Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 50 The bad guy complains first

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he looked behind the archer.

A young man in a blue robe rode a tall horse, his brocade robe shimmering in the sunlight. He wore a jade crown and had a handsome and refined appearance, clearly indicating that he came from an extraordinary family.

A nearly transparent jade gourd was pinned to the front of his robe, from which purple smoke seemed to rise.

"Zhao Yizhou, the heir of the Marquis of Huaiyang, is a protégé of the Prime Minister and one of the most desirable husbands for the noble ladies of Chang'an. I've heard that he intends to marry you, Miss Zhou? This man is too refined to withstand your sharp tongue; I don't think he's a good match for you."

Zhou Zhao looked at Qianmian with some surprise, and then looked her up and down.

Looking intently into his eyes, she said, "Oh, Liangpei has already been killed by me, otherwise why would I come to Tianying City?"

At this moment, Zhao Yizhou lightly leaped off his horse.

The military officer in armor immediately approached, "Young master! It seems Zhu Wen wasn't lying. There really are villains from Tianying City waiting for us here! They've all been drugged. It's truly a free victory!"

As he spoke, he shouted to his men, "Arrest them all! Don't let a single one escape! Watch out for those pink froths, Zhu Wen said they're sleeping pills!"

The more I listened to "Thousand Faces," the more horrified I became!

Zhou Zhao had anticipated Yingge's methods long ago and instructed Zhao Yizhou in advance, determined to pin the blame for colluding with the government on Zhu Wen.

As he was thinking, he caught a glimpse of the grass behind the large blue stone rustling. A person with blood on their head crept out of the pine forest and sped off towards Tianying City.

Qianmian looked at Zhou Zhao without the slightest surprise, his heart filled with complex emotions.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was also the "messenger" and "pot-delivering messenger" that Zhou Zhao and Zhao Yizhou had arranged to release long ago.

"I'm leaving now. Xuanwu Hall has suffered heavy losses and will definitely need to recruit more people. You can enter Tiandou without having to pay a penny, which is a benefit I've secured for you. Little brother Zhu Li, remember to carry a fan with you. It's very hot, and I need someone to fan me."

After Zhou Zhao finished speaking, he didn't care what Qianmian thought and disappeared from the spot in a flash.

Although Li Zhan was a scoundrel, he was quite skilled at fanning himself, his movements were neither too hot nor too cold, neither too hurried nor too slow.

Qianmian watched her departing figure, speechless for a moment.

Isn't he a senior? When exactly did he agree to be Zhou Zhao's fan boy?

He remained quietly for a long time, long enough that Zhao Yizhou had captured all of Tianxu and Tiannv's people and taken them away, leaving only the powder and a few drugged rabbits in the pine forest. Only then did he gently jump down.

"A good match..."

Qianmian frowned, then, without further hesitation, walked towards the edge of the pine forest. When he reached the edge, he reached out without looking up, grabbed a bundle, slung it over his shoulder, bent down, grabbed a sword hidden in the grass, and slowly headed towards Tianying City.

……

Tianying City, Xuanwu Hall.

"Master, you must stand up for us! Tian Dou Village colluded with the government to arrest our brothers, violating a grave taboo in Tianying City. They deserve to die!"

"Cheng Yuyuan comes from a prominent family, how could she possibly be on our side! I think she's a spy for the government!"

The old master Ye Xuan, with one hand holding a bronze cauldron, squatted and stood up shirtless, practicing his kung fu without changing his expression.

Every day at this time, he would lift the tripod by the window, rain or shine, without fail!

Seeing Zhang Miaoshou, the leader of Tiannv Village, and Huang Sanbai, the leader of Tianxu Village, storming in aggressively, he put down the large cauldron with some displeasure. "Master, this is truly terrible! Zhu Wen colluded with the Dai army to ambush us, capturing Zijin Chui of Tianxu, Tian Jing, and Yingge of Tiannv Village! The imperial court has ignored us for years; this is absolutely letting wolves into our house!"

"Zhu Wen's brother was harmed by the people of Tian Dou, yet he is taking revenge on us! This doesn't make sense! In my opinion, Cheng Yuyuan is colluding with them from the inside!"

Ye Xuan ignored them and stretched out his hand. Cheng Yuyuan, who was standing behind him, placed a damp handkerchief in his hand.

Having lost two key generals and suffered heavy losses, Huang Sanbai was enraged the moment he saw Cheng Yuyuan! Without saying a word, he attacked Cheng Yuyuan directly.

As soon as he reached Cheng Yuyuan, a fair hand reached out from behind the pillar. The hand moved with lightning speed, grabbing his wrist almost instantly. Before Huang Sanbai could react, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist, as if it were about to be snapped in two.

When Huang Sanbai looked closely, he saw a girl slowly walking out from behind the pillar.

She looked only sixteen or seventeen years old, and still had a somewhat childish appearance.

"Zhou Zhao!" Huang Sanbai shouted through gritted teeth.

Zhou Zhao released his wrist.

"Chief Huang, not only did you falsely accuse us, but you even dared to attack our chieftain in front of the hall master. The hall master didn't even give the order, yet you wanted to kill our Tian Dou Village. What a show of arrogance! Do you now think you are the hall master of Xuanwu Hall?"

"Tianying City does not ask where one comes from, nor does it ask where one returns to."

"Chief Cheng comes from a powerful family and is therefore a spy. So, Master Ye was a general in the army. Are you going to say that he is also a spy who colluded with the government?"

Huang Sanbai was terrified; he had killed him by destroying his spirit!
Seeing that the old hall master hadn't spoken, Zhou Zhao knew he was also dissatisfied with Huang Sanbai, and continued:

"Let me ask you, why did Heavenly Maiden Tianxu abandon us, Tiandou, to go to the pine forest today?"

Huang Sanbai opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then remembered the rules of Xuanwu Hall and broke out in a cold sweat.

Although no one follows this rule in secret, it's not appropriate to mention it in front of the hall master.

“The three strongholds of Xuanwu Hall each have their own affairs and are not allowed to attack or steal from their fellow disciples at will. That pine forest is a necessary passage on the way back from Yuyang. A few days ago, Brother Cheng sent Zhu Wen to Yuyang to seize treasures. What he brought back was food for our Tiandou. But you disregarded the rules of the hall and wanted to rob us on the way.”

"If it weren't for the fact that many people were missing from the vicinity of Xuanwu Gate today, and we hadn't inquired around the city, we wouldn't have known that you had done such a shameless thing."

"We are here today to demand that the Hall Master act according to the rules. Your Second Hall must return the precious treasure of Yuyang!"

Huang Sanbai and Zhang Miaoshou exchanged a glance, both of them filled with shock!

"What a load of rubbish! They didn't even see a single coin of the Yuyang Treasure. Of all the people who went, only one guy with a split head managed to come back by sheer luck."

And we still have to pay compensation?
"Pay up! It was Zhu Wen who cheated us. I'm already being lenient by not demanding money from you, Tian Dou, and you're still making us pay! Zhu Wen is one of your men, I don't care! Today, Tian Dou must give me an explanation!"

Huang Sanbai remained silent, but Zhang Miaoshou started to cheat.

He had a kind and benevolent face, and looked like a good person; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to do that kind of beggar business.

Compared to the heavy losses suffered by Tianxu, their Tiannu only lost one of their leaders, so he was somewhat more sober.

"Your Heavenly Battle is perfectly fine, without any losses, while we've been completely wiped out. What else could it be but your sabotage? So many brothers, all gone, only our Heavenly Maiden, one wounded underling, managed to escape and report back! Look at this, Master!"

As Zhang Miaoshou spoke, he ran to the door and pulled in a short man whose head was covered in blood.