Liver into a martial arts legend: starting with Embroidered Spring Blade

Chapter 127 The Netherworld Appears, Reaping Souls! [10,000-word update, please subscribe and vote!]

Wenjiabao, located in Shiliang Town, Tiantai County, Taizhou Prefecture, Jiangsu Province, is the only first-class aristocratic family in Taizhou, with immense power.

The five elders of the Wen family are also representative figures of the Chess Immortal Sect. They are all over fifty years old and have reached the level of grandmasters. With the Five Elements Formation, the treasure of the Chess Immortal Sect, the five elders working together are rarely matched by any grandmaster in the region.

As a result, the Wen family was renowned in the Jiangnan region and was a local tyrant in Taizhou Prefecture. For decades, no one dared to provoke them, and even the local government had to give them some face.

This has led to the Wen family members always acting arrogantly and domineeringly. On the surface, they are scions of a prestigious family, but in secret, they have done countless despicable things, bullying men and women, seizing land, and even committing murder and robbery.

It can be said that the local people and even the government have suffered from the Wen family for a long time, but due to the Wen family's power, it is difficult to find any fault with them to suppress and eliminate them. This is why the Wen family has been able to get away with it until now.

Some time ago, it was said that the Wen family had enemies who came knocking on their door, and even the sixth master of the Wen family, Wen Fanglu, was killed, causing quite a stir.

These days, a large number of Wen family members have been mobilized to search for the murderer, each one exuding murderous intent as they search everywhere.

It's normal for some unscrupulous people to do despicable things, and some small factions and ordinary people who are victimized dare not speak out.

On this day, a member of the Wen family, accompanied by a group of servants, broke into the home of the local wealthy man, Master Wang. Under the pretext of searching for and killing Master Wen's sixth master, he raped Master Wang's newly acquired concubine in front of Master Wang and his entire family.

The entire Wang family stood at the doorway, listening to the maniacal laughter and the woman's screams for help coming from inside. Their faces were ashen, their expressions filled with grief and indignation, yet none of them dared to rush in and stop them.

Because there were six thugs from the Wen family standing at the entrance, each holding a knife or weapon, looking fierce and menacing.

The Wen family's arrogant behavior is evident.

"Squeak-"

Soon, a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old walked out looking refreshed. As he left, he straightened his clothes and belt, his brows furrowed with a sinister and lewd look, completely disregarding the group of Wang family members outside the door.

This man was Wen Nanyang, the second son of Wen Fangshan, the third master of the Wen family.

“Master Wang, I’ve interrogated your concubine for you. She definitely hasn’t seen that bastard Xia Xueyi. Hmm… her performance was quite good and deserves praise.”

Wen Nanyang walked up to Master Wang, stopped, glanced at Master Wang with a half-smile, then waved his hand and strode away with his men.

As he walked, he chatted and laughed with his men about how the concubine was to him.

"That brat from the Wen family, he's gone too far! He's gone too far..." Master Wang was so angry that he trembled and fainted from exhaustion.

"Master! Master..."

"Hahaha..." Hearing the commotion coming from inside, Wen Nanyang showed no sympathy whatsoever. Instead, he burst into laughter and said, "This old fellow, he's in his fifties, and he still has such a beautiful concubine. Who can he blame but himself?"

"And that little bitch is so ungrateful. I saw her on the street last time, and she dared to disrespect me. She brought this upon herself!"

The subordinates, already used to this, fawned over him, saying, "Young Master is right."

"It's an honor for her that the young master has taken a liking to her. That woman really doesn't know what's good for her!"

Wen Nanyang smiled with satisfaction, then asked, "Have the 'eyes' we sent out reported anything? Have they found that bastard Xia Xueyi?"

"Young Master, there's still no news. We heard that after he was rescued by the swordsman who injured Fourth Master, he headed north and we don't know where he went," a guard replied.

In the past few days, the Wen family has gone to great lengths, even offering large sums of money to people from other sects to help gather information, but so far they have not made any progress.

Because no one could have imagined that the swordsman who killed the Wen family would be connected to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Tell them to search quickly and notify me immediately if they have any news!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Wen Nanyang's eyes as he said, "That bastard killed my sixth uncle, threatened me to take his body back, and then planted a hidden weapon in the box, killing my sixth aunt. This caused me to be scolded by my great-grandfather and the others. I'm not done with him yet!"

"And that swordsman who dared to oppose my Wen family, if I ever find him, I'll skin him alive!"

Wen Nanyang's eyes were filled with resentment and murderous intent.

"is it?"

Suddenly, a voice came from the side, and a man dressed in black robes with a tattooed face like a fierce ghost walked out of the alley. His eyes were calmly staring at Wen Nanyang as if he were looking at a dead man.

"Who...who are you?!" Wen Nanyang took two steps back, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

"I am the swordsman you are looking for."

Yan Shisan said coldly, "Didn't you want to skin me alive? That's why I'm here."

Wen Nanyang's expression changed. Without thinking, he turned and ran, shouting as he ran, "Quickly hold him off! I'm going back to get help!"

He was just talking big. Even the five elders of the Wen family couldn't defeat this top swordsman who had injured his fourth uncle and escaped using the Five Elements Formation. So how could he possibly deal with him? Therefore, he didn't hesitate at all and only hoped that his subordinates could hold off this swordsman so that he would have time to go back and call for reinforcements.

But before he could run more than a few steps, he suddenly stopped, staring intently at a figure that appeared in front of him, a look of panic flashing in his eyes: "Xia...Xia Xueyi?!"

"Run, why did you stop running?!" Xia Xueyi sneered, slowly approaching Wen Nanyang.

Wen Nanyang turned around quickly, only to see that the six Wen family experts he had brought were now lying neatly in pools of blood, each with a bloody hole in their throat.

In the blink of an eye, all six skilled fighters were killed!

"You...you can't kill me! If you kill me, my grandfather won't let you get away with it..." Wen Nanyang panicked, trapped in the middle of the alley, his body trembling, a strong smell of urine coming from his crotch, he was so scared that he wet himself.

"A piece of trash like you, I'm afraid of dirtying my sword if I kill you!" A look of disgust flashed in Yan Shisan's eyes.

laugh!
Xia Xueyi stepped forward and, without hesitation, chopped off Wen Nanyang's head.

Wen Nanyang stared wide-eyed, his eyes wide open in death.

"Brother Yan, what's the next step?" Xia Xueyi took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement for revenge, and stepped forward to ask.

"Continue to clear out the people around the Wen family, kill them until they are afraid, and then wipe them all out after they gather their forces."

Using his sword as a pen and blood as ink, Yan Shisan left a few words beside Wen Nanyang's corpse before turning and leaving with Xia Xueyi.

Before long, someone came out of the Wang family mansion. Upon seeing the bloody scene in the alley, he was first stunned, then excitedly went back to report the news.

Before long, excited shouts rang out in the alley.

"Heaven has eyes! Heaven has eyes..."

……

In a single day, dozens of people from the Wen family's periphery were killed, including two cousins ​​of the Wen family's five elders, the seventh and eighth brothers, who lived in Jinhua and Yanzhou.

The Wen family was immediately shaken, and those still outside were so frightened that they all fled back to the Wen family fortress.

The entire Wen family was on high alert.

Late at night, in the Wen family mansion.

The core members of the Wen family gathered together.

The five elders of the Wen family trembled with rage as they looked at the corpses covered with white sheets lying in the main hall.

In all these years, when has the Wen family ever suffered such a devastating loss, and when has anyone ever dared to lay a hand on the Wen family?!

"If we don't avenge this, the Wen family will never be human again!" Wen Fangda, the head of the five elders of the Wen family, roared furiously.

A group of Wen family wives, daughters, and nieces stood aside wiping away tears and sobbing softly; among the dead were clearly their husbands and fathers.

Little did they know that while the Wen family was bullying men and women and indiscriminately killing innocent people, the families of those innocent people were perhaps even more grief-stricken than they were now.

This is Jianghu.

Life and death are preordained; what goes around comes around.

"Brother, the most urgent task is to find out who the murderer is. To be able to kill so many members of my Wen family in just one day, including my seventh and eighth brothers who are far away in Jinhua and Yanzhou, is definitely not something that one person could do!"

The more composed second son, Wen Fangyi, suppressed his anger and spoke in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Wen Fangda took a deep breath and asked through gritted teeth, "I heard that after they were killed, there were notes left by the murderer around them, is that true?"

“These are the words left by the murderer. Everyone leaves the same words after they are killed.” Wen Fangyi stepped forward and handed Wen Fangda a slip of paper.

Wen Fangda took the note and slowly read out the sixteen characters on it: "The netherworld appears in the world, claiming lives and snatching souls; good and evil are rewarded accordingly, and debts are left unpaid!"

“Youming…Youming?!” Wen Fangda’s pupils contracted slightly: “Could it be…someone from the ‘Celestial Venerable’?!”

Wen Fangyi shook his head: "The Heavenly Venerable's declaration is 'Heaven and earth are heartless, ghosts and gods are blind; all things are powerless, the people are ignorant; life and death are impermanent, fortune and misfortune have no gate; in the dark and mysterious world, I alone am supreme.'"

"And this declaration only has four sentences, so it's unlikely to be the work of the Celestial Venerable."

As he spoke, a look of seriousness flashed in Wen Fangyi's eyes, and he said, "If I'm not mistaken, it should be the work of a force called 'Netherworld'."

"The Netherworld?"

Wen Fangda frowned and looked at the others: "Have any of you ever heard of this force?"

After a moment of contemplation, everyone shook their heads.

"Who cares about the underworld or anything like that? Anyone who dares to kill a member of the Wen family must pay the price!"

The hot-tempered third brother, Wen Fangshan, gritted his teeth: "Immediately gather the clansmen from other places and do everything in our power to find these bastards and avenge our clansmen!"

"Big brother, do you think it's possible that the organization behind Fourth Brother, that swordsman, was injured?" At this moment, Fifth Brother Wen Fangwu suddenly spoke up, as if he had just thought of something.

The room fell silent immediately upon hearing this.

Everyone's expressions changed slightly.

That black-robed swordsman was able to escape from the Five Elements Formation of the Wen family elders, so he must be quite powerful.

If there are powerful forces behind them, how terrifying would that be?!

Suddenly, a scream came from outside, followed by a terrified voice: "Enemy! Go and report it quickly... Ah!"

"not good!"

Everyone was suddenly startled.

"How dare you come here to kill us!"

Wen Fangda was furious and shouted, "Bring me my halberd!"

The others also sprang into action.

"Protect the women and children, retreat to the backyard!"

"Call someone quickly!"

Orders were issued one after another.

Dozens of Wen family disciples gathered together and protected the women as they retreated to the backyard.

Suddenly, sounds of fighting came from the backyard.

"There are enemies behind us too!"

"We're surrounded!"

Everyone was terrified. They had disciples on guard outside, and the defenses were very tight, but the other side had sneaked in without them noticing.

sigh~
Just then, a dark figure appeared on the rooftop, looking coldly at the panicked Wen family members below, and said, "Very good, everyone's here!"

The five elders of the Wen family looked up, their expressions changing: "It really was you?!"

"it's me!"

Yan Shisan's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he said, "Didn't you have a great time last time? Let's have another fight tonight!"

"If we win, I'll leave immediately; if we lose, the Wen family will be wiped out!"

Swish swish swish~
One after another, figures wearing ghost masks appeared from all around, each exuding a strange aura and a chilling killing intent that made the Wen family members tremble.

Enemy!

"You scum of the Wen family, your end is nigh!"

Xia Xueyi, holding a long sword, appeared after Xi Yu and the others, staring at the Wen family members with a face full of resentment.

"You bastard! Why didn't you eliminate this threat back then, Sixth Brother? You've brought such a great calamity upon the Wen family!" The injured Fourth Brother, Wen Fangshi, said, filled with regret.

That's how the martial arts world is; if you don't nip it in the bud, there will be endless troubles to come!

"There's no point in saying more now! Five Elements Formation!" Wen Fangda roared, wielding two short halberds with imposing momentum.

"Wait!"

Wen Fangyi quickly stopped him, looked at Yan Shisan on the roof, cupped his hands and said, "Great hero, this matter arose because of Xia Xueyi's remnants. It was not our intention to hurt you last time. Is there any room for discussion?"

"Have."

Yan Shisan spoke coldly, and before the Wen family could breathe a sigh of relief, he continued, "If the five of you commit suicide, I can spare the rest of the Wen family."

"fart!"

Wen Fangshan roared, "You think you've got this in the bag? Last time we beat you so badly you ran away like a dog, and this time we can kill you just as easily!"

Yan Shisan nodded: "Then let's give it a try."

Having said that, he said no more, and with a swift movement, he transformed into a sword light and attacked the five elders of the Wen family.

"Kill!" Xi Yu coldly ordered, and a group of 'Netherworld' assassins swarmed forward, and a bloody battle ensued.

"Five Elements Formation!"

Wen Fangda roared and charged out with the other four elders, preparing to deal with Yan Shisan, who had the strongest momentum, first.

In the blink of an eye, the five people formed the Five Elements Formation. The light of the five elements enveloped them, transforming into a huge protective shield of qi. Their auras were as one, making them both offensive and defensive, with almost no weaknesses, and they were extremely powerful.

Last time, they used the same formation to trap Yan Shisan. The five of them attacked together and suppressed him directly. If it weren't for the fact that the fourth brother revealed a flaw and Yan Shisan seized the opportunity to break out of the formation, they would have killed Yan Shisan long ago.

This time, they were just as confident and prepared to repeat their old tricks.

hum~
But the next moment, a terrifying sword intent that made the five elders tremble swept across the night sky, displaying its killing intent and sharpness, like a silver dragon piercing through the darkness, directly striking the protective shield of the Five Elements Formation.

The sword tip is like a cold star, piercing through the surface with a single point.

Boom!

A tremendous roar echoed throughout Wenjiabao, sending bricks and stones flying.

The Five Elements Shield lasted only a moment before shattering. The fourth brother, Wen Fangshi, who was facing them head-on, coughed up blood and was sent flying backward.

laugh!
Before he could react, a dark shadow flashed by like a ghost, followed by a sword light that pierced straight into Wen Fangshi's throat.

"Heh heh..." Wen Fangshi's expression was terrified and filled with resentment as he stared intently at the masked youth in front of him: "Why... why... why me again?"

"Because I dislike you the most. Wasn't it you who threw a flying knife at me last time?" Yan Shisan snorted coldly and drew his Thirteen Swords with a backhand.

Wen Fangshi fell to the ground with her eyes wide open, dying with her eyes still open.

"Fourth brother!" the four elders of the Wen family exclaimed in shock, their eyes wide with horror.

"kill!"

The four men shouted in grief and anger, and charged towards Yan Shisan at the same time, vowing to avenge their brothers.

"After tonight, the Wen Family Fortress will cease to exist in Jiangnan!"

Yan Shisan spoke coldly, showing no fear, and charged forward with his sword.

Last time, he was ambushed by the five elders of the Wen family. In order to protect Xia Xueyi, he was also ambushed by Wen Fangshi. In the end, he was trapped by the five elders of the Wen family with the Five Elements Formation and almost died.

Otherwise, in a direct confrontation, the five elders of the Wen family would be nothing more than clay chickens and earthen dogs in his eyes, utterly vulnerable.

Now that one of the five elders of the Wen family has passed away and the Five Elements Formation has been broken, they can no longer pose any threat to him.

The Wen family's fate was already sealed!
That night, the people of Shiliang Town heard deafening shouts and fighting coming from Wenjiabao, but no one dared to go and watch.

No one came out of Wenjiabao until noon the next day. Someone mustered up the courage to go in and was so frightened that he screamed.

The entire Wen family home was a scene of carnage, with blood flowing like a river and no one alive. Even the few vicious dogs that guarded the house were killed in pools of blood.

The entire Wen family has been wiped out!

In the main hall of the Wen family home, only sixteen characters written in blood remained:
The netherworld appears, seeking to claim lives and snatch souls; good and evil are rewarded accordingly, and debts are left unpaid!

Clearly, this is the old sin caused by the Wen family's rampant rule over the years, which has now attracted the revenge of their enemies.

The entire town of Shiliang was immediately shaken.

Countless people cheered and spread the news.

Then, the entire Jiangnan region, and even the entire martial arts world, was shocked.

A top-tier power was wiped out overnight.

The name 'Youming' gradually began to circulate in the martial arts world, and the details of the case were also put on the desks of various major forces.

The first to receive the news were naturally the Money Gang, Divine Sword Manor, Heavenly Venerable, and Heavenly Eagle Sect, all located in the Jiangnan region.

Countless people are talking about it.

"The Wen family was like local tyrants in Taizhou, running rampant and wiping out entire families at the drop of a hat. I never thought they would be the ones to be wiped out this time. It seems they were destined to suffer retribution!"

"Don't you dare talk nonsense. We were clearly wiped out by our enemies. What do you mean by fate? If that's the case, how many bad things have we done?"

"Uh... that's true, but where did this 'Netherworld' come from? I've never heard of this force before!"

"Talented people emerge in every generation of the martial arts world. What's so strange about an unfamiliar force occasionally appearing?"

"However, this 'Netherworld' is capable of wiping out the Wen family, so it's obviously quite powerful, at least a first-rate force. I wonder if it will come and try to take our territory?"

"That's unlikely. This 'Netherworld' is probably like the 'Celestial Venerable,' an assassination organization that dares not be exposed to the light of day."

"Besides, our gang leader has long wanted to annex the Wen family's power, but he just hasn't found an opportunity to do so. Now that the Wen family has been destroyed, our gang leader will definitely not miss this opportunity. Anyone who dares to seize Taizhou's territory is going against our gang leader. Our gang leader is not made of clay!"

"Too……"

……

With the downfall of the Wen family, their businesses were gradually eroded and swallowed up by surrounding forces.

The biggest beneficiary is the Jinqian Gang, which is now at the height of its power in the Jiangnan region. Almost half of Taizhou's territory has been occupied by the Jinqian Gang.

Other forces, eager to snatch food from the tiger's mouth, inevitably engage in fierce competition and infighting.

Ultimately, whoever has the biggest fist will be able to swallow up more business and territory.

This is the world of martial arts, where a set of unique rules has long been formed under the influence of profit.

Simply put, it's about respecting strength.

As for the Wen family, they are a thing of the past, and no one cares about them anymore.

At most, it might be mentioned occasionally, and people might just say a few words of reflection.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xuan had already returned to the capital.

……

"The Wen family..." Jiang Xuan also received a message from Xi Yu via carrier pigeon, learning that the Wen family had been destroyed. After the Wen family was wiped out, they naturally could not take over the Wen family's businesses and territories, which could only benefit the major powers in Jiangnan. However, it was not entirely without gains.

The Wen family had been based in Taizhou for decades, accumulating millions of taels of silver, as well as various martial arts secrets of the Chess Immortal School, making them extremely well-established.

But now, most of them have benefited 'Netherworld'.

A horse will not be fat without night grass, and a man will not be rich without windfall.

That's absolutely true.

By now, the various resources and foundations of 'Netherworld' are comparable to those of a long-established first-class power.

If we add Jiang Xuan, the 'Underworld Emperor' who can defy a Grandmaster, then they could even contend with a top-tier power.

However, Jiang Xuan was not interested in dominating the martial arts world, nor did he need to provoke those top sects.

The word "prestige" has brought him no benefit whatsoever.

'Netherworld' is destined to be a force hidden underground.

This is his biggest trump card right now.

He would not easily reveal himself unless absolutely necessary.

When we dealt with the White Lotus Sect in Yongzhou last time, the Netherworld people appeared on the battlefield once, and during this time, some people in the martial arts world have been paying attention to this matter.

However, no one has yet linked this matter to 'Youming'.

The attention he receives is mostly focused on his destruction of the White Lotus Sect and his killing of figures like the Five Poisons Child, Dongfang Bubai, and the Great Joyful Female Bodhisattva.

Jiang Xuan didn't care about these things.

As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the highest-ranking henchman of the imperial court, he was already under the watchful eyes of various martial arts factions, and his strength was exposed.

But the next time he makes a move, he will be more than just a third-grade grandmaster with two different realms of understanding.

……

Beijing.

After news of the suppression of the White Lotus Rebellion spread, the tense atmosphere eased somewhat.

However, Zhu Youjian's intention to measure the land of powerful families and reclaim the military farmland that had been seized still made civil and military officials uneasy.

In the imperial court, officials from various factions did not give up and repeatedly submitted memorials, arguing that this move would shake the foundation of the country and disrupt the world, forcing Zhu Youjian to withdraw his order.

Meanwhile, a group of officials, led by Grand Secretary Han Kuang, continued to attack Jiang Xuan on the grounds that he was colluding with underground forces in the capital, cultivating a private army, and plotting a rebellion. They wanted Zhu Youjian to dismiss Jiang Xuan and cut off his arm.

This is a struggle between the power of the subject and the power of the emperor.

These upsetting matters left Zhu Youjian both angry and depressed, to the point that he lost all interest in attending court.

But in recent days, several ministers in the court have suddenly died at home, either from poisoning or accidental falls. In short, they have all died from various accidents, and they are all officials who have been quite active recently.

This even includes a cabinet minister.

The entire court was immediately shaken.

More than a dozen ministers died in succession, and all of them were accidents. Anyone would have noticed that something was wrong. How could so many accidents happen?
For a time, all the civil and military officials were in danger and dared not cause any more trouble. Instead, they submitted memorials to impeach the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Northern Garrison for their poor security, putting pressure on Zhu Youjian.

Zhu Youjian was extremely distressed, but the killing of so many ministers was no small matter. If it was not handled properly, it would cause unrest among the people and could easily lead to internal strife. Therefore, he could only order the Northern Garrison to do its best to investigate the case.

Finally, the pressure shifted to the Northern Garrison Command.

"Damn it, what kind of mess is this?!"

At the Northern Division Office, Pei Lun's already large head looked even larger.

Another person died last night, also an "accident." This morning, the Emperor summoned him to the palace again, gave him a stern reprimand, and ordered him to solve the case as soon as possible, at least to prevent any more officials from having accidents, otherwise he would be held responsible.

So many people died for no apparent reason, and not a single trace was left at the scene; it all seems like an accident.

How the hell am I supposed to investigate this?!

But if the investigation fails and another official suffers an "accident," his position as governor will likely be over.

Even if the emperor doesn't pursue the matter, those bastards in the court certainly won't let him off the hook.

"Don't worry, sir. We've already sent men to stake out the homes of all the ministers. If the thief strikes again, we'll definitely catch him!" a centurion reassured him, his tone quite confident.

Pei Lun's face darkened: "If I remember correctly, that's what you said the day before yesterday, and what happened?!"

"This..." The centurion was embarrassed and didn't know how to explain. There were people guarding the official's house, but the official still died in his house the next morning.

The cause of death was quite bizarre: he died of exhaustion while having sex with his concubine, due to a lack of energy.

It wasn't until the concubine screamed for help that the men he sent realized the man was already dead.

This old guy is over sixty and should be useless by now, but for some reason, he has suddenly become very virile again these past few days, having sex continuously for several days in a row, and each time he does it for more than half an hour.

Night after night like this, even a young and strong man couldn't handle it, let alone an old man in his sixties?
But who could have imagined something like this?

Pei Lun didn't bother arguing with him and asked in a deep voice, "How's the investigation going with the one who died last night?"

"All of his servants have been interrogated, but nothing has been found. It must be that someone broke into his house and gave him aphrodisiacs every time he ate. The old man couldn't control himself and indulged in revelry every night, which led to his death from exhaustion."

Baihu shook his head, also very puzzled.

The people they sent were all skilled trackers, but they found no trace of anyone infiltrating.

The interrogation yielded no results whatsoever.

This proves that the opponent is quite formidable!

Pei Lun frowned, his face grim, and said, "No matter what, no one can die tonight. Mobilize all the Embroidered Uniform Guards and keep a close watch on every residence. Report any suspicious activity immediately!"

"Yes, sir!" The centurion left.

"Damn it, who is this god? I also want those bastards to die, but don't kill them so quickly! Can't you kill them one at a time?"

Pei Lun was quite helpless. If he couldn't find out the reason, he really didn't know how to break the deadlock.

At this moment, he couldn't help but think of Jiang Xuan.

"If Brother Jiang were here, that would be great. He's the best at solving these kinds of cases..." Pei Lun sighed, feeling a deep weariness.

Being an official isn't so easy!
Although they hold high positions of power, they still have to bear corresponding responsibilities if something happens in the area under their jurisdiction.

The pressure is immense!

Tread...  

At this moment, the centurion who had left returned, his face beaming with joy, and reported: "Sir, the Commander has returned to the capital!"

"You're really back?!" Pei Lun immediately stood up, his face beaming with joy.

"It's true, they've already entered the city!"

"Great!"

Pei Lun was overjoyed: "Quickly prepare the horses and go to the yamen to wait for him. Once Brother Jiang returns, we won't have to worry about solving the case!"

"Yes!" The centurion left, also very excited and full of confidence.

Throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, there was no case that Commander could not solve.

This is a consensus among all the Embroidered Uniform Guards, including their Northern Garrison Command.

……

"Is this the capital?" Ren Yingying and Lan Fenghuang looked at the bustling city, their eyes filled with amazement and emotion.

Compared to the dilapidated Yongzhou City, this capital city is like a fairyland, full of prosperity and bustle. Even the buildings are so magnificent and grand, lined up neatly and orderly. No wonder so many people yearn for the capital city.

"Compared to the outside world, the capital is full of treachery and intrigue, and it's not as good as you imagine."

Jiang Xuan said calmly, then looked at Lin Pingzhi and instructed, "Take them to settle down first, I'll go to the palace first."

Having been away from the capital for several months, Zhu Youjian was probably already eager to see him and hear his report on the details of his trip.

In addition, he also had to find a way to deal with the matter of the officials in the court impeaching him.

Not only must he dispel Zhu Youjian's suspicions, but he must also completely solidify his position in the court!
As for the future... we'll talk about the future then.

Soon, Jiang Xuan went to the palace alone, while Lin Pingzhi led his team to the government office to settle in.

……

When the Embroidered Uniform Guard entered the city, all factions received the news immediately.

Among them, besides the Northern Garrison Command, the fastest intelligence gathering team was undoubtedly the Dragon Guard Manor.

"He's back?" Zhu Wushi remained dignified, but his eyes were somewhat serious.

On the table in front of him was a stack of documents, and Jiang Xuan's name could be vaguely seen on them.

Clearly, all of Jiang Xuan's actions during this period were under the control of the Dragon Guard Manor.

This includes the incident of Jiang Xuan killing the Great Joyful Female Bodhisattva in Tang County.

“Yes, godfather. He also brought back several boxes of treasure, which he probably intended to present to the emperor,” Duan Tianya said, his feelings quite complicated.

The young man who was once not taken seriously by them and whose strength was even inferior to theirs has grown to such a level in just over two years.

Not only did he hold a high position of power in the court, but his martial arts skills also improved so rapidly.

He killed a Grandmaster with only the rank of a third-grade Grandmaster.

What terrifying talent!

No wonder he personally invited him to be the number one secret agent of the Dragon Guard Manor, but was rejected without hesitation.

They clearly had this confidence all along, which is why they were unwilling to be subordinate to others.

Thinking of this, Duan Tianya couldn't help but sigh.

"From now on, send more people to keep an eye on him. I need to know everything about him!"

After a moment of silence, Zhu Wushi spoke, his tone quite solemn, clearly indicating that he had officially regarded Jiang Xuan as an opponent.

A mere commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is nothing to worry about, but this kid's cultivation level has improved too quickly.

He didn't even know how to deal with that old codger in the palace for the time being, and he didn't want to have another opponent.

"Godfather, he's so eager to please the Emperor, he must be loyal to the Emperor, there's no need to pay so much attention to him, is there?" Duan Tianya hesitated.

The duty of the Dragon Guard Manor is to guard the palace, protect the royal family, and monitor any rebellious officials or traitors with ulterior motives.

If Jiang Xuan is so loyal to the emperor, what's the point of monitoring him?

"Are you questioning my decision?" Zhu Wushi frowned, exuding the aura of a Grandmaster, which made Duan Tianya tremble and quickly lower his head: "Tianya dares not!"

Zhu Wushi narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "You must always remember your duty as a secret agent of the Imperial Palace. The most unpredictable thing in the world is the human heart. As secret agents of the Imperial Palace, you are to monitor everyone. Once someone tries to harm the Emperor and destroy our Ming Dynasty, we must nip all the hidden dangers in the bud."

"Otherwise, it will be too late when something really happens."

"Yes, Tianya understands. Tianya knows what to do." Duan Tianya respectfully cupped his hands.

"Go."

Zhu Wushi's expression softened slightly.

After Duan Tianya left, he fell into deep thought again, his eyes filled with uncertain emotions.

He was considering whether to take matters into his own hands and eliminate this potential threat in advance.

But after much deliberation, he abandoned the plan.

Even if he wanted to get rid of Jiang Xuan, he would do it honorably and honestly; he disdained to use such underhanded methods.

Moreover, even if Jiang Xuanzhen becomes a Grandmaster in the future, he is confident that he can suppress him.

Zhu Wushi was destined to be an emperor.

As an emperor, one should possess the confidence and domineering presence befitting an emperor!

Furthermore, although Jiang Xuan has performed well enough to attract his attention, he is not yet considered a true enemy.

His biggest enemy right now is that old codger in the palace.

Once he takes that step, it will be the time for him to ascend the throne!
"Almost there! Almost there..." Zhu Wushi breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling the surging true energy within his body, as if the spiritual energy in the entire hall was swirling around him.

He got up and walked out of the main hall to a secret room at the back.

Inside, there were figures with disheveled hair and listless expressions.

When they saw him walk in, everyone looked terrified and quickly backed away, as if they had seen some kind of demon.

In fact, to them, Zhu Wushi was the devil.

They had all committed crimes in the martial arts world and were captured by the secret agents of the Dragon Guard Manor. However, Zhu Wushi did not kill them, but simply imprisoned them here and came to visit them every now and then.

Every time Zhu Wushi came, one person would die, and in a terrible way!

This has become a psychological trauma for them.

"You scum of the martial world, using your martial arts to break the law and committing all sorts of evil deeds, but before you die, you can help me achieve my great cause, which can be considered as doing a good deed."

Zhu Wushi's expression was indifferent as his gaze swept over each of them, as if he were selecting... tonics!
He quickly locked onto his target, opened the door and walked into the cell, grabbed one of the people, and began to use his Absorption Technique.

"No!"

"Zhu Wushi, you demon! You deserve to die a horrible death..."

……

Several months later, he entered the palace again.

It was visibly clear that the palace was much more heavily guarded than before, with not only the Inner Guard and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but also people from the Eastern Depot inside.

Clearly, Zhu Youjian placed great importance on security.

There's no way around it; I've learned my lesson the hard way and I'm terrified.

"See my lord!"

"My lord, you're back?"

As Jiang Xuan traveled, everyone he encountered along the way bowed respectfully. Most of these people had participated in the palace coup and were very familiar with Jiang Xuan.

Some of the newcomers, seeing that Jiang Xuan was not wearing the flying fish robe, wanted to step forward to stop him, but were stopped in time by their colleagues. Only after Jiang Xuan had walked away did they reprimand him in a low voice.

"You don't want to work in the palace anymore, and you even dare to stop Lord Jiang?"

"Which Lord Jiang? Could it be... Commander Jiang of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?!" The newly arrived captain was extremely shocked.

"Who else could it be? This gentleman is the emperor's favorite minister. He not only helped the emperor ascend the throne, but also destroyed the eunuch faction. Recently, he even helped Lu Xiang-sheng wipe out the White Lotus Sect. This is a great achievement. You, a mere captain, not only failed to pay your respects to Lord Jiang, but also dared to question him. Do you have a death wish?"

"But... he wasn't wearing official robes, and I was just following the rules."

The newly arrived captain clearly didn't understand: "What's more, recently the court officials have been submitting memorials every day impeaching him, saying that he is raising a private army and intends to rebel. It's uncertain how long he can hold onto his position as commander!"

"You're really stupid. Rules are rules, but people are flexible. If this gentleman had really done something wrong, would the people in front have let him in? Can't you even think of something this simple?"

"As for the matter of impeachment by court officials, even the eunuch faction was wiped out by this official. You are really naive to think that a few civil officials can bring down this official."

"If this official wanted to rebel, would he still support the emperor's ascension to the throne? Do you really think the emperor would believe the nonsense of those officials?"

The junior officer sneered, "Just you wait and see. If you can bring down this lord with something like this, then I'll give you my junior officer position!"

……

Jiang Xuan strode to the entrance of Qianqing Palace. A sharp-eyed eunuch standing by the door rushed in to report before Jiang Xuan could even approach.

Jiang Xuan frowned and looked at one of the guards on duty.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!" The guard beside him was already so frightened that he stood up straight and kept giving his colleague across the way meaningful glances, but the latter was already dozing off with his spear in hand and did not pay any attention to his colleague's reminder.

Startled awake by Jiang Xuan's kick, the guard looked up hastily, about to bow, but before he could finish speaking, a look of delight appeared on his face: "Cousin, you..."

"What did you call me?" Jiang Xuan asked coldly.

"Your Excellency!" Yin Cheng smiled awkwardly, quickly straightened up, and bowed respectfully.

"You dare to slack off here? I'm speechless. Don't you want your head?" Jiang Xuan was quite helpless. This stupid cousin of his was hopeless. He dared to slack off and doze off while guarding the Emperor's gate. If he were caught, he might not be sentenced to death, but he would definitely get a beating.

They never seem to learn their lesson!

Jiang Xuan was already disappointed in him. He looked at the guards opposite him and ordered, "If this happens again, just kick him awake. You two will stand guard together. If something happens to him, you won't be any better off."

"Yes, sir!" the guard replied respectfully.

Tread...  

At this moment, a young eunuch ran out and reported, "Lord Jiang, His Majesty is waiting for you to go in."

"Thank you for your trouble." Jiang Xuan nodded and went straight inside.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youjian sat before his dragon desk, his brows furrowed with deep weariness.

But when he saw Jiang Xuan walk in, a hint of joy appeared on his face: "My dear minister, you're back?"

"Your Majesty, this humble subject pays his respects!" Jiang Xuan stepped forward and bowed.

"no."

Zhu Youjian waved his hand: "Quickly tell me about the situation in Huguang."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Jiang Xuan nodded, and then recounted to him the detailed process of his journey south to Huguang.

Apart from some personal secrets that could not be revealed, he detailed all other aspects of the war, including how he dealt with the local gentry and clans in Kaifeng, provided relief to the people, encountered an attack on his southward march, and ultimately succeeded in capturing Yongzhou and destroying the White Lotus Sect.

"So, it turns out that your flying fish robe was also destroyed in the battle of Yongzhou City? You've worked hard, my dear!" Zhu Youjian was deeply moved after hearing this, and his slight doubts about Jiang Xuan dissipated.

But remembering the impeachment by court officials a few days ago, he composed himself and asked seriously.

No matter how great Jiang Xuan's achievements were, as the emperor, it was a major taboo for his subordinates to raise private armies and plot a rebellion.

He would never tolerate even the slightest possibility.

-

P.S.: This has been upgraded to a premium status. Thank you all for your subscription support. I will start updating in chapters tomorrow.

However, I'm going back to my hometown this afternoon to help with a relative's funeral. I'll be heading back to the city tomorrow morning, so tomorrow's update might be a little late. I'm letting you know in advance, and I hope you understand.

(End of this chapter)