Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 336 Traveling to the Western Regions, Prisoners on the Road

"Young Master Zhou is too kind. The Western Regions are far and vast. With only this one clue, it's impossible to know how long it will take to find out anything. I can go alone; there's no need for Brother Lu."

Li Xunhuan said with a smile.

"Young Master!" Tie Chuanjia exclaimed, "When you left the Central Plains for the Western Regions, I accompanied you. Why have you excluded me today?"

Afei immediately said, "I've been traveling around the Central Plains for so long, I'd like to visit the Western Regions too. If you're going to the Western Regions, you can come with me."

"You two..." Li Xunhuan sighed helplessly, but a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

Looking at Lu Xiaofeng again, a look of hesitation appeared on his face.

However, no one said anything.

After all, it's really asking too much of people to travel to the Western Regions for something that has nothing to do with them.

They are friends, but continuing the conversation risks being seen as moral blackmail.

Zhou Ming didn't care about these things. He raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm not worried about your safety in the Western Regions, but the case of the Divine Marquis's bribery has been going on for some time now. Nobody knows when the court will make a decision on this matter."

If you cannot find irrefutable evidence of Zhu Wushi's treason before then, I'm afraid that even if you produce that evidence later, it won't be of much use.

The current situation of Iron-Blooded Marquis is determined by a variety of factors.

The falling out between the Wan family members can be considered the beginning of this incident.

However, the subsequent involvement of the Eastern Depot and other forces also played a significant role.

If we wait until this case is settled before presenting the evidence, those important figures in the court may not necessarily overturn their own conclusions.

It's important to understand that many outcomes are the result of exchanges of interests among various forces.

Before these forces have reached an agreement, anything can become a new bargaining chip in their hands.

But after they've reached an agreement, you come back and say you have new leverage, and ask them to renegotiate?
Moreover, once a conclusion is reached, it means that the imperial court has issued its decision.

Considering the court's reputation, the possibility of changing orders frequently is not very high.

This gave Li Xunhuan and his team another timeframe for their investigation.

There is no fixed time, but they are required to do it as early as possible.

Under these circumstances, facing the vast Western Regions and a situation with almost no clues, no one knew how long they would investigate.

Of course, the more manpower we have, the better.

Moreover, this person is a world-renowned detective.

Li Xunhuan shook his head.

Seeing this, Lu Xiaofeng quickly said, "I didn't say I wouldn't go, but if I go to the Western Regions, I'm afraid it will only cause you more trouble."

Zhou Ming asked, "What do you mean?"

Lu Xiaofeng said, "You should all know about the Silver Hook Gambling House incident. The Kunsha we met in that incident has quite an identity now. Not only did he inherit the Jade Rakshasa's army, but he also became the leader of the Rakshasa Sect, and even renamed it the Star Luo Sect, which is expanding rapidly."

Now, some have already bestowed upon him the title of King of the Western Regions!

"King of the Western Regions?" Tie Chuanjia exclaimed in surprise, "What a great reputation! This person has conquered the Western Regions in such a short time? I'm afraid this is just an honorific title, and he is probably respected by many city-states in the Western Regions."

He and Li Xunhuan had wandered the Western Regions for ten years, so they naturally knew the situation there.

Whether it was the Demonic Sect before or the Rakshasa Sect after, in the legends of the Central Plains, they were both powerful forces that unified the Western Regions.

In reality, they only unified the country in name.

Many city-states in the Western Regions respected him as their master and paid tribute to him annually, but the right to govern and possess the land still belonged to them.

Lu Xiaofeng had only heard about this from his friends and did not know the details. He said, "Even so, if Kunsha finds out that I went to the Western Regions, it will probably cause trouble."

My hesitation just now stemmed from this matter. However, if I were to disguise myself, then going to the Western Regions wouldn't be out of the question.

Zhou Ming quickly said, "In that case, I'll help you find a master of disguise!"

Li Xunhuan hesitated for a moment, but finally clasped his hands and said, "This time, I owe you both a great favor."

Lu Xiaofeng laughed heartily: "We're all friends, what are you saying?"

Zhou Ming said, "In that case, before you set off, I will try my best to gather as much information as possible about this matter and the current situation in the Western Regions."

Disguise is a very simple matter.

The capital city is full of talented people.

Li Xunhuan and the others hardly needed to disguise themselves; Lu Xiaofeng only needed to change his face.

The only problem is that the Thunderclap Sword he carries has now become famous throughout the martial arts world.

Kunsha of the Star Luo Sect had observed him closely for several days and would probably recognize him at a glance.

But this sword is something you really can't leave without.

This sword significantly boosted Lu Xiaofeng's combat power, especially now that he had mastered the Thunderclap Sword Technique.

No one knew what they would encounter or what enemies they would face in the Western Regions.

Moreover, there's Kunsha from the Star Luo Cult.

If their identities are truly discovered, a major battle is inevitable.

Facing this enemy, the Thunderclap Sword is also a must.

Therefore, Lu Xiaofeng went to Zhu Ting and asked him to find a way to disguise the Thunderclap Sword.

Zhu Ting's skillful hands truly transformed the Thunderclap Sword into something entirely new.

The only problem is that this disguise prevents us from actually fighting. Once we start fighting, we definitely won't be able to withstand the power of that thunder.

However, given Lu Xiaofeng and Li Xunhuan's strength, even if they encountered a Second Flower Grandmaster, they might not necessarily need to draw their swords.

This disguise was only to prevent Lu Xiaofeng's identity from being immediately exposed.

In just one day, all preparations were completed.

The next day, the four of them set off together for the Western Regions.

Of course, before leaving, they still needed to come to Zhou Ming to collect intelligence.

Although it was only a short day, Zhou Ming produced quite a lot of intelligence.

It is mainly divided into two parts.

Part of it, naturally, was intelligence about Zhu Wushi.

In fact, Zhu Wushi had been making some moves in the Western Regions all along.

The timeline is very early, even before the establishment of the Dragon Guard Manor.

But no one has ever been able to find out what he was doing in the Western Regions.

The methods of the Dragon Guardian Manor are indeed formidable, but Zhu Wushi's actions began even before the Dragon Guardian Manor was established.

Therefore, many people believe that Zhu Wushi was connected with the demonic sects of the Western Regions, namely the Rakshasa sect, and that it was with their help that he was able to completely conceal his actions.

“If this information is true, you might really need to make contact with the Star Luo Sect,” Zhou Ming said.

After all, the predecessor of the Star Luo Sect was the Rakshasa Sect.

"What if the Demonic Cult is cooperating with the Iron-Blooded Marquis?" Lu Xiaofeng asked.

Zhou Ming smiled and said, "Then take a look at the next intelligence report."

The next intelligence report will naturally be about the Star Luo Cult.

Upon seeing this, they were all astonished.

"The Star Luo Sect has actually wiped out the Demonic Sect? And it has taken control of all the oases, even sending troops to wreak havoc in the Western Regions, with no one able to stop it?!"

"Indeed! The Star Luo Sect is clearly not like the Demonic Sect and Rakshasa Sect of the past, which only maintained a nominal rule. They want to truly become the King of the Western Regions!"

"What grand ambitions!" Li Xunhuan exclaimed.

Lu Xiaofeng's face immediately turned ugly.

Zhou Ming said, "The Star Luo Sect inherited the Rakshasa Sect and also absorbed the Demonic Sect. So, regardless of which side Zhu Wushi cooperates with, or even if he doesn't cooperate with any side at all, I'm afraid you'll still have to go to the Star Luo Sect."

Regardless of the possibility, the Star Luo Sect cannot avoid the Western Regions at present.

Thinking of that treacherous and cunning fellow, Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but touch the mask on his face and said, "Old Zhou, is the person you found reliable? Will my mask be recognized?"

"Don't worry, as long as no one tears it directly in your face, they definitely won't notice!"

"Okay, I'll trust you this once..."

The four rode on their exotic horses and left the Ming Dynasty in just two days, entering the Western Regions.

After crossing the border, an endless expanse of green appeared before the four of them.

This green stretches to the sky and the earth, seemingly endless.

As far as the eye can see, spring is everywhere.

"This...this is the Western Regions?"

Lu Xiaofeng asked in surprise, "Li Tanhua, is this what the Western Regions are like?"

Li Xunhuan was also surprised: "How is that possible! If the Western Regions were such good land, would it still be the Western Regions?"

The so-called Western Regions were places that these powerful countries could not control.

The reasons for this lack of control are sometimes due to distance, and sometimes due to national strength.

Both the Yuan and Ming dynasties were powerful nations, and at least for now, their national strength is considerable.

As for distance, with the exotic horse around, there's no need to worry about not being able to control the journey over these two days.

Therefore, the reason why the Western Regions are called the Western Regions is because this land is not as good as the Central Plains.

With a formidable enemy nearby, it would be difficult to take control, and in the end, they had no choice but to give up.

Li Xunhuan remembers that there are still many Gobi deserts and sandy areas in this region.

These Gobi deserts, like spots, exist across the entire land.

Adjacent to this environment, even with green grass and woodlands, the soil quality is obviously not very good.

This is also a major reason why neither the Yuan nor the Ming dynasties occupied this area.

But now, this endless expanse of emerald green made Li Xunhuan wonder whether he had come to the Western Regions or descended to the south of the Yangtze River.

"How could things have changed so much in just two years?"

Tie Chuanjia was also astonished.

"The Western Regions are short of water. With so many plants, where does the water come from?"

"Perhaps we should ask those people..."

Lu Xiaofeng looked into the distance and saw a group of people carrying hoes and working.

The group went over to take a look and found that the people were digging a riverbed.

However, they all moved extremely fast, and their breathing was quite different from that of ordinary people.

"They're all martial artists!"

Lu Xiaofeng made a judgment.

"A group of martial artists digging a canal here? Such a large-scale operation, could it be the Star Luo Sect?"

Martial artists possess physical abilities far superior to ordinary people, and their speed in production and construction is naturally far greater than that of ordinary people.

But as the saying goes, "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts," those who can embark on the path of martial arts are either from wealthy families or are exceptionally talented.

The former goes without saying, and the latter, having already become martial artists, who would still do these things?

What job could be more lucrative than doing manual labor here?

This place is located in the Western Regions.

According to the intelligence provided by Zhou Ming, the oasis areas in the Western Regions that are close to the Central Plains have basically all been ruled by the Star Luo Sect.

Only by heading further west, until you see the vast Gobi Desert, can you leave the territory ruled by the Star Luo Sect.

Lu Xiaofeng, filled with curiosity, clasped his hands and asked, "Friends, why are you digging a river here? Could you be from the Star Luo Sect?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked up at them, their expressions unfriendly.

"If you can't speak properly, then shut your stinking mouth!"

"Get lost! Don't bother me while I'm working!"

Some of them even started cursing.

However, despite his appalling attitude, no one laid a hand on him.

Lu Xiaofeng was momentarily confused.

I only asked one question, how did I offend them?
Among the crowd, there were some who were more courteous. Seeing this, one of them chuckled and said, "Do you have any wine? Give me a sip. What do you want to ask? As long as I know the answer, I promise I'll give it to you!"

Without hesitation, Lu Xiaofeng threw out a wine pouch.

After taking it, the man immediately took a big gulp, and the aroma of the wine filled the air.

Many people around looked tempted and clearly wanted to drink, but because of their previous attitude towards Lu Xiaofeng, most of them couldn't bring themselves to do it.

However, a few people disregarded their pride and went straight for the wine.

After drinking all the wine in the wine bag, the men looked at Lu Xiaofeng with much more kindness.

"People from the Central Plains, feel free to ask me any questions."

Lu Xiaofeng said, "I still have the same question: Who are you people? Why are you digging a riverbed here?"

"You asked us before if we were members of the Star Luo Cult, right? We don't have that qualification; we're just a bunch of unlucky prisoners."

"prisoner?"

Lu Xiaofeng looked around and said, "Impossible. There's no one guarding us here. How could you be prisoners?"

"There's no need for anyone to watch over us. As long as a life-or-death talisman is placed inside, we'll have to obey whether we want to or not."

"Life and Death Talisman?"

The group then explained to them what the Life and Death Talisman was.

Using water as a medium, it is directly delivered into their bodies, mingling with their blood, but it must be a highly poisonous substance that can take effect at regular intervals.

When this condition flares up, the whole body is unbearably itchy and painful, worsening day by day, reaching its peak after a full forty-nine days, then gradually declining, only to become severe again after another forty-nine days.

This cycle continues, leaving one unable to live or die.

This is the Talisman of Life and Death!
"We are all those who were defeated during the Star Luo Sect's conquest of the Western Regions. We were all given the Life and Death Talisman and became prisoners and slaves of the Star Luo Sect."

That Star Luo Cult Leader, with his wild and unrealistic ideas, wanted to dig a network of rivers in this water-scarce land of the Western Regions to irrigate the land and turn the Gobi Desert into greenery… Heh, these tasks, naturally, will be done by us slaves.”

"Is that so?!"

Lu Xiaofeng asked in surprise.

The man sneered, "It's not just that. We martial artists are strong and healthy, so we can handle some manual labor. It's just that we pity the ordinary people..."

Lu Xiaofeng's gaze sharpened, and he asked, "Is there a way to break that Life and Death Talisman?"

The other party's eyes lit up, but he sighed and said, "If there is a solution, it can only be found on the Star Luo Sacred Mountain. No matter where else, it cannot be found."

(End of this chapter)