novel-bin 78, Local Tyrant
78, Local Tyrant
Two days later.
Chief Constable Ren Qingshan, after a grand procession through the city, led Constables Guan Shanyue and Pang Ziyan, along with a dozen or so henchmen, toward Yushugou, their target being the bandits at Shahu Pass.
We stayed in Yushugou that night.
into the night.
Ren Qingshan, dressed in night clothes, moved nimbly through the darkness, traversing a diagonal path, passing through the county town, and heading straight for Tongbao Town.
The feint attack is a trivial tactic, not worth mentioning.
In the dead of night, Ren Qingshan arrived at Tongbao Town and slipped into the salt transport caravan that the Lu family had been waiting for. Under Lu Jiu's arrangement, he became a laborer.
Early the next morning, we set off on a salt boat, traveling by water to Lishui County.
The Grand Canal south of Beijing connects the capital city with the southern prefectures, encompassing all the waterways it passes through. Its waters are vast and its width is about ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).
However, this was the first time Ren Qingshan had traveled this waterway.
at this time.
Outside the cabin, Lu Jiu held a fishing rod and was enjoying fishing.
However, after traveling for more than an hour, they had gained nothing.
The air force officer looked quite dark-skinned; all the bait he threw in ended up feeding the fish.
Ren Qingshan, dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, was chatting and laughing with other laborers.
The conversations between men, aside from money, revolved around matters of the groin, with all sorts of lewd talk... the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
When it was time to eat, they took out the brazier, put the nine-compartment copper pot on it, and boiled a pot of salt water. The laborers took out their own dry food and ingredients, separated by compartments, and ate their own food from the same pot.
They ate hotpot and chatted.
Two small boats suddenly appeared ahead.
A greeting drifted on the wind: "Ninth Master Lu, how have you been lately?"
Lu Jiu glanced casually in Ren Qingshan's direction and said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your concern, brother. I'm fine. With things so tense right now, you still dare to come out fishing?"
"Haha, the government has its ways, and we have ours. We brothers need to eat too, don't we?"
"Our usual rule, 10%! Best wishes for Mr. Lu's continued prosperity."
The bandit leader, shirtless and burly, leaped onto the two boats as they approached.
That lightness skill is quite impressive; the user must be a Silver Blood martial artist.
Lu Jiu exchanged a few polite words with him, paid the money, and the man took the silver, immediately jumped onto the boat, and quickly left.
Nobody noticed...
At the stern, Ren Qingshan quietly entered the water, submerged, and followed their speedboat.
These river bandits are swift and elusive; without such methods, they would truly be difficult to eradicate.
……
Following the boat all the way, Ren Qingshan held onto his last bit of true energy from his internal organs for the entire journey.
Along the way, I saw them rob four more times, and I also saw six small boats, all belonging to bandits, operating in small teams.
However, Ren Qingshan did not show his face.
The objective is clear: head straight for their lair!
It wasn't until late afternoon that the seven boats met at a natural cave, where they distributed some of the money, and most of the people dispersed, leaving only three leaders. They took the remaining amount, boarded a small boat, and sailed into a tributary of the canal toward Wangyue Lake.
This... they've even improved the robbery process?
When gathered, they are a blazing fire; when scattered, they are a sky full of stars.
Ren Qingshan was speechless, thinking about the terrain of Wangyue Lake.
Wangyue Lake is located in a remote corner, with a large area of reeds in the lake. It has long been rumored that monsters roam there, and ordinary people dare not approach it.
This lake is now considered the Qian family's "private lake".
Many years ago, the Qian family leased this lake from the government to raise fish. They operated it for many years, and regularly sent their servants and guards to patrol the lake. They also acquired a lot of the surrounding lake fields, almost enclosing the area.
The powerful and domineering were just like that; they were veritable local emperors.
In such remote areas, killing dozens of people is as easy as playing a game.
With modern thinking, it's hard to imagine just how powerful a powerful family could be unless you've seen it with your own eyes.
Ren Qingshan continued to lie submerged underwater, following the three leaders for more than an hour in Wangyue Lake, passing through several dense reed beds before finally reaching a small island in the middle of the lake.
The three men, carrying the day's harvest, moored their boat and went ashore, heading towards the house lit by candlelight.
It was already late at night.
Ren Qingshan pushed his six senses to their limits. After the three had walked a certain distance, he quickly emerged from the water, used his true energy to evaporate the moisture from his body, and followed under the cover of night.
The evening breeze, carrying moisture, brushed against my face, and I could faintly smell the fishy odor. Ren Qingshan's eyes were as cold as iron.
……
Salted fish, cut in half and coated with salt, lay out to dry, gazing at the starry sky.
This is the outer courtyard, guarded by seventeen robbers.
The three bandit leaders were among them, and the loot they had plundered was stored in the warehouse.
Ren Qingshan did not disturb them for the time being. He then entered the central courtyard, where more than a dozen rooms were brightly lit. Ren Qingshan checked them one by one.
In each room, there was a middle-aged woman who looked like a madam, training a group of pretty girls of varying ages.
They were made to sit on a vat with a bowl of water on their heads, wearing tight-fitting thin clothes.
The porcelain jar is pure white, with the opening gradually increasing in size.
They took turns sitting cross-legged, holding each other between their legs.
This is an ancient and secretive training method specifically for training prostitutes.
Ren Qingshan cursed inwardly for being despicable, yet he couldn't help but want to watch.
It seems that some of the women in Jin Yu Lou were trained here... What a brothel!
In the other rooms, older girls were being taught music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and prose, and they were clearly working very hard.
Fish are drying in the outer courtyard.
The Intermediate People's Court raises abalone.
This island is truly abundant in resources, and Ren Qingshan's curiosity was fully aroused, wanting to see what else was in the inner courtyard.
He saw it very quickly.
In the inner courtyard, four maids stood guard at the four corners, all dressed in white, carrying swords, and with golden tokens at their waists.
The Divine Dragon Cult!
Ren Qingshan recognized it at a glance; it was the sign of the Divine Dragon Sect.
The Qian family is indeed colluding with the Divine Dragon Cult!
Yi Zhongyan... is either stupid or evil, but most likely stupid.
However, the mere fact that they colluded with the Divine Dragon Cult was enough to bring down the Qian family!
Mr. Fang, please kowtow to me when you get back.
Ren Qingshan's lips curled slightly, and he became even more careful in his movements.
To be honest, even if Fang Yanping personally followed him, he couldn't stay in this kind of place. After all, he was only at the Jade Marrow level, and he could only hold his true energy for about two hours. He definitely couldn't last this long.
Like a gecko, Ren Qingshan pressed his body against the back wall, listening to the sounds coming from inside the room.
All that could be heard was the sound of viscous water, like a river of blood, an extremely long breath, and the hissing sound of tongues flicking.
It's a snake!
So many snakes!
Goosebumps instantly erupted all over his body, and his sanity plummeted. Ren Qingshan conjured up a scene in the room in his mind: it was like a pool of blood, with countless snakes swimming in it, and a person sitting cross-legged in it, practicing martial arts.
This Divine Dragon Cult is truly evil!
Suddenly.
Ren Qingshan heard a rustling, snake-like sound rapidly approaching him.
Oh no!
Snakes are thermosensitive animals; could they have sensed my body temperature?
His body suddenly leaped up!
In mid-air, Ren Qingshan saw a black snake, its entire body soaked in blood, pierce through the wall like an arrow, its triangular head protruding and its scarlet tongue flicking out.
Tick.
Tick.
Its blood dripped incessantly.
……
……