Chapter 249 You are Lü Jiunan? (Seeking monthly votes)

Chen Yi could roughly guess how Liu Hong would react.

If it were him, upon learning that Asutai had disappeared, he would also try to find him.

It might even turn the entire Shuzhou prefecture upside down.

But this is exactly what Chen Yi wanted to see.

The more chaotic the situation, the clearer he could see things, and thus he could extract benefits for the Xiao family.

As for Liu Hong's fifth-rank subordinate, he didn't think much of it, and was too lazy to create a false impression to make Liu Hong suspect that his subordinate had betrayed him.

"To strike the mountain to scare the tiger, in order to test the strength of the enemy."

"Only in this way, hiding in the shadows, can I find evidence of Liu Hong's rebellion and treason."

As Chen Yi pondered these thoughts, he arrived at the West Market.

To avoid attracting attention, he did not show up at Baicaotang.

They simply changed Zhang Dabao to a more ordinary carriage, which took him through the West Market and straight to the depths of Black Fish Lane.

At this time, the sky darkened and the rain intensified.

As the rain drifted by, it pattered against the roof tiles and stone slabs, making a continuous pattering sound.

However, there were still quite a few travelers coming and going in this western market.

Outside the shops on both sides, servants standing under the eaves called out and respectfully welcomed customers.

Inside the shop, a few customers strolled around, browsing and asking questions from time to time.

Baicaotang and Yunqinglou, located at the outer entrance of Xishi, are doing even better business than before.

Among those coming and going were wealthy gentry and merchants, noble sons and daughters, and ordinary commoners, with laughter, shouts, and curses rising and falling.

I don't know who came up with the idea first.

The newly opened Yunqinglou also sells Baicaotang tea drinks.

Almost every other day, the manager of Yunqinglou would buy ten cartloads of tea from Baicaotang.

Although it doesn't have the 50% profit margin like the Xiao Family Pharmacy, even selling it at a fair price will still bring some customers to Yunqinglou.

At least it saves the time spent queuing outside Baicaotang.

Its appeal to customers is no less than that of Yunqinglou's signature Langjiu liquor.

This was something Chen Yi hadn't expected.

He originally planned to absorb the pharmacy after Baicaotang expanded in Shuzhou, and then develop other channels such as restaurants and brothels to sell tea drinks.

Unexpectedly, Cui Qingwu had come up with this idea without any formal instruction.

Looking at the bustling scene of Yunqing Tower outside the window, and listening to the shouts of Huan'er inside, Chen Yi's lips curled up slightly.

He could imagine that other restaurants in the city would follow suit in the future.

It was a pleasant surprise.

After the carriage had traveled some distance, he lifted the curtain on the other side and glanced at the tailor shop.

Aside from the shopkeeper who was confirmed to be the Iron Flag Officer of the Hidden Guard, he paid more attention to an older servant.

The servant had a dignified appearance, a tall and thin build, and wore linen clothes. At first glance, he was not particularly noticeable and greeted guests like the other servants.

However, upon closer inspection, Chen Yi could easily detect a hint of incongruity about him.

—His deep eyes were mostly observing the passing travelers and carriages. Although he was quick and efficient, he would sometimes walk at a different pace than the other servants.

Clearly, this man's mind wasn't on the tailor shop.

Chen Yi examined it for a moment, and the fluorescence of his Qi Observation Technique flickered slightly.

After discerning the aura emanating from the person, he calmly closed the curtain, a hint of apprehension on his face.

"General Star, Upper Third Rank cultivation..."

“His aura is even stronger than Xiao Jinghong’s, at least at the upper level of the third rank.”

Chen Yi thought of the conversation between Jiang Xing and Lou Yuxue that he had overheard at a wonton shop a few days ago, and his back broke out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, he possessed the Xuanwu Breath Concealing Technique and was also blessed with the Martial Arts Body at the Great Completion Realm.

Otherwise, at such close range, he would surely have been detected by the general.

Just then.

The general, dressed in hemp clothing, glanced at the carriage where Chen Yi was, then looked in another direction.

He didn't even take a fifth-grade martial artist seriously.

Observe for a moment.

General Xing looked at Yun Qinglou, his expression unchanged, but his eyes showed a hint of displeasure.

He was clearly thinking about his meeting with Luanfeng Cui Qingwu last night.

He originally arranged to meet with Cui Qingwu to find out the purpose of this Miss Cui's visit to Shuzhou.

Take this opportunity to give them a warning.

Little did anyone know that Cui Qingwu was truly spoiled and arrogant, showing no respect whatsoever to this White Tiger Guard officer.

His few words were full of sarcasm, which almost made him furious.

If she hadn't been born into the Cui family of Qinghe, and if the head of the family, Cui Mao, hadn't been one of the Nine Ministers of the Great Wei Dynasty, the General Star would have already made her personally experience the rules of the White Tiger Guard.

"Hmph, I'd like to see what you're really up to in Shu Prefecture."

"If you dare to ruin the Pavilion Master's important plans, even with Cui Mao protecting you, I will make sure you never leave alive!"

Thinking about these things.

General Xing withdrew his gaze, glanced around, and then leaned close to the shopkeeper, lowering his voice to say:

"Has the tigress sent any news?"

"not yet."

"Send a message to her, telling her to hurry up."

"I don't have much time left in Shuzhou. The Fu family of Guangyuan has been making a lot of moves lately, probably because they want to help the Xiao family."

"yes……"

...

Deep in the West Market, in Black Fish Lane.

Just like its street names, the houses and roads here are all characterized by the word "black".

Vines climbed all over the old, black courtyard walls, and the muddy road was so covered in grime that the stone slabs underneath were barely visible after being washed by the rain.

Like an old street that has been abandoned for a hundred years, all you can see is a scene of desolation.

Even the people who live here mostly wear black clothes, some in linen and some in brocade.

The only difference is that it's new or old.

Those dressed in tattered clothes were mostly emaciated beggars, young and old alike, each holding a broken bowl, hiding under the eaves and staring blankly at passersby.

Those dressed in newer clothes were mostly strong and powerful江湖客 (jianghu ke, a term referring to people from the martial arts world).

They wore straw hats and carried weapons at their waists. Their expressions ranged from sinister and ruthless to blank and insincere.

They vary in style, but all of them exude a fierce aura.

Yet Liu Lang blended in seamlessly among them.

Instead, he seemed perfectly at home, squatting on the wall of a dilapidated post station, smiling as he observed the passersby.

Whenever he meets someone he likes, he grins and greets them.

Of course, it's not about mundane family matters like "Have you eaten?", but rather about using slang and underworld terms.

When he saw beggars, he would ask, "Did you find any valuables today?" meaning whether they had gotten anything of value or had a good meal.

Or, when he sees those wandering swordsmen, he will ask them, "Are you from a mountain stronghold, a god or a demon?" to determine their identities.

Bandits occupy the mountains and rule as kings, gods and Buddhas uphold justice, and evil spirits are vicious and wicked.

People who roam the martial arts world can generally be divided into these three categories.

It's a slang term that can be used anywhere.

This is all thanks to Mingyue Tower.

Without Mingyue Tower's long-term management, most of these people from all walks of life in the martial arts world would still be following the old traditions.

Of course, Liu Lang did this merely to deceive others.

Whether he was talking, walking, or looking up at the dark clouds and rain falling in the sky, his mind was focused on the house three miles away.

After learning the news from Liu Hong last night, he changed his target and followed Liu Taoyao around the city.

The night before, after learning about Chen Yi's attitude towards Liu Hong, he naturally knew that the owner of Baicaotang cared a lot about Liu Hong's movements.

Therefore, without further ado, he followed Liu Taoyao this time.

It wasn't until Liu Taoyao entered that house that I saw her.

Fortunately, he managed to deliver a message to the owner of Baicaotang during this time and learned about the people of Vaishsa from Zhang Dabao, which prevented him from getting close to the house.

"The sorcerers of Vaishsa Kingdom have martial arts skills and techniques similar to the witchcraft of the mountain tribes."

"Especially those elusive 'black magic' spells, which allow the sorcerer to investigate the surrounding situation from a distance, so we must be wary."

Having traveled the martial world for many years, Liu Lang had seen all sorts of martial artists, including a sorcerer from Vaishsa.

In addition, during his time with his master Dao Gui, he had heard many strange tales of martial arts masters and knew much more about the martial arts people of Vaishsa Kingdom than Chen Yi did.

He naturally knew how to deal with it.

At this moment, Liu Lang had no idea about Lü Jiunan's cultivation level inside the house.

Just to be on the safe side, he kept his watch from three miles away to avoid being too close and being detected by the sorcerer.

Liu Lang slightly pulled up his straw hat and looked at the falling rain. "I wonder if the boss has received the message yet."

"Judging by the time, it should be close."

As Liu Lang was thinking, he heard the sound of train tracks.

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a black carriage speeding towards the house from a distance.

He hesitated for a moment, wondering to himself who this was, and unconsciously moved closer.

But just as he got within about a hundred meters, he suddenly froze, his gaze turning toward the haystack not far away.

Beneath the rain-soaked haystack, a black, dilapidated wooden figure was silently watching him.

A pair of jewel-encrusted eyes gleamed with an eerie red light in the gloomy, rainy weather.

Liu Lang cursed under his breath, his hand already gripping the hilt of his sword. "I've been discovered!"

Be careful, be very careful.

Unexpectedly, he was detected by the "curse" cast by Lü Jiunan of Vaishsa Kingdom when he was only a hundred meters away.

Before he could think any further, he heard a cry like that of a baby.

Then he saw the wooden figure, which was only a foot tall, suddenly rush towards him.

Despite their seemingly rough limbs, they are surprisingly fast.

As it charged, it flung out several silver needles from its hand.

Seeing this, Liu Lang curled his lip. "A wooden 'curse' thinks it can kill me?"

Thinking this way, he advanced instead of retreating.

The long sword at his waist was drawn and slashed straight at the wooden dummy.

Sizzle—

With a sharp sound, the wooden figure was cleaved in two by the blade.

Before he could even slip away, the wooden figure that had been broken in two burst open into a cloud of black mist.

It was unknown what the mist was, but as soon as it spread, it corroded everything around it.

Amid wisps of foul-smelling smoke, the crumbling walls, haystacks, and other debris were all completely corroded away.

Liu Lang cursed under his breath, frowned, and retreated several feet to avoid getting covered in the mist.

“Master is right. This sorcery has a strange name, but in the end it is still a technique of evil and heretical sects.”

"Just think of them as inferior sorcerers and poison masters."

Liu Lang looked at the house three miles away and saw that the carriage had already entered. After thinking for a moment, he moved closer to that direction.

Now that he has been discovered by the people there, it would be against his nature to go and greet them.

But just as he approached half a mile, he heard a furious roar in his ear.

Along with it came a fierce gust of wind, which came straight in from the diagonal rear.

"die!"

Upon hearing this word, Liu Lang let out a shout, and the Great Perfection Sword Intent emanated from his body.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged towards him like a tide, instantly suppressing the opponent's fierce fist intent.

Only then did he slash backward with his sword.

A dazzling light pierced the darkness.

bite!

However, this time it was not as smooth as before; his knife was blocked by a tremendous force.

Liu Lang stopped and turned his head to look over.

A tall figure dressed in black robes stood there, holding a short axe in each hand, crossed in front of his sword.

The man was not wearing a straw hat, had short, slightly curly brown hair, red eyes, and a scar on the tip of his nose.

Coupled with his fierce expression, his whole face looked even more ferocious.

—It was none other than Kumarajiva, a peacock-like figure under the banner of the Kingdom of Vashj.

Liu Lang didn't recognize him and asked, "A person from Vaishsa?"

"You're just a boxer, your boxing skills are only at the minor level, yet you dare to stop me?"

Ge Muxiao glared at him and growled in a harsh tone, "And who are you? How dare you spy on us?!"

Liu Lang looked at him with a half-smile, "This is the Shu Prefecture of the Great Wei Dynasty, not your Vaishsa Kingdom. What's wrong with me coming here?"

With a slight exertion, he used his longsword to force Ge Muxiao back.

Without hesitation, he charged forward, saying, "But you, who gave you the audacity to ambush me?"

As he spoke, Liu Lang had already unleashed two slashes.

One slash, one horizontal cut.

It's nothing fancy, just pure brute force.

But in Ge Muxiao's eyes, it was a rush of blades.

Even with his best efforts to defend himself, wielding the two short axes with impenetrable skill, he still could not withstand the attack.

When he took the first blow head-on, the short axe in his hand was cleaved away and slammed into the courtyard wall with a crack.

After the second cut, a deep, bone-revealing wound appeared on his waist.

But when the excruciating pain struck, Ge Muxiao became even more ferocious.

He rushed towards Liu Lang without regard for anything else, gripped the short axe with both hands, and swung it around incessantly.

At the same time, he didn't forget to shout into the distance in Vajrasattva: "Brother, be careful, the people coming are very strong!"

While dodging his attacks, Liu Lang kept an eye on the movements inside the house.

Once he realized that the carriage that had previously barged in was speeding out, he lost all interest in playing around.

He channeled his true energy into his hands, imbued them with domineering sword intent, and unleashed a streak of sword light with a diagonal upward slash.

Without giving Ge Muxiao a chance to react, he split the short axe in two.

The blade flashed across his body without any obstruction, leaving another wound.

Blood splattered, staining half of Ge Muxiao's body red.

Just as Liu Lang was about to speak, he noticed a piercing explosion coming from afar.

He frowned slightly and instinctively flew sideways.

Doo!

After a sharp crack, a foot-long dagger was seen embedded in the wall behind them.

Then came a sinister voice: "You're asking for death!"

Liu Lang turned his head and saw another Vaishsaman standing on the roof of the house in the distance, looking at him from afar.

"This level of strength is quite impressive."

"To have such power even from two miles away, one's cultivation level must be above mine."

Liu Lang thought for a moment, then slung the long sword over his shoulder and asked with a smile, "You are Lü Jiunan? The sorcerer from Vaishsa Kingdom?"

"Was that the wooden dummy that attacked me earlier yours?"

Lu Jiunan snorted coldly, "Who are you?"

"Since you know my name, you should know the consequences of provoking me!"

"Oh? Tell me, what will happen to me?"

(End of this chapter)