bookbashuk Page 385
Page 385
"A Jinyiwei badge... Your Excellency, you're actually a Jinyiwei?" Magistrate Xu's expression was ashen, as if he could see his family and clan being wiped out at that moment.
"Stop talking nonsense and quickly explain why Lu Xiaofeng disappeared!" Li Gexiao coldly looked at the terrified Magistrate Xu.
"The reason why Master Lu disappeared is because he was helping me investigate a case."
"What's the case?"
"This is a long story. A strange thing started happening in Jinling City a month ago."
"Many people in the city are suffering from a loss of vital essence for no apparent reason. This symptom affects everyone from eighty-year-old seniors to toddlers as young as a few years old, regardless of gender."
"At first, I thought it was a demon or a great demon, so I reported it to the Divine Marquis's Mansion overnight. However, the people from the Divine Marquis's Mansion came but found nothing unusual and had to return empty-handed."
"After the constables from the Divine Constable's Mansion left, strange things started happening in the city again. Just then, Master Lu arrived. It is said in the martial arts world that Lu Xiaofeng is an extremely intelligent person, so I entrusted him to investigate the case."
"He quickly discovered the clues: the strange illness in the city was caused by the silver notes from Datong Money Exchange!"
"Those banknotes possess a strange, demonic power that drains people's life force!"
"This matter has also alarmed the Hua family of Jiangnan, the shareholders behind Datong Bank. The Seventh Young Master Hua Manlou personally came to Jinling City to investigate. If the truth cannot be found out, the Hua family will be accused of colluding with demons, and the end result will be the extermination of their entire clan!"
After hearing the whole story, Li Gexiao said, "So, Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou joined forces to investigate the demonic power behind this case, but they failed to solve the case and both of them disappeared?"
Magistrate Xu nodded with a grim expression. If the two were to disappear without a trace, he would not only be charged with dereliction of duty, but he might also face trouble from the Hua family.
Li Ge asked with a smile, "Do you know where they last appeared?"
Magistrate Xu shook his head and said, "I don't know, but perhaps the manager of Datong Money Shop, Boss Qian, knows."
Seeing that Magistrate Xu knew nothing about the matter, Li Ge smiled and left with the words "Take care of yourself."
Upon realizing the other party's identity as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Magistrate Xu lost all his strength and collapsed to the ground.
Back at Xianyu Tower, Li Gexiao followed the madam to Chu Yang's room. He stood at the door, hesitating whether to go in or not. What if the prince was in the mood? Wouldn't going in at this time be courting death?
The next second he heard Chu Yang's voice.
"If you have something to say, hurry up and come in. Why didn't Lu Xiaofeng come back with you?"
Li Gexiao pushed open the door and saw Chu Yang lying alone on the bed. Several courtesans were packing up musical instruments and, as he entered, they slowly and discreetly withdrew from the room.
"I thought His Highness was busy," Li Ge said with a mischievous grin.
"Busy my ass. These courtesans sell their art, not their bodies. Do you think I'm like that guy with four eyebrows, going after everyone I see?" Chu Yang replied disdainfully.
"Ahem, Your Highness, I have some bad news to tell you." Li Gexiao suppressed his smile and said solemnly, "Lu Xiaofeng seems to be in trouble."
Chu Yang said casually, "When is that guy not causing trouble?"
“This time it might be a little different.” Li Ge shook his head and told Chu Yang what had happened in Jinling City.
Chu Yang stood up and walked out. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go see that Boss Qian. My intuition tells me that guy is definitely up to something."
"If I go too late, I'm afraid that guy with four eyebrows will really be dead."
In the original storyline, the manager of Datong Money Exchange, Boss Qian, was a traitor. Now that he's involved with a demon, the plot is going crazy, and Chu Yang is worried that there might be other unforeseen events.
The two rushed to Datong Money Exchange. After waiting for a while, a servant led them to the main hall, where they met the money tycoon.
This man was pot-bellied and adorned with jewels. He exuded an air of nouveau riche the moment you met him. In addition, he walked unsteadily, had a sallow complexion, and was clearly in poor health.
Seeing him like this, Li Ge thought he was also a victim, but when she thought of Chu Yang saying that he had a problem, she immediately felt something was strange.
Chu Yang smiled, as if he had discovered something interesting.
It seemed that Boss Qian had received the news and knew that Li Gexiao had the Embroidered Uniform Guard's waist token. He treated them with great politeness and was almost completely open with information.
After all, no one in the world dares to impersonate a member of the Imperial Guard to investigate a case, because that is a serious crime, punishable by imprisonment at best, and execution at worst.
Boss Qian recounted his entire encounter with Lu Xiaofeng, mentioning a special place.
"Master Lu's investigation into the demonic aura surrounding the silver notes went relatively smoothly. He quickly found a place called the Paradise Pavilion, from which the silver notes originated."
"The origins of the Paradise Tower are very mysterious. No one knows where it is, and ordinary people cannot find a way to get there. So, Master Lu asked a friend to take him there."
"That man was named Sikong Zhaixing, known in the martial arts world as the King of Thieves. He knew many unorthodox methods. He disappeared with Master Lu and Young Master Hua. As for whether they went to the Blissful Pavilion, I don't know."
"Like you all, I have not received any information."
Li Gexiao frowned and asked, "Did he tell you how to get to the Paradise Tower?"
Boss Qian replied, “There is a mass grave outside the city with many coffins. Just find one and lie down. When night falls, someone will carry you to the Blissful Pavilion.”
Li Gexiao's intuition, honed through years of handling cases, made him increasingly suspicious of Boss Qian. He clearly knew so much, yet he hadn't told anyone, not even Magistrate Xu.
Li Gexiao looked Qian Laoda up and down, making him very nervous and afraid to look Li Gexiao in the eye.
"In that case, we won't bother you any longer..."
Li Gexiao clasped his hands in a fist salute to Boss Qian, and was about to take his leave when Chu Yang pressed him down with his hand.
"The sun has already set outside. Why don't we stay at Datong Money Exchange for a while, and Manager Qian will personally take us to that mass grave?"
"We've just arrived in Jinling City and aren't very familiar with the area. We're worried that we might miss our chance to go to the Pleasure Pavilion."
Chu Yang gave a kind smile.
Boss Qian nodded hurriedly and said, "That's how it should be. It was my oversight. Please come with me, have something to eat and rest for a while."
Chu Yang and Li Gexiao were arranged to stay in a guest room. Not long after, Boss Qian had a table of fine wine and food brought over.
As usual, Li Gexiao first tested the poison to confirm it was safe before letting Chu Yang pick up his chopsticks.
"Don't worry about the food being poisoned. He's not stupid. If the two of us die at Datong Money Shop, how will he explain it to Magistrate Xu?"
Li Gexiao didn't refute. He was naturally cautious and couldn't change it in a short time. After eating, he asked curiously, "Your Highness, what's so strange about this Boss Qian?"
Chu Yang said, "He has a demonic aura about him."
Li Gexiao was immediately startled and exclaimed, "How come I didn't feel anything?"
Chu Yang explained, "His demonic aura doesn't emanate from his body, but rather from within his bones. It's extremely rare, so of course you wouldn't be able to detect it."
Li Gexiao said in a deep voice, "Is he a demon?"
Chu Yang shook his head and said, "Strictly speaking, he is not yet a true demon, but is developing in the direction of a demon, though he is only one step away."
Li Gexiao drew his sword and stood up, saying indignantly, "This scourge who betrays the human race, I will personally kill him!"
Chu Yang reached out and pressed down, gesturing for him to sit down. "If you kill him, who will lead us to the Blissful Pavilion? If we don't go to the Blissful Pavilion, who will save that bastard Lu Xiaofeng?"
Li Gexiao sighed, sheathed his sword, sat down, picked up the wine jug, and poured it into his mouth. Although he was not from the Divine Marquis's Mansion, which was dedicated to exorcising demons, he still hoped to kill more demons and monsters and do something for the country and its people.
Chu Yang tapped the table with his finger and said softly, "The reason why the Blissful Pavilion is so hard to find is probably because it relies on a formation formed by the natural terrain. Ordinary formations are fine; they can be broken by force. But the real problem is that it might be an illusion formation, where even the entrance cannot be found."
"Now that we want to find the Blissful Pavilion, we must first use their method to enter the formation and break it from the inside."
Chu Yang reminded him, "When we get to the mass grave and lie down in the coffin, make sure that wolfhound follows behind us."
Li Ge smiled and nodded, "I understand. I've already asked Xiao Feng to wait outside the city."
Chu Yang was taken aback. "Who is Xiaofeng?"
Li Gexiao scratched his head sheepishly and said, "I named that big wolfhound Xiaofeng. Doesn't that sound impressive? Isn't it nice?"
Chu Yang shook his head decisively, "It doesn't sound good. It would be better to call it Wangcai. A proper, good dog should be called Wangcai."
"Wangcai..." Li Gexiao hesitated, thinking to herself that this name was nowhere near as nice as Xiaofeng's, and besides, Xiaofeng was a wolf, not a dog...
"You don't like the name 'Wangcai'?" Chu Yang squinted at him.
"That sounds beautiful!" Li Gexiao exclaimed, "The name bestowed upon it by the Prince is a blessing for Wangcai!"
Chu Yang said coldly, "Don't lose it, or I'll stew it when I get back!"
……
As dusk fell, the moon and stars became fewer.
There was a knock on the door.
The voice of Boss Qian could be heard from outside.
"It's time for you two to set off."
On the road?
Chu Yang and Li Ge exchanged a smile.
"That bastard really knows how to talk."
"Maybe that's what they really think?"
Chu Yang didn't care, pushed open the door and walked out. Li Gexiao, on the other hand, gave Boss Qian a good scolding.
"I am clumsy with words, please forgive me, gentlemen!"
Old Qian knelt on the ground in fear and trepidation, kowtowing repeatedly, as if he were terrified of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Chu Yang's lips curled up.
This guy is really good at acting!
From the moment Chu Yang and Li Gexiao stepped into the money shop, he probably hoped that the two of them would go to the Pleasure Pavilion to die.
"Hurry up and take us there, don't let this delay our important business!"
Chu Yang casually lifted him up from the ground and left a spell on his body.