Minglong

Chapter 397 I Have an Idea

Jingle bell bell~
As dusk fell, the sounds of horse bells and shouts echoed through the foreign streets.

A group of three from the Northern Zhou Ministry of Justice walked down the street, discussing the matters they were currently handling. Initially, Chief Constable Shen Cang was supposed to be in charge, but Jiang Xiaobiao's behavior had been far too domineering, and now there had been a generational change, with Chief Constable Jiang and two deputies in charge.
Jiang Xian was dressed in a grassland girl's dress, carrying a six-foot-long sword on her shoulder and munching on a big apple. She looked imposing but also a bit nonchalant, though she wasn't very happy inside.

After all, that huge hand that wouldn't leave her head was just too crazy!

The diary instructed her not to sleep with Xie Jinhuan, but she was ordered to come to the grasslands. She closed her eyes and opened them again, and suddenly she was in the Southern Dynasty. When she woke up, she found herself lying in Xie Jinhuan's arms, his hands stuffing into her clothes, and he even asked her to take Xie Jinhuan back to sleep...

That was bad enough, but when she returned to the grasslands, she was always doing this today and that tomorrow. She had almost become the "Number One Baturu of the Changhe Tribe" from all the investigations, and she still didn't know what she was supposed to do.

Moreover, a couple of days ago, a new entry appeared in 'Xian'er's Diary', telling her to visit the Big Bowl Tavern every day.

What are you looking at?

Look how big the proprietress's bowls are! Aren't you envious?

Despite her many complaints, Jiang Xian had come to realize that the 'invisible hand' seemed to be inseparable from her own.

Therefore, Jiang Xian continued to follow the plan in the diary step by step. When she arrived at the Big Bowl Tavern, she was about to take a few glances at the proprietress and secretly envy her when she suddenly noticed a wandering knight standing outside the tavern.

The wandering knight was dressed in a hemp robe and trench coat, with a bamboo hat on his head and a curved sword hanging at his waist. It was a fairly normal outfit for a wandering knight, but he was tall and straight with broad shoulders and long legs, and his limbs were in perfect proportion.

Although the straw hat was slightly lowered, it revealed her chin and the corners of her lips. Her bone structure was sharp and cold yet masculine. Just half of her face was enough to be called 'stunningly beautiful'...

Wow, so handsome...

Jiang Xian subconsciously hid the half-eaten apple behind her waist, tilting her head to get a closer look. As a result, the other person slightly raised their straw hat, revealing a pair of cold, clear eyes that seemed to hold a sky full of stars, carrying a shocking force that struck straight to the soul, making one too embarrassed to look directly at them yet unwilling to look away...

Jiang Xian's heart skipped a beat, then her eyes lit up with joy, and she stepped forward, saying:

"Young Master Xie? You've come to see the proprietress too? Why don't you come inside?"

Xie Jinhuan knew she would be asked this question, and greeted him somewhat awkwardly:

"I just came up north for a visit, I didn't expect you to be investigating a case here, Miss Jiang?"

"Yes, those bandits from the Immortal Transformation Sect, the grasslands are too vast, and they've committed many crimes, but we can't catch them..."

When Jiang Xian encountered Xie Jinhuan here, she knew that an unseen force was behind it all. Seeing that Xie Jinhuan seemed embarrassed to go in, she led her team into the shop, ordered two jugs of wine, and briefly explained the current situation.

Jiang Xian arrived at the Northern Grasslands last winter to investigate the whereabouts of the Immortal Transformation Sect. She had traveled to almost every tribe, big and small, and killed hundreds or even thousands of bandits and brigands. Now she was even given the nickname "Mountain-Crossing Tiger" by the grassland gangs. However, the demonic path only captured a few small fry and never found any high-ranking members.

She came to the Changhe tribe at the invitation of Lord Huo Yi, who wanted to recruit her as a tribal warrior. At first, he thought she was a man and even wanted to marry his daughter to her. Later, he found out she was just a little girl, so he changed his mind and rewarded her with land, cattle, sheep, and so on.

Lord Huo Yi's efforts to win him over were clearly motivated by ulterior motives. Although he had not yet stated it explicitly, the three of them, through their visits over the past few months, guessed that Lord Huo Yi probably intended to assassinate the king.

After all, the Northern Dynasty of Chitai had been in power for more than a decade, which could be described as sustainable and exploitative. Every year, it levied heavy taxes on various tribes. The Changhe tribe alone had to hand over 30,000 sheep a year, and they had to be healthy and of good quality, which was said to be tribute to the Northern Zhou.

Chaochitai was already quite powerful, and it also had the assistance of the Grand Preceptor Dugu Yue. It had countless elite troops and generals under its command, and the various tribes could only pay tribute every year due to the pressure.

But for some reason this year, the Chishan tribe moved its tax payment, which was due at the end of autumn, to the beginning of summer, which is this month or so.

Although the harvest is supposed to be paid halfway through the year, the snow has just melted, and the cattle and sheep are in their breeding season. Every household has no surplus grain. They just paid once before winter, and now they have to pay again in the spring. This is truly a case of draining the pond to catch all the fish.

This caused great dissatisfaction among the various tribes, and the Chishan Alliance convened the leaders of all tribes, seemingly to quell the turmoil.

After hearing the general situation, Xie Jinhuan felt that it had nothing to do with the conflict at Beiming Lake, but since the White-Haired Fairy had asked him to see Jiang Xian, there must be a reason. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"Is the Great Zhou Dynasty pressing for annual tribute?"

Shen Cang sat at the table and waved his hand, saying:

"No, and the annual tribute paid by the Northern Kingdom to the Northern Zhou in previous years was not this much. I estimate that most of it was embezzled by the Chishan tribe."

Jiang Xian also said, "Yes, in previous years, people were greedy and could still make a living, so they had to accept it. But in the spring, every household has no surplus grain and taxes are still levied. Isn't this forcing the various tribes to rebel? I suspect that the King of the Northern Border has been bewitched by a sorcerer and is deliberately inciting a rebellion in the north."

Xie Jinhuan frowned slightly: "That is indeed possible. What does Miss Jiang plan to do next?"

"Master Huo Yi will be setting off in a couple of days, and I'll be going with him. Young Master Xie, what brings you here this time..."

Xie Jinhuan came to help the White-Haired Fairy, and his contact was Jiang Xian, so he must have been asked to go on the mission with her. His response to this was:
“I came here to investigate the Immortal Transformation Sect. Since we have some leads, it wouldn’t hurt to go and take a look together.”

Although Shen Cang believed in Xiao Biao's abilities, he was also worried about potential trouble in a foreign country. Seeing Xie Laomo join the team, he was much more at ease: "That's good. Tomorrow, Master Huo Yi will be hosting a banquet for us. Young Master Xie can also go and get to know him..."

Jiang Xian chatted for a few moments, then looked around:
"Did Young Master Xie come alone? Where is Sister Bu?"

"Finding a place to stay at the inn..."

"Oh……"
-
into the night.

A fierce crosswind swept across the boundless wilderness, where a desolate mountain range lay at the eastern edge of the grassland.

Shang Mingzhen, dressed in a brocade robe, stood on the cliff, twirling two round balls in his hands, gazing at the far north of the world.

As a cultivator of the same era as Lü Yan, Shang Mingzhen traveled to many places in his youth. He competed with Wei Wuyi for opportunities in Xirong and also fought against Lü Yan and his fellow disciples in Fire Phoenix Valley.

However, Yanbo City is low-key and rarely gets involved in situations. His reputation in the cultivation world is not great. Before the Azure Dragon God's Gift reappeared, few people even knew that he was the direct descendant of Old Demon Shang.

He's suddenly leaving Yanbo City not because he's thinking of seizing the Xuanwu Divine Gift, but because he's determined to get back what he's lost, otherwise Yanbo City's financial statements this year will look terrible.

Given his master's status in the martial arts world, an eight-legged octopus girl is hard to find, but a two-legged disciple is plentiful...

While he was lost in thought, a slight commotion suddenly arose outside the mountains and fields.

rustle~
Then a bulge appeared on the meadow, and as it moved around, a dark shadow emerged from the grass, looking just like a large black rat that had suddenly crawled out of the meadow. Even its movements and postures were somewhat similar.

Upon seeing this, Shang Mingzhen turned his gaze away and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect from afar:

"It's been years since we last met, Brother Zitong, you're still as agile as ever."

Shashasha~
In the blink of an eye, Zitong, draped in a black cloak, arrived nearby. Standing at 1.4 meters tall, her cloak trailing on the ground, and hunched over, she resembled a rat spirit only without a tail.
"Young Master Shang is the same. Despite the chaos at Dragon Bone Beach, he remains unharmed. His composure is truly admirable."

Zitong's words were clearly a complaint about Shang Mingzhen's inaction in the end regarding the Dragon Bone Beach incident.

Chen Yishan and Mo Yuan are the core members of the Underworld God Cult and Zi Tong's beloved friends and family. Even if Shang Mingzhen doesn't want to risk a tragic end, as an ally, she should secretly help them.

Shang Mingzhen knew that Zitong had objections to the Dragon Bone Beach matter, and responded:

"Ye Sheng may be protecting us in secret. If we rashly intervene, the consequences are unpredictable. My Yanbo City has also lost two opportunities and one immortal artifact, and we have also lost two high-level cultivators to Fellow Daoist Mo. All of us have suffered heavy losses."

"Furthermore, to be frank, my Yanbo City is a righteous and prestigious sect. My contact with you is a personal scheme of mine, Shang Mingzhen. If you are confident in your success, I can appeal to your emotions and reason to persuade my master to lend you a hand."

“But if you fail to accomplish anything, my master will not tolerate a disobedient disciple like me. The situation is unfavorable now. If you cannot produce anything, I will have to ‘repent’ and apologize to my master.”

Zitong knew Yanbo City's cautious approach; a victory meant they were the most valuable ally. Without a guarantee of victory, Yanbo City would quickly become a model of righteousness, and annihilating them might be even more ruthless than Xie Jinhuan's actions. Therefore, he didn't dwell on the past and responded:
"Our Underworld God Sect has been planning this for so many years, so we naturally act only when we are confident. However, at the beginning, we wanted to change the situation gently and avoid too much bloodshed, so we did not use extreme measures. Now that we have come to this point, we can only settle for second best. What we need to do now is to find out Ye Sheng's background first."

“I’ve already made contact with Leader Yang, and Young Master Shang’s men have also arrived. Meanwhile, I’ve been secretly monitoring Xie Jinhuan’s movements these past few days, and he’s arrived in Huoli City…”

Shang Mingzhen, to be honest, didn't quite believe the Underworld God Cult's tricks and asked:
"Xie Jinhuan seems to have divine assistance. Are you sure you haven't been discovered? If he turns the tables and has Master Qixia hiding in the shadows to set up an ambush, Master Yang might be able to escape, but how can I run away?"

Zitong knew Xie Jinhuan's domineering nature and was therefore extremely cautious. He had been tracking her since Luojing, always keeping a distance of seven or eight li, lurking underground. Despite his considerable skill and exceptional talent, he never approached within three li. If Xie Jinhuan could still lock his head from a distance, that would be truly unbelievable. His response at this moment was:
“If I had discovered it, I wouldn’t have followed this far. Besides, this is a test. We don’t need to take action ourselves. Leader Yang is skilled in formations. He can set up a deadly formation to lure the snake out of its hole. We can just observe from the shadows.”

"If Ye Sheng travels this far to provide assistance, even if we can't pinpoint the location of the Qilin Cave, we'll know that Ye Sheng has appeared, and we might even have a chance to take advantage of the situation."

"When Master Qixia arrives, he will have a chance to launch a sneak attack if he makes an appearance first. Even if it's difficult to strike, he can still pinpoint the location and assess the approximate strength of the enemy, thus preparing for the events at Beiming Lake."

"Even if no one comes to rescue us, we can still kill one or two. If we can't kill them, we won't lose anything."

Shang Mingzhen had heard Mo Yuan say the same thing before, something like:
Three against one, if Xie Jinhuan comes, we're guaranteed a kill; if he doesn't, we can pretend nothing happened. Even if we can't win, we can always run away...

In the end, two died and one was injured, allowing Xie Jinhuan to gain a huge advantage...

"My purpose in coming here is simply to reclaim the opportunity to obtain the immortal artifact. I won't intervene unless I'm certain of success. Last time, Mo Yuan..."

"Last time it was those two jinxes who came up with the bad idea. This time they didn't bring it and left it in the righteous sects' stronghold, so they can't harm us no matter what. If Young Master Shang is worried, just hide and observe from dozens of miles away."

"..."

Shang Mingzhen felt uneasy even for dozens of miles around, but he still nodded...

(End of this chapter)