The area around Youjie Street fell into a deathly silence, and several unattended gambling dens burst into raging flames.
On the old street full of ruins, Xu Bailin hung his head against the wall, and blood slowly trickled down the steps.
After confirming that Xu Bailin was dead, Yejingtang turned and walked towards the end of the street. On the way, he picked up the Chilong Huanshou Knife stuck in the ground and put it back around his waist.
The commotion didn't last long. It was only now that countless constables rushed over from the rooftops of the houses.
The Third Miss was afraid of revealing her identity and returned to the carriage in advance. Luo Ning had a veil covering her face and held a three-foot green sword obliquely in her hand, standing on the side of the two.
Wang Er lay on the ground without a sound. Wang Chengjing was already seriously injured and had received the most attention. Blood oozed from his mouth and nose, and he was covered in bloodstains as he lay aside, with more exhalation than inhalation.
When Yejingtang came over, Luo Ning raised her sword and said:
"They are the Two Kings of Yanzhou. What should we do with them?"
Yejingtang looked at these two stupid killers who had successively tried to kill "Ye Sishilang" and "Yejingtang". He knew that the Zhou family was behind it. Junshan Terrace wouldn't want to get rid of his two identities at the same time. But according to Xu Bailin's confession, this matter couldn't be separated from Junshan Terrace either.
"Secretly hiring killers to assassinate officials is the same as rebelling. These two are witnesses. Hand them over to the Black Yamen for interrogation first and see if we can dig out something. Are you and the Third Miss not injured?"
"These two have already been injured by you. I didn't do much. The Third Miss alone knocked them down."
Luo Ning put away her sword and turned to look at Yejingtang. Seeing that he was sweating all over, she took out a handkerchief and helped him wipe his face.
Yejingtang felt warm in his heart being cared for by his wife. He looked up and seeing that countless officers hadn't come yet, he quickly lifted Luo Ning's cyan veil, lowered his head, and gave her a kiss on her red lips. His hand also pinched her chest, and his five fingers sank into the softness.
!
Luo Ning was caught off guard and received a solid kiss. Her eyes widened slightly, and she bit Yejingtang's lips lightly in annoyance. Then she stepped back: "You little thief really..." She raised her hand to wipe the corner of her mouth and turned around to quickly run back to the carriage.
After watching his wife leave shyly, Yejingtang took out the waist token of the Black Yamen, went to the street corner to negotiate with the constables, and began to clean up the mess.
The Third Miss and Ning'er were afraid that something would happen to him and came to his aid. They definitely couldn't chase after the other thieves who had scattered and fled. Only the bird followed. It was hard to say whether it could find their hiding place.
Although no one was left behind, some clues were found in the residential house, including several changed clothes and greasy bath water. Without accident, the molten oil had already been splashed, and there would definitely be unexpected events in the next day or two.
Yejingtang could confirm that the opponent's target was the eldest prince of the emperor who was in Yuning Marquis's Mansion. This news had to be informed to Benben as soon as possible. From what the chief constable of the Black Yamen said, the Prince of Jing was on his way here, so he went to the carriage first.
After the disturbance, the neighborhood that was originally full of ambiguous sounds became silent, and there were no more pedestrians on the street. The Pei family's carriage was parked alone by the roadside.
When Yejingtang came to the carriage, he heard sounds coming from inside the carriage:
"Your hands are so heavy. Can you be a bit gentler? When Jingtang applies the medicine, it doesn't hurt at all."
"He was touching you. I'm giving a proper massage. Can it be the same? Just now, you were like a martial lunatic. You were waving that big spear so that I didn't even dare to get close. Now you're acting like a delicate young lady?"
"That was a fight. Do you think it's all like you? You're fierce at home but can only move left and right during a fight. I don't know what you're doing."
"You..."
Yejingtang lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked up to see that there was a candle lit in the spacious carriage.
Luo Ning was sitting on the edge of the soft couch, holding Yulong Ointment in her left hand and applying the medicine to the Third Miss.
The Third Miss was lying on the soft couch, hugging a soft pillow. Her close-fitting martial clothes had been unbuttoned, revealing her smooth back and waistline. There was a red mark along her spine, and from the side, one could also see her two large, slightly flattened breasts.
(〇〇;)
Yejingtang's eyes widened a bit, and he quickly closed the curtain:
"You're treating the injury? How is the injury?"
Pei Xiangjun heard the commotion and was about to quickly pull up her clothes. But when she found that Jingtang had retreated like a gentleman, she didn't move and said softly:
"It's nothing. Just a minor injury."
"If it's nothing, what were you complaining about just now?"
Luo Ning was very angry with the Third Miss who was showing off in front of her just because she had a little credit. When she saw Yejingtang coming, she put down the Yulong Ointment:
"You apply the medicine to her. I'm too lazy to serve her."
Pei Xiangjun was taken aback, her face turned red, and she looked back: "What nonsense are you talking about? You haven't been poisoned either, and I'm a woman..."
Slap~
Luo Ning slapped her like she was dealing with Yunli, and the impact caused ripples on the Third Miss's chest:
"Then don't keep saying that my hands are heavy. If it hurts, just bear it."
Pei Xiangjun looked back angrily and said: "Are you crazy? You're not capable in a fight but you're quite harsh on your own people."
"Lie still!"
Yejingtang sat outside the carriage and found it quite amusing. He didn't try to go in and mediate either. Instead, he just leaned against the carriage and listened to the two women bickering.
After sitting on the street like this for a while, the sound of carriages and horses came from the main street.
A luxurious carriage driven by four horses galloped over. The constables of the Black Yamen cleared the way in front. Dongfang Liren, dressed in a silver python-patterned robe, stood directly outside the carriage and looked into the distance.
Luo Ning lifted the curtain of the carriage. Seeing the heroic princess, she felt a bit strange in her heart and asked:
"I'll send the Third Miss back first. Will you come back tonight?"
Yejingtang naturally wanted to go home and accompany his wife at night, but the actual situation might not allow it. He jumped off the carriage:
"The thieves have splashed the molten oil. No one knows where something might happen. It will be very difficult for me to go home in the next day or two. Why don't you stay at the Third Miss's house? I'm now a thorn in the side of the thieves, and it's not certain that they won't find Shuanggui Alley."
Pei Xiangjun sat up slightly and opened a small gap in the window:
"Be careful. If there's anything, send the bird to call for help. I'm not seriously injured."
Luo Ning was a bit worried. After a moment of hesitation, she said:
"Try to find some time to come back for an hour or two. I'll adjust your body for you."
"Hehe."
Yejingtang agreed with a smile. He patted the horse lightly, let the Pei family's carriage go home on its own, and then turned around and quickly walked to the street corner.
The luxurious carriage stopped at the street corner. Dongfang Liren jumped down from the carriage and landed on the street. She looked at the two captured live suspects and Xu Bailin's body.
Seeing Yejingtang walking over quickly, Dongfang Liren's eyes showed surprise. When she came up, she first checked if Yejingtang was injured and asked:
"How did you find Xu Bailin?"
Yejingtang raised his hand to gesture at Wang Da and Wang Er lying on the ground:
"Xu Bailin sent the news that I know the Eight Steps Crazy Saber to Junshan Terrace in order to use others to eliminate his enemy. Junshan Terrace might have wanted to use the same trick and gave the news to the Zhou family. The Zhou family hired these two. These two came to the capital and ran into Xu Bailin. They wanted to use Xu Bailin as a pawn, and then they all got caught."
s7s.
Dongfang Liren's eyebrows furrowed slightly. After pondering for a while, she sorted out the sequence of events and was half-believing:
"Is that so? How did you single-handedly defeat these three people?"
"I only killed Xu Bailin. These two were captured with the help of the people from Honghua Building."
After explaining, Yejingtang raised his hand to support Benben's back and pushed her towards the carriage:
"I have something to report to Your Highness. Let's talk in the carriage."
Dongfang Liren felt that this action was quite offensive, but since Master Tang was so powerful, she didn't even have the nerve to be angry. So she didn't care. She tapped her toes lightly and jumped into the carriage. She sat on the couch and poured tea for Yejingtang herself.
Yejingtang sat down beside the window. After carefully choosing his words, he said:
"The thieves scattered and fled, and no live suspects were caught. However, I can confirm that the Prince of Wu's target is the eldest prince of the emperor in Yuning Marquis's Mansion, and the molten oil has already been splashed. Your Highness must strengthen the security measures to prevent the thieves from succeeding."
Dongfang Liren picked up the cup of tea and handed it to Yejingtang. She was a bit surprised:
"Xu Bailin was killed with a single shot to the throat. How did you get the information?"
Yejingtang didn't want to talk about the "infighting among the rebels" and just said vaguely:
"I stabbed him in the waist with a spear and forced him to reveal the information. Xu Bailin tried to win me over and said that he could get the deposed emperor out of the capital in the next two days and help the Prince of Wu raise an army. He promised to make me a marquis if it succeeded. When I was distracted, he had the intention to kill me and tried to fight back desperately. Then I just stabbed him with a spear. Hmm... I really should have kept him alive."
Dongfang Liren looked at the messy battle marks on the street and knew how fierce the battle had been. It was normal to overreact when the nerves were tense. She understood and said:
"The information is secondary. Everything should be based on personal safety. Are you sure this information is true and not just something Xu Bailin made up casually?"
"I can tell that he was definitely telling the truth, but I couldn't ask out the specific plan."
Dongfang Liren nodded thoughtfully. She gave an order to the constables of the Black Yamen outside the carriage, asking the carriage to go directly to the west of the city. Then she looked at Master Tang:
"From the murder case on Zhujie Street, you single-handedly traced it all the way here. You have made many remarkable achievements. After this case is closed, I will personally write to the Emperor to request a reward for you. What reward do you want? Should I make you a Marquis of Yunzhong?"
The Marquis of Yunzhong was an honorary title in the Great Wei Dynasty. It only had honor, no salary, fief, or the right to inherit. It was a completely different concept from a founding marquis like the "Marquis of Junshan". But one could brag about being a marquis when going out, and it was still a dream-like honor for ordinary people.
Yejingtang was still renting a house and didn't have any land. Theoretically, he belonged to the "rogue" class among the common people. This reward was undoubtedly very generous.
But Yejingtang came from the martial world and yearned more for honors like "Boxing Champion". He shook his head and smiled:
"There's no need to confer a title. I'm just repaying the debt to Your Highness. I don't deserve it. If Your Highness really wants to reward me..."
When Yejingtang said this, he suddenly remembered something and leaned in a bit:
"Is there really no room for discussion about the matter of the palace maid Yuhu?"
!
The approving look in Dongfang Liren's eyes turned cold. She took a breath, and the fat-headed dragon in front of her visibly swelled.
Yejingtang slightly raised his hand: "I was just talking casually. If it's not possible, I naturally won't force it. Hmm... What about Qiu Tianhe? I learned the Tianhe Saber technique and found that this saber technique is really exquisite. When there is no saber in the hand but a saber in the heart, the more I think about it, the more powerful it becomes. It's a bit inappropriate to learn the saber technique and then leave my master aside and ignore him."
Seeing that Yejingtang was sensible, the imposing manner of the princess subsided a bit:
"Qiu Tianhe robbed the wedding envoy team of the late emperor, which is the same as rebelling. Allowing him to spend his remaining years in peace in the capital is already showing leniency beyond the law. If he is allowed to leave the capital safely or even return to the martial world, won't the thieves in the martial world compete to imitate him?"
Yejingtang knew that this matter wasn't easy to handle. He nodded and didn't say any more.
Dongfang Liren felt that refusing everything might make Master Tang feel disheartened, so she said:
"Don't worry. I will consider it for you. Qiu Tianhe has no enmity with me, and he even has a small favor for me. If there is a suitable opportunity, I will do you a favor."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"Hmph~"
After chatting for a few words, there was nothing else to do in the carriage. Yejingtang took out several captured lethal weapons and examined them.
Dongfang Liren was very interested in martial arts. Just as the Empress liked to collect calligraphy and paintings, her hobby was to collect martial arts secrets and weapons.
The greater the origin of the weapon, the higher its collection value naturally was. Her most prized collection at present was Qiu Tianhe's saber, "Tianhe". Although the Minglong Spear had an astonishingly good craftsmanship, as a replica and without being "blessed" by a master, its collection value was actually average.
Xu Bailin's green steel mace and Wang Chengjing's Bengshan Spear were also famous weapons in the martial world. After being captured, they would naturally end up being displayed in the hall of Mingyu Building.
Xu Bailin's genuine green steel mace had already been captured last time, and this time a new mace was obtained.
Dongfang Liren picked up the iron mace and examined it. She found several notches cut by a knife on it, and the marks were much deeper than the previous scratches. So she pulled out the Chilong Huanshou Knife from Yejingtang's waist and examined it by the candlelight. Although the long knife was covered with scratches from years of use, it didn't have a curled edge or a broken tip.
Dongfang Liren blinked her eyes: "This knife of yours is unusually sturdy. It's fine even after being struck so hard."
Yejingtang didn't know the background of his adoptive father's knife before. He just thought it was good. But after entering the capital and learning many past events in the martial world, he gradually understood that this knife was a weapon passed down from the Saber Champion Kuang Yazi of the previous dynasty. Its name was "Chilong". It was forged in Xiaoshan Fort, Jiangzhou during the previous dynasty. All the Chilong knives in the martial world were made in imitation of this knife's style.
Kuang Yazi's saber technique was notoriously fierce and violent. After half a lifetime of use, he couldn't damage the knife. With the opponents Yejingtang had encountered so far, it was really not easy to break this knife.
Yejingtang saw Benben's sparkling eyes:
"Your Highness doesn't want to collect my knife too, does she?"
"I have plenty of good knives and don't rare yours at all."
Dongfang Liren inserted the knife back. After thinking for a while, she had an idea and looked at Yejingtang:
"By the way, I heard that Honghua Building has the 'Overlord Spear' and the 'Black Lin Spear' in its collection. You..."
!
When Yejingtang saw that Benben had his eyes on the weapons of him and the Third Miss, he quickly said:
"These are the heirloom treasures of Honghua Building. It's not appropriate to ask for them. I will get the spear of Duanshengji back and give it to Your Highness in the future."
Dongfang Liren blinked her eyes and said: "If you want to teach me the Overlord Spear technique, I naturally need to have the Overlord Spear. Think of a way. Lending it to me for a year or two is also fine. I'll make a replica and return it to Honghua Building."
Yejingtang felt that the noble princess in front of him was acting like a girlfriend coquettishly asking for a gift. But he really couldn't give away the Third Miss's weapon. After thinking for a while, he could only say:
"I'll borrow the Black Lin Spear for Your Highness to practice with. I'll take the Minglong Spear and 'gild' it for Your Highness. How about that?"
Dongfang Liren thought this method was good and nodded.