I am the snake demon!

"Sis, what do you think Xu Yan will do after he sees us?"

Bai Xuan ran into Xu Yuhua on the road and asked with a light laugh.

"Confess your guilt, accept the punishment, and then offer us a treasure that will satisfy us, and beg us to let him go," Xu Yuhua said.

"According to the information, this Xu family patriarch is someone who knows when to advance and when to retreat," Bai Xuan said.

"It has always been like this. Even though I was in the capital for many years, he never stopped sending me gifts. Everyone in the entire Prince's Mansion has received gifts from him. He is known for his loyalty and kindness. Third Brother, did you receive any when you were at Yuzhen Temple?" Xu Yuhua asked.

"Oh, so that brings it up. So it's the Xu family who bring gifts every year. They're certainly very shrewd and know how to get along with people. In that case, let's put on a show. I'll play the bad guy, and you'll play the good guy," Bai Xuan said with a smile.

Xu Yuhua nodded slightly; it's always good to be a good person.

The two chuckled and walked into the hall.

Bai Xuan finally met the head of the Xu family.

He wore an indigo brocade robe with diamond patterns, tied with a silk ribbon, and had a jade belt at his waist. Judging from his appearance alone, he was no more than thirty years old. Although he had been traveling around for many years, his skin was still fair and showed no signs of aging. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his appearance was honest and kind. At first glance, he gave people the feeling of a kind and honest elder.

Upon seeing Bai Xuan and Xu Yuhua arrive in person, Xu Yan immediately bowed and said, "I have failed in managing my household, causing the younger generation of the Xu family to be reckless and offend Your Highness. I have brought this wretched creature here today, and ask Your Highness and the Princess to deal with him!"

As he spoke, Bai Xuan noticed that Xu Yanque was standing next to him. However, compared to his dashing appearance a few days ago, Xu Yanque was now barely breathing and had been beaten like a dead dog.

Upon seeing this, Bai Xuan couldn't help but sigh, "He really is my uncle; he's ruthless."

"Uncle Xu, what are you doing? My father said before he died that the Xu family is the Xu family. As long as the Xu family exists, the Northern Border will also have the Xu family. Even if there is a great crime, you should forgive Uncle Xu, let alone me and my third brother." Seeing this, Xu Yuhua immediately helped Xu Yan up.

In the past, the Xu family devoted all their wealth to the Prince of Zhenbei, which deeply moved the old Prince of Zhenbei. Xu Yan's official position in the northern border was second only to the Prince of Zhenbei.

"That's right, why go to such lengths? There was no offense intended, it was just a bet." Bai Xuan laughed and sat down on his own.

Xu Yan's position in the northern border was somewhat similar to that of Mi Zhu in Shu Han.

Because he had been an angel investor, although he didn't actually have much power and was far less powerful than Leng Shih-hu and his ilk, his theoretical status was that of the head of all the ministers.

High position but little power.

In stark contrast is Li Daoyan, who, despite holding only a nominal title, controls intelligence and spies in the northern border region and can act first and report later. He is the opposite of the other, holding a low position but wielding great power.

Upon hearing Bai Xuan's words, Xu Yan felt a chill run down his spine. Unlike Xu Yuhua, he had dealt with everyone in the Prince's Mansion, but since Bai Xuan, the Prince of Zhenbei, had gone to Yuzhen Temple, he had only sent people to deliver gifts every year and had never had any dealings with him.

Now that Xu Yanque is in his hands, and that foolish second brother still dares to agree, the entire Xu family is now like fish on a chopping board. He was even more uneasy and said, "That brat is ignorant. All the family property of his branch combined is no more than a million taels. How dare he make such a bet with the Prince? His father died early, and it was I, his uncle, who raised him. Now he has done such a thing, ruining the family business and bringing shame to our ancestors. It is all my fault!"

"His branch of the family? Oh right, speaking of which, you've separated your families. But Xu Zhao, the second master, seems quite generous, using the Xu family as collateral." Bai Xuan looked at Xu Zhao meaningfully, implying that even if things were to be investigated, Xu Yanque could only represent his own branch, not the entire Xu family.

interesting.

Is this all you want to do to get away with it?

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhao felt a pang of heartache. If it weren't for his second brother's affair, this matter would have been much easier to resolve. After all, Xu Yanque was just a junior, not even his own son. What right did he have to decide on all of the Xu family's assets? He didn't even have the right to speak on behalf of the Xu family. But Xu Zhao was different. He bowed and said, "Yes, it is my fault for failing to manage the household properly. I have already severely punished my second brother. Moreover, if Yanque were to truly ruin the family business, I would not be able to face my elder brother in the afterlife. Therefore, I have a humble request. I implore Your Highness to forgive him for his mistake. I am willing to hand over 50,000 mu of land in Anwu and other places, along with all the merchants, to the Prince's Palace, equivalent to ten million taels of silver."

This is the greatest sincerity he can offer.

Heaven knows how he reacted when he received his younger brother's letter on his way back to Liangzhou, feeling triumphant after dealing with matters in Bingzhou.

They really are willing to accept any bet.

Three hundred chess pieces, and the final amount of silver is immeasurable.

The entire North cannot afford to pay the price.

Upon receiving the news, he felt dizzy and fell off his horse. When he woke up, he wanted to kill his younger brother and nephew.

But he only had one younger brother, and among the younger generation of the Xu family, only Xu Yanque was still able to step up and take charge, so he gritted his teeth and rushed back to clean up the mess.

If that doesn't work, then the only option is to expel Xu Yanque from the family.

As for Xu Zhao, his younger brother, they could only separate from the family.

In this way, his loss was actually less than ten million taels.

"Ten million taels." Bai Xuan nodded slightly. The head of the Xu family certainly had enough guts!

But even that wasn't enough to satisfy him.

"Besides that, I heard that Your Highness was once assassinated by the Blood Shadow Cult and is now hunting down the Blood Shadow Cult. Before I came here, I specially asked my friend in the martial arts world, the carefree hermit Ling Ruofeng, to help with the capture. We have now obtained some clues. It is possible that Shi Yexing, the leader of the Liangzhou branch of the Blood Shadow Cult, has not left Liangzhou, or even Wuwei!" Xu Yan said.

"You haven't left Wuwei?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan's composed expression finally changed. His relaxed body tensed up, and he stared intently at Xu Yan.

Xu Yan's breath hitched, as if he were facing a humanoid beast. His face turned pale as he said, "This matter is absolutely true. The Blood Shadow Sect has committed countless evils, which are outrageous. I, your humble servant, have been loyal to Your Highness and have been working hard to investigate. I especially asked the carefree hermit for help. The carefree hermit has thoroughly investigated and discovered some clues."

"Shi Yexing is the leader of the Liangzhou branch. He kills people without hesitation and commits all kinds of evil deeds. However, he is not a bad person on the surface. On the contrary, he pretends to be a rice shop owner. He is charitable and has a good reputation in Wuwei. He has also bought a wife and children, making it impossible for people to guess his identity."

"After Shi Yexing sent someone to assassinate the prince, he disappeared into thin air, leaving his wife and children to be tortured. He seemed to care nothing about them. His wife and children did not know any martial arts. The Hidden Sword Manor disdained to bully women and children who did not know martial arts, believing that this violated the way of chivalry. It was the Duan family of Wuwei who did not believe in evil and captured his wife and children for torture. His wife could not bear it and died in prison."

"However, after Ling Ruofeng investigated, he discovered that the body buried was not his wife's at all; it had been switched. His wife and children had vanished into thin air. Ling Ruofeng went to their home to investigate and found that Shi Yexing's wife was six months pregnant. Finally, he came to a guess that Shi Yexing might have initially bought his wife and children to impersonate her, but as time went on, he might have developed feelings for them."

"Therefore, if he were to flee, he would take his wife and children with him. It would be easy for him to escape alone, but it would be difficult to escape with his wife and children, especially given the sudden disappearance of his wife. I suspect he hasn't left, and that she is still in Wuwei!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful expression on his face, and said, "Uncle Xu is very kind."

He had also heard of Ling Ruofeng, the carefree wanderer. He was mysterious and of unknown origin, but he was highly skilled in martial arts, had friends all over the world, loved excitement, and would go wherever there was excitement. He was a figure like Lu Xiaofeng, a real troublemaker in the martial arts world.

The fact that he, who loves excitement so much, didn't kill himself speaks volumes about his abilities.

If it were him, it wouldn't be surprising to find this.

Given the Xu family's wealth, it's not surprising that they could invite Ling Ruofeng.

But that makes things interesting. Shi Yexing stayed in Wuwei and didn't leave, and even now, the Lord of the Northern Territory still doesn't know it.

There are only two possibilities: either Hidden Sword Manor is protecting him, or the Duan family of Wuwei is protecting him.

There is no third possibility other than these two local bullies secretly protecting them.

Xu Yuhua looked at Bai Xuan with some concern, knowing how much this news would impact him.

It will be very troublesome to investigate, and it will be very difficult to clean up the mess afterwards.

Neither Qiu Linyuan nor Duan Qingyue could possibly protect Shi Yexing. However, both Cangjian Villa and the Wuwei Duan Clan are ancient families with countless branches. It is unknown whether any of them are colluding with Shi Yexing. In the end, to eliminate them, it is highly likely that pulling out a radish will bring out the mud, and an entire family will be eliminated.

Neither Cangjian Manor nor the Duan Clan of Wuwei are easy to deal with.

Especially the Duan family of Wuwei, which is her maternal uncle's family. If there really is a connection, Xu Yuhua is certain that Bai Xuan is capable of making the decision to wipe out the Duan family of Wuwei.

"It is my honor to share Your Highness's burdens. Ling Ruofeng is still secretly investigating in the city. If Your Highness needs him, I can invite him here so Your Highness can question him in person. However, people of the martial world do not obey the law and may offend you. Please forgive me, Your Highness." Xu Yan sensed that the murderous aura on Bai Xuan's body had dissipated and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He thought to himself that all his years of cultivating good relationships and helping those in distress had not been in vain.

Although most of the money spent doesn't yield any return, the few returns that do are still useful.

"I am aware of this matter, but there is no rush. Let him investigate first," Bai Xuan said.

He wasn't surprised by this.

As the old saying goes, "Having mastered both literary and martial arts, one can sell one's skills to the emperor."

Conversely, the fact that someone as capable as Ling Ruofeng refused to serve as an official in the court shows that he was an absolute troublemaker.

Free and unrestrained.

"Yes." Xu Yan was completely relieved. The problem was finally solved. Although he was severely weakened, he had finally gotten through it. He only hoped that his second brother and Yan Que would realize their mistakes and correct them.

However, just as Xu Yan was relieved, he heard Bai Xuan say, "When my father was alive, he often praised my uncle as the strategist of our northern border. Today, I have seen that he is right. The problems that the Duan family of Wuwei and the Hidden Sword Manor could not solve, my uncle's intervention had an immediate effect. Now that I am in trouble, I hope my uncle can help me."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he vaguely sensed an ominous premonition.

It seems I put it away too early and felt safe.