Chapter 16 Chapter 16 His sword is as domineering as he is...
After hearing what the other party said, everyone acknowledged the authenticity of the token.
Fengyu Tower is quite famous in the martial arts world. The two owners of the tower, Tingfeng and Tingyu, are extremely good at management and are very righteous. They are also respected in the martial arts world.
Although Fengyu Tower has been established for a century, it was only under the leadership of its two current owners that it truly became famous in the martial arts world. They somehow came up with the idea of compiling various lists, ranking the masters and weapons in the martial arts world.
The people of the Jianghu were free and unrestrained, yet they also cared deeply about their reputation. Those sects that had a place on the list highly praised Fengyulou's list, and over time, Fengyulou became the foremost intelligence force in the Jianghu.
Most of the daily transactions in Fengyu Tower are related to news, and Fengyu Tower is extremely confidential and will not disclose any information about the buyer.
Rumor has it that Fengyu Tower disciples are everywhere. While this isn't true, it doesn't make much difference. Fengyu Tower members aren't involved in the affairs of the imperial court, but there's little they don't know about in the martial arts world.
As for why Tingfeng appeared here, he even came out to help Hongting prove it.
In fact, as early as when Gu Shiyan and the Demon Lord were fighting fiercely, there were disciples from Fengyu Tower who were secretly observing. Their original intention was to monitor the Demon Lord Danxi. After all, there were many people in the world who wanted to kill the Demon Lord.
But Gu Shiyan's appearance was a complete surprise. They did not dare to hide it and immediately reported the matter to Tingfeng using Fengyu Tower's unique communication method.
Tingfeng was doing business nearby, and since the matter involved two venerables, he had to come in person to calm the situation.
Although the hidden martial arts technique Xuanwutu practiced by the disciples of Fengyu Tower was passed down by a ancestor of the Xiaoyao Realm and ordinary people had no way of discovering it, it was obviously not enough in front of a true Xiaoyao Realm expert.
The two had already noticed this, but Gu Shiyan didn't care. After all, he had a close relationship with the owner of Fengyu Tower. As for Demon Lord Danxi, he didn't care either. After all, he didn't think Fengyu Tower had the guts to sell his information. Even if they did, how many people could hurt him?
But to everyone's surprise, Gu Shiyan defeated Danxi so easily.
Therefore, Tingfeng's purpose in coming here was to have a conversation with this new Venerable and to test his opinion. After all, no one wanted to offend a powerful person in the Free and Easy Realm for no reason, especially when the other party was from Yunliang Qianchi.
After confirming the authenticity of the token, the yamen runner immediately changed his attitude and said to Hong Ting in a flattering manner, "I didn't know you were from Yunliang Qianchi. I apologize for the offense. Please come in and have a cup of tea."
Hong Ting had always disliked these sycophants and ignored their flattery. He simply said indifferently, "No need. Let's just say it here so that the people can see it."
After he finished speaking, the yamen runners were already dissatisfied with Hong Ting. Not only did he not give them any respect, but he also wanted to discuss the case in public. Wasn't this just trampling on the reputation of their government?
Perhaps it was because he was used to being domineering in front of the people, so he was a little uncomfortable meeting a tough guy like Hongting.
Hong Ting ignored them, holding the broken whip in his hand and pointing at the two rotting corpses. He said, "My son heard that the Demon Lord had appeared in Jiangnan, so he went down the mountain to defeat him and has now brought him back to Yunliang Qianchi. As for these corpses, they are probably those of the scholar who has been causing a lot of trouble in Jiangnan recently."
"If you don't believe it, you can ask the gentleman just now to see if the characteristics of these corpses match those of the Purple Frost Buddha Miasma. Or you can see if the long whip in my hand that drinks blood is real." Hong Ting's voice was not loud. Except for a hint of respect when he mentioned Gu Shiyan, there was no emotion at all. However, with the blessing of his internal strength, it was enough for everyone present to hear clearly.
The spectators nearby were somewhat surprised to hear his words. Was it true that such an elegant young man like him was just someone else's servant? As for someone who could be called "Young Master," someone who came from Yunliang Qianchi and could even defeat the Demon Lord, he could only think of the newly emerged Moon Lord.
Besides the blue-robed swordsman, there must be someone else secretly watching the Huai Palace. Soon, one of them quickly left and headed towards the Huai Palace.
Hong Ting could naturally sense it, but he didn't make a move to stop it. He didn't care about these small fry, and since Mu Congmo had told him to do so, he naturally wanted to make the most noise possible.
The crowd around them was still marveling at the strength of this new venerable, but the yamen runners only wanted to suppress the matter. Seeing that the matter was out of their control, they could only say, "Thank you for coming to the yamen to report the case. We will handle the rest. Please return."
Hong Ting didn't care. If it weren't for his master's order, he would have returned to Yunliang Qianchi long ago. He pinned the Broken Rainbow to his waist, stroking the scabbard with his fingers, feeling extremely excited.
This Broken Rainbow Sword has been sealed for a long time. It is the most satisfying work of the forging master Ouyang Wenhai in his life. It is even harder to see than the master Bai Yu, let alone touch it with one's own hands.
Hong Ting wanted to go back to the inn and ask Mu Congmo about his next plan, but he felt like someone was secretly following him, so he walked to a deserted alley.
When he was deep in the alley, he suddenly stopped and said to the air, "Your Excellency and others have been following us for so long, why not come out and meet me?"
The next moment, several figures appeared out of nowhere, and the one leading them was Mr. Tingfeng who had just come forward to help Hongting out of trouble.
Regardless of their purpose, they had just helped him, so Hong Ting naturally wouldn't speak harshly to them. He simply said, "Brothers from Fengyu Tower, why have you followed me all the way?"
"I am a sword fanatic, and I yearn for all the famous swords in the world. I heard from my disciples that Yue Zun took out a sword that had never been recorded in the world during the battle with Mo Zun. Although it has not been circulated in the world, it is not an ordinary item, so I came here because of its reputation. Just now I saw this sword taking the initiative to protect its master, so I made the mistake of disturbing you and wanted to borrow the sword to take a look." Tingfeng's tone was quite polite, like a kind elder.
Hong Ting had always believed that his son's abilities made him a name for himself, but he kept a low profile. If it weren't for Sun Ang's incident, the people of the martial arts world would have never known about the birth of such a young master.
Now, it would be nice to use the name of Fengyu Tower to spread the young master's reputation throughout the world.
Hong Ting handed the sword to Ting Feng, but he didn't dare to throw it aside like his son had done. Hong Ting was completely unprepared for this, as he didn't think the deputy master of Fengyu Tower would so brazenly seize Yun Liang Qian Chi's possessions.
Tingfeng took the sword, his eyes showing his love and admiration without hiding it. "May I ask who made this sword and what is its name?"
Hong Ting's face was filled with pride, and he said, "This is the work that Master Ouyang Wenhai is most satisfied with in his life. My son personally named it Pohong."
"Pohong, that's a good name. It turns out to be Master Ouyang's masterpiece, so it's not surprising." Tingfeng stroked the scabbard back and forth with his hands, and then wanted to pull out the sword, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull it out.
Seeing this, Hong Ting wanted to step forward to help, but was rejected. Ting Feng felt a little regretful that he couldn't witness it with his own eyes. He sighed and said, "The sword has its spirit. If it doesn't want me to see it, there's no need to force it."
Seeing this, Hongting reached out and took the sword.
Tingfeng bowed to Hongting, Hongting returned the greeting, and then they each left.
On the other side, the Prince Huai's Mansion.
Huai Wang Mu Conghao sat at the head of the table, toying with a white jade ring. Below him sat Song Ji, who was savoring a cup of fine tea.
The secret guard narrated what happened in front of the yamen one by one. He heard that the Demon Lord was brought back to Yunliang Qianchi and that the green-clothed swordsman had his martial arts skills crippled.
Mu Conghao panicked instantly, and the white jade ring in his hand even fell to the ground and broke directly. He looked at Song Ji in panic.
Song Ji was also very panicked, but he pretended to be calm. He first sent away the secret guard who reported the matter, and then pulled Mu Conghao to the study.
As soon as he entered the study, Mu Conghao grabbed Song Ji's sleeve, his face full of panic and his tone was extremely anxious: "Uncle, what should we do now? Will the Demon Lord betray us? And Bao Chengen sent someone to bring news that day saying that the Shadow Dragon Guards had arrived in Jiangnan. If they investigate this matter..."
Both had been pampered since childhood. Song Ji had an older sister who was always in favor, so any absurd behavior he did could be dealt with by her. Mu Conghao was even more so. The late emperor had paved a way out for him, even sending him his trusted advisors.
But that loyal counselor had been killed by them, and now the two of them could only find a solution on their own.
Song Ji first held Mu Conghao's hand in comfort, then paced back and forth in the study. After a long moment of deliberation, he finally made a decision and spoke solemnly, "Rumor has it that the Shadow Dragon Guards are omnipresent, and the current emperor is ruthless. We have no choice but to fight. If you win, you'll be the most honored person in the world. If you lose, the worst that can happen is death. But if we wait for Mu Conghao to make a move, we won't even have a chance to resist."
Although Mu Conghao was timid and cowardly, he made up his mind to strike first after hearing what his trusted uncle said.
He had already begun to secretly train his troops over the years. If he had not been young at that time, it is not certain who would be sitting in this position now.
The secret collection of higher taxes was also intended to support the army, but the cost of maintaining an army was enormous. All the taxes collected over the years, plus his secret subsidies, could not support many soldiers. Furthermore, to conceal his presence, the number of soldiers could not be too large, so after all these years, he had barely managed to gather a corps of 10,000 elite soldiers.
However, most of the officials in the three Jiangnan counties were the late emperor's confidants, and those who were disobedient were secretly eliminated by him over the years and replaced by his own people.
The Jiangnan garrison plus the private soldiers he secretly trained totaled 40,000, while the three guards in the capital (Shenji, Yinglong, and Jinwu) had only 5,000 in total, not to mention that there were many children of noble families who had infiltrated the Jinwu Guard.
Although it is unclear how many Shadow Dragon Guards there are, they are spread all over Daliang, and there will not be many left in the capital.
Even if he added another 10,000 imperial guards, they would still be no match for him. Moreover, with the Duke of Han, Zheng Xiuyuan, back in the capital, he was not afraid that the other party would refuse. After all, with that thing in hand, the other party would have no choice but to obey.
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