Knife splashing

Chapter 455: Case within a case, game within a game
"what happened?"

Li Yan looked at Liu San lying on the ground and asked.

"It was my fault…"

Sharifei looked unhappy. "I went to buy intelligence. After I finished, I asked a few more questions and found out that the guy didn't run away with the money. He accidentally revealed his wealth and was robbed by his accomplices."

"I was thinking of saving someone and getting the money back, but I accidentally stumbled upon something so scandalous. I'm afraid it will bring us trouble..."

"Nothing to do with you!"

Lu San beside him suddenly said in a muffled voice: "I couldn't help but take action first, don't blame Lao Sha."

The two were clearly vying for responsibility.

Li Yan was a little surprised, then he burst into laughter, "Lao Sha, San'er, do you think I, Li Yan, am afraid of trouble?"

"We are brothers. Even if we poke a hole in the sky, we can handle it together. There's nothing to be afraid of!"

"Tell me, what happened?"

Sharifei then said, "I got the news that this kid was kidnapped by other members of the Westward Journey Beggars' Gang. He is in the ruined temple in the south of the city."

"When we got there, we found quite a few vicious beggars lurking inside. San'er and I used some tricks to lure them away and went into the cellar to rescue them."

"I never thought that the gang of beggars was also involved in kidnapping and selling children. They locked up hundreds of children inside, all of whom were drugged..."

"We'll kill all the beggars and notify the neighbors to report it to the police."

Li Yan smiled and said, "This is a good thing."

Sharifei said with an unpleasant expression: "I used a firearm."

"What's even more troublesome is that when the government officials arrived, they insisted that we were the ones who kidnapped the child, and they are now sending people to search everywhere."

"Oh?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and discovered something strange.

The old lady next to him, Bai Huan, shook her head and said, "This is a very simple matter. The buying and selling of human beings is not new. There are both open and hidden markets."

"Most people in Ming City sell themselves voluntarily, or they are wives, daughters and children of prisoners ordered by the court. They are usually registered in the government office."

"But in this dark market, most of the people bought and sold are not legitimate, and they are closely related to the Beggars' Sect, local gangs, and the Swallow Sect. And they must have the support of the government officials to be able to do this."

"We are afraid that we have touched the purses of some people in the government office."

"Is that why?"

Li Yan laughed dumbly, "It's okay, it's done. If I were here, I'm afraid I would do it even more ruthlessly. Just stay here for a while, and wait until the storm has passed, then we can leave."

As he spoke, he bowed to the old lady Bai Huan and said, "Senior, I am really sorry for delaying your journey."

"You are too polite, Mr. Li."

The old lady Bai Huan smiled and said, "This is a good deed of chivalrous conduct. I admire it very much."

Li Yan nodded and looked at everyone, "In that case, let's stay for a while. Lao Sha, you didn't show your faces, did you?"

"This is not."

"That's fine. San'er, keep your eyes farther away. Lao Sha, look around and find some ways to retreat. The rest of you, stay alert and evacuate immediately if you find anything wrong."

"Two streets away is the Chongqing Qianhu Guard Station. They might be in collusion with those people. We have to be on guard."

After making some arrangements, Li Yan looked at Wang Daoxuan again and told him what had just happened.

“There are so many strange people in the market…”

When everyone heard about the mysterious old man, they couldn't help but sigh.

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and smiled, "Most likely it's an old veteran in the opera industry who couldn't stand it anymore. I guess he would rescue us without us having to do anything."

Li Yan nodded slightly and didn't mention the matter again.

As for the precious "Dragon Snake Card" in the hands of the leader of the group, it is difficult to say more because it is related to the commission of the Dragon Girl and involves a lot of things.

Find out the situation first, then find an opportunity to take action.

After the plan was made, everyone got busy.

Sha Lifei and Lu San went out to control more mice, expand the alert area, and look for a secret retreat point...

Wang Daoxuan and the girl from the Bai family helped Liu San to heal his wounds...

As for Li Yan, he took the purchased information from Sharifei and returned to the room to check.

They bought a lot of intelligence this time.

The first is the distribution of forces in various parts of Sichuan.

They had known something about it before they came, but it was not as detailed as the local inns in Sichuan.

From the intelligence, we can see that although Shu is large and has scattered mountains and rivers, the distribution of forces is very regular.

One is the court.

The King of Shu was entrenched in Chengdu, and all the officials there were under his command.

Although he was a brother of the emperor, had made considerable contributions and was trusted, the senior officials in the court were still wary of him.

Over the years, officials have been sent one after another to take control of Chongqing Prefecture in an attempt to establish a confrontation with Chengdu, but they can only take it slowly.

Therefore, the officialdom in Chongqing Prefecture was also very complicated. Some officials were from the Shu King's faction, while others were transferred from other places by the imperial court. They often tripped each other up on a daily basis.

The second is the underworld.

The orthodox Xuanmen sect in Shu was originally dominated by Emei, but over the years, Qingcheng Mountain has risen rapidly. In addition, Cheng Jianxin, one of the ten great masters, has emerged and suppressed the fortune of Shu for decades, making Qingcheng Mountain completely independent and more powerful than Emei.

The two sides appear to be friendly on the surface, but they are secretly competing with each other.

For example, in Chongqing Prefecture, the control of the City God Temple was obtained by Emei Mountain two years ago after Cheng Jianxin had not appeared for a long time.

What happened in between is unknown.

But because of this, the two sides almost stopped communicating.

In the underworld, the headquarters of the Gelaohui is in Chongqing Prefecture, the headquarters of the Salt Gang is in Zigong, and with the help of the Shuwang Palace, it has also extended to Chengdu, and the headquarters of the Paijiao is in Yibin.

Apart from these, there are second-rate forces.

The Iron Buddha Temple in northern Sichuan is also one of the five temples of Emei, but it has better connections with the underworld in Hanzhong, southern Shaanxi, and controls the Shu Road to Shanzhou. It is very rich and keeps a distance from Qingcheng and Emei, looking aloof from the world...

Chengdu Qingyang Palace is closer to Qingcheng, but is very enthusiastic about worldly affairs and is closer to Shuwang Palace...

Generally speaking, the orthodox religion in Shu is in a state of disarray.

In addition, there are many ethnic groups in this area, and there are many folk Dharma lines. There are many masters of Tongtian Sect and Sanjiao. To the west, there are Tibetan Buddhism and Bon religion. To the south, it is close to Yunnan and Guizhou, and the evil ways in the southwest are also very prosperous.

Therefore, the Dujiangyan fight broke out before.

Although Qingcheng Mountain won, it is estimated that the peace will not last long.

What a mess...

Li Yan shook his head slightly and looked at the second piece of information.

The above are some strange things happening in various places.

Li Yan took out the map, drew his own unique symbols and marked it according to the information, and then planned the route in combination with the Bai family's secret collection and the location of the treasures told by Qingniu Temple.

After doing all this, he took out the last piece of information.

Above is the information about the treasure-hoarder.

The treasure-holding clan can often find treasures, so they are inevitably coveted by others, so their actions are very secretive.

The only clue mentioned above is that a group of treasure-hunting people appeared near the DZ area.

DZ zone?
Li Yan looked at the information thoughtfully.

Those people are not planning to take over the Dazu Rock Carvings, are they?

…………

In the south of the city, outside a dilapidated temple.

Torches were blazing and the ground was littered with body parts.

"Woo!"

"Son, I finally found you!"

"These bastards deserve to die!" There were children crying everywhere. People who heard the news blocked the street entrance, and many of them were looking around.

The soldiers of the garrison built a human wall to stop the people.

The clerks in the yamen led the children out one by one.

If the person has family, the child must identify him/her personally and find two neighbors to act as guarantors before the person can be taken away.

As for those who cannot find their families, they will be temporarily found a place to stay.

Among the crowd watching the excitement, some were crying and shouting, some were cursing.

This temple was originally a land temple during the Daxing period of the previous dynasty. Because it enshrined officials of the Daxing dynasty, the nearby officials and gentry were wary and never allocated funds for its repair, so it gradually fell into disrepair.

Later, it was occupied by a group of evil beggars.

These people are domineering and often go to the doors of nearby businesses to extort money by saying auspicious words.

If they are not given money, they will throw feces, steal chickens and dogs, break windows in the middle of the night...all kinds of disgusting means will be used to make the people miserable.

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After reporting to the police several times, people from the yamen came and drove him away, but within three days, he would come back and torture the people who reported to the police.

As time went by, no one dared to say anything more.

Unexpectedly, this time, we were all caught in one fell swoop.

The people kept cursing and felt relieved.

Inside the ruined temple, the yamen runners and the people from the Duwei Division were busy.

"My lord, it's a new type of firearm."

After the coroner examined the body, he stood up and saluted, saying, "The man who used the firearm was an expert, and he had the help of a master. He trapped these beggars in the yard and killed them all with the help of the firearm."

"His methods are sharp, and he is definitely not an ordinary person in the martial arts world."

Looking at the body parts scattered all over the ground, the eyelids of the chief constable of Chongqing government office trembled slightly.

He was tall, with a dark complexion, and the most striking feature was his long beard, which hung down to his chest. It was smooth as water and was carefully groomed.

This man's surname is Wan, and his given name is Wan Baoquan. He is a master of Huamen among the Five Flowers and Seven Leaves of Emei. He is good at using the Thirty-Six Heavenly Powers and is known as the number one detective in the southwest.

He also has a nickname, "The Man with Beautiful Beard".

Court officials generally avoid making friends with underworld people.

However, the police chiefs in the public sector are not included in this list.

After listening to the coroner's words, Wan Baoquan nodded slightly, bowed respectfully to the person beside him and said, "Master Liu, the case is clear. It was a local beggar who abducted and trafficked people. I suggest that the case be closed."

Opposite him, a captain of the Duwei Division was sitting on a chair with two subordinates standing beside him. It was none other than Captain Liu Qian who had set up a bureau in Fengdu.

Facing the corpses scattered all over the ground, he didn't even look at them. He trimmed his nails with a knife and said calmly, "Captain Wan, you are too careless."

Wan Baoquan's face froze, "I wonder what your Excellency means?"

Captain Liu Qian slowly raised his eyes and said, "Beggars are just kidnapping people. They happen everywhere, but you also know the rules of the court. When it comes to firearms, you must not be careless."

As he spoke, his eyes turned cold, "The court had no choice but to release firearms, but that doesn't mean it will allow these gangsters to do whatever they want."

"Firearms were used in the city, and so many people died. If we don't get to the bottom of it, neither you nor I can bear the consequences!"

"Humph! These guys are so bold and reckless. Most of them are the beggar's accomplices. They don't share the spoils equally. They must be caught!"

Wan Baoquan was silent for a moment, then he bowed and said, "Yes, sir."

Liu Qian, a captain in the Duwei Division, nodded with satisfaction, then stood up and left with his men.

But when he reached the door, he suddenly stopped, turned his head and said meaningfully: "Captain Wan, I am keeping an eye on this matter, please don't ruin your reputation as the number one detective in the southwest..."

After saying this, he strode away.

After he walked out of the dilapidated temple, Wan Baoquan straightened up, stared at the other person's back, frowned slightly, and seemed to be thinking about something.

His hand unconsciously reached into his arms, took out a delicate little wooden comb, and gently combed his beard.

"Boss, look at this..."

A bailiff nearby came forward to ask questions.

Wan Baoquan combed his beard and said, "This Liu guy is notoriously sinister. He definitely has bad intentions."

"Let's check and find the person first."

The bailiff nodded quickly, "Okay, I'll take my brothers to the Gelaohui and ask if there are any strangers entering the city recently."

"Ah."

Wan Baoquan combed his beard and nodded slightly.

He stared at the running man who was leaving, and only after he left did he put away the comb, beckoned his hand, and called another running man.

"Senior brother."

The bailiff bowed slightly.

Wan Baoquan sneered, "There's no need to investigate this case. It's obvious that this is a case of a passerby who saw injustice. We are in the government, but we are also people of the underworld."

"If I take someone's property, won't I be laughed at by my fellow martial artists?"

"That guy just now was in a hurry to look for someone. He probably took money from this group of beggars. Let's follow him and see if he finds anything."

"Yes, senior brother."

The bailiff nodded slightly and left immediately.

Wan Baoquan took out the wooden comb again and started to comb his beard, muttering, "Damn it, it's so hard to make a living..."

…………

On the other side, Liu Qian led his men out of the ruined temple and immediately quickened their pace, turning left and right, and arrived outside a large house near Tongyuan Gate.

The servant standing at the door said nothing when he saw this, but just bowed respectfully and knocked on the door three times.

With a creak, the door opened.

In the yard, many men were patrolling around, holding sharp blades and muskets on their waists.

They have sharp eyes and you can tell at a glance that they are all experts.

Liu Qian ignored him and strode with his men through the main hall and came to a study in the backyard.

The night was still there, but a candle was burning brightly at the study window. An old man in a Confucian robe was reading a book, with a beautiful maid beside him.

Liu Qian raised his hand and asked his men to stand outside the door.

"I have met Changsun Fengci."

Facing this old man, Liu Qian also put away his arrogance.

"Fengci" is an official position in the royal palace.

Responsible for sacrificial matters and music and dance performances.

The old man in the Confucian robe put down the book, nodded and smiled, "Thank you for your hard work, Master Liu. How is the situation over there?"

Liu Qian sneered, "Originally, I was planning to lead people to expose this matter, but I don't know where the dragon came from and took action first."

"Wan Baoquan is known as a detective, but he is just a gangster. He has no idea how serious this matter is. I have forced him to investigate it thoroughly."

"With just a little guidance, this fire can be started!"

The old man in the Confucian robe nodded, looked out the window, and shook his head, saying, "The emperor didn't say anything, but the ministers in the court just stared at the prince, and they just wanted to step on the prince's palace to get to the top."

"Unfortunately, the people they sent are all good-for-nothings. Now that we have caught them, we can drive them out of Chongqing in one fell swoop!"

…………

At the other end, the volunteer yamen runner walked out, turned two alleys, and said to his men, "It's not easy to deal with the people from the Gelaohui. You go first, I'll find someone to talk to, and I'll be there soon."

After sending his men away, his face immediately became anxious. He turned around and ran, hurriedly coming to the riverside.

The riverside was dark and the waves were crashing against the shore.

He spat, took out a hoe from the woods, and started digging quickly next to a reef.

After a while, a strong stench of corpse spread out...

(End of this chapter)