A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 98 Begonia Crisis
Dragon Guardian Villa
Zhu Wushi changed out of his black clothes and went into the main hall. After activating the mechanism, a piece of paper flew out.

"Yagyu Tajima-no-kami has disappeared, presumed dead, causing chaos in the Japanese martial arts world. Could this also be the work of Gu Xu Dao Ren?"

Zhu Wushi couldn't help but suspect Gu Xu. In the Central Plains martial arts world, there were very few people who could defeat Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami. Among them, none of them had any motives. The only possibility was Gu Xu, who was not under his control.

"This loss is enormous; all thirty-six Heavenly Generals have been wiped out. Just how powerful is this Daoist Gu Xu?"

The thought of the annihilation of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals caused Zhu Wushi immense pain. He had spent so much effort and time cultivating these talents, only to have them perish in this mission before even having a proper confrontation with Cao Zhengchun's side.

"Tianya and Yidao have both left, now it's your turn, Haitang."

Now that things have come to this point, Zhu Wushi has no way out.

"Wan Sanqian, I desperately need your help this time. I hope you won't be ungrateful."

East Factory
"Master, Zhang Jinjiu, the top detective in the land dispatched by Shangguan Haitang, has already traced our people. Fortunately, Qiu Jia was quick-witted and withdrew in time, thus leaving little trace."

Iron Claw Eagle presented the secret letter to Cao Zhengchun, who read it and then put it aside.

"Have Qiu Jia cease his mission and bring him back as soon as possible. This matter ends here. I need to give the Emperor an explanation."

"Yes," Iron Claw Flying Eagle looked at Cao Zhengchun, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

“Just say what you have to say, why are you beating around the bush?” Cao Zhengchun said unhappily.

"My lord, I have another confidential report here. Please read it carefully."

Cao Zhengchun looked at Feiying, took the secret report with some doubt, and his expression became serious after reading it. The report said that in addition to the Eastern Depot, another force was also secretly dealing with Guihai Yidao. The murderer who killed the three Grand Secretaries had been identified, and it seemed to be a member of the Yagyu family from Japan.

"The Yagyu family of Japan... it seems this matter still involves Zhu Tiedan. I was wondering who was so bold as to kill a high-ranking official of the court, but now that I think about it, it makes sense."

Cao Zhengchun sneered and ordered Feiying, "Spread this message as soon as possible. Tell the Eight Great Sects that the murderer is hiding in Japan, and the Eastern Depot has decided to take them there."

"Yes," Iron Claw Eagle replied and left, then Cao Zhengchun smiled smugly.

"Zhu Tiedan, Zhu Tiedan, this time I will make good use of this matter and incidentally deal with the martial arts world of Japan and the number one manor in the world."

Inside the No. 1 Manor in the world, Shangguan Haitang's expression changed repeatedly after listening to Zhang Jinjiu's account.

"I no longer have the authority to handle this matter; I must inform my godfather."

Upon learning that there was more than one murderer, Shangguan Haitang immediately felt that things had become more complicated. She was not surprised that the Eastern Depot had taken action, but the other person involved was related to the Yagyu family of Japan, which was related to her elder brother and Yagyu Piaoxu.

"You continue to look for more clues. I'm going to the Dragon Guard Manor. This is your reward. After it's done, you'll get double."

Zhang Jinjiu took the bag of silver and said to Haitang with a smile, "Don't worry, Master, there's no case in this world that I can't solve. Wait for my good news."

After saying that, Zhang Jinjiu tucked the silver into his pocket, picked up the wine pot, and swayed out the door.

Seeing this, Haitang shook her head. If Zhang Jinjiu hadn't been so good at solving cases, she wouldn't have tolerated him like this.

He mounted his horse and returned to the Dragon Guard Manor overnight, only to learn that his adoptive father had gone into seclusion to cultivate and probably wouldn't come out for two or three months.

"What should we do?" Haitang was anxious and uneasy. There were too many variables in the next two or three months. Cao Zhengchun would definitely not let this opportunity pass. Her elder brother was already controversial. If he were to be smeared with mud, he would have no way to defend himself.

While Haitang was waiting at the Dragon Guard Manor, Cheng Shifei and Yunluo finally returned to the capital. As soon as Yunluo entered the city, she was stopped by a group of imperial guards who had been waiting for her.

"Princess, the Emperor has ordered you to enter the palace immediately."

Yunluo looked at the head of the imperial guards and said, "I need to say a few words to my friend, then I'll go back to the palace with you in a bit."

Upon hearing this, the leader of the Imperial Guards immediately stepped aside, leaving space for Yunluo and Cheng Shifei to speak.

"Cheng Shifei, I've been out for so long, I need to let my brother and mother know I'm safe first. Go to the Dragon Guard Manor and wait for me. I'll come find you there as soon as I have time."

"Okay, go quickly, I'll wait for you," Cheng Shifei said, looking at Yunluo with tender eyes.

"Then I'm leaving," Yunluo reluctantly let go of Cheng Shifei's hand, got into the sedan chair that had been prepared in advance, and with a command from the head of the Imperial Guard, they headed straight for the palace.

As Cheng Shifei watched the sedan chair recede into the distance, he felt a pang of sadness. Having spent so much time with Yunluo, it was truly disorienting to suddenly be alone with her.

"Let's go to Hulong Manor first. I wonder how Haitang is doing," Cheng Shifei said, sounding worried after hearing about what had happened a few days ago.

Arriving at the Dragon Guard Manor, Cheng Shifei reached the main hall without any hindrance, only to find it deserted. After questioning the guards, he went to the pharmacy.

"Begonia"

"Cheng Shifei, you've finally arrived," Haitang said with delight upon seeing Cheng Shifei.

"Begonia, where is the Divine Marquis?" Cheng Shifei asked in confusion. Judging from the current situation, the Divine Marquis should be out here to oversee things.

"My godfather is in seclusion and has left everything to me," Haitang said with some unease. She was barely managing to run the number one manor in the world, and now such a massive Dragon Guard Manor was being handed over to her. If anything went wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"I've heard about the incident with Yidao, but Master Liaojie is a good person and shouldn't be in any danger. The most important thing now is to find the murderer. Haitang, do you have any leads?"

Looking at Haitang's frail appearance, Cheng Shifei couldn't help but sigh. Before, Duan Tianya and Guihai Yidao were the ones who handled everything at the Dragon Guard Manor. Now that they were gone, the burden fell on Haitang's shoulders. No wonder she looked so haggard after not seeing her for a while.

"Besides the people from the Eastern Depot, the Yagyu family from Japan was also involved," Haitang said, knowing that Cheng Shifei was helping her, which gave her confidence. So she recounted the information she had gathered.

"So, the Tianya couple might also be implicated. Oh no, Cao Zhengchun will definitely not let this opportunity pass."

Cheng Shifei's expression changed drastically. Cao Zhengchun had tried to eliminate the four secret agents several times, and now that he had such leverage, he would crush them to death.

"That's what I think too, but the key is how to get my older brother and the others to come out of it."

"Haitang, can you use the intelligence network of the Dragon Guard Manor?" Cheng Shifei looked at Haitang with a serious expression, and the latter nodded upon hearing this.

"Alright, send a message to Tianya immediately, telling him to be careful. As for the murderer, we can only follow the clues you provided to track him down. Judging from the locations where the murderer has been seen, his recent activity area should be in the Tianshan Mountains."

Tianshan Mountains, nameless ice cave

Zhu Wushi looked at the woman inside the ice coffin, a sorrowful expression on his face.

"Suxin, so many years have passed, and you still look the same, but I have grown old."

Touching the cold ice coffin, Zhu Wushi couldn't help but recall the scene when he first met Su Xin. He had never been so moved by a woman before, but why had she ended up marrying Gu Santong?

"Now that Gu Santong is dead, no one can stop us anymore. After I find the Heavenly Fragrance Bean and ascend the throne, you will be my empress, enjoying wealth and glory. But before that, Suxin, you still have one more favor to do for me. After this is done, I swear I will never let you leave again."

After staying in the ice cave for a full hour, Zhu Wushi finally came out and used his strength to firmly close the two stone doors.

"Lord Shenhou, Haitang and Cheng Shifei are on their way to Tianshan. Cao Zhengchun's Flying Eagle has sent word that everything is ready and they are just waiting for your orders."

"Very good. Send a message to Flying Eagle, telling him that the Marquis's beloved woman is hidden in the Tianshan Mountains. This grand drama would be quite dull without the involvement of the Eastern Depot. By the way, has there been any movement from Duan Tianya?"

"Reporting to Lord Shen, Miss Liusheng sends word every two weeks. Duan Tianya hasn't made any unusual moves lately, but Miss Liusheng says she's not available to carry out any missions at the moment."

"What's going on?" Zhu Wushi asked in a deep voice. Could it be that Duan Tianya has discovered something unusual? If so, this would be quite troublesome.

"No, Miss Yagyu said she is pregnant and it is not suitable for her to use force."

"Ha, women with families are indeed the most difficult to control. Well, she has done quite a bit for me over the years. Let her rest for a while, and we'll contact her again after she gives birth. But the people monitoring Snake Island must not let their guard down, understand?" "Understood."

"Go," Zhu Wushi waved his hand, dismissing him.

Looking at the swirling snow and the biting wind, Zhu Wushi felt a burning passion in his heart. His plan was proceeding step by step, and Cao Zhengchun had already stepped into the trap. When the time was right, the Eastern Depot would be uprooted. Without this powerful weapon, how could the emperor fight against him?

Shaolin Temple, Bodhidharma Cave on the back mountain

Guihai Yidao emerged from the cave, gazing at the rising sun, and his mood instantly brightened. Since arriving at Shaolin Temple, he had been practicing the mental techniques taught by Gu Xu every day, receiving daily chanting and meditation from Master Liaojie every other day, and constantly receiving guidance from the two martial arts masters. Guihai Yidao wished that the days could just continue like this.

"Benefactor Yidao, judging from your expression, your cultivation must have improved somewhat."

In the pavilion, Master Liaojie was playing chess with Gu Xu when he saw Guihai Yidao walking over and greeted him.

"This is all thanks to the master and the Taoist priest; otherwise, I would not have such good fortune."

Guihai Yidao found a seat and sat down. He was not good at chess, but he could tell that there were more black pieces than white pieces on the chessboard, so the black pieces should have the upper hand.

"Master, this game of chess has reached its end. Although the white pieces are struggling to hold on, it is too late to turn the tide."

The master placed his black pieces in a corner of the board, and instantly the black pieces formed a coiled dragon, head to tail, ready to devour all the white pieces in the circle.

"Master, you speak too soon. If this white piece is just a cloud, it will naturally be difficult to compete with the black dragon. But if it is a sharp sword to slay demons and monsters, the situation will be very different."

As he spoke, Gu Xu placed a white piece into his own chessboard. Several white pieces were automatically swallowed by the black dragon, but this also broke open a corner, giving the remaining white pieces more room to move. It was as if there was a long sword pointing straight at the bottom of the black dragon's belly.

"To put oneself in a desperate situation and then live is a good strategy, Master. I admire it."

Seeing the clear situation, Master Liaojie withdrew his hand, which was about to place a piece. Upon hearing this, Guihai Yidao could easily judge that Daozhang should win this game.

"Is there something you need to ask, Master Yidao?" Gu Xu waved his sleeve and swept the chess pieces on the table into the chess box.

"Master, Taoist priest, who exactly was that mysterious man in black we encountered before?" Gui Haiyidao still harbored doubts in his heart. Perhaps he already had the answer in his heart, but he was unwilling to believe it.

"Amitabha Buddha, since you, Benefactor Yidao, already know the answer, why ask the question you already know the answer to?"

Master Liaojie looked at Guihai Yidao, picked up the Buddhist beads on the table, and slowly turned them.

Gui Hai Yi Dao was startled, then looked at Gu Xu, who picked up a cup of tea and sipped it slowly. Seeing this, Gui Hai Yi Dao's face showed bitterness.

"It really is him."

"It's quite obvious that the Divine Marquis is hiding behind the scenes and manipulating everything for his treasonous act. Duan Tianya, you, and Haitang and others are all pawns in his game, which can be discarded when necessary," Gu Xu put down his teacup and said slowly.

"Now that things have come to this, the master and I will no longer hide anything from you. If it weren't for the master's help, your situation would have been far worse than this."

Guihai Yidao agreed with Gu Xu's words. Given Shenhou's personality, there would definitely be a series of follow-up moves waiting for him.

"The Marquis treated me like his own child; he was ruthless towards me, but I cannot be ungrateful."

Gu Xu shook his head inwardly upon hearing this. Zhu Wushi could scheme against his subordinates in this way and still make them so devoted to him. He had truly used his cunning to the extreme.

"Master Yidao, I must remind you of something: of the four secret agents, Tiandi and Jie have already departed. Do you think the Divine Marquis might use the remaining two characters, Xuanhuang and Zixuan, to achieve his goals?"

There are few people that Guihai Yidao can truly hold in his heart, and the one he can't let go of the most is Haitang. Gu Xu's words made Guihai Yidao's face turn very ugly.

"Master Shangguan is most loyal to the Divine Marquis. However, even if you said these words to her face, she might not believe them. Besides, you are now in a precarious situation, so how can you take care of Master Shangguan? She is destined to walk into the trap that the Divine Marquis has set for her."

Gui Haiyi's expression changed repeatedly. If anything happened to Haitang, he would never forgive himself.

"Once Master Shangguan and Cheng Shifei both fall into the trap, the Dragon Guard Manor will be a mere shell of its former self. Cao Zhengchun will then turn his attention to Shenhou, and it will be another good show. With Shenhou imprisoned and the Eastern Depot in complete control, the Emperor will certainly not stand idly by and will try every means to suppress the Eastern Depot. At that time, your godfather's goal will be achieved: to use the Emperor's hand to eliminate the Eastern Depot. He is quite adept at using this tactic of killing with a borrowed knife."

Master Liaojie listened to Gu Xu's words and silently chanted a Buddhist prayer, while Guihai Yidao clenched his fist.

"Daoist Master, Master, I..." Guihai Yidao wanted to say something, but Gu Xu stopped him with a gesture.

"Don't worry, Master Shangguan is not in danger right now. Even if she falls into a trap, I will ensure her safety. Besides, her master, Young Master Wuhen, would not allow his outstanding disciple to become a victim of Zhu Wushi's power struggle."

"Thank you, Daoist Master," Guihai Yidao said sincerely, bowing respectfully, which Gu Xu accepted with equanimity.

"Master, let's play another game," Gu Xu said, pulling a handful of chess pieces from the chess box and asking Master Liao Jie to guess whether it would be odd or even.

“This humble monk guesses it’s an even number,” Master Liaojie said with a smile.

Gu Xu stretched out his hand, and Gui Haiyi glanced at it; it was indeed an even number.

"Please, Master, go first."

Guihai Yidao didn't like chess, but watching these two masters play chess gave him a unique experience. Whenever the game reached a stalemate, Master Liaojie and Daoist Guxu would concentrate their minds and hold their breath, as if they were not playing chess, but an invisible battle.

After finishing a game of chess, even the spectator Guihai Yidao felt physically and mentally exhausted, let alone the two players. Master Guxu was alright, but after finishing several games with the master, his face was very pale, as if he had been seriously ill.

While Guihai Yidao was recuperating at Shaolin Temple, Haitang and Cheng Shifei rode to Tianshan, unaware that the Dongchang people were following behind them.

"Haitang, is this the place the intelligence report mentioned? It looks deserted."

As Cheng Shifei looked around, all he could see were snow-capped mountains, not a single village in sight.

"The intelligence is accurate; this is the last place the killer was seen. If my deduction is correct, the killer should have already gone into the mountains. Let's go up into the mountains first."

Cheng Shifei could only nod upon hearing this, and the two rode their horses into the mountains. After the two figures disappeared, dozens of figures appeared here. After talking for a while, they split into two groups. One group went to follow Cheng Shifei and Haitang, while the other group went to a certain place according to the map provided.

"Begonia, look!" Cheng Shifei saw a footprint on a withered pine tree and hurriedly called out to Begonia, who dismounted and went closer to examine it carefully.

"Based on the time these footprints were formed, it matches the time the murderer committed the crime. It seems we've found the right place."

Haitang leaped up and landed on a tree. She took out her binoculars and saw footprints of varying depths on several trees ahead, leading into the depths of the valley.

"Fortunately, it hasn't snowed recently, otherwise these traces would have been covered up."

"But this murderer is so careless, didn't they even bother to clean up these traces?"

Cheng Shifei was a little puzzled. For martial arts practitioners like them, erasing these footprints would be a piece of cake, so why did the murderer leave them so blatantly?

"Perhaps it was due to overconfidence, or perhaps it was because we didn't have enough time to deal with it, but at least we've made some progress and things have settled down. We need to hurry."

"Hmm," Cheng Shifei nodded. Just as he was about to mount his horse, his ears suddenly twitched. He gave Haitang a wink, and she understood. The two of them quietly hid, leaving only the two horses behind.

Before long, a dozen or so figures landed here. The one in the lead was a middle-aged man with a burly build and a rugged face. He held an iron shield and scanned the surroundings but found no one.

"Where are the people?"

"The horses are here, the people shouldn't have gone far, brother, let's split up and search."

The middle-aged man at the head nodded in agreement. With a wave of his hand, just as the crowd behind him was about to disperse and search, the middle-aged man's expression suddenly changed, and he hurriedly used the iron shield to protect his body.

Just as they had taken cover, a shower of golden coins poured down, accompanied by a fierce wind and hidden weapons. Several people were unable to dodge in time and died on the spot. Most of the others were also injured. Only three people were not hit, but they were warily watching their surroundings.

(End of this chapter)