I Possess a Scroll of Demon-Subduing Records

He came to Chang'an for two reasons: to visit a friend and to find a good master.

If Xiao Yue really manages to conquer Chang'an, he will dedicate himself to the cause until his dying breath.

If he cannot, he will not return to the Southern Dynasty.

My old friend has set up a gang called the Green Gang in the north, trying his best to protect the people. He doesn't have much to do in the south anymore. He has already trained many students at Shushan. How far they go depends on their fate.

He used his remaining body to burn one last time.

Such topics were not suitable to discuss on the road. After waiting for Lu Yuanhua to calm down a bit, Gu Tinglan deliberately changed the subject and asked, "Master, where is the old friend you are going to visit?"

"I don't know where he is either. Let's slowly search for a place called Cuizhu Study!"

"Then I know where to look."

The study is not a place for ordinary people; it is a place where learned scholars gather and where no commoners are found.

Those who can go there are either rich or noble, and the environment must be good and quiet.

There are very few in the entire city of Chang'an that meet these conditions.

Seeing that Gu Tinglan had volunteered, Lu Yuanhua refused, saying, "This time, let Tingxuan lead us to search!"

No matter what, he's still an apprentice, and this kid's abilities need to be trained.

Gu Tingxuan: "..."

I've never been to Chang'an before, this is a bit much...

If Gu Tingxuan couldn't figure it out by using his brain, he could ask a passerby.

Cuizhu Study was naturally quite well-known in Chang'an.

The study has two floors. The first floor is where the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone) are sold, while the second floor has a collection of books that can be borrowed for free.

If you want to go upstairs, you have to compose a couplet or a poem at the waiter's place on the first floor.

The second floor is called the Red Plum Pavilion. If a scholar in Chang'an cannot enter the Red Plum Pavilion, he cannot be considered a scholar, and other scholars will not take him with them when they go out to play.

Those who frequent certain circles naturally have a hierarchy of contempt.

With a hierarchy of contempt established, people within the circle will spontaneously maintain that circle.

Within the Red Plum Pavilion, entering the Pine Melody Pavilion is considered an honor.

Songyunxuan is the study of Mr. Songyun, the owner of the study. It is a great honor to be able to go in and discuss scriptures and philosophy with Mr. Songyun.

The upper class of Chang'an regarded Cuizhu Study as the most elegant social place, but little did they know that it was actually the residence of the founder of the Green and Red Gang.

Mr. Songyun, isn't he Song Beiyun of the Quanzhen Sect?

He voluntarily defected from the Quanzhen Sect, became an ordinary person, and changed his name to Song Yun.

This is a genuine name change, unlike Lin Yi's deceptive name changes.

He himself said that the Han people had lost their north, and he couldn't find his own north either.

We will not reclaim the old location, nor will we use the old name.

This was his ambition, and only those who were truly close to him knew his background.

In Chang'an, he was a master of classical studies, highly respected by scholars and literati. He also possessed an astonishing talent for painting, especially pine, bamboo and plum blossoms. Just by looking at his paintings, one could feel the noble spirit of the Three Friends of Winter.

This is the dimensional reduction attack of a first-grade Grand Cultivator.

Although he was a Taoist priest, Song Yun was quite accomplished in Confucianism. He could befriend a first-rank Confucian scholar like Lu Yuanhua, so his scholarship was naturally not lacking.

Don't mistake Taoist priests for charlatans who only know how to draw talismans and concoct elixirs.

As for his painting skills, they were indeed honed through years of practicing drawing talismans. When the mind is focused, the brush follows; even with the spiritual essence sealed, his brushstrokes still flow like a divine hand.

He was able to quickly establish himself in Chang'an City, partly thanks to Lu Yuanhua's influence and the power of powerful families. Even though he was no longer in the north, he could still find people to speak on his behalf.

With a little support, Song Yun was able to establish himself in Chang'an based on his genuine talent and learning.

However, the imperial court has recently changed its policy toward the Green Gang, clearly indicating a deliberate attempt to suppress it.

Although Song Yun appeared glamorous in public, he secretly felt like he was walking on thin ice.

Inside Songyun Pavilion, Song Yun looked at the latest news about the Qinghong Gang, feeling somewhat bewildered.

"The Killing Taoist, the Heartless Swordsman, where did these heroes come from?"

Recently, the biggest news in the southwestern region of Northern Wei is that two ruthless members of the Green and Red Gang have emerged. With their combined strength, they killed a thug in a county town and ambushed a hundred cavalrymen.

Qinzhou cavalry captain He Peng died at the hands of those two men. This was truly the highest-ranking official killed since the founding of the Green and Red Gang, and he was an officer at that.

Generally, assassins from the Green Gang only target civil officials, as they are easier to kill.

To kill a hundred cavalrymen, and even the commander-in-chief did not escape, what kind of bravery is that?

Don't underestimate the small number of cavalrymen; their fighting strength is truly formidable.

Xiao Yue had only five hundred cavalrymen in total, which was the entire cavalry force of a major military town in Hanzhong Commandery.

This was certainly because Hanzhong Commandery was primarily defensive and did not make high use of cavalry, so it did not develop much, but it also illustrates the value of cavalry to some extent.

The three thousand cavalrymen led by the High Priest Grey Wolf were the most elite troops in the entire Qin Province. With those three thousand cavalrymen, conquering cities and seizing territories would be a piece of cake.

If they could engage Xiao Yue in a skirmish, three thousand against thirty thousand, they could utterly humiliate those thirty thousand.

Such a formidable force was killed by just two people, which naturally shocked the surrounding area.

Song Yun was shocked, but also happy, and worried.

These two brave men are too ostentatious; they may invite a heavy blow from the imperial court.

At that time, I don't know if he will be able to help out.

If he were to help, he would definitely have to release his own spiritual essence, but if he were to actually take action, he feared for his life.

When he first devised the method of sealing meridians, he had this arrangement in mind, so that those with ambition would cooperate with each other: the assassin would seal their own Dao aura, while the one who was there to receive him would not.

If things go wrong, someone with special abilities can easily lead their people to safety.

Ordinary people can defeat cultivators, but they cannot outrun them.

But after doing this several times, he discovered that while the people who successfully assassinated the victims did not die, those responsible for providing backup always met with misfortune.

One time is an accident, but many times it becomes inevitable.

However, Song Yun couldn't figure out the reason, so he could only temporarily abandon this model.

From then on, the Green and Red Gang only fought alone and did not help each other.

Even if they were to assist each other, they would inevitably be acting together with their spiritual essence sealed.

Song Yun has been studying this diligently for years, but the concepts of reincarnation and karmic retribution are still very mysterious.

It does have rules, but those aren't all of its rules.

Mortals can never fully comprehend the ways of Heaven or discover its definite rules.

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.

If Song Yun were to be unsealed now, he would naturally be prepared to die for his cause, so as to protect the brave warriors.

However, this willingness to die for one's country is not something that can be easily acquired.

It's only natural to hesitate and feel fear.

As he was pondering the best course of action, there was a sudden knock on the study door.

"Mr. Songyun, Miss Hua requests an audience."

Song Yun frowned slightly, but still replied, "Please."

The page outside then led the person in, bowed, and withdrew, closing the door tightly behind him.

The woman who entered Songyun Pavilion was a sickly beauty. She looked so delicate and frail that she evoked a deep sense of pity in people.

Her walk is as graceful as a willow branch, and her frown is as beautiful as Xi Shi's. Men who see her cannot help but feel the urge to protect her and have a proper romance with her.

But she happens to have a pair of foxy eyes. If you saw her biting her lip and begging for mercy, it would probably make you so fierce that you'd want to stuff your... well, you know.

This is Hua Nianrou, a talented woman who has recently gained fame in Chang'an.

Why are you here?

Song Yun looked at Hua Nianrou with a very unpleasant expression.

Hua Nianrou coughed twice, then said, "The time has come, and I have come to bid farewell to my master."

"you……"

Song Yun's hand, resting on the table, trembled uncontrollably.

The people in Chang'an City were unaware of their master-disciple relationship and all thought that Hua Nianrou was just a talented and lucky woman who was valued by Mr. Songyun.

In fact, Hua Nianrou's rise to fame in Chang'an was all planned by the two of them.

What they were after was naturally Tuoba Yu.

Tuoba Yu's reputation for womanizing was well-known. The best way to kill him was through a honey trap.

But so many years have passed, how could anyone who wanted to kill Tuoba Yu not think of using a honey trap?

Despite his lustful nature, Tuoba Yu also cherished his own life.

He could think of any assassination method that others could think of.

In this regard, he was even more cautious; trying to assassinate him with a honey trap wouldn't be so easy.

Hua Nianrou's idea was brilliant.

She poisoned herself; the poison would take effect as long as Tuoba Yu performed unspeakable acts on her.

This poison is no ordinary poison; it is a deadly poison.

She learned that Tuoba Yu was both lustful and cautious when it came to women. He would verify their identities and conduct thorough checks inside and out, not only examining their weapons but also their health and whether they had any diseases.

To ensure the poison remained undetected, Hua Nianrou took it daily, allowing the toxicity to remain deep within her body. She also allowed the Yin energy to corrode her meridians daily, making her appear delicate and vulnerable, thus making her even more endearing. Those who examined her pulse could not detect the Yin poison within her body.

Having used so many methods, she certainly didn't just want Tuoba Yu to die; she wanted him to live a life of suffering.

Once this poison enters the body, it's like a maggot clinging to the bone—difficult to remove, yet not fatal.

When it flares up, it feels like a thousand needles piercing the body, like falling into an ice cave, cold and painful, making one wish they were dead.