Guards A and B were shocked when they heard this: "Are you from Tianshu Tower? You've been working in the government office for such a long time, how come you don't know anything?"
Guard C shook his head helplessly and said, "It can't be helped. I'm mainly responsible for guarding the back door. You all know that back door is a place of trouble, to put it bluntly, there's not even time to slack off. I can only come here to chat with you during my shift change."
The two of them seemed to agree. When they were in charge of guarding the back door, they felt not only bored, but also unable to slack off. "Yeah, we told you, don't tell anyone else we said that!"
Guard C patted his chest and assured, "Go ahead and tell me. I'm the most strict person, so you can rest assured!"
Guard A looked around and saw no suspicious people nearby. As most people were now paying attention to the inner courtyard, he became bolder and whispered, "Everyone says that Lord Xiahou is actually the Pavilion Master's illegitimate son!"
Guard C said that what everyone said wasn't necessarily true. They often say that a rumor can be spread by three people, and that only the wise can stop it. He felt that he could be that wise man today: "This can't be a rumor, right? If the Pavilion Master knew about it, what would happen?"
"Don't worry, how many people could know about this? Besides, the Pavilion Master wouldn't care what we little minions say." That being said, there were so many minions in Tianshu Tower, and if one person told another, someone would definitely leak the rumor. Regardless of whether it was true or not, if Xiahou Qing heard it, he'd probably have to find a few people to make an example of. If one person was unlucky, the chicken to be slaughtered would probably fall on their head.
Thinking of this, Guard C whispered a reminder, "I think we should be more careful. Were we the only ones who knew about the gambling game last time? As soon as the Pavilion Master came back, he had the people who set up the gambling game arrested. I think we should just talk less and do more."
The other two people suddenly realized what Guard C said. Normally, they'd chat and laugh with others in private, but there were some things they couldn't say lightly. "...You do have a point."
These two guards were also smart, otherwise they wouldn't have had the opportunity to do these seemingly leisurely but important tasks. Previously, they were overwhelmed by the loss of money and the gossip of others. Now that they think about it, some gossip really shouldn't be discussed too much: "After all, this is the Pavilion Master's private matter, and we, the minions, have no right to interfere. Well, I'm going to the restroom, you take a look first. Didn't you just say you wanted to hand over your shift and take a break? Come on, come on?"
Guard C smiled and said, "Great, great, it's just on our way!"
After Xiahou Qing returned, the first thing he did was to punish Xiahou Chun and warn him. The second thing he did was to expose the gambling game. After hearing the rumors spread by someone unknown, he immediately sent people to investigate. After dealing with all matters related to Xiahou Chun, he focused his work on the Shengxi Gu.
After arriving at Huangfu Zhong's residence, Xiahou Qing carefully examined the Gu worm in the bronze tripod. Superficially, aside from its slightly larger size compared to when he left, he couldn't see anything amiss. However, he had previously warned Xiahou Chun that the Huangfu family, after all, had grown up together in the mountains, and some things were ingrained in their minds; Huangfu Zhong couldn't be trusted.
As an outsider, Xiahou Qing knew he couldn't tell if the Gu worm was real or fake, and finding another member of the Huangfu family to help was essentially impossible. However, those skilled in Gu techniques weren't limited to his own family.
There are countless people in the world who are driven by profit, and it is not impossible to find someone who understands Gu worms among them. As the old saying goes, money makes the world go round. If you give the money, you will find the person you are looking for.
Xiahou Qing then asked, "Is the funeral shop in the city still open?"
The secret guard replied, "The shops nearby are closed, but the funeral supplies shop is still open. Pavilion Master, are you suggesting we seek help from the black market?"
Xiahou Qing chuckled softly, then picked up the hot tea and sipped it leisurely as he said, "Let's not talk about whether to help or not. The black market sold a lot of good things to my Tianshu Tower before. Now we seal off the city without saying anything, which means we're cutting off their source of income. For these businessmen, cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents. They should show some appreciation no matter what. I guess after Xiahou Chun sealed off the city gates, he found that his people were suddenly a little difficult to control."
"The Pavilion Master is wise."
Xiahou Qing's meaning was very clear. Although Xiahou Jun knew where the black market people in Qinghe County opened shops and did business, and did not cause trouble for them after the city was closed, their business was still affected. If they did not make trouble for Xiahou Chun in secret, he would really suspect that the black market had been bought by someone.
Xiahou Qing then ordered, "The black market has always been neutral. As long as there's money, they don't care about morality. Compared to those hypocritical people in the underworld who always talk about morality, I prefer dealing with these single-minded businessmen. I'll have someone find some decent items from the warehouse and pack them into a box. Then go get five hundred taels of gold. I'll write a letter, and you deliver it personally to the funeral shop."
"yes!"
Although the black market was secretly assisting Huangfu Ning and his group under Hua Wuxin's instructions, they were essentially just doing things for money, just like before. As long as they were paid, they would do it. However, businessmen, in order to maintain their business, naturally found ways to conceal things that needed to be concealed. Since Xiahou Qing wanted to find someone proficient in Gu Shu outside of the Huangfu family, and the reward had been paid in advance, the black market would naturally find the person as requested.
As soon as Xiahou Qing's men left, the three young men from the Huangfu family who were helping with carpentry in the backyard put down their work and became frightened.
As the eldest brother, Huangfu Chongjun had always been the most stable of the three brothers, but now he was sweating profusely with anxiety. He had never witnessed the terrifying power of Tianshu Tower, but he had heard a little about their methods while gathering information in Qinghe County.
Huangfu Chongjun was worried that if he fell into their hands, he would not be able to endure the horrific tortures like the legendary characters in the storybooks, and would tell them everything he knew, becoming a disloyal and unjust person.
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