Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 533 Account Book
Upon hearing that they were traveling together, the middle-aged martial artist beside the boy frowned slightly but did not speak.

The bodyguard who asked the question, as well as the other merchants in the hall, all showed expressions of envy.

The Mountain Sect is a top sect in the martial arts world of the Great Qin Dynasty, with a Grandmaster presiding over it.

Disciples of the Mountain Sect are always treated with respect wherever they go.

"Recently, the Mountain Sect has also been somewhat unstable, and several major sects in the Eastern Jianghu are all having a difficult time."

A few sparks suddenly burst from the brazier, making the shadow on Luo Dashan's brow bone appear even deeper across from Zhang Yuan.

As he spoke, he picked up the wine pot the innkeeper had brought and filled the empty bowl. The crisp sound of the pottery clinking together made the bodyguard choke on the rest of his words.

The neighing of horses came from outside the door, and the dull sound of hooves echoed across the snow, stretching into the distance.

From afar came the hoarse shouts of the night watchman, mixed with the panicked cries of the waiter who was closing up shop: "The officials are conducting a night inspection! They say they're looking for someone carrying a black cloth bundle..."

In the main hall, everyone's gaze swept over Luo Dashan's cloth bag hanging on the corner of the table, causing the young bodyguard next to him to suddenly shrink his pupils.

The middle-aged bodyguard next to him reached out and pressed down on his arm, shaking his head.

Luo Dashan picked up the bundle and looked at the long knife in his hand.

He pushed the knife in front of Zhang Yuan and said, "You can't owe favors when you're out in the martial world. You treated me to meat, so I'll give you this knife."

“Brother Zhang, you are still young. Once you enter the martial world, you must know that the knife in your hand should only be used to kill those who are worthy of being killed.”

After saying that, Luo Dashan turned and left, rushing into the wind and snow outside the door.

A short while later, the sound of horses' hooves echoed outside the inn.

"I remember now, Thunderclap Hand Master Luo the Seventh, he's the Martial Guard Commander of the Prefectural City Martial Guard Office, a powerful expert at the Innate Realm..."

The innkeeper's voice came from inside.

Zhang Yuan remained calm as he looked at the long sword lying horizontally on the table.

"Bam—"

The previously closed inn door was flung open, and several soldiers dressed in armor and fur-lined coats rushed in.

The moment the soldiers stepped into the inn, the wind and snow whipped up the embers in the brazier, sending up sparks that made the scar on the leading captain's face writhe like a centipede.

His gaze swept across the hall, finally settling on the broad, thick sword on Zhang Yuan's desk, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Where did this knife come from?" The captain pressed the knife closer, his boot sole crushing the unmelted snow on the ground.

Inside the main hall, the young man heading to the Mountain Sect looked anxious and clenched his fists.

The bodyguards looked at each other and remained silent, heads bowed.

In the corner, an old man holding a wine bowl narrowed his eyes slightly.

Zhang Yuan lowered his head and took a sip of wine, his fingertips tracing the crack on the rim of the bowl: "It's an heirloom."

The captain slammed his hand on the wooden table beside him, causing the wine bowl on the table to overturn and spill the murky wine onto the coarse cloth clothes of the warriors in front of him.

"Do you think I don't recognize the goose-feather saber from the Martial Guard?" the captain shouted in a low voice, and the soldiers behind him scattered with a clatter, the sound of crossbows twirling breaking the silence.

In the lobby, only the sound of wind and snow blowing in could be heard.

The captain's hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

The boy sitting not far away looked anxious, his arm being held down by the middle-aged man beside him.

The bodyguards exchanged glances and lowered their heads slightly.

"Cough cough..."

A soft cough came from the main hall, and the voice of a disheveled old man came from the corner: "Sir, this kid has been blacksmithing in town for three years, and the deerskin wrapped around the hilt of his knife was hunted by me."

Behind the counter, the shopkeeper, who was holding an abacus, continued, "Last month he bought two ounces of sulfur powder on credit to make an old scabbard. I still have it in my ledger."

"He doesn't have any ancestral knife; that's a knife from last month."

Blacksmithing.

Antique finish.

People in the town.

The captain rubbed the hilt of his sword with his fingertips, narrowed his eyes, and scanned the crowd in the hall.

"Report!"

A soldier covered in snow burst through the door: "Luo Dashan's whereabouts have been discovered in the North Alley!"

The captain suddenly turned around, took a few steps, then stopped and looked at Zhang Yuan: "If I find out you've been illegally forging official weapons..."

As the sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, everyone in the hall breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhang Yuan looked at the old man in the corner, who grinned.

The shopkeeper also shook his head.

Zhang Yuan stood up, picked up his knife, and went up the stairs.

Some people in the hall looked up and continued drinking, while others stood up and dispersed.

"He has such audacity..." The young man in the blue robe lowered his voice and clenched his fist.

The middle-aged man beside him didn't say anything, but simply picked up his wine bowl.

On the second floor of the inn, in a private room, Zhang Yuan lightly tapped the hilt of his knife.

"Om-"

The long sword is unsheathed.

A blood-stained ledger fell out of the scabbard with a "thud".

He reached out and picked up the ledger; the yellowed pages were covered with densely packed writing stained with blood.

"In the spring of the twenty-first year of the Yuankang era, Commandant Zhou Tong secretly dispatched three hundred crossbowmen to the black market in the eastern border..."

"In the autumn of the twentieth year of Yuankang, three hundred and sixty laborers from Shenhanjiang obtained four thousand catties of Yin Marrow Iron."

"Appendix to the secret account: When the Yin Marrow Iron is forged, a living soul is required as a guide. Prefect Cao Xian forcibly abducted refugees under the pretext of 'conscripting laborers,' and their corpses were transported to the Bai Chen Martial Sect's weapon-forging workshop."

"Grain was stolen from the official granaries; the government's Bing-class granary has been short 90,000 shi of spirit grain over three years..."

……

Zhang Yuan squinted as he gripped the ledger.

"Someone is coming."

As Zhang Yuan's voice fell, the icicles hanging from the eaves suddenly reflected seven dark shadows.

The shadows, like ink dripping into the brazier, condensed into seven figures wrapped in black talisman robes in the rising smoke.

The leader of the Shadow Guards, whose silver threads of the Twenty-Eight Constellations flickered in the fireworks, was none other than Faceless, who commanded five hundred Shadow Guards.

"Give me information about Cao Xian, the prefect of Linshui Prefecture."

Zhang Yuan spoke again.

Wumian bowed and handed a roll of paper to Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan unfolded the paper and saw that many of the records on it overlapped with the information in the ledger.

Above the message, there were also records about Luo Dashan and others.

The Linshui Prefecture Military Guard uncovered a smuggling case, and by following the clues, the prefectural government was implicated.

More than ten guards were killed, but Luo Dashan, who had the government's account books in his possession, escaped alone.

"Where are the guards now, and what is the progress?"

Zhang Yuan handed the ledger and the paper pages to Wumian.

The Shadow Guards will naturally investigate whether the information in the ledgers is true or not.

There will also be relevant information in Taichung, Taiwan.

"Reporting to the Marquis, the various guards have infiltrated Jiujiang County according to the Marquis's plan—" Shadow Guard Commander Wumian reported, bowing.

"Xue Minghe, the commander of the Thousand Illusions Guard, led his guards to transform into yamen runners and clerks and infiltrate the prefectural governor's office and the six government offices. They have already obtained evidence of corruption by twenty-seven of Tang Zheng's direct subordinate officials."

"The fact that the head of the Household Affairs Bureau secretly met with salt merchants last night was recorded in its entirety."

"Leng Qianxue, the deputy commander of the Zhuxian Sword Guard, disguised herself as a member of the patrol office and sealed off the county government's armory and communication stations. She intercepted three secret letters that Tang Zheng had personally sent to the Wei Kingdom, and copies of the handwriting have been presented to the Marquis."

"Xu Mang, the commander of the Giant Spirit Guard, led a thousand armored soldiers to hide in the southwest alley of the prefecture, under the pretext of repairing the water canal, and deployed heavy crossbows that could break through the enemy's defenses."

"Another three hundred Giant Spirit Guards disguised themselves as laborers and infiltrated the vicinity of the Prefectural Governor's mansion's kitchen, where they could cut off its food supply at any time."

"The Xuanjia Dragon Riders led by Lord Tie Xing, five hundred elite soldiers disguised as a merchant caravan, are stationed in the East Market of the county town. Their warhorses are covered with grain carts, and their dragon scale armor is hidden under the fodder. They can rush straight to the main gate of the county governor's mansion within half a quarter of an hour."

"The Spider Lady, leading the Blood Spider Guard, has taken control of the seven major shipping gang leaders in Jiujiang. Their dock ledgers show that Tang Zheng's son, Tang Yujue, is involved in smuggling iron ore from the Eastern Territory through the Fuyun Trading Company."

"The Tiger Guard Battalion is guarding the vital waterway and land route of Jiujiang. They are outwardly relaxed but inwardly vigilant. Yesterday, they seized three cargo ships carrying armored soldiers from the prefecture."

"The Heavenly Gang Sword Guards, under the guise of the Qingyun Sword Sect's trials, dispersed and stationed themselves in the twelve sects of the Eastern Territory."

"Bai Chen Martial Sect's weapon-forging workshop has been secretly surrounded by a sword formation, which could cut off Tang Zheng's hidden source of heavy weapons at any time."

"Lei Hao led the Immortal Execution Thunder Guards to secretly set up a lightning-attracting array at the geological nodes of the county city. With a single order from the Marquis, the lightning can instantly paralyze the county government's defensive array."

"The Shadow Guards are keeping a close watch on the Marquis, within a hundred feet. They have already eliminated three waves of Jianghu spies today."

"Once the Marquis gives the order, the officialdom, the martial arts world, and the business world of Jiujiang County will all change at the same time."

The faceless voice in front of Zhang Yuan was calm, as if there were no waves.

With the strength of the Zhen Tian Division, they could instantly take control of not only Jiujiang County, but also the seven counties of the Eastern Territory.

Nodding, Zhang Yuan said calmly, "Prepare the car."

"Luo Dashan was a brave and upright man; it's a pity he died."

Reaching out and picking up the goose-feather knife, Zhang Yuan stepped out of the side room.

In the backyard, outside the gate, the innkeeper, dressed in a blue cloth robe, bowed, the black ice guard markings peeking out from the corner of his robe.

"My lord, Luo Dashan has gone to Qingsong Fort."

Zhang Yuan nodded and stepped into the carriage.

The wooden carriage braved the wind and snow, heading straight out of town towards Qingsongbao.

In the distance, towards Qingsongbao, flames rose into the sky.

(End of this chapter)