In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 118 The Dark Side Under the Lamp: Cleaning Up the House
At the same time, as the medicine took effect and his true energy was replenished, Wu Sangou's face was still pale, but his spirit and energy had obviously improved a little.

"Thank you!"

Sensing the changes within his body, Wu Sangou expressed his gratitude.

Gu Shaoan took out some wound medicine and applied it to Wu Sangou's abdomen. Then he tore off his own outer robe to make a simple bandage for Wu Sangou before asking, "Could you please explain the situation with the Ghost Hand Gang, senior?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Sangou took a deep breath and slowly spoke.

Through Wu Sangou's description, Gu Shaoan and the others also learned that the Ghost Hand Gang originally operated as human slave traders in the Northwest region.

However, it is different from ordinary human slaves.

Most of the members of the Ghost Hand Gang are also skilled in martial arts.

The leader's surname was Li, and his name was Li Wanshan. Everyone called him "Li the Headman".

About six months ago, the group fled to Linjiang Town.

And so they settled down here.

Zhou Zhiruo frowned and asked, "Why choose Linjiang Town?"

Without hesitation, Wu Sangou said, "Linjiang Town is a vital waterway and not far from the various trade routes in Sichuan. After the stolen goods from various places are transported to the escort agency by the escort service, they can be dispersed from Linjiang Town by water and land without attracting attention."

Yang Yan asked, "No, Linhai Town belongs to the territory of my Emei Sect. If there are human traffickers operating here, even if the disciples stationed here are unaware, the government will notify my Emei Sect once they find out."

Human traffickers are certainly troublesome, but their methods are often traceable.

The most obvious issue is the disappearance of people.

Therefore, if a large number of women and children go missing within a short period of time within the Emei territory, it will immediately alert the Emei Sect, who will then do everything in their power to find and eliminate them.

In response to Yang Yan's question, Wu Sangou said, "That's why Chief Li chose to locate his position in Linhai Town."

Yang Yan was stunned for a moment, but quickly came to her senses.

"No, you mean, it's the blind spot right under your nose?"

Wu Sangou's tone was still noticeably weak: "Over the years, everyone in this line of work knows that the Emei Sect almost exterminates human traffickers. Neither the surrounding towns nor the government would suspect that problems might arise in the Emei Sect's territory."

"Therefore, in the past six months, the Ghost Hand Gang has never attacked people in the territory of the Emei Sect. Instead, they have made their moves elsewhere and then secretly transported the people to Linhai Town."

"The local government and people will not be able to trace the matter back to Linhai Town."

These words enraged Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo. They hadn't expected these human traffickers to be so ruthless. They knew that the Emei Sect would rather kill than let anyone cheat them, yet they still dared to play such a dirty trick right under the Emei Sect's nose.

Yang Yan asked, "So, the Ghost Hand Gang is chasing you because you discovered their schemes?"

Wu Sangou said, "Not entirely. Another reason is that I secretly hid the people they just kidnapped."

In the end, Wu Sangou revealed a smug smile.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan asked, "Have the Emei Sect disciples in Linhai Town colluded with the Ghost Hand Gang?"

Upon hearing this question, Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo's expressions turned serious, and they both stared at Wu Sangou.

Wu Sangou coughed twice: "That's right! That's why my first thought when I found out you were Emei disciples was to run away."

Wu Sangou gave Gu Shaoan and the other two an answer that they expected but did not want to hear.

After learning that the disciples of the Emei Sect had indeed colluded with the wicked human traffickers in Linhai Town, both Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan's knuckles turned white from gripping the sword hilts too tightly.

Gu Shaoan took a deep breath and then turned to look at Shangguan Haitang.

"You know all of this?"

Shangguan Haitang nodded gently, her blood-stained veil swaying slightly.

Wu Sangou, who was standing to the side, said, "If it weren't for this Miss Shangguan, I wouldn't have been able to secretly transport this group of people kidnapped by the Ghost Hand Gang right under their noses, and I wouldn't have been able to escape successfully afterwards."

Gu Shaoan glanced at Wu Sangou and asked again, "Are those people who were kidnapped by the Ghost Hand Gang still hidden in Linhai Town by you?"

Wu Sangou looked distressed.

"This batch of meat shipments involves nearly a hundred people. Even taking them away and hiding them would be difficult enough. How can we, on our own, possibly bring these people out of the city quietly?"

Gu Shaoan looked at Shangguan Haitang with some surprise.

"With your abilities, you can't solve this?"

Shangguan Haitang stated frankly, "I tried, but it failed."

Seemingly finding this explanation too simplistic, Shangguan Haitang added, "That Chief Li is very strong, especially skilled in poison techniques. In addition, his internal energy has reached the level of returning to the innate realm. Furthermore, Chief Li has a skilled knife-wielder by his side. Although his internal energy has not reached the level of returning to the innate realm, his strength is not weak either. I alone cannot deal with them."

Gu Shaoan was not surprised by Li Wanshan's strength.

If someone wasn't truly skilled, how could they be so audacious as to carry out these shady dealings right under the noses of the Emei Sect?

And by calculation, Shangguan Haitang on the other side is about the same age as Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan.

The "rain of flowers and coins" that just now only contained special force, but no trace of true qi.

Clearly, Shangguan Haitang's internal energy cultivation at this time had not yet reached the level of returning to the innate state.

Immediately, Gu Shaoan slowly turned around and walked to Zhao Chongshan and the others who had just been injured and had their acupoints sealed by Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo.

"You, you, what do you want to do?"

As Gu Shaoan, carrying a heavy sword, approached step by step, Zhao Chongshan couldn't help but tremble and speak.

Without saying a word, Gu Shaoan walked up to Zhao Chongshan. As Zhao Chongshan sprang up, Gu Shaoan raised his hand and pressed on Zhao Chongshan's acupoints, rendering him unable to move. Then, Gu Shaoan suddenly pressed a finger on an acupoint on Zhao Chongshan's abdomen.

"Uh……!"

In an instant, Zhao Chongshan felt the spot that Gu Shaoan had struck, and the intense pain was like countless rusty, dull knives, frantically cutting and churning inside his abdomen.

The pain instantly drained all the color from Zhao Chongshan's face, replacing it with a terrifying bluish-gray hue, as if he were on the verge of death.

His mouth was wide open, and his throat was moving violently, but because his pressure points had been pressed, he couldn't let out any loud screams. He could only make a muffled "hoarse" sound, like a wild beast squeezing out from the depths of its lungs when it was dying.

Beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled wildly down his neck, forehead, and cheeks, which were contorted and convulsing with excruciating pain.

His face, which looked honest and kind, was now contorted with pain that surged through his body.

It took a full quarter of an hour before Gu Shaoan removed his finger from the acupoint on Zhao Chongshan's abdomen, then raised his fingertip and placed it on Zhao Chongshan's neck.

"Next, I'll ask questions, and you answer. If there's anything I'm hiding, I won't mind letting you experience that feeling a few more times."

To Zhao Chongshan, Gu Shaoan's gentle voice at this moment seemed to come from the depths of hell.

Thinking of the hellish, unbearable feeling he had just experienced, Zhao Chongshan quickly nodded.

Gu Shaoan remained expressionless, his eyes as cold as an eternally frozen pool.

"Where is the Ghost Hand Gang's stronghold?"

"The escort agency is a stronghold."

"How many people in total?"

"Including Li, the foreman, there are a total of fifty-seven people."

In less than a quarter of an hour, Zhao Chongshan had confessed everything he knew.

After finding out the situation of the Ghost Hand Gang, Gu Shaoan paused, and then his tone became a little somber.

"What is the nature of the cooperation between the Emei Sect disciples stationed in Linhai Town and your Ghost Hand Gang?"

The rest of the details have already been explained, not to mention the Emei Sect disciples who only had business dealings with them.

Without hesitation, Zhao Chongshan replied, "Provide cover for us. If anyone from Mount Emei comes over, notify us immediately. As payment, we will give them two thousand taels of silver per month."

The Emei Sect provides monthly stipends to its disciples who are stationed in various locations.

Disciples within the sect receive five taels of silver per month.

If one is an elder, the monthly allowance is fifty taels.

It may not seem like much, but it is actually enough for a disciple to have enough to eat, wear, and use normally, with a considerable amount left over.

In towns like Linhai Town, there wouldn't be too many disciples stationed there, at most twenty.

In total, each person could receive nearly one hundred taels of silver. The amount earned in one month was equivalent to what an ordinary family could earn in ten years.

"Two thousand taels, you guys are really generous!"

Seemingly sensing the chilling killing intent emanating from Gu Shaoan's eyes, Zhao Chongshan's heart tightened, and he quickly said, "No, I was forced into it, please release me."

Faced with Zhao Chongshan's pleas for mercy, Gu Shaoan didn't waste any words and raised his palm to strike Zhao Chongshan's crown.

Even without using his true energy, Gu Shaoan's current strength, combined with some power-generating techniques, would be enough to shatter Zhao Chongshan's skull with a single palm strike.

[Defeat elite human traffickers, achievement points +20.]

After killing Zhao Chongshan with a single palm strike, Gu Shaoan stood up without a word and walked to the second person.

The greatsword swung, making a dull whistling sound in the air before landing directly on the man's chest.

The terrifying force exploded, instantly causing the man's chest to collapse and the ground beneath him to cave in two inches.

This process was repeated until all four people were completely silent before Gu Shaoan finally stopped.

"Senior brother, what's the next step?"

Yang Yan stepped forward and asked after Gu Shaoan had dealt with the fourth person.

"Now that we've discovered it, what else can we do? Of course, we'll clean house."

Gu Shaoan's usually deep and gentle eyes now resembled two blades forged from millennia-old ice.

The gentle voice suddenly became cold and sharp.

Full of murderous intent.

Not only Gu Shaoan, but Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan were not much better than Gu Shaoan at this moment.

Gu Shaoan took Wu Sangou's pulse again and confirmed that although Wu Sangou's internal injuries had not fully recovered, with his own true qi protecting him and the effects of the pills in his body, riding a horse should be fine. He then asked, "Uncle Wu, would you be willing to persevere and lead the way for us?"

Wu Sangou glanced at the injured Shangguan Haitang, then at Gu Shaoan and the others.

After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "Okay!"

As he spoke, Wu Sangou stood up and tried to take two steps forward.

When he realized that although he was still feeling somewhat unwell, he was much better than when he was fleeing for his life, Wu Sangou boldly stepped forward and mounted his horse.

Seemingly understanding Gu Shaoan's intention, Shangguan Haitang said, "Did this young master not hear what I said clearly? The leader of the Ghost Hand Gang, Chief Li, is no ordinary person, and his confidants are also formidable. Since you are a disciple of the Emei Sect, what you should do now is to ask the Emei Sect for help and send experts over to ensure that nothing goes wrong, rather than acting recklessly on your own and lest you become a lamb to the slaughter."

"Like a lamb entering a tiger's den?"

Hearing Shangguan Haitang's words, Gu Shaoan sneered inwardly.

"I have my reasons, Miss Shangguan, please rest assured."

Seeing Gu Shaoan's resolute attitude, Shangguan Haitang frowned under her bamboo hat.

But the next second, Shangguan Haitang suddenly mustered her strength and leaped high, landing squarely on the back of one of the horses.

Under the watchful eyes of the others, Shangguan Haitang spoke up: "With me by our side, if we encounter that leader Li from the Ghost Hand Gang, even if we are no match for him, we will have a better chance of retreating."

Having understood Shangguan Haitang's intentions, Gu Shaoan did not blame her for stealing the horse.

He said to Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan, "Senior sister, why don't you ride with your junior sister?"

Zhou Zhiruo asked, "And what about you, Junior Brother?"

Gu Shaoan shook his head and said, "I'm carrying a heavy sword. If I ride with you, the horse won't be able to handle it. We have important business to attend to, so let's travel by light footwork."

Without further ado, Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan used their lightness skills to mount their horses and gallop forward.

When the three horses began to gallop, Gu Shaoan also used his lightness skill, and his speed was no slower than that of the three people riding horses.

This scene drew frequent glances from Shangguan Haitang, who was secretly alarmed.

"Carrying such a sword on his back, he can still keep up with the horse at full gallop. Is this guy's skill in light footwork really that high?"

Linhai Town, "Furui Escort Agency".

front hall.

Sunlight, filtering through the cracks in the tightly closed doors and windows, barely managed to outline the dust particles into blurry beams of light.

The interior was simply furnished: several old tables with ledgers, abacuses and yellowed escort contracts scattered on them; several peeling armchairs on either side; and weapons racks in the corner with gleaming swords and spears. At first glance, it did indeed look like the reception room of an ordinary escort agency.

At the head of the main hall, in the center, on the largest and most ornately carved armchair, Li Wanshan remained silent.

At over fifty years old, his features were unusually sharp due to his thinness, with slightly protruding brow bones, a thin and high nose bridge, and deeply sunken cheeks.

A few sparse, yellowish-brown goatees adorned his chin.

What's most striking are his eyes, which are almost always half-closed.

When these eyes are completely squinted, the wrinkles at the corners pile up, and when paired with the occasional upward curve of the withered lips, they strangely exude an almost kind and harmless gentleness.

Anyone who looks at him would only think he's a kind and gentle old man from the neighborhood.

What is particularly striking is Li Wanshan's hand holding the teacup.

Those were hands that were as white and delicate as a woman's; they didn't look like an old man's hands at all.

There was another person standing next to him.

The man on the left was dressed in black, tall and thin like a bamboo pole, with a long, narrow goose-feather knife hanging at his waist. He had a fierce face, high cheekbones, and a pair of eyes that shone brightly, his gaze like two small, bone-scraping knives.

Dozens of men dressed in the uniforms of镖局 (security escort agencies) stood scattered below the hall, all kneeling obediently in front of the hall, not daring to utter a sound.

As the leader finished speaking, Li Wanshan slapped his hand on the wooden table next to him.

The moment the fair hand landed on the wooden table, the entire table collapsed with a loud crash, causing the dozens of people kneeling in the front hall to tremble and fall silent.

"Useless! Dozens of people and you couldn't even catch one? What use are you to me? Do you know that once Wu Sangou exposes our affairs and attracts those killers from Mount Emei, will we still have a chance to survive?"

After decades, Li Wanshan finally succeeded in returning to his original state of martial arts after his sixtieth birthday a few years ago, greatly increasing his strength.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been so audacious as to think of setting up their hideout near the Emei Sect.

Although Li Wanshan was confident in his current strength, he was not arrogant enough to think that he could go toe-to-toe with the Emei Sect.

Who is Abbess Miejue?

The infamous reputation was built up by the lives of those slave traders and fools who risked their lives in the past.

Moreover, Li Wanshan knew that the Emei Sect possessed a divine weapon, the Yitian Sword, and that the "Thousand Poison Hands" technique he cultivated was bizarre and vicious. He would use poison to train and integrate the toxins into his hands, so that when he fought with someone, the toxins could invade the opponent's body through the attack.

But what they fear most about their poisonous skills is this kind of divine weapon.

What good is it to have a lot of poison hidden inside a hand once it's been cut off?

Therefore, if Abbess Miejue really came, Li Wanshan would have no choice but to run away.

Thinking about it, Li Wanshan seemed to remember something and cursed under his breath, "It's all that little bitch with the straw hat's fault. If it weren't for her secret help, Wu Sangou, that good-for-nothing, would have been a corpse at the bottom of the river long ago. How could he have stirred up any waves? Now she's even taken away all the hostages we spent more than two months collecting."

"If I ever run into that little brat again, I'll make sure she knows what it means to wish she were dead."

At this moment, the man holding the knife next to Li Wanshan spoke up: "We have already made connections with both the government and the disciples of the Emei Sect stationed in Linhai Town. Moreover, there are too many hostages this time. If Wu Sangou could have rescued all of them, he wouldn't still be in Linhai Town today."

Li Wanshan raised an eyebrow, his eyes brightening as he turned to look at the knife-wielding man who had spoken: "You mean, those hostages are still in the city?"

The latter nodded and said, "Most likely. The most urgent thing now is not Wu San Gou, but those hostages. After all, it took a lot of effort to transport these hostages, and each one is of high quality. Just selling the women inside would probably fetch tens of thousands of taels of silver, not to mention the placenta carts that we painstakingly collected."

Li Wanshan nodded and said, "That's right! The most urgent thing is to find these hostages and goods. With these hostages and goods in hand, our efforts over the past six months will not have been in vain. When the time comes, we can leave by water and hide in the territory of the Ming Cult. What can the Emei Sect do then?"

Thinking it over, Li Wanshan straightened his expression, looked at the group of people in front of him, and prepared to give the order.

However, before Li Wanshan could speak, a cold voice suddenly rang out in the air above the front hall.

"In my opinion, the most urgent task for you is not to find the goods and hostages you mentioned, but rather to consider whether you can leave this escort agency alive today."

"boom!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the tightly closed front door outside the main hall shattered with a loud crash.

　The next chapter will be a little later, around 7:30!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)