Ten Directions Sword Master

Chapter 109 The True Strength of the Imperial City Guard

"A single cut is worth a thousand pieces of gold."

The foreign merchant wore a felt hat, half of his face was covered by a thick beard, and he spoke with a strange accent, as if he had only recently learned the official language of the Great Wei.

"Perhaps he could slay the python?"

The middle-aged man picked up the scimitar; the blade was chipped and the handle rusted, as if it had been salvaged from a battlefield.

"Once the money's there, I'll just start cutting."

Hu Shang's expression remained unchanged; he simply repeated the sentence indifferently.

"The commander and your Khan have agreed that we will join forces and strike together tomorrow to kill Prefect Cui Xu!"

The middle-aged man transmitted his voice secretly, quickly and urgently.

"The Khan can only govern his thirteen tribes; we, the Kree, only respect divine decrees."

Hu Shang responded coldly.

"I came here because someone told me that one strike could be exchanged for grain, medicine, and salt worth a thousand gold pieces —"

"Without these things, our people won't survive this winter—I'll fight you as soon as I see the caravan set off."

The middle-aged man was speechless for a moment. These tribal relationships were truly a headache; the Khan couldn't even command the warriors of his nominally subordinate tribes.

"I've made arrangements; they'll be with me tomorrow."

The Heyin Commandery transports over a thousand cartloads of military supplies to the six towns every month, so dispatching a few cartloads is not a problem.

"I want to see the caravan set off—the Kree tribe has only one Refining God left. If they can't bring back the necessary supplies, all the elders and children of the tribe will die this winter, and half of the able-bodied men will also be wiped out."

The merchant squatted down, wrapped several curved knives in fur, and carried them on his back.

"Make arrangements for the caravan, then come find me here."

He refused to communicate and adopted a hardline attitude.

The middle-aged man had nowhere to vent his anger, so he could only contact the merchants secretly controlled by the Six Towns.

Clearly, although the Khan had allied with the Six Garrisons, he was also afraid of the behemoth that was the Northern Wei.

They were afraid that this ailing giant might turn around and slap him to death.

The swordsmen sent came from a tribe in a far-off, bitterly cold land, where there were no fertile pastures or herds of cattle and sheep.

A single blizzard can easily claim the lives of hundreds of people in a tribe.

The Khan was prepared to use the heads of the entire Kree tribe to quell the anger of the Northern Wei nobles if things were exposed.

The middle-aged man quickly left the street, while several teenagers and a flower-selling girl exchanged glances as he walked away.

Finally, a newsboy walked to the end of the block, to the room that housed all the evil.

A moment later, a fine horse galloped out of the west city and headed straight for the east city where high-ranking officials and nobles lived.

The Imperial City Guard was even more efficient than Lu Li had expected. They had just finished dinner when intelligence about a suspected target arrived.

"The swordsman went to the west city to meet with the foreign merchants, and then went to the Sanyang Trading Company on his own, while the foreign merchants stayed in the west city?"

For the first time outside of historical records, Lu Li witnessed the terrifying nature of the Imperial City Guard.

This deep-rooted control over the lives of ordinary people far surpasses that of local government officials.

No wonder that during its heyday, the Imperial City Guard was jokingly referred to as the "shadow government office."

The Great Chu Privy Council was essentially an improved version of the Imperial City Guard, with added military authority, such as recruiting soldiers and promoting officers.

However, the imperial court imposed restrictions and did not want to see another bizarre institution like the Imperial City Guard.

On the other hand, the power of sects and aristocratic families has increased significantly, and the imperial court can no longer gain the upper hand in terms of the number of Dharma Body Grandmasters.

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This makes it impossible for the Privy Council to replicate the Imperial City Guard's control over the martial arts world and its deep-rooted deterrent power over the people.

"Yes—the Hu merchant arrived in the county town three days ago, taking the route through the Li family, who have close ties with the desert."

The Imperial Guard Commander displayed his full abilities, determined to prove his strength to this nobleman from the capital.

"We have already contacted the head of the Li family. He is the young chieftain of a tribe called the Keli tribe. He is at the early stage of the Refinement of Spirit realm and has cultivated the Wind and Sand Soul-Severing Blade Technique."

"The swordsman Helian Zhuo's father was a disowned disciple of the Beihai Guanyue Sword Sect. After being expelled from Beihai County, he went to the desert to make a living. He married a noblewoman and they both died in a tribal conflict."

"Helian Zhuo escaped from the desert at the age of twelve, disappeared for many years, and returned as a mid-stage Refinement Spirit cultivator."

"There is evidence that he was adopted by Tian Wensi, who was then the militia commander, and secretly trained to learn from the strengths of many people."

Lu Li held a few thin sheets of paper in his hand, which recorded detailed information about the two of them.

Over several decades, apart from the Imperial City Guard, no other organization had both the capability and the motivation to do this.

"Simply defending isn't a solution. I want to eliminate them both completely. Do you have any suggestions?"

Lu Li threw the question to this person, saying that the Imperial City Guard had enough experience dealing with martial arts experts and might have a good solution.

"Please have Commander Cui coordinate with the Imperial City Guard to summon the cultivators in the city to jointly punish the traitor Helian Zhuo—for the sake of righteousness, at least one person from each of the major sects will be willing to participate."

Unexpectedly, this Imperial Guard Captain spoke fluently from the start, indicating that he had prepared his remarks beforehand.

"As long as they intercept Helian Zhuo on the outside and prevent him from escaping—the branch can mobilize two Refining Spirit Guest Elders, plus the Prefect and Old Servant Cui, the chances of success are not low."

"As for the young chieftain of the Kree tribe, we can put him aside for now. I suspect that the two of them do not have a close cooperative relationship. Seeing Helian Zhuo being besieged, he will most likely choose to leave quietly."

The fact that the Heyin branch only has one Eagle Platform Captain at the Refining God Realm and four Cavalry Captains at the Half-Step Refining God Realm does not mean that the Imperial City Division can only mobilize this much power here.

Evil demons who should have been executed, or rogue cultivators who sold themselves to the imperial court for certain cultivation resources, could all become guest ministers of the Imperial City.

If it were something like assassinating the prefect, the guest minister certainly wouldn't obey.

However, if the Imperial City Guard and the Prefectural Governor's Office jointly intervened and killed the unknown powerhouse on charges of treason, there would be no problem at all.

This is the benefit of having control of the Imperial City Guard.

"Your name?"

Lu Li nodded in satisfaction. With Wei Bin dead, ambitious people naturally began to emerge.

"This humble servant, Jia Xin, has been a member of the Imperial City Guard for exactly twenty years. Back then, when I was promoted to Captain of the Imperial Guard and went to the capital for training, I had the honor of listening to the speech given by Magistrate Bai, which I still remember vividly."

Captain Jia knelt on the ground in excitement and forced a connection between them.

If a half-step Spirit Refinement Captain is promoted and given a spiritual pill, he can become a candidate for Eagle Platform Captain.

"I've got it—take my badge, contact the guest elder, gather the men, be careful not to be discovered by Helian Zhuo, and take action when I give you my instructions."

Lu Li didn't look at Jia Xiaowei, who was already beaming with joy. If the grandson of Judge Zhou Bai wanted to be respectful to scholars, he wouldn't do so in front of a local captain.

"I'm going to see Prefect Cui and strive to achieve victory in one fell swoop!"

Cui Xu only considered it for a moment before decisively agreeing.

With Helian Zhuo and a Refining God Swordsman of unknown strength lurking in the shadows, the risk level is far too high.

Since Bai Liulang from Shendu is willing to lend a helping hand, regardless of his purpose, it is a rare opportunity.

Normally, as the prefect, he had no authority over the Imperial Palace Attendants.

With four against one, plus a few martial arts practitioners from various sects just standing around doing nothing, the odds of winning are extremely high.

The operation is scheduled for tomorrow at dawn. At that time, trusted confidants will be sent to sects such as Tianyi Sect, Hanyue Sect, and Wangyou Tower to explain the dangers and request their participation.

The joint use of the seal by the Prefectural Governor's Office and the Imperial City Guard still has a certain deterrent effect on these sects.

Besides, as long as they stand by and watch, they're not going to charge in for a life-or-death battle.

"If we eliminate the assassin before the Imperial City Guard envoy arrives, shouldn't that count as completing the mission? Should we stay and meet with him to lay the groundwork for our future trip to the capital?"

If Lu Li wants to reap huge benefits in the Northern Wei world, he will definitely have to go to the capital.

Not to mention, he's currently also lured by the peerless martial arts manual, the "Heavenly Return to Origin Scripture."

Correspondingly, the risk factor rises sharply.

The most useful identity of the Inner Surveillance Division Commandant is definitely no longer usable. Moreover, at this point in time, describing the capital city as being filled with Dharma bodies might be a slight exaggeration, but the density of Grandmasters would absolutely terrify the real-world Emperor of Chu.

The royal family alone has five Dharma bodies, not counting Grandmasters like Judge Daylight who are absolutely loyal to the emperor.

The high-ranking officials in the imperial court who had achieved success in martial arts, the representatives of various powerful families, and the Dharma bodies of various places in the capital who were stranded due to the Yuanlong Conference were like a powder keg, ready to be ignited at any moment.

Who knows, because his left foot entered the city gate first, he might have violated some taboo of some deity and been slapped to death.

"My current cultivation level is a bit insufficient. In addition, it would be best to come up with a background that is powerful enough to even intimidate a Dharma Body Grandmaster. Otherwise, I will feel too insecure in the Traveling God Capital. I definitely cannot use the identity of Bai Wuming. I need to change my appearance and name before going there."

With this in mind, Lu Li lost much interest in contacting the special envoy from the Imperial City Guard.

We'll meet then and see if it triggers a side quest.

If the other party becomes suspicious, simply return to the real world.

Before dawn, Cui Xu, along with Lu Li and the old servant who appeared to have recovered, quietly set off.

The old servant of the Cui family had his hands tucked into his sleeves, so it was impossible to tell whether they had healed or not.

However, this person's combat strength will definitely be greatly reduced.

For the first time, Lu Li enjoyed being carried through the air by a Refining God Martial Artist, flying on the clouds, and felt a little dizzy.

However, this method of flight is far slower than using movement techniques to travel, and the altitude cannot exceed 100 zhang (approximately 33 meters). It is only used in special circumstances.

"Captain, Prefect Cui, we have made all the arrangements. Over a hundred brothers are lying in ambush in the distance. Helian Zhuo has not made a move. This is Senior Bloodhand Butcher Luo, a former elder of the Blood River Sect who has turned to the light. This is Senior Falling Flower Staff Hong, whose family's Two Elements Falling Flower Staff is renowned throughout Heyin."

Captain Jia led over two cultivators who had reached the Spirit Refinement stage and introduced them.

"We still need the help of our two predecessors to eliminate this traitor."

Lu Li cupped his hands in greeting. In the real world, that would be considered arrogant, but here it was already considered extremely respectful.

"Young Master Bai, you are too kind. It is my great honor to have been of any use to you."

"Judge Bai has always been a respected senior of ours. Back then, he killed three of our sect's protectors with a single palm strike—hey, let's not talk about that."

The two martial artists, both at the Refinement of Spirit Realm, were flattered and beamed with joy.

Lu Li glanced at the Blood Hand Butcher, who had a kind and benevolent smile. It turned out that the Blood River Sect, one of the Seven Demonic Sects, already existed at this time.

To have such a nickname, one must have committed countless evil deeds.

Another senior, Hong, who uses the Falling Flower Staff, must have become a guest minister of the Imperial City Bureau for the sake of cultivation resources, since it is a family-inherited martial art.