A candle was lit on the table, and the clear glass cover drove away the small half-darkness in the room.

This is a study room, but when it should be furnished, there is something elegant and interesting. Instead, it feels a bit rich and luxurious.

The walls are covered with calligraphy and paintings of famous people, and there are piles of square treasure inkstones on the red sandalwood frame, with various colors of gold and silver china, beaded antiques, the seats are inlaid with gold edges, a layer of white jade mats are laid, and two red lacquered woods are placed beside them. The basin, filled with ice cubes, is still cool and refreshing even in the sweltering summer night.

The magistrate of Shanbai County was sitting in this cool and Qinqin chair, with one hand on the armrest and the other on the table, as if he was busy at his desk with official business.

However, the light from the shaking candle light dimly illuminated the county magistrate's pale face as white as paper and the sharp red wound between the fat-laden neck.

A large amount of blood dripped down, and the wet white tunic and the light cyan official uniform were draped. A pair of hands nimbly groped in the blood-stained clothes, as if they were looking for something.

The owner of the hand was wearing a nocturnal robe, and his head and face were covered with a mask, revealing only a pair of yin and narrow eyes.

"Sure enough, I took it with me..."

As soon as the rummaging stopped, the man's eyes were filled with joy, and he pinched his fingers, and took out a letter from the county magistrate's jacket, opened it and glanced at it briefly, his eyes changed: "This Han Bo is really cunning. Incomparable, he even kept an account book privately, which really made Mr. Zheng right!"

Throwing the letter on his body, the man alertly listened to the movement of the listening window, and turned to turn over the bookcase and the red sandalwood rack.

In the process of rummaging, he also forgot to search for some easy-to-carry gold, silver and jade stones and put them in his arms, and in the blink of an eye, he turned the study into a mess.

In the end, he found a booklet in a dark compartment under the desk case, and was delighted to look through it by candlelight to confirm it.

At this moment, a gust of cold wind suddenly swept gently across the back of his neck, causing him to shiver and goosebumps all over his body.

"Who?"

In addition to being alarmed and alert, he immediately backhanded his sword and swung it behind him.

However, the sword cut through the air.

He quickly turned his head to look around, the study was still empty, and there was no other person except him.

 Yes, besides him, there was another person, or, in other words, a corpse.

Subconsciously, he looked down at the county magistrate who was killed in the chair, only to see the corpse sitting with his head bowed before. He knew when his head was raised, and a pair of terrified round eyes were staring at him. .

The man froze, the hairs on his whole body rose up, he was terrified, and God lost his defense in an instant.

And at this moment, a hand patted his shoulder lightly, and he suddenly raised his head, facing a pair of dark and cold eyes with hidden secrets.

In an instant, his eyes became chaotic, his mind was dizzy, and he fell into a half-dream and half-awake empty state.

In this dazed state, he heard a cold voice asking, "Who are you and why are you here?"

His thoughts were empty, and he didn't have too many ideas. The old man answered in a weak and erratic voice: "My name is Wu Qiao, and I am a guest minister of Jiangling County, Jiangzhou. The next time I came to Shanbai County, I was ordered by the governor to kill the county magistrate of Shanbai County."

The voice paused and continued to ask: "Why did the county guard kill the county magistrate of Shanbai County to silence him?"

"Shanbai County is a rich county. Although there are various forces, they all pay attention to the affairs in the county. The county magistrate Han Bo is greedy and intends to cling to the county governor, so the county governor will snatch money and bribe The master of the matter was arranged in Shanbai County. A few days ago, the governor ordered me to send a secret letter informing Han Bo that the head of the Zheng family had died violently, and the newly appointed head of the family wanted to join forces with the governor. , and also introduced the imperial court to audit the accounts.”

Wu Qiao seemed to be awake as if asleep, and said slowly: "In order to make up for the shortfall, the county governor ordered Han Bo to step up his efforts to collect money and wipe his hands and feet clean."

"But thinking about it, Han Bo in turn used this to hold the county governor, and he also wanted to send his name to the Zheng family. But Han Bo definitely thought that the county governor and the Zheng family had never had a falling out. Everything is just a show that has been played a long time ago, just to find out those people who are pregnant with two, and solve it as soon as possible."

The voice said, "There are definitely few people who have two. If they were to kill them, would they be afraid that there would be too much movement?"

Wu Qiao said: "The county governor ordered to kill only three people, and the rest will be dealt with separately."

"Apart from Han Bo, who are the other two? Why are these three special?" the voice asked.

"The other two are Zhao Gusheng, magistrate of Ping'an County, and Jiang Dayan, the third rudder master of the Baili Shui Gang." Wu Qiao said, "These three people participated in the sacrifice of the river god from beginning to end.  can leave a living mouth."

"Sacrificing to the God of the River?"

The voice was silent for a moment, then said, "How much do you know about this matter?"

Wu Qiao said in a daze: "After the Wen River burst its banks two years ago, the county governor selected Shanbai County and Ping'an County on both sides of the Wen River, and issued a secret order for these two counties to start offering sacrifices to the river gods. The selected sacrifices must be family members. There may be omissions, except for those on the list designated by the county magistrate, the rest can be decided by the magistrate.”

"The selected sacrifices will be delivered to the Wenhe River alive, and the people of the Baili Shui Gang will be lurking nearby. After the sacrifices are over, the sacrifices on the list will be transported away. Those on the list can be killed. It is also up to Jiang Dayan to decide whether to buy or sell. I once heard the county governor inadvertently mention that the transported offerings seem to be taken over by the Zheng family.”

"I...that's all I know."

At this time, another voice sounded softly as if from a distance, and sighed: "It seems that there is no need to keep you anymore."

Hearing this, Wu Qiao was inexplicably jolted and sane, and he struggled to wake up.

But when he really woke up, his protective body qi was pierced, and a cool feeling came from his throat.

"Uh!"

He widened his eyes, the screams in his throat were cut off abruptly, his hands that regained consciousness were raised numbly, and he covered his throat, only to feel the sticky tide of blood.

Xie Chengyun retracted his sword, supported Wu Qiao who fell down with one hand, and silently put his body on the ground, then turned to look at Chu Yunsheng, and while searching for the ledger and secret letter, he transmitted a voice into the secret and said: " This secret method created by Chu Chu is somewhat similar to the photography technique of Yuding Cave, the evil way of the Western Regions."

Chu Yunsheng closed his eyes and gathered the escaping true energy all over his body, which was a temporary sigh of relief.

During the short half-month journey to Jiangnan, although it was quite hard work day and night, Chu Yunsheng did not slack at all, wasting time, and was always studying the secret method.

There is only one trick in Shengshengyi Daojing, which is combined into a sword technique, and it also appears to be a single method, which is slightly insufficient.

So when he was on his way, he studied the exercises and created such a secret method. In certain environments and atmospheres, he mobilized his true qi, created an illusion of emptiness, and created an illusion that would make the enemy's gods. Lost opportunity, and take advantage of this opportunity to change the flow of infuriating energy, briefly confuse the enemy.

This secret method was created by self, and it is the first time have actually used it. The effect is wrong, but there are many restrictions. If the environment is suitable, or the ene is firm and powerful, and the realm is high, it will be of little use.

But having an auxiliary means is better than nothing.

After dismantling the ledger and the secret letter, and checking that there was no discrepancy with what Wu Qiao said, Chu Yunsheng said, "When I went to the river today to rescue the Li family, there was no one from the Baili Shui Gang. Watching from the sidelines. It is very likely that Jiang Dayan has been silenced, or he has a hunch that he is right, and he will stop in time."

"The former is the most likely."

"Jiang Dayan is like the magistrate of the two counties. He is from Jianghu, and the Baili Shui Gang controls the movements of the neighborhood. If the magistrates of these two counties die first, he will definitely find out and be vigilant. So among the three, he should be the one who was silenced."

Xie Chengyun nodded slightly and said, "It seems that the real people behind the scenes are the Zheng family in Jiangzhou, and 80% of the county governor is just a target pushed forward. But the governor is also a fuel-efficient lamp, a sacrifice to transport away. The product was taken away by the Zheng family, which should be a secret, but he 'unintentionally' confided it to Mrs.

"It has something to do with the Zheng family. It seems that this sacrifice to the river god involves a small amount of conspiracy."

Chu Yun said: "And this Wu Qiao said that the old head of the Zheng family died violently, and the new head has just ascended."

Xie Chengyun was stunned, and looked at Chu Yunsheng, confirming that the other party and himself had thought of one thing-the changes of the patriarch and the young master of this family seem to be a little too much.

This is the place to talk. After simply sorting out the clues and thinking, and disposing of the killer Wu Qiao's body, the two stopped for more and quickly jumped out of the window and left the county office.

Early the next morning, before dawn, Chu Yunsheng and Xie Chengyun bid farewell to the Li family in Baituo Village and rode on the official road.

The two changed their clothes, entered the county seat of Shanbai County, and sat in front of the tea stall casually, and soon heard the news of the murder of the magistrate of Shanbai County.

The news spread throughout Shanbai County in just one morning, and the talkative idlers said it was terrifying. Some said that the county magistrate had his throat cut and bloodletting. It was corruption and bribery ten years ago, causing many people to suffer and provoking In order to take revenge on the enemy, it is also said that the head of the county magistrate was chopped off, the body was separated, and the murderer was known. Only the little maid saw a strange black shadow, which was very strange. The rich help the poor in order to promote justice.

The county magistrate wanted to block the news, but the county magistrate died and there was no leader.

Xie Chengyun searched for the local snake in the county, and after a little inquiries, he also got the news that Jiang Dayan, the third rudder master of the Baili Shui Gang, was assassinated by the enemy.

It is said that this happened two days ago. It's just that Jiangling County is huge, and the exchange of information is so convenient. The news just came yesterday, and only the local snakes who have some contact with the Baili Shui Gang knew it in time. Ordinary people have not heard of it yet.

After confirming all the clues obtained last night, Chu Yunsheng and Xie Chengyun decided to stay in Shanbai County for a few days to see the reaction of the county governor and Shanbai County, as well as the follow-up of the river god sacrifice. .

By the way, Xie Chengyun used the Xie family's secret stake to get a post from the Zheng family. When they arrived in Jinling, he and Chu Yunsheng split up, one went to the Zheng family and the other went to the Ning family.

The sacrifice of the river god and the sudden death of the old master of the Zheng family seemed unusual. Xie Chengyun decided to put it aside, so he let Chu Yunsheng sneak in in disguise, while he himself followed the original plan. Go to Ning's house and meet with Xie's Dingdan.

It's just that Xie Chengyun took this post, and the identity is so coincidentally that she is the eldest lady of a small family in a remote county town in Huaizhou.

Before Chu Yunsheng's men's clothes were warm, he put on a long skirt again.

"Intentionally?" Chu Yun said.

Xie Chengyun wrote to thrush his eyebrows, and when he heard the words he said solemnly: "Miss,   relying on her beauty, you can smear people's innocence out of thin air."

Chu Yunsheng glanced at Xie Chengyun and didn't answer, but Xie Chengyun's hand holding the pen suddenly crooked, as if he felt a little cold behind his waist.

In the following days, Shanbai County experienced a small turmoil, but it did not have any impact on the lives of ordinary people. , It has nothing to do with their days. The people who should go down to the ground and the stalls that should be put out are the same as usual.

Jiangling County sent people to investigate the death of the magistrate, but after only one day, they hurriedly closed the case as a vendetta, and issued a warrant for a Jiangyang robber who was not at all similar to Wuqiao.

After that, the registrar temporarily managed the yamen, waiting for the new magistrate to take office.

The matter of offering sacrifices to the river gods is not mentioned any more except for the villagers on the Wenhe River. Such customs are traditionally included in the ordinary, and they are considered rare. If they are deliberately mentioned, few people talk about them.

After making all preparations in Shanbai County, Chu Yunsheng and Xie Chengyun left Shanbai County, crossed Taichuan Lake, and went straight to Jinling.

Jinling is a large city in Jiangzhou, majestic and majestic, majestic and vicissitudes of life.

Chu Yunsheng separated from Xie Chengyun at the city gate, took the post from the Zheng family, and entered the city first.

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The Zheng family is very easy to find. As a thousand-year-old family with power over half of Jiangzhou, its main residence occupies the most central and prosperous part of Jinling City.

The high-walled compound is quiet in the middle of the hustle and bustle. Walking along the river from the noisy long street, you can see centuries-old trees, the sound of water, the chirping of birds and cicadas, and it is quiet and peaceful.

It's just that compared to the prosperity of the chariots and horses in the past, Zheng's house, who was holding a funeral at this time, was covered with white silk and white banners.

Chu Yunsheng led the horse to the front of Zheng's house, took out the post, and said softly, "Two eldest brothers, is this Zheng Shaoqing's mansion?"

‌The old head of the Zheng family who passed away once entered the court as an official and served as the Shaoqing of Taichang Temple, so he is often referred to as Zheng Shaoqing.

The guards at the gate of the Zheng family are all good hands in the late Hanshen period, all with their backs and their backs, their eyes shining brightly, alerting the surroundings.

Seeing that Chu Yunsheng came to ask, his appearance was so cold and beautiful, and he had a post in his hand, he also lowered his voice, took the post with both hands, and said respectfully: "It turns out that it is Miss Ye from Yuzhang County, there are many affairs in the house, please You wait a moment, and let me go and report."

Having said that, the guard who received the post hurried into the mansion.

Chu Yunsheng retreated to the shade of the roadside and waited.

It is difficult to know the realm and strength of the hands, and the guards who stayed in front of the door probably thought that Chu Yunsheng was not good at martial arts or poor martial arts. Encryption doesn't help.

"Is this all a woman who came to the door? Is this Miss Ye also a romantic debt caused by the eldest young master during his travels?"

One winked and whispered.

"There are so many, so there are only four." Someone said.

Another person interjected: "Hey, don't think too much, but in my opinion, the other three are comparable to this Miss Ye. Although this Miss Ye is a little taller, but this way Appearance, temperament, posture and demeanor, but those three students all learned from it. The only one who can barely compare is that Miss Ling."

"You've only met a stunning beauty, what do you know?"

Someone else said, "These four girls each have their own beauty. Miss Zhao is weak, beautiful, considerate and virtuous, Miss Qian is plump and charming, smart and pleasant, and Miss Ling is charming and poignant. Of course, I also feel this Miss Ye is the most beautiful, as beautiful as peaches and plums, as cold as frost, with a splendid temperament and an extraordinary demeanor, she can be the first of the four beauties."

Someone sneered: "Come on, stop showing off that little ink in your stomach. No matter how beautiful you are, it has nothing to do with us. They are here to find the eldest young master."

"What eldest young master, now he is the head of the family."

The guards were chatting, but they knew that their conversations were all heard by Chu Yunsheng, who was 6 feet tall.

Chu Yunsheng was a little surprised, but he didn't expect that besides him, Ye Wanwan, three other women came to visit the Zheng family recently, and they most likely used similar posts. If not, this guard, who is used to seeing family exchanges, would have put him and the other three together in such a hasty manner.

And when Xie Chengyun took this post, he didn't say much. Looking at it alone, it was just a very ordinary post of vassal family, nothing special.

He also knew the purpose of the other three women who were visiting from the gathering, and whether it would cause any trouble for his actions.

While thinking about it, the small door on the side of the main gate of Zheng Mansion suddenly opened, and the guard who went to report the letter came out with a young man who was dressed in plain white and filial piety.

This young man was in his early twenties, handsome and tall, with thin lips and peach blossom eyes, and he looked very romantic.

It's just that he had just lost his father, and his face showed sadness and sorrow, and he saw many romantic attitudes. But when he saw Chu Yunsheng, his eyes suddenly lit up, revealing an astonishing color.

"Under Zheng Yuchen, Miss Lao Ye has been waiting for a long time."

Chu Yunsheng's face was cold, and he returned the salute: "It's okay."

Zheng Yuchen also cared about Chu Yunsheng's indifference, but it seemed to be quite useful, her smile became brighter, and she said warmly, "I know why Miss Ye is here today?"

According to the pre-prepared speech, Chu Yunsheng said lightly: "It was nothing to do, but I happened to travel around the rivers and lakes and traveled to Jinling. When I heard that the Zheng family had changed, I wanted to go to the door to honor Zheng Shaoqing with a stick of incense. The person my father admired most in his life was Shaoqing, if he finds out about this, he will be deeply saddened."

Speaking of his father, Zheng Yuchen's smile faded, and his expression was sad: "Miss Ye has something. Please come with me, don't let me bask in the sun here. Jinling is prosperous, since you have traveled here, if you stay here for more days. , after the mourning period ends the day after tomorrow, with the gift of me taking over as the head of the family, would it be okay for Miss Ye to stay and watch the ceremony?"

While speaking, Zheng Yuchen led Chu Yunsheng's small door into the Zheng family's mansion, and someone from behind brought Chu Yunsheng's horse and sent it to the stable.

Seeing that Zheng Yuchen was so hot, Chu Yunsheng also followed the pole and said, "I originally planned to stay for a few days. It's just that the head of the Zheng family is busy with business and is so annoying. After seeing Zheng Shaoqing, I left by myself. , If Patriarch Zheng has something to look for me, he can go to the Shunlai Inn in the east of the city."

Zheng Yuchen hurriedly said: "There is nothing else in the Zheng family, but there are many guest houses, and it is troublesome. Since Miss Ye has arrived in Jinling, there is no reason to go out and live. If you say this, it will not appear that I am Zheng Yuchen. The family is stingy and refuses guests? Yuchen has not officially ascended to the position of the head of the family, so Miss Ye can't bear such a reputation on Yuchen's back."

The words were all about this, since Miss Ye Wanwan, who Chu Yunsheng was pretending to be, was so considerate, she might have made Zheng Yuchen embarrassed, so she had to agree to stay.

It's just that, apart from Zheng Yuchen's lustful intentions and excessive heat, there is nothing unusual about it. Looking at the performance of the guards of the Zheng family, it seems that the death of the old family owner is not hidden.

After Zheng Yuchen led Chu Yunsheng to the mourning hall, he personally arranged a guest house for him.

On the way to the guest house, Chu Yunsheng inquired about Zheng Yuchen's journey through the rivers and lakes and some things on the way back after the violent death of the old owner.

While chatting happily, a tall and beautiful weak woman suddenly turned out from the hanging flower door in front.

As soon as the woman saw Zheng Yuchen, she showed a state of joy, and in a blink of an eye, she saw Chu Yunsheng beside Zheng Yuchen. Although her smile was normal, there was a flash of hostility in her eyes.

"Brother Yuchen, this sister is..."

Zheng Yuchen didn't notice the envy and hostility of the weak woman at all, she just smiled casually and introduced: "This is Miss Ye Wanwan from the Ye family in Huaizhou. She has traveled here and came here to pay homage to her father. Miss Ye, this is Ling Ling. Miss Rui, Zhao Lingrui, a disciple of Liangzhou Tianjimen, is also my friend."

Zhao Lingrui gave a graceful gift, and said with a gentle smile: "Lingrui has seen Miss Ye. Miss Ye lives in Hanxueyuan, right? I'm next to Miss Ye, and only you and I live in the East Guest House. It's just regular communication."

Chu Yunsheng nodded and didn't say a word, but Zhongzhong praised Zhao Lingrui's suggestion of frequent communication.

Of course, this is not because he suddenly changed his sexuality and covets Zhao Lingrui's beauty, but this Zhao Lingrui is simply a disciple of the Heavenly Secret Sect. A name, but Chu Yunsheng, who had been facing this face in the mirror for half a month, could still recognize it at a glance—

This part is the holy maiden of the Nine Immortals Palace who escaped from the Xie family by the secret method of Li Peach, Ji Ling!

At this time, it was west of Jinling City.

Xie Chengyun shrank his bones and pretended to be a guard beside Xie Jia Dingdan, and successfully infiltrated the Ning family.

However, as soon as he entered the Ning family, he saw that the entire Ning family had organized a happy event. It turned out that the head of the Ning family listened to the advice of a young Taoist priest and married Ning Shou.

"Taoist priest?"

Xie Chengyun frowned: "Where did the Taoist priest come from, so that Ning Tiancheng can be trusted?"

Xie Zixuan, a master of Ding Dan of the Xie family and also the uncle of Xie Chengyun, said: "Ning Tiancheng is very refined. If he is an ordinary Taoist priest, he will naturally believe it. But the one who came to give advice was the original disciple of Taixuguan. , An generation, named Rong Ange."

"Rong Ange?" Xie Chengyun was thoughtful.

Xie Zixuan nodded: "I sent someone to check whether this person's origin is true or not, but the Taixu view is the second view of the world, and ordinary people dare to pretend to be. According to this Rong Ange, he came down the mountain to find him. One of my senior brothers, who came to medical Ningshou after opening the list, is also worth a thousand taels of gold, and I just hope to use the power of the Ning family to find his senior brother in Jiangzhou."

Xie Chengyun smiled and said, "The way he heals is to give Ning Shou a blessing? What did he do to make the Ning family believe in his medical skills?"

Speaking of this, Xie Zixuan's face also showed a bit of weirdness.

He frowned and said in a low voice, "This is weird, he...he exorcised Ning Shou from evil spirits in front of Ning Tiancheng, performed a ritual, and then...Ning Shou really woke up!"

Xie Chengyun's eyes changed slightly, he smiled, picked up the tea on the table, blew lightly, and sighed paradoxically, "It seems that this Taoist priest still has some ways."

"In this case, I can only hope that the disciple is a disciple, and the Taixuguan is the Taixuguan. Don't cultivate the tranquility on the mountain, but come to the mortal to disturb the chess game and provoke hatred."

Hearing this, Xie Zixuan's eyes flashed a stern look, and he gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "It is Taixuguan, and the Xie family is also afraid. On this road, no matter who dares to block, they will be cut."

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