No taboos

Chapter 522 Handling Cases Openly and Fairly

During the day.

Using his family's secret channels, Wu Tianfang notified the manager of Luocheng Money Exchange to quickly arrive in Champa with 300,000 taels of silver notes.

The shopkeeper was filled with anxiety the whole way.

Upon arriving in Champa, his worst fears came true.

Wu Tianfang introduced Luo Bei to him and had them sign a loan agreement.

Luo Bei promised to pledge a shop in Beidu as collateral to borrow 300,000 taels of silver from the Wu family's money shop.

The shopkeeper of Luocheng dared not sign.

Pulling Wu Tianfang aside, he anxiously advised, "Second Master, I know he's very famous."

But he's all alone out there, and he doesn't have a property deed. He's asking for 300,000 taels of silver right off the bat...

The shopkeeper glanced at Luo Bei discreetly, then whispered in Wu Tianfang's ear, "If he unfortunately dies outside, the Luo family will never acknowledge this debt!"

Wu Tianfang looked completely bewildered: "What nonsense are you spouting? He's Luo Bei! Even if your second master died, he wouldn't be in any trouble."

If I tell you to lend it, then lend it. Why make up so much nonsense?
Look at the interest he's offering! A full 50,000 taels in just two months! I'm telling you, I want 30,000 taels. How you draft the contract is your business, but this 30,000 taels is definitely mine. Make sure there are no problems with the money exchange's accounts!

Manager Luo was secretly lamenting his predicament.

Not only did you not pledge anything, you asked me to lend you a full 300,000 taels of silver without any collateral!
You even want me to help you falsify the accounts so that you can embezzle the 30,000 taels...

Wu Tianfang felt confident of success, but the shopkeeper of Luocheng dared not gamble.

Those who lend money at exorbitant interest rates are all ruthless.

Since he was the one who released this debt, if problems arise, the Wu family won't hold Wu Tianfang accountable; the responsibility will definitely fall on him.

Three hundred thousand taels of silver! If they can't get it back, the Wu family will skin them alive!
The shopkeeper of Luocheng dared not give it to him, so he asked indirectly, "Second Master, what business do you have in Jiaozhi?"

Speaking of Wu Tianfang, he has a lot of complaints.

"Those old folks in the family are really senile!"

"No other family is taking the lead, not even the Murong family, whose members have died."

"They insisted on using the Dragon Guard's name to get me to come and investigate that Xu Yuan."

"Isn't Murong Zunlong more capable than me?"

"The three members of the Fu family and one member of the Murong family have all perished in Southern Jiaozhi. What can I do if I come? If I go to investigate Xu Yuan, I'm afraid I'll be the next one to die!"

Wu Tianfang glared at the shopkeeper of Luocheng and pressed him, "Hurry up and sign the contract. I can't have made this trip to Jiaozhi for nothing. Getting 30,000 taels of silver would be pretty good."

As for the duties of the Dragon Guard, such as investigating Xu Yuan, Master Wu the Second would not do them.

Anyway, he had already said some harsh words to Xu Yuan in front of everyone at the teahouse that morning, so he could explain himself.

Afterwards, he went back and said that he had indeed investigated carefully, but it really had nothing to do with Xu Yuan.

Even if the Dragon Guard sends people to investigate again, as long as they find that he had openly "threatened" Xu Yuan, he cannot say that he was protecting Xu Yuan.

Wu Tianfang's abacus beads clicked loudly.

The shopkeeper of Luocheng couldn't fight city hall, and in the end, he was forced to release the silver.

After making this deal, the second master of the Wu family felt it was a sure thing and a deal that would never go wrong!

……

Luo Bei was not familiar with Ghost Mountain.

But there's no need to buy information about Ghost Mountain from Zhang Laoya; just ask Zhu Zhanlei directly.

But Zhu Zhanlei's expression was solemn, and he waved his hand: "Go out first, and try not to mention that name in this old gathering."

Luo Bei frowned and followed Zhu Zhanlei out.

His skill level is already high enough to traverse most of the uncivilized areas.

But he also knew that Ghost Mountain was no ordinary place, so he had a bad feeling.

Zhu Zhanlei took him back to the Shanhe Division office and told him about Black Fox's situation in detail.

Most of it was fabricated by Xu Yuan...

There is indeed a "Black Fox Master" among the masters of Ghost Witch Mountain.

But Xu Yuan didn't know if he was the grandfather of the two little foxes.

That "Black Fox Master" is indeed the most mysterious among the masters.

Tian Jing and Jiao Bang's Xu Yuan inquired carefully on Guanghuo Street, but they didn't gather much information.

Xu Yuan guessed that was most likely true.

But it's hard to say... After all, when Xu Yuan first dealt with Black Fox, his strength was only that of a minor, low-level player.

Why would a "master" personally deal with a nobody?
Zhu Zhanlei's words stunned Luo Bei.

He silently returned to the inn.

Then, with a sliver of hope, he waited a day.

Hopefully, that Black Fox Lord will be able to use this bundle of "Plague Insect Life".

No matter what you do or how you use it, as long as you use your own magic, you can use it again.

Luo Bei's current pain lies in the fact that, inexplicably, he is no longer scheming against Xu Yuan, but has instead become fighting to protect his most fundamental "deadly method"!
But in the end, he was still disappointed.

So he had no choice but to grit his teeth and risk going into the mountains the next day.

I may not be able to defeat that "Black Fox Lord," but if I find him and negotiate with him, I am willing to pay a price to beg Black Fox Lord to let me go.

It should be possible to do it.

Luo Bei was completely preoccupied with Xu Yuan, while Xu Yuan himself remained strangely inactive.

Zhu Zhanlei and Miao Yu were both puzzled: "Now that you've figured out Luo Bei's strengths and weaknesses, why haven't you made a move yet?"

"Do you expect that once he enters Ghost Witch Mountain, that so-called 'Black Fox Lord' will take care of him for you?"

Xu Yuan smiled without saying a word.

The most convenient route from Zhancheng to Guiwu Mountain in Luobei is to first go to Shanhe County and then go directly into the mountain.

However, Luo Bei chose to enter from Xiaoyushan, which is located near Zhancheng.

Try to "ask" the evil spirits along the way about the temperament and preferences of that Black Fox Lord.

In Xiaoyu Mountain, Luo Bei killed several powerful evil spirits, but when asked about "Lord Black Fox," they knew nothing about it.

Just as Luo Bei was getting anxious, a stroke of good fortune suddenly appeared, leading him to encounter a pack of clever weasels!
These minor evil spirits may not be particularly powerful, but they have a large family and a wide range of sources of information.

They possess some information about Lord Black Fox.

Moreover, these little creatures are intelligent and greedy.

They had agreed with Luo Bei that they would use a whole carriage full of copper coins to exchange for them to guide Luo Bei to find that Black Fox Lord.

Huang Thirty-Seven, with his little paws behind his back and his belly protruding, walked at the front and said to Luo Bei, "You're lucky to have met us."

"The Black Fox Lord's whereabouts are unpredictable in Ghost Witch Mountain. If you want to find him, we'll have to help you search the entire mountain for his scent."

No one else would dare take your job.

On three or four nearby hilltops, weasels roamed among the grass and rocks!

Every now and then, it stands upright, raising its small, pointed head to sniff the air.

This scene would terrify even the most ordinary person.

Luo Bei smiled and said, "Tell your second son to put in more effort. After it's done, I won't hesitate to reward him!"

"Hehehe, good, good!" Huang Thirty-Seven's eyes were shaped like copper coins with excitement.

……

On the third day after Luo Bei had traveled through the mountains, the Zhancheng Exorcism Bureau welcomed several special "guests".

There were four people in total, all very mysterious. They entered through the back door, all wearing veils. Judging from their figures, there were three men and one woman.

Lord Xu personally greeted them from behind the gate, and no one in the yamen was allowed to approach!

After leading the people in, the leader of the group said stiffly, "First, show us to His Highness."

Xu Yuan simply nodded.

The other party's attitude was bad, and Xu Yuan didn't consider himself a friend to them.

So the group quickly arrived at His Highness's courtyard.

This area has been cleared out.

Even Mr. Cao was not present; only Mr. Wenqi sat below the throne.

He still acted as if he didn't care about anything.

"This old man, Luo Gonglian of the Luo family of Hunan Province, pays his respects to Your Highness."

The three people behind them also bowed down.

His Highness slightly raised his hand, his expression indifferent, and said calmly, "I am merely acting as a guarantor for Lord Xu. This is a case under the Exorcism Bureau; you can discuss it yourselves."

This attitude of "staying out of it and not caring" was, of course, taught to him by Xiao Xulang.

The four people removed their veils.

The elderly man at the head of the group was around sixty years old, with white hair and beard and deep eye bags.

He looked even more haggard.

The moment they entered, Xu Yuan had already keenly sensed that the woman among the four was a life cultivator!
His skill level is sixth-rate, on par with Xu Yuan himself.

But how many destinies does she have?
Luo Gonglian then said without any politeness, "Lord Xu sent word that our Luo Bei has been possessed since childhood. Please, Your Highness, vouch for him. This is no small matter!"

Although our Luo family does not have any cabinet ministers in court, if you slander our Luo family's prodigy like this, the entire Luo family will risk their lives to demand an explanation from Lord Xu!

Xu Yuan urgently sent a message to the Luo family in Hunan Province through the channels of the Exorcism Bureau.

This time, Lord Xu is going to deal with Luobei openly and honestly!

Your possession of Luo Bei's body is also a strange case.

My Exorcism Division handles cases with integrity and uprightness.

Therefore, we need to invite the Luo family members to be witnesses as well.

Lest the Luo family deny everything later and come looking for revenge on me.

"It's taking lives, not possessing bodies," Xu Yuan corrected.

If it were just the Department of Purification saying this, the Luo family wouldn't take it too seriously.

Who do you think you are, the Champa Exorcism Bureau or even the Southern Jiaozhi General Administration?
How dare they point fingers at the Luo family?

But with Princess Ruicheng's endorsement, things are different.

Luo Bei's father is the current head of the Luo family.

Her mother was the eldest daughter of the prominent Ning family in Hubei Province.

It involves a very wide range of people.

Luo Gonglian is Luo Bei's second uncle.

After Xu Yuan corrected her, the woman asked in confusion, "Deadly?"

Luo Gonglian introduced, "This is Miss Yuan Muping, a master cultivator from my Luo family."

Although she is addressed as "Miss," Yuan Muping looks to be over forty years old.

It seems she has never married.

Those who are supported by powerful families, especially female cultivators, will meet such an end.

Who will she marry?

The Luo family would certainly not allow her to marry an outsider.

Marry into the Luo family?
If she marries into the eldest son's family, the other sons' families will join forces to rebel.

If she were to marry into another branch of the family, the eldest branch would absolutely not allow it!

Yuan Muping said, "It's definitely not possession. Before Young Master Luo Bei was six years old, I saw him once every three months. As for taking his life... I've never heard of such a thing!"

Xu Yuan explained the principle behind Luo Bei's deadly technique.

Yuan Muping frowned and shook her head: "This is too absurd. The method Lord Xu is talking about has never appeared before. How can we believe you?"

Xu Yuan clapped his hands, and "Dream Come True" obediently went outside.

"follow me."

Once inside the courtyard, Xu Yuan opened the car door and said to the four members of the Luo family, "You'll know once you go in."

In the world inside the car, Yuan Muping saw the "life of the plague insects," and his mouth gaped open in astonishment for a long time.

But Luo Gonglian and the other two couldn't see anything.

"Miss Yuan—" Luo Gonglian asked anxiously.

Yuan Muping's face was grim, but she could only grit her teeth and say, "What Lord Xu said about taking lives... is possible."

The three men, including Luo Gonglian, were filled with shock!
"Could it be that Xiao Bei was really...?"

Yuan Muping raised her hand: "It's only a possibility; Young Master Luobei may not actually fall for this method!"

Xu Yuan didn't argue much.

None of the Luo family members present wanted Luo Bei to actually die.

They will definitely not give up until they reach the Yellow River.

Emerging from the "dream come true" moment, Xu Yuan asked Yuan Muping, "After you turned six, did you ever again hope for Luo Bei's fate?"

Yuan Muping nodded: "I'll check on him occasionally when we meet. There have been three times in total. Young Master Luo Bei's fate is 'blessed by heaven,' there's absolutely no problem!"

Luo Bei knew Yuan Muping, and whenever he saw her, he would make sure to conceal himself.

And "good fortune" is indeed one of the fates that Luo Bei seized.

At this point, the other two young men among the four finally couldn't hold back any longer: "This is utterly absurd!"

"I don't know what our ancestors were thinking!"

"You're going to doubt Luo Bei just because of a mere word from a law master thousands of miles away?"

"Although Your Highness is wise, she is not a cultivator of destiny after all!"

The two glared fiercely at Xu Yuan.

Luo Bei is the pride of the entire Luo family.

They were also elders, of the same generation as Luo Gonglian, but both were fourth-rate.

Luo Gonglian, the person in charge of this trip, is only third-rate!
The decision not to invite Luo Bei's parents and brothers was made by the family's ancestors.

There are concerns that they might protect Luo Bei out of affection.

One of them was named Luo Gongjie, and the other was named Luo Gongyao.

The two of them felt that their ancestors had gone mad by not allowing the Luo Bei family to come, which meant they believed the little law master's nonsense about 80% of the time!
They started doubting their own genius!
Luo Bei's importance to the Luo family is not only because he is known as "the number one young person in Jiangbei", but also because Luo Bei carries the Luo family's hopes of moving from Hunan and Hubei to the capital!

The Luo family wielded considerable influence in the region, but they remained a prominent local clan.

If you want to expand your influence throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, so that wherever you go in the future, when people mention the Luo family, they will be the first people to think of, then you have to enter the court!
Now that someone wants to extinguish this hope, Luo Gongjie and his group are of course absolutely unwilling to accept it.

The two of them also harbored the strongest and most direct dislike for Xu Yuan.

She wanted nothing more than to point her finger at Xu Yuan and yell: "You little brat, you have no right to question my Luo Bei!"
Xu Yuan glanced at the two of them sideways.

I ignored the two of them.

They were placed outside, and those were fourth-rate repairmen, the "distinguished people" from the Luo family.

But in this operation, there were only two thugs.

They can't make decisions, nor are they qualified to make any decisions.

Xu Yuan only asked Luo Gonglian: "Does the Luo family want to tolerate evil? Or... as long as Luo Bei is outstanding enough and is nominally a member of your Luo family, it doesn't matter whether he is actually a member of your Luo family or not?"

"Can the Luo family swallow this insult?"

Enraged by Xu Yuan's interrogation, Luo Gonglian glared at Xu Yuan with bloodshot eyes and said, "If what you say is true, then this scoundrel is the murderer who plotted against my Luo family's descendants!"
How could the Luo family allow him to continue to live freely under the Luo family's name?

You don't need to provoke me. Our ancestors have already made a decision. If he really isn't a member of the Luo family, we will kill him ourselves. That's the reason we were sent here.

Everything he owns that belongs to the Luo family, we will take back!

Xu Yuan didn't care.

If you want it back, fine. I don't want anything from him; I want his destiny!

Luo Gonglian paused, then said fiercely, "But if you're mistaken, our Luo family won't let this go so easily!"

Several of my ancestors and my eldest brother have already set off north. We'll be in Champa by the time they reach Beidu.

We all carried the humming wheels.

"Once we confirm you're up to no good, our ancestors will go to the Imperial Observatory together. We won't go to the Exorcism Bureau; we'll go directly to the Director of the Observatory and demand an explanation from the Luo family and Luo Bei!"

Xu Yuan sneered: "Let's go. Whether Luo Bei has a problem or not, this Miss Yuan will know after taking a look!"

Yuan Muping raised her hand to stop Xu Yuan: "How could you know at a glance?"

Yuan Muping hadn't noticed the problem in the previous three attempts.

Xu Yuan pointed to the sign "Dreams Come True" and said, "You all sit inside. As long as Luo Bei doesn't realize you're here, he won't bother to conceal his fate."

Luo Gonglian and the other two looked at Yuan Muping.

Yuan Muping hesitated.

They became anxious and indecisive.

She is the life cultivator supported by the Luo family. If Luo Bei is really killed, she is the one who bears the primary responsibility!
Although the Luo family wouldn't really do anything to her before finding a second life cultivator, given their strength, finding a second life cultivator didn't seem like a difficult task...

Luo Gonglian waited for a while, then grew impatient and urged, "Hurry up! Do you think you can escape this by hiding?"

Yuan Muping gritted her teeth and got into the car.

The moment she stepped onto the carriage, a thought popped into her mind: whether Luo Bei had been killed or not, Luo Gonglian and the others only believed me, not Xu Yuan.

So as long as I...

After Yuan Muping, Luo Gonglian and the other two went up in turn.

The space inside the carriage was still quite spacious.

Xu Yuan sat outside the car, rubbing a spot on the car door, swaying comfortably as if his "dream had come true."

"Set off."

……

Before the carriage left the city, Xu Yuan found two horses to pull it from the front, so as not to cause a stir.

Once we get into the mountains, we'll release the horses back into the mountains.

The four people sitting inside the car could also see the scenery outside through the car windows.

Originally, the interior of the carriage was dark and the various furnishings looked like the standard features of a wealthy family's carriage.

The clump of "plague insects" they had seen in the car earlier had also disappeared.

The four were not surprised; the carriage was clearly a work of art of high quality.

After entering the mountains, things suddenly changed inside the carriage.

Yuan Muping was preoccupied and kept her head down the whole way, completely unaware of this change.

Luo Gonglian was the first to notice.

He was astonished to see colorful clouds swirling above the heads of his two cousins, Luo Gongjie and Luo Gongyao!

At a glance, he understood the meaning behind these "clouds": his two cousins ​​were cursing Xu Yuan in their hearts and complaining about their ancestors.

He still believed that Luo Bei was his cousin, and there was absolutely no doubt about that!
Luo Gonglian hurriedly looked up again and saw that there were also these "clouds" above his head!
"This is... a thought?" Luo Gonglian realized.

But how could Xu Yuan, this craftsman, have the ability to reflect everyone's thoughts?
"Dreams Come True" inherently possesses the ability to connect with the "Heavenly Palace".

These thoughts churned in their minds and also in the heavens.

“You…” Luo Gonglian pointed at the top of their heads and shouted.

The two hurriedly looked up, and their expressions changed drastically.

Luo Gonglian's shout also startled Yuan Muping, who was deep in thought.

Yuan Muping's face grew paler and paler, and she gave Xu Yuan a deep look outside the car.

This is Lord Xu warning me.

Even if I lie, it's useless; he can directly reflect all my thoughts!

As soon as she had a thought in her mind, the colorful clouds above her head began to churn, and all her thoughts were clearly seen by the three people beside her!
Luo Gonglian remained silent and did not criticize Yuan Muping.

But in his heart, he already believed that Luo Bei, the prodigy of the Luo family and the most outstanding talent in the three sects, was really not a descendant of the Luo family!

Xu Yuan's preparations were so thorough that he must be absolutely certain of success!

But his idea did not come to fruition.

Because the space inside the carriage had returned to normal, it no longer reflected everyone's thoughts.

……

Luo Bei was already getting impatient.

Today is the fourth day since we entered the mountains.

These cunning weasels have led me around the mountains for four days, but I still haven't found anything!
In the process, he inadvertently provoked a powerful evil spirit known as "Father." Luo Bei used all his skills to fight it to a draw and eventually retreated from its territory.

This battle made Luo Bei increasingly uneasy.

If the "father" title is already this impressive, then the "grandfather" title... truly means they can only be polite and not aggressive.

But what if it doesn't make sense...?

After searching the mountains for half a day, Luo Bei's anxiety was finally at its peak. He looked at Huang Thirty-Seven, who was shouting and leading the way ahead, and snapped his fingers:
A golden pellet the size of a mung bean flew out.

It hit Huang Thirty-Seven squarely on the back.

The golden pellet instantly opened up into a ladybug.

However, several thin, long insect antennae rapidly extended from beneath him, trapping Huang Thirty-Seven firmly in place with a whoosh!
Finer barbs extend from the insect's antennae, piercing into the weasel's body, injecting toxins and sucking back fresh blood!

Huang Thirty-Seven instantly shrank a size!
"squeak--"

Huang Thirty-Seven screamed in agony. Luo Bei stepped forward with a grim face: "Do you think I'm someone you can easily fool..."

Before he could finish speaking, the weasel pack suddenly became agitated, and one of them shouted, "Found it!"

The pack of weasels rushed over in a flash.

Then everyone started shouting, "That's the taste!"

"Hmm?" Almost simultaneously, Luo Bei vaguely sensed that the connection between himself and the "Fate of the Plague Insects" had been restored!

"Lead the way!" Luo Bei shouted, but did not release Huang Thirty-Seven: "If you dare to fool me again, I'll suck you dry!"

"I dare not, I absolutely dare not!" Huang Thirty-Seven was both flexible and resolute, repeatedly begging for mercy.

A large pack of weasels swept over several hilltops.

Suddenly, they saw a carriage slowly moving forward at the foot of the mountain ahead.

There was a black fox wearing a blue Taoist robe sitting upright on the carriage!

"Back off!" Luo Bei clearly sensed the "destiny of the plague insects" and shouted, driving away the weasels that were about to rush forward.

Luo Bei was extremely polite. He straightened his clothes, put on a gentle and refined smile, and then walked towards the carriage.

"senior……"

Inside the car, Luo Gonglian and the other two stared nervously at Yuan Muping, clinging to their last glimmer of hope.

Yuan Muping opened her "Fate Gazing" and was immediately stunned by the chaotic "fate" on Luo Bei's body, which resembled a swarm of snakes dancing wildly. She exclaimed, "What kind of bizarre thing is this?!"

(End of this chapter)