The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun.

The scholar asserted, "As long as Hero Jiang is here, what are these mere demonic cultists? They will surely be annihilated by Hero Jiang's unparalleled martial arts!"

"But when will Master Jiang arrive?"

One of the common people couldn't help but say.

He had barely finished speaking when he noticed that the usually quiet streets outside were becoming noisy.

When the group went outside, they saw a crowd of people gathering towards the city gate. They didn't know what was going on, but they soon learned from the people that the righteous heroes had arrived. The group became excited, especially when they heard that Jiang, the great hero of the Huashan Sect, was also there. They couldn't wait to follow him and wanted to meet the legendary figure.

The scholar smiled slightly upon seeing this, turned and left, disappearing into a small alley.

The scholar arrived at a house, knocked on the door, and the door was opened from the inside, revealing several men dressed in ordinary clothes.

"Your Excellency, I have fulfilled my mission. The people of the city now hold Jiang in high esteem."

Chapter 689: We seem to have met somewhere before.

"Ah."

The man sitting in the main seat nodded.

“Well done. Now that Mr. Yue and Hero Jiang of the Huashan Sect have entered Luzhou Prefecture, there’s no need to continue building momentum. You can go into hiding.”

The scholar smiled slightly.

"Yes."

The man in the main seat glanced at the scholar and asked, "What's your name again? Ji... Ji..."

"No plan can be devised."

The man looked him up and down and said with a smile, "I heard you used to be an itinerant doctor?"

"Yes."

Ji Wushi bowed and said.

The man said with a half-smile, "But you don't look like a weak and frail doctor to me."

"When a petty person travels around, he will inevitably encounter some hooligans and thugs, so he naturally knows some martial arts skills to protect himself."

Ji Wushi smiled slightly.

"Makes sense."

The man nodded, but then changed his tone.

"However... there seems to have been a master named Ji Wushi who once worked under the Demonic Cult's witch."

When his identity was exposed, Ji Wushi knew that he had been found out, but his expression did not change.

“I did work under Ren Yingying, but I have long since left the Demonic Sect, reformed myself, and started anew, my lord…”

Before Ji Wushi could finish speaking, the man raised his hand to indicate that it was time to stop.

"Since you were introduced to the Embroidered Uniform Guard by Lord Li, you are naturally trustworthy. I have no other intentions; I was just mentioning it casually."

"Thank you, sir."

Ji Wushi respectfully said.

He knew the other party wasn't just making a casual remark, but was actually giving him a warning, but he didn't care because he had no connection with the Demonic Sect anymore.

At this moment, the man asked, "Since you once worked under the demonic witch, you must know many people. Do you have a way to contact them privately and persuade them to abandon their evil ways and come to the light?"

Ji Wushi smiled bitterly and said, "To be honest, sir, I was not valued when I was under Ren Yingying's command, and many people were hostile to me when I escaped. There was really no way to get them to abandon their evil ways and come to the light."

The man felt a little regretful upon hearing this.

Since the imperial court issued that decree to encourage the Demonic Sect, some people have indeed defected, but the effect has been minimal. Those people are either poor in martial arts or have low status.

I originally thought that Ji Wushi was a first-rate expert and should have some connections in the Demonic Sect, but who would have thought it would turn out like this.

"grown ups."

Ji Wushi knew what he was thinking and said, "Please forgive my bluntness, but although the imperial edict was intended to make those cultists repent, those who hold high positions within the cult will not betray Ren Woxing."

The man frowned and asked, "Why?"

"My lord, you may not know this, but there is a poison within the Demonic Sect called the Three Corpse Brain God Pill. It is a drug that Ren Yingying and her father, Ren Woxing, control over their subordinates. All the high-ranking members of the Demonic Sect have taken this drug, and their lives are now in the hands of Ren Woxing and his daughter. Therefore, they will not rebel, nor can they rebel."

Ji Wushi explained.

"I see."

The man suddenly realized, but then frowned and said, "So, they're a united front."

"Not necessarily."

Ji Wushi smiled slightly and said, "Although the higher-ups of the Demonic Sect are controlled by Ren Woxing and his daughter, the lower-level followers and the gang members under Ren Yingying have no opportunity to take this poison."

"My lord, these people followed Ren Woxing and cheered him on before the imperial court issued its decree. But after the imperial court has issued its decree, those high-ranking members of the Demonic Sect may not be able to rebel, but these people may not necessarily follow Ren Woxing to the bitter end."

Although most martial arts practitioners despise the imperial court, it doesn't mean they really want to rebel. The court has now labeled Ren Woxing a traitor, and continuing to follow him would be considered treason. Presumably, there is already a lot of panic within Ren Woxing's ranks.

"The imperial court has already issued an edict that as long as they repent, they will be forgiven for their past mistakes. Next, we only need to incite them from within, create panic among them, and amplify their contradictions. The demonic sect will collapse on its own without any internal attack."

Upon hearing this, the man laughed and said, "Not bad, not bad, your plan is excellent."

In fact, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already planned to do so, but they did not expect that Ji Wushi, a mere江湖人 (jianghu person) (a person from the martial arts world), could possess such wisdom. It would be a waste of his talent to make him a covert agent.

Thinking of this, the man said, "I think highly of your talent, so I will entrust this matter to you. I will recommend you for credit after you have accomplished it."

Ji Wushi did not refuse, and cupped his hands, saying, "Yes, I will certainly not fail your orders."

The man waved his hand: "Now that we've joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard, we're colleagues. There's no need to act like a petty person."

Ji Wushi bowed. "Yes, Your subordinate understands."

The man stood up.

"Commander Luo will arrive in Luzhou Prefecture soon. I need to go there to report on matters. The case files and intelligence of the local Demon Extermination Division still need to be handed over to Mr. Yue of the Huashan Sect. I will entrust this matter to you."

The commander Luo he mentioned was recently promoted and was said to be highly trusted by the emperor, making him a favorite. Now that he heard Luo was coming to Luzhou Prefecture, he was already thinking of ways to curry favor with him.

what?

Ji Wushi was taken aback.

Seeing him in a daze, the man frowned and asked, "What? Is there a problem?"

Ji Wushi quickly shook his head: "No."

The man nodded, said nothing more, turned and left. The other Imperial Guards also left the house, leaving Ji Wushi alone.

At this moment, Ji Wushi's expression became somewhat solemn.

If we let him hand over the information to Yue Buqun, wouldn't that mean he gets to meet someone?

……

A large number of people had already gathered at the gate of Luzhou City. They were all looking towards the city gate with eager anticipation. When they saw movement in the distance, Yue Buqun rode ahead on horseback, followed by a large group of disciples from Huashan, Emei, and other sects, who were holding up the banner of the Weiyi Alliance. The crowd immediately became excited. They were especially startled when they saw a giant tortoise carrying a giant python. However, after recalling the rumors they had heard and seeing the person on the tortoise's back, they immediately understood who it was. Their emotions were instantly ignited, and they shouted loudly.

"Hero Jiang! Hero Jiang!"

"It's Master Jiang!"

The crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

Seeing the unexpected enthusiasm of the people of Luzhou Prefecture, Yue Buqun, Master Mo, and others couldn't help but look at Jiang Ning on the giant tortoise's back, their faces showing deep thought.

Was my publicity campaign really that effective?

Yue Buqun pondered.

He had indeed been secretly building up momentum for Jiangning during this period, and the effect was indeed significant, but none of it was as exaggerated as that of the people of Luzhou Prefecture.

Jiang Ning was also surprised, but he didn't have time to think too much at the moment, because the people had already surged forward.

Some people gathered not far from Jiangning, wanting to go forward, but they couldn't help but feel afraid when they saw the huge tortoise and python.

The two strange beasts had seen many people along the way and had never shown any signs of harming anyone. However, Jiang Ning was still worried that they might have a stress reaction, so he calmed them down before looking at the people.

Are you Jiang the Hero?

"Are you here to deal with the Demonic Cult?"

The people dared not step forward, but they still mustered their courage and asked.

Jiang Ning nodded.

The people became even more excited, each chiming in with their own opinions.

"Master Jiang, can you destroy the Demonic Sect?"

"Hero Jiang, those demons from the evil cult have harmed many of our people. You must eliminate them!"

The crowd was noisy, but Jiang Ning understood what they meant and immediately agreed, "Rest assured, everyone, we righteous people will do our best to wipe out the demonic sect."

At this moment, a middle-aged man in an official robe led his officers forward and said to Yue Buqun, "Alliance Leader Yue, I am the Prefect of Luzhou, and I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun dismounted and returned the greeting.

"I am deeply grateful to the Prefect for waiting here. I am unworthy of such kindness."

The prefect of Luzhou smiled and said, "Alliance Leader Yue has great ambitions to eliminate the evil cult for the people. I admire him greatly."

As he spoke, the prefect of Luzhou looked at the people and said, "The demonic cult has been rampaging through Luzhou Prefecture, and the people of Luzhou Prefecture have long suffered unspeakably. Now that we have heard that Alliance Leader Yue has arrived with righteous heroes, we are excited. Alliance Leader Yue, please do not take offense."

Yue Buqun solemnly said, "It is I who am late."

"Alliance Leader Yue, please enter the city."

"please."

After a period of commotion, Yue Buqun led the Weiyi Alliance into the city. The two strange beasts, a tortoise and a snake, were too large to frighten the people, so they were placed in accommodations outside the city and looked after by Huashan disciples.

"May I ask the Prefect, where are the files of the Demon Extermination Division?"

Yue Buqun asked.

Upon hearing this, the Prefect of Luzhou said, "Alliance Leader Yue, rest assured, everything is already prepared. Alliance Leader Yue and the other sect leaders have come from afar and must be tired from their journey. I hope you will allow me to do my part as a host and entertain you. I will also take this opportunity to tell you about the recent activities of the Demonic Sect. The Demon Extermination Division will send over the case files shortly."

Although local governments have established Demon Extermination Divisions, these divisions are not subordinate to the government but are managed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The Embroidered Uniform Guard had already informed him, which is why the prefect made this statement.