Ten Directions Sword Master

Chapter 105: Why is there an extra Refining Spirit?

"So you're finally admitting you're from the Imperial City Guard?"

Lu Li looked at the people whose masks had been removed and sneered, "I'm afraid you won't use your Imperial City Guard status to intimidate people."

"I, Bai Wuming, the Imperial Inspector and Commandant of the Imperial Carriage, have come to Heyin County to investigate a special case on the orders of the Deputy Prefect—you know very well what crimes you have committed. If you cooperate honestly, you may be spared your lives!"

If the Imperial City Guard is perceived by outsiders as being all-pervasive, ruthless, and terrifying to the point of turning pale at the mere mention of their name...

Then the Inner Inspection Division is the kind of entity that makes all the secret agents of the Imperial City Guard tremble with fear and break out in a cold sweat.

Even if a local official is a high-ranking official in the imperial court, if he obtains conclusive evidence of illegal activities by members of the Imperial City Guard, he can only hand it over to the headquarters of the Imperial City Guard. Even a lowly spy is not qualified to deal with it directly.

This is also the biggest reason why the secret agents of the Imperial City Guard are so lawless and arrogant.

The Inner Inspection Bureau was in charge of listening to palace inquiries, supervising court affairs, conducting internal investigations, and managing a large number of its colleagues from the Outer Inspection Bureau.

Or perhaps in their eyes, the country bumpkins from the Outer Patrol Division weren't even considered one of their own.

After returning from the Northern Wei world last time, Lu Li borrowed a large number of books that specifically studied the Imperial City Guard, an intelligence agency, and became very familiar with its internal structure.

It should be said that most people in the Imperial City Guard do not know as much as he does.

"Internal Inspection Division — Imperial Carriage Commandant —"

Those men, who had initially appeared fierce but were actually cowardly, were only worried about implicating their superiors and causing a bad impression, even after hearing that they were to be sent to the government office.

They were not afraid of being punished or imprisoned.

Upon hearing this, and looking at the waist badge that seemed to be exactly the same as his superior's, it lay limp on the ground like mud.

Better to offend the Duke than to offend the Inspector.

This is the most widely circulated saying within the Imperial City Guard, and it is regarded as the golden rule by all colleagues.

Once you enter the Inner Surveillance Division, you start as a Captain, and your salary is half a rank higher than that of the Eagle Terrace Captain of the Outer Patrol Division.

The key is that every member of the Inner Inspection Bureau must have their name inscribed on the screen in the Emperor's study, possess exceptional talent, be loyal to the royal family, and have a distinguished background; at least two of these three criteria must be met.

In other words, it's possible to reach the ears of the emperor directly.

"You must not take poison!"

The leader noticed one of his men looking conflicted, grinding his teeth, and then screaming in terror.

Suicide in front of the Inner Surveillance Commissioner is considered a challenge to the authority of the Inner Surveillance Commission. It will not be a simple matter of death absolving one of their debts, but will implicate their entire clan.

"How dare you resort to such tricks!"

Uncle Qin slapped the man, dislocating his jaw and knocking out several teeth. Sure enough, a pill rolled out of his mouth.

The old man was secretly pleased. In the past, when he was at the half-step Refining God level, he couldn't put on airs when facing the Imperial City Guard. He would have to take the initiative to greet and give way to those of similar cultivation.

He wouldn't even dare to dream of punching and kicking a late-stage Foundation Establishment Imperial Guard.

It seems this Bai Liulang is indeed someone important; his self-introduction scared the other party so much that they didn't even dare to commit suicide.

"I'll ask you a question, and you'll answer it. If you hesitate even for a second, I'll wipe out your entire family—did the Commandant of the Guards send you to hunt down Kim Gu and retrieve the intelligence?"

Lu Li smiled and asked.

The leading officer of the Imperial Guards, his face ashen, said bitterly, "Yes."

"Did he collude with the military governors of the six garrisons to assassinate Prefect Cui Xu in cooperation with outsiders?"

"I don't know, but Commandant Wei does indeed frequently correspond with the Military Governor."

Where is Wei Bin right now?

"The branch lobby awaits my report."

"Won't he get suspicious if you haven't returned for a while?"

"Jin Jiu is doomed. Wei Duwei deliberately let him escape to see if there were any backup, so we can eliminate him completely. As long as he returns before sunset, it's all normal."

He answered the first question, and after breaking through his psychological barrier, things became increasingly smooth.

There was even a thought that telling the Inner Surveillance Commissioner the inside story wouldn't be considered betrayal, but rather a return to the right path.

Perhaps this benefactor, having achieved his goal, might actually spare his life.

"Elder Qin, prepare the carriage and take these people to the Prefect's residence immediately!"

Lu Li decided to change tactics and go straight to the point since his originally anticipated major ally had turned against him!

Prefectural Governor's Office.

In the main hall, a middle-aged man with a long five-pronged beard sat in the main seat, exuding elegance.

An old servant stood beside him, his eyebrows lowered and eyes downcast, always by his side, but his presence was barely noticeable.

"Commander Bai, thank you for bringing the news—I will immediately order heightened security and a thorough search of the city."

With witnesses and physical evidence, plus the Imperial City Guard Commander's badge, Lu Li quickly met with Cui Xu, the Prefect of Heyin, and convinced him of the above information.

In fact, Cui Xu's ability to rise from a collateral branch of the Cui family to the position of prefect, surpassing many of the direct descendants, demonstrates his exceptional abilities in all aspects.

However, it is a common flaw among disciples of aristocratic families that they did not immediately anticipate that their opponent would use violent means to eliminate them physically. Instead, they attempted to petition for an imperial decree while simultaneously using their available resources to consolidate the forces within the prefecture.

"The assassin must be a martial artist at the Refinement of Divine Power level; how could they have been found out—"

Lu Li shook his head, and their eyes met.

"Please invite Wei Bin to the prefecture and execute him immediately, and cut off the arm of the military governor—this man is the middleman, the Imperial City Guard is being used by others, the prefecture is leaky on all sides, how can we guard against thieves for a thousand days?"

"Wei Bin is the Commandant of the Eagle Terrace of a prefecture; how can he be killed without authorization? We must request an imperial decree from the capital—"

Cui Xu's expression changed slightly, and he resolutely refused.

"This is a matter for the Imperial City Guard! Before I came to Heyin, my ancestor instructed me that anyone who betrays the Emperor's favor should be executed!"

Lu Li chopped down with his palm, his tone firm.

"The prefect can later submit a memorial to the imperial court, frankly stating that it was Bai who strongly advocated for this matter!"

To break the deadlock, Wei Bin must be killed first. Then, as the Commandant of the Inner Surveillance Division, Wei Bin can take over the Imperial City Division branch in Heyin County and gain control of a vast intelligence network.

Otherwise, they would be blind and unable to evade the subsequent assassination attempts.

This was also a test of Cui Xu's resolve. If he couldn't even make this much of a decision, he would immediately turn around and leave, abandoning the mission.

It's already extremely difficult, and then you run into a bunch of incompetent teammates. You can't let yourself get stuck in this mess.

"Very well, let's do as Commandant Bai says, and execute Wei Bin first!"

After pondering for a long time, Cui Xu's expression gradually hardened, and he slammed his hand on the table.

"Young master, be careful, it might be internal strife within the Imperial City Guard."

The old servant of the Cui family suddenly spoke, without using telepathy, which was obviously intentional.

"My mind is made up!"

Cui Xu waved his hand, and the old servant retreated, no longer trying to dissuade him.

He wrote a letter and had a clerk deliver it to the Imperial City Guard branch, asking Wei Bin to come and discuss how to safely transport relief grain to the prefectures and counties, saying that the Imperial City Guard's cooperation was needed for this matter.

He then asked Lu Li and Uncle Qin to retreat to the back hall, appearing very confident in killing Wei Bin.

Wei Bin broke through to the Refinement of Spirit stage ten years ago and is still at the early stage of Refinement of Spirit. His signature martial art, the Thirteen Forms of Eagle Soaring, is the standard weapon for all Eagle Platform Captains in the world.

Cui Xu was also at the early stage of the Spirit Refining stage and had the inheritance of the Boling Cui clan, so he was confident that he was no less capable than others.

With the old servant's assistance, and the enemy being caught off guard, how could they not win?

Lu Li didn't need to be stubborn; he couldn't withstand the dying counterattack of a Refining Spirit expert.

"If Wei Bin's death makes the other side aware that Cui Xu is on guard and hesitates to act rashly, it will be to my advantage. The real Imperial City Guard envoy is already on his way."

Lu Li was calculating the possible changes that might occur later. With his involvement and disruption of the county town, the forces dissatisfied with Cui Xu would certainly shrink temporarily.

Whether it was the Tianyi Sect or the Hanyue Sect, they used the information gap to make them mistakenly believe that Cui Xu had received the full support of the capital, so that they would agree to send a Refining God Elder to protect him.

The number of assassins couldn't be too large, most likely one or two, and there was absolutely no way they could cause trouble in a united county town.

"As for the special envoy from the Imperial City Guard, at most a captain-level official will come. Just say it was Judge Zhou Bai who gave the order privately—if you don't believe me, go back and ask him yourself!"

Lu Li wasn't worried about concealing his identity. He could use this disguise as a bonus every time, without having to worry about how to end it in the future.

"Unless those two envoys arrive in person, anyone who says I'm an imposter is harboring malicious intentions!"

Lu Li went to great lengths, certainly not just for a mere five hundred merit points reward.

This move not only sets out the subsequent mission, but also allows Bai Wuming to gain a foothold in Heyin County so that he can take over the Imperial City Division branch with Cui Xu's support.

A county branch, I don't believe there aren't precious spiritual items and top-secret files hidden in the warehouse.

Once he takes over as the Commandant of the Imperial Carriage, he can create a time gap and take a look around before the special envoy from the capital arrives to see if there are any that catch his eye.

These are the real gains, far exceeding the task rewards.

boom!

A loud crash came from the front hall, as if the courtyard had collapsed, followed by an angry shout: "Cui Xu, how dare you do this!"

"As the Commandant of the Eagle Terrace, you have betrayed the Emperor's favor and colluded with the barbarians—I am acting on a secret decree to capture you!"

A powerful aura of heaven and earth spread out, and Cui Xu's voice was loud and clear, like a morning bell and evening drum, reverberating back and forth.

Lu Li knew that this was a characteristic of the "Nine Chapters of Anping," which emphasized having a legitimate reason for one's actions.

In the real world, the head of the Cui family who participated in the siege of Xuanming Mansion was the embodiment of propriety. His words carried the weight of law, and order arose wherever he went.

The phrase "It is against the laws of nature for the dead to live on" directly caused the half-step Dharma Body level living corpse to decay and disintegrate, returning to dust.

Meanwhile, the green plants in the courtyard withered in an instant, and the tallest locust tree lost its vitality, its bark peeling off and its branches and leaves dying.

It looked as if he had been dead for a long time.

"Stealing someone's life force and using it for one's own benefit? What a vicious martial art! That old servant is quite skilled. It seems the Cui family of Boling values ​​Cui Xu, this member of a collateral branch, very much."

Lu Li sat on the mountain watching the tigers fight, and even had the leisure to offer his comments.

Even the Cui family of Boling, known as the most prestigious family in the world, doesn't have cultivators of the Divine Realm as common as cabbages in a field.

Personnel should be stationed in the main clan's fiefdoms, important strongholds, and secret mining areas.

Even the direct descendants, when they were young and wandering the world, only had a half-step Refinement God protecting them.

To have a martial artist who has refined their spirit as a companion is only possible for the most direct and most valued members of the inner circle.

"Two against one, and with such a sudden attack, I should be able to take him down in ten moves—twenty moves, any more and I'll have to lower the status of Anping Nine Chapters in my mind."

17

Lu Li counted on his fingers, listening to the commotion in the front hall, and suddenly his expression turned to astonishment.

A sword beam leaped up, bursting into this world, magnificent and splendid, tearing apart the omnipresent might of heaven.

"There's a fourth Refining God?"

Lu Li left the backyard and looked at the strange phenomena in the front hall, which were intertwined and jagged. He knew that the expected quick victory was impossible.

"Besides Wei Bin, there couldn't possibly be any other cultivators from the Imperial City Guard who would come to the Prefect's residence at this time—could they be assassins sent by the Six Garrisons Military Governor?"

The more I think about it, the more I feel that this guess is consistent with the truth.

He wanted to first strip away the wings and take control of the Imperial City Guard, but Wei Bin was even more decisive, bringing the mysterious Refining God Assassin directly, turning the two-on-one situation into a two-on-two one.

"There are also advantages, at least in that the fight is carried out with preparation, rather than being suddenly assassinated."

Lu Li smiled bitterly to himself. The mission had been presented to him in this unexpected way, and it was now his turn to make a choice.

Should they evacuate first, or seize the opportunity to lend Cui Xu a hand and complete the mission as much as possible?