Zhang Quan worriedly guarded the entrance of the corridor. Before half a stick of incense, Xie Liya rushed out with the unconscious Yousang. Before Zhang Quan could ask about the situation, he also passed out.
However, although neither of them is in danger, Xie Liya's broken arm is very difficult to deal with. Once the arm is damaged, it may affect his martial arts.
Zhang Quan sorted out the priorities, sent someone to send Xie Liya and Yousang out, and rode quickly to the Huangsun Mansion.
But half the incense stick passed, and Li Xin'an still didn't come out.
"What should we do now?" Sun Anguo approached Zhang Quan and asked this handsome young man.
"What should I do? What can I say?" Zhang Quan trembled slightly, thinking in his heart that he wanted to say something he couldn't say.
"I want you all to go down, I want to find our hall master, I don't want to have to deal with this bullshit immortality Gu thing!"
But he could only bury these words deep in his heart. Li Xin'an had given an order and he had to listen.
This is the upbringing of a Bloody Clothes Hall killer.
"Light the fire... seal the door!"
Zhang Quan gritted his teeth and gave the order.
Sun Anguo sighed secretly, took the torch, and walked to the door of the corridor.
There is a box of black powder piled on the kerosene barrel. This is the only small box of black powder in Yonghefang.
He held the torch up to the fuse.
Zhang Quan closed his eyes, not daring to look directly at the explosion that could cut off the hall master's life.
As expected, the explosion took a long time to come. Zhang Quan couldn't bear it anymore and opened his eyes in confusion.
He saw Sun Anguo frozen there, staring straight at the dark corridor. No! The corridor was not pitch black.
There is a small spot of light in the corridor!
There is another person running towards you!
The lead led by Li Xin'an was ignited, and he was running out.
"Hall Master!"
Zhang Quan rushed forward excitedly, and Li Xin'an's figure flashed past, knocking Sun Anguo and Zhang Quan down.
Seeing that the fuse was burning faster and faster and was about to reach this point, Sun Anguo's deputy general made an immediate decision, "Run!".
The soldiers dragged Li Xin'an away in a hurry. The next moment, the fuse soaked in kerosene burned onto the gunpowder.
"boom--"
In the autumn of the eleventh year of Tianbao, the ground in the north of Yonghefang in Chang'an collapsed. It collapsed for several miles and was later used for military purposes.
This incident, which has been mentioned only a few times in history books, is destined to be thrilling and thrilling, and no one is destined to know it.
…
A few days later.
Li Xin'an was lying comfortably on a deck chair, lazily basking in the early autumn sun, surrounded by shrubs covered with dead leaves and flowers that had withered for many years.
Murong Bai stepped onto the faded covered bridge and walked past the long-dried lotus pond. When he saw Li Xin'an running out of the house again, he couldn't help but get angry.
He threw a piece of pastry into Li Xin'an's arms, "Your Su Xin Zhai."
Li Xin'an smiled broadly and hurriedly opened the oil paper.
"Can you please stop moving? Senior Yousang said that you used Gu to detoxify in order to forcefully restore your skills. This kind of behavior that damages longevity requires at least a month of rest. It is best to lie in bed all the time. You are moving around casually like this.
, there will be big trouble!"
"Lie in bed for a month, you might as well just kill me!" Li Xin'an said vaguely with cakes in her mouth.
"I know my own body well. I would go crazy if I kept it in the house for a month. It would be more helpful to lie down and wander around in the yard when I have nothing to do."
Murong Bai was helpless, "Just think you can't die."
Li Xin'an swallowed the cake and said, "Senior Yousang and Senior Nina have left the city?"
"Well, Zhang Quan and I sent it together. Senior Yousang said that he would take Zhang Quan for a while and let him come back when he left the Tang Dynasty. Zhang Quan didn't know what to do, so I made my own decision and agreed."
"Indeed." Li Xin'an nodded, "This is Zhang Quan's good fortune. Since Senior Yousang is interested, there is nothing wrong with letting Zhang Quan enter Southern Xinjiang."
"That way he would have to run back from southern Xinjiang all night long, crying and shouting." Murong Bai shook his head with a smile, and then looked at the courtyard.
The yard is dilapidated everywhere, and no one has cleaned it for a long time. But from the layout of the yard and the mottled doors and windows, it is easy to see that the owner here once had a prominent status.
"Where did you find this courtyard?" Murong Bai asked curiously, "The stronghold of the Blood Clothes Hall?"
Li Xin'an remained silent and shook his head in denial.
"It's not the Bloody Clothes Hall."
"It's Li Linfu."
Murong Bai was stunned and immediately figured it out.
To be able to purchase such a large courtyard in such a prosperous area, who else could do it except Li Linfu, who was in power back then.
"He gave me this Youxiang Residence. After I left the Li Mansion, I lived here with my master and senior brother."
"It's funny to say that I kept saying that I wanted to leave him, but after I left, I still relied on him."
Li Xin'an looked complicated, and after a while, he sighed:
"Forget it, this man has passed away, let's not talk about him anymore."
Murong Bai said "hmm" and immediately said:
"This matter has been closed, and a notice has been posted by Jingzhao Mansion."
"Oh? How was it judged?"
"The evil cult in southern Xinjiang was causing trouble and was discovered by Sun Anguo, the guard of Yonghefang. He killed the leader of the cult and captured his followers. He was soon taken to the execution ground and beheaded in public."
"General Sun defended the country loyally, and he deserves this credit."
"It is said that the credit for this work was originally supposed to go to a disciple of the Hou family who had just joined the army. His Highness Li Chu argued hard and was able to save it for General Sun."
"I really don't know how those big shots did it. Such an ironclad matter could actually be implicated on a person who is far away from the matter. Hou Men? It's really humiliating to not become a public official."
Li Xin'an sighed, "It's hard for Your Highness, you have great ambitions, but you have to hang out with these people, and you have to force yourself to smile."
"Although his methods are disgraceful, he will be a good emperor."
He then asked: "How did Qian Shichang deal with it?"
"Caught an illness and died violently."
"That's right. The dignified governor of Jingzhao actually associates with a cult. It's impossible for the court to clearly tell such a disgraceful thing."
"By the way, speaking of His Highness, I heard from Mr. Zhong that His Highness was rewarded by the Saint in the court. Because His Highness entered the palace overnight, the Saint was originally displeased.
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But after hearing about this, he hurriedly sent the Yulin Army to accompany His Highness. Now that this major case has been solved, His Highness has received more favor than before."
"It's a pity that I passed out and didn't see it."
"Yes, if His Highness had come earlier, or if I still had some energy left, you wouldn't have to face the Immortality Gu with just a few of you."
"You can't blame Your Highness, we can rely on others to survive." Li Xin'an smiled and said, "Are you out of luck?"
"It's just a state of mind, but it's also very beneficial to martial arts."
"I envy you. You have made rapid progress at such a young age."
"You don't have to say this. At the age of early twenties, with the cultivation level of the first level of the second grade, you have already crushed 90% of your peers in the world."
"The world is very big, and there are things we don't know about. Maybe in the eyes of some people, we are just clowns, sitting in a well and looking at the sky, not worth mentioning."
Li Xin'an fell silent, and Murong Bai didn't know what to say for a while. The two of them looked at each other in silence, and only the sound of Li Xin'an's chewing and swallowing could be heard quietly in the quiet courtyard.
"This case is not over yet." Li Xin'an put down the cake and said.
Murong Bai frowned, "Are there any doubts left?"
"It's the same sentence." Li Xin'an stared into Murong Bai's eyes and said in a deep voice:
"Who is the Gu master who killed Song Yuanfeng?"
"I am puzzled by this question. I have interrogated those captured alive Gu Masters of the Immortality Cult. They know nothing about Iron Flag Sect and Song Yuanfeng. It can be ruled out that Song Yuanfeng's death was caused by the Immortality Cult. Chang'an was the one who killed him.
Another mysterious southern Xinjiang force in the city."
"I said before that that force is likely to serve Yang Guozhong, just like Xueyitang and Li Linfu back then. But since I saw Jiang Yanyan use the methods of the Western Regions Illusionist, I feel that this may not be the case.
"
"Maybe the person who killed Song Yuanfeng was not a Gu master at all."
"But Gu insects were found on their bodies."
Li Xin'an shook his head and said, "Bai Mumu, we have always fallen into a misunderstanding, thinking that the discovery of Gu worms means that it is the work of Gu masters, but Gu worms and Gu masters are basically two different concepts, they are two different things!"
"You mean, someone killed Song Yuanfeng first and then put the Gu insects up?" Murong Bai objected, "That's impossible. Let's ignore the two deputy sect leaders for now. Song Yuanfeng can always be under our noses.
No one can kill him first and then put down the Gu."
"Then, what if we release the poisonous insects first to disturb the sight and hearing, and then kill people?"
"But who can do this? If he does this, it must be someone close to him. Song Yuanfeng only has a few close friends. The reason why was not found out after repeated interrogations, unless..."
Murong Bai suddenly realized something and his expression suddenly changed.
Li Xin'an followed his words.
"That Yang Guozhong concierge!"
"A mere concierge is a big shot in the sky to the Iron Flag Sect. If such a person wants to get close to them, everyone will greet him with a smile and there will be no defense at all."
"I observed before that the concierge and the three dead people had all been drinking."
"Is it difficult to poison the wine when the three sect masters take turns going out to toast?"
"At the beginning, we just saw the poisonous insects and concluded that they died of poisonous poisons, but we did not examine the bodies carefully. But if we had inspected them, who would be able to see a tiny wound caused by an insect bite?"
"Even if we find that they have been poisoned, we will think that it is poison, not other poisons."
Li Xin'an said in a deep voice: "As soon as we started, we were plotted against."
"But...Song Yuanfeng was working for Yang Guozhong, why would Yang Guozhong want to kill him?" Murong Bai was puzzled.
"I thought the smuggled salt case was strange from the beginning." Li Xin'an said, "An iron flag gate transports only forty or fifty bags of smuggled salt at one time. For Yang Guozhong, the profit is not enough to fill his teeth.
Yes, why would he take the risk to cooperate with Iron Flag Sect?"
"There is only one explanation."
"Iron Flag Gate is the bait he threw out, a dead move that he planned to give up from the beginning!"
"You mean... Yang Guozhong planned to kill Song Yuanfeng from the beginning?"
"That's right. Yang Guozhong's purpose is not to illicit salt at all, but to teach immortality."
"The development of the Immortality Cult has exceeded Yang Guozhong's expectations. He wants to get rid of this hidden danger that is beyond his control without getting his hands dirty."
"So, he wanted to take advantage of the old woman's birthday from the Iron Flag Sect to kill Song Yuanfeng in full view of the public, using his identity as a mysterious Southern Xinjiang Gu Master."
"The people present at that time included people from the world, merchants, court officials, and ordinary people who spread the news most violently and quickly."
"The master of the Iron Flag Sect was assassinated and assassinated by thieves from southern Xinjiang in broad daylight. Think about it, how much of a ripple this would cause in Chang'an City?"
"He is forcing the Immortality Cult to show its flaws, and then the government and decent people in the world will go to destroy it and help him get rid of this scourge."
Li Xin'an sighed: "We just played that role."
"Drive a tiger to devour a wolf, borrow a knife to kill someone. From the beginning to the end, we are all pawns on the chessboard, and every move is under the control of the chess player."
After listening to Li Xin'an analyze all this, Murong Bai's back was soaked with cold sweat and his clothes were soaked.
The sun was shining brightly, and he actually felt like he was in the coldest month of winter.
"Yang Guozhong's ingenuity and scheming are so terrifying. Is this the corrupt Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty?" Murong Bai swallowed his saliva, "Such as this, the little Zhuge of Jianghu Puliuzhuang is probably beyond his reach."
"This kind of thing happens a lot in official circles." Li Xin'an said, "I can see it after the fact, which means that there are still loopholes in this strategy and it is not perfect. What is really scary is that you start from the beginning to the end.
!A strategy that no one knows anything about.”
"Li Linfu has a nickname, called Honey in Mouth and Sword in Belly. Those people didn't know that Li Linfu was harming them until they died... He is really scary..."
Li Xin'an picked up a cup of tea that had gone completely cold, moistened his throat, and then said:
"Not only that, there is another doubt about this matter."
"Say it." Murong Bai said blankly. No matter what Li Xin'an said, he could accept it now.
"I suspect there is a spy around His Highness."
"spy?"
"It has been a tradition since ancient times for ministers to spy on each other's political opponents, let alone His Highness Yang Guozhong and Li Chu."
"Yang Guozhong represents Concubine Yang, and His Highness is the son of His Highness the Crown Prince. As expected, Yang Guozhong also has people from His Highness around him."
"The Bloody Clothes Hall had previously found out three people in the Huangsun Mansion who were sent by Yang Guozhong.
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To be careful, His Highness killed two and left one behind. That person was closely monitored and this matter had nothing to do with him from beginning to end."
"So I conclude that there is a fourth spy in the Huangsun's house that we don't know about."
"even more!"
"To know the news about Song Yuanfeng and where he was taken and buried, this person either has a high status or is the person who did these things!"
"Is there a mole among His Highness's confidants?"
"There is another possibility. The spy was behind you and me that day, among the soldiers I brought!"
Li Xin'an rubbed his temples, feeling a little tired, "Those soldiers that day must conduct a thorough investigation."
"Check their background and family background, where they have been, what hobbies they have, whether they like to visit casinos or brothels, who they are friends with, who they have feuds with..."
Murong Bai interrupted him, "I understand these things and I will do them. If you are so tired, don't think about these things and rest peacefully."
"I can't calm down!" Li Xin'an lowered his head and said dullly:
"I still don't know who the person who attacked Zhang Quan and killed my three brothers in the Blood Clothes Hall is, a fake Gu Master under Yang Guozhong, or a real Gu Master from southern Xinjiang. I can't figure it out, and I can't sleep or eat well."
Seeing Li Xin'an lowering his head in annoyance, Murong Bai could only gently pat Li Xin'an on the shoulder to comfort him.
A gust of cool wind blows, and the dead leaves in the courtyard are blown everywhere. The gloomy clouds cover the few autumn suns. The cool breeze suddenly blows, and the autumn rain is coming.
"It's going to rain, let's go inside."
"Um."
Li Xin'an walked towards the house with the support of Murong Bai. He looked back at the sky for the last time, and huge raindrops fell unceremoniously.
The autumn rain is soft and slender, but rarely is it so majestic and wanton.
There were bursts of thunder, and Li Xin'an laughed.
"Let's do it, do it as big as possible, the bigger the better."
…
Royal palace, royal garden.
In a pavilion.
A soft red gauze curtain covered the pavilion, and a dozen maids and guards stood outside at the four corners, surrounding the pavilion.
A plump woman in palace robes held a small stove, carefully peeled a bright red lychee and put it into her mouth. After sucking it carefully, she gently spit the core into a delicate plate.
Next to her, a snow-white ferret squeaked twice, causing the woman to laugh.
"What's wrong? You want to eat too?"
The woman gently peeled off the skin of the lychee and stuffed the fresh lychee meat into the ferret's mouth.
Seeing the ferret clumsily biting the fruit pulp as if trying to chew up the core and swallow it, the woman covered her mouth and chuckled again.
"Do you like this thing Wei Chen gave you?"
In front of the plump woman, kneeling was a man with a thin build, a dark complexion and a slender beard.
"Brother said this just because he's an outsider. There are no outsiders here. It's good that you and I are brothers and sisters."
"I don't dare, because my empress has a body of gold, so I don't dare to go beyond the rules."
The plump woman sighed, stared at the withered imperial garden outside the gauze tent, and sighed:
"Ever since I entered this palace, it has become even more inhumane. There is not even a single person who wants to speak for himself."
"It just so happens that it's still autumn at this time. I want to see some flowers, but they're all chrysanthemums. I'm tired of seeing them."
"My Majesty, you don't have to worry." The man smiled and said, "I heard that there is a strange flower in the South Seas that grows in the four seasons. No matter it is cold or freezing or the sun is blazing, the flowers remain bright and bright."
"This flower has seven colors and grows for seven years. Each year it will lose one color of petals. The Nanyang envoy has sent the seeds of this flower to Wei Chen a few days ago. Wei Chen has ordered people to plant them and wait for them in the next autumn.
, this flower blooms beside the empress, which can make the Tang Dynasty eclipse."
"That's very good." The plump woman's eyes showed joy, but she suppressed it without any trace.
"A few days ago, my brother sent me a letter overnight, telling me that the saint must stay at my place and no one is allowed to see him. The emperor's grandson Li Chu requested an audience, but I asked Gao Lishi to drive him back several times. I want to come.
It's because of this that you let me keep the saint."
"I don't care what you want to do, but don't involve me. I am helpless in the palace. Even with this body, I can win the favor of the saint for a while, but my appearance is easy to age, and my favor is not good.
How long can I keep it?"
"Brother, you should think more about me."
"That's what your Majesty said." The man said respectfully, "That's what Fei'er wants to do. It's always not good for Your Highness Li Chu to interfere. I really have no other choice, so I asked your Majesty to come forward. Please don't take offense."
"That's all." The woman stroked the ferret and said:
"Since it's for Phil, I won't say anything. The ferret he gave me is very much what I like, and the ladies in the palace also like it very much. If you have time, please ask Phil to find a few more."
"yes."
A sudden cool breeze blew the gauze curtain, and the woman rubbed the small stove and looked at the sky.
"It's going to rain. Brother, please go back first."
"Your Majesty, please take care of your body. I will take my leave."
The man kowtowed three times in succession, got up and left.
The woman picked up the ferret and walked out of the pavilion sadly.
…
In a dark room.
A fat man with fair face and beard was sitting on a chair, looking at the man and woman kneeling at his feet with a smile.
"Has that woman been found?"
"Go back to Young Master, I found it. It's in the secret room of Huangsun Mansion."
"Go to Tian Qi. He is from the Mo family. Take him to open the agency and kill the woman."
"yes."
The fat man came close to the man's face, and his small, almost slit eyes stared at the man with a dangerous cold light.
"Last time you worked in vain, this time, don't let me down."
"yes!"
"Go down."
The fat man waved his hand, and in the blink of an eye, the man and the woman disappeared.
He wiped the sweat on his face. Just the act of bending down had made him sweat profusely, and his back and armpits were all wet.
He picked up a piece of paper on the table next to him, with three names written on it.