Eternal Sword

Chapter 102 Murderous Intent

County Magistrate's Office.

The weather was cold and snowing heavily.

There was a red clay stove on the table, with a copper pot on it containing boiling water. Slices of tender red hand-cut mutton quickly changed color after rolling in the boiling water.

The three of them sat around the steaming hot bowl, with a dipping dish of ginger, garlic and scallion oil and a few jars of fine wine, enjoying the snow while feasting on the food. They were so happy.

One of them was the county lieutenant Han Lang, and the other was the third son of the Huo family, Huo Ziye.

There was another one who was tall, with long hair, left-side lapel, upturned nose, and ugly face. He was Du Yinfeng, the leader of the Black Water Gang in Wu'an County.

Han Lang asked, "Master Du, how is the branch office established in Changze County? Is it going smoothly?"

"all the best."

Du Yinfeng picked up a glass of wine and said, "This matter is also thanks to the help of County Magistrate Zheng and County Lieutenant Duan. I heard that they are all subordinates of Lord Han. Let me toast to you."

"Easy to do."

Han Lang smiled and said, "Duan Zhao was brought here by me, but they were able to go to Changze County to take up their posts thanks to the Wu'an Marquisate's operation behind the scenes, and the Third Master Huo also contributed a lot to this."

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Huo Ziye raised his glass at the same time, and the three of them drank it all in one gulp.

Han Lang asked again: "I heard that a masked swordsman appeared that night. He was very fierce and killed many people from your gang. Do you have any clues?"

"Since that day, this person seemed to have disappeared out of thin air and has never appeared again."

Du Yinfeng shook his head and said, "Perhaps, the Evil Wolf Gang really invited helpers from somewhere, who killed someone and then escaped."

"I have left more people in Changze County this time, including ten ninth-rank warriors and three eighth-rank warriors. Nothing will go wrong. We can find a chance to destroy the Plum Blossom Martial Arts School. Then no force in Changze County will be able to threaten us."

Han Lang nodded and said, "That's good. If there is anything you can't handle, remember to go to the county government for help. I have informed Duan Zhao and the others, and they will help you when the time comes."

"Master Han is so open-minded. Let me toast you another glass!"

Du Yinfeng and Han Lang raised their glasses and drank together again.

Huo Ziye, who was standing next to him, looked at the heavy snow falling outside and seemed a little depressed.

Han Lang asked, "Mr. Huo San seems to have something on his mind?"

"nothing."

Huo Ziye said: "When you mentioned Changze County, I thought of Chen Tang from Changze County. Damn it, I failed on him twice and let him go to Qinglong Division!"

When mentioning this matter, Huo Ziye felt somewhat indignant.

"never mind."

Han Lang smiled and said, "He's just a ninth-rank man. There's no need to bother with him. Wait for some time, and when you've accomplished something great, you can kill anyone you want from Wu'an County. Why rush now?"

"Right."

Huo Ziye nodded, smiled again, and drank the wine in the glass.

Just at this moment, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door.

"Master Han, something happened!"

Two yamen runners came running over in a hurry, sweating profusely.

"What's going on? Come in and tell me."

Han Lang frowned and asked the two bailiffs to come into the house to talk.

He looked at one of the yamen runners and asked, "Fan Xing, didn't you just follow Duan Zhao to Changze County? Why are you back again? Did something happen in Changze County?"

The yamen runner named Fan Xing nodded and said, "Lord Duan Zhao is dead. He was killed by the Qinglong Guards!"

"what?"

Han Lang's expression changed, and he said, "What happened? Tell me in detail!"

Fan Xing narrated exactly what happened in the county government office.

"That Chen Tang again?"

Han Lang's face was gloomy. With a bang, he slammed his palm heavily on the table and said word by word: "Qinglong Division, you are going too far!"

Huo Ziye rolled his eyes and said, "In my opinion, this matter does not seem to be an order from the Qinglong Division. It may be a private action of the three of them. Chen Tang is from Changze County and probably has a personal relationship with Meng Liangyu, so he came forward to rescue people."

"If there is a written order from the Azure Dragon Division, Duan Zhao shouldn't dare to stop it."

After hearing this, Han Lang quickly calmed down and also realized something was wrong.

He could understand why Duan Zhao stopped the Qinglong Guards from arresting people.

But no matter how brave Duan Zhao is, he wouldn't dare to use force against the Qinglong Guards, right?
Not to mention Duan Zhao, even if he had no evidence or charges, he would not dare to openly attack and injure the Qinglong Guards.

Han Lang stared at Fan Xing and asked, "Look carefully, was it really Duan Zhaoxian who did it?"

"Yes."

Fan Xing said: "At that time, Chen Tang wanted to take a step back to talk, and he was right next to Lord Duan. I guess Chen Tang's words may have irritated Lord Duan, so he lost control for a moment and drew his knife to injure Chen Tang."

Han Lang frowned, puzzled.

Duan Zhao doesn't seem like such an impulsive and reckless person.

What could the other party say to provoke him to draw his knife and hurt someone?

Even if you curse his ancestors for eighteen generations, it shouldn't be like this.

Du Yinfeng smiled and said, "Who is this Chen Tang? He should know that Duan Zhao is Lord Han's man, but he killed him just because he said so?"

Han Lang's heart moved, and he remembered some information about Chen Tang, and said lightly: "In fact, this Chen Tang once had a grudge with your gang, and Young Master Xiao also recognized him."

"Oh?"

Du Yinfeng looked surprised and asked, "I really don't know about this. I would like to hear more about it."

Han Lang briefly recounted the incident a few months ago when Chen Tang fought with the young leader of the Black Water Gang in Changze County, and then said, "As far as I know, the girl that Young Leader Xiao likes is now in his home."

"There is also this matter."

Du Yinfeng touched his chin, thoughtfully.

"Sir Han, do you want me to help you get rid of him?" Du Yinfeng had been in the Black Water Gang for so many years that he could probably guess the intention of Han Lang's words just now, so he went straight to the point and pointed it out.

Han Lang smiled and said, "It is indeed not convenient for my people to take action."

"This matter is not entirely without benefit to Hall Master Du. It will be much easier to get rid of Chen Tang and deal with those people in his family."

"If Hall Master Du takes the little girl away and presents her to Young Master Xiao when he comes next time, Young Master Xiao will be overjoyed when he sees her and will consider it a great achievement for you."

Du Yinfeng chuckled.

This was exactly why he had this idea just now.

Du Yinfeng said: "It is not easy for my Black Water Gang to attack the Azure Dragon Guards. If we are exposed, it will be a bit troublesome."

"Just let those people outside the city in. I'll have the guards let them in."

Han Lang said: "More than ten days ago, Chen Tang shot and killed a lot of 'snow bandits' on his way to Wu'an County, and they had a grudge. It is only natural for them to come to the city to seek revenge on Chen Tang."

"Are we going to kill only Chen Tang? What about the two Qinglong Guards beside him?" Du Yinfeng asked.

"Killing him alone is enough."

Han Lang narrowed his eyes and thought to himself, "Cai Yin, since you killed me, I will ask you to repay me with one person, tit for tat."

Huo Ziye said, "After all, Chen Tang is not an official Azure Dragon Guard, so just kill him. Besides, his cultivation is not high, and he just got injured, so there won't be any accidents if you attack him. Wei Qun is a sixth-rank, and Wang Yanli is a seventh-rank. I'm afraid you can't touch them with your snow bandits."

Du Yinfeng nodded and asked, "Where is Chen Tang's home, and who else is there?"

"I've looked into it all."

Han Lang said, "There are three other people in Chen Tang's family. In addition to the little girl named Zhiwei, the remaining two are his uncle and cousin. By the way, I once saw his cousin on the training ground. It is no exaggeration to say that she is so beautiful that she can topple a country."

"Oh?"

Huo Ziye's eyes lit up and he asked, "Are you serious? Is she really that beautiful?"

"Using the word beautiful is too vulgar."

Han Lang said: "This cousin of his always wears a veil whenever she goes out. It is no exaggeration to say that if she were to walk around the streets of Wu'an County without a veil, it would definitely cause a huge sensation!"

"It's quite interesting. I'd like to see it for myself."

Huo Ziye licked his lips.

Han Lang knew this Third Master Huo too well.

His greatest hobby in life is women.

Many beautiful and decent women in Wu'an County have been ruined by him.

However, the Wu'an Marquisate was too powerful, and even if the case was eventually brought to the county government, it was always left unresolved.

A few years ago, the incident even got so serious that it was reported to the capital.

Eventually, Marquis Wu'an stepped down from the position of county governor, and Li Yan from the Li family came to Wu'an County to serve as county governor.

Although it seems that he was demoted, in fact, the title is still there, the foundation has not been moved, and Wu'an County is still controlled by the Wu'an Marquis Mansion!

Huo Ziye said, "Master Du, I'll leave Chen Tang to you, and I'll leave the three people in his family to me. When the time comes, I'll send the little girl to your gang."

Han Lang said: "Everyone, it is best to create the illusion of disappearance, so that this case will remain an unsolved case. If you want to solve it, it will be a long way off."

"When are we going to start? I can't wait any longer."

"Mr. Huo, I know you are anxious, but don't be anxious. If we take action against his family now, it will definitely alert the enemy. If Chen Tang keeps hiding in Qinglong Division and doesn't come out, we won't have a chance at all."

"Okay, then wait for him to come back!"

The three of them discussed it and drank a cup together.

……

Meng Liangyu was too badly injured to ride a horse.

Chen Tang hired a carriage to take him to Wu'an County, and the journey was much slower.

When the news of Duan Zhao's murder reached Wu'an County, the four of them were still on the road.

Chen Tang originally wanted Wei Qun and Wang Yanli to return to the city first.

But the two were worried that they might encounter any accidents on the road, so they escorted them all the way.

When the four arrived in Wu'an County, it was already the next evening.

Chen Tang first sent the seriously injured Meng Liangyu back to his home.

The fat old man smiled and said teasingly: "What's going on? Why are you in such a miserable state?"

At that time, Meng Liangyu came over specially and gave him a hint, and he remembered it in his heart.

snort!
Meng Liangyu and the fat old man were already familiar with each other. Hearing this, he smiled bitterly and said, "Senior, please stop making fun of me."

"Old man, let him sleep on the same kang with you tonight."

"Ah."

The fat old man was about to agree, but then he seemed to think of something and asked cautiously, "Do you snore when you sleep?"

"what?"

Meng Liangyu was confused by the question and shook his head, "I don't think so."

"That's good."

The fat old man breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhiwei and Qingmu also became busy, bringing clean gauze and preparing to treat Meng Liangyu's wound.

Chen Tang said, "You rest here first. I'll go back to Qinglongsi and get you some medicine. Qinglongsi's wound medicine is quite effective."

Although he had some with him, it was not enough.

Meng Liangyu was covered in wounds.

After temporarily settling Meng Liangyu down, Chen Tang, Wei Qun and Wang Yanli headed towards Qinglongsi.

(End of this chapter)