novelraw Chapter 157 Zhenwu's Secret Conspiracy, the Western Depot
Chapter 157 Zhenwu's Secret Conspiracy, the Western Depot
Chapter 157 Zhenwu's Secret Conspiracy, the Western Depot's Commander
In a small house in the south of Tianyong City.
A peddler carrying a load glanced around to make sure no one was following him before knocking on the door.
A deep voice came from inside the door:
"Who?"
"Hey vendor, I have some good stuff here. Why don't you open the door and take a look?" The peddler grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, as if he were conducting some shady business.
"What?"
"These bonito flakes were just picked from the mountains, they're incredibly fresh. We also have deer hide and antlers, want some?"
oops.
The door opened.
Without wasting any time, the peddler slipped inside and closed the door behind him.
Swelling.
After closing the door, the peddler put down his load and looked inside.
There were four other people in the room besides him.
A tall, strong man, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, stood straight, exuding a heroic and valiant air.
A hunchbacked, old beggar, his face deeply lined with wrinkles, held a broken bowl in his hands, muttering something under his breath. The copper coins in the bowl swayed with the movement of his hands.
The remaining two were young masters dressed in brocade robes and fine clothes. One was dressed as a scholar, holding a book, while the other looked like a playboy, holding a folding fan.
Seeing that the peddler had locked the door, the man in the tight-fitting clothes said calmly, "Everyone's here, let's begin."
"You must already know about the annihilation of the Zhao family."
The elegantly dressed man snapped his folding fan shut, tapping the fan ribs on the table, and said with displeasure:
"It's all that damned Styx Daoist's fault, and Su Youli from Kushan on Hidden Sword Peak. If they hadn't meddled, our efforts over many days wouldn't have been in vain."
"The bitter fruit has already been brewed; complaining is useless."
The scholar in the blue robe turned a page of his book, his tone calm, "The most urgent task is to figure out how to remedy the situation and to find out whether the Zhao family has leaked any secrets."
"Impossible," Qi Gong, who had been shaking the broken bowl in his hand, suddenly looked up and said firmly:
"My Zhao family has a hereditary imperial stipend, and there is absolutely no way we would voluntarily reveal the secret. Besides, if the secret were to be leaked, the traitors of Hidden Sword Peak would have already begun a city-wide search."
That makes perfect sense.
The man in the tight-fitting clothes nodded, looked at the peddler who was the last to enter, and asked, "What do you think?"
"I'll just stand here and watch," the peddler said casually, grabbing a handful of blue bonito flakes and stuffing them directly into his mouth, unafraid of their toxins, chuckling as he spoke.
"On the bright side, at least we haven't been exposed yet. We did lose a batch of Zhenwuwei military equipment, but we can start all over again."
"To eat the emperor's food and serve him faithfully is to fail if one does nothing to achieve anything." The scholar shook his head, disagreeing with his words.
Qi Gong added, "Our orders are to disrupt the Five Sects' Grand Competition and test the Five Sects. If we don't have the right tools like the Zeshan Bandits, we might as well do it ourselves; the worst that can happen is that we'll lose our lives."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
It wasn't that they were disloyal, but rather that they didn't believe they could cause much interference to the competition under the watchful eyes of the numerous Divine Realm experts from the five sects.
Moreover, it is said that the Five Sects Grand Competition may attract the attention of Grandmasters.
Grandmasters are beings that can be considered terrestrial immortals; they can kill countless people in the blink of an eye.
Only a fanatic like Qi Gong could say something like that without batting an eye.
The man in the tight-fitting clothes sighed.
Since Zeshan Dao went missing, things have gradually slipped out of their control.
Dazeshan was occupied by a group of refugees. After they replaced the mountain bandits, they attracted other groups of refugees and continued to grow stronger.
What is puzzling is that those migrants who could barely support themselves had the ability to support the rest of the migrants.
To uncover the truth, he once sent people deep into Dazeshan to try to gather intelligence.
However, the spies sent out not only failed to gather any intelligence, but almost never returned.
The area around Zeshan Village was surrounded by four strange auras, refusing entry to anyone with ill intentions.
The only way in was guarded by the group of refugees.
If they try to force their way through, they will not only have to face the group of refugees equipped with Zhenwu Guard troops, but also the bizarre and recurring formations.
Left with no other choice, the man in the tight-fitting clothes had to cancel the operation.
"Not long ago, our people learned from Wantong Escort Agency that the one who wiped out the Zeshan bandits was none other than the Styx Taoist. He was also the leader of that group of refugees, and the Zhao family was destroyed because of him."
The man in the tight-fitting clothes rubbed his temples, while the expressions on the faces of the people in front of him varied.
The old beggar clenched his fists, his expression grim.
The scholar and the playboy seemed lost in thought, while the peddler... the peddler was still eating raw mushrooms.
Only someone as skilled in poison techniques and exposed to poisons since childhood could casually engage in such dangerous behavior.
The man's eye twitched, and he continued, "This Taoist priest seems to have a close relationship with Su Youli of Kushan, so..."
"That's why I want you to lay a hand on him."
An unfamiliar voice came from inside the room. Everyone except the man in the tight-fitting clothes was startled. They put their hands on their weapons and retreated abruptly towards the door.
At the same time, his gaze fell on a dark corner inside the room.
There emerged a man dressed in white with a black hat, his face pale and beardless. In the candlelight, his features appeared somewhat effeminate.
"This is Commander Yu, the Chief of the Western Criminal Investigation Bureau," the man in tight-fitting clothes stepped aside and respectfully introduced.
The Western Criminal Investigation Bureau, in charge of criminal investigations.
Upon hearing these two words, everyone was shocked and immediately knelt on one knee, bowing their heads to avoid looking directly at the eunuch.
The Western Investigation Bureau was the secret service agency of the Great Qian Dynasty. It had the authority to monitor the entire country and wielded immense power. Even the Zhenwu Guard had to obey its orders.
Yu Guangzhi glanced at them one by one and nodded.
These people are all at the Divine Realm. Although their cultivation and abilities are not quite up to par, they are loyal enough.
"The army has already set off north." He suddenly said this, leaving everyone puzzled.
It's normal for the Great Qian Dynasty to send troops north to fight back when the three northern states were invaded by the Golden Wolf Royal Court.
But why bring this up here?
"The commander this time is General Huangfu," Yu Guangzhi said again, but no one understood what he meant.
However, they knew who General Huangfu was.
Many years ago, the imperial master who led an army of 100,000 and was defeated by Wan Jinghan of Cangjian Peak with a single sword strike was Huangfu Chong. It is said that after that incident, Huangfu Chong was neglected by Emperor Qian, but they did not expect that Huangfu Chong would be reinstated this time.
Could it be that the news of him being neglected was all false?
The group exchanged glances, none of them understanding what Yu Guangzhi was trying to say.
Yu Guangzhi shook his head and didn't continue. Instead, he returned to the original topic, "Based on my observation, that Daoist Minghe's martial arts style seems to be related to the Feast Cult. I suspect he is a remnant of the Feast Cult."
"If possible, it would be best to capture him alive. If not, then eliminate him to prevent future troubles. As for the rest, I will make the arrangements."
Everyone knew about the Feast Cult, a heretical sect that had once been infamous, so they were all quite surprised when they heard the news.
Similarly, they were also curious about what purpose a chief executioner from the Western Depot had in coming here.
However, this was classified information, so they could only suppress their curiosity and reply in unison, "Yes."
They then discussed how to capture the Taoist priest.
Yu Guangzhi didn't disturb them. He retreated to a corner, his figure blending into the shadows, and silently left the room.
The next moment, he emerged from the shadows outside the Su residence.
With his gaze fixed on the gates of the Su residence, Yu Guangzhi thought to himself: 'Daoist Styx, as a remnant of the Feast Sect, why are you entangled with the disciples of Hidden Sword Peak?'
If the old fogies of Hidden Sword Peak knew that their most likely young disciple to break through to the Grandmaster realm was entangled with the remnants of the Feast Sect, I wonder what their expressions would be? It's truly something to look forward to.
Coincidentally, he had recently recruited a new spy, an outer disciple of Hidden Sword Peak, who was now also in the Su residence.
At a critical moment, the spy can be activated to send the message to Hidden Sword Peak.
Inside the Su residence, Su Mingyi sat upright with a dignified expression. Behind him stood his two daughters.
Su Qiao'er, and Su Miao'an.
On the other side, there were also four people standing there, the four Hidden Sword Peak disciples that Mo Di had met in the dilapidated temple.
Xia Yunyi, who was suspected to be the main character and was being targeted by him, was naturally among them.
The innermost main seat was occupied by Su Youli and Mo Di.
At this moment, the woman in white seemed to have a smile in her eyes, her gaze fixed on the Taoist in red robes. The Taoist gently took her hand, looked at the crowd in front of him, and his gaze lingered on Xia Yunyi for a moment.
Shock, tension, and a hint of deeply hidden resentment and murderous intent—these were the emotions Modi sensed from him.
As for the others, they were simply surprised.
"This kid has made great progress; he's reached the Blood Refining level so quickly. It's a bit strange."
Based on the feedback transmitted from the karmic fire seed on his body, Modi could confirm that this kid had heavy karma, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration for him to die dozens of times.
How many innocent people did he kill to accumulate so much karma in such a short time? Modi raised a slightly cold smile and spoke:
"I never expected to run into you here. It seems we are truly destined to meet."
Zhang Lingjun forced a smile and said, "Yes, yes, yes, we were saved by the Taoist priest in the dilapidated temple that day. We will never forget your great kindness."
Su Mingyi raised an eyebrow, leaned back subtly, and asked his eldest daughter, "Miao'an, have you ever met this Taoist priest?"
Su Miaoan nodded and briefly recounted what had happened.
"I never expected that the Taoist priest would know my aunt, and even know her..." Her gaze fell on the two people holding hands at the head of the table, her expression strange.
Su Mingyi's eyes were also filled with complex emotions. When he saw Mo Di turn his gaze to him, he stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Daoist Master has done a great favor for my Su family. I, Su Mingyi, will always remember it."
Modi knew what he was talking about; it was simply that he had saved his two daughters' lives.
I never imagined that a casual act could lead to such a result. Fate is truly wondrous.
"It was just a favor," Modi waved his hand. "We're all family, no need for formalities."
Su Mingyi twitched the corner of her mouth and looked at her eldest sister, feeling that her face seemed to have blushed for a moment.
Perhaps he needs to accept the fact that he will soon have a brother-in-law.