Speaking coldly, he said, "He tried to hide this matter, yet how could he deceive his peers in the pugilistic world?"
"Indeed."
Upon hearing this, Wang Daoxuan exclaid with a sigh and shook his head, "Where have all the people, young and old, of Wu Family Gully moved to?"
The old man replied, "They moved to Ezhou."
Sha Lifei was stunned, "Why did they move so far?"
"What else could they do?"
The old man shook his head and said, "Soone in Wu Family Gully noticed sothing strange and wanted to report it to Chang’an, but then Qiao Sanhu had his connections in Chang’an."
"Once they received the information, they imdiately asked the Fire Bear Gang from Chang’an City to intervene and the person was kidnapped from the inn and buried alive in the outskirts."
"Wu Family Gully could not afford to offend them, so they had no choice but to flee far away."
Hearing this, Sha Lifei also beca angry and cursed, "This damned official is truly despicable. Isn’t there anyone in the pugilistic world who would take him down?"
The old man let out a bitter laugh, "Gentlen, it’s okay to say this here, but please, never ntion it outside."
"Although Qiao Sanhu is only a county magistrate, he isn’t that simple, one of his cousins is a master of Magic Veins from Shang Mountain, quite famous in Chang’an, and even serves in the Prince’s estate."
"Thus, Qiao Sanhu has gained power and is influential in both the legitimate and underworld circles of Shangzhou, even gathering a bunch of crooks from the pugilistic world to set up a gambling stand at the Manchuan dock to extort money, accumulating substantial family wealth."
"Even several successive county magistrates had to be wary of him, earning him the nickna ’Fengyang Tiger’."
Hearing this, Sha Lifei scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Well, that’s that, he’s untouchable."
The old man said solemnly, "To be frank, I feel obliged to warn any outsider from the pugilistic world about this matter to save their lives."
"Since both of you are escorting the deceased back to his hotown, it’s best to avoid these troubles. As for finding your way, although the people from Wu Family Gully have moved away, I know of a man from the pugilistic world who operates a ferry on the Money River, and he is well-versed about matters regarding Wu Family Gully."
"This man has joined the Cao Gang, and his na is Lv San."
"However, seeking him out could be a bit troubleso..."
...
Wu Family Gully’s deserted village, old ancestral hall.
The driver, Old ng, and the porters were drinking wine. The farmhouse’s rice wine wasn’t expensive, and the food was just pickled vegetables and salty beans, but everyone was drinking rrily.
After returning, Sha Lifei avoided them.
The others didn’t mind. Although they too were from the pugilistic world, they had their own rules; not to listen to what should not be heard, not to ask what should not be asked.
"That’s the situation."
In another room, Sha Lifei recounted the story once again and shook his head, "Only one person is left in Wu Family Gully, but finding that guy is a bit tricky, I’m afraid you’ll have to take action yourself."
Li Yan frowned, "What’s the trouble?"
Wang Daoxuan said, "I suspect that the man is a Magician!"
"According to the information from the Information Pavilion, this Lv San was originally not from Wu Family Gully. He was abandoned on a desolate mountain as a child and later picked up by the simple-minded village guardian of Wu Family Gully, who raised him in the Land God Temple at the edge of the village."
"The villagers pitied him and often brought him food, so he grew up being fed by everyone. After the village guardian passed away, he stayed in the Land God Temple, cleaning daily and living off a portion of rice allocated from the village’s public fields."
"He has been odd since childhood, reticent and introverted, preferring to spend ti alone and often talking to the mountains..."
"Oh?"
Li Yan was a bit surprised, "The Information Pavilion knows so much?"
Sha Lifei took over the conversation, "Of course, there’s a reason for that. After Lu Family Gully relocated, this kid didn’t leave with them but instead went to Manchuan Pass and joined the Cao Gang."
"Strangely, since joining the Cao Gang, this boy hasn’t followed the boats but instead continually operates a ferry on the Money River, and the Cao Gang mbers are exceptionally respectful towards him."
"Moreover, he has clashed with Qiao Sanhu’s n; nobody knows where he learned his martial arts, but he has already stepped into Hidden Energy, showing remarkable skill."
"Though the Cao Gang hasn’t sought revenge for him from Qiao Sanhu, they’ve clearly stated they would look after him. Qiao Sanhu’s n see him as a thorn in their eyes, and their several covert attacks have all failed."
"What’s more troubleso, this guy has no fixed abode, always shrouded in mystery, and even the people of the Cao Gang don’t know what he does every day."
"He’s very cautious; at the slightest sign of trouble, he’d jump into the river and escape. If we go there, we likely won’t even find him."
"So, that’s the situation."
Li Yan looked up at the sky, noticing that the sun had set, and pondered for a mont before saying, "That’s fine; I’ll leave now."
Sha Lifei was astonished, "So soon? Shouldn’t we wait until tomorrow?"
Li Yan shook his head, "We still have other matters to attend to, and we can’t afford to delay here too long. For , night and day are no different."
After saying this, he packed up his belongings, stepped out the door, mounted his horse, and with a flick of the reins, his figure disappeared into the sunset...
...
Manchuan Pass was located a hundred miles southeast of Fengyang County.
By the ti Li Yan arrived, night had already fallen.
He saw mountains surrounded by an ancient town, divided by a river. The area was not small, and even under the cover of night, the town was still brightly lit, with boats clustered like a forest on the river, and fishing lights twinkling like stars.
Before he even got close, the official road was already bustling.
A rchant team of mules and horses, having traveled thousands of miles from the north, arrived only at night. Dozens of horse-drawn carts lined up in a row, crowded with people, all bearing the marks of weathering.
Such large rchant teams usually had their own guards. Seeing Li Yan approaching on horseback, they imdiately gripped the handles of their knives and were secretly on alert.
Li Yan glanced at them casually and paid no further attention.
The road was congested, so he could only move forward with the flow of people.
Inside the rchant team, a young novice from the pugilistic world stared at the bustling town ahead, his eyes shining, "Senior brother, this dock is really not small!"
The senior brother was clearly showing off, "This is both a water and land dock. Goods from the north co by land, and upon reaching here, they turn towards the south and take the waterway, hence called a water and land dock."
"This Manchuan Pass connects the north and the south, and has always been a coveted spot by the Military School, naturally bustling. See that side? That’s the land dock, and that side is the water dock, this half is called ’Qin’ Street, and that half is called ’Chu’ Street..."
"I know, from Qin to Chu in one day, right?"
"Coward, look at you acting smart! Rember, once we’re in the town, don’t go causing trouble. This place gathers sects and gangs from both the northern and southern pugilistic world, a real mix of dragons and snakes, and people die every night."
"Ah?!"
"Don’t be too scared, just stick with your senior brother, and we’re done with our duties here. I’ll take you to have so fun later."
"To drink?"
"Fool, to find so girls to sleep with!"
"Hahaha!"
Seeing the young man’s face flush red, the people around burst into laughter, teasing, "Young Lu, the girl might end up paying you tonight."
"Why... why’s that?"
"It’s the rule, if you eat the young chick, how could you not pay?"
"Hahaha..."
The group heartily mocked him, the joked-about young man blushed and was so embarrassed he almost wished he could crawl into a hole.
Li Yan had overheard part of their conversation and was sowhat distracted.
The information provided by the Wind Listener Pavilion was too scant.
As the mbers of the horse team had said, Manchuan Pass was a gathering place for all sorts from the Three Religions and Nine Sects, crowded and varied, including gangs from both north and south, along with travelers and porters... In essence, it was like a miniaturized pugilistic world.
Finding soone here wasn’t going to be easy.
Where should he start looking for clues...
As Li Yan was lost in thought, he had already passed through the grand archway of Manchuan Pass.
There was no enclosing wall here; he was t with an old street right away, teahouses and taverns on both sides, with brothels and gambling houses brightly lit and noisy, hardly inferior to the ancient street night markets of his past life.
Not far across, there was the Mule and Horse Chamber of Comrce.
This place was the territory of the horse team, which also operated a business storing horses, charging based on the stable and feed grades.
After Li Yan stowed his horse, he walked towards Qin Street.
He vaguely had an idea; the ones who knew you best, apart from relatives, were probably enemies.
Lv San had hidden in Manchuan Pass, often opposing Qiao Sanhu’s n, probably waiting for an opportunity to avenge his fellow townspeople.
And Qiao Sanhu’s n were likely always keeping an eye on Lv San’s movents...
While he was pondering, he suddenly slled a familiar scent, but couldn’t imdiately recall who it belonged to.
Li Yan quickly looked up and saw a middle-aged man in a blue shirt striding through the crowd.
His face was lean, his skin yellowish, but his figure was upright, and he was followed by two subordinates, all exuding an impressive air.
This man, he actually knew.
It was Han Kun from the Cao Gang in Xianyang!
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