Chapter 331 The Reverse Moon Sword! (Seeking monthly votes)

Jiang Xing lowered his voice and listened intently to the sounds outside.

With his cultivation level, not to mention ordinary people, even martial arts practitioners of similar cultivation level would find it difficult to escape his detection.

Seeing only the sound of torrential rain outside, he continued, "His Majesty is furious. Not only Liu Hong, but the entire Liu family of Jingzhou has been uprooted."

Lou Yuxue and Cui Qingwu exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised.

"Has Consort Liu fallen out of favor?"

General Xing stared at them speechlessly, clearly not expecting that this would be their first thought.

"The Pavilion Master did not mention this matter, but... with the Liu family in such a state, even if Consort Liu is still favored, she will likely become estranged from the Emperor in the future."

"That's true."

Lou Yuxue nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "Sir, if we arrest them now, will it alert Liu Hong?"

Cui Qingwu chimed in, "Liu Hong is a wolf in sheep's clothing. If he senses any unusual activity around him, there's no guarantee he won't resort to desperate measures."

General Xing smiled and shook his head: "He must have already made his choice."

"The master is referring to what he's been doing lately..."

"That should be correct."

“He has been staying in the Provincial Administration Office these days, and although everything seems fine at home, there are actually some unusual things happening.”

General Xing looked towards the location of the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office on Zhennan Street and said with a slightly wistful tone:

"Both of his sons are gone."

"They ran away ahead of time?"

"The eldest sister, Liu Taoyao, must have run away, and the second sister, Liu Taofang... is probably already dead."

General Xing withdrew his gaze, looked at the secret letter in his hand, and said something that shocked Lou Yuxue and Cui Qingwu:

"The Iron Flag Officer I just planted in the Liu family has lost contact since the plague appeared that night; he must be dead."

Lou Yuxue and Cui Qingwu frowned slightly. "We've been discovered?"

General Xing put away the secret letter, shook his head, then nodded and said, "Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't."

In short, a major change has occurred in the Liu family.

He couldn't say the specifics.

However, when he went to investigate the Liu family last night, he found that the people in the house seemed to have all fallen silent before he even got close.

Although they looked like living people from a distance, upon closer inspection, they were as weak as elderly people in their twilight years.

Extremely faint.

Before he could get any closer, General Xing sensed a sharp and domineering aura rushing towards him.

Without lingering at all, he immediately fled far away, escaping the Liu family's territory.

Even now, Jiang Xing still feels a lingering fear—as if a long sword is hanging over his head.

Lou Yuxue was unaware of these things. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Since the Pavilion Master has sent a message with instructions, shall we make our move tonight?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Qingwu glanced at her but did not voice his reluctance.

General Xing glanced at the two men's expressions and nodded, saying, "Let's make our move tonight."

However, there is a distinction between primary and secondary importance.

"The person who is closest to Liu Hong is Ye Jingxiao, the deputy commissioner of the Provincial Surveillance Commission. This time, the Pavilion Master specifically instructed in his letter that he must be captured alive."

"Ye Jingxiao..."

Lou Yuxue recalled: "If I remember correctly, he had previously written a memorial based on hearsay regarding the burning of summer grain in the three towns."

General Xing said, "It's him."

"Back then, rumors circulated in Shuzhou that the Xiao family had embezzled grain. On the surface, it was said that villains went to burn the summer grain, but in reality, the Xiao family had secretly sold the grain."

"When the hawk first arrived in Guangyuan, he even had someone investigate him, but it was delayed because of other matters."

Lou Yuxue was also aware of what happened after the summer grain harvest in the three towns. "I didn't expect that Ye Jingxiao was actually backed by Liu Hong. I thought he was from the Jizhou Trading Company."

Before Jiang Xing could speak, Cui Qingwu snorted, "It's obvious."

"Given Liu Hong's cunning and shrewdness, he must have already plotted against the Jizhou Merchants, just like with this epidemic."

"Based on the information we have so far, Liu Hong is probably planning to use those disaster victims for his own purposes."

"Just think about it, what would the entire city be like if the plague hadn't been eradicated?"

Lou Yuxue ignored her provocative words and pondered, "With food shortages ahead and the threat of epidemics behind, if I were one of those disaster victims, I'm afraid..."

A cold look appeared on the general's face. "Taking a risk."

"Even if those disaster victims don't want to do this, Liu Hong has many ways to force them to comply."

"Fortunately, things didn't get to that point, otherwise we would have been punished by the Pavilion Master as well."

Lou Yuxue hummed in agreement, and a figure appeared in her mind.

This time it's his doing again – "Dragon and Tiger" Liu Wu.

Although Lou Yuxue knew that Liu Wu did those things for the Xiao family, she had inadvertently done a great favor for the White Tiger Guard.

A rebellion is not like a plague or a natural disaster; it is a major event that will cause an uproar throughout the Great Wei Dynasty.

Whether or not troops are dispatched is another matter, but the White Tiger Guards scattered in various places will be the first to be punished.

Especially in Shuzhou Prefecture.

With so many banner officers hiding in various places, not only did they fail to stop Liu Hong's plot, but they also remained completely unaware of it.

If she were the leader, she would punish everyone.

Cui Qingwu seemed to see through her thoughts and said meaningfully, "That Liu Wu is really quite capable."

"I heard that most of the Five Poisons Sect's experts died at his hands that night, including Yan Jingchen."

Jiang Xing paused, his expression softening slightly, and said with a smile, "I suppose that's how it is."

"Otherwise, given the nature of the mountain people, why would they bother with such secrecy?"

Cui Qingwu didn't know much about the mountain tribes, so upon hearing this, he asked, "General Star, Yan Jingchen's cultivation level must be quite high. How does it compare to Du Cang?"

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Xing said, "They are about equal."

Before Cui Qingwu could ask any questions, he continued, "Don't be fooled by the fact that Yan Jingchen's cultivation is higher than Du Cang's; his martial arts rely entirely on poison to win."

"But the witchcraft of the mountain tribe is the best at counteracting poison, which is why the Five Poisons Church was wiped out by the mountain tribe."

"The reason why Du Cang and Yan Jingchen are said to be evenly matched is that the secret technique of black magic that Du Cang cultivates is a technique that specializes in attacking the 'god' of martial artists."

"Ordinary people in the martial arts world would have almost no chance of survival if they encountered him, except..."

"Liu Wu is a freak."

Not just an exception, but a freak.

The general's evaluation of Liu Wu also reflects his fear of Liu Wu.

Firstly, it was because the Pavilion Master valued Liu Wu, and secondly, it was because Liu Wu's recent battles had been truly remarkable.

General Xing even thought that Liu Wu was some old monster who had not appeared in public for a long time, and that he would use some new things every time he made a move.

Unfathomable.

After listening, Cui Qingwu suddenly understood.

The scene of her first meeting with Liu Wu flashed through her mind—she fought Liu Wu and won the battle.

Compared to today's "Dragon and Tiger," it's like a dream.

How could Liu Wu have made such rapid progress in such a short period of time?

Or perhaps, the person she first met was not the same person as the current Liu Wu?

That……

Cui Qingwu couldn't figure it out and was unwilling to believe in Liu Wu's martial arts talent, so he had to give up.

She doesn't have much time left in Shu Prefecture, and hopefully she'll have a chance to find out the truth about this.

Cui Qingwu ignored all of that and, after the incident, went straight to asking Liu Hong about the identities of his other accomplices.

“Sun Zhiguang and others from the Sun family, as well as Zhu Hao’s younger brother, Zhu Lingchuan, also known as Mr. Lingchuan from Guiyun Academy!”

Lou Yuxue was slightly taken aback. "He's also one of Liu Hong's men?"

General Xing nodded. "He is not only Liu Hong's man, but also one of Liu Hong's strategists."

"Why...why is he so close to Liu Hong? Logically speaking, he should be helping Zhu Hao more."

"We'll only know the answer after we arrest him and interrogate him."

"What about Zhu Hao? He..."

Before Lou Yuxue could finish speaking, Jiang Xing raised his hand to interrupt her, saying, "There's no need to pay too much attention to him; he's already a dead man."

For him, whether Liu Hong lived or died was secondary; Zhu Hao had to die.

"For now, we'll use these people. Later, I'll use my identity as a White Tiger Guard to have the Criminal Investigation Department cooperate. You two will split up, one going south and the other north, with Zhennan Street as the boundary."

"good."

Just when Chen Yi and Lou Yuxue thought it was over, Jiang Xing continued:

"There are two other things I need to remind you of."

"Please speak, sir."

"The newly appointed Minister of War, Chen Xuanji, will be inspecting the border towns of the land and will arrive in Shu Prefecture soon. At that time, we will need to purge the villains within the prefecture."

Lou Yuxue opened her mouth, about to ask a question, when Cui Qingwu spoke first, asking:

"Chen Xuanji? Uncle Chen has returned from the Western Regions?"

General Chen smiled and nodded: "It is said that he just returned three days ago. His Majesty personally greeted him and issued an edict at the court meeting, appointing Lord Chen as Minister of War."

"The Pavilion Master specifically instructed that we must keep Shu Prefecture peaceful for a while, so as not to disturb that lord."

Cui Qingwu still looked somewhat surprised, clearly not expecting this.

Lou Yuxue, however, thought of two other things and hesitated before saying, "My lord, there is something I am not sure if I should ask."

General Xing glanced at Cui Qingwu and chuckled softly, "You want to ask about the two young masters of the Chen family?"

"Yes... Chen Xuanji is now the Minister of War. If he finds out about our plans for those two young masters, wouldn't we offend him?"

"Offend? What do you mean by offending?"

General Xing shook his head, his expression turned serious, and he said in a solemn tone:

"Our White Tiger Guard is loyal only to His Majesty. Other court officials... even the Nine Ministers, are not allowed to interfere in our affairs."

So what if we offend him?

"Does the Chen family of Jiangnan Prefecture dare to oppose my White Tiger Guard?"

Lou Yuxue stopped asking questions after hearing this and shut her mouth in a huff.

She thought that the Pavilion Master had informed Chen Xuanji of the plans of the two young masters of the Chen family.

Now it seems that things are more complicated than she thought.

Cui Qingwu had also thought of this, but she didn't care whether Chen Xuanji knew about it or not. What she wanted to know was the White Tiger Guard... or what the Emperor's plan was for Chen Yunfan.

She had indeed hoped to help Chen Yunfan rise to prominence and silence the gossips in her family, which is why she joined the White Tiger Guard.

But now, she feels more and more that the White Tiger Guards' scheme against Chen Yunfan is not simple.

Under such circumstances, how could she dare to continue?

Seeing that they had fallen silent, Jiang Xing waved for Cui Qingwu to leave first, leaving Lou Yuxue behind.

Cui Qingwu glanced at the two of them, didn't ask any more questions, and turned to leave the tailor shop.

Once everything has calmed down.

Inside the tailor shop, the voices were faint, almost inaudible.

Chen Yi listened intently for a moment, then quietly took a few steps forward before he heard the voice coming from inside.

"...Please forgive me."

"Since it is the Lord's order, there is no need for you to do this, sir. It is alright for me to wait a few more days."

General Xing chuckled a few times and said, "That's good."

"Chen Xuanji's arrival is of great importance. The Dingyuan Army of the Three Towns, the Xiao family, and even Mengshui Pass will all take it seriously."

"Whether my White Tiger Guard's plans in Shu Prefecture will be successful over the years depends on Chen Xuanji."

Lou Yuxue was slightly taken aback. "Him?"

"That's what the Lord said in his secret letter. We should just follow his orders and not ask any more questions."

"yes."

General Xing looked Lou Yuxue up and down, his smile widening, and continued, "However, there is something I can tell you in advance."

"Although the Pavilion Master has asked you to stay in Shu Prefecture for the time being, he has also explained the arrangements for you afterward."

"——Jiangnan Mansion."

Lou Yuxue's body stiffened, her pupils contracted slightly, and she asked urgently, "My lord, what about Jiangnan Prefecture..."

General Xing raised his hand and said with a smile, "Don't worry, since the Pavilion Master has said so, he must have already arranged everything."

"Even though there is already a Jade Banner Officer and two Gold Banner Officers in Jiangnan Prefecture, you don't need to worry too much. You just need to take care of the Mingyue Tower."

Lou Yuxue hesitated and asked, "Does Your Excellency mean... that the Pavilion Master has a way to make me an elder of Mingyue Pavilion in Jiangnan Prefecture?"

General Xing shook his head slightly: "I don't know."

As soon as he finished speaking, he stood up and said, "You don't need to think too much. Just wait for the Pavilion Master's instructions."

"yes……"

Not long after.

Jiang Xing and Lou Yuxue dispersed and, taking advantage of the rainy night, headed straight for some powerful families in the prefectural city.

Chen Yi waited quietly in place until several lines of large golden characters appeared before his eyes:

[Witness the Hidden Guard General and others receiving the secret letter. Reward: "Reverse Moon Sword" [Mystic Rank], +28 Fortune.]

[Comment: The person arrived, their voice was heard, but the scene was not seen...]

Seeing this, Chen Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief and quietly left the house to return to the Xiao family.

I had a great time tonight.

The White Tiger Guards have already begun their operation to capture Liu Hong's accomplices, and it seems the Liu family of Jingzhou is also about to be robbed.

Mr. Lingchuan was indeed Liu Hong's man, and before Xiao Jinghong could interrogate him, he was about to be captured by the White Tiger Guards.

Chen Xuanji's arrival in Shu Prefecture was closely related to the White Tiger Guard's schemes—even though the general didn't explicitly say so.

Another Lou Yuxue is heading to Jiangnan Prefecture... Jinqi Official...

Thinking of this, Chen Yi's lips curled into a smile.

It's good that the tigress left.

This at least indicates that the White Tiger Guard's plans in Shu Prefecture should come to an end.

At that time, he, the son-in-law, should be able to enjoy a more leisurely life.

Just then, Chen Yi stopped in his tracks, and another golden character flashed before his eyes:

[Daily Intelligence - High-Grade Mystic: At noon, Liu Hong, the Provincial Governor of Shu Prefecture, visits Marquis Xiao Yuan of Dingyuan. Reward: A small amount of good fortune.]

Um?

Chen Yi frowned subconsciously, his gaze fixed on the location of the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office.

Is Liu Hong going to see the old master?

Why?

This was after his accomplices were arrested by the White Tiger Guards...

Thoughts flashed through Chen Yi's mind, only to be rejected one by one.

"To perish together? To plead guilty with a bundle of thorns on one's back? Neither seems like it..."

Based on Chen Yi's understanding of Liu Hong, sitting idly by and waiting for death was indeed not in Liu Hong's nature.

But with his Liu family members and accomplices either dead or arrested, what could he possibly change by going out to find the old man now?

Rain dripped all around, the darkness was deep and gloomy, as if the endless night stretched to every corner.

On the chessboard in Chen Yi's mind, Liu Hong and all the pieces connected to him were rising and falling.

a long time.

Chen Yi finally let out a long breath, a hint of helplessness on his face: "As expected of someone who has climbed to the position of Provincial Governor of Shu Prefecture, he certainly has some guts."

Liu Hong didn't have many options left.

The old man was in good health and had recovered most of his cultivation, so he was not afraid of Liu Hong's assassination attempt.

Meanwhile, the Xiao family was already in an invincible position and did not need to take action against Liu Hong; they only needed to stand by and watch.

The old man knew this.

Liu Hong was naturally aware of this as well.

So he only had one option left...

(End of this chapter)