knife

Chapter 491 Joint
Li Dachui stood on the street, glanced at the somewhat panicked looks around him, and chuckled inwardly. "Trying to follow me? You're too lazy."

At this time, Li Dachui's appearance had changed drastically from before.

His distinctive bearded face had transformed into that of a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion, and he had even grown a few feet taller than before.

However, Tianluo was quite efficient; they had their eyes on him as soon as he entered Danyang.

Looking back at the end of the winding street, where the Ruyi Inn was nowhere to be seen, Li Dachui chuckled silently, then strode forward.

After a short while, he appeared in a weapons shop.

This is a weapons shop that integrates production and sales. Just by looking at the weapons displayed in the shop, you can tell that this shop is extraordinary, and every weapon is of the highest quality.

This requires not only top-quality raw materials but also superb skills. Generally speaking, people who can run such a business in Danyang have very special connections.

Walking up to a knife, I examined it closely and found it to be a fine knife. Of course, the price was also quite high, marked at one hundred strings of cash. Most people really couldn't afford such a knife.

"You have a good eye, sir!" A smartly dressed young man walked over and said with a smile, "This knife is infused with black iron. Our master craftsmen spent a whole year forging this treasured knife. It can cut a hair in two and slice through iron like mud!"

"It's a good knife, but it's a bit expensive!" Li Dachui laughed.

"You get what you pay for. Sir, you're a seasoned traveler, aren't you? A good knife is like having an extra life! You can save money elsewhere, but you can't skimp on your own life!" The young man was very eloquent, enthusiastically recommending the knife to Li Dachui. Li Dachui estimated that if the knife sold, the young man would definitely get a substantial commission.

He pulled something out of his pocket and held it out in his palm: "I have this, can I get a discount?"

In the palm of the hand is a small eagle, crafted with exquisite skill. It is made of drawn iron wire. Not to mention the difficulty of drawing iron wire at that time, the shape itself is also incredibly lifelike and expressive.

"Oh my, so you're a VIP at our shop! Please come in, please come in!" The young man's expression changed slightly, but he immediately became cheerful again: "We can give you a discount, we can give you a discount! But you'll have to discuss it with the shopkeeper. I can't make that decision on my own!"

"Alright, lead the way!" Li Dachui said with a smile.

After walking a hundred steps or so along a narrow alley, you can hear the clanging of blacksmithing. Stepping out of the alley, a wave of heat hits you. In the semi-open blacksmith shop, several shirtless men are busy wielding large and small hammers, seemingly unaware of Li Dachui and the young man.

The two men walked through the processing area and into a row of bungalows at the back. The houses were filled with piles of unfinished weapons. The young man pressed his hand against the wall, and a section of the wall silently sank in, revealing a downward tunnel inside. He turned to look at Li Dachui.

Li Dachui nodded and went inside without any hesitation.

The tunnel wasn't long, only about twenty or thirty steps. When you pushed open another door and stepped out, you found yourself in an extremely elegantly furnished study. Inside, a rather refined middle-aged man was sitting behind a desk, reading a book.

Surprisingly, the young man showed no surprise at Li Dachui's sudden entrance. Instead, he smiled, put down his book, and stood up to greet him. The young man had pressed a switch when he saw Li Dachui in, but he hadn't mentioned it, and Li Dachui hadn't brought it up either. This was probably why the middle-aged man had been waiting there so calmly.

"Distinguished guest, you have come from afar. I am deeply ashamed that I have not been able to greet you properly. I am truly ashamed that you have had to come in this way!" The middle-aged man clasped his hands and bowed: "I am Xiang Zhuang. I have been waiting for you here every day for the past few days. I am so glad that you have finally arrived!"

"The layout here is really nice!" Li Dachui said with a smile. "If I'm not mistaken, this place and that weapons shop should be on different streets, right?"

“Exactly, the streets over there are more commercial and bustling, while it’s much quieter here!” Xiang Zhuang said with a smile. “Please sit down, sir. The tea is ready; let’s talk while we drink!”

Li Dachui sat down, picked up his teacup, took a sip, glanced at the tea leaves in the cup, and couldn't help but praise, "Excellent tea! I'm afraid it's hard to find such a fine tea on the market. Your surname is Xiang, may I ask how you address General Xiang?"

“Uncle of my own family!” Xiang Zhuang smiled and said, “How could I dare to entrust such a life-or-death matter to you so casually?”

"I've never asked you my name or what position you hold in Beiting. Did you already know who I am?" Li Dachui picked up his teacup and looked at Xiang Zhuang thoughtfully.

"Exactly!" Xiang Zhuang nodded and said, "You have been traveling with that woman all the way and have done a great deal in Yong'an County. If we still turn a blind eye to you, we would be too stupid! Protector Li is truly skilled and daring. Even my uncle admires you to the skies."

Li Dachui touched his face somewhat awkwardly: "Was my performance that bad? Now everyone knows who I am?"

Xiang Zhuang said, “Protector, there’s no need to belittle yourself. Actually, we were mainly concerned about that woman. At first, we didn’t really notice who you were, but the more we looked, the stranger it became. You must know who that woman is, that she could stay by your side for so long. This can only mean one thing: you are certainly not an ordinary person. With this understanding, a closer investigation will naturally reveal your identity.”

How did you find out?

"It's simple! Because that woman guessed the Protector-General's identity, she made many corresponding arrangements, and our information came from them!" Xiang Zhuang said, "Although we don't get along with that woman, we have always attached great importance to her abilities, and we basically agree with what she confirms!"

Li Dachui laughed: "If that's the case, why are you still opposing her?"

Xiang Zhuang was silent for a moment before saying, "If she were just an ambitious empress dowager, that would be one thing, but now we've confirmed that she's actually the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect, and we also suspect how the late emperor actually died, which is a different matter!"

"How did you discover she was the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Cult?" Li Dachui asked with great interest. He knew about this because Lin Yunqi had fled to the borderlands years ago, fallen into his trap, and unwittingly revealed the secret. Without Zhu Chi's cooperation, this mission would not have been possible.

But such a top-level secret must also be the thing that Jiang Qian and her team have hidden the deepest. How did the other side know it?
“Wang Jun!” Xiang Zhuang said, “Wang Jun was hiding in Lin Hong’s place in Yong’an County. After Lin Hong’s incident, Wang Jun was captured and imprisoned in Tong Palace. That woman thought that Tong Palace would keep it absolutely secret. She underestimated us. Although we can’t rescue Wang Jun, it’s still no problem for us to have a few words with him.”

"I see!" Li Dachui suddenly realized, and looking at the other person's expression, he couldn't help but become more serious.

The royalist faction in Chu is far more powerful than I imagined!
Those old guys who looked so old they were unwilling to take any more risks now seemed to have simply hidden their sharp fangs deep in their mouths, but once they were out, they could still be deadly.

(End of this chapter)