Gu Long's World: Starting with the Legend of Chu Liuxiang

Chapter 139 Dazzling Jewels

On a gloomy mountain, there is a solitary lamp. Where the lamp stands, there is a mountain god temple, and the singing voices come from there.

When the three arrived, the lights were still on, but the people were gone.

On the altar where the statue of the deity was enshrined, there was a worn-out copper basin filled with clear water, and a few strands of black hair floated on the surface.

Hua Manlou frowned and asked, "Can you see what's here?"

Jiang Fengyue sighed, "In short, there is no Shangguan Feiyan here. There is a broken basin in front of you, with some of Shangguan Feiyan's hair still on it."

Hua Manlou had already reached into the bowl of clear water and picked up a strand of hair, gently rubbing it.

Lu Xiaofeng asked curiously, "Is it Shangguan Feiyan's hair?"

Hua Manlou nodded.

Lu Xiaofeng sighed, "What is her purpose in doing this?"

Jiang Fengyue said, "She probably wants Hua Manlou to know that she is still alive, but has fallen into someone else's hands, waiting for Hua Manlou to rescue her."

Lu Xiaofeng asked, "Whom will she pretend to have fallen into?"

As they were talking, a gust of wind blew in, and the huge mountain god statue in front of the three of them suddenly became full of cracks, with one piece of shattered stone after another falling to the ground.

The mountain god temple was filled with dust. After the dust settled, Jiang Fengyue and Lu Xiaofeng could see three corpses hanging on the wall behind the mountain god statue.

A pair of judge's pens and a pair of silver hooks pinned the three corpses firmly to the wall.

A yellow cloth strip resembling a soul-summoning banner hangs nearby, with a line of words written in blood on it.

"This is what happens when you meddle in other people's business!"

Lu Xiaofeng frowned and asked, "Who are these three people?"

Jiang Fengyue sighed deeply and said, "Liu Yuhen, Dugu Fang, Xiao Qiuyu."

Lu Xiaofeng exclaimed, "Weren't all three of them injured and bedridden? Who would use such cruel methods to kill them while they were sick in bed and hang them in a place like this, waiting for us to arrive?"

Jiang Fengyue sighed and shook his head. He thought that after beating those three to such a state, they wouldn't have to die for this matter. However, he didn't expect that the person behind the scenes would be so ruthless. Even useless pawns would be squeezed dry of their last value. This is the way of a businessman.

He said in a deep voice, "Shangguan Feiyan, or rather, the Green Robe Pavilion behind Shangguan Feiyan."

Lu Xiaofeng said, "So Shangguan Feiyan wants us to mistakenly believe that she has fallen into the hands of Qingyi Tower, so that Hua Manlou's desire for revenge against Dugu Yihe will be stronger."

Jiang Fengyue nodded and said, "This matter cannot be lost. If Yan Tieshan and Dugu Yihe don't die, by the time they realize what's happening, it might be Huo Xiu who is dead."

Not long after arriving in Shanxi, before the three of them could even go to find Yan Tieshan, Huo Tianqing, one of Yan Tieshan's subordinates, sent someone to find them.

Just as the three were about to leave the inn, someone delivered three invitations: "A small feast has been prepared to welcome you; please do not miss our visit."

The signature is "Huo Tianqing".

The few simple words were written very neatly with thick ink, so each character was raised, and even someone who couldn't see could feel what was written with their fingertips.

Huo Tianqing was so thoughtful that he even took care of Hua Manlou, who was blind.

The young man who delivered the invitation was already waiting outside the door. When he saw the three of them come out, he bowed and smiled, saying, "Steward Huo has instructed that if the three of you would do us the honor of visiting, I will prepare a carriage here to take you to the glittering Yan Mansion. Steward Huo will be waiting for your arrival there."

Lu Xiaofeng asked in surprise, "Did he know we were coming?"

The young man laughed and said, "There's nothing within an 800-mile radius that Steward Huo doesn't know."

The banquet was held in a waterside pavilion surrounded by lotus ponds. In addition to Huo Tianqing, the steward who invited them, there were two other guests: Su Shaoqing, a retainer of the Yan family, and Ma Xingkong, the chief镖头 (bodyguard) of the Guanzhong Lianying (a military unit in Guanzhong).

"Check-in!"

"Signing in with Huo Tianqing successfully, you have gained five years of internal energy."

"Signing in successfully, Ma Xingkong has gained three years of internal energy."

"Successfully checked in with Su Shaoying and obtained the martial art Emei Sword Technique."

When Huo Tianqing introduced Su Shaoying, he said that Su Shaoying was a learned scholar who had passed the imperial examination, but Jiang Fengyue knew that his true identity was Su Shaoying, the third sister of the Four Beauties of the Emei Sword Sect.

The guests had all arrived, but Yan Tieshan, the host, had yet to appear.

Huo Tianqing couldn't help but smile and say, "The food and wine are ready, but the boss heard that the three of you have come to visit, so he also wants to join in the fun."

Lu Xiaofeng asked, "Are we waiting for him?"

Huo Tianqing said, "If you get impatient, we can set out some snacks and drinks first."

Jiang Fengyue suddenly laughed and said, "No rush. As long as we can meet the big boss of the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion, it's worth waiting any amount of time."

Huo Tianqing had never heard of Jiang Fengyue before. However, after witnessing Jiang Fengyue's speech, manners, and demeanor, he knew that Jiang Fengyue was no ordinary person. None of the people who served Lu Xiaofeng were simple individuals.

Suddenly, a man outside the waterside pavilion laughed and said, "I don't want to spoil your fun, so let's quickly prepare the wine!"

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Jiang Fengyue looked in the direction from which the sound came, and saw a large, fat man with fair skin.

"Check-in!"

"Successfully checked in to Yan Tieshan and gained five years of internal energy."

Upon meeting her target, Jiang Fengyue didn't waste any words and greeted him with a smile, "Manager Yan, hello."

Ma Xingkong thought Jiang Fengyue had misspoke, so he quickly interjected, "It's Steward Huo, not Steward Yan."

Jiang Fengyue smiled slightly and said, "I know, but what I want to talk about is not Chief Steward Huo Tianqing, but Yan Liben, the former Grand Steward of the Golden Roc Dynasty."

Yan Tieshan's smile suddenly froze. He was usually a man who rarely showed his emotions, but Jiang Fengyue's words revealed his deepest secret, forcing him to change his expression.

He said coldly, "Steward Huo, see the guest out."

Ma Xingkong and Su Shaoying didn't understand why Yan Tieshan suddenly acted this way. They also couldn't understand why Yan Tieshan would react so strongly just because Jiang Fengyue mentioned Yan Liben's name.

As soon as Yan Tieshan finished speaking, he immediately turned around and walked out the door.

But there was someone else at the door at some point.

A person dressed in white, with a black sword tucked at their waist.

Yan Tieshan glared and shouted sternly, "Who dares to be so rude here!"

The man in white said calmly, "Ximen Chuixue."

Upon hearing this name, everyone present paled in shock, for Ximen Chuixue's name was as sharp as his sword.

Just as Yan Tieshan was about to call for his guards, Jiang Fengyue appeared beside him without him noticing and gently patted his shoulder. His expression changed, and he dared not utter a sound. If someone can get close to you when you are least expecting it and pat your shoulder casually, it is naturally a fatal blow.

Jiang Fengyue smiled and said, "Boss Yan, there's no need to rush off. We have no ill intentions here; we just have some things we need to clarify with you."