Chapter 35 Guangqing Jade
Wen Yao was silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out and poked Zhao Xuanxu: "Does this case of the King of Hell poking the blue seal have to be explained?"
"The Xu family plundered the people's land and treated the innocent people like livestock. They kept evil servants and oppressed the tenants at will." She looked at Zhao Xuanxu and said sincerely, "Whether they were masters or servants, they all deserved to die. In my humble opinion, if the eleven people killed were all of this kind, there's no need to investigate. They died well."
Zhao Xuanxu's shoulders trembled twice, his fingers curled into fists and pressed against his lips, trying hard to suppress a smile: "Ayao, I thought you would say that even if the Xu family is guilty, they cannot be lynched, and must be dealt with according to the iron law."
"Killing someone means paying with your life. That's the ironclad law. Those people forced the living into death, turning them into livestock. It's no different from murder." Wen Yao bent one leg and placed it on the stone bench in front of him, leaning forward slightly. His black hair, intertwined with red threads, cascaded down his shoulder. His tone was slightly sarcastic: "Not to mention that they did report it to the police, and then what happened? They died and were buried in the ground."
"I can't get justice through legal means, and I'm not allowed to seek it privately. If I keep this anger bottled up inside, I'll choke to death... There's a saying that heroes break the law with force. You say I'm the best in the world, so how can I be a person of rules?"
"Ayao is absolutely right." Zhao Xuanxu smiled, his eyes full of affection and clarity. He rested his hands on another stone bench, his cool hair falling across his chest. "What if Xiaodao knew the tenant, and he was the one pretending to be Yama and killing someone, and you're just going to ignore it?"
"That won't work." Wen Yao sighed deeply. "Things have come to this. Even if we kill Xu Fenghe, it won't help the tenants of the Xu family. Eleven lives aren't enough. Killing them here is enough. As for the Xu family, once their deeds are exposed, the King of Qin won't miss this opportunity to target the Xu family and strike at the King of Yong, even without us having to do anything."
She still had some thoughts in her mind. Xiaodao being "Yanluo" was just a guess she had made, and intuition couldn't be used as evidence. To prove that such a coincidence really existed in the world, Wen Yao had to find a way to test Xiaodao's skills.
Although we don't know what kind of hidden weapon the murderer used to kill the person, to be able to smash the skull without damaging the skin, the internal strength must be extremely subtle.
So three days later, Xiaodao returned to Yanling in a tight outfit, exhausted, and hurried to pick up Ayin, but found his sister in Wen Yao's arms, holding her buttocks at his mother-in-law's house at the entrance of the alley.
Wen Yao smiled at him, put Ayin, whose face was covered with candy crumbs, aside, and waved at him with her hand.
Xiaodao hummed a sigh, then trotted forward with the small package on his back: "Is my sister-in-law here too?"
"Yeah." Wen Yao said with a smile: "Xiaodao, fight with me."
Xiaodao's expression changed from joy to confusion: "Huh?"
"I've been living in peace for so long that my bones are getting soft. I want to find someone to spar with." Wen Yao stood up and stretched out his hand towards the outside of the alley: "Brother Xiaodao, if you don't mind, please come this way."
As someone who was also in the underworld, it was understandable that when they felt like fighting, they would want to find someone to spar with. Although Wen Yao's invitation was sudden, he didn't think much about it. He put down his bag and went out with Wen Yao without even taking a sip of water.
Their alley was narrow, with only a few households, and no one was outside at this time. Xiaodao stood opposite Wen Yao, scratching his head. Seeing that Wen Yao didn't have any sword in his hand, he also took off his knife and put it aside.
"No need to remove the blade." Wen Yao stood with his hands behind his back, his voice slightly amused. "Just go all out. If you're not defeated within fifty moves, I lose."
What an arrogant tone.
Xiao Dao was stunned, but he didn't feel any anger at being looked down upon. He held his knife tightly in his hand, nodded solemnly, and said seriously: "Okay, then I will ask my sister-in-law to teach me today!"
As the name suggests, Xiaodao is good at using a knife. His moves are flexible and varied, and his power is clean and neat.
The two men fought in a quiet and deserted alley, and in just three breaths, dust was already flying.
The tip of the knife stabbed at her face, and Wen Yao's eyes were illuminated by the cold blade. She remained calm, turned her waist lightly and took a half step to the side, and pressed her right hand into the blade as if it were a sword, releasing her internal energy.
The powerful internal force was poured into the fine iron, and the knife's blade suddenly became chaotic, making a buzzing sound. It lost control in an instant, leaving a long and narrow scratch on the ground.
The moves were barely standard, but the internal energy was insufficient, and the accuracy wasn't particularly good. It seemed unlikely that the blow would shatter the skull without injuring the skin. Could it be that he was so cautious that he was even pretending at this moment?
The Xingyi Sword Master had many thoughts in his mind. When Xiaodao was panting and gritting his teeth and was about to swing his sword, he turned over and stepped firmly on the tip of his sword. He raised his leg and kicked the sword away from under his feet, and raised his palm without hesitation to strike Xiaodao.
Xiaodao's forehead was covered with sweat due to the fierce attack that happened in a split second. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and raise his hand to meet the palm strike.
When the two palms met, he felt as if he had touched the force of Mount Tai. He could not control his entire body and flew backwards, rolling on the ground in a panic for several times.
Wen Yao landed lightly on the ground, twisting her hands at her sides. She had just used 50% strength to test whether the knife had any hidden power, but the result was no, this person was really just that level.
I guessed wrong, it has nothing to do with the knife.
Wen Yao breathed a sigh of relief. Come to think of it, Yanling was so big, how could she just rent a random yard and run into the person she was looking for?
"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law." The young man slumped on the ground, shaking his head. Although a little embarrassed, his eyes were bright and his face was full of amazement. "Your skills are definitely not ordinary. Are you famous in the northwest?"
After a satisfying fight, even though he was always on the receiving end, he felt that he had gained a lot.
Wen Yao walked over with a smile, grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up: "I've retired. My past reputation doesn't matter anymore."
Xiaodao agreed deeply, baring his big white teeth and grinning foolishly: "Yes, yes, sister-in-law is right."
A round head popped out from the corner of the alley. Ayin was dragging a bag in his hand and looking over here carefully.
Wen Yao patted Xiaodao on the back and said, "Okay, it's getting late. Take Ayin home. She's been missing you for a few days."
Xiaodao also noticed Ayin, and ran happily towards his sister. Suddenly, he stopped and picked up Ayin, spinning her around. The little girl laughed and her eyes narrowed into two curved slits.
Xiaodao squatted down and unpacked the bundle, eagerly claiming the credit: "Brother brought you something rare. Come, take a look at this. This is called the Nine Linked Rings..."
The bag was not big to begin with, and most of it was filled with new and interesting things specially brought to Ayin.
Wen Yao stood aside, arms folded, watching, unable to help but laugh, and walked forward to look at the exquisite toys in the bundle. Just as he was about to speak, his eyes suddenly fell on a strange-looking paper package in the corner of the bundle.
The edge of the paper package loosened a little due to shaking, and grayish-white crystalline powder fell into the gap. Strands of strange bitterness overflowed and lingered in Wen Yao's nose.
This thing looks and smells very familiar.
Wen Yao adapted to everything in Tianshui, except for the bitter summer heat. Lacking air conditioning or a fan, she often bought saltpeter and made ice cubes to cool down. Saltpeter can be used to make firearms, and while the Tianshui Dynasty did not prohibit the private sale of saltpeter, it did prohibit its sale to foreign countries at border markets. Liuye City was close to the border, surrounded by desert. Besides the summer heat, saltpeter was more expensive than inland, and purchasing it was a hassle. Wen Yao had to visit several pharmacies to ensure they kept enough saltpeter for her daily supply.
The beginning of winter is just a few days away, so there's obviously no need for ice to keep cool.
Wen Yao raised an eyebrow, picked up the package and weighed it in his hand, finding it quite large. "Is this saltpeter? Is Brother Xiaodao sick?"
Xiaodao squatted on the ground and looked at the package in Wen Yao's hand. After a pause, he nodded: "Yes, I feel a little uncomfortable."
"Oh." Wen Yao suddenly felt pity and thought that it was not easy for you either.
Saltpeter is generally used in Tianshui Pharmacy to treat hemorrhoids. He was in such a difficult situation down there, but he still had to ride a horse to escort the escort, and she even suspected him of being a murderer.
Wen Yao's heart moved, and his eyes became more gentle as he looked at Xiaodao.
Perhaps because his hidden illness had been exposed, Xiaodao, who had always been cheerful and generous, looked a little uncomfortable. He lowered his head to avoid Wen Yao's gaze: "Then, then sister-in-law, I will take Ayin back first."
Ayin's chubby face was red, and he was happily eating the toys that his brother brought back from thousands of miles away, and was carried on Xiaodao's shoulder.
Xiaodao patted the little girl's leg: "It's time to start running, hold on tight!"
Ayin kicked her legs happily and patted Xiaodao on the head: "Okay! Goodbye, Sister Zhao!"
Wen Yao smiled as he watched the big and small trot home.
"Oh my." A tall, thin figure slowly emerged from the alleyway. It was Wu Peiming. He walked over to Wen Yao with his hands tucked into his sleeves, sighing, "Not quite like him. Not quite like the man who killed eleven people in a row."
Wen Yao clapped his hands and looked at him: "What are you doing here?"
"Come to see the master." Wu Peiming chuckled, his smile full of gloating: "New news, Prince Yong can no longer sit in Bianliang City."
Gao Shaoshan was going to put on a show at the county magistrate's office, and Wu Peiming, a small official from Jiutai, followed behind him and was not very conspicuous, so he often came to deliver messages, especially during meal times.
Zhao Xuanxu looked uncertain, but Wu Peiming was calm and composed. He took out the bowls and chopsticks and placed them on the table.
Look at this table of food! It was made by His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan himself! The Emperor had never tasted it before, but he got to taste it thanks to Commander Wen. If this were to get out, who in the Three Departments and Twelve Guards would dare to believe it? He'd brag about it for the rest of his life back in Bianliang!
Zhao Xuanxu rolled up his sleeves and served chicken soup to Wen Yao. After sitting down, he glanced at Wu Peiming. The latter's smug look suddenly disappeared. He put down the chicken leg in his hand, got down from the table and knelt at Zhao Xuanxu's feet.
"The person sent by Prince Yong is Guang Qingyu." Wu Peiming lowered his head. "She entered the city gate an incense stick ago. Now Xu Fenghe and the county magistrate have gone to see her."
Zhao Xuanxu lowered his eyes and didn't react much.
"This woman is not easy to mess with. If she sees the substitute, she might know you are not at the county magistrate's office. General Gao asked me to ask you, if Guang Qingyu asks to see you, will you meet her or not?"
"No." Zhao Xuanxu was irritated, his dark eyebrows furrowed. He was extremely disgusted with these people who disturbed his and A Yao's good time. He said gloomily, "If you don't know what's good for you, I'll kill you."
"Hey, wait a minute." Wen Yao slapped Zhao Xuanxu's hand with his chopsticks. "Which general beside Prince Yong is this?"
"Ayao has seen it." Zhao Xuanxu's expression softened a little, and he said softly, "During the last ten-year alliance meeting at Cunying Mountain, she followed behind Prince Yong."
Following King Yong on Cun Yingshan were only Zhongli He and a veiled girl.
Wen Yao raised an eyebrow: "That girl?"
"That genius." Wu Peiming sat back on the stool and began to gnaw on a chicken leg. "The world is unfair to women. Although the control over women in Tianshui is quite loose compared to the previous dynasty, the only woman who can be ranked as the head of the many staff members in Prince Yong's palace and is known as the "double counselor" together with General Zhongli is Guang Qingyu."
That sounds amazing.
Wen Yao smiled and said, "Such a person should be the right-hand man of Prince Yong. Prince Yong sent her to Yanling. It seems that he still has not given up and wants to negotiate terms again."
She was not surprised that Prince Yong would do this.
Wen Yao had met Prince Yong only a few times, just twice. Unlike the arrogant and assertive Prince Qin, Prince Yong possessed a gentle and kind disposition, with a small mole between his eyebrows, giving him the demeanor of a bodhisattva. But how many powerful individuals in this world truly value the lives of their subordinates? Even when they reprimanded the Xu family for their actions, it was more because exposure would affect Prince Yong's faction's standing within the government, not because their father-in-law's incompetent son had seized a few acres of the common people's land.
Zhao Xuanxu didn't even blink: "No need to talk, I'm going to deal with the Xu family."
...Well said, although I guess you are not protecting the interests of the people out of a sense of justice.
Wen Yao bit his chopsticks, propping up his face as he looked at Zhao Xuanxu, suddenly curious. Since he hadn't given Prince Yong face and was also at odds with Prince Qin, wasn't he afraid that one of them would ascend to the throne and then take over the throne?
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