house greeted them respectfully and invited them to a private room on the second floor.

"Young Master Li, it's been a long time since we last met."

A Confucian scholar stood up and clasped his fists to greet him. It was the head of Yaxingbai Hall.

The Chang'an pawnbrokers were divided into five sections: east, south, west, north and center. Each section occupied a territory and conducted business, and they were not allowed to cross the boundaries.

The leader of the Bai Hall is named Bai Ruoxu. He is able to occupy the most prosperous and wealthy Beitang. His status is only second to the gang leader. He is also very capable and has been confirmed to be the next president of the pawnbroker.

"Master Bai, you are in trouble!"

Tie Feng and Bai Ruoxu were obviously very familiar with each other. They first quarreled with each other and then told each other the story.

Li Yan looked at the owner of the shadow puppet troupe next to him calmly.

The old man shook his head slightly, indicating that it was not this person.

"There is still such a thing!"

Bai Ruoxu was also a little surprised after hearing this. He shook his head and cursed, "These idiots actually let the people from the peak gate come in to do business. Isn't this destroying my reputation?"

After that, he clasped his fists with an apologetic look on his face and said, "I'm sorry, Young Master Li. This is my fault. I will definitely give you an explanation."

"I roughly know who that group of people are, but I can't tell you due to the rules of the martial arts world. But if you can trust Young Master Li, leave this matter to me."

"I'll make them spit out the stuff before tomorrow!"

"In addition, compensation is definitely necessary!"

Li Yan pondered for a moment and smiled, "Okay, I'll have to trouble Hall Master Bai. I'll host you later, so you must come and show us your kindness."

Since the other party had said this, he had no choice but to agree.

"Easy to say."

Hall Master Bai said happily: "Young Master Li is well-known in Hua'e Tower. I have to take advantage of him and see him for myself."

Li Yan: “…”

Things were looking promising, so everyone said goodbye and left.

Bai Ruoxu kept sending everyone out of the gambling house, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared. When he returned to the room, his face was as cold as water.

He locked the door, turned around, walked to the corner, entered the huge lacquered wooden wardrobe, and gently pulled the rope next to it.

Wow!

The wooden board under the wardrobe opened instantly.

His body fell straight down and the wooden boards quickly closed again.

This is also a secret passage at an angle. The first floor is built in a blind spot. The long secret passage leads directly to the underground.

The secret passage goes straight up and down without any ladders.

If an ordinary person falls from such a distance, he will definitely break his legs.

But Bai Ruoxu just used the force from left and right, and after a few moves, he landed steadily on the ground and looked forward.

There is actually a secret passage underneath, with mottled bricks and stones and covered with moss, and it looks quite old.

Chang'an City was the capital of several dynasties and had experienced countless wars. In order to avoid disasters, the wealthy families in the city secretly spent a lot of money to build secret passages. There were so many secret passages that it was impossible to tell how many there were.

There is a stone chamber on the left side of the secret passage ahead, with a faint firelight.

A hint of murderous intent flashed in Bai Ruoxu's eyes. He strode forward and soon arrived at the stone chamber.

Candles were lit in the stone chamber, and several people were lying or sitting. Some were concentrating on sharpening knives by the bed, while others were drinking and eating meat.

"Meet Master Bai!"

Seeing him coming, everyone stood up.

Bai Ruoxu looked calm and said calmly, "Everyone, are you used to staying here?"

"Get used to it!"

A slovenly man with a fierce look on his face joked, "Master Bai treated us with good wine and good food, so of course we are comfortable."

As he spoke, a lewd smile appeared on his face, "It's just that, hehe... you know, we've been in the mountains for a long time, and we're really feeling pent up."

"This is Pingkangfang, there are a lot of women here, look..."

"Easy to say!"

Bai Ruoxu smiled and shook his head, "Didn't you all go out a long time ago? You also got a lot of money. Why tell me what you want to do?"

"Don't you think so, Brother Yang?"

Behind the crowd, there was also a man who looked like a scholar.

If Li Yan were there, he would find out that this person was the "stick-inserting pillar" among the four pillars and eight beams of the White Tiger Village in Niubeiliang, who was responsible for gathering information.

He was also the one who killed Lu Kang at that time.

"Master Bai is joking."

Hearing Bai Ruoxu's question, the scholar smiled sinisterly, touched the scar on his neck, and sneered, "We were sent by the leader to lurk in Chang'an City."

"Master Bai is so good, he has detained us brothers here, making it difficult for us to even leave, and he has not even given us any identity." "In this case, we brothers have to think of another way."

At this point, his eyes turned cold, "Don't think that you are the only one who can handle Chang'an City. I am not talented, but I have many brothers in the underworld!"

The others looked at each other, their faces also ferocious, and they put their hands on their weapons.

"Alas, you brothers have misunderstood."

Bai Ruoxu shook his head and sighed, "Chang'an City right now may seem calm on the surface, but it's actually turbulent under the surface. It's not as simple as you think."

"Cut the nonsense!"

The scholar said in a cold voice: "In order to open the treasure, the leader is still playing hide-and-seek with the people of Taixuan Orthodox Sect in Qinling Mountains."

"We were ordered to come to Chang'an City to cause trouble, but you locked us up here. Could it be that you have second thoughts and want to rebel?!"

Bai Ruoxu gave a bitter smile and said, "Let me show you something."

As he spoke, he took off the white gloves he had been wearing.

When several bandits saw this, they were secretly surprised.

I saw that the hand was completely rotten, with pustules in some places and strange insects wriggling in other places.

The scholar sneered, "Why? Who tricked you? What's the point of showing it to us..."

Before he finished speaking, his face changed.

"poisonous!"

However, he discovered it too late.

Several bandits felt dizzy, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing. They collapsed to the ground and kept coughing.

Their necks were swollen and red, and they were spurting blood.

Bai Ruoxu then calmed down, put on the gloves, and shook his head, saying, "I show you this so that you know that with your abilities, you can't cause any trouble in Chang'an City."

"Humph, a thief's nature is hard to change, he can only do bad things!"

Having said that, he turned and left the secret passage.

In the dark room behind him, the skin of several bandits had turned red, their heads were swollen, their eyes were bloodshot, and they gradually stopped breathing...

…………

Inside the small courtyard of the palace, Heidan looked around with shock in his eyes.

"Brother Yan, you are so awesome!"

His admiration for Li Yan was beyond words.

When he was in the village, he felt that Li Yan would be a good swordsman, but what he saw today was completely beyond his imagination.

"How can I afford it?"

Li Yan smiled dumbly, "We are just looking for a house for someone, and that's it, we also have to rely on a lot of connections."

"That is that is!"

Sharifi also laughed beside him: "It's all hard, we just have more friends."

"You must be hungry after a busy day. Let's go, let's clean up the room first, and then we'll find a restaurant to treat you guys to a meal."

"Heidan, I didn't expect you have such an uncle..."

When he saw Li Yan's look, he knew that the other party had something else to do, so he took the initiative to make arrangements for Heidan and his nephew.

Li Yan looked at the sky and saw that it was already sunset, so he turned around and left the courtyard, wandering around in the dark alleys.

After a while, they arrived at the dark alley near Qingyuan Building.

He looked around and saw that there was no one around, so he suddenly burst out with his hidden strength in his legs, leaped into the air, and climbed up by grabbing the eaves.

When he was approaching Zhao Wanfang's room, he hung on the eaves with one hand, and with the other hand he made a gesture and chanted a spell, and then lightly hooked his little finger.

Wow!
A straw spirit flew out from the leather bag around its waist, slid along the wall, and silently drilled into the window.

Naturally, he would not easily believe the words of the courtesan of Qingyuan Tower, so he just said that there was a sorcerer at work and he knew the murderer.

The time he made an appointment was after nightfall.

I arrived early just as dusk fell, just to see if this woman was up to something or if she had other accomplices.

Zhao Wanfang was the only one in the room.

She sat in front of the dressing table, holding a tattered comb, looking lost and confused, not knowing what she was thinking...

Li Yan's heart moved. After putting away Chu Ling, he exerted force with his arms, and his body suddenly flew into the air. He jumped directly onto the window and jumped in.

"Who?!"

Zhao Wanfang was startled and turned around quickly. When she saw that it was Li Yan, she immediately understood and snorted coldly, "You really don't tell the truth!"

"The world is dangerous, we must be on guard."

Li Yan didn't care at all. He looked around and said thoughtfully: "Tell me, what did you see at that time?"

Zhao Wanfang gritted her teeth and said, "Tell me who the murderer is first!"

Li Yan didn't reply, just looked at him coldly.

The two of them were in a stalemate for a while. Zhao Wanfang had no choice but to lower her head and come to the table. She sighed and said in a deep voice: "I was still young at that time. My mother gave birth to me and I didn't know who my father was. I worked in the building boiling water for the girls."

"Although it's hard, I'm already very grateful, because if the girls in other buildings gave birth to bastards, they would be drowned by the madams or sold to human traffickers."

"At least, I'm still alive..."

"That night, I was sleeping in the kitchen. I just remember it was terribly quiet in the middle of the night, and then I heard the cat meowing."

"The cat's cry was very strange. When I heard it, I felt like I was in bed paralyzed. My head was clear, but my body couldn't move."

"Then a fire broke out. The fire spread so quickly that neither the girls nor the clients could react at all. They were engulfed in flames in the blink of an eye."

"Fortunately, at the last moment, I came to my senses, struggled to get into the water tank, and escaped the disaster."

"I was terrified, so I pretended to be a beggar and watched the streets. When I saw the government officials coming, I walked around a few times and left in a hurry. In the end, I decided that it was an accidental fire."

"But I know that someone killed someone!"

"I suffered a lot on the streets, and after many twists and turns, I ended up back in the brothel, sleeping with those scoundrels, begging them to teach me martial arts..."

"Outsiders see me as an otaku, wearing gold and silver, but I have long since given up on myself. I just want to find my enemy and die together..."

As he spoke, his eyes were lifeless and he scratched his arms desperately, leaving bloody marks from his nails.

Li Yan held his hand and said coldly: "Wake up, I haven't finished asking you questions yet!"

Zhao Wanfang took a deep breath, "What else do you want to know?"

Li Yan was thoughtful, "Who kept cats in the original Jincui Building?"

Zhao Wanfang replied: "Madam Liu, Hua Qing, Cui Lan."

"Hua Qing and Cui Lan were the two girls who accompanied your father at the time. Not long after the incident, Hua Qing hanged herself. Aunt Liu was afraid of getting into trouble, so she had the body buried secretly."

"A few days later, something happened in Jincui Building."

Li Yan seemed to be thinking about something, and said in a deep voice: "When you boil water for those girls, did you find out who was always carrying the Perilla sachet?"

"Also, who is from Jiangsu and Zhejiang?"

Zhao Wanfang thought for a while, "Madam Liu, Hua Qing, Cui Lan, they all carry Perilla frutescens sachets."

"Also, Aunt Liu is from Jiangsu and Zhejiang!"

At this point, her face was filled with shock. "You mean..."

Li Yan said in a deep voice: "I heard someone say that in the side sects in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, there is a woman from Yanmen who is good at raising a kind of monster called 'Jinhua Cat'."

"This demon is good at bewitching people. During the Song Dynasty, a court lady raised this demon with witchcraft and bewitched the emperor. Later, she was discovered and her entire family was implicated. This technique then spread to the people."

"Those who raise this monster must always carry the Perilla scented sachet, otherwise they will be attacked by the Jinhua cat monster..."

At this point, he already understood the cause of his father's death...

(End of this chapter)