Chapter 107: Black clothes and bamboo hat, the Bull Demon is out of the cage [asking for monthly tickets]
The night is grey and hazy, with moonlight shining down from the high sky.
Inside the courtyard.
Li Che frowned and put down the wine cup in his hand.
Sister-in-law Liu Chunming's face looked a little gloomy.
"Zhengran hasn't been home for two days. This has never happened before, so I'm worried that something has happened to him..."
Zhang Ya hurried over, pulled Liu Chunming to sit on a chair, and poured her tea while comforting her.
After seeing everyone, Liu Chunming could no longer suppress the grievance and panic in his heart, and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry too much. Maybe my cousin was delayed by something. Do you know what he did before he returned home?" Li Che asked.
"Zhengran said he was going to the market to look for a job. He had almost spent all the money he brought from Feilei City, so he wanted to find a way to make a living. He couldn't always rely on your financial support, Ache."
Perhaps it was because Li Che's current status and position were different from before, so Liu Chunming felt a little more at ease.
"Going to the market to look for a job?"
Li Che nodded.
"It's okay, sister-in-law. It's not easy to find a job in the market. Maybe my brother has found a job, but he didn't have time to inform you. You go back first and take care of Chengzhou. I'll go find my brother and see what delayed him."
Li Che said gently.
Upon hearing this, Liu Chunming nodded.
"Sister-in-law, why don't you eat first?" Zhang Ya said hurriedly.
Liu Chunming waved her hands repeatedly. She really had no appetite.
After Liu Chunming left, Zhang Ya couldn't help but look at Li Che.
"My husband, is there really anything wrong with my brother?"
My uncle and his family have been a great help to them, so Zhang Ya doesn't want anything to happen and hopes that everyone will be fine.
"It shouldn't be a big deal, and...my sister-in-law and uncle may have some guesses in their minds."
Li Che said softly: "If big brother was really involved in something dangerous, uncle should have come a long time ago."
"If we let my sister-in-law come now...it's very likely that my uncle will feel it's not easy to show up, or feel embarrassed."
Li Che knew his uncle's temper quite well. This old scholar... was very concerned about his reputation.
The eldest brother Li Zhengran has not returned home for two days. Maybe he did something that made the old man feel embarrassed, so he was unwilling to come to find Li Che. Instead, it was the eldest sister-in-law who could not sit still and came to find him to solve the problem.
"Ah?" Zhang Ya was stunned. She didn't expect there were so many tricks.
Li Che looked at his wife's cute appearance and couldn't help pinching her little face.
Lao Chen, Xixi and Lu Datou, who were standing by, had long been accustomed to Li Che and Zhang Ya showing their affection from time to time.
After dinner, Li Che returned to his study.
Sitting in the chair, there was not much emotion change on his face.
[Chess Master] Daoguo's heart began to beat violently, and the next moment, a small chessboard of heaven and earth floated in front of Li Che.
He raised his hand, bent his finger, and a chess piece began to tremble.
That was the divine chess piece that Li Che left on his cousin Li Zhengran.
With a flick of his five fingers, the picture began to expand, and the full map coverage brought by the chess master Gaode directly locked onto the divine chess piece on his cousin Li Zhengran.
"Gambling house?"
Li Che opened his eyes and frowned even more tightly.
Li Che knew his cousin Li Zhengran's temper. Why would he go to a place like a gambling house? That was a place where one would lose money! He flicked his five fingers again, and the picture expanded again. He saw his cousin Li Zhengran in the gambling house, with red ears and a group of gamblers, crowded in front of the gambling table, with red eyes, shouting: "Big, big, big!"
Li Che was stunned.
If you see it with your own eyes, it can't be fake.
"Someone deliberately led my cousin Li Zhengran astray..."
In just a moment, this thought flashed through Li Che's mind.
First of all, my uncle Li Liang had a strict family tradition and never allowed gambling or pornography. My cousin Li Zhengran was also raised in this way since he was a child. Although he did not achieve much, he never went astray.
It had only been half a month since Li Zhengran arrived in Jinguang City, and he had already started gambling.
Logically speaking, if Li Zhengran was really a gambler, he should have gone to the gambling house often when he was in Feilei City.
Li Che let out a breath. No wonder his uncle didn't come to him for help in person. Maybe his uncle... had known about this situation for a long time.
I just kept it a secret from my cousin’s wife.
"Environment can change people, but it's impossible for them to change so much all at once... So, is someone deliberately guiding them?"
Li Che narrowed his eyes, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
Although Li Che naturally cares most about his wife and daughter, his uncle and cousin's family treat him well and raise him, so they are naturally very important in Li Che's mind.
It's okay to target him, but using despicable means to influence the people around him is a bit too much.
"After I became a third-class guest official of the Imperial Observatory, the Qin family and the Temple Guarding Department became more wary of me. And according to what Lu Chi said, the Jin Lie Sect had no motive to deal with me..."
"In fact, they only speculated and suspected my identity without any solid evidence. Because I am a third-class guest official of the Imperial Observatory and a spiritual boy appointed by the Xixi Divine Sect, they naturally dare not take action rashly."
Li Che pondered and slowly sorted out the current situation.
Zhang Xiangyang did provide the Temple Guarding Office with information that had an impact on him, but the impact was not significant.
Because even Zhang Lianhao, the chief constable of the Temple Guarding Bureau, could not truly confirm whether Li Che was really the Bull Demon, or the mysterious monk who shot and killed Qin Yuqing.
Although I still have doubts, I can't be sure.
Otherwise, they would not have sent two divine messengers to follow him secretly.
"In fact, they don't care who the Bull Demon is... What they care about... is the Horse-Faced Man who shot Qin Yuqing."
Li Che's eyes flickered, no matter if it was Qin Haonan, the Temple Guarding Division or the Jin Lie Gate.
In fact, they didn’t care about Qin Yuqing’s death, they just wanted to avenge her.
What's more, they are still afraid of the mysterious monk who can shoot and kill a strong man from dozens of miles away.
As long as the Horse-Faced Demon is not exposed, many people will be unable to sleep or eat, worrying that they will become the target of hunting one day.
Who would like to experience the feeling of fear every day?
"So, you want to start with the people around me? Force me to take action? And then frame my identity?"
"Now, they will restrain themselves because I am a guest official of the Imperial Observatory, but once I am confirmed to be the Bull Demon, or even the Horse-Faced Demon, they will surely be attacked by thunder and lightning."
Li Che narrowed his eyes.
The candlelight flickered, illuminating Li Che's face as he suddenly smiled.
"If you attack my cousin Li Zhengran today, will you attack my uncle, my wife, and my daughter tomorrow?"
"Step by step, one inch at a time..."
Li Che closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were already gloomy and colorless.
"Do you all want to meet the Bull Demon so much?"
"The Bull Demon won't show up...are you unwilling to accept this?"
"In that case..."
"As you wish."
Li Che is a low-key and introverted person who only wants to live in peace.
But, Niu Mo is not.
…
…
The street is ten miles long, inside the Liuxiang Pavilion.
In a private room, Qin Haonan sat quietly, drinking the best wine from Liuxiang Pavilion, one glass after another falling into his mouth.
In the box opposite him sat two divine messengers wearing red cloud-patterned robes from the temple administration.
They were the two divine messengers, Hong Yong and Shi Lei, who had come to lead Li Che to the Temple Guarding Office.
The two sides tacitly agreed not to meet each other, although their jobs seemed to be the same, both of which were to follow Li Che.
But there was no verbal conversation.
Qin Haonan's eyes flickered. He had been keeping an eye on Li Che for half a month, but he hadn't found any evidence against him.
"What a life... such a regular routine. During the day, he goes to work at the Imperial Observatory. After work, he goes to the small courtyard workshop where he bought the house to make wood carvings..."
"For the past half month, I have been following the same schedule almost every day. It is extremely boring!"
"If I don't go to Yunfangfang, I will just have a wife and children and a warm bed every day..."
"Could this person be the extremely vicious and murderous Bull Demon described in the intelligence?"
Qin Haonan was holding the wine cup, looking a little dazed.
It was the first time he had seen such a pure and innocent monk. He was self-disciplined and steady, never caused trouble, and was extremely fixed in his routine.
"That old fellow from the Jin Lie Clan... took advantage of Qin Yuqing so much, and now that Yuqing is dead, he doesn't even have the slightest thought of revenge!"
"Yuqing's judgment of men is as bad as ever."
Shaking his head, Qin Haonan drank the wine in the glass and slowly exhaled.
"This Li Che...now it seems that there is about an 80% chance that he is not the Bull Demon."
"Niu Mo is probably Li Nuanxi's master, so he has a close relationship with Li Che's family."
"But Li Nuanxi cannot be touched... the top-grade spiritual child selected by the Divine Sect cannot be touched."
Qin Haonan shook his head.
"A cultivator with a virtual appearance had his spirit crushed by Li Qingshan's sheep-horn hammer. What a waste." Qin Haonan's eyes flashed with disdain.
"It seems that the Black Snake Gang... is planning to attack Li Che's family."
Qin Haonan narrowed his eyes and listened to the changes between the vendors and customers in Huaxiang over the past half month. Naturally, he noticed it.
In addition to the Qin family and the Jin Liemen, are there other forces ready to take action?
"The Black Snake Gang...is not a gang under the jurisdiction of the Five Great Families, but comes from the Fishermen's Gang..."
Qin Haonan was thinking while pouring the wine.
"The Fishermen's Gang, the Black Dragon Gang, and the Beggars' Gang are the three major gangs in Jinguang City... their overall strength is not as strong as the five great families and the five great sects. They belong to the third tier of forces."
"But we can't control their internal affairs... Why would the Fishermen's Gang set up a regional gang to keep an eye on Li Che's family?"
"What's the reason?"
As a strong contender for the next head of the Qin family, Qin Haonan is very familiar with various forces.
He had already had someone investigate the details of the Black Snake Gang. It turned out that the leading force was not the Black Dragon Gang, which sounded quite similar in name, but the Fisherman Gang.
The Fishing Gang is adjacent to the Jiulong River. Most of the aquatic products are inseparable from the Fishing Gang, and its influence is the largest among the three major gangs.
但是，他没弄清楚渔帮派黑蛇帮盯着李澈一家的具体理由。
忽然。
秦浩南眼底闪过一抹精光。
似是想到了什么……
酒盏微微晃出了酒液。
……
……
夜色深沉，明月高悬。
在夜色中荡漾的春风，拂动着杨柳枝条。
镇庙司，茶室之内。
氤氲茶香下，神差石磊正在给总差张连浩回禀着情况。
“李澈今日，一如往常，白日上工，下工雕刻，傍晚归家……规律如常。”
石磊慨然道。
都说钦天监的客卿们喜欢勾栏听曲，可这李澈明显不是那般人，冰清玉洁的一批，眼里只有妻女。
张连浩诧异挑眉：“哦？半月以来俱是如此？还真是个自律，如此自律约束自身之人，若非是老实本分之辈，那便是极其可怕之辈。”
“大人，还要继续监视吗？”
石磊问道。
半个月了……每天都重复一样的日子，李澈不麻，他都快看麻了。
“再盯半个月吧，张向阳此人所说话语虽然只是一人之言，不可尽信，但去飞雷城调查的人反馈回来的消息，大多与张向阳所言差不多……”
“大抵这些时日，就能出结果了。”
“另外，盯梢李澈的那帮派势力，乃为黑蛇帮，作为渔帮势力，为何突然盯上李澈一家？”
张连浩喝着茶，眯着眼，思索了起来。
渔帮与李澈一家……
八竿子打不着。
渔帮既不是秦家的势力，也不归金裂门管，怎么看都没有出手的理由，那便是有其他势力介入了。
石磊在一旁亦是满头雾水，这半个月下来，石磊觉得李澈简直是纯种的好男人，让时不时勾栏听曲追求小资的他，自惭形秽。
努力工作，热爱家庭，不入勾栏！
在一6一9一书一吧一看无一错版本！
这不就是石磊梦想中的自己么？可惜……他终究是被社会污染了纯洁。
“好了，你下去吧，继续盯着，有任何异动报给我。”
张连浩淡淡说道。
神差石磊顿时抱拳，立刻退下。
张连浩眯起眼，抬起手，两根染血的菩提木丝，出现在他的掌中。
“这一根出现在飞雷城，死的是那曹清源的二爷曹鹤，还有一根……便是射杀秦玉卿的手段。”
“牛魔，是杀秦玉卿之人么？”
“若不是……分二人所为，难不成……是某个不为人知的势力？”
“机关术……难不成，唐氏余孽还想死灰复燃？”
张连浩忽然笑了起来。
“不管如何，这牛魔与那射杀秦玉卿之人，定然有关系。”
“寻到牛魔，自然就能寻到杀秦玉卿的凶手。”
“那能够千里拘命的可怕机关，若能为镇庙司所用……”
……
……
翌日，细雨朦胧，春天就是多雨的季节。
漫天云层好似吸饱水的海绵，老天时不时轻攥一下，就滴淌个不休。
李澈吃过早饭，监督曦曦和张雅母女练武之后，便撑伞离开了家。
他一出门，瞬间暗中盯梢的诸多势力纷纷来了精神。
秦浩南、洪勇与石磊，以及黑蛇帮的帮众，终于有了兴致，今天的李澈……好像有新的行动。
跟着李澈，却见李澈一席黑衫撑着雨伞，几番打听后，一路沐浴春雨而行，来到了“百万赌坊”。
通报之后，等待片刻，堂兄李正然满脸颓然的从赌坊中被几位彪形大汉给押了出来。
“阿澈……”李正然看到李澈，顿时羞愧了起来，胡子拉碴的他，哪里还有曾经的精神。
李澈看着李正然，面色微微一动，轻叹了口气。
“堂兄，你这……唉。”
“跟我回去吧。”
李正然木然点了点头，已然是不敢看李澈。
他攥握着拳头，对李澈情绪很是复杂，从未想过，曾经那木雕铺搬工的堂弟，竟然能成长到这般地步。
如今在家中，不管是父亲李梁，还是妻子柳春茗，十句话里有九句都是在夸耀李澈，说李澈如何如何的优秀，成为钦天监的客卿，是如何的光耀门楣。
而李正然到了府城已经这么久，却是连工作都未曾寻得。
他听着这些话语，心头不是滋味。
他也想要大富大贵一把，让家人刮目相看。
来到坊市寻找工作，遇见了一位飞雷城的老乡，便被带着来到“百万赌坊”，李正然原本是拒绝的，李梁对他的教导，他深记于心。
可老乡告诉他，想要大富大贵只能去搏一把，正常的工作……如何大富大贵？所以，李正然踏足了赌坊，他只想……试一次就脱身。
可这一试，便拔不出来了。
“走？这小子欠了我们赌坊五百两，岂是说走就能走的？”
一位有着换血修为的彪形大汉，冷笑盯着李澈。
李正然缩了缩脑袋，悲愤交加：“我不过借了五十两而已！”
“两天就滚到五百两了……没天理啊！”
“借契上写的清清楚楚，我们可有逼着你按手印啊？”
彪形大汉满脸横肉一抖。
李正然顿时哑然，被其气魄慑的不敢言语，只是眼中愈发的悲愤。
李澈叹了口气：“我来还，欠的钱我来。”
随后取了五张一百两的银票，递给了赌坊的打手。
拿钱，赎人，就是这么简单。
没有其他的波折，一切都表现的好像是李正然当真入了赌坊被做了局，骗了些钱。
可实际上，李澈胸腔之中【棋圣】道果不住震颤，那被他镇压在天地棋盘上的那缕尸咒之印，正在剧烈的颤动着，好似十分的激动。
而李澈同样在李正然的身上，感觉到了那尸咒之印。
因此，李澈也是明白，李正然的确是被波及了。
对方……冲他来的！“堂哥，没事了，回家吧……大嫂和大伯在家中等你呢。”
李澈安抚了下李正然。
李正然颓然的低下脑袋。
“这几天……我输了一百七十两银子，这是我们一家……几乎所有的积蓄了。”
李正然抓着自己的脑袋，眼睛中浮现出血丝，情绪似乎有些躁动。
“我只要赢两把，不……一把就能回本，就能赢回积蓄了！”
“堂哥，赌博害人，莫要有下次了，戒了吧。”
李澈拍了拍李正然的肩膀，神性涌动，安抚其情绪。
“过两天我带你去钦天监走一趟……看看有没有合适的工作可以介绍于你。”
李澈笑着说道，声音很温和。
李正阳闻言，躁动的情绪，才是慢慢归于平静。
春雨朦胧，倾斜如幕。
李澈带着李正然，一路朝着大伯家而去。
隐蔽的角落。
神差洪勇和石磊浮现身形，李澈安抚李正然的话语，他们都听的真切。
“李大师……真是个好人，脾气好温柔，赌徒是最让人厌恶的了，败光家财的赌徒，更是蛆一样的东西。”
“也就李大师好脾气……”
神差石磊摇了摇头。
这么好脾气，这么温柔的人，怎么会是情报中那杀人不眨眼，拧头还碎尸的穷凶极恶的牛魔呢？石磊觉得自己对李澈的揣测，都是在侮辱这位大师高尚的品格！“走吧，继续跟上。”
神差洪勇瞥了一眼，好似沦陷于李澈的石磊，撇嘴道。
……
……
李澈将李正然送回了家中。
听闻欠了赌坊五百两，大伯气的拿起旱烟杆便是抽打，李正然也不敢躲。
柳春茗在一旁垂泪，却是不知道该说些什么，只是对丈夫有些失望。
李澈安抚了几句，且说之后会带李正然去钦天监，询问有没有合适的工作后，才是让气氛缓和上一些。
“阿澈，多亏了你啊……”大伯李梁拉着李澈的手，喟然长叹。
是他李梁教子无方。
婉拒了留下吃饭的邀请，李澈以还要去钦天监上工为由告辞离去。
出了大伯家，李澈面色便冷寂了下来。
“尸神教……”
李澈眉头松开，他感受着天地棋盘镇压的那尸咒之印，以及李正然体内的尸咒之印，眼底似乎杀机滔天。
当初曹鹤所拿的那尊“意欲比尸肉观音”，便蕴含着尸咒之印，冲着他女儿来，被他所截。
如今，又来了……
李澈甚至感知到了，尸神教的目标……或许就是冲着他的女儿来。
金光府城，各大世家、各大宗派，或许都会忌惮神宗，不会对曦曦出手。
可尸神教却不会……
因为尸神教，本身就是庞然大物。
听闻大景王朝的偏远区域，尸神教更是近乎席卷占据一州之地！李澈吐出一口气，慢慢朝着钦天监的方向而去。
周围，秦家秦浩南，神差洪勇与石磊，以及百万赌坊中跟出的探子，纷纷暗自跟随，追踪着他的踪迹。
李澈一路哪里都没有去，径直朝着钦天监宝楼走去。
行至江畔，细雨打在平静的江面，泛起圈圈涟漪。
烟雨笼罩着伫立在江畔崖石之上的雕梁画栋的多拱重檐宝楼。
于诗情画意中，一席黑衣的李澈，在秦浩南，洪勇与石磊三人幽怨的目光中，踏足了钦天监宝楼之内。
秦浩南：“……”
神差洪勇撇嘴：“无趣。”
石磊赞叹：“李大师……又准时上工了，他真的好自律啊。”
……
……
The moment he set foot in the Imperial Observatory, Li Che completely activated the breath-concealing ability of the [Dragon Elephant King Kong] and grasped the divine chess piece without anyone noticing.
Flying Thunder Chess Master.
Change of shape and shadow!
In an alley outside the million-dollar gambling house, the sound of spring raindrops hitting the ground echoed.
The chess piece that Li Che had left behind suddenly transformed into his shape.
He put two fingers together and tore through the air.
Conical hat and black clothes.
There was a muffled "buzz" sound.
His body suddenly swelled up and became more and more muscular. The tendons on his back were like dragons, and they trembled like thunder. His muscles were knotted and looked like fine steel that had been forged thousands of times.
"Since you want to see me so much..."
"Then your Bull Demon Grandpa..."
"Come on!"
The five fingers, like a palm-leaf fan, slowly slid down, and the cheek was already covered with the extremely cute cow mask that had been covered in dust for some time.
The next moment, a wanton, crazy, domineering and restless emotion burst out from the body.
Li Che, wearing the mask, seemed to...liberate himself!
It's like a beast out of a cage! Bad news, I'm going to strongly recommend it. I'm going to announce the end of the new book period and start my naked career. I don't know when I can recommend it. Please keep reading it. Reading it is related to the PK of recommendation. Lao Li needs your support! Please vote for me and read it. Lao Li thanks you!
(End of this chapter)