"Hahaha..."
Feng Shaoqing narrowly escaped death, his face full of wild joy. He gritted his teeth and said, "Hmph, in the Great Xuan Dynasty, royal authority surpasses divine authority. No matter how you put it, the Night Patrol Deity belongs to the City God Temple; how could it harm a court official..."
He beca sowhat carried away with himself, but he didn't notice that the Hu Family woman, who had wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and stood up, wasn't listening to his rambling. Instead, she looked towards a dark alley on the left and cupped her hands, saying, "Thank you, Daoist friend, for your assistance. Why don't you show yourself?"
In the darkness, Li Yan tucked the Hook Paper into his chest and slowly stepped out.
Feng Shaoqing was too optimistic. This Night Patrol Deity had already been controlled by soone else, and wouldn't care about any court orders. The one who truly drove it away was Li Yan's identity as a Heavenly Official.
When a Heavenly Official walks, nothing is taboo; all Mortal Gods must avoid.
No matter how strange this Night Patrol Deity may be, its identity can't change.
"May I ask who you are..."
The Hu Family woman had just clasped her hands when Widow Wang beside her widened her eyes and exclaid in shock:
"Li... Little Brother Li?"
Her face was full of disbelief.
The Hu Family woman glanced over, frowning slightly.
Li Yan didn't rush to speak, but turned to look at the distant streets and alleys. Seeing firelight and the sound of horses' hooves coming from there, he said, "The patrol troops are coming; let's find a place to talk first."
Looking at Li Yan, who seed young yet carried himself like a master, Feng Shaoqing felt inexplicably uncomfortable and said in a deep voice, "Good timing; the Night Patrol Deity committing murder is unheard of. It's just the right ti to investigate and get to the bottom of it."
"Investigate? Investigate what?"
Li Yan found it a bit ridiculous, "Even if you speak of the Night Patrol Deity committing murder, do you think anyone would believe it?"
"Since others dare to play tricks, they must be prepared. I'm afraid before you issue an order, you'll be dragged into prison and lose your life in confusion."
Feng Shaoqing was montarily stunned, then nodded, "No wonder you're the famous Li Yan; you're right."
Li Yan wasn't surprised his identity was recognized, but he looked at the Hu surna woman instead.
This woman, called Incense Master, was clearly the leader among them.
After hearing this, a trace of hesitation flashed in her eyes, but seeing the distant torchlight already illuminating the alley entrance, she gritted her teeth and said, "We have people at the Front Gate Granary; follow !"
With that, she turned and hurried away.
She had only suffered damage to her Divine Thought earlier, but her skills were unaffected, allowing her to leap and bound swiftly.
Li Yan and Widow Wang followed closely behind.
After passing through three dim alleys, a green brick arch door suddenly appeared ahead, with a stone lintel inscribed with "Yu Feng," though it had beco mottled and unclear over the years.
The Hu Family woman checked her surroundings, then stepped forward and knocked the copper ring rhythmically—three long, two short.
Soon, the side door opened a crack.
"Incense Master... co in!"
It was a hunchbacked old man who opened the door. Although he appeared sowhat surprised, he didn't waste words. After everyone entered, he checked the street outside and swiftly closed the wooden door.
Once inside, Li Yan unobtrusively surveyed the surroundings.
This place appeared to be the front courtyard of an ordinary granary, but it harbored hidden mysteries.
Seven granaries over a zhang high were arranged in a Beidou formation, their tops covered with thatched grass. Beneath the eaves, bronze fox-head bells hung, yet made no sound in the night breeze.
Moreover, there was a faint sll of smoke and fire coming from underground.
Li Yan wasn't surprised by this.
When Luo Mingzi introduced the situation in the Capital, he also ntioned the terrain of each area.
This Front Gate area was originally a hub for rchants; the "Capital City Five Cities Lane and Alley Records" noted that this area was filled with granaries and warehouses, many of which had underground storage.
Indeed, the Hu Family woman introduced, "Fifty years ago, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel built a secret warehouse here. He was extrely greedy. When he saw the current Emperor ascend the throne, to avoid having his property confiscated, he dug a three-mile secret passage beneath the Front Gate business premises, but eventually, he couldn't escape death. Later, we took over, and now it connects six granary backyards."
As she spoke, she pushed aside the reed mat covering the eastern granary, revealing a dark hole.
After she entered, Li Yan also followed inside.
As he bent down, he frowned slightly, slling a mix of sulfur in with the scent of aged rice.
Gunpowder buried under these granaries?
Why would a Magic Veins hall exert such effort?
The tunnel was damp and chilly, with old oil lamps embedded in the walls every ten steps.
Li Yan sniffed lightly, growing more suspicious internally.
Inside the walls on both sides, there were hidden traps and arrows.
The identities of these people were definitely problematic.
He remained composed outwardly but had already raised his vigilance internally.
Eventually, the group stopped at a stone room.
This place was more ticulously arranged, almost like a house.
The Hu Family woman moved forward and turned the lamp post.
With a creaking sound~
The display shelf moved aside with the chanism's noise, revealing another secret room roughly a zhang square.
Inside the secret room, there were boxes of armor and weapons.
There were even two boxes of firearms.
"Ladies and gentlen..."
Li Yan stopped outside the secret room, not entering, "You all are probably more than just mbers of the Five Immortals Hall, right?"
Feng Shaoqing's eyes darkened as he stole a glance at the Hu surna woman.
anwhile, Widow Wang kept her head down, not daring to speak.
"Not to hide from Young Hero Li."
The woman suddenly made several hand gestures, touching her forehead with her fingertips in a lotus shape, then spoke, "The illiterate Qingfeng, why bother turning the scriptures? 'At Mile's seat, a midnight fla, a lamp lights the cold of the night'."
"People of the Maitreya Sect?!"
Li Yan was taken aback, unconsciously gripping the hilt of his sword.
He hadn't expected these people to be from the Maitreya Sect.
Years ago in the battle of Guanzhong, due to Zhao Changsheng's machinations, various factions of the Maitreya Sect gathered in Guanzhong to revolt, ending in a heavily damaging defeat by the court.
Because of this, the once powerful Maitreya Sect fell into decline, and due to court bans, only scattered remnants of the Maitreya Sect remained.
They were scattered and never ford a climate.
When did they gather again in the Capital?
"Brother Li, don't be tense, we are not evil..."
Widow Wang hurriedly explained upon seeing this, "This is our long-lost young lady, saved by the Maitreya Sect at a young age..."
The Hu surna woman raised her hand, interrupting her explanation. She solemnly clasped her hands and said, "I am the Maitreya Sect's Capital Incense Master, Hu Yuan. I've long heard of Brother Li's chivalry and righteousness, and you should know the origins of the Maitreya Sect. As long as there are suffering people in this world, the Maitreya Sect will not cease to exist!"
"We gather with incense not to oppose the court, nor do we have ambitions to change the world; we rely help each other in this chaotic and vicious world."
"If you don't believe , you can investigate."
Li Yan naturally wouldn't easily trust them, but he didn't rush to turn hostile either. Instead, he looked around and said calmly, "Bringing here, do you perhaps want to recruit into your sect?"
"Young Hero Li misunderstands."
Hu Yuanyuan shook her head, "This is just to show sincerity. I heard that the Twelve Primordial Spirits are traveling immortals, and I want to make a deal with you."
Li Yan asked, "What kind of deal?"
Hu Yuanyuan gritted her teeth, "Help kill soone! That person is a yin criminal, hiding in the Prince Ying Mansion. I want him to be completely annihilated, never to be reborn!"
Upon hearing this, Li Yan instantly understood.
According to the intelligence he obtained from the Yin Bureau, Wuleji hiding in the Prince Ying Mansion once slaughtered a village that worshiped the Five Immortals Hall while lurking in the Northern Border.
Widow Wang and the others had been living under assud identities for years, likely to avoid this person.
Of course, Li Yan wouldn't foolishly reveal that this was also his target.
He frowned, pretending to be confused and said in a deep voice, "It's strange that a yin criminal is hiding in the Prince Ying Mansion. What's going on exactly?"
Hu Yuanyuan, seeing his interest but not daring to hide anything, imdiately recounted the situation.
The reasons behind it were roughly as Li Yan had guessed.
The only difference was that Hu Yuanyuan was just a child when she beca separated; over these many years, she'd forgotten all about her childhood, and thought her family had been attacked by bandits.
It was only when Widow Wang, passing through the Capital with the Fox Immortal, sensed Hu Yuanyuan's bloodline that they could recognize each other.
For a young girl like Hu Yuanyuan to rise to the position of Incense Master, it was imaginable how much hardship she had endured, especially upon learning that the culprit behind all of this had been hiding in the Capital all along, which infuriated her deeply.
Seeing Li Yan remain silent, Hu Yuanyuan gritted her teeth and said, "Young Hero Li, you and your reputation are known throughout the land, so you may not care for riches in yellow and white objects. If you can accomplish this, I am willing to offer you sothing from the immortals."
"Sothing from the immortals?"
Li Yan chuckled, "As for what's up with the immortals, I know better than you. If you really had such treasures, would you part with them?"
Hu Yuanyuan remained silent for a mont, then slowly raised her head and said:
"Young Hero Li, have you ever heard of the Flat Peach that grants immortality?"
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