Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Trouble
Dong Wanjun, my ass!
Lu Yu rolled his eyes as he listened to Jiang Yan’s speculation.
He had been at the scene, so of course he knew the killer was none other than Dong Wanjun’s disciple, Bai Yuan.
After all, Dong Wanjun ranked higher on the Heaven List than the Longevity Palace Master and the Prefect, and Bai Yuan was stronger than the Kaiyang Taoist and Yan Mo.
Longevity Palace and the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office were thoroughly suppressed by this master-disciple duo.
Lu Shanshan suddenly spoke up. "Could it be Bai Yuan?"
As she spoke, she turned her head toward Lu Yu.
Lu Yu shrugged. "How would I know?"
Jiang Yan shook her head. "Bai Yuan might be able to defeat the Kaiyang Taoist, but I doubt he could kill him. I think it’s more likely the Seven Star Sect Master or Dong Wanjun. Or perhaps an expert from the Outer States or the Demon Sect."
In her eyes, Bai Yuan was only twenty-five. It was impossible for him to have accomplished such a feat.
Lu Shanshan nodded. ’Even if Bai Yuan were a monstrous talent, pulling off something so heaven-defying would be difficult. I must have been overthinking it.’
Lu Yu slowly rose to his feet.
He still had many things to do, such as completely severing his ties with the Divine Mansion Sect.
...
Longevity Palace.
"Senior Brother Kaiyang is dead!"
"How is that possible?!"
"This can’t be real."
...
A group of young Daoists had gathered in front of a pond, whispering amongst themselves.
Just then, a young Daoist walked over.
"Senior Brother Yan."
Seeing the young Daoist, they all bowed their heads and greeted him respectfully.
This was Yan Dong, the very person who had gone with Fa Zhen and Pingyang to challenge the Divine Mansion Sect.
Yan Dong snorted coldly. "Don’t spread baseless gossip."
His mood, however, was far better than he let on. ’With the Kaiyang Taoist dead, the position of Longevity Palace Master will very likely fall to me.’
Just then, a clear voice rang out. "Senior Brother Yan, you seem quite happy."
A young Daoist was hanging upside down from a tree branch by the pond, having appeared there at some unknown time.
Yan Dong snorted coldly. "Junior Brother Yin, don’t spout nonsense."
’This young Daoist before me was the closest to the Kaiyang Taoist. He’s also highly talented—my greatest rival on the path to becoming Palace Master.’
A mocking expression appeared on the face of the young Daoist, whose name was Yin Xi.
’Tomorrow, I will follow my master to Huanglong Prefecture to investigate the murders of the Kaiyang Taoist and Yan Mo.’
’Besides us, I heard the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office has also dispatched Lord Governor’s most trusted staff officer.’
’That old staff officer is the eighth-ranked expert on the Heaven List.’
’Of course, my master is no weakling either—he’s ranked sixth on the Heaven List.’
’Two top-ten experts from the Heaven List going to Huanglong Prefecture to hunt down the true culprit... this level of response is truly top-tier.’
...
Huanglong Prefecture, never a peaceful place to begin with, was now being battered by monstrous waves.
Chunyuan Zhenren of Longevity Palace and Liu Kanshan, the number one staff officer of the Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, arrived one after another in Huanglong Prefecture.
Not only that, but General Lu Xiao of the distant Northern Garrison Army also ordered the Lingzhou Army to cooperate with the search.
Ji Chang was like a cat that had caught the scent of fish.
He had been stuck on Shenfu Mountain for far too long and had long since had the urge to descend and kill someone. Now, the opportunity had finally arrived.
Huanglong Prefecture once again felt the terror of the Lingzhou Army. Though their numbers were not what they used to be, the Lingzhou Army remained a dominant force.
Ji Chang even led his troops to "question" the Seven Star Sect’s garrison several times.
When the Lingzhou Army conducted an interrogation, it was perfectly normal for a few people to end up dead.
In response, the Seven Star Sect could only grit their teeth and swallow their anger. If they dared to offend the Lingzhou Army now, the blame for the murders of the Kaiyang Taoist and Yan Mo might just be pinned on them.
To say nothing of the experts from Longevity Palace and the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office overseeing matters, which further suppressed them from having any other ideas.
Even Lu Yu, the General’s illegitimate son, had become much more subdued.
...
"The bodies of the Kaiyang Taoist and Yan Mo have been burned to ash. For now, we can’t determine who destroyed the corpses to eliminate the evidence."
"However, we have determined that Yan Mo and the other victim were last seen in a tavern belonging to the Changhe Gang."
A Lingzhou Army soldier reported respectfully.
The methods of the Xuan Yang Coroner were nothing short of miraculous. They could analyze a great deal even from ashes. Despite lacking the precise instruments from Bai Yuan’s previous life, their accuracy was terrifying.
Ji Chang said, "Keep investigating."
Then he turned to look at the old Daoist and the old scholar beside him.
These two were Chunyuan Zhenren of Longevity Palace and Liu Kanshan, the number one staff officer of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.
’Even I would feel some pressure facing these two.’
’Of course, as a General of the Lingzhou Army, I’m certainly not afraid of them.’
’Though both of them are in the Awareness Realm, my path is that of military slaughter. If we really fought, I wouldn’t necessarily lose.’
’Besides, there are still several hundred Lingzhou Army soldiers in Huanglong Prefecture.’
’With a charge from the Demon Horse Cavalry, I might even be able to kill the two of them.’
Ji Chang spoke calmly, "What are your thoughts?"
The dark, thin Elder Chunyuan stroked his beard. "This matter may be related to the Changhe Gang. Perhaps they know something."
Ji Chang replied, "I’ve already been there. Everyone in the Changhe Gang vanished overnight, including the Vice Sect Leader stationed here, Nie Dao."
Elder Chunyuan’s brow twitched.
"Fleeing to escape punishment, or silenced?"
Ji Chang shook his head. "I don’t know. We’re still investigating."
Liu Kanshan, who had been silent the whole time, spoke slowly. "Then let’s go to the Changhe Gang and question Qiu Nan to get to the bottom of this."
Hearing Liu Kanshan’s words, both Ji Chang and Chunyuan Zhenren paused.
’Anyone questioned by this old man tends to meet a bad end. Otherwise, this old staff officer wouldn’t have earned the illustrious title of ’Poisonous Scholar’.’
"Then let’s go have a look."
Elder Chunyuan chuckled.
A chill ran down Ji Chang’s spine as he looked at the two old men before him, whose combined age was probably close to two hundred.
’It doesn’t matter whether the Changhe Gang was involved or not.’
’These two old men clearly want to use this incident to make a move against the Lingzhou Jianghu.’
’What a truly malicious scheme.’
Ji Chang couldn’t help but shudder.
’I may be brutal, but my viciousness has always been out in the open. Not like these two old men. Their very bones exude a sinister cold that’s truly terrifying.’
’The Changhe Gang is in grave danger.’
The two old men returned to Ling Province, but the people they brought with them remained in Huanglong Prefecture.
Ji Chang glanced at the cheeky, lively young Daoist and the stern-faced young scholar.
’These two are basically the budget version of the Kaiyang Taoist and Yan Mo.’
’As for whether they truly intend to avenge their senior brothers... only the ghosts know.’
Ji Chang couldn’t be bothered to wrack his brain over such convoluted matters.
’Scholars and stinking Daoists are really all cut from the same cloth... and the bald donkeys are no different.’
...
"Chunyuan Taoist and Liu Kanshan have already left Huanglong Prefecture. It seems they’ve returned to Lingzhou City."
Lu Shanshan frowned as she looked at the report.
As sharp as she was, even she couldn’t figure out what those two old monsters were up to.
For once, Lu Yu wore a serious expression.
’I have a feeling those two old monsters’ visit to Huanglong Prefecture this time was anything but simple.’
’Even I felt immense pressure facing them.’
’For now, I’ve completely cut ties with the Divine Mansion Sect. Everything else can be discussed after this storm blows over.’
Lu Shanshan asked abruptly, "You weren’t involved in that incident, were you?"
Lu Yu’s heart skipped a beat.
But his expression didn’t change. He rolled his eyes. "I wish I had that kind of strength."
Lu Shanshan nodded.
Crude, but true.
Although Lu Yu was also in the Entering the Realm, two of him couldn’t beat one Kaiyang Taoist, let alone with the Academy Disciple, Yan Mo, also present.
’If I remember correctly, Lu Yu doesn’t even rank in the top five on the Earth List.’
Little did she know, if that list were ranked by survival skills, Lu Yu would be a shoo-in for the Heaven List, a cut above even Bai Yuan.
Seeing Lu Shanshan’s suspicions dispelled, Lu Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief internally.
He had to admit, this sister of his was truly capable.
’Especially that almost freakish intuition of hers. It’s completely illogical, yet it’s always uncannily accurate.’
’If she weren’t a woman, the position of Lu Family Patriarch might have been hers.’
Lu Yu sighed dramatically.
"The winds of a gathering storm fill the air."
Lu Shanshan shot Lu Yu a sideways glance. "Since when do you know poetry?"
Lu Yu wanted to say that the line was from his Brother Bai, but the moment he remembered that Bai Yuan was currently a suspect, he decided it was best to keep his mouth shut.
Right now, panic and unease filled all of Huanglong Prefecture.
If there was one person who wasn’t panicking, it was probably Jiang Yan, whose background was solid enough to protect her.
...
「Three days later.」
News from Ling Province reached Huanglong Prefecture.
Chunyuan Taoist and Liu Kanshan had paid a joint visit to the Changhe Gang. No one knew the details, but the result was that the Changhe Gang Leader, Qiu Nan, was dead, and the gang had a new leader.
The Changhe Gang was now just like the Divine Mansion Sect had once been.
They no longer resembled the number one underworld gang in Ling Province; they had been completely reduced to lapdogs for the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.
Seeing the Changhe Gang’s current plight, the various powers of the Lingzhou Jianghu felt a chill run through their bodies.
The Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office had no intention of letting the sects survive!
Ji Chang, far away on Shenfu Mountain, also received the news.
Somehow, those two old monsters had obtained a piece of information: for the past several months, the Changhe Gang had been secretly trading with a mysterious Alchemy Master.
Ji Chang’s eyes narrowed slightly when he saw the words "Alchemy Master."
Behind almost every Alchemy Master stood a powerful faction.
This Alchemy Master who had suddenly appeared to do business with the Changhe Gang was highly suspicious!
Perhaps by following this vine, he could uncover some unexpected melons.
In Ling Province, there was no one that even the Lingzhou Army couldn’t afford to offend.
Ji Chang grinned.
He could almost see heaps of military merit waving at him.
...
In an inn in Huanglong Prefecture.
Bai Yuan stared at the note in his hand.
It was intel from Lu Yu. They were in the same boat now, so to speak.
His eyes narrowed.
’Longevity Palace and the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office are truly ruthless. I’d already had Nie Shan take all the Changhe Gang members in Huanglong Prefecture to hide in the mountains, but I never expected they would strike directly at the gang’s headquarters.’
’The Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office is clearly trying to have a complete falling out with all the sects in Lingzhou.’
’Aren’t they afraid that such domineering methods will provoke the united resistance of the Lingzhou Jianghu?’
’Or perhaps... they were planning to make a move against the entire Jianghu from the start...’
Bai Yuan was lost in thought.
’Qiu Nan knew about my dealings with the Changhe Gang. I just don’t know if the powers in Ling Province will find out about it.’
’If the Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office learns of it, they will definitely investigate.’
’The Divine Mansion Sect might even be implicated.’
A wise man from Bai Yuan’s previous life once said that the best way to solve a problem is to create a bigger one.
He felt that wise man had a very good point.
