Chapter 43

It has been proven that any subjective conjecture without careful thought will bring about disastrous consequences, just as it is now with Wu Fan —

In the courtyard marked by "Lin's Horse Stable," two nimble stable hands closed the gate. The courtyard was filled with people, all of whom were focused on a young man dressed in brocade, holding a lute case, who had mysteriously intruded. In other words, Wu Fan was now being observed like a rare beast, and the gazes of those watching him were not very friendly.

Wu Fan didn't seem to mind; instead, he felt that he had come to the right place because of these people's inexplicable vigilance. He even wore a smile that seemed to invite trouble.

Suddenly, the crowd parted, and a short, plump man with a white, bald head and a bare chest walked over. This man was about thirty years old, with a pale face, no beard, a small nose, and small eyes. Especially those small eyes, which, when narrowed, were as sharp as a venomous snake. He approached Wu Fan, standing very close, and examined him from head to toe for a long time without saying a word. Then, he suddenly made a series of inexplicable gestures.

Seeing these gestures, Wu Fan was taken aback. After a moment's thought, he smiled and pointed at the plump man, as if to say, "I understand, I understand." After rummaging in his clothes for a moment, Wu Fan took out a token and showed it to the other man. Wasn't this the same token that Yu Xiang had given him that day?

The plump man's face changed dramatically. After examining Wu Fan again, he said coldly, "Kill him!"

Crack!!!

Seeing the people around him about to rush forward, Wu Fan quickly waved his hands and said, "Wait! Wait!" Lowering his voice, he looked at the plump man mysteriously and said, "You... aren't you from the Maitreya Sect?"

The plump man narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly, saying, "Yes!"

【Lucky! What is luck? This is it!】

Wu Fan looked as if to say, "See! I told you they were!" Then, he looked around boldly and said, "We're on the same side! Definitely! Do you know Yu Xiang? She's my sister!"

The plump man snorted and said, "Oh? It seems you don't know that the bitch is a traitor to the Maitreya Sect! Your sister? Kill him!"

【Damn!】

Wu Fan instantly understood many things! —— It turns out that luck comes in many forms, and his kind is called dogshit luck! Not extremely lucky, but rather, as foul as dogshit!

"Stop——!"

Wu Fan shouted, a fierce look flashing in his eyes. Then, he bowed with the lute case and raised his head, his gaze serious, saying, "Brother! Give me a chance! I want to be a good person!"

The plump man almost laughed at Wu Fan's audacity, sighed, and waved his hand.

"Whoosh——!"

Suddenly —

An unexpected change occurred. From the lute case, which was actually a disguised box of fourteen knives, a sharp steel chain shot out, piercing the plump man's shoulder!

"Ahh——!"

The plump man didn't expect Wu Fan to be so treacherous. Just a moment ago, he was smiling, but the next moment, he had already taken decisive action without any warning, completely disregarding the code of the underworld! He also didn't expect the lute case to actually be a small arsenal! He was immediately at Wu Fan's mercy, unable to move, and could only scream in pain.

"Don't move! Don't move! Don't move! None of you move!" Wu Fan smiled at the people surrounding him and said, "See that steel spike? If I just pull it a little..."

"Aaaaaah!!!"

The pig-like screams instantly made the horses in the stable restless.

"See? It will be like this!" Wu Fan slowly walked to the plump man's side, wrapping the steel chain around his neck and drawing a long knife from the lute case, placing it against the plump man's throat. "Kill me? You're kidding, right? See this? It's a knife! Do you know what a knife is? It can kill!"

The plump man's face was contorted in pain, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Smiling tiger! Scoundrel! You... are you sent by Yu Xiang? Does she use this method to talk to us? Sss... Scoundrel! Treacherous scoundrel! Ahhh!"

"Thank you for the compliment! Sorry! My hand slipped just now!" Wu Fan smiled, looking at the forty or fifty people surrounding him and said, "Tell them to go about their business! Understand? If not, I don't mind letting my hand slip again... I guarantee no one wants to endure this pain! Right?"

The plump man's face was pale, and he was drenched in sweat, shouting, "All of you, get out! Get out!"

The people around him quickly left.

"Ahh! That's better!" Sighing, Wu Fan held the knife to the plump man's throat and slowly backed up to the gate, ensuring his back wasn't exposed to the threat of arrows. Then, he turned the plump man's face to face him, patted his cheek, and said, "I told you to send these people away. Did you hear me? I said I'm from the Maitreya Sect. Did you hear that? Hmm? Speak! Speak!"

"I will kill you! Ahhh..." The plump man's voice was hoarse, and he was trembling in pain. Seeing Wu Fan's smiling face, which seemed ready to torture him at any moment, he quickly said, "I'll talk! I'll talk! Three months ago, the Maitreya Sect had a split... A part of it broke away, calling itself the Mahayana Sect. Yu Xiang is their Holy Maiden! They... they are the militant faction, aiming to overthrow the Southern Liang Dynasty and establish a new regime, causing internal strife in Southern Liang... Ah... But the Great Sui took advantage of the chaos and destroyed Southern Liang. Now... Now they have lost their base and are wandering around, seeking revenge against the Great Sui... Ah!"

Wu Fan pondered for a moment and then said, "I remember you said Yu Xiang wanted to talk to you. What did she want to talk about?"

The plump man drew in a cold breath and said, "The original doctrine of the Maitreya Sect was 'eternal youth and longevity,' which was actually for profit... Now, the doctrine of the Mahayana Sect is 'killing and chaos to save the world.' Killing one person makes one a Bodhisattva, and killing ten makes one a Ten-Stage Bodhisattva..."

"Stop rambling!" Wu Fan tilted his head and lightly touched the plump man's shoulder, saying, "Get to the point!"

The plump man's teeth were almost grinding to pieces from the pain, and he quickly said, "After the split in the Maitreya Sect, we who adhered to the original doctrine no longer associated with them and used our accumulated wealth to do business... Yu Xiang and her group want to take revenge on the Great Sui! They need to recruit soldiers and buy horses, so they targeted our wealth and influence..."

"Who are these people?" Wu Fan smiled, lying through his teeth, "Can you be more specific? I left the Maitreya Sect many years ago and really know nothing about recent events!"

While saying this, Wu Fan understood many things. First, as Lord Luo said, the Maitreya Sect had long been潜伏 in Luoyang... This "long time" was not after the split but even earlier... It referred to the plump man and his group. Second, Yu Xiang had not left and was still nearby. Third, Yu Xiang had leverage over these people and wanted to use them to cause trouble, just as Lord Luo feared, to strike a blow against the empire during the capital relocation.

"Speak! Speak!" As the thought flashed through his mind, Wu Fan urged the plump man, "Tell me, will you?"

The plump man sneered and closed his eyes, saying, "The people involved are beyond your imagination. Just kill me! I won't say anything!"

Wu Fan stroked his chin, suddenly remembering the day when the Luoyang Eagle Guard mobilized to raid the Maitreya Sect in the mountains, and those people abandoned by Yu Xiang... Since they were abandoned, they must have been on a different path from Yu Xiang! But if they were on a different path, why did they still help Yu Xiang and follow her orders?

"Ha ha ha!"

Laughing coldly, Wu Fan raised an eyebrow and shook his head, saying, "Your words are nine parts false and one part true. Don't think that because I've been away from the Maitreya Sect for a long time, I don't know anything! You've actually been in contact with Yu Xiang all along! Otherwise, how did the imperial hounds achieve such a great victory a few days ago, with over a thousand heads cut off? Hmm? Is it fun to play with me?"

"Aaaaaah!"

As he spoke, Wu Fan slowly pulled the steel chain, and the plump man almost fainted from the pain, blood flowing all over the ground.

The plump man broke down, weakly crying and shouting, "I'll talk! I'll talk! They... they are..."

"Snap!!!"

An arrow pierced through the plump man's head from behind, the arrow still trembling with brain matter on it!

【Killing to silence, right?】

Wu Fan's eyes narrowed, and he supported the plump man's body, using it as a shield. He opened the gate with his free hand...

...

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