After leaving Wanshui Town, Yejingtang called down the bird circling in the sky, carried it, and quickly returned to the riverside. Looking up, he saw Ninger and Sanniang standing side by side at the top of the boat cabin, gazing at the mountains and fields behind the town.
Yejingtang leaped onto the boat and turned to look at Wanshui Town:
"What's wrong?"
Pei Xiangjun was holding a telescope in her hand, searching among the misty mountains:
"While you were handling the matter just now, I seemed to see a white figure leaving the town. It disappeared in a flash..."
Yejingtang stood behind his two fiancées and leaned close to Sanniang's cheek to look. Sanniang then brought the telescope to his eyes:
"A white figure... Where?"
Luo Ning noticed that Yejingtang's hand was on her lower back and subtly pushed him away:
"I was looking at the street just now and didn't see any white figure. I guess she's been looking at the Longxiang Diagram too much these days and is seeing things."
Pei Xiangjun held the telescope for Yejingtang and said unhappily: "How could I be seeing things? It's clearly that your eyesight is poor."
While they were talking, Pei Xiangjun also felt a hand on her lower back. She glanced at Jingtang, who was fully focused, pursed her lips, and pretended not to notice anything.
Yejingtang scanned the boundless mountains through the telescope. There was nothing unusual in the empty landscape, so he asked the bird:
"Did you see the white figure?"
"Ji ji..."
The bird stood at the top of the mast, shaking its head like a rattle, indicating that it had been paying attention to the houses around Yejingtang and hadn't noticed anything outside the town.
Pei Xiangjun searched for a while but found nothing. She put down the telescope:
"Forget it. It's none of our business. Let's go to the Xuanwu Hall first and inquire about the situation in Wuzhou."
Seeing this, Yejingtang retracted his gaze, picked up the two women, and jumped down from the boat cabin. Then he went forward to raise the sails and steered the boat away from the riverbank.
...
The Honghua Tower had branches in all twelve states of the Great Wei. Back then, when the major boat gangs formed an alliance to establish the Honghua Tower, the Guan family near Jianyang in Wuzhou was one of the founding members and belonged to the Xuanwu Hall, which was one of the four major halls.
In the most prosperous days of the Honghua Tower, the Xuanwu Hall had a martial arts grandmaster in charge and was backed by a top-notch wealthy family, so it held a high position among the Twelve Gates of Wuzhou.
However, now the times were not favorable. The Xuanwu Hall was the first to fall behind among the four major halls. It had spent a large amount of money but failed to cultivate a grandmaster to uphold its reputation. After the old Spear Champion passed away, the main hall of the Honghua Tower also collapsed and couldn't manage the affairs of Wuzhou at all.
Without a backer above and no successor below, the Xuanwu Hall declined rapidly in just over a decade. Now there were only about two hundred people left in the hall, barely surviving by relying on three docks. If it weren't for the reputation of the Honghua Tower in previous years, it wouldn't have the qualification to be among the Twelve Gates of Wuzhou at all.
These past two days, Jianyang City had been in chaos. Near Jianyang City, it was very difficult to see pedestrians. The Guan family's dock by the river had directly shut down. The laborers and merchants had all fled to avoid the war. The Guan family's manor near the dock was also tightly closed, and only a few members of the Guan family were patrolling around.
As soon as Yejingtang docked the boat at the riverbank, people from the Xuanwu Hall came to inquire.
As the leader of the Honghua Tower, Pei Xiangjun, whenever she appeared, Yejingtang, the young master, could only stand behind and be a decorative figure. In order to let Yejingtang take over as soon as possible, in such situations, she naturally stayed behind the scenes and let Yejingtang handle the negotiations himself.
Luo Ning didn't have this concern. She wore a veiled hat and followed behind, pretending to be Yejingtang's sword-holding maid.
Yejingtang took Luo Ning to the outside of the Guan family's manor and saw a large group of people running out from the manor. In the front was Guan Shengxing, the master of the Xuanwu Hall, and behind him were the incense masters of the Xuanwu Hall and the members of the Guan family.
Yejingtang had met Guan Shengxing once at the previous annual meeting of the Honghua Tower. He was in his fifties, with a plump face and a business mind, but his martial arts skills were basically not ranked. They hadn't said many words to each other.
At this time, Guan Shengxing, dressed as an official, came out with a joyful expression on his face. He ran forward and bowed:
"Young master, when you came to Wuzhou, why didn't you send a message in advance? I, Guan, failed to welcome you from afar. Please forgive me, young master... What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and pay your respects..."
Many of the disciples behind him were seeing Yejingtang for the first time. Hearing this, they quickly cupped their hands:
"Greetings, young master."
The four hall masters were founding members of the Honghua Tower, and Yejingtang should call them uncles. Guan Shengxing's salute was obviously too grand.
Yejingtang raised his hand to help Guan Shengxing up: "Uncle Guan is too polite. I heard that something happened in Wuzhou, so I stopped by to take a look. Let's go in and talk."
The situation in Wuzhou had been in a mess these past few days. Guan Shengxing was truly grateful to see the young master from the main hall come to support. He quickly led Yejingtang to the incense hall of the Guan family. First, he offered a stick of incense to the founder of the Xuanwu Hall, and then he dismissed the attendants and sat down in the tea hall.
Guan Shengxing personally picked up the teapot and poured tea. When Yejingtang asked about the situation in Jianyang City, he shook his head and sighed:
"News came a couple of days ago that the Prince of Wu's son had rebelled in the capital, and something happened in Jianyang City that very night. It seemed that the Prince of Wu wanted to mobilize his private troops to rebel, but the twenty thousand private troops raised by the Prince of Wu could only intimidate people in the martial arts world. They didn't have the courage to rebel. I heard that the court mobilized two hundred thousand frontier troops to suppress the rebellion, and the vanguard army arrived at the city walls of Jianyang in three days. The rebels fled immediately, leaving only a few hundred personal guards guarding the Prince of Wu's Mansion. The Prince of Wu, isolated and without support, didn't dare to stay in the city and also fled with his personal guards the day before yesterday..."
Yejingtang took the teacup and asked:
"Where did he flee to?"
Guan Shengxing shook his head: "Wuzhou is surrounded by Yanzhou, Yazhou, and Jiangzhou. The Prince of Wu couldn't get out at all. He probably fled into the Wu Mountains. Young master, you were in the capital. Do you know what's going on there? Did they send two hundred thousand troops here?"
Yejingtang shook his head: "The court didn't send a single soldier. They just sent an imperial inspector, who is leading the court officials from the six ministries to take over the fiefdom. They will probably arrive in a few days."
Guan Shengxing was not surprised by this at all. He shook his head and sighed:
"I don't know what the Prince of Wu was thinking. Why didn't he just be a good prince but had to rebel? With the few private troops under the Prince of Wu, he might not even be able to defeat the cooking soldiers of the Prince of Yan. I can't figure out why he dared to rebel..."
"Maybe he was instigated and used by someone with ulterior motives. It's a good thing that the Prince of Wu didn't cause a war."
Guan Shengxing shook his head: "This matter doesn't have much impact on the court, but it will change the situation in the martial arts world. Now, Tiehe Villa, which is the leader of the Twelve Gates, was close to the Prince of Wu. Once the Prince of Wu fell, when the imperial inspector from the capital comes to settle the matter of the rebellion, Tiehe Villa will inevitably be investigated.
"The day before yesterday, Tiehe Villa sent an invitation, asking the leaders of the Twelve Gates to go to Tiehe Villa for a banquet to discuss countermeasures. I guess they want the Twelve Gates to take this matter together, so that the court won't punish everyone because there are too many of them..."
Yejingtang was the official "imperial inspector" and was just worried about not knowing who to investigate. Hearing this, he became interested:
"At a time like this, Tiehe Villa sent out an invitation. Is there anyone brave enough to go?"
Guan Shengxing shook his head and sighed: "Guan Yujia of Tiehe Villa, known as the 'Little Boxing Champion' in the martial arts world, is invincible among the Twelve Gates of Wuzhou. When the imperial inspector from the court comes, it would be good if they can defeat him. If they can't and he manages to get through this, since I didn't attend the invitation today, things will definitely not end well. I've been worrying these days about how to respond..."
Yejingtang smiled and said: "Uncle Guan, you don't have to worry about this matter. Leave it to me to handle."
Guan Shengxing's eyes lit up, but he still hesitated:
"Guan Yujia is not simple, and the situation with the court is even more difficult. The court will definitely take this opportunity to warn the martial arts sects in Wuzhou. If it's not handled properly and the imperial inspector becomes suspicious, the court might use us as an example to warn others..."
Yejingtang, if he wanted to use someone as an example to warn others, wouldn't target his own hall. After chatting casually for a while, he changed the topic and asked:
"Uncle Guan, you run docks near Jianyang City, so you should be well-informed. Has the Prince of Wu's Mansion purchased a large amount of medicinal herbs in recent years?"
"A large amount of medicinal herbs..."
Guan Shengxing recalled for a moment: "The Prince of Wu's Mansion didn't openly purchase a large amount of medicinal herbs, but it's possible that they did it secretly. I've been running boats in Wuzhou and have always paid attention to the situation of the Twelve Gates.
"Since the year before last, the amount of medicinal herbs handled by Xianyue Tower going in hasn't changed, but the amount going out is obviously less than in previous years. As a result, the medicinal herb merchants who cooperated with them had to purchase from other places. Most likely, the missing part was taken by some unknown wealthy merchant..."
Upon hearing this, Yejingtang understood most of the situation.
The Prince of Wu wanted to imitate drugs like Snow Lake Flower and also wanted to create a large number of disposable experts as elite soldiers by relying on prohibited drugs. He必然 (certainly) needed to hoard a large amount of medicinal herbs for experimentation and drug production.
Medicinal herbs were important materials for war. If a feudal prince hoarded a large amount of them, it would definitely arouse the court's suspicion.
Therefore, the Prince of Wu wouldn't go through normal channels. Using the forces in the martial arts world as a front was undoubtedly the best way, and Xianyue Tower was most likely playing this role.
Thinking of this, Yejingtang didn't stay any longer. He put down the teacup and said:
"I'll go outside to check the situation. Uncle Guan, send people to pay more attention to the movements in the martial arts world these days. Write down any slightest sign of trouble."
"Don't worry about such a small matter, young master..."
...
——
A short while later, outside the Guan family's manor.
After taking his leave, Yejingtang left the Guan family together with Luo Ning, thinking about the clues he had just learned along the way.
Luo Ning had been listening in just now. Now she walked beside him and helped analyze:
"Most likely, Xianyue Tower has been secretly helping the Prince of Wu hoard medicinal herbs and has a close relationship with him. However, now that the Prince of Wu has fled, as a martial arts sect, it's very unlikely that Xianyue Tower knows his specific whereabouts..."
The purpose of Yejingtang's trip here wasn't to catch the Prince of Wu but to find a substitute formula for the Snow Lake Flower to treat Miss Yuhu's illness.
Even if he didn't catch Zhang Jinglin, if he could find out what medicinal herbs the Prince of Wu had mainly been purchasing, Imperial Physician Wang might be able to deduce the formula in reverse. Xianyue Tower definitely needed to be investigated.
However, as one of the four major sects in Wuzhou, it might be a bit difficult to directly go there and extract a confession by torture.
After thinking for a moment, Yejingtang asked:
"Ninger, how much do you know about Xianyue Tower?"
Luo Ning thought for a while: "Huang Yulong, the leader of Xianyue Tower, has a high status in the martial arts world. The year before last, when an old martial artist in Tiannan passed away, I represented the Pingtian Sect and attended the event. I even met Huang Yulong. Judging from his words and deeds, he is good at socializing..."
Yejingtang was slightly taken aback: "You know the leader of Xianyue Tower."
"I always cover my face when I'm out and basically don't speak when I participate in martial arts events. I can't say that I know him."
Luo Ning looked at Yejingtang and asked:
"Do you want to pretend to be from the Pingtian Sect and go there to get some information?"
Yejingtang smiled and placed his hand on Ninger's chest and pinched it:
"What do you mean by pretending? I'm a legitimate护法 (protector) of the Pingtian Sect. I'm just going there to talk about cooperation with the Prince of Wu on behalf of the Pingtian Sect."
Luo Ning's face turned slightly cold, and she gently pushed Yejingtang with her elbow:
"You're disrespecting the sect leader's wife by overstepping your bounds. How can you still call yourself a protector? If the sect leader finds out, do you know what the consequences will be?"
The way I treat you is how the leader of the Pingtian Sect will treat me...
Yejingtang thought this joke was a bit too much and that he might be beaten to death by the leader of the Pingtian Sect. He didn't say it clearly and just lowered his head and kissed her red lips.
Boop~
Luo Ning's eyes were filled with anger, but she had no way to deal with this increasingly bold little thief. She could only lower her head and quickly run back to the riverside...
——
At night.
Deep in the Wu Mountain Range, at the Fulong Cave.
The Fulong Cave was a naturally formed karst cave. The entrance was more than ten zhang high, and the interior was as deep as twenty li. Its shape was like a coiled dragon, and the Prince of Wu named it Fulong (Subduing the Dragon).
The Fulong Cave had only been secretly developed by the Prince of Wu in recent years. For dozens of li around, there were dense forests where few people ventured. There were tigers and leopards roaming around, and even the medicinal herb farmers who went into the mountains to pick herbs rarely set foot here.
In the middle of the night, outside the Fulong Cave, it was as dark and silent as usual. But when walking half a li into the depths of the karst cave, one could see a city wall constructed of rocks. Inside, there were nearly a hundred elite soldiers of the prince's mansion wearing excellent armor, silently resting against the wall.
After passing the stone wall, flames began to appear inside the karst cave, and servants could be seen running along the winding paths from time to time.
In a spacious karst cave in the depths, countless torches were inserted into the walls.
More than a hundred large iron cages were placed at the corners of the cave. Each cage held two or three dejected men. Some soldiers were holding rice buckets, knocking on the iron railings and feeding the food into the troughs.
Not far away, in a small karst cave, it was much cleaner and tidier. Inside, there was a sedan chair that could be leaned on.
The Prince of Wu, Dongfang Heng, dressed in a silver python robe, sat on the luxurious sedan chair. Although he was over sixty years old, due to his long-term comfortable life, he still looked young and plump, and at first glance, he seemed to be just over fifty.
However, suddenly encountering such a disaster, with his troops scattered and surrounded on three sides, and even escape being a luxury, the Prince of Wu's mood was obviously not good. He just sat alone on the sedan chair, staring blankly at the karst cave, which might be the place where he would be buried.
After a long period of silence in the karst cave, a sound of footsteps came from outside.
The Prince of Wu looked up and saw that it was his subordinate strategist, Bai Siming, who had entered. He immediately stood up and said:
"Siming, what's the situation outside?"
Bai Siming was the chief strategist under the Prince of Wu and also his first master of martial arts. He belonged to the top group of martial artists just below the Eight Champions.
The Prince of Wu's plan to support the deposed emperor had been exposed ahead of time, resulting in the loss of his troops and isolation, and there was basically no possibility of achieving his goal anymore.
However, the Prince of Wu had been cultivating his power in Wuzhou for many years, and his foundation hadn't been completely lost in just a few days.
When the Prince of Wu planned to rescue the deposed