Can't a girl be a traitor like Cao Cao?

This significantly enhanced the prestige of the Demonic Sect's "List of a Hundred Ghosts".

With the support of the imperial court, Tong Yan's position as the leader of the martial arts world gained more credibility.

Those martial arts practitioners who originally had no deep grudges against the Demonic Sect and were prepared to remain neutral were now mobilized.

This gave Tong Yan a lot more capable people under her command.

It's even possible that this hefty bounty will further exacerbate the already fierce infighting among the three demonic sects. Who knows, in a few days, members of other demonic sects might come claiming the reward with the heads of the demons on the list.

It must be said that Yuan Zhaoji's strategy was brilliant; this plan truly killed three birds with one stone and achieved multiple benefits in one fell swoop.

As for Tong Yan, under Chi Junlin's series of arrangements, he now truly appears to have some real power in his hands.

Not only did the martial arts community unite as one, but Chi Junlin also arranged for a large number of scouts to be under her command and to protect her.

Chi Junlin's previous "management" training of Tong Yan should have been effective, or perhaps she was just naturally talented. In any case, Tong Yan is now able to barely control this rabble of people who are fighting against the Demon Sect.

After departing from Nandu, a large number of martial arts practitioners headed towards Hunan to gather information from various places.

Tong Yan's current location has become the "command center" for the demon-slaying operation, directing the entire operation at all times.

However, Chi Junlin was not with Tong Yan at this time.

The two sides split up, with Chi Jun heading north towards the Dongting Lake area, and Tong Yan heading south towards southern Hunan.

This arrangement was made because Chi Junlin deeply understood the art of leading troops. Whether commanding elite soldiers or a rabble like this, the orders must come from one person.

If Chi Junlin is by her side, it sometimes affects Tong Yan's judgment, causing her and her scouts to subconsciously seek her opinion.

However, if there are too many commanders, they will become a hindrance.

So Chi Junlin simply took the others out and made time to visit Hui Zhilan's hometown so that Yinuo could let her meet her family.

As for those who came with Chi Junlin, Wei Ziqing was naturally among them, since he often received internal energy treatment from Chi Junlin.

The two sisters, Wenren Tianxia and Wenren Xuan—to be honest, Chi Junlin was still a little worried about Wenren Xuan, who came from the Demonic Sect, so he kept her by his side and had Wenren Tianxia keep an eye on her at all times.

Feng Lingqiu was assigned to Tong Yan's side, with the responsibility of protecting Tong Yan.

The remaining four children, Liuli, Beidou, Yan Sijun, and Di Shanshan, were obviously unwilling to be confined at home, so they had no choice but to follow Chi Junlin and go to Dongting with her.

As for Yuan Zhaoji, Consort Lou temporarily borrowed her.

These two individuals are not of ordinary status and cannot easily leave Nandu. After all, with Consort Lou Xiang in Nandu, logistics are not a concern, which can put the Chi Jun at ease.

Otherwise, even if Chi Junlin were to entrust all the work to Tong Yan, he would still feel uneasy, even if she dared to agree.

Let's go back to Hui Zhilan.

Before marrying into the Hidden Sword Manor in Dupangling, she was originally from Dongting Lake, a young lady from a wealthy family in Xiangshui County.

This area is still within the Xiang region, but it is not far from the Xiang region. It is only separated from western Hunan by the Bashan Mountains.

However, this place was, after all, remote and far from the capital. Although it was fertile and a land of plenty, it was still regarded by the people of the capital as a barren land for confiscation of property and exile.

Hui Zhilan came from the Hui family of Xiangshui, which was considered a prominent family in the area.

Having been away for many years, Hui Zhilan no longer knows whether her family is still alive.

What has become of my hometown?

Chapter 236 Bandits Block the Road

As the convoy drew closer to Xiangshui County, Hui Zhilan on the carriage gradually became more and more nervous.

Even though Di Shanshan was with her all the time, she didn't dare to look outside too much.

She wasn't just worried that the scenery outside wouldn't match her memories, making her feel unfamiliar. She was also worried that seeing familiar people would bring her bad news.

Perhaps this is what they mean by feeling apprehensive about returning home.

However, Hui Zhilan dared not look at the scenery outside, while the other women in the car were quite curious about the view.

Because of the numerous waterways near Xiangshui County, the waterways in this area are quite developed.

As you travel along the river road toward the prefectural capital, you can see fishermen casting nets to catch fish in Dongting Lake.

The Dongting Lake system is already incredibly wide, and the Yangtze River, flowing from the Jingchu region, converges here, making it a rich source of goods and fisheries.

Xiangshui County connects the three rivers and is the largest ferry crossing south of Dongting Lake.

It is said that many years ago, this place was just a small fishing village. However, since the Lou family opened up trade routes in various parts of the south, a large amount of goods have been transported downstream, either south to the Xiang River, east to the southern capital, or north to the imperial city, all by sea.

The importance of Xiangshui County increased day by day.

From here, one can see in the distance that Linjiang, the seat of Xiangshui County, has been gradually expanded into a wide and sturdy city. It is comparable to some prefectures and city-states.

However, there is still only one road into the city, so even from several miles away from Xiangshui County, you can see carriages and horses lined up, ready to enter the city.

These vehicles belong to freight caravans that need to travel by waterway in the Dongting area, or to escort agencies that transport goods, so they cannot change their routes.

Chi Junlin didn't want to act in a high-profile manner and expose his identity, so he obediently followed behind the other caravans, preparing to pay the fee to enter the city.

The carriages and horses stopped, and Chi Junlin felt bored.

She then sat in the front of the car and chatted with Wenren Tianxia, ​​who was driving alongside her.

"famous person."

"what happened?"

"How is your younger sister, Wenren Xuan, doing now?"

Upon hearing this, Wenren Tianxia instinctively glanced towards the carriage.

At this moment, Wenren Xuan and several other girls, including Liuli, were sitting in the carriage, laughing and chatting as they ate snacks and played cards. They seemed to be having a great time.

Then Wenren Tianxia said, "She seems to be fine and gets along well with others. She doesn't have the evil look that the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect had before."

Chi Junlin smiled and said, "She's quite quick to change herself."

Wenren Tianxia frowned and said, "Although I now treat her as a younger sister... I still feel that something is strange."

"where?"

"I can't really explain it. It's just..."

Wenren Tianxia sighed and said, "I always feel like she's a completely different person... but one side of her is always fake, right? So..."

Chi Junlin nodded and continued, "So, is Ye Qiancao's side an act, or is Wenren Xuan's side an act...?"

Or perhaps, both appearances are just an act...

Wenren Tianxia shook his head and said, "In short, I will keep a close eye on her during this period. Lin Jun, don't worry, I won't give her any chance to cause trouble..."

Upon hearing this, Chi Junlin laughed and said, "There's no need for that. What if she really is your sister? If we target her too much, wouldn't that discourage her sincere heart?"

Wenren Tianxia frowned.

Chi Junlin then added, "We should treat her a little better and not be too formal. In any case, if she is not Ye Qiancao, then the real Ye Qiancao will appear sooner or later."

With such a large-scale operation by the martial arts world of the South to suppress the Demonic Sect, I don't believe Ye Qiancao would be completely unaware of it.

Given her personality, it's impossible that she wouldn't help us with the loops.

So we'll have to see whether she's targeting us or my master.

Wenren Tianxia nodded, indicating that he understood.

As they were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion coming from ahead.

They could see that there were still several miles to go before the city gate, but the carriages and horses seemed to be blocked by something.

The two looked up and saw that the road had been blocked by two dead trees by someone.

Not only carriages and horses, but also other fishermen and peddlers entering and leaving the city were stopped here.

A group of burly men wielding sticks watched each traveler on the road. Before they would let anyone pass, they would have to pay a toll.

Chi Junlin frowned as he looked at him.

Wenren Tianxia couldn't help but ask, "Why are they collecting customs duties before we've even entered the city? And these people aren't dressed as government soldiers, so what kind of money are they collecting?"

At this moment, there was also a group of fishermen queuing next to the procession. Upon hearing this, an old man with white hair kindly reminded Wenren Tianxia, ​​"Young lady, is this your first time in Xiangshui County? Please keep your voices down and be careful."

This group of people aren't collecting customs duties; they're members of the Dongting River Gang, the local tyrants.

What they're charging you is toll money.

When it's your turn, you just need to pay the fee for the case. That way, they won't hit or scold you, and you can cross the road into the city in peace.

Otherwise, if you anger them, some thugs might follow you into the city and ambush you. That would be a huge loss.”

Upon hearing the old man's words, Wenren Tianxia immediately frowned.

Having traveled the world for many years, she knew from the fishermen's mention of the so-called "water gangs" that they were essentially waterborne thieves who made their living off the water. They specialized in robbing and extorting fishermen along the way, so calling them a waterborne criminal gang wouldn't be an exaggeration.

He immediately said, "Xiangshui County isn't exactly a border region, and there are sailors at the ferry crossings. How can we just sit idly by and watch this gang of boatmen grow so powerful that they're even charging tolls on the official roads? Doesn't the local prefect care about this?"

Upon hearing this, the old man waved his hands repeatedly and said, "I'm just trying to warn you. Listen if you want, but if you don't, there's nothing I can do. In short, paying money will avert disaster. I don't know anything else. I don't know anything."

He lowered his head as he spoke and walked forward with the other fishmongers.

Then they saw a group of fishermen approach the strong men of the fishing gang. They paid money to each person, then intercepted a portion of their catch before letting the fishmongers head towards the county town.

Wenren Tianxia frowned as he looked at the group of bandits blocking his way, his killing intent seemingly already present.

Chi Junlin raised his hand to reassure them, "Don't be impulsive. We have many women in our carriage, so they should be given priority when entering the city. We can deal with other matters after we've settled in."

After a moment's thought, Wenren Tianxia felt that Chi Junlin's words made sense, so he held back for the time being.

The carriage then approached the roadblock, and the burly man at the head glanced at their carriage and horses, clearly indicating that they were either rich or noble.

He then said, "One tael of silver per cart."

Chi Junlin was too lazy to say anything more and casually tossed over two taels of silver.

The burly man weighed it in his hand, a satisfied expression appearing on his face, and then instructed the men behind him to pull aside the tree stump to let them pass.

Just then, a woman's figure was seen staggering towards them from the roadside.

Chapter 237 You dare to know who I am?

Chi Junlin, sitting in front of the carriage, noticed the woman the moment she appeared.

However, seeing that the woman was poorly dressed, her clothes were somewhat tattered, her hair was very messy, and she looked a bit crazy, I didn't pay her too much attention.

But to everyone's surprise, the woman looked around and walked towards the carriage that Chi Junlin and the others were riding in.

After the burly men of the Water Gang finished collecting the toll, they were having the tree stumps moved when the woman leaned against the carriage and peered through the window.

Liuli was leaning against the window looking out when she suddenly saw a crazy woman peeking out. She was immediately startled and shrank back.

The curtains on the car windows immediately fell down.

However, the madwoman remained oblivious, peering into the carriage while muttering, "My little girl, my little girl, where are you... Mother is here... Come quickly..."

The women in the car were quite frightened by this woman.

Upon seeing this, Chi Junlin immediately frowned.

However, the woman was standing right next to the wheel, and her expression was quite erratic, so she couldn't forcibly drive her away, otherwise she might hurt her.

Upon seeing this, the burly man from the water gang immediately frowned and said, "Where did this crazy woman come from? Get out of the way! Don't block the way!"

He was about to step forward and drive them away.

However, the madwoman was still preoccupied with the "Anan" she was talking about and didn't care about the burly bandit at all.

A villager nearby spoke up, "This is Widow Li from Shuikou Village. Last year, her husband fell into the water while fishing, and his body was never found. A few days ago, her daughter was also kidnapped by human traffickers, and she went insane."

She's been wandering along the official road these past few days, searching for her daughter.

After hearing what the villagers said, everyone around them showed expressions of sympathy.

However, the bandits blocking the road wouldn't have that much sympathy.

Seeing that the madwoman was not listening to human speech, he ordered two of his men to carry her away.

After being supported by two burly men, the woman immediately began to struggle, rambling incoherently, "I want to find my daughter, I want to find my daughter..."

One of the ugly men looked at the woman, whose face was ashen but who was still fairly decent-looking, and said with a wicked smile, "I'm doing my work and a woman is coming to my door. Give her to me, I'm going to have some fun first."

"You're not doing your job properly, you're thinking about women! Go and come back right now! Stop dawdling!"

"Okay, big brother!"

As the ugly man spoke, he dragged the woman by her hair and walked towards the woods by the roadside. The sounds of her struggling immediately attracted the attention of passersby.