Knife splashing

Chapter 726 Zhao Qingxu's Tail
Luo Mingzi's face was ashen, and the chill emanating from his body was even greater than the frost on the ground.

"Seal off the outer perimeter! Junior Brother Zhang, check for any remaining Qi!"

"Junior Brother Li, perform the autopsy!"

"Junior Brother Zhao, examine the traces of the battle! The rest of you, keep watch on the surroundings!"

The elite guards of the Enforcement Hall were as swift as an arm, scattering at a single command.

Someone made a hand seal and lit a talisman. Wherever it passed, the green smoke condensed and did not dissipate, and various traces appeared.

This is a "revealing technique" that can use the reaction of the two energies (罡煞) to show traces of the spell. Its only drawback is that it has a time limit, and it is perfect when the other party has not been gone for long.

Someone lit a specially made white candle; the pale flame flickered, making the surroundings even darker.

This is a "spirit candle," which can briefly make spirits appear in the light and shadow to investigate methods of exorcism.

There are quite a few of these disposable magical artifacts used for assistance in the Enforcement Hall. One of the purposes of Li Yan’s good relationship with the Enforcement Hall was to purchase these. The Enforcement Hall headquarters in the capital city naturally uses even more advanced ones.

Soon, they made a discovery.

"They used magic to set up a trap!"

"A large number of lingering spirits remain, harboring extremely deep resentment!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Mingzi frowned slightly and whispered, "Something's not right..."

Even if it was a sneak attack, the fact that the ambushers could instantly kill a large contingent of soldiers without firing a single shot shows that the ambushers were highly skilled. However, the fact that they didn't clean up the marks after the attack is just foolish.

Who exactly is this person...?

Luo Mingzi's eyes, sharp as a hawk's, swept over the messy hoofprints and footprints on both sides of the official road.

It can be seen that the battle broke out hastily and ended even faster, with the footprints being chaotic but disappearing after leaving the vicinity.

In the tree!
Luo Mingzi leaped onto a tree branch and indeed found many footprints.

"Their footwork is excellent; none of them are mediocre."

Thinking of this, he jumped down again, squatted down next to the frozen corpse of a captain, pried open its stiff jaw, and immediately found that the tip of its tongue was slightly charred.

“Senior brother, this is a manifestation of a violent shock to the soul before death.” The Taoist priest next to him whispered, “The tongue is pressed against the palate, which means that the mind was instantly enveloped by a huge illusion.”

"It's been invaded by evil spirits!"

Luo Mingzi nodded, then looked at the corpse's chest and tore open the tattered clothes.

The fatal wound was a long, narrow gash that pierced diagonally from under the ribs into the heart.

The wound edges were smooth, with fine, jagged tears.

"A sharp weapon, capable of killing with a single blow, this... is not the style of weapons used in the Central Plains."

The group exchanged glances and then quickly examined the bodies of the other soldiers who had been killed in close combat; their wounds were all strikingly similar.

"Senior brother, this slash has a deep and concentrated force, but the way it's applied is like a chop or a flick. Have you ever seen anything like it before?"

A young Taoist priest couldn't help but ask.

Luo Mingzi frowned at first, then a thought flashed through his mind, "It's a 'rib czar'!"

He said in a deep voice, "This is a wakizashi short sword commonly used by Japanese samurai! Its blade is uniquely forged through countless hammerings, leaving these subtle tear marks. I once went to Luoyang to clean up the mess, and this wound is extremely similar."

Everyone was shocked when they heard this.

A young Taoist priest looked around and said incredulously, "Are the Japanese really that skilled in magic?"

Luo Mingzi said in a deep voice, "It seems that a master has arrived. Release the spirit dogs and follow the traces!"

However, after following them for a while, they lost track of the other party halfway through.

Gazing at the city walls bathed in the morning light, everyone's faces turned grim...

…………

"Japanese?"

Outside the Hundred Crafts Building, Li Yan looked somewhat surprised.

"Isn't it?"

A young Taoist priest from the Enforcement Hall shook his head helplessly and said, "The blueprints were lost, and the Commandery suffered heavy casualties. None of the Oirat people and envoys from the South Seas who were taken away survived."

"His Majesty was furious. Senior Brother Luo Mingzi was reprimanded in the palace for two whole hours. He lost face this time. The foreign envoys all submitted letters to express their dissatisfaction. Even Commander Lu of the Commandery was very dissatisfied with us."

"Senior Brother Luo has already captured the Prince of Hai and is interrogating him in prison. He asked me to ask Young Hero Li, when you fought those Japanese pirates in Luoyang, did you see any such magic?"

Li Yan shook his head. "The Japanese are skilled in exorcising ghosts, which they call shikigami. We killed a master who was very good at this. The ghost he commanded was called 'Aoandon-onna'. This should be a similar kind of magic."

"Oh."

The young Taoist priest was immediately disappointed upon hearing this.

Li Yan turned his head and looked at the Hundred Crafts Building again, and said in a deep voice, "We are at a critical moment in refining magical artifacts. Soon the academy disciples will be enrolling, and these masters will be busy and really can't spare the time."

"But I recommend someone who has had a lot of dealings with the Japanese and should be able to help you."

The young Taoist's eyes lit up, and he clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Please enlighten me, Young Hero Li."

"Commander of the Thousand Households, Tian Hua!"

…………

Outside the gate of the Xuanji Temple, Tian Hua looked at the plaque above and sighed softly.

This Tian Hua, the commander of a thousand households, was the very same ruthless man who was ordered to investigate Zhao Changsheng back then. He met Li Yan at Liangzi Lake and traveled from Sichuan to the south, following the clues of the Jianmu tree all the way.

Unfortunately, he suffered a major setback in the south, and all the brothers he brought with him died, leaving only one survivor.

Before the Tianjin shelling incident, it was he who handed the token to Li Yan, so that the local military command could cooperate and the losses could be reduced.

But after being transferred to the capital as he wished, things didn't go so smoothly.

Because of the setback in the south, he has been under investigation these days. Although he has not suffered any physical pain or been stripped of his official position, those few sarcastic colleagues have still tormented him to the point of exhaustion.

At any given time, there are always those who do the work and those who manage it.

A capable person, skilled at getting things done.

Those in charge are good at making things difficult for others.

These things are nothing to him.

The most painful thing is that every night when I go to sleep, I am often awakened by the terrible scene at that time.

What I never expected was that I was able to escape the censorship because of this Japanese incident.

After calming himself down, Tian Qianhu strode into the Xuanji Temple.

"Lord Tian, ​​you've finally arrived."

A Taoist priest hurriedly came out to greet him and led him toward the building.

This Tian Qianhu was also one of the people who captured Zhao Changsheng, and he was quite familiar with the people of the Xuanjisi.

Before long, the two arrived at the dark prison cell.

"Lord Tian."

Upon seeing Commander Tian enter, Luo Mingzi hurriedly stepped forward, his face full of apology, and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you. I did plead with His Majesty about the matter in the south, but the Commandery..."

“I understand, Master, there’s no need to say more.”

Tian Qianhu quickly bowed and said in a deep voice, "As long as we can wipe out Jianmu, these things of mine are nothing."

Luo Mingzi patted him on the shoulder, not bothering to comfort him, and led him into a cell.

Inside the cell, a man covered in blood was bound to a wooden frame. It was none other than Prince Hai of the Prince of Ying's Mansion.

This once arrogant prince was no longer the noble man he once was. His face was deathly pale, covered in blood, and his eyes were filled with fear. He stammered, "Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! I've told you everything I know!"

Luo Mingzi said coldly, "This is Commander Tian, ​​the Commander of the Capital Garrison. Say what you know again."

“Yes, yes…”

Prince Hai dared not waste any words and began to recount what had happened.

The course of events is quite simple.

After the destruction of the Prince of Ying's palace, this Prince Hai was lucky enough to escape. He originally wanted to flee, but he found that he was useless and could not do any work. On the way, he was also cheated out of all his money.

Left with no other choice, he hurriedly ran back to the capital and found Wu Anfu.

He lied about knowing about the royal treasure just to make a living.

After being discovered, seeing Wu Anfu's anger and embarrassment, he had a sudden inspiration and said that he could get his hands on the blueprints.

As the saying goes, even a broken ship has three pounds of nails. When Prince Hai was in his prime, he made many bad friends, but now that he is in trouble, everyone is pushing him when he falls from grace. Going to his door would be suicide.

But just then, he ran into an acquaintance.

This man was a young man from the East City named "You Er," who used to follow him around earning a lot of tips.

When Prince Hai was recognized on the street, he was terrified, but this "You Er" was very loyal and helped him cover up. He also took him to a restaurant and they had a good meal.

Prince Hai was also a fool. After drinking too much, he became sentimental about his life and started cursing heaven and earth, recounting his experiences over the past few days. He then tearfully asked You Er for money, preparing to leave the capital.

Unexpectedly, this "You Er" said he could help get the blueprints, but he would have to share the profits from the sale.

Prince Hai had no choice but to agree, treating it as a last resort.

He didn't expect that "You Er" would get his hands on the blueprints the very next day.

Subsequently, Wu Anfu contacted foreign envoys to sell the goods.

Prince Hai was waiting in the capital to receive his share of the silver, but instead, he was greeted by Luo Mingzi.

Upon hearing this, Tian Qianhu asked with some doubt, "Master Luo, this person has no connection with the Japanese, does he?"

"That's where the strange thing is."

Luo Mingzi shook his head and said, "We have already gone to arrest 'You Er', but his house is already empty. The neighbors said that he took his wife and children to the countryside a couple of days ago and has not been seen since."

"The Commandery continued its investigation and discovered that this person was a Japanese spy who had infiltrated the capital."

"That's not right..."

Tian Qianhu immediately sensed the problem and frowned, saying, "If this You Er is a Japanese spy who obtained the blueprints for the divine artifact, he could have simply handed them over to his own people. Why go through Prince Hai?"

"The idea that the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, is completely unnecessary."

"Having offended the Oirats and the Southern Seas, we also have to deal with the Commandery..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly realized the reason: "There's something wrong with this 'You Er'!"

"Yes."

Luo Mingzi nodded and said, "It seems that a group of Japanese experts have infiltrated the capital. 'You Er' is their contact. I don't know where he got the blueprints, but he also notified the group to ambush them on the way."

"Commander Tian, ​​I heard you've been tracking down Zhao Changsheng in the south and have clashed with the Japanese pirates quite a bit. Do you have any ideas?"

"this…"

Tian Qianhu also felt confused and frowned, saying, "The people of Japan are polite in small matters but lack righteousness. They act ruthlessly and cruelly, but they are not fools. They must have other purposes."

"There's someone behind 'You Er,' and they even have access to the blueprints..."

As he spoke, a sudden thought struck him, and he exclaimed, "It's Zhao Qingxu!"

"The Japanese pirates have always colluded with Jianmu. Before the 'Peach Banquet' was destroyed, Zhao Qingxu must have had contact with 'You Er'. This demon dares to plot against the divine artifact, there must be someone in the academy cooperating with him!"

Luo Mingzi was not surprised upon hearing this and nodded, saying, "Commander Qianhu thinks the same way I do."

"Young Master Li once told me that plotting to seize the divine artifact was just bait, and Zhao Qingxu might have other motives. If this was indeed his doing... Commander Tian, ​​can you think of anything?"

Tian Qianhu shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Zhao Qingxu is too cunning. If we could have guessed it, we would have captured him long ago."

"At this critical moment, we must first find that group of Japanese. Do you have the files?"

"They're all here."

Luo Mingzi waved his hand, and several of his fellow disciples immediately presented him with a thick stack of files.

Tian Qianhu examined the documents carefully, and after flipping to the investigation report from yesterday's scene, a sudden thought flashed through his mind: "It was Yu Yiyuan who was attending to the coffin. How did that bastard end up in the capital?!"

Luo Mingzi's eyes lit up. "Lord Tian knows the murderer."

"Ah."

Tian Qianhu gritted his teeth and said, "Back in the south, we found out that Zhao Changsheng's last appearance was when he wiped out a village of Tanka people, which was also related to the Japanese pirates, so we went to investigate."

"Who knew that as soon as I got onto the ruins of the Tanka people's boat house, I was surrounded and killed by a group of experts. I jumped into the sea to escape, and relying on my knowledge of Japanese, I managed to sneak into a ronin camp on the island. The person who attacked me was an honored guest."

"I had some intelligence at the time, and after making inquiries along the way, I finally learned who this person was."

"In Japan, Onmyoji are quite powerful and hold a prestigious position, receiving offerings from the imperial family."

“They are different from us. When they encounter fierce and evil spirits, they often suppress them and then worship them year after year. There are countless of them in the villages. Some of the more powerful ones are even refined into shikigami by onmyoji.”

"I heard there are as many as a hundred of them, known as the 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons,' and the person who drives them is called the 'Hyakki-za.'"

"The shikigami worshipped by their family is named 'Yu Yiyuan'. The person who inherits the shikigami is called Yu Yiyuan, who is a core member of the 'Hyakki-za' and has a very high status."

As he spoke, his eyes were already bloodshot. "My brothers died just as tragically back then."

"The enemy commanded shikigami, and many people were frozen to death before they could react. The rest were also slaughtered."

"Humph!"

Luo Mingzi said coldly, "The Japanese are wolves in sheep's clothing, causing trouble in our land. Not a single one of them can be let go. Since Lord Tian recognizes them, do you have any clues to follow?"

Tian Qianhu gritted his teeth and said, "These Japanese exorcism techniques are quite powerful, but they also pose a great risk."

"Yu Yiyuan's service to the coffin is not a secret in Japan. Every seven days, she has to drink the blood of children to suppress the backlash of the shikigami with the yang energy of the children's blood. Once she stops, she suffers unbearable pain. Therefore, she is a demon that everyone in Japan fears."

Luo Mingzi immediately understood and turned around, saying, "Quickly, check where children have disappeared in the capital."

"Also, capture all the Japanese merchants in the city and interrogate them for clues!"

"Yes, senior brother!"

The priest acted swiftly, and with the cooperation of the military command, they quickly captured many hiding Japanese merchants.

However, the information they found surprised them somewhat.

"No wonder these people didn't leave."

Luo Mingzi handed the intelligence to Tian Qianhu and said, "This so-called Yu Yiyuan Shi Guan is a person of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's adopted son, Toyotomi Hidetsugu. She was originally the heir, but Toyotomi Hideyoshi had another son, Toyotomi Hideyori."

"In order to pave the way for his own son, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had already killed Toyotomi Hidetsugu and declared all his subordinates as rebels."

"This Yu Yiyuan, who served at the coffin, is now a stray dog!"

"I see…"

Tian Qianhu glanced at the file again and suddenly understood.

"Zhao Qingxu released the poisoned bait to use this group of people!"

What exactly is he plotting?

(End of this chapter)