Republic of China Era: Entering the Dao through Divine Strike.

“These people are all victims of the Wang family’s misfortune. After I enter the city, send someone to bring them some water and food, and arrange for them to find a place to rest outside the city. If I return and find them still here hungry.”

He looked at the fat man, but didn't finish his sentence.

Cold sweat beaded on the fat man's forehead as he repeatedly said, "Understood! I'll get right on it!"

Li Xin then mounted his horse and slowly entered the city.

The city gate closed behind him again. The refugees swarmed around him, bombarding the fat man with questions: "Sir, who was that guy just now? Even you're afraid of him?"

The fat man wiped the sweat from his forehead, watching Li Xin's departing figure, his lips trembling a few times.

"That's Li Xin. The living Yama of the capital."

The refugees looked at each other in bewilderment.

An old man suddenly became excited, his withered hand tightly gripping the arm of the person next to him: "Li Xin? Is that the Li Xin who passed the martial arts exam in the capital and killed several foreign masters?"

"it's him."

"May Buddha protect us! May Buddha protect us!" The old man knelt down with a thud towards the city gate. "Lord Li is here! We're saved! Those damned Wang family bastards are getting their comeuppance!"

As soon as he knelt down, the surrounding refugees also knelt down.

The old woman holding the child kowtowed and kept praying, "Please, Lord Li, do justice for us! Please, Lord Li, avenge my son!"

The fat man looked at the refugees kneeling on the ground, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

He subtly winked at the soldier beside him and whispered, "Quickly go and inform the prefect. Tell him that Lord Li has arrived."

The soldier responded and ran away along a shortcut.

At this moment, Li Xin was riding his horse along the empty streets of Guangping City.

The shops on both sides of the street were all closed, with the prefectural government's seal affixed to the doors and stamped with a bright red stamp.

It was just dusk, yet the entire city was as quiet as a ghost town.

He looked up towards the east of the city. That was where the Wang family compound was located, brightly lit, with the faint sound of string and wind instruments drifting on the breeze.

Some people are drinking and having fun.

Someone was imprisoned in the Wanghai Tower.

More than three hundred people were locked in dock warehouses, waiting to be shipped overseas. From then on, they were separated from their families and buried in foreign lands.

Li Xin gently patted the chestnut horse's neck. A smile played on his lips, his expression gentle, but his eyes held no warmth.

The clattering of horses' hooves echoed across the quiet street.

Not far ahead, the door of an inn creaked open a crack, and someone peeked out. Upon seeing Li Xin, they quickly retreated and slammed the door shut.

At the corner of the street, a young man covered in wounds leaned against the shadows.

He saw Li Xin's horse pass by, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he struggled to stand up.

Li Xin's gaze swept over the half-exposed identification badge at his waist. It was the mark of Yuanshun Escort Agency.

He reined in his horse.

"Master Wang's men?"

The young man nodded, his voice hoarse: "Master Li? Senior Sister Wang asked me to wait here. She has uncovered an important clue. The Wang family has deep ties with the Red Lotus Sect, and there is another force behind the Guangping incident."

'Wasn't Wang Erya at the Niangniang Temple on Miaofeng Mountain? How did she end up with Zhang Yourong?'

Li Xin was surprised. He dismounted and reached out to support the swaying young man.

"Let's find somewhere to talk."

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Chapter 189 Night Visit to Wanghailou (Please Subscribe)

The nights in Guangping are completely different from those in the capital.

After dark in the capital, a few lights still remained on the streets.

The night watchman struck his clapper, the returning carriages rolled over the stone-paved road, and the occasional bark of a dog always carried a hint of human activity.

But Guangping is different.

The entire city seemed to be covered by a black pot, with no light on the streets and all the shops on both sides closed, with the prefectural government's seal affixed to the doors, the bright red official seal particularly glaring.

It was deathly silent, as still as a desolate, lifeless grave.

Li Xin led his horse forward slowly, the horse's hooves landing on the bluestone slabs with a crisp clatter that could be heard halfway down the street.

He glanced around and saw a few figures huddled in the shadows of the wall. He couldn't tell if they were beggars or refugees fleeing famine. They were huddled against the wall, motionless, whether asleep or already starving to death.

The young man beside him limped along, bearing multiple injuries, the most severe being to his left rib, clearly from a blunt force trauma; a large swelling was visible even through his clothes.

This man was extremely tough; he gritted his teeth and endured the pain without uttering a sound. He would also occasionally look up to observe his surroundings and give Li Xin directions.

"What's your name?"

"I am Lin Si, a porter at Yuanshun Escort Agency, working for Senior Sister Wang."

How many people came in total?

"Including Senior Sister Wang, there are seven in total."

The night Uncle De fought his way out of the Wang family, we happened to be scouting outside the city and bumped into him.

Upon hearing that Miss Zhang was still trapped in the Wang family compound, my senior sister led us into the city that very night, intending to scale the wall and rescue her. Little did we know that a wicked Taoist priest was hiding in the Wang family compound; we were discovered as soon as we reached the base of the wall. Of the seven brothers, four died on the spot, and my senior sister was also seriously injured.

Lin Si spoke in a very calm tone, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

But Li Xin could see it clearly. He tightened his grip on the knife, his knuckles turned white, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged, revealing a strong hatred.

Where is your senior sister injured?

"She took a palm strike to her right shoulder from Wang Zhenshan. That bastard's Iron Sand Palm was poisonous, and my senior sister's entire arm turned black."

Fortunately, my senior sister was ruthless enough to cut away the rotten flesh with the tip of a knife and apply the antidote brought by the escort agency, which is why she has barely managed to hold on until now.

Li Xin paused slightly in his steps.

He remembered that when Wang Jingya was poisoned by the White Eyebrow Needle in the capital, he endured the pain of having his flesh cut out and the medicine applied, without uttering a sound throughout the entire process.

The young lady from Yuanshun Escort Agency certainly has a tougher backbone than many men.

Where is she now?

"An abandoned City God Temple in the south of the city. My senior sister said that once her injuries have healed, she will break into the Wang family again."

Li Xin didn't reply, but directly handed the reins to Lin Si.

"You ride the horse and lead the way."

Lin Si was stunned on the spot. Looking at the tall and magnificent chestnut horse in front of him, he quickly waved his hand to decline, "Master Li, this is absolutely not allowed. I am dirty and injured. Please don't get your horse dirty."

"Both your legs are injured, how far can you walk?" Li Xin glanced at him indifferently, "Get on."

Lin Si dared not push any further and mounted the horse. He was a skilled rider, sitting upright, holding the reins in one hand and pointing the way with the other, his movements swift and decisive.

The two men and one horse traversed the dark, narrow alley, making several turns before slowly moving away from the main street.

This area in the south of the city is even more dilapidated and desolate than the city center.

The houses on both sides were mostly collapsed, with broken walls and ruins everywhere. The walls were overgrown with tangled weeds, creating a desolate scene.

The cold moonlight fell down, and the ground was littered with broken earthenware pots, rotten straw mats, and clumps of dark debris, making it impossible to tell whether they were soil or something else.

The City God Temple is located at the very end of a dead-end alley.

The temple gate had long since rotted away, leaving only an empty doorway.

There was a crooked old locust tree in the courtyard, and several crows perched on it. Upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves, they immediately flapped their wings and flew up, cawing as they disappeared into the night.

Li Xin tied his horse to the locust tree and followed Lin Si into the main hall.

There were no lights in the hall, only a small candle stub lit, the flame only the size of a soybean, making it dim and dark.

By the dim light, one could see a statue of the City God enshrined on the altar, half of its head missing, and its body covered in a layer of dust a finger's thickness.

Several tattered straw mats were laid out under the altar. A tall woman sat leaning against the offering table, biting a strip of cloth as she bandaged and changed the dressing on her right shoulder.

Hearing footsteps, she instantly gripped the goose-feather saber on her knee with her left hand, extremely wary. Only when she saw that the person was Li Xin did her tense fingers slowly relax.

"Xin-ge'er?"

Wang Jingya's voice was somewhat hoarse, her face was pale, and her lips were chapped and peeling. Only her eyes remained bright, and the moment she saw Li Xin, they seemed to ignite like two bright flames.

Her right shoulder was haphazardly wrapped in rags, from which dark red bloodstains were faintly seeping. Beside her lay a bloodstained dagger and several pieces of blackened, rotten flesh—the poisoned flesh she had personally cut out.

Li Xin walked over and squatted down in front of her.

"Untie the wound so I can see it."

Wang Jingya hesitated for a moment, but then turned to the side and let him untie the bandage on her shoulder.

The wound was deep, with jagged edges, covered in knife marks.

The skin and flesh around the wound were black and had a faint, putrid smell.

The poison from Iron Palm isn't inherently difficult to cure, but if it's delayed too long, the toxins will have already invaded the meridians. If we delay another day or two, the arm will be completely useless, and we'll have no choice but to cut it off at the root.

Li Xin took out an oil paper package from his pocket, opened it, and inside were five neatly arranged life characters.

He pulled out a talisman, subtly channeling his inner energy with his fingertips. The talisman silently ignited, turning into fine ashes in the blink of an eye.

He mixed the talisman ash into his water pouch, shook it well, and handed it to Wang Jingya.

"Drinked."

Wang Jingya took the water pouch, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

The moment the talisman water entered her throat, her expression changed instantly. Her brows furrowed sharply, her eyes widened, and she stared intently at her right shoulder.

Wisps of black smoke hissed from the dark wound, like boiling oil dripping into water—a subtle yet noticeable movement.

The moment the black aura dissipated, the rotten flesh of the wound peeled off piece by piece, and tender new flesh quickly grew underneath.

"What is this?" Wang Jingya reached out to touch her wound, but Li Xin slapped her hand away.

"Don't touch it, let it heal on its own, it will recover almost overnight."

"I owe you another life." Wang Jingya leaned back against the altar, exhaled a long breath, and her complexion visibly rosy.

She glanced at the remaining four talismans, then looked at Li Xin.

"Did you use this to heal Feiyan's injury back then?"

"Did your senior sister tell you?"

“She didn’t say, I guessed.” Wang Jingya shook her head. “She was so badly injured back then, her Tanzhong acupoint was even shattered, but she recovered completely in just a few days. I knew you had a special method. I just didn’t expect it to be so miraculous.”

At this point, her expression turned serious, and she said earnestly, "By the way, about Miss Zhang. Although I didn't break into the Wang family, I found out quite a bit of the inside story."

"You said."

"Wang Donghai has a master, the Fish-Dragon Taoist."

This person practices an unorthodox skill, allowing him to move freely in the water without any restraint.

A huge pond was dug in the Wang family compound, connecting to an underground river by the sea. The Taoist priest usually stayed in a secret room at the bottom of the pond and rarely showed himself.

We had just climbed over the wall that day when the pond water suddenly burst open. He used the force of the water to strike me with his palm, and with the impact of the wave, I couldn't block it at all. I was seriously injured.

Li Xin nodded slightly.

Cheng Yuanhua had told him before that this Yulong Daoist practiced the Daoist breathing techniques and cultivated internal energy, and had already reached the half-step True Qi realm.

Although it is somewhat inferior to the internal martial arts that combine internal and external cultivation, his level is very high, and he also has the advantage of waterway terrain, so it is normal that Wang Jingya could not stop him.

"How strong is Wang Donghai?"

“This person is even more troublesome than the Fish-Dragon Taoist.” Wang Jingya said solemnly, “He practices the Wang family’s ancestral Sea-Turning Palm, cultivating both internal and external techniques, and has been practicing it for more than thirty years.”

Over the years, many masters of the Transformation Realm have come to Guangping seeking revenge, but they all ended up in the Wang family and never came out again.

Wang Donghai is not only skilled in martial arts, but also vicious, and he loves to turn on people and kill them at banquets.

When people are drinking to their heart's content, smashing a glass is the signal, and the executioners swarm in and chop the person into mincemeat.