Martial Arts World Assassin

Chapter 358: The Overlord of Guanzhong
This evening.

Huang Sixi left the inn alone in the dead of night and went to investigate the Dugu family's Xiji Garden.

With his current martial arts skills, he can climb walls and fly over rooftops silently without attracting anyone's attention. He can also rely on his ability to see at night to easily check every corner of Xiji Garden.

In the past, Lu Miaozi built Yang Gong's treasury single-handedly. He opened one of the entrances to the treasury inside the well of Xiji Garden. He must have participated in the design of Xiji Garden throughout the whole process, so that he could strictly block the news.

When Huang Sixi was at Pegasus Ranch, he inherited Lu Miaozi's knowledge of garden architecture and was familiar with the layout of water sources in Xiji Garden.

Even though Xiji Garden covers a very large area, Huang Sixi still managed to accurately find the locations of the four wells in the garden within just half an hour.

According to the treasure map provided by Lu Miaozi, the entrance to Yang Gong's treasure house is located in the northern well.

At present, there is nothing special about this well. Even if Huang Sixi dives into the well, he will not find any abnormality on the well wall because the entrance to the treasure house is completely sealed.

Huang Sixi must first return to Yuema Bridge and activate the mechanism array arranged on the bridge railing, and the treasure house entrance button hidden on the wall of the North Well will become visible.

It was not yet midnight, so Huang Sixi had enough time to turn on the main switch of Yuema Bridge.

He planned to strike while the iron was hot.

Unexpectedly, after he left Xiji Garden, he heard a loud noise coming from Yong'an Canal.

He leaped onto the top of a poplar tree on the bank of the canal, and surveyed the canal from above. He was shocked to discover that cargo ships were slowly sailing on the canal.

At first he thought that these were merchants in Chang'an City transporting goods at night, but when he overheard the whispers of the people on the boat, he immediately changed his mind.

It turned out that these boatmen were not merchants, but royal relatives related to the Yang family in the capital.

They were afraid that Li Yuan would launch a purge after conquering Chang'an, executing their direct descendants and confiscating their property, so they decided to hide their assets outside the city.

During the day, a large number of people left the city to seek refuge. They carried treasures and large amounts of money and dared not travel through the streets, so they chose to travel at night.

Normally, given the current tense situation, the gates of Chang'an must be closed at night and must not be opened without permission. However, the royal family has connections and can obtain the privilege of leaving the city by water.

Huang Sixi saw that their ship was full of treasures and there were not many guards accompanying them. He thought that these powerful people were really brave. Aren't they afraid of being robbed by bandits outside the city?

After a while, the cargo ship arrived under the Yuema Bridge.

The boatmen in charge of escorting the boats, without exception, would come to the bow, clasp their hands and bow to the crowd on the bridge, and quietly shout, "Thank you for your hard work, Boss Yang!"

"Deputy Gang Leader Li, take care of me!"

"Thank you brothers from Jingzhaolian for your escort!"

"My master has already told us that after the goods are delivered, please come to my house and my master will personally host a banquet to thank us!"

When Huang Sixi heard the three words "Jingzhao Lian", he already knew the identity of the people on the bridge.

The Jingzhao League is the largest gang in Guanzhong. It is involved in brothels, gambling dens, smuggling and other money-making businesses. It has connections in the streets of Chang'an and its influence is spread throughout the capital. It has a wide network of contacts and all the gangs in Guanzhong have to act according to their wishes.

They were able to deal with all the bandits in Guanzhong and ensure that the cargo ships of the royal family could leave the city safely, so that they could travel unimpeded to any place in Guanzhong.

No wonder there weren't many guards on the cargo ship. The 'Jingzhao Lian' sign alone provided enough security.

Of course, the "Jingzhao League" makes a living at the foot of the imperial city, and they have always been humble and polite when dealing with officials and dignitaries.

Tonight, the leader of the Jingzhao League, Yang Wengan, and the deputy leader, Li Xiong, went out in person to escort the cargo ship.

They knew the identity of the man guarding the boat under the bridge, who was just a steward of a powerful mansion, but they still lowered their posture and responded politely: "It is a great honor for us to be able to serve you masters!"

"Please tell all the masters that you have the respect and the use of the brothers of Jingzhao League. This is already a great favor. The brothers dare not drink with the masters, but only hope that they will have the blessing to serve the masters next time!"

"Please rest assured, sirs. As long as the goods are handed over to Jingzhao Lianhe, they will be delivered to the place you designated without any error!"

"If there is any mistake during the journey, all members of Jingzhaolian will come to see us with their heads held high!"

These words were spoken with all sincerity and without any flaws, and immediately aroused the admiration and praise of the stewards of the cargo ship: "Great hero! What a hero!"

The two sides flattered each other, causing the ship to move as slowly as a snail.

Since they were traveling at night, the cargo ship could not go faster even if they did not chat.

Huang Sixi waited until midnight, but the members of the Jingzhao League were still stationed on Yuema Bridge, with no intention of leaving.

Huang Sixi looked at the bank of Yong'an Canal and found that goods were continuously transported out from various neighborhoods, then moved onto boats and slowly left the city along the canal.

Even if we move until dawn, we will never be done.

There are innumerable royal relatives in Chang'an City, and I'm afraid this situation happens every night.

Judging from this efficiency, the Yong'an Canal should not be quiet at night before the Li clan's troops arrive at the city.

This will seriously delay the time it takes Huang Sixi to open Yang Gong's treasure house.

He immediately made a decision that he must stop these royal relatives from leaving the city and ensure that there were no people on Yuema Bridge at night.

What kind of containment method is the simplest and most effective?

Huang Sixi's first thought was to assassinate the core figures of the Jingzhao League, so that the gang would lose its ability to protect him, but doing so might not necessarily stop the powerful from fleeing with their assets.

On the contrary, it would be counterproductive. If Yang Wengang, the leader of Jingzhao Lian, died suddenly, it would very likely cause the powerful to misjudge and think that someone wanted to prevent them from transferring their property, which would strengthen their determination to escape.

Therefore, Huang Sixi cannot rashly attack Jingzhao League.

With this question in mind, he returned to Fuju Building.

Rest for half a night.

Early the next morning, Li Jing and Hong Fu came to visit as agreed.

The couple knew that Huang Sixi was going to visit Yuhe Temple, a nunnery located in a remote area in the east of the city, several miles away.

If Huang Sixi was not satisfied with the Buddhist services at Yuhe Temple, he might continue to visit other temples in the city.

In order to avoid fatigue during the journey, Hong Fu prepared a carriage for Qian Qian and Shi Qingxuan, and she drove the carriage herself. Li Jing rode a horse to accompany Huang Sixi.

On the way to Yuhe Temple, Huang Sixi asked Li Jing: "I heard the sound of boats sailing on Yong'an Canal last night. What's going on?"

Li Jing smiled bitterly: "Those are the royal family members moving. Alas, now that the enemy troops are everywhere, they are not thinking about protecting the people and defending the country, but are thinking about how to hide their private property. Little do they know that once the court is overthrown, there will be no place for them in the world!"

Huang Sixi thought that everyone understood the truth, but as long as personal interests were involved, it was normal for people to prioritize personal interests: "They ran out of the city in the middle of the night to hide their treasures, weren't they worried about being robbed?"

Li Jing replied, "They recruited the Jingzhao League, the number one gang in Guanzhong, to escort them. The leader of this gang is called Yang Wengan, nicknamed 'Horizontal Training God'. He is ranked first among the 'Four Hegemons of Guanzhong' for his superior horizontal training qigong. He has always been rampant in Guanzhong and can protect their wealth!"

Huang Sixi asked again: "Aren't they afraid of being robbed by Yang Wen?"

Li Jing was stunned for a moment, then slowly shook his head at Huang Sixi, "It's very unlikely! Yang Wengan's original surname was Xiang. He was actually the son of Xiang Gui, the guardian of the Baling Gang. He followed the Baling Gang to offer tribute to the palace maids and came to the emperor. Because he served His Majesty effectively, His Majesty gave him the surname Yang, and from then on he changed his name to Yang Wengan. He was loyal to His Majesty and was regarded as a member of the royal family by the royal relatives!"

Huang Sixi heard Song Yuzhi mention Xiang Gui. At the beginning of the year, the Iron Cavalry Gang looted refugees and sold more than 20 girls to the Baling Gang. The person who handled the matter was the protector Xiang Gui.

The mastermind behind the Baling Gang has always been Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, and the gang specifically selected beautiful women from the people for Yang Guang.

Yang Wengang had such deep roots with the Baling Gang that the Jingzhao League he founded was obviously also a tool for Yang Guang to control the capital.

But Huang Sixi knew very well that Xiang Gui specialized in human trafficking and his whole family was treacherous and vicious. Xiang Gui's other son, Xiang Yushan, did everything he could to trick Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling into handing over Yang Gong's treasure.

Yang Wengang had no loyalty to the Sui court and had now been bribed by Li Yuan.

In the original Tang Dynasty Jianghu, when Li Yuan's army arrived at the city of Chang'an, Yang Wengang would immediately start an uprising in the city, and cooperate with Li Yuan from both inside and outside to help Li Yuan capture the capital.

It was because of Yang Wengang's merit in stabbing the Yang clan that Li Yuan appointed him to a high-ranking position as the governor of Gyeongju.

Huang Sixi revealed to Li Jing directly: "Yang Wengan seems to have secretly surrendered to the Li family. The royal family members asked him to escort their property. I'm afraid he will hand over his property to Li Yuan as soon as he leaves the city! How can someone be so anxious to do something like putting a sheep into a tiger's mouth?"

"what!"

Li Jing was shocked. If Yang Wengan and Jingzhao Lian had become the de facto internal supporters of the Li family, then the fall of Chang'an was almost certain. "Mr. Huang, is this true?"

Huang Sixi chuckled: "Whether it is true or not, we can ask the government to investigate!"

Huang Sixi felt that this was an effective way to prevent the powerful and wealthy from escaping at night.

Once the news that Yang Wengang is an accomplice spreads among government officials, the powerful people in the capital will know it first. Regardless of whether the government can investigate the matter thoroughly, the royal relatives in the city will be suspicious and will no longer dare to trust Yang Wengang and Jingzhao Lian.

Before finding replacements for Yang Wengang and Jingzhao Lian, these royal relatives will definitely stop fleeing, and Yong'an Canal and Yuema Bridge will fall into temporary silence.

This is also the best time for Huang Sixi to open Yang Gong's treasure house.

After hearing what Huang Sixi said, Li Jing fell silent with a serious expression.

His thoughts raced, and he guessed in his heart the purpose of Huang Sixi's disclosure of this matter: "Huang Langjun and Yang Wengan should have no grudges, because Huang Langjun once single-handedly slaughtered the Iron Cavalry Society, Zhu Can's army and the four major bandits. If he had a grudge against Yang Wengan, he could have stabbed him to death with a sword, and Yang Wengan would not have survived even if he had nine lives!
Since Mr. Huang had no grudge against Yang Wengang, why did he reveal to me the secret that Yang Wengang had defected to Li Yuan?
If I had followed Mr. Huang's advice and reported the news of Yang Wengang's rebellion to the court, at this critical moment, the court might have sent a large army to suppress Yang Wengang and the Jingzhao alliance to prevent the rebellion from becoming a reality!
But if Li Yuan heard about it, I would be the one who destroyed Li Yuan and Yang Wengan's plan to attack the city from the inside and outside, and I would become a thorn in the Li family's side. My future would be in jeopardy!"

On the surface, this was just a matter of reporting a word to the court.

However, this sentence contains a fatal threat.

Li Jing didn't hesitate for too long.

He said to Huang Sixi: "As a salaried person, I should share your worries. I will go to the government office now to expose Yang Wengan's conspiracy to protect the capital from falling into the hands of the rebels! Mr. Huang, let Hongfu accompany you to Yuhe Temple today. I will come back to show you the way after I have dealt with Yang Wengan's affairs!"

Huang Sixi handed him a flaming arrow and said, "Whoever you expose may face revenge. If you are in danger and can't escape, shoot this arrow into the sky! I will come to find you when I hear the arrow's sound!"

The pressure in Li Jing's heart suddenly eased.

Huang Sixi's act of giving arrows was an attitude. No matter what consequences the whole incident caused, Huang Sixi would ensure Li Jing's safety.

Li Jing did not linger for long. He went to the carriage to give instructions to Hong Fu, and then rode to the government office.

Hong Fu Nu had no time to ask Li Jing why he left in such a hurry, but Li Jing said before he left that he had heard something of vital importance from Huang Sixi and needed to return to the government office immediately to report.

When she heard that it was related to Huang Sixi, Hong Fu Nu was no longer worried about Li Jing as usual. She only focused on being a guide for Huang Sixi.

After a while, the carriage stopped in front of Yuhe Temple.

Hong Fu Nu and the abbot of Yuhe Temple, Chang Shanshi, are old friends. She goes directly into the temple to find Chang Shanshi and tells him that Shi Qingxuan wants to visit Master Fan Qinghui.

Master Chang Shan asked Hong Fu to invite Huang Sixi, Shi Qingxuan and Kan Kan into the nunnery.

She first asked Shi Qingxuan: "Who is this young donor to Master Fanzhai?"

Shi Qingxuan raised his palm and bowed to her, looking very humble.

Huang Sixi could see that Shi Qingxuan was very respectful to Buddhist monks and was very pious in her worship of Buddha. This should be related to the teachings of her mother Bi Xiuxin.

Shi Qingxuan said softly, "I am Master Fan's nephew. May I ask Master Shan, isn't Master Fan staying overnight in the nunnery?"

"She has been staying here since she came to the capital!"

Master Chang Shan saw that Shi Qingxuan's eyes were clear and her temperament was exactly the same as that of the disciples of Cihang Jingzhai, so he did not doubt Shi Qingxuan's words at all.

She said in a friendly manner: "Because of the war in the north, many victims fled to Guanzhong and had no food or clothing. Master Fanzhai went to help the victims!"

Shi Qingxuan was both happy and worried when she heard this. She was happy that she had found out where Fan Qinghui was, but she was worried that she didn't know when she could meet Fan Qinghui. "I hope Master Shan can tell me when Master Fan will return to the city?"

Master Chang Shan shook his head slightly: "I don't know. Master Fanzhai didn't leave any accurate information when he left. He may return in two or three days, or he may still be missing in five or six days!"

Shi Qingxuan couldn't help but look back and asked Huang Sixi: "Brother, Uncle Fan's return date is uncertain, why don't I move to the nunnery to stay overnight, and then go to the inn to inform you when Uncle Fan returns?"

Huang Sixi did not object, but asked, "Is it convenient for us to stay here?"

He was asking Master Chang Shan.

Master Chang Shan kindly replied, "If it weren't for the donation from Master Fan Zhai, this nunnery would not have been built. Her nephew can stay here as long as he wants!"

(End of this chapter)