Liver into a martial arts legend: starting with Embroidered Spring Blade

Chapter 76: The richest man in the Ming Dynasty, Wan Sanqian, and the four ghosts of Xiangxi! [15]

"Drive! Drive!"

The autumn wind was blowing gently, and on the broad and straight official road, a team of twenty or thirty people rode their horses northward.

Occasionally, when passers-by or caravans came across them, they would quickly move aside from a distance.

Just by looking at their attire, you can tell that this team is the imperial lackeys that countless people fear, the Ming Dynasty Jinyiwei!

"Big brother!"

Jin Yichuan rode his horse to catch up with Lu Jianxing and shouted, "Qizhou City is just ahead. Do you want to stop and rest before continuing?"

"No need to rest, keep going, and find a place to rest after dark. Tell the brothers to be careful!"

Lu Jianxing said in a deep voice, his expression somewhat solemn.

At this moment, he was certain that the fact that they had obtained Rama's body had definitely been exposed.

Because in just five days, their team encountered at least four or five waves of attacks, all of which were for Rama's body.

Fortunately, they were fully equipped when they left Beijing. Each of them was equipped with a bow and crossbow, and the war horses they rode were also of good quality.

Otherwise, it’s hard to say how many of his team members would be left now!
"We are still in this situation here, I wonder what the situation is like for the adults..."

Lu Jianxing looked back at the West, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

They split into two groups and returned to Beijing. Jiang Xuan and Xu Longqing's team took another post road.

The situation of his team is so dire.

The situation on Xu Longqing's side is definitely not much better.

Moreover, the post road there is remote and he might encounter some bandits along the way, which might be even more dangerous than his side.

"Forget it, let's go back to Beijing first!"

With a long sigh in his heart, Lu Jianxing shook his head and continued on his way.

After all, what they were escorting was the remains of Rama, which drove countless people in the martial arts world crazy.

Now that their whereabouts have been exposed, there is definitely danger.

But crises also bring opportunities.

Thinking of Jiang Xuan's promise to him, Lu Jianxing perked up again.

As long as he can successfully return to the capital, he will be promoted to a centurion along with the adults.

Well, it's worth taking a risk!
……

And Lu Jianxing’s guess was indeed true.

At this time, on another post road heading north.

Xu Longqing and others really got into trouble.

When the team reached the middle of a canyon, they were blocked by a group of strangers.

There were quite a few people in this group, even more than them, and each of them was holding a weapon and full of murderous aura. It was obvious at first glance that they were not comparable to those ordinary fighters.

Xu Longqing exchanged glances with Ding Xiu beside him and whispered, "How is it?"

Ding Xiu's eyes were solemn, and he slowly shook his head: "They are very powerful, and there are several Xiantian masters among them. We can't deal with them."

Xu Longqing sighed inwardly, then rode forward, clasped his fists, and shouted, "I wonder which martial arts friends you are? We are from the Imperial Guards of the capital, and we are here to do some work for Eunuch Wei of the Eastern Depot. Please, please, give us a pass."

"Ha ha……"

Following a burst of chuckles, a man dressed in brocade, like a wealthy young man, walked up from behind the cavalry. Behind him were four masked men in green clothes. They all had cold expressions and seemed to have only murderous intent in their eyes.

"I know you are Jinyiwei, otherwise I wouldn't come to you."

The man held a folding fan in his hand, his demeanor extraordinary. He looked at Xu Longqing and said with a smile, "Although I am not afraid of Wei Zhongxian, I don't want to cause any more trouble. Hand over Rama's body, and I will let you go."

Listening to the confidence and dominance in the man's words, Xu Longqing felt extremely solemn. This man was not even afraid of Wei Zhongxian?!
"I wonder who you are? Is there really no peace today?" Xu Longqing bowed.

"The Four Ghosts of Western Hunan!"

Ding Xiu stared closely at the four men in green behind the man. Suddenly, his expression changed and he said, "You are the owner of the number one manor in the world, 13,000?!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Longqing's eyes showed a hint of shock.

The richest man in Ming Dynasty, 13,000?!
A hint of surprise flashed across the man's eyes. He glanced at Ding Xiu and then said with a smile, "Since you know who I am, why don't you hand over the body quickly?"

"Hand over the body, and I will not bother with you about killing Zhang Dajing."

Xu Longqing frowned, and his right hand quietly touched the sword at his waist.

"Do not impulse!"

Ding Xiu quickly held him down, winked, and then bowed to Wan Sanqian and said, "Master Wan, the body is not with us. We are only following orders. Please, Master Wan, have mercy on us!"

Wan Sanqian narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "You split your forces into two groups, trying to confuse people. Do you think your tactics are very clever?"

"I've checked your other team. Their packages are all fake. The body isn't with you. Could it be with them?"

Ding Xiu took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "The body is definitely not with us. If you don't believe me, you can check it out."

As he spoke, Ding Xiu winked at Xu Longqing, who understood. After a moment of silence, he waved his hand and said, "Give them the packages."

Upon hearing this, everyone took off the packages behind them and threw them in front of Wan Sanqian and others.

Wan Sanqian waved his hand lightly, and the people behind him immediately stepped forward to check one by one.

After a while, all the packages were opened and there was indeed no trace of the body, only clothes and other valuables.

"Ok?"

Seeing this, Wan Sanqian frowned tightly, glanced back at a man in a white robe in the crowd, and said in a deep voice, "What's going on? Didn't you say that the body wasn't in the hands of the other team?"

The white-robed man, his face filled with fear, quickly stepped forward, knelt, and bowed. "Master, I have indeed checked the group that took the official road, and the body is indeed not in their hands, but in the possession of Captain Jiang Xuan..."

As the man spoke, his eyes swept over Xu Longqing and the others. Suddenly, his expression changed and he said hurriedly, "Master, this man is not Jiang Xuan. Jiang Xuan is not in the team!"

Wan Sanqian frowned, turned around to look at Xu Longqing, and asked coldly, "Where is the captain named Jiang Xuan?"

Xu Longqing sighed inwardly and said, "Master Wan, my master has been separated from us since leaving Nanjing City. I don't know where he is now."

Wan Sanqian's eyes darkened and he instantly understood what was going on.

"I really underestimated you. Not only did you split up your forces, but you also tried to play a feint to the east and attack in the west, trying to escape?"

Wan Sanqian snorted coldly, his expression looking somewhat ugly.

This was the first time he was teased like this!
"Send someone to check where this person is!"

"Yes, owner!"

Wan Sanqian waved his sleeves and turned around, saying, "Let's go."

"Master, do you want to cut these Jinyiwei..." The man in white robe made a throat-slitting gesture.

Wan Sanqian waved his hand: "Forget it, since the body is not in their hands, there is no point in killing them."

"Although I'm not afraid of Wei Zhongxian, there's no need to cause more trouble. I just need to find Captain Jiang Xuan and get the body."

"Yes."

The man in white robe nodded respectfully, then waved his hand, and the cavalry quickly left.

Wan Sanqian was lifted up by the four men in green at the same time. His figures flashed and he disappeared into the canyon as quickly as a ghost.

"hiss……"

After seeing this scene, Xu Longqing finally understood why Ding Xiu stopped him and prevented him from taking action.

This kind of body movement technique is simply unheard of and unseen!

"They..." Xu Longqing looked at Ding Xiu with horror.

"Grandmaster!"

Ding Xiu's face was solemn as he spoke slowly.

Such terrifying body movement speed can only be displayed by people above the Grandmaster level, not to mention that these 'Four Ghosts of Western Hunan' are not ordinary Grandmasters.

These four people have been famous in the martial arts world for a long time, and this was the first time he saw them. Based on Wan Sanqian's temperament, he made a casual guess, and unexpectedly he guessed it right.

"Fortunately, my Lord had the foresight to separate his forces from us in advance. Otherwise, if we were to encounter these people, we would not be able to resist them with our strength!"

Xu Longqing said with some relief.

Ding Xiu nodded and also admired Jiang Xuan's strategy.

"I don't know if they can find you, sir. I hope good luck will come to you..."

Xu Longqing was a little worried, then he sighed and waved his hand, saying, "Pick up the things and continue on your way."

Everyone stepped forward to retrieve the packages and continued on their way.

No one found it.

Just on the top of the cliff a few hundred meters away on the right side of the canyon, there is a small path leading directly to this place.

At this time, two figures stood quietly on the top of the mountain and saw everything that happened in the canyon.

"Wan Sanqian, the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi..."

Looking at the four ghostly figures taking Wan Sanqian away, Jiang Xuan's eyes became a little solemn.

With his current eyesight, he could hardly see the movements of the four people, which shows how terrifying their strength is.

Not to mention the level of martial arts, the lightness skill is definitely a first-rate martial art!

I didn't expect this mission to turn into such a dangerous situation, with even a master-level figure appearing...

Xiyu withdrew her gaze and turned to look at Jiang Xuan, her eyes also somewhat surprised. She asked, "Did you know that experts would come to grab the body, so you separated from them in advance?"

"I was just preparing for a rainy day. I didn't expect it would happen to me."

Jiang Xuan shook his head.

After all, this is not just a world of "Sword Rain", but a world of comprehensive martial arts.

Rama's body had caused countless martial artists to fight over it, and had caused countless bloody battles.

Then, how could those who are interested in it be only people at the level of the Purple and Green Swords?
Therefore, after the first attack and learning that their whereabouts had been exposed, he decisively separated from Xu Longqing.

Xu Longqing led his men along the main road, while he and Xiyu took the small road.

Unexpectedly, they actually encountered a master blocking the way, and the one who came was the famous Ming Dynasty's richest man Wan Sanqian and the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi.

With his current strength, he would have absolutely no chance of winning if he faced the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi.

Jiang Xuan couldn't help but feel a little relieved at this moment.

"I hope we can arrive in the capital smoothly..."

Jiang Xuan sighed inwardly, shook his head, turned his horse around, and said, "Let's go."

……

Zhang Dajing, the richest man in Nanjing, was killed, and the Jinyiwei in Beijing seized the complete body of Rama.

As time passed, the story gradually spread.

For a time, the martial arts world was shaken, and countless people rushed forward one after another to intercept Rama halfway, trying to snatch Rama's body from the Jinyiwei.

The fact that Zhang Haiduan's family was wiped out and Heishi stole the upper half of Rama's body had already moved many people.

The discovery of Rama's remains had driven countless martial artists crazy. However, after hearing that even the richest man in the Ming Dynasty, Wan Sanqian, the owner of the world's largest manor, had returned empty-handed with the Four Ghosts of Western Hunan, many people gradually gave up.

The Four Ghosts of Western Hunan are long-established masters, whose magical skills of phantom are well-known in the martial arts world.

Over the past ten years, the major sects in the Central Plains have repeatedly invited them to attend martial arts conferences, but they have never agreed.

Even such a person who went there personally failed to obtain Rama's body, let alone others.

Of course, the most important thing is that the news came too late.

Five or six days had passed when some experts received the news.

Judging from the distance, the group of Jinyiwei who escorted Rama's body should be arriving in the capital soon.

Once they enter the capital, they will have no chance to seize the body.

The capital of the Ming Dynasty has always been a forbidden area for people in the martial arts world.

There was once a person who didn't believe in evil and chased his enemies to the capital, where he started a war and accidentally killed many people.

But in the end, a mysterious being took action, and the two masters who were fighting in the capital were killed silently. The next day, their bodies were hung at the city gate.

And these two masters are both grandmasters who have been famous for a long time!
Although this incident happened over a hundred years ago, up to now, no one above the rank of Grandmaster has dared to go to the capital to cause chaos.

As for those below the Grandmaster level, they dare not do that even more.

Not to mention anything else, the garrison in the capital alone could easily surround and kill them.

It's not worth it to sacrifice one's life for a Rama magic skill whose authenticity is still unknown.

……

East Factory.

Wei Zhongxian had naturally received news about the Nanjing incident long ago.

Since receiving the news, he has been so excited that he can't sleep almost every day. He has been waiting for news these days.

Letters were sent back from the East Factory almost every day.

This naturally includes the incident where those scoundrels tried to ambush Rama along the way and seize his body.

"Three thousand? Humph!"

Today, Wei Zhongxian was furious when he learned that Wan Sanqian, the richest man in the Ming Dynasty, had led people to rob the body.

"I have sought him out many times, asking him to help the court suppress the rebellion, but there has been no response."

"I didn't expect that now, he would dare to even steal my things?!"

"And this group of traitors deserve to be killed! All of them deserve to be killed!"

In the yamen, Wei Zhongxian was furious and angry.

Naturally, he also wanted to win over a person as wealthy as Wan Sanqian.

But this man has always been secretive, like a dragon that can't be seen. It is said that he even communicates with his subordinates only by carrier pigeons. No one knows what he looks like, let alone how much money he has.

In the past few years, Wei Zhongxian has been sending people to inquire about this person's whereabouts, but there has been no news.

Even though word was spread that if Wan Sanqian helped the court, the court would treat him with the courtesy of a duke, this man remained unmoved.

Unexpectedly, this person would show up now for the remains of Rama.

You even dare to steal Wei Zhongxian’s things?

How could this make him not angry? !

"Godfather, calm down. Wan Sanqian is a man as wealthy as a nation, with countless wealth. He is connected to many forces, and even a small move could affect the entire system. It is not appropriate to make enemies with him at this moment."

"Furthermore, the letter states that this person failed to seize the body and returned empty-handed. This means that the body is still in the hands of the Jinyiwei. Why would foster father be so angry?"

Zhao Jingzhong whispered advice from the side.

"Humph!"

Wei Zhongxian snorted coldly: "If this man had not hidden so deeply and his whereabouts were not so secretive, I would not be able to find his hiding place."

"Otherwise, if I capture him, no matter how much money he has, I will make him taste the cruel torture of the Eastern Depot!"

"What godfather said is right." Zhao Jingzhong could only cooperate.

Wei Zhongxian took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and asked in a deep voice, "Where is Jiang Xuan now?"

Zhao Jingzhong shook his head and said, "There's no news in the letter. It's said that he split his men into two groups to confuse the bandits, while he returned to the capital alone with the body."

"Even our people can't find his whereabouts?"

Wei Zhongxian was a little surprised, then nodded in appreciation: "This boy is quite capable. He can help me solve the case, and he's also quite smart. When he brings the body back, I'll reward him handsomely!"

"That's what the foster father said."

Zhao Jingzhong bowed in agreement, but his eyes were a little cold.

He really dislikes people like Jiang Xuan.

One Cao Shaoqin was enough. Now that Cao Shaoqin is dead, he doesn't want a second one to emerge.

But he had just made his adoptive father unhappy a few days ago because of coveting the body, so he didn't dare to say anything more at this moment.

stomping on...

Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door, and a young eunuch hurried in to report: "Your Excellency, the spies in the city report that Lord Jiang, the captain of the Northern Pacification Division, has returned."

"Based on the time, they should have arrived in the capital by now."

"What? So fast?!" Wei Zhongxian was overjoyed. He stood up suddenly and then paced excitedly in the lobby.

……

The law——

Outside the South Gate, Jiang Xuan reined in his horse, looked at Xiyu beside him, and said, "Go to my house and wait for me first. I have to send the body to the East Factory first."

After that, Jiang Xuan told her his home address.

After listening to this, Xiyu said nothing more. After following Jiang Xuan into the city, they parted ways and headed towards the location Jiang Xuan mentioned.

"I wonder how Lu Jianxing and the others are doing?"

Jiang Xuan looked back at the south, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes, then he let out a long sigh, shook his head, and rode straight to the East Factory.

……

Half an hour later.

Everyone gathered at the Dongchang Yamen.

Looking at Jiang Xuan, who was full of murderous aura and striding in with a package on his shoulder, everyone had different expressions.

Jinyiwei Commander Tian Ergeng, Pacification Envoy Xu Xianchun and others were relieved and excited.

Jiang Xuan has always been their man, so if he makes any contribution, they will naturally benefit from it.

However, Zhao Jingzhong, Gu Jinfu and other people from the East Factory looked unhappy.

Although they were all eunuchs, there were factional disputes within the party.

Especially when looking at Jiang Xuan's heroic and handsome appearance, Zhao Jingzhong couldn't help but snort, feeling a little jealous.

He was handsome, but he was a eunuch, so naturally he couldn't stand anyone who was more handsome than him.

Jiang Xuan ignored everyone's gazes and strode into the yamen. He then bowed to Wei Zhongxian, who was standing directly above him, and said, "I, Jiang Xuan, pay my respects to the factory manager!"

"Good good!"

Wei Zhongxian was overjoyed, but his eyes had already caught the package on Jiang Xuan's back. He said, "Captain Jiang, well done!"

"Thank you for the compliment!"

Jiang Xuan bowed slightly, then without further ado, he untied the two packages behind him and respectfully presented them: "Sir, Rama's body has been brought back intact. Please review it!"

"quick!"

Wei Zhongxian waved his hand quickly, and the young eunuch beside him immediately stepped forward and carefully took the package.

Wei Zhongxian couldn't wait to take the package, put it on the table and opened it, then carefully put the two bodies together, examined them carefully, and after confirming that they were correct, he finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Okay! Okay!"

Wei Zhongxian looked at Jiang Xuan and said excitedly, "Captain Jiang, you will bring back the body for me this time. I will do what I say."

After saying that, he looked at Tian Ergeng, Xu Xianchun and others beside him and said, "Commander Tian, ​​there is a position of Left Vice-Chief Censor in the Censorate in the imperial court recently. You should be transferred to the Censorate."

"Yes, godfather!" Tian Ergeng was immediately delighted and hurried forward to accept the order.

Although the Left Vice-Minister of the Imperial Censorate was also of the third rank, on the same level as the Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, once he entered the imperial court, he would be exposed to more core government affairs, and his chances of promotion in the future would be greater.

"Xu Zhenfu, you will take over the position of Governor Tian in the future."

"Yes, thank you, godfather!"

Xu Xianchun was immediately overjoyed. From the fourth rank to the third rank, that was a direct jump of three ranks. It was worth it for him to come to the East Factory to flatter them every day. He finally made it.

"Cui Yingyuan!"

Wei Zhongxian shouted.

"Godfather, my child is here!" A middle-aged man walked out from behind Xu Xianchun, his face also looking a little excited.

"Move your position too. From now on, you will be the Northern Division Pacifier." Wei Zhongxian ordered.

"Yes, thank you, godfather!" Cui Yingyuan was overjoyed and thanked him quickly.

Wei Zhongxian then looked at Jiang Xuan and said, "You will take over his position in the future and go to the Right Thousand Households Office and become a Thousand Household."

"Yes, I would like to thank the factory owner for his support, and thank you all for your support!"

"From now on, I will obey the orders of the factory owner and all the gentlemen."

Jiang Xuan quickly thanked him and at the same time did not forget to express his loyalty.

After all, he was promoted to the rank of fifth-rank centurion, which means he has barely come into contact with the core of the eunuch party. Showing loyalty is an old tradition of the eunuch party.

"Yes." Wei Zhongxian nodded with satisfaction and said, "If you have any other requests, please state them all. I am in a good mood today. As long as it is not too excessive, I will grant you anything."

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

This kid is really lucky.

Jiang Xuan was also slightly stunned. He had originally planned to recommend credit for Lu Jianxing and others, but had not yet figured out how to say it. He did not expect Wei Zhongxian to take the initiative to propose it. That was simply the best thing.

So he quickly said, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Factory. I have already received this great award, how dare I ask for more?"

"However, my men have accompanied me on many expeditions this time. First, they annihilated the Black Stone and other bandits at Yunqi Slope in the Western Hills, and then accompanied me to Nanjing City to retrieve the remains of the factory master. Most of them suffered heavy casualties, and I would like to commend them to the factory master for their contributions."

"Well, he's a man with a conscience."

Wei Zhongxian nodded slightly and said, "Well, it's up to you. The two generals under your command will both be promoted one level. As for the others, you can handle it as you wish."

Jiang Xuan was delighted and quickly thanked him, "Yes, I thank the factory owner for their grace!"

Wei Zhongxian said, "Well, tell me how you destroyed Black Stone and retrieved the body."

"I heard that your trip south this time caused quite a stir!"

Jiang Xuan nodded, then quickly gathered his thoughts in his mind for a moment before beginning to narrate...

(End of this chapter)