Chapter 71

"Is something wrong? What's not right?" Qian Yunzhong and Hu Yunzheng had been friends since childhood, and he knew that his childhood friend never had such a serious and solemn expression unless he had made a significant discovery. Once he had this expression, it meant that this skinny old Hu had found something extraordinary. Uh, the last time he had this expression, the two of them were really punished and sent to Qingyun Temple, unlike before when the adults at home just scared them.

This time, what did Yunzheng discover?

"Not quite right..."

"What's not right?" Yunming's curiosity was also stirred; he had never seen Yunzheng so serious.

"Look around..." Hu Yunzheng subconsciously drew circles on the table and said, "Have there ever been so many martial artists at Qingyun Temple's fair before?"

Yunming was taken aback, then looked around and frowned, "Indeed, there are many more martial artists carrying swords and knives... Qingyun Temple's fair has always been a market where nearby villagers come to barter goods. There have never been any martial artists here... Indeed, it's unusual..."

"I hope they're not here for Qingyun Temple—"

"Unlikely, Qingyun Temple is just a small Taoist temple in a remote town. What could attract these martial artists?" Qian Yunzhong's words immediately earned him a glare from the Lu siblings. To these two children, Qingyun Temple, no matter how insignificant, was still their home, and they couldn't tolerate others looking down on it.

"Hmph! Qingyun Temple is not that simple!" Hu Yunzheng, thinking of his mysterious junior uncle who always came up with unexpected moves and was completely unreadable, said very seriously.

Yunming and Yunxuan lowered their heads and remained silent. Even though they were young, their parents were core figures at Qingyun Temple. Although they sometimes deliberately avoided the two children, some secrets were inevitably known to these two highly curious kids.

Hu Yunzheng's unintentional words made the two children recall their parents' occasional unusual behavior, and they fell silent. This reaction was not simple in the eyes of Qian Yunzhong and Hu Yunzheng!

They hit the jackpot!

Qian Yunzhong and Hu Yunzheng exchanged a glance, both cheering inwardly and feeling a strong sense of excitement.

******

Qingyun Temple is not that simple!

After a set of the [Tai Chi Cultivation Technique], Xiao Yunfeng was drenched in sweat. Touching his slightly sticky skin, he could see some greasy gray impurities in the secretions, extremely rare, and if he hadn't observed closely, he wouldn't have noticed.

Third level of the Body Tempering Realm!!!

Continuous hard practice finally bore fruit...

Compared to the seven young disciples, Xiao Yunfeng had an extraordinary drive. The pressure of revenge made Xiao Yunfeng display a diligence and perseverance that even Ye Qingxuan felt ashamed of.

Cultivation, cultivation, cultivation...

Xiao Yunfeng's life was monotonous and pure... For strength, Xiao Yunfeng operated like a machine, never stopping...

The [Tai Chi Cultivation Technique], a blue-grade superior technique, was indeed not exaggerated. When Xiao Yunfeng wandered the江湖 (jianghu, the world of martial arts), he had also heard that martial arts sects with such techniques all had extremely rich traditions.

With revenge as his ultimate goal, Xiao Yunfeng had once considered joining a prestigious sect, but those prestigious sects had extremely strict requirements for their disciples, and with Xiao Yunfeng's background, it was impossible for him to join.

Later, Xiao Yunfeng met Qingyan Daoist and, with a more pragmatic mindset, joined this insignificant small sect. However, he never expected that this seemingly weak sect had many mysterious and hard-to-fathom aspects.

Why would a small sect like Qingyun Temple have such extraordinary techniques? Xiao Yunfeng was puzzled...

Thinking of the various extraordinary aspects of the [Complete Heart Technique], Xiao Yunfeng clenched his fists, feeling the surging new power within him, his heart boiling with passion...

I wonder what would happen if I encountered the Purple Scarf Bandits now?

Xiao Yunfeng raised his head, his gaze resolute!

Perhaps, I should find someone to spar with...

******

Lu Zhongji slightly pushed a villager who had squeezed in front of him, sighing at the thought that he, the chief constable of the twelve counties of Yunzhou, was now acting as a bodyguard.

Looking around, he saw several experts from the three major special institutions of the imperial court, disguised as ordinary villagers. Each had strength no less than his own, and they all carried out their tasks without complaint, which greatly reduced Lu Zhongji's resentment. Looking ahead, the three figures walking almost side by side erased the last bit of his resentment, replaced by admiration, reverence, and a slight sense of fear.

These three were extraordinary, especially the one in the middle, who was one of the five great constables of the "Criminal Court," the "Divine Eye Golden Eagle" Hu Dong. At seventy years old, he looked frail but was actually the strongest in martial arts and ruthlessness among the three. Anyone in the jianghu who underestimated him usually ended up in a coffin.

The young man on the left was only known to be surnamed Hua and came from the "Shen Ce Fu," one of the three special institutions. The last one, with a gentle and effeminate demeanor, was a eunuch surnamed Liu from the "Imperial Attendant Supervision."

The "Criminal Court," "Shen Ce Fu," and "Imperial Attendant Supervision" were the three major special institutions of the Huangfu Dynasty, respectively under the jurisdiction of the Secretariat, the Council of Elders, and the emperor himself, representing the power of the officials, the royal family, and the emperor. This time, the three institutions coordinated and sent a special investigation team to Yunzhou to investigate the recent theft of 800,000 taels of "Beast-Driving Treasure Silver."

This major case shocked the entire court. The current "Jing'an Emperor" was determined to gather strength to retake the lost Yunzhou territory. The 800,000 taels of treasure silver, named "Beast-Driving," was actually for the remuneration of martial artists and the military payroll, and it was just the first of many such transfers.

This operation was always kept secret, so the "Beast-Driving Treasure Silver," which was to be used as military funds, was not directly escorted by the army but was secretly transported to Yunzhou by the "Wei Yuan Escort Agency" to avoid drawing attention. However, this well-planned operation was still discovered by the Purple Scarf Bandits during the transfer, and they successfully stole the entire 800,000 taels of treasure silver.

The entire plan was meticulously planned and executed, and the people who knew about it were all trusted by the court and the emperor. But the information still leaked, indicating that even the most trusted places in the court had leaks, and the enemy's influence had even penetrated to the emperor's side. This time it was just a leak, but what if next time it was something that harmed the emperor?

The Purple Scarf Bandits' action undoubtedly slapped the Jing'an Emperor hard... The court's anger was unimaginable.

As the chief constable of the twelve counties of Yunzhou, Lu Zhongji could not escape blame.

Given the severity of the matter, Lu Zhongji had even prepared to lose his head, but unexpectedly, when these three officials arrived in Yunzhou, they didn't even ask about the incident. Instead, they directly asked him to be their guide, as if on a tour, and wandered around Yunzhou for several months. Recently, they heard about the conflict between Qingyun Temple and Changkong Sword Gate in a tavern in Yunxia County. What was originally a minor incident, these three gentlemen were happy to watch the commotion, and they came all the way to see a few juniors fighting. This, this, these gentlemen, are too frivolous...

Perhaps tired from walking, these three gentlemen from Luoyang finally found a random noodle stall and sat down. The experts following them swarmed over, filling all the empty seats, each ordering a bowl of noodles as a cover, and for a moment, the entire noodle shop was filled with people from the court.

Lu Zhongji also found a place to sit, checked the noodle shop, and saw that all around were his people, so there was no safety issue. Only in the corner were a few martial artists, one table with a few young Taoists, one girl and three boys, each holding a large bowl of noodles and eating happily, their eyes darting around.

Hmph, these few children, inexperienced in the world, yet trying to act like old hands, were truly laughable.

While looking around, a Shen Ce Fu guard dressed as a porter sat down next to him and whispered, "Brother Lu, Elder Hu invites you—"

Lu Zhongji's expression changed, and he did not dare to hesitate, immediately getting up and walking over.

At the table in the middle, only Hu Dong and the other two were sitting. Hu Dong looked at him with a smile, while the other two ignored him. The young man looked around curiously, and the eunuch with a stern face was closing his eyes, seemingly indifferent.