Knife splashing

Chapter 197 Bargaining
Hearing this, Li Yan raised his eyebrows, a little surprised.

Han Kun is really brave.

Although there will inevitably be some interactions between the underworld and the imperial court, in the eyes of the government, people in the underworld always need to be strictly guarded against.

There are also some historical origins behind this.

When Taizu of the Daxuan Dynasty overthrew the Daxing Dynasty, he relied on the power of people in the underworld and even became friends with the leader of the Maitreya Sect. After the world was stabilized, he would naturally be on guard.

As a result, the imperial court incorporated the Shenquan Society, suppressed the Maitreya Sect, and set up a Duwei Division to monitor the movements of the martial arts world.

If someone from the imperial court joined a gang, even if it was a famous and orthodox one, it would be considered taboo, especially if they were an official.

The annual assessment by the Ministry of Personnel will not allow him to hold a high position.

The Shenquan Society and the Xuanmen Zhengjiao are the paths prescribed by the imperial court.

What kind of brains does Han Kun have? He actually dared to place his disciples in the garrison and even tried to get a position as a centurion.

Seeing everyone's strange expressions, Han Kun laughed dumbly and shook his head, saying: "You are all wrong. I am not stupid enough to do this."

"My disciple is called Qin Xuhua, and he simply teaches me martial arts. He devotes himself to serving his country and never gets involved in the affairs of the underworld. He has never joined the Cao Gang, but he presents me with a birthday gift every year."

"I went to Yunyang, but I never expected that my apprentice would be killed. He was only a centurion, and he left behind orphans and widows to make arrangements for."

"I have to find a way to avenge this grudge!"

"Oh I got it."

Li Yan nodded slightly, but he didn't quite believe it in his heart.

Simply becoming a disciple to learn skills, without getting involved in the disputes of the martial arts world...it is impossible to distinguish the human relationships and worldly affairs so clearly.

Of course, what the other party intends to do has nothing to do with him.

Thinking of this, Li Yan said, "I don't know what happened over there. I only know that there were thieves who used evil magic to harm people and steal their property."

Since it was about the new type of gunpowder, he naturally didn't dare to reveal it casually.

Who knows what Han Kun is planning.

Han Kun was obviously not satisfied with this answer and continued to ask: "What kind of evil magic did the thief use?"

Li Yan was about to speak, but something moved his mind and he looked outside the door.

Then, hurried footsteps were heard outside.

There was a crash,
The door was suddenly pushed open and a group of people strode in.

They were all dressed in black, with a 緣子 (a sharp beast) embroidered on their chests and a 狴緣 (a sharp beast) on their backs. They looked stern and moved swiftly. They were the troops of the Duwei Division.

The leader was a middle-aged man.

He was thin, had a goatee, and had a pair of gloomy and dark eyes, looking like a wolf staring at its prey.

Seeing the cloud pattern on the other person's clothes, Li Yan's heart sank.

The Duwei Division really took the matter seriously and actually sent a captain to handle it.

The other party was not in a hurry to introduce himself. After looking around with a cold gaze, he looked at Han Kun and said with narrowed eyes:
"What is the newly appointed Elder Han of the Cao Gang doing here?"

Han Kun smiled and bowed slightly, saying, "I just came here to visit an old friend. Since you are busy, I won't bother you anymore."

With that said, he was about to get up and leave.

"Why is Elder Han so anxious?"

The thousand households said calmly: "Don't leave."

Han Kun frowned slightly and said, "What do you mean, sir?"

"Be bold!"

A captain next to him immediately shouted, "Han Kun, the dead Captain Qin was your disciple, right?"

"I didn't bother to argue with you in the past, but now that you dare to interfere in some matters, I think you don't want to be part of the Cao Gang anymore!"

When Han Kun heard this, his mind went blank and his eyes were filled with doubt.

Looking at the situation, things are far more complicated than I thought.

The leading captain ignored Han Kun and just looked at Li Yan, saying in a cold voice: "I am Huang Wenzhong, the captain of the Yunyang Prefecture Guard."

"You must be Li Yan, right? I want to ask you something."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and immediately one of his men handed him a booklet.

He took it without even looking at it, flipped through it casually, and said in a deep voice: "Li Yan, a native of Lantian County, Shanzhou, became famous in Xianyang City half a year ago. He was involved in the Gushui Village case, the Zhou Mansion gunpowder case, the mass grave Maitreya case, and also killed people in the streets of Chang'an..."

"Tsk tsk, at such a young age, you are so restless..."

Li Yan's expression remained unchanged, and he said calmly: "Sir, if you have something to say, just say it directly. There is no need to use such a trick."

This method is called a horse stake in the underworld and a gavel in the government. It is used to intimidate people and pave the way for subsequent questioning.

But using it against him would be a waste of time.

Besides, he did much more than this...

Qianhu Huang Wenzhong smiled faintly: "You have courage."

As he spoke, he looked at Han Kun and said calmly, "Elder Han, this is a matter of imperial secrets, so you'd better not listen to some of the words."

"Someone, please ask Elder Han to go to another room."

Han Kun was also a worldly-wise man. Seeing this situation, he knew that the matter was serious. Without saying anything more, he bowed and went to other rooms under the supervision of a captain's flag.

After going out, he was even more shocked.

At this moment, the entire inn is under the control of the Duwei Division.

Below, there were people carrying strong bows guarding the important roads, while the innkeeper and the waiter stood by trembling in fear.

As for the other guests in the inn, they all looked terrified and lined up obediently to have their identities verified one by one.

Han Kun's eyes were gloomy and he didn't dare to speak casually.

……

Inside the room, after Han Kun left, the door was immediately closed.

A captain called Si Xiaoqi brought a chair, and Huang Wenzhong shook his robe and sat down at the door in a carefree manner.

He looked at Li Yan and said thoughtfully, "Look at the documents submitted by the local county lieutenant. The magic used by the thieves cannot be seen by other magicians, but you can see through it at a glance and find the secret room."

"I am quite curious..."

Li Yan replied calmly: "Since the captain has found out all my details, doesn't he know that I am a living ghost messenger?"

"Some things I naturally know more about than others. As for the secret room, anyone with great magical powers can find it."

Huang Wenzhong did not seem surprised by his answer. His expression softened and he nodded slightly.

"Don't blame me, Young Master Li. This case is of great importance and I am a little worried. If I have offended you, please forgive me."

"Also, thanks to Young Master Li's help, we have finally gotten a clue to this case. I would like to thank you for that."

"My lord, you're welcome."

Li Yan's face was calm, but he was sneering in his heart.

He knew very well what kind of people these Duweisi people were.

Being so polite, I'm afraid he's setting a trap.

As expected, Huang Wenzhong looked puzzled again and said, "Young Master Li, these thieves are using evil methods to harm people, and robbing treasures is just a cover-up. Their goal must be the coal."

"I am a little confused. What do they want that thing for?"

Li Yan had been prepared for this, and shook his head, saying, "I am also a little surprised by this matter, but we are good at exorcising evil spirits and catching ghosts, but we are not good at investigating cases."

"You came to ask me, but you found the wrong person."

"Oh... I was confused." Huang Wenzhong breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked, "Young Master Li, I heard you say that the man used the Fox Heart Technique? Can you tell me about this technique?"

Li Yan deliberately said impatiently: "I have told the county lieutenant everything I know. We need to use the heart of an old fox for the ritual. The weakness is that the fox ghost will bear a grudge against us."

"Your Excellency is asking questions here and there instead of catching the murderer. Could it be that you suspect us?"

"Humph! If the county lieutenant hadn't come to ask for help, how would we have gotten involved in this trouble?"

Li Yan spoke bluntly, and the faces of the people around him suddenly turned ugly. One of them was about to reprimand him, but Huang Wenzhong stopped him and said apologetically, "Don't blame me, young man Li. These are the rules of handling cases. Naturally, some things must be clarified."

"The monk Kuxin's secret passage leads to the riverbank outside the city. He must have escaped by sneaking into the river. I have sent people to block the river and check the ships coming and going. Another team is searching the nearby mountains and forests, but nothing has been found."

"Young Master Li, do you have a way to find that person?"

Li Yan shook his head and said, "My magical power relies on smelling to find people. Since the other party escaped from the river, there is nothing I can do."

"But my brother can help, but he has to let go of the captured foxes."

Huang Wenzhong didn't seem surprised to hear this, and turned to look at Lu San, "This is Lu San from Manchuan Pass, right?"

"I heard that you are proficient in the languages ​​of birds and animals. I am sorry to trouble you with this matter."

Old fox!
Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly and felt relieved.

Although the Qiao family has fallen on hard times, Lu San still has a wanted warrant on his body. This group of old guys have already found out all about them, but they deliberately avoid mentioning the matter.

It was both a way of currying favor and a reminder to everyone that he had reason to take them down at any time.

Thinking of this, Li Yan's eyes turned, "Wait a minute!"

Huang Wenzhong was stunned, "Young Master Li, is there something wrong?"

Li Yan nodded and said with a smile: "Sir, since you have investigated so clearly, you should know that we can get a lot of commission for doing things for others."

"That would have been fine just now, but now you're here to threaten us again and want us to help you find it. You can't order people around like that..."

"Be bold!"

A captain next to him could no longer hold back and said gloomily, "This Lu San is a wanted criminal by the court! And you, you have killed many people, and you still dare to bargain."

"Do you really think that we can't do anything to you just because you know some magic?"

Li Yan took a deep breath and deliberately widened his eyes and said, "Sir, I wonder what you want to do to us? Why don't you tell me..."

"See if you can scare me!"

As he said that, he turned his head and looked at Sha Lifei, "Uncle Sha, are you afraid of death?"

Sharifei cursed: "Damn it, of course I'm afraid."

"If I die, you must help me to avenge myself."

Li Yan nodded seriously: "Okay."

Then he looked at the centurion again, his eyes slowly turning cold, "Sir, I wonder what you are going to do?"

The captain had an unpleasant expression on his face, but when he saw Huang Wenzhong's cold glance, he quickly lowered his head and dared not say anything more.

Huang Wenzhong smiled and said, "You are indeed very courageous. Young Master Li, do you want to make a deal? What are your requirements?"

"Your Excellency is wise."

Li Yan gave a thumbs up. "My brother is involved in a case, but it was all Qiao Sanhu's fault. He gathered a group of thieves and pretended to be an official. This is a serious crime!"

"Sir, look at this..."

Huang Wenzhong also pretended to be angry and said, "How dare they use bandits to impersonate government officials and kill innocent people? They deserve to die."

"Lü San is upholding justice, and the court will certainly not wrongly accuse a good person."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu San's wanted warrant has always been a trouble. Originally, he was going to solve this matter when he was in Chang'an, but Chang Xuan and Guan Wanche were both in trouble at that time. How could they have time to deal with him?
Moreover, the City God Temple also said that if the wanted order for Lu San was not revoked, the Taoist certificate could not be processed, and there would be many inconveniences in traveling between places.

Since there is this opportunity, I'll just solve it while I'm at it.

As for whether Huang Wenzhong would lie, he was not worried.

The Duwei Division monitors the underworld, and it is inevitable to exchange conditions with people in the underworld. If it breaks its promise and ruins its reputation, it will be extremely difficult to ask for help or find informants when handling cases in the future.

The matter had been settled, and everyone stopped talking and soon arrived at the city gate.

Many people from the Duwei Division came and not only took over the case, they even brought in the military order tiger talisman and took control of the local garrison.

At this moment, the entire Shangjin City is under martial law.

At the city gate, soldiers carried out bamboo baskets one by one.

"Young Master Li, all the captured foxes are here. It's up to you." Huang Wenzhong nodded slightly and stepped aside.

To be honest, he was also a little curious.

Having reached his position, he had dealt with many people from the Xuanmen sect on the ground, but this was the first time he had seen someone who could speak the language of birds and animals.

Li Yan nodded, and Lu San immediately walked forward. As he approached, the foxes in the bamboo baskets suddenly squeaked and screamed in fear.

After Lu San squatted down, he squeaked a few times, and the fox in the bamboo basket finally calmed down.

He opened the baskets one by one, and the foxes jumped out immediately. Some ran away directly, while others seemed to want to approach but were full of vigilance.

Lu San was very patient. He squeaked a few times and brought a few freshly bought roast chickens and placed them on the ground.

Several foxes were obviously very hungry and immediately ran over to grab the food.

Lu San waited for a moment before slowly approaching and gently stroking the heads of the foxes.

He has a natural aura and can be close to animals.

After a while, the foxes relaxed their vigilance and circled around him.

Lu San squeaked, as if communicating with the foxes.

The scene before them amazed everyone.

After a while, all the foxes fled and disappeared into the mountains and forests. Lu San waved his hand again, and the falcon on his shoulder suddenly soared into the sky and circled above the mountains and forests.

"It'll take a while."

Lu San said something in a muffled voice, then sat on the ground and waited quietly.

The people from the Duwei Division had no idea what to do, so naturally they could only wait.

However, this wait took a long time.

Until sunset, no fox was seen coming out of the forest.

It was the same captain from before. His face was full of impatience. He bowed and clasped his fists and said, "Master Qianhu, this quack is probably misleading the people with his lies and confusing our sight."

Li Yan looked at him in surprise when he heard this.

The hierarchy rules of the Duwei Division have always been strict. This centurion is so talkative and dares to question Huang Wenzhong's orders. I'm afraid there is something fishy going on.

As expected, Huang Wenzhong glanced at him calmly and said in a cold voice: "Captain Liu, the master has given me full authority to handle this matter."

"Since you are so anxious, why don't you take over the task?"

"Master Qianhu, please forgive me."

The centurion looked embarrassed and quickly clasped his fists to apologize.

At this moment, the cry of an eagle was heard in the sky.

Then, a cold wind suddenly blew in the woods, making the leaves and grass rustle. Mist rose, and green flames floated up and down in the forest.

Everyone could vaguely see an old fox standing on the hill, looking down at them with cold eyes.

Around it, green will-o'-the-wisp fire slowly swirled...

(End of this chapter)