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Chapter 491 Martial Battle (10,000 words)
In front of the Marquis's mansion, hundreds of needle maidens instantly appeared from the deep darkness!
Zeng Si and the other two behind the gate could not see the Needle Maidens directly in front of them, but Zhu Yangping and the other two in the distance could clearly see that each Needle Maiden had a gap in the back of its head, inside which was a dead man's eyeball emitting a strange green flame!
The eyes were a ghastly green and stiff, with a bright red pupil in the center, no bigger than the eye of a pin!

The needle-wielding girls' "feet" scraped across the street, making a piercing sound.

In the surrounding darkness, even more needle maidens continued to emerge.

Zhu Yangping frowned, somewhat unable to understand Xu Yuan's composure.

Even if you have great confidence in your pet's abilities... shouldn't you immediately go and help in such a life-or-death situation, regardless of whether Dafu can handle it?
Xu Yuan smiled at Zhu Yangping's questioning gaze: "Uncle, don't worry, everything will be fine."

Zhu Yangping asked instinctively, "Really?"

Xu Yuan didn't emphasize it again, but said, "Da Fu wants to interrogate these evil spirits, so we can't step in—if we do, we'll scare them all away."

"But my men..."

“Your subordinate is foul-mouthed; it’s good to teach him a lesson.”

It seemed to make a lot of sense.

But... Zhu Yangping couldn't help but look at Lord Xu with a questioning gaze: Your behavior this afternoon didn't seem like that of someone who preaches morality.

With Xu Yuan's obstruction, the needle maidens had already skimmed the ground and floated to the front of the gate.

Just waiting to rush in...

Behind the gate, Zeng Si and his companion stood with their backs against it, desperately holding it in place.

At the same time, Zeng Si fired a signal cannon—

Phew—pop!

The sound of the signal cannon was long and sharp, and the rest of the officers of the Mountain and River Division in the Marquis's mansion were immediately awakened. They quickly got up, grabbed their swords, and rushed out.

"It's over by the main gate!"

"Something's happened, quick—"

Zeng Si fired the signal cannon, which calmed him down a bit, but when he turned his head, he saw that a dense cluster of embroidery needles had already been inserted through the crack in the door to his left!

Blood and flesh still clung to the tips of these embroidery needles!
A thread-like fleshy tendril was wrapped around the eye of the needle!

Hundreds of embroidery needles simultaneously reached in through the crack in the door.

Then, under the control of those silky, fleshy tendrils, it bloomed behind the door like a cluster of silver flowers!
Greedily searching for prey!
Zeng Si and the other man then realized that the fleshy tendrils were not threaded through the needle and tied to the needle like silk threads.

Instead, it grew directly on the embroidery needle.

After these embroidery needles came in, they suddenly stood up, with the tips pointing downwards.

A pinhole... can also be called a "needle eye".

It really is like an eye, looking around aimlessly behind the gate.

...It can also be called the eye of a needle.

It really is like a nose, sniffing around behind the door.

They're all searching for the pungent, sweet smell of living people!

Zeng Si was on the right, and his partner was on the left.

The two looked at each other through the crack in the door, cold sweat silently sliding down their cheeks.

They each braced themselves against the door and quietly slid to either side.

Although the operation was silent and stealthy, it could not escape the search, which was meticulously conducted.

The hundreds of embroidery needles suddenly split to the sides, each targeting one of the two people!
In the darkness, it seemed as if a broken, eyeless face was grinning maliciously: I've found you!
"what--"

The two couldn't help but scream in alarm and abandoned the gate, fleeing into the Marquis's mansion.

Xu Yuan looked somewhat embarrassed on the street in the distance.

Because Lord Xu overlooked one problem: Da Fu had driven his mouth straight into the gate.

Dafu had made this mistake before.

It chiseled its head into the wall and couldn't pull it out, so it ended up hanging on the wall.

This time, a malevolent needle-wielding spirit was about to rush into the Marquis's mansion, and Dafu was still trying his best to pull himself off the gate...

Its wings and large webbed feet braced against the gate, making it appear to be working very hard.

Zhu Yangping glanced at Xu Yuan, then headed straight for the Marquis's residence without saying a word.

Xu Yuan felt embarrassed and decided not to stop him any longer.

laugh--

Just as Zhu Yangping ran out, Dafu finally managed to pull himself off the gate.

Then, he proudly twisted his neck and shook his head.

Fortunately, after my mistake that left me hanging on the wall last time, I secretly did some specialized training!
A needle-like creature had already floated past Dafu, half of its body disappearing into the crack in the door.

The evil spirit ignored the large white goose.

Goose meat may be delicious, but how can it compare to human flesh?

Dafu's formidable reputation in the Champa evil circles was earned through countless nights of fighting.

In Hue, there was clearly no such "reputation".

Seeing that such a tiny needle-like creature dared to ignore him so much, Daifuku pecked it hard.

Needle Girl suddenly felt a sharp pain!
How can one describe this excruciating pain?
Needle Girl's oldest and most distant memories were activated. Even when she was thrown out of the house in the middle of the night by that unscrupulous merchant and had her body devoured by dozens of evil spirits, she didn't feel this much pain!

It doesn't actually cause much damage to yourself, but it's extremely painful.

The needle-wielding girl, writhing in pain, hopped and skipped back through the crack in the door, then rolled around on the ground in front of the gate!

A piercing scream came from the mangled mouth.

The other needle-wielding girls around them were all dumbfounded.

As for?
Dafu's eyes bulged out angrily, like a toad's eyes.

Then, without further ado, it spread its wings and began to charge.

They peck at whoever they can catch.

Some of the needle-wielding girls had their even more distant memories activated... Before they were sold to unscrupulous merchants, they were once innocent little girls in the village, running happily in the sunshine and on the ridges of the fields every day.

Not afraid of the scorching sun, not afraid of the raging wind and rain.

Not afraid of being chased by stray dogs...

I'm afraid we'll be chased by geese...

Childhood fears have regained control over them, which have now transformed into evil spirits!
Suddenly, screams of agony rose and fell in front of the gate!

In the surrounding darkness, more needle maidens continued to emerge, while the hundreds of needle maidens at the gate fled in terror.

Zhu Yangping had only rushed out five or six zhang when he discovered the scene before him, which was utterly unbelievable. In his decades of experience handling cases in the Mountain and River Division, he had never seen anything like it:
In the small open space in front of the Marquis's mansion, hundreds of needle-wielding evil spirits caused a stampede!

The needle girls screamed wildly, as if they had encountered a strange little girl.

The sound was as sharp and piercing as an embroidery needle.

Dozens of weaker needle maidens were knocked to the ground, and countless "stitches" slid across their bodies.

The two groups of evil spirits, one rushing in and the other fleeing out, collided violently like waves...

As a result, even more needle-wielding girls fell down and were trampled.

Amidst the chaotic horde of evil spirits, a lithe white figure moved with the grace and agility of a dragon!
If... this white figure weren't so obese, it would appear even more heroic.

Zhu Yangping covered his ears and silently retreated.

He is not Sister Li!

But he admired him.

My daughter has great taste!

Xu Yuan's goose was enough to wipe out a group of evil spirits that had been entrenched in Hue for decades.

I, Zhu Yangping, am standing by this marriage!
The chaotic scene in front of the Marquis's residence did not last long.

Although the trampled needle maidens were severely injured, they were evil spirits after all. They rolled around on the ground, and gradually their bodies sank directly into the ground.

Then the evil spirits surging in from the outside also saw the situation inside.

Dafu rushed out and pecked them a few times—and they scattered in all directions.

The area in front of the gate quickly returned to deathly silence.

But it seems...

In the void, on a plane not of the mortal realm, faint, mournful screams could be heard.

With a needle in his mouth, Dafu staggered toward the three people from Fanzhezi.

It was somewhat disdainful.

When they were in Champa, Dafu hunted snakes, insects, rats, and foxes, and he disliked those creatures that usually hid in ditches and dark caves.

He was covered in dirt.

They all peel off the skin and eat the flesh.

Then, with its shiny fur, it was dragged back to its den to be used as a mattress.

However, since the Needle Maiden is a living person transformed, it cannot bring itself to bite her.

It captured this needle-girl because it felt that this one seemed different from the others.

Xu Yuan and his two companions hid at a street corner.

Peek out and take a good look at everything in front of the gate.

However, Zeng Si and the other two behind the gate were not easy to spot.

Dafu tossed the needle-like creature at the feet of the rice trough, then puffed out its chest and flapped its wings together, as if to say: Easy peasy!

Xu Yuan smiled and praised, "Well done! This family really can't function without Afu!"

Dafu said: That's like your crotch is on fire—of course!

Zhu Yangping clicked his tongue in amazement: "Impressive! The Mountain and River Division once tried to exterminate this group of evil spirits, but it took them several months and they had no effect whatsoever."

If Dafu were to remain here, these evil spirits would likely never dare to appear again.

Da Fu looked at him with disdain: "I only helped you out of respect for the food, and you expect me to stay here and keep order? The people of Hue are so clueless, they're just dreaming."

Zhu Yangping looked down at the needle maiden on the ground and suddenly realized that this one was different from the others: "It seems to be... a seventh-rate one?"

Most needle-wielding girls are only of the eighth rank, but this one is of a higher standard.

Xu Yuan nodded, having already used the "Looking at Fate" method to assess him: "Indeed, he's a seventh-rate individual."

Zhu Yangping: "The leader of the evil spirits?"

Xu Yuan remained noncommittal, then said to Dafu, "Help me ask where their lair is, and if there have been any new evil spirits near this manor recently. Have you seen an old man with a rat's face..."

Xu Yuan asked several questions in a row.

Dafu's eyes gradually became confused... How can I remember that?

Dafu slapped Zhenniang with his big webbed feet.

Stop pretending to be dead, get up and answer me.

Needle Girl got up, trembling.

"Gaga, gaga gaga, gaga..."

Dafu launched into a barrage of questions.

This needle-wielding girl can't muster any backbone at all.

It still hurts from that peck.

Blood and tears were gushing from the dead eye at the back of its head.

So he obediently answered whatever Dafu asked.

The Needle Maidens cannot be eradicated, because their essence is a flesh-and-blood needle flower growing in the turbid city of Hue.

This is a great evil spirit in the turbid city of Hue.

No matter how many you kill in the mortal realm, it won't make a difference unless you drive this evil spirit out of the mortal world.

Xu Yuan then asked Zhu Yangping in a low voice, "Is the mortuary in Shunhua not under the control of the Shanhe Division?"

Zhu Yangping's expression was somewhat unpleasant: "Yes, and the City God's Golden Seal is in the hands of the Commander."

So the Shanhe Si of Hue City clearly had the ability to drive away this evil spirit, or at least restrain it and prevent it from releasing the Needle Maiden.

Zhu Yangping had clearly figured out the key point: the commander deliberately used the Needle Maiden to trap the Marquis's residence.

But secretly keeping an eye on the Chonghunhou lineage is the Zhu family's job. What is the commander trying to do?!

Dafu interrogated her again, but since the case of the old man with the rat-faced ghost, Zhenniang had never seen any strange evil spirits appear near the Marquis's mansion, let alone sneak in.

Xu Yuan burned the needle maiden to ashes.

Then he said to Zhu Yangping, "It is now almost certain that the old man with the rat-like face was brought into the Marquis's mansion by someone and has been hiding there all this time."

Zhu Yangping nodded, gritting his teeth and cursing, "You traitor! No wonder this evil spirit disappeared as soon as the brothers arrived, but it came out to cause trouble again as soon as they left!"

He thought for a moment and said, "But I have searched the entire mansion repeatedly and have not found the evil spirit."

Wenren Luo, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "Have you searched the young marquis's place too...?"

The "young marquis" he mentioned was, of course, a descendant of the Marquis of Chonghun.

However, this title is not accurate, because the young man did not inherit the title.

The emperor did not issue an edict allowing him to inherit the title.

He himself probably did not want to inherit the title of "Marquis Chonghun".

Zhu Yangping shook his head: "Of course not. Although that person is not favored by His Majesty, he is still His Majesty's grand-nephew, and we dare not be disrespectful."

“The problem might lie here,” Wenren Luo said without any restraint.

But Zhu Yangping dared not respond.

The case was about to stall here.

The three were each thinking about the case when suddenly Wenren Luo and Xu Yuan turned their heads to the side at the same time.

Zhu Yangping belatedly realized what was happening and looked over, only to see heavy footsteps coming from the shadows of the street.

Accompanying the footsteps was a harsh sound of metal scraping against the ground.

As the sound rang out, sparks of light appeared on the dark ground.

Sparks flickered, and in the dim light, a colossal body, over ten feet tall, could be vaguely seen!
Finally, the figure emerged from the darkness. He was clad in dark gold mountain-patterned armor and carried a windmill-bronze wolf-tooth mace!
The sharp spikes left several long scratches on the ground.

Zhu Yangping was surprised: "Shi Mingyou?"

Xu Yuan wondered: How could he be here? It turned out to be a fourth-rate martial artist who was stationed in the Marquis's mansion.

In his other hand, Shi Mingyou held a steel Nuo mask.

The Nuo face is covered with bright paint, and the shapes are strange and exaggerated.

He stared coldly at Zhu Yangping and said in a deep voice, "Zhu Yangping, why aren't you staying at the Marquis's residence? What are you doing outside in the middle of the night?"

Upon hearing the man's unfriendly tone, Zhu Yangping knew that he must have misunderstood.

"I am investigating a case! And these two are..."

“They are outsiders you’ve colluded with.” Shi Mingyou interrupted him without any politeness: “Don’t think I don’t know who you are, you’re also surnamed Zhu! You want to go back to Zhengzhou, you bunch of tyrannical lackeys, you all wish the young marquis would die right now!”

"What kind of bizarre and outlandish cases are these? They're all the work of cruel officials under you tyrants!"

Xu Yuan looked at Wenren Luo with a sense of surprise and doubt: What's going on?

Shi Mingyou is a powerful figure sent by the imperial court to oversee the situation.

He should be His Majesty's man, so why does he seem so loyal to that young marquis based on his words?

Wenren Luo's mouth dropped open, wondering what Shi Mingyou was up to.
Zhu Yangping angrily retorted, "Judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person..."

But Shi Mingyou is clearly single-minded.

Startled by Zeng Si's signal cannon, he knew that evil spirits were lurking, so he immediately donned his armor and charged out.

After searching the Marquis's residence but not finding the old man with the rat-like face, he quietly followed the Shanhe Division members out.

As it turned out, they saw Zhu Yangping hiding outside the mansion, accompanied by two unidentified individuals. "Evil spirits attacked the Marquis's mansion. Why aren't you guarding the mansion? What are you doing sneaking around outside?"
The attack on the Marquis's residence by the evil spirits just now must have been instigated by you, you scoundrel!
He was convinced that Zhu Yangping was a spy!

No matter what Zhu Yangping said, he simply didn't believe it. He put the steel Nuo mask on his face, and his aura suddenly surged.

"Whoosh—" The huge spiked club was raised, bringing with it a deep, resonant sound in the darkness.

Shi Mingyou exerted force with both legs, and the bluestone slab beneath his feet instantly shattered.

thump—

Its massive body, over ten feet in size, seemed to be launched from an even larger bronze cannon, shooting straight toward the three of them.

Zhu Yangping stormed off, annoyed: "That guy's got a solid brain! We don't need to bother with him..."

He is a Dharma practitioner, so he won't fight a martial arts practitioner face-to-face.

Wenren Luo shared the same idea. He had many ways to outmaneuver this reckless martial artist, even though they were both fourth-rate practitioners.

A strong wind rose behind Zhu Yangping, and he suddenly became as light as a piece of paper.

Unexpectedly, just as it flew out, it suddenly crashed into a huge, illusory Nuo mask!
The Nuo mask is five zhang tall, with complex and bright colors, exaggerated shape, and huge empty eye sockets, which is terrifying.

Zhu Yangping changed the wind direction without hesitation and flew higher.

As a result, an even larger, illusory Nuo mask pressed down from above!

Trapped and unable to escape, Zhu Yangping angrily cursed, "How could this brute possess such skillful craftsmanship?"

He had already realized that the mask maker's ability was that once someone wearing the mask stared at them, they would be unable to escape from the other party's attack.

Shi Mingyou had already charged straight at them, his spiked club slamming down towards the three of them.

Xu Yuan opened his mouth and spat out the sword pellet, which landed in his palm.

It swiftly transformed into a door panel and a large sword!

Swordball Yin-Yang Guillotine Form!
Xu Yuan raised his broadsword and clashed with Shi Mingyou.

Two powerful forces collided heavily.

Shi Mingyou unleashed a burst of tongue-tip sounds, shouting "Tai!" and increasing the power of his spiked club by 30%!

He was full of confidence, believing he could knock the knife out of the villain's hand with a single blow.

Then he smashed the guy's skull with a stick!

Unexpectedly, when the staff came down, the door panel and the broadsword only sank three inches before stopping.

On the contrary, Shi Mingyou himself was shaken so badly that his whole body trembled, his armor plates rattled, and even the steel Nuo mask on his face was shaken out of shape.

The staring effect of the Nuo mask was broken.

But the most unlucky one was Dafu, who followed Fanzhezi blankly—when that brute charged at them, Fanzhezi neither dodged nor avoided, and so did Dafu.

Dafu is also very confident in his rice dishes.

This collision between the two was like two ancient ferocious beasts clashing.

The powerful aftershocks of the battle were like a raging storm.

Zhu Yangping, who was as thin as a piece of paper, was blown away and landed right on the wall next to him.

Dafu wasn't so lucky. With a whoosh, he was propelled into the air by the shockwave and headed straight for the gate of the Marquis's mansion!

……

Zeng Si and his companion fled deep into the Marquis's mansion, where they encountered the other brothers from the Mountain and River Division.

Zeng Si hurriedly shouted, "Quickly, set up a defensive line at the second gate! Those needle maidens are rushing in!"

Everyone's expression changed drastically!

Two of these people were inspectors.

They're all seventh-rate.

They weren't afraid of these needle-wielding evil spirits, but if these evil spirits rushed to the second gate and disturbed the noble person... that would be a disaster that would cost them their heads!
"Brothers, this time we must fight to the death!"

The two inspectors shouted together, and then immediately set up defenses at the second gate.

All the captains were on high alert, their faces grim and the atmosphere extremely tense.

At this time, dying for one's family would save their lives, while fleeing would result in the extermination of nine generations of relatives!

But people are afraid of death, so how easy is it to die a martyr?
Everyone was struggling internally, waiting for that moment to arrive.

But no matter how long they waited, it was quiet outside the second gate, and the needle-wielding maids did not come.

"what happened?"

Everyone peered through the crack in the door... It was empty; there was no sign of any evil spirits.

The two inspectors discussed it for a moment, and one of them led Zeng Si out, cautiously advancing towards the gate to search.

They walked all the way to the main gate, but still couldn't find the Needle Maiden!
The inspector turned and glared at Zeng Si, raising his hand to slap him: "You bastard, you lied about military intelligence!"

Zeng Si covered his face, feeling extremely aggrieved: "How could I dare? Look at the gate..."

The door gods on the gate are broken.

It left behind a dense array of embroidery needle marks!

"This..." The inspector was also puzzled.

They did come, but... where did they go?

Zeng Si's companion suddenly remembered something: "That goose..."

Zeng Si immediately jumped up and down: "Yes, it was a big, fat white goose that pecked the door god through, which allowed those needle maidens to float in..."

The inspector was even more puzzled: "One..."

Before he could finish speaking, a thunderous shout erupted from the street corner in the distance: "Hey!"

Then a white shadow flew over from the other side and, with a thud, was hung on the gate again!

Although Dafu was a little dizzy, he still heard what Zeng Si said.

He was already harboring resentment, and now hearing this fellow gossip about his obesity, he was instantly enraged. He yanked the flat-mouthed man off the door, yelled, and charged at Zeng Si.

Zeng Si let out a strange laugh: "I can't even defeat evil spirits, why would I be afraid of a mere goose like you?"

The next moment, Zeng Si covered his head and ran away like a rat, screaming as he was pecked.

"Help! Help! Inspector, please help me..."

At the street corner, Zhu Yangping and Wenren Luo stared in astonishment at the two people in the center of the battlefield.

Shi Mingyou was ten feet tall and wore mountain-patterned armor, looking like a giant beast armed to the teeth.

Xu Yuan only reached a little above his waist...

Beneath the massive, wind-milled copper mace, Xu Yuan stood steadily, holding his sword with both hands.

His feet were already deeply embedded in the bluestone slabs of the ground.

However, in this exchange, Xu Yuan clearly won!

Because the steel Nuo mask on Shi Mingyou's face was crooked and barely hanging on, it could fall off at any moment.

Zhu Yangping is finding it increasingly difficult to understand his potential son-in-law.

His family's geese were said to possess a mystical quality.

He is said to be a cultivator of life and alchemy, so how could he withstand a fourth-rate martial artist head-on?
You might say he practiced martial arts, but all the martial arts practitioners in the world are huge, and you can tell at a glance that he's clearly not a martial arts practitioner.

All his knowledge of Xu Yuan came from the descriptions of Zhu Zhanmei and Zhu Zhanlei, but now he couldn't understand it. He pressed himself against the wall, looking at Wenren Luo with his eyes.

Wenren Luo was also dumbfounded.

He couldn't answer Zhu Yangping's questions because he himself was also full of confusion.

He also frequently encountered even more terrifying martial arts practitioners.

As fellow third-generation disciples, he would naturally see his senior brother take action frequently.

Third-rate martial arts practitioners are truly terrifying!
But Xu Yuan isn't a martial arts practitioner!

Such physical strength is truly terrifying.

After much thought, Wenren Luo realized that if he used all his trump cards, he could also do what Xu Yuan did and directly block an attack from a fourth-rate martial artist.

But that was also his limit.

Although Wenren Luo admired Xu Yuan and believed in his heart that he was a good match for Miss Jinxi.

But which of the officials under the Imperial Censor's command wasn't arrogant?

The mere fact that they were "under the supervision of the emperor" was enough to make them look down on the Ming dynasty.

Therefore, although Wenren Luo admired Xu Yuan, he never thought Xu Yuan was better than himself.

At most, they might think: This kid is pretty good, he might catch up with me in the future.

As for Miss Jinxi, it's because everyone under the supervisor is too familiar with her, and the supervisor has no intention of finding a husband for his granddaughter among his disciples, which is why everyone pays attention to outsiders like Xu Yuan.

But now, Wenren Luo felt that Xu Yuan was no worse than himself when facing martial arts practitioners.

On the battlefield, the ground beneath their feet sank into a concave arc.

The bluestone slabs were shattered like a spider web.

Behind the crooked steel Nuo mask, Shi Mingyou's half-open, astonished eye was visible.

Xu Yuan used his arms to lift himself up, employing a technique of "vibration" and "dissipation".

Still in shock and caught off guard, Shi Mingyou staggered back a few steps.

The spiked club slid off and landed on the ground with a thud.

Xu Yuan dragged the sword with one hand, stretched his slightly numb arms, and then beckoned to Shi Mingyou with his finger: "Not convinced? Let's try again!"

Shi Mingyou was not provoked into charging forward like a bull.

He raised his hand and helped to put the steel Nuo mask back on.

This time, he became more cautious, dragging his spiked club and pacing left and right in front of Xu Yuan, looking for an opportunity to strike.

Zhu Yangping and Wenren Luo, who were outside the battlefield, retreated to a safe distance to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Shi Mingyou waited for a long time but failed to find a favorable opportunity. He realized that although the villain in front of him was young, he was experienced and would not easily reveal any flaws.

Little did he know that he was already being suppressed by "Ruling the World".

Even if Xu Yuan reveals a flaw, he will unconsciously ignore it.

Shi Mingyou raised his spiked club high.

The heavy weapon was engulfed in flames, as if it were holding up a giant torch.

Martial Secret: Blazing Divine Flame!
Shi Mingyou shouted again and swung his spiked club violently.

Each time, a fire dragon would rush towards Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan burst into laughter: "Playing with fire with me? Fine, let's see whose fire is fiercer!"

A burst of fire erupted from his abdomen—

And then... no more.

The martial arts secrets of a fourth-rate martial artist are indeed formidable, but Xu Yuan's inner fire is also fourth-rate, and it is an inner fire that has been refined with six kinds of fire.

Shi Mingyou's fire dragons were easily swallowed up by the fire in Xu Yuan's belly.

"Ah!" Shi Mingyou yelled and jumped up, deciding to give up on all the fancy stuff and charging towards Xu Yuan with his spiked club, striking him down one blow after another.

Xu Yuan raised his sword to meet the attack.

They were locked in a fierce battle, banging and clanging. Shi Mingyou and the others were locked in a fierce fight.

Zhu Yangping and Wenren Luo, who were standing to the side, could only see flying sand and stones, and the gale was like a knife!

In the center of the battlefield was a huge gray shadow. The two were moving so fast that it was impossible to tell who was who.

Wenren Luo's expression changed again.

If he fights like this, he won't be able to withstand Shi Mingyou.

Although he would never confront a martial arts master directly, Wenren Luo had to admit that in order to solve the mystery of the Marquis's mansion, he had to have a calm and serious talk with Shi Mingyou.

Shi Mingyou was extremely loyal to the young marquis, and only he could persuade the young marquis to cooperate with the investigation.

However, the most effective way to make Shi Mingyou "calm down" is to defeat him head-on.

Wenren Luo went up himself and used his magical cultivation methods to defeat Shi Mingyou. Even if he lost, this guy wouldn't accept it and would never talk to you properly.

I'm afraid they'll put on a show of "preferring death to surrender" for you.

Chaos broke out at both ends of the street at the same time.

Xu Yuan and Shi Mingyou fought a fierce battle on the street corner.

Zeng Si got pecked all over the head by Da Fu at the entrance of the Marquis's mansion.

The inspector tried to help, but as soon as he went up, he was pecked by Dafu. He immediately experienced the pain of those needle maidens, and the seven-foot-tall man howled in agony with tears in his eyes.

The remaining officers of the Mountain and River Division were in a state of chaos, unsure of who to help first.

Zhu Yangping soon discovered that his subordinates were being bullied by Dafu.

But the only person who can make Dafu obey is Xu Yuan, who is currently fighting Shi Mingyou... He keeps glancing at Xu Yuan's side and then at Zeng Si's side, caught in a dilemma, wondering which side to take care of first.

Shi Mingyou roared incessantly, chasing after Xu Yuan and displaying all the martial arts techniques he had ever learned.

But they couldn't do anything about Xu Yuan.

This guy's movements are incredibly slippery.

Several times I was about to hit him, but his body was like an eel, twisting and turning inexplicably to dodge.

Moreover, what frustrated Shi Mingyou the most was that Xu Yuan's inner fire was hanging three feet above his head.

Shi Mingyou tried to disperse the fire.

But when he raised his spiked club, the fire flew higher.

He put away the spiked club, and the fire came back!

Shi Mingyou understood that this was a warning to him: I want your life. As long as this fire falls, it can burn you to ashes!

Shi Mingyou struck 108 blows, and Xu Yuan took them all.

They retreated fifty feet.

Shi Mingyou abruptly pulled back, slammed the spiked club on the ground, and sat down heavily, his belly full of anger: "I'm not fighting anymore!"

Xu Yuan was covered in sweat, his clothes were soaked, as if he had been pulled out of the water.

This martial arts practitioner's skills are indeed superior to mine.

Although the Dragon Transformation Technique can provide a body and strength comparable to martial artists of the same level, it is still inferior in terms of martial arts skills.

Moreover, Xu Yuan hadn't really practiced martial arts much.

It was all thanks to the dragon-like movement technique that he made up for it.

Xu Yuan actually played a trick on himself, deliberately suspending the fire in his abdomen above Shi Mingyou's head.

Shi Mingyou knew perfectly well that he would be defeated as soon as the fire came down, so how could he concentrate on the martial arts competition?

This psychological constraint also limited Shi Mingyou's martial arts skills to about 80%.

"You're convinced?" Xu Yuan asked, using his knife to brace himself against the ground.

Shi Mingyou hung his head in dejection, unwilling to admit defeat, and remained silent.

Wenren Luo and Zhu Yangping were both gaping in disbelief. Had Shi Mingyou admitted defeat?

A fourth-rate martial arts practitioner fought a pill refiner, and then the martial arts practitioner conceded defeat?!

"Agh—" Zeng Si's scream came from afar again, abruptly pulling Zhu Yangping back from his shock.

He hurriedly stepped forward: "Lord Xu, please tell your Dafu to stop his supernatural powers."

Xu Yuan's body was weak. Although he felt happy and excited, fighting so hard against a martial arts cultivator had taken a huge toll on him.

He glanced over there, not even wanting to go over, and simply called out, "Dafu, that's enough."

Dafu pecked Zeng Si all over the head, and then gave the inspector a hard whack.

Several other captains who came to help were also punished by Daifu.

A foul breath rose from Dafu's belly, bulged up his neck, and was expelled with a "ga" from his flat mouth.

That's enough, I've vented my anger.

Dafu chattered on and on, lecturing Zeng Si, before staggering back home.

In front of the Marquis's mansion, the officers of the Mountain and River Division who had been pecked were rolling on the ground, screaming in agony.

Zhu Yangping rushed over, bringing with him various medicinal pills; after all, the Zhu family was a wealthy and powerful clan.

But all sorts of medicines and pills he gave his men to heal and detoxify had no effect whatsoever.

"This..." Zhu Yangping was bewildered. It was a seventh-rate medicine pill, so why was it having no effect at all?

He could only look to Xu Yuan for help.

Xu Yuan patted Dafu's head: "Go and relieve their suffering."

Dafu's eyes lit up, and it turned back—but Lord Xu, quick-witted and agile, grabbed its neck and pulled it back.

"I'm asking you to give them the antidote, not to take their lives!"

Dafu was immediately disappointed.

"Huh?" Oh, so that's what it meant. I was so happy for nothing.

"go quickly."

Dafu, however, dawdled, clearly wanting to inflict more pain on those guys.

Xu Yuan, together with Wenren Luo, asked Shi Mingyou, "You are a member of the imperial court, so why are you so loyal to the young marquis?"

Shi Mingyou hummed a few times before reluctantly answering, "My ancestral home is Shandong. Back then, during a locust plague in Shandong, my grandfather led the family to flee to Beidu."

The imperial court closed all the city gates of Beidu that year, preventing disaster victims from entering the city.

Yes... the old man set up a soup kitchen outside the East Gate, which is how our family survived.

If my grandfather hadn't survived, I wouldn't exist.

The "old master" he was referring to was, of course, "Duke Hunde," who was still the crown prince at the time.

Their family has always kept this kindness in their hearts.

However, they didn't tell outsiders about this, and even when the court investigated Shi Mingyou's background, they couldn't find out.

“Besides,” Shi Mingyou added, “the court ordered me to protect the young marquis’s safety. I am utterly loyal to the young marquis. Is there a problem with that?”

This logic... is very reasonable!

Wenren Luo nodded secretly to himself. Sure enough, these martial arts practitioners were all brutes. Once they were beaten into submission, they would answer any question.

Xu Yuan said, "We are truly here because of the strange case in the Marquis's residence, and we have absolutely no ill intentions towards the young Marquis."

Wenren Luo sighed inwardly, "We have no ill intentions, but whoever is behind us... that's another story."

Shi Mingyou stared at the two of them with some suspicion: "Really?"

Xu Yuan shrugged: "The Shanhe Division has been investigating for so long without any results. Why don't we give it a try? Anyway, you and the young marquis have no other choice."

Shi Mingyou remained silent.

Xu Yuan was telling the truth.

In this Marquis's mansion, the young Marquis could not find another person he could completely trust besides him.

"Alright," Shi Mingyou sighed, "What do you want me to do?"

Wenren Luo asked eagerly, "Did the strange occurrences in the manor disturb the young marquis?"

Shi Mingyou removed the steel Nuo mask, gritted his teeth, and said, "They came before, but I scared them away."

"When did this happen?"

Shi Mingyou said a date: "The second day of the third month."

Xu Yuan then went to the main gate and invited Zhu Yangping back.

Upon hearing the date, Zhu Yangping said, "The servants in the manor reported the case to the Mountain and River Bureau. After our investigation, we found that the evil spirit had actually been causing trouble in the manor for some time."

"We have compiled all the testimonies of those who encountered the evil spirit and found that the earliest appearance of this evil spirit should have been around the fifth day of the third lunar month."

The exact date cannot be determined because some servants cannot remember it clearly.

Xu Yuan: "So, this evil spirit entered the Marquis's residence, but its original target was actually the young Marquis?"

Shi Mingyou was furious: "I will definitely catch that thing and tear it apart!"

But all he could do was rage helplessly.

If he could catch the old man with the rat-like face, he would have done so on the night of the second day of the third lunar month.

That thing possessed some kind of mysterious skill; it appeared and disappeared unpredictably, vanishing the moment it was seen.

Wenren Luo looked at Shi Mingyou and said, "If you trust us, take us to see the young marquis."

There are some situations we need to clarify in person.

Shi Mingyou rolled his eyes upwards: "Of course I don't trust you!"

You didn't defeat me yourself.

From the moment I started fighting with this kid, you stood there sneakily to the side; you're clearly not a good person!

Wenren Luo: ...

Next, Shi Mingyou pointed at Xu Yuan and said, "I trust him."

Wenren Luo frowned.

Sending Xu Yuan to see the young marquis alone? That's not appropriate.

Xu Yuan did not ask to go alone.

This is a keen intuition.

From the very beginning, Xu Yuan understood that Wenren Luo's generous reward for having him accompany him to Shunhua City was definitely not for a simple mystery!

Therefore, after Xu Yuan arrived in Shunhua City, he strictly kept in step with Wenren Luo.

The situation reached a stalemate.

Zhu Yangping glanced at Wenren Luo's expression and vaguely guessed what was going on.

He thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I will arrange for the two to have an audience with the young marquis."

If you don't trust us, Shi Mingyou, you can accompany us throughout the entire process.

Wenren Luo and I didn't exchange a single word; Xu Yuan did all the questioning.

The young marquis seems to distrust outsiders. You must persuade him to tell Lord Xu everything he knows; only then will we have a chance to find the evil spirit!

He paused, then emphasized, "If this drags on, whatever the evil spirit's scheme may be, it might just succeed!"

It has been almost half a month since that evil spirit first appeared on the second day of the third lunar month.

Shi Mingyou thought for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay."

……

The young lord is resting at night; we must not disturb him.

Early the next morning, Zhu Yangping returned to the Shanhe Division headquarters and submitted a request to his superiors to inquire about the young marquis regarding the case of the mysterious incident.

After a whole day of back and forth, it wasn't until the next day that the document was finally approved and issued as official documentation.

Zhu Yangping arranged for Xu Yuan and Wenren Luo to change into official robes of the Shanhe Division and follow him into the Marquis's residence through the back gate.

Shi Mingyou was already waiting behind the door.

Although the young marquis is the master of this mansion, he actually lives in a small courtyard on the west side.

It wasn't that the servants mistreated him; it was that he insisted on living here.

It seems that the cramped space actually gave him a little sense of security.

Zhu Yangping and Shi Mingyou walked in front, while Xu Yuan and Wenren Luo followed behind.

Wenren Luo reached out and silently wrote two words on Xu Yuan's back: Destiny!

Xu Yuan turned his head and gave Wenren Luo a deep look.

Sure enough.

Upon entering the small courtyard, Xu Yuan frowned slightly, because his "unfettered" destiny stirred slightly.

(End of this chapter)