Chapter 400 Also Eats the Incense and Sacrifice of Humanity
After talking to himself for a long time, he finished.
Ouyang Rong bid farewell to Xiuzhen and turned over the well in the Pure Land Palace.
For some reason, a mysterious feeling was swirling within me.
He glanced down and saw the sword box in his arms trembling slightly, as if a certain sword was about to be drawn.
Just because the little guy was considered to have "come home" and couldn't wait to come out and play, Ouyang Rong didn't interfere for the time being. Just like raising a cat, you can't spoil it.
Hurry up and prepare to go to the main hall where the Buddhist ceremony is being held.
However, there's one more thing to do before we get there.
Not long after Ouyang Rong left the Beitian Nursing Home, he quietly turned into a newly built hall.
This is the very hall where the Buddha's body was originally hidden during the sutra copying ceremony. However, it was destroyed in the battle between Ouyang Rong and Qiu Shenji and has since been renovated.
The Buddhist hall is brand new, and the Buddha statue has been recast; it is not yet open to the public.
Ouyang Rong walked into the main hall as if no one else was there. Following the information in the secret letter, he found a clean, dust-free bundle in the dim corner behind the Buddha statue.
Unlike the other objects in the dusty hall, it looked as if it had been newly placed there.
Ouyang Rong showed no surprise as he opened the bundle.
Four things.
A royal blue scholar's robe, a bulging sheepskin water bag, a travel pass containing a boat ticket and other identification documents, and a small purse.
He picked up the small purse, tossed it around to weigh it, and then opened it to take a look.
She raised her eyebrows slightly.
Ten taels of loose silver, a bit dirty.
However, these are "clean" silver coins that are randomly exchanged at different times and locations in the bustling streets of Tanlangdu today.
Zheyiqu Tanlangdu is a bustling area with a large flow of people, merchants, and frequent transactions.
The silver went through a hundred hands in a single day.
It reeks of money, and its personal character is hard to trace.
This is just as "clean" as an identity pass and a ticket for a passenger ship that will be checked and boarded at the designated time tomorrow morning.
Even if it later fell into the hands of some female officials of the Imperial Observatory, it would be difficult to trace... We still need to pay attention to the details.
Ouyang Rong nodded.
Inside the silent hall, he quietly changed into a royal blue scholar's robe.
He carefully tucked the small purse, his new identity document, and the boat ticket into his sleeve.
Ouyang Rong was impressed by Uncle Yan's meticulous thinking.
The current county magistrate of Longcheng is Yan Liulang's father. He was a veteran constable and a renowned detective in the surrounding counties. During Ouyang Rong's tenure in Longcheng, he was recuperating at home, and Yan Liulang acted as the county magistrate.
Ouyang Rong did not ask what illness Uncle Yan was suffering from at the time.
However, considering the powerful local Liu family at the time, when Ouyang Rong, as the newly appointed county magistrate, first took office as a hot-headed young man, he may have given this experienced old county lieutenant a bad feeling, and he may have vaguely sensed something was amiss.
After Ouyang Rong "accidentally" fell into the water and lost consciousness, the old county magistrate kept asking for sick leave, only letting his only son, Yan Liulang, take over his duties.
The original intention was probably that since Liu Lang was unfamiliar with the affairs and was only temporarily holding a position, the family should try not to get involved in the "scholar fighting against the tyrant" battle.
As for whether the old county magistrate anticipated that the hotheaded Yan Liulang would be subtly influenced by Ouyang Rong's style, not only performing his duties diligently but also leading the charge, thus offending the Liu family even more deeply... these questions remain unanswered.
Yan Liulang probably didn't know his father's cunning thoughts back then, and even though Ouyang Rong did see through them, he didn't expose them.
After all, he has no right to demand that others follow him to the death. To some extent, remaining neutral and observing is already a favor to him, who is unfamiliar with the place and the people.
However, the subsequent outcome clearly proved that Yan Liulang had not followed the wrong person.
Not only did he follow Ouyang Rong to his new post and get promoted to the position of Judicial Advisor of Jiangzhou, making him his father's superior, but he also had the good fortune to meet Li Fusu, the heir of the Prince of Xunyang and the current Prefect of Jiangzhou.
My eldest son, ignoring all opposition, went all in on gambling and, as luck would have it, made a fortune.
The old county magistrate must be tired of seeing it.
Before and after the incident in Longcheng, the old county magistrate silently assisted, doing his best to wrap things up, fill in the gaps, and deal with those difficult female officials. Perhaps he also felt guilty and wanted to make amends for his misjudgment.
Ouyang Rong and the old county magistrate understood each other implicitly, while Yan Liulang was quite happy. After all, his father's help meant that he approved of the cause he wanted to do with the magistrate, and in his father's eyes, he was no longer the idle and reckless young man he used to be.
There was actually a small note inside the bundle, which was not part of the original plan.
Ouyang Rong lit a solitary lamp, took a closer look, read it, and then burned it.
The paper contained detailed information about Li Li and his group at the Mahavira Hall, including their personnel and a brief mention of the Jiangzhou female official's investigation.
Although Ouyang Rong already knew all about these things, it was still appropriate to confirm them again, and he silently accepted the favor.
The next instant.
The light in front of Ouyang Rong went out.
He placed the slightly trembling, zither-shaped sword case on the table.
He took out a pill box from his bosom and poured a round, dark green pill into his palm.
Ouyang Rong picked up the sheepskin water bag on the table, opened it, and prepared to tilt his head back and drink it.
This is the last step before reaching the main hall.
Previously, it was calculated that the surging spiritual energy provided by a top-grade Qi-replenishing pill, "Ink Dragon," would be enough to break through the protective true qi of four sixth-grade Qi cultivators and kill them, under proper arrangements. Moreover, tonight we only killed one sixth-grade Qi cultivator and three seventh-grade Qi cultivators; the rest was just a bonus.
However, you need to be careful about how you lay the sword.
The spiritual energy provided by the Qi-replenishing pills was more than enough, so Ouyang Rong didn't feel it was a waste. It was better to be cautious, in case the setup failed, at least he would have to save some spiritual energy to escape.
Otherwise, without using Qi-replenishing pills and the hidden merit purple mist, Ouyang Rong's spiritual energy reserves as an eighth-grade swordsman would only be enough to kill a sixth-grade Qi cultivator.
Moreover, after breaking through the opponent's protective spiritual energy, they can cut through melons and vegetables without leaving any spiritual energy to escape.
He was right when he casually boasted to his junior sister that he could take them all down with one sword strike, but after that powerful strike, he had to give up. Hilarious.
Clear your mind of distractions.
Ouyang Rong tilted his head back, took a sip of water, and was about to swallow the elixir.
Suddenly, he stopped moving.
He frowned as he looked at the zither case, then turned to look at the Buddhist halls on either side.
The main hall was quiet and deserted. The mysterious feeling I had just experienced when leaving the underground palace was amplified by the tranquil environment.
The violin case on the table trembled slightly.
"What's wrong with you again..." I asked helplessly.
In the spacious hall, before the benevolent Buddha statue, a young man in a scholar's robe hesitated for a moment.
He lowered his hand that was holding Dan.
He tried to open the sword case.
In an instant, an arc slid out from the gap in the sword case and flew into the sky.
The clear blue light shone on Ouyang Rong's face for a moment.
Looking up, one could see a blue arc suspended above the hall, rapidly spinning and creating a vortex that stirred the incense smoke inside.
At the same time, accompanied by a series of inexplicable tremors, clear blue sword energy burst forth, its light spreading throughout the hall.
Using the sword master's mental senses, Ouyang Rong frowned, somewhat surprised.
He wasn't surprised by the little guy's excitement.
Instead, it was astonished... that it was devouring the vast amount of incense smoke that Dagushan had accumulated over the past century!
Like a whale swallowing the sea.
...
The main hall and the rear hall.
Li Li and his group, who hadn't even offered incense before entering the rear hall where the corpses were kept, all had different expressions.
The faint chanting of sutras by monks such as Shandao could be heard from the main hall ahead.
However, few people in the hall paid attention; their attention was entirely focused on the Persian merchant's low-pitched narration.
"It's actually a brand new Ding Sword!"
The frivolous Taoist was quite surprised: "Doesn't this mean that a new sword technique has been born, and the swordsman's meridians will be elevated by one rank?"
Li Li nodded with a stern face and looked around at everyone in the hall.
There are some details that were inconvenient to disclose while on the road, but now that we've arrived, I must reveal some to warn everyone.
The young Taoist priest toned down his somewhat frivolous expression.
For the top Qi cultivators on the mountain, the importance of a new sword manual is sometimes no less than that of a mythical cauldron sword.
Because the new sword technique truly raises the bar, established forces value a well-ordered lineage, thus having ample time to collect the technique and patiently wait.
As for individuals, specifically wild sword wielders, time is limited, so the most important thing is the sword itself. Sword techniques and such can be pieced together from various sources, and there's no guarantee of collecting them all. New or old sword techniques don't matter, as long as they can help with breaking through to higher ranks.
The frivolous Taoist priest's novel approach:
"I thought it was an old, legendary sword, but it turns out it's new. There are also sword techniques and sword magic that haven't been revealed yet. No wonder your Wei clan didn't dare to search for it openly. When you told us that there was a sword wielder to deal with, you were all stammering."
At this point, he couldn't help but ask curiously:
"How did such a divine artifact fall into enemy hands? Wasn't it previously in the hands of that so-called sixth young master of the Prince's Mansion?"
Li Li was in a terrible mood and said bitterly:
"The Sixth Young Master from before was a fake! Now it seems that the Sixth Young Master has probably already met with misfortune, as has Mr. Qiu. Although we don't know how the other party did it, it is probably related to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion and Ouyang Lianghan!"
"As for his ability to impersonate the Sixth Young Master, I have seen one. It was the overseas magic of a sorcerer who was once a retainer of the Liu family in Longcheng County. This person later fell into the hands of Ouyang Lianghan and the county government. They may have obtained this method and used it to fool us."
"The news has already reached the Prince's residence. Once the Prince of Wei finds out about the Sixth Prince's murder, I'll be in deep trouble and will have to pay with my head."
"Now that we have committed a serious crime, we are going to die anyway, so we might as well take a gamble, find the murderer, and take back the Ding Sword to atone for our crimes. That is why I brought you all here at such a risk."
"How can Boss Li be sure someone is lying in wait?"
Li Li squinted:
“It’s simple. If you dare to kill someone with a cauldron sword, and the body has been sitting for so long without being dealt with, what are you waiting for us to come for? Ouyang Lianghan can’t be that stupid.”
The frivolous Taoist priest shook his head and pointed at Zhao Rushi's corpse:
"Not necessarily. There was no sword energy left on the corpse. This cauldron sword is not simple. If you hadn't said it was the cauldron sword that killed him, none of us would have noticed. I guess even the old bald monk couldn't tell. Hey, don't you think so?"
The ascetic with the secret seal looked desolate as he stared at the corpse.
The frivolous Taoist priest said, "So this person doesn't seem afraid of being exposed when using the cauldron sword to kill someone."
Li Li shook her head:
"But I can tell! The most likely candidate to kill someone in broad daylight and disappear without a trace is the Mythical Flying Sword. Flying on a sword is the privilege of the Mythical Flying Sword. The higher the cultivation level, the more spiritual energy there is and the wider the range, even to the point of taking someone's head from a thousand miles away... Otherwise, how could a normal sword cultivator let go of his sword and take someone's head in the middle of the city?"
"It's normal that no one noticed, after all, it's a mythical item. Even if the Lady Caishang were investigating the case, she probably wouldn't have thought of it at first glance. But I know that the Xunyang Prince's Mansion has the Dingjian, so this matter is quite obvious. Ouyang Lianghan probably also knows that I know."
"Perhaps the other party knew I would be suspicious and come to investigate, and wanted to set a trap!"
"Otherwise, according to the arrangement, Longcheng County is controlled by the people of Xunyang Prince's Mansion, so it's impossible that this was overlooked. Therefore, there is only this one possibility. In any case, this corpse that was beheaded by Dingjian is always a loophole. Even if there is no sword energy left, it is still a clue."
"Even if I'm overthinking it, it doesn't matter. I can just take the body and leave. I'll wait tonight."
The ascetic with secret seals spoke without opening his eyes:
“Amitabha. I saw that Sixth Young Master from afar. When he left, I observed the aura he exuded when using spiritual energy. At that time, it should have been a light blue ninth grade.”
The flippant Taoist nodded, somewhat excited:
"How dare a mere ninth-rank swordsman act so arrogantly? And even if he were to become an eighth-rank or even a seventh-rank swordsman, so what? We've been warned and are on guard. Let's see how he still manages to wield his sword and kill people. It's truly like a child holding gold in front of others."
"I'd like to see what tricks a low-ranking swordsman can pull."
Li Li nodded and earnestly gave the instructions:
"That's right. Be careful of his tricks. If my previous guess was correct, the sword technique that this person used to kill the Sixth Young Master and steal the sword technique is the 'Return to the Countryside' by Han Shi. The Prince's Mansion has a record of the process of setting up the sword with this supernatural power. If there is any abnormality later, leave the range of the sword setting."
"It needs to be suspended above the enemy's head, with the sword light covering it, before the enemy can be beheaded."
"When I was in Dragon City, I saw the fake Sixth Young Master displaying the Ding Sword. The craftsmanship was very clear, and I have already commissioned an artist to draw it. Take a look, remember this sword, and remember to look at the top of your head often when you bring it back."
"Craftsmanship? That's an interesting name." The flippant Taoist nodded, his face full of interest: "Why is it an 'arc'? What does it look like?"
"Actually, there is also the Longevity Elixir Sword Technique. I'm not sure if what he said about the Yunmengze Sword Technique when he was impersonating the Sixth Young Master was a lie, or if it was half true and half false."
"But if, as the master said, you were only at the ninth rank back then, then it seems you haven't learned the new sword technique yet. That's good news."
"good!"
The Xianbei man suddenly asked, "What if the enemy comes with more than just one swordsman, and has a backup plan? For example, some sword protectors?"
"Not to mention that the Xunyang Prince's Mansion has just been restored, what kind of sword protectors could they possibly have? Even if they were asked to win over prominent sects, they wouldn't dare. If the matter of the new Ding Sword were exposed, not to mention the various factions vying for it, at the very least, the current emperor would demand that Li Xian hand it over, and might even be dissatisfied with his previous harboring of it."
"Offering tribute voluntarily and being forced to offer tribute are completely different things. Since the Prince of Xunyang chose to conceal the new Ding Sword, it means he had ulterior motives!"
The frivolous Taoist priest Long Xiu asked curiously, "So why didn't the Prince of Xunyang offer the cauldron and sword as tribute to please the emperor? He might have been able to return directly to the capital and obtain the throne."
"Who knows? After all, there are many greedy people. After all, it is the Dingjian Sword. Who would be willing to let go? This matter is a case of one wrong step leading to another. We can only keep it a secret. Perhaps, if we can't get the Dingjian Sword tonight, as a last resort, we can bring Zhao Rushi's body back and hand it over to the Imperial Observatory to warn the Prince of Xunyang's Mansion that it is harboring the new Dingjian Sword. His Majesty will definitely be displeased."
Li Li sneered: "As for tonight, so what if he has a backup plan? Don't we have one too?"
Apart from the ascetic who chants sutras with his eyes closed.
The frivolous Taoist priest and the Xianbei man couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment.
(End of this chapter)
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