Knife splashing

Chapter 769 Local Bullies Forming a Gang
"Meow~"

The calico cat meowed and gently licked its paws.

The other cats were also lazily at home, and the passersby paid no attention.

Seeing this, Fatty Lin was also a little surprised. "Strange, why are there so many cats in Yangzhou? I didn't see any last time I came."

To be honest, they didn't sense anything unusual from these cats, but they were all members of the Xuanmen sect and knew that everything had a cause, and that unusual phenomena were omens.

"You gentlemen have just arrived in Yangzhou, haven't you?"

Seeing that they did not disembark, the old man who was rowing the boat adjusted his straw hat and smiled ingratiatingly, saying, "There are many cats here, we are used to it. There is a story behind it."

"Oh?"

Shalifei became interested and tossed out some loose silver coins, saying, "Tell me about it."

The old man caught it and quickly put it in his pocket before beginning his story.

"It all started last winter when a rat infestation broke out in the city for some unknown reason. They roamed the streets in droves, day and night. Not only that, but they were also incredibly large, capable of killing even the ducks and chickens raised by the locals."

"What's even more terrifying is that one night, the old man who was night watchman said that he saw ghostly soldiers patrolling the streets in the middle of the night. When he rubbed his eyes, he found that they were a group of rats. He then died suddenly in his home. A plague broke out in the city, and everyone said that it was the rat demons who were causing the trouble."

"As you all know, Yangzhou is a major town for canal transport with many granaries. In addition, this matter has caused widespread panic, so we invited many Taoist priests and monks to perform rituals. But all the clanging and banging all day long was of no use, until the wealthy salt merchant, Master Wang, invited a fairy nun."

"This fairy is extraordinary. I heard that she raised a spirit cat, which caught and killed the rat demon that was causing trouble that very night. After that, there were more and more cats in the city."

"These kittens aren't a problem; they can catch mice, so everyone's used to it."

"I see…"

After listening, Li Yan seemed to understand something, then cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, sir."

Having said that, he led the two off the boat.

Shalifei whispered, "That sounds a bit coincidental. Could it be that the thief is crying 'stop thief'?"

Li Yan shook his head slightly and said, "There are many Xuanmen experts in Yangzhou. No one is a fool. If it is really an outsider planting flags and playing tricks, they will naturally worry about it. We should focus on doing serious business."

As they spoke, they arrived outside the Qionghua Tower.

Just as I reached the door, a small, thin figure ducked over, head bowed.

The man was about sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a slightly worn gray short jacket. His hair was yellowish and somewhat sparse, but his eyes darted around, revealing a thieving glint.

"Gentlemen, come back. Are you here to seek fragrance or to admire the flowers?"

This kid turned out to be a pimp. His voice wasn't loud, but it had a slick, oily quality. His gaze swept quickly over Li Yan and the other two, especially lingering on their weapons.

Li Yan glanced at it indifferently, "I can't worry about that. There are too many turbulent waves on the river. I'm afraid it would cloud the eyes of a Bodhisattva."

Upon hearing this, the young man narrowed his eyes slightly, took half a step forward, and spoke in a voice as low as an ant's whisper, yet each word was clear: "There is a way to sift sand from the bottom of a well; which lotus flower will lead you here?"

Without further ado, Li Yan took out the token of the Golden Swallow Sect from his pocket.

He was a seasoned veteran and could tell at a glance that this kid was a spy planted outside by the Golden Swallow Sect, so he didn't bother with any nonsense and directly revealed his identity.

The young man took the token and glanced at it, his expression instantly changing. "So it's an honored guest! There are elegant seats upstairs, and the tea has just been served. Please come in, gentlemen!"

Having said that, he led the three of them through the shadows of the red lanterns hanging at the entrance and into the Qionghua Tower.

Upon entering, a cacophony of noise, perfumes, wine, food, and incense assaults the senses, a stark contrast to the refreshing river outside.

The lobby on the first floor was extremely lively.

Instead of the usual neat arrangement of tables and chairs in a restaurant lobby, a shallow pond was ingeniously enclosed in the center, where a small and exquisite painted boat with a black awning was moored!

Although it was impassable, it became a place where geisha played the zither and sang.

On the painted boat, a pipa player dressed in a lotus-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) gently plucked the strings, producing melodious sounds.

The guests around him included wealthy merchants, swordsmen dressed as江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world), and even minor officials dressed in silk robes. Some listened intently, while others chatted and laughed in hushed tones.

The waiter, dressed in a royal blue short shirt with a white towel draped over his shoulder, moved nimbly through the tables with his food tray, his feet moving lightly and silently.

Li Yan could even smell the aroma of crab meat lion's head meatballs carried by the steam when the steamer was lifted, the sesame fragrance of freshly baked Huangqiao sesame cakes, and the wheat aroma of Huaiyang's famous San Ding Baozi.

The group did not linger on the first floor, but instead, led by the young man in front, headed straight for an inconspicuous carved wooden staircase on the side.

As you climb the stairs, the noise in the private rooms on the second floor is noticeably less.

Arriving at the carved wooden door of the private room named "Listening to the Waves" on the riverside, the young man in front opened it with great courtesy, bowed to the side, and said, "Gentlemen, this way please."

After they entered, he respectfully cupped his hands and said, "My name is Xiao Laizi. I will go and report this to you. If you gentlemen need anything, please feel free to call for help."

After saying that, he carefully closed the door.

Li Yan turned his head and looked around. The "Listening to the Waves" private room was decorated quite elegantly.

The window overlooking the river is a hinged window; now, with the upper half open, the crisp river breeze, the reflections of lanterns on the distant river, and the shadows of boats all rush in.

Outside the window flows the Little Qinhuai River, its surface shimmering with moonlight and lamplight.

A square table and several armchairs were placed by the window. A set of blue and white porcelain covered bowls were placed on the table, and a pot of hot tea was steaming. Several exquisite dried fruits and candied fruits were placed on a plate next to it.

Several ink paintings of landscapes, flowers, and birds hang on the wall, and a bronze incense burner with crane motifs sits in the corner, emitting a sweet sandalwood fragrance.

Shalifei sniffed, sat down, picked up a candied fruit, threw it into his mouth, and chuckled as he chewed, "The Golden Swallow Sect certainly knows how to choose a location; it's a melting pot of all sorts of people, and their news travels far and wide."

"That's natural."

Li Yan shook his head and said, "The Golden Swallow Sect has made such a great name for itself, so it must have its own way of surviving."

Before long, steady footsteps could be heard outside the door.

The door opened slightly, and the two walked in one after the other.

The first person was a middle-aged woman, about forty years old, wearing a crimson brocade robe, with a gold swallow hairpin in her hair. She was plump and had a smiling face. As she entered, she cupped her hands and said, "I am Cheng Yun from the Golden Swallow Sect of Yangzhou. I was unaware of your arrival and have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me!"

"You three must be Young Master Li, Swordsman Sha, and Young Master Lin from Jade Capital City?"

Following closely behind was an elderly man of about fifty years old, with his hair and beard neatly combed, wearing a dark blue cloth robe, and his sharp eyes with a hint of composure. He appeared to be either a subordinate or a white paper fan.

Li Yan and the other two stood up and returned the greeting, "Chief Cheng, you are too kind. We are newcomers and have troubled you."

After the guests and hosts were seated, a servant boy served them fragrant tea again.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Cheng Yun's gaze lingered briefly on Li Yan's face before she smiled and said, "We have received the news from Elder Su in the capital. All the branch sects in Jiangnan are already making a name for themselves for the Twelve Zodiac Stars..."

"It's not urgent."

Li Yan quickly waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "The situation in Jiangnan is more complicated than we imagined. The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. Being too conspicuous will put us at a disadvantage."

This was an agreement he had made with the Golden Swallows.

The Golden Swallow Sect would use the name of the Twelve Zodiac Stars to build connections by completing tasks, and he would receive intelligence support from the Golden Swallow Sect as well as generous rewards.

But given the current situation, it's clearly not suitable to cause too much of a commotion.

"Oh…"

Cheng Yun chuckled, "Young Master Li is mistaken."

"Your deeds of quelling the rebellion at the Chengdu Prince's Mansion, capturing the demon at Mangshan in Luoyang, protecting the gods at the academy in the capital, and the events at Mount Tai a few days ago have made you all famous throughout the land, and you can no longer hide yourselves."

"Along this journey, countless eyes are probably watching..."

Just then, the little rascal suddenly ran in and handed over a note.

Cheng Yun glanced at it and then smiled, "Young master, your ship is docked at the pier. Someone has already gone there."

Li Yan's eyes sharpened immediately. "Who is it?" "Don't worry."

Cheng Yun replied, "It's Lu Tieshou, the divine constable of Jiangnan. He's an old friend of Bai Laojiu, the divine constable of Qilu. He's also leading Yu Hailin, a big grain merchant in the city. Yu's eldest son is possessed by an evil spirit, so he's probably here to ask for help."

Shalifei was speechless. "That old Bai Jiu, he's got a quick tongue!"

Bai Laojiu, the legendary constable of Shandong, was rescued by them in Tai'an, but unexpectedly, his whereabouts were exposed in the blink of an eye.

"Hahaha~"

Cheng Yun covered her mouth and laughed, "Don't forget, everyone. There are many witches and shamans in this mortal world, but it's hard to find a master of the Xuanmen. In addition, many Xuanmen disciples go out to sea for training, and the Twelve Yuanchen go down to Jiangnan. I don't know how many people will come looking for us."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu's expression immediately turned ugly.

Li Yan also frowned and fell into deep thought.

This was indeed beyond their expectations.

They only thought about acting in secret, but forgot that the Twelve Zodiacs were no longer what they used to be.

It seems some things need to be replanned.

Thinking of this, Li Yan felt a headache coming on and said, "Let's put this matter aside for now. Yangzhou is currently going through a turbulent period, and there's a lot of tension. We've also been blocked here. Could Chief Cheng tell us the details?"

The information gathered at the bow of the ship was naturally not as good as that from the Golden Swallow Sect.

They need to understand the situation before they can make a plan.

"Young Master Li is well-informed."

Cheng Yun sighed and looked at the old man beside her, "Mr. Wu, you should handle this matter."

Mr. Wu stroked his beard, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice, "Young Master Li, I am Wu Mo, a subordinate of Miss, in charge of intelligence. I will now explain the current situation in Yangzhou to the three of you."

Miss…

Upon hearing the old man's address, Li Yan's heart stirred.

It seems that Cheng Yun's identity is not simple.

Mr. Wu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "Ever since that group of fierce Japanese pirates swam into Nantong Prefecture and conquered Rugao, Jingjiang and other places as if they were in an empty land, and even set up an ambush to defeat the troops of Commander Hong of Yangzhou Guard, the whole city of Yangzhou has been in a state of panic."

"On the government side, Prefect Zhou is already in a state of utter chaos, and both the Salt Commissioner's Office and the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner's Office have been alerted. The Salt Merchants' Guild is even more on edge, after all, if the trade routes are cut off, the losses will be incalculable."

"The Yangzhou Guard, the patrol battalion, and troops urgently transferred from nearby garrisons were all deployed to the outer perimeter for defense and pursuit, while Commandant Chen of the Commandery was responsible for suppressing thieves and maintaining order within the city. But this Commandant Chen..."

As he spoke, Mr. Wu lowered his voice a few decibels, "I've heard that he has close ties with the Salt Gang and is a man who hides a knife behind a smile. He may not be fair and should not be trusted."

"In addition, there are several experts stationed in the 'Hall of Law Enforcement' in the city. The leader is Elder Xu, known as 'Thunderbolt Hand.' He comes from Maoshan in Jurong and is quite domineering and difficult to deal with."

"Ah."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan's heart sank.

He was unfamiliar with the area and was worried about encountering troublesome local bullies.

It seems there are some things that cannot be told to the Yangzhou government yet…

Thinking of this, he asked, "Is there any news about those Japanese pirates? Do you know what methods they used to wipe out the garrison troops?"

Mr. Wu said in a deep voice, "These Japanese pirates have unknown origins, are elusive, and act ruthlessly and strangely. On the day they launched a surprise attack on Langshan, they used some kind of evil magic, which caused the near annihilation of Commander Hong's troops. Their corpses turned into pus, and ordinary soldiers were no match for them. This is why all the factions in the city felt a real threat and everyone was in danger."

"Therefore, led by Wang Maode, the head of the four major salt merchants in the city, several other large salt merchants jointly took the lead in sending out invitations to heroes, contacting the government, the Xuanmen (Taoist sects), and various powerful figures. Tonight, Master Wang is hosting a grand banquet at his 'Jiyu Garden,' inviting leaders of various sects inside and outside Yangzhou, prominent figures in the government, and all the martial arts experts who have come after hearing the news!"

"tonight?"

Shalifei's eyes lit up. "Since our whereabouts have already been exposed, why don't we go and take a look?"

After saying that, she looked at Li Yan and said, "Brother Yan, what do you think?"

"Please don't be offended, but this matter is probably not easy to handle."

Before Li Yan could answer, Cheng Yun shook her head and said, "The background of this banquet is extremely complicated."

“Backed by the wealthy Wang, there are the Salt Commissioner’s Office and the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner. The officers under Commandant Chen will likely be present as well, and Elder Xu and others from the Enforcement Hall will be honored guests.”

"To be honest, these people are somewhat xenophobic and stick together. Even though my Golden Swallow Sect has been operating for a long time, they are still wary of us. With the Twelve Yuan Chen Dragons crossing the river, these people will probably be even more vigilant."

"They were still thinking about capturing Japanese pirates to claim the reward and gain fame, and they didn't want outsiders to get involved."

"So that's it..."

Li Yan sneered, "Then forget it, we're too lazy to put up with other people's opinions."

"How long will it take for the message from the Golden Swallow Gate to reach the capital?"

The situation in Jiangnan is complex. Local forces are banding together to defend themselves, and the details are unknown. The safest approach is to inform the capital about this matter.

Even if the reinforcements sent can't arrive in time, it's easy to handle any trouble they cause.

Cheng Yun replied, "Using the spirit swallows from my sect, the message can be sent to the capital in two days."

"So good!"

Li Yan's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked for pen and ink. After writing something, he rolled it up into a slip of paper and handed it to Cheng Yun, saying, "Please deliver this letter to Daoist Luo Mingzi of the Capital Law Enforcement Hall."

Although the Duwei Division had changed hands, the matter concerned Jianmu, so the old eunuch Zhao Wujiu dared not be negligent. In addition, Luo Mingzi knew Pei Zongti, the head of the Enforcement Hall and the Vice Minister of Rites, so he would not make any mistakes.

Cheng Yun was also very well-behaved. She didn't even look at the note. Instead, she carefully rolled it up, took out a specially made bamboo tube with a Luban lock from her bosom, stuffed it inside, and sealed it with wax. Only then did she pick up the copper whistle hanging around her neck and blow it lightly.

Beep——!
With a whistle, a swallow flew in through the window with a whoosh.

This swallow had very intelligent eyes and was larger in size. Its black feathers shimmered faintly with a golden light under the candlelight, which was actually the reflection of the oily sheen of its feathers.

After Cheng Yun tied the bamboo tube, the swallow flew into the night sky with a whoosh and disappeared.

After doing all this, Li Yan finally spoke up: "Since Yangzhou is in such a state, we cannot stay any longer. Does Chief Cheng have any way to allow our large ship to pass?"

The fastest way to get to Nanjing is by water.

If you take the mountain road, it will not only waste time, but there will still be checkpoints set up by soldiers.

Cheng Yun's eyes darted around. "We don't have that kind of ability in Yangzhou, but the big grain merchant Yu Hailin who went to the dock tonight is the brother-in-law of the naval commander."

"Cure his son, and we'll find a way to let him go..."

…………

On the other side, at Dongguan Wharf.

"Please, Taoist priest, save my son's life!"

A middle-aged man in brocade robes bent deeply, his eyes red.

"this…"

Looking at the obsequious constable and the wealthy merchant carrying a whole chest of silver with his servants, Wang Daoxuan said helplessly, "It's not that we are heartless, but we have other important matters to attend to. Moreover, there are many experts in Yangzhou City, and there is also a law enforcement hall. With your abilities, you can ask them for help."

"I've looked for it."

The middle-aged man in brocade robes was Yu Hailin. He said helplessly, "I have consulted all the experts in the vicinity, but none of them can see the problem. I originally wanted to carry him to Longhu Mountain, but as soon as my child left the garden, he went crazy like a ghost and kept vomiting blood."

"If there were a way, I wouldn't dare to come and disturb you."

Kuai Da, standing to the side, said impatiently, "After all this talk, what exactly has possessed your child?"

Yu Hailin's face was full of bitterness, "He... has been entangled with a vixen!"

(End of this chapter)