Knife splashing

Chapter 514: Leaping into the Abyss, No Fault

"Yohoo, can you still play like this?"

Upon hearing this, some people in the teahouse immediately sneered.

"You want to curry favor with the Prince of Shu, so you rush to kill him, and then seek revenge after losing your life. You are so shameless..."

"That's right, is it possible that they would close their eyes and let you kill them?"

"Damn it, aren't you afraid of bringing shame to the Shuzhong martial arts world if you tell others about it? The Divine Fist Society is getting worse and worse..."

"With the Cheng family suppressing them, there is no way they can make a breakthrough."

"Tsk tsk, now that Cheng Jianxian hasn't shown up for many years, I guess these old guys are getting restless, so they came up with this idea..."

"Hey, is Cheng Jianxian still alive?"

"He was a figure from many years ago. He has been here since I was born. He must have passed away by now. The Cheng family just kept the death a secret."

"He is said to be a sword immortal, could he really be an immortal..."

"Hey, whether I can become an immortal or not, I don't know, but I do know a place. If you go there, you will be as happy as an immortal!"

"Hahaha…"

Obscene laughter suddenly rang out all around.

The topics in the teahouse became more and more off-topic.

In the corner, a young man holding a dagger, with dishevelled hair and a dirty face, was listening attentively. Seeing these people changing the subject, he couldn't help but mutter, "What's the point of talking about women instead of business?"

"hey-hey…"

Opposite him sat a blind old Taoist priest, sipping his wine from a bowl. He smiled frivolously when he heard the words, "Silly boy, what else can a bunch of grown men talk about if not women?"

"Let's talk about the martial arts world!"

The young man got excited and moved closer to the old Taoist priest. "Master, what do you think the Twelve Yuan Chen look like?"

"Also, they have caused such a big mess, can they get away with it? Will they die here?"

"none of your business!"

The blind old Taoist casually patted the young man on the head and said, "Look, heroes and heroes are nothing but talk among others."

"Instead of thinking about this, why not think about where we should stay tonight?"

"After drinking this cup of tea, you will be penniless."

"Ah...this..."

The young man holding the sword suddenly looked bitter, "Master, you said you would bring me out to see the world, but how come you can't even afford a meal?"

"Ho ho."

The blind old Taoist smiled with a fake smile, "To be in the underworld is just to make a living. If you don't even know how to make a living, how can you still want to be a hero?"

When the young man heard this, his face immediately turned red with embarrassment.

The blind Taoist smacked his lips and whispered, "I've accepted two jobs. It depends on which one you want to do."

The boy's eyes lit up immediately, "Master, please tell me."

Blind Eye secretly pointed behind him and said, "See, that fat guy? Someone offered five taels of silver to kill him."

"He doesn't look like a gangster..."

"Of course, he's just an ordinary person with no martial arts skills. He's easy to deal with. You just need to go up to him and stab him from behind. Then we can run away immediately and get five taels of silver."

"He looks quite honest, why would anyone want to kill him?"

"Simple. A bad wife brings disaster upon herself. Someone has taken a fancy to his wife and wants to take over some of his land."

When the young man heard this, he quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, this can't be done. If it were you, we should just go kill the adulterer and steal some money."

"Hey, that's a bit mean..."

The blind Taoist priest said, "According to the rules of the martial arts world, you won't kill your employer. Otherwise, neither of us will have food to eat in the future."

"There is still a job. A cow was lost in a village not far from here. It probably ran away into the mountains. If you find it, I'll give you ten big coins."

"Ten big bucks?"

The sword-holding boy's face turned bitter, "That's too little."

"I can't do anything about it."

The blind Taoist crossed his legs, dangling his worn-out shoes, and shook his head, sighing, "In this world, bad people are always a little richer than good people. If you want to make clean money, you will be unlucky for the rest of your life."

"If you ask me, just stab that fat guy. If you want to be a hero, there's no rush. Live a good life first."

"Anyway, no one will know about this in the future."

The sword-holding boy shrank his head and said, "Forget it. I'll go look for the cow. Maybe I can find it before dark."

After saying that, he picked up his sword, put on his hat and ran out.

"Hey, you little bastard, why don't you wait for me!"

The blind Taoist cursed with a laugh, then casually stretched out his hand and wiped it away.

What the young man didn't realize was that the Taoist had drawn a talisman on the table with wine, so that no one around them could hear their conversation.

As soon as the drinks were wiped off, the noise started immediately.

As soon as the blind Taoist priest left, the group of ascetic monks raised their heads and looked at the two departing figures with solemn expressions.

The leading monk gently pressed his staff to the ground.

Similarly, people in the teahouse could not hear their voices.

"Brother, who is that?"

"I don't know. There are many strange people in Shu. Just do good things on this trip and don't cause trouble. Let's meet up at Lingquan Temple as soon as possible."

"Yes, senior brother."

All the monks agreed in unison, stood up, thanked the boss, and left.

In the small teahouse, the discussion was still in full swing.

No one knew that two waves of strange people had left one after another...

…………

Wow!
In the thatched pavilion, Wang Daoxuan shook the tortoise shell and scattered the winning coins.

"Master Dao, what do you say?"

Sharifei came over with great interest.

Wang Daoxuan looked at it carefully for a while, stroked his beard and said, "If it jumps into the abyss, there will be no harm."

"What do you mean?"

"A dragon may soar into the sky or retreat into the abyss. As long as you assess the situation and respond flexibly, you can advance or retreat without any hindrance."

"That would be great..."

Sharifei was immediately delighted when he heard this.

As for divination, no one in the entire Shenzhou continent dares to say that they can predict everything. After all, it is too mysterious.

Wang Daoxuan is good at everything except being obsessed with this technique.

To be honest, the Taoist's best talent is casting spells, followed by warding off disasters and praying for blessings. If we have to rank them, divination has to be put last.

But that's how people are sometimes.

Wang Daoxuan's divination would occasionally be correct once or twice, but he believed it was some kind of revelation and his actions would be affected by it.

By now, Li Yan and others no longer took it seriously, and they would just occasionally say a few flattering words to make the Taoist happy.

As for Li Yan, he was teasing the stupid donkey on the side.

This stupid donkey had something wrong with its brain, but its intuition was amazing. When they were in Longfeng Ancient Town, it realized that he was about to leave, so it bit off the reins and followed him.

Li Yan had no choice but to take him with him.

Fortunately, although this donkey is stupid, it is strong enough to carry a lot of luggage, allowing Wu Ba to use his fists and feet freely.

Lu San watched from the side and was also very surprised.

"Brother Yan, this donkey is interesting. It doesn't understand what I say, but it obeys you."

"Silly."

"Not only that, this donkey shows its true nature, it's rare..."

The two chatted while looking outside the pavilion.

After they returned to Longfeng Ancient Town, they headed towards Suining County with great fanfare, planning to find a place to stay first and then go to Guangde Temple.

They also heard some things, but did not care.

The Shen Quan Society is a fairly influential organization in Shanzhou, with many martial arts masters, but in Shuzhong, it is a different story. This is the culture of the wharf underworld.

There are the orthodox Xuanmen sects such as Qingcheng, Emei and Guangde Temple. Not only Xuanmen, but also business in the underworld, martial arts schools, etc.

For example, the “eight leaves” in “five flowers and eight leaves”.

At the docks, there were all kinds of organizations such as the Paijiao, the Gelaohui, and the Salt Gang.

The Divine Fist Society has half its support from the imperial court and half its support from the underworld, so it is really not well received.

Although they were not welcomed, after all, it was the power of the imperial court intervening in the martial arts world, and the major gangs did not want to offend them too much, so they attracted some ambitious people without any foundation.

But the bad luck is that there is Cheng Jianxian in Shu, and the Cheng family is the number one family in both martial arts and Taoism.

Even Huo Yin, the president of the Divine Fist Association, did not dare to be too presumptuous in front of this sword immortal who was also one of the ten great masters.

Therefore, Li Yan really didn't care about the Shu Divine Fist Association.

The bigger the situation becomes, the safer they will be.

They chatted for a while, and when they saw that the freezing rain that had started at noon had finally stopped, they quickly prepared to set off.

Da da da!
Just then, the sound of horse hooves was heard on the official road.

Li Yan and others stopped and looked up.

But then I saw a group of knights in gorgeous clothes riding their horses towards me, the rumbling of their horses' hooves breaking the thin ice that had just frozen on the road. They were dressed in bright clothes and riding fast, and they looked very imposing.

Swish swish!
When they were almost in front of the pavilion, the knights dismounted from their horses swiftly and bowed in unison, "But is it Young Master Li?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, "Who are you?"

"Reply young man."

The leading knight was a handsome young man with red lips and white teeth, and a hint of youth in the corners of his eyes. He bowed respectfully and said, "I am Luo Jun'an, and I am here to welcome Young Master Li on the orders of my aunt."

It turns out that he is from the Luo family...

Li Yan was a little surprised. "Your Luo family has not yet settled down, why are you trying to wade into my muddy water?"

Luo Jun'an bowed and said, "Thanks to Young Master Li, the Du family has fallen apart, and my Luo family has regained its foothold in Yibin. My wife has gone to Chongqing Prefecture to pay her respects to the new governor."

I see…

After hearing this, Li Yan immediately understood.

It seems that the Luo family has decided to stand completely on the side of the imperial court, and may even have established a relationship with the Lushan Sect.

This time, in addition to supporting him, I also want to make my position clear.

"Young Master Li."

Luo Jun'an continued to bow and said, "The Guangde Temple Dharma Assembly is very lively. Now all the inns in the city are full. It just so happens that my Luo family has a house here. Please follow me."

Luo Jun'an looks young, but he is obviously a capable disciple trained by the Luo family, and he speaks generously and appropriately.

As far as he knew, when the Luo family encountered a disaster, they had already sold all their properties except Yibin, so where did the house come from?

Most likely it was a last-minute purchase, and I was afraid he wouldn't accept the favor.

They are all human...

Li Yan sighed secretly and said nothing more, "In that case, thank you very much."

They had originally thought that if they couldn't find an inn, they would just camp out in the wild outside the city. But since the Luo family had made arrangements, no one would be stupid enough to endure the hardship.

As dusk approached, they arrived in Suining County.

Although the county town of Suining is old, it is not very large. Passing through the city gate tower, there are bluestone-paved streets and bustling narrow alleys.

Upon closer inspection, it was found that the doorways and columns of the shops on both sides of the street were all protruding, with tea tables and chairs placed on them, specially for customers to drink tea or play mahjong.

Even in the coldest weather, there are still many tea drinkers hanging around on the street. Some are holding pipes and puffing out smoke, some are boiling water and making hot tea and chatting, and the Sichuan music can be heard, creating a leisurely atmosphere.

Luo Jun'an bowed his head and explained, "Don't be surprised, Young Master Li. This is how it is in Suining County. During the Daxing years of the previous dynasty, the north and south were in conflict. This place was in chaos and no one governed it. The people privately built and expanded the eaves."

"A few years ago, a county magistrate wanted to demolish it, which almost caused a civil uprising. Over time, no one mentioned it anymore..."

"It's still better now. If it's busy in the morning or at noon, the whole street will be blocked, which is very troublesome."

Li Yan laughed in silence, "This old man, you are quite familiar with the local customs and practices, right?"

"Don't dare."

Luo Junan hurriedly bowed, "I have to take care of the clan's business. I have been traveling around since I was a child, so I have heard a lot..."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly frowned and looked forward.

Several men strode into the single room, some tall, some short, all with sturdy build. It was a cold day, and they were wearing black shorts, with palm-thick cowhide belts and copper tiger buckles around their waists.

"Excuse me, is this Li Yan from Shanzhou?"

The leading man clasped his fists and spoke bluntly.

Hearing this, Luo Junan's face turned cold and he scolded: "You don't follow the rules and don't know etiquette. Where did you get this bastard!"

When he came, Mrs. Wu told him that this time he not only had to hold up the show, but also had to restore the Luo family's reputation.

When it is time to be hard, you must never be soft.

"Humph!"

The man snorted coldly, but he was not angry. "That's good. There is something. Please take it."

After saying that, he took out a letter from his arms and threw it away.

This man was arrogant and had strong martial arts skills. He used hidden strength, so flowers and leaves flew everywhere and hurt people, not to mention the neatly cut envelope.

Swish!
The envelope flew straight towards me.

Snapped!
At Lu San's signal, Wu Ba raised his hand, pinched the letter, and without even looking at it, threw it back again.

call out!
The envelope returned the same way it came, with a shrill whistling sound.

The man's face changed and he quickly dodged. He heard a bang behind him and the envelope had pierced into the pillar.

Wu Ba has already stepped into the dark energy for many years, what he lacks is to learn kung fu systematically. However, in terms of strength, he cannot compare with most of the transformed energy.

"What do you mean?!"

The man's face changed drastically and turned red.

"nothing."

Li Yan glanced at him calmly and said, "Not just anybody is qualified to receive my letter. If you want to talk to me, ask your elders to come to your house in person."

After saying that, he turned around and left with everyone.

This time, he is really not afraid of making things worse.

The more well-known they are, the safer they will be. Besides, it can also attract attention from Feng Laohai and others from the Salt Gang.

The real threat is the Shu Palace and the Dragon Worship Cult.

After he left, the man's flushed cheeks immediately returned to normal, and he lost his previous arrogance. He said calmly:
"You all saw it, right? This kid is even crazier than the intelligence said. You all know what to say when you get back, right?"

"Yes, Brother Lu."

Everyone nodded and left quickly.

Only Senior Brother Nalu looked at the direction where Li Yan disappeared, with a hint of resentment in his eyes, and followed the crowd slowly.

…………

The house bought by the Luo family is indeed not small.

As Luo Jun'an walked, he said, "This house is called 'Ruifu House'. It was built when the Daxuan Dynasty was established. The original owner rose to prominence and fled to the capital, so I happened to take it over..."

Li Yan and others looked up and saw that the house had a rigorous layout and a symmetrical central axis. A plaque with the words "Auspicious Fortunes Bring Prosperity to the Door" was hung above the door lintel, and above it were raised beams and crossbeams, with exquisite brick and wood carvings.

It's expensive at first glance.

After opening the door and entering, the courtyard is spacious, with rockery and pond complementing each other. Winding corridors connect the courtyards, and the servants of the Luo family have already cleaned the rooms.

After checking in with our bags and having a good meal and drink, the servants brought a bucket of hot water to each room. After we washed up, all the tiredness from the journey was gone.

Although Lu San was keeping watch with his secret technique, Li Yan did not sleep too deeply. To his surprise, no one came to cause trouble the whole night.

The next day, just after dawn, someone presented a visiting card.

After Li Yan took it, he was immediately surprised.

Sharifei asked quickly, "What's the matter? Are the people here difficult to deal with?"

"No, an acquaintance came."

Li Yan shook his head slightly and asked the servant to invite him in.

The person who came was none other than the spy from the Duwei Division who secretly came to Shuzhong to investigate Zhao Changsheng...

(End of this chapter)