RNP Chapter 179 The Disappearance of Lu Xiaofeng! A Cunning Plan!
Chapter 179 The Disappearance of Lu Xiaofeng! A Cunning Plan!
Chapter 179 The Disappearance of Lu Xiaofeng! A Cunning Plan!
"According to information from my former colleagues, that guy was spending a fortune at Xianyu Tower a few days ago and even slept with their top courtesan."
"How come he disappeared so soon after we arrived?"
Li Gexiao searched the entire Xianyu Tower, but couldn't find Lu Xiaofeng.
Undeterred, he questioned the madam again and learned that Lu Xiaofeng had left with the constables of the yamen a few days ago and had not been seen since.
"A constable from the yamen?"
Chu Yang shook his head helplessly and said, "What law has this bastard broken this time? Let me make this clear: if he goes to jail, I won't bail him out. Let him reflect on his actions in there. He's a real disgrace!"
Li Ge smiled and nodded in agreement.
The madam, who was excellent at judging people, sensed the noble air about Chu Yang and thought to herself that it would be great if she could get close to this outstanding young man.
She chuckled and said, "Young master, you must have misunderstood. That Master Lu was taken away by the constables, apparently because he had something important to ask for help with."
"What help can a cunning drunkard be?" Chu Yang scoffed.
"Young master, don't say that. That guy is good at solving cases and quick-witted in dealing with people. He's no worse than the four great constables of the Six Doors. It's normal for the yamen to ask him for help." Li Ge grinned.
"Does that mean we have to go to the government office again?" Chu Yang waved his hand lazily and said, "Go ask them yourself, I'll rest here for a while."
"It's alright, you rest, I'll be right back." Li Ge smiled and hurriedly left.
The madam immediately arranged a superior room for Chu Yang. He lay half-reclined on the bed, and after a while, a group of courtesans carrying musical instruments entered the room and began to play.
At the same time, Li Gexiao also arrived at the Jinling City government office and witnessed a bizarre scene.
In broad daylight, the government office gates were tightly shut.
Li Gexiao stepped forward and knocked on the door with a puzzled look on his face. After a long time without any response, he had no choice but to strike the grievance drum next to him. The door creaked open a crack, and a head peeked out from behind it, cautiously looking him over.
"Who are you? Why are you beating the drum?"
"I came here looking for someone, but you didn't answer, so I had to beat the drum."
"Whom are you looking for at the yamen?"
"Lu Xiaofeng".
Upon hearing Lu Xiaofeng's name, the person behind the door screamed, turned, and ran towards the inner courtyard, shouting as they ran, "Master! Someone is looking for Master Lu!"
Seeing his strange behavior and attitude, Li Gexiao had a bad feeling.
Ding Deng Deng.
The sound of hurried footsteps rang out.
Suddenly, the gates of the yamen were opened, and a middle-aged man in official robes led a group of yamen runners to stand in front of Li Gexiao.
The middle-aged man possessed an imposing presence, exuding an air of authority without being overbearing. He glanced at Li Gexiao and said in a deep voice, "I am Xu, the magistrate of Jinling City. May I ask who you are and what your relationship is with Master Lu?"
Li Gexiao replied, "Lu Xiaofeng and I are friends. Magistrate Xu, please speak frankly."
Magistrate Xu sighed and said, "To be honest, Master Lu has been missing for several days. I have been searching for him for a long time, but I have not found any clues."
Li Gexiao frowned and said, "Missing? That guy comes and goes without a trace. It's possible he left Jinling City. How can you so easily conclude that he's missing?"
Magistrate Xu said with a wry smile, "Because Hua Manlou, the seventh young master of the Hua family in Jiangnan, also disappeared along with him. Young Master Hua has not returned yet, and the Hua family has been searching for him for many days!"
"Hua Manlou?" Li Gexiao pondered, "How did those two end up together?"
Magistrate Xu hesitated, seemingly having some reservations.
Li Gexiao pulled a plaque from his waist and handed it to Magistrate Xu. Magistrate Xu took the plaque, glanced at it, and immediately froze, as if struck by lightning. Large beads of sweat rolled down his pale face.
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard badge—Sir, you're actually a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" Magistrate Xu's expression was ashen, as if he could see his family and clan being wiped out at that moment.
"Stop talking nonsense and quickly explain why Lu Xiaofeng disappeared!" Li Gexiao coldly looked at the terrified Magistrate Xu.
"The reason why Master Lu disappeared is because he was helping me investigate a case."
"What case is it?"
"This is a long story. A strange thing started happening in Jinling City a month ago."
"Many people in the city are suffering from a loss of vital essence for no apparent reason. This symptom affects everyone from eighty-year-old seniors to toddlers as young as a few years old, regardless of gender."
"At first, I thought it was a demon or a great demon, so I reported it to the Divine Marquis's Mansion overnight. However, the people from the Divine Marquis's Mansion came but found nothing unusual and had to return empty-handed."
"After the constables from the Divine Constable's Mansion left, strange things started happening in the city again. Just then, Master Lu arrived. It is said in the martial arts world that Lu Xiaofeng is an extremely intelligent person, so I entrusted him to investigate the case."
He quickly uncovered the truth: the strange illness in the city was caused by the silver notes from Datong Money Exchange!
"Those banknotes possess a strange, demonic power that drains people's life force!"
"This matter has also alarmed the Hua family of Jiangnan, the shareholders behind Datong Money Shop. The Seventh Young Master, Hua Manlou, has personally come to Jinling City to investigate. If the truth cannot be found out, the Hua family will be accused of colluding with demons, and the end result will be the extermination of their entire clan!"
After hearing the whole story, Li Gexiao said, "So, Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou teamed up to investigate the demonic power behind this case, but they failed to solve it and both of them disappeared?"
Magistrate Xu nodded with a grim expression. If the two were to disappear without a trace, he would not only be charged with dereliction of duty, but he might also face trouble from the Hua family.
Li Ge asked with a smile, "Do you know where they last appeared?"
Magistrate Xu shook his head and said, "I don't know, but perhaps the manager of Datong Money Shop, Boss Qian, knows."
Seeing that Magistrate Xu knew nothing when asked, Li Ge smiled and left with the words "Take care of yourself."
Upon realizing the other party's identity as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Magistrate Xu lost all his strength and collapsed to the ground.
Back at Xianyu Tower, Li Gexiao followed the madam to Chu Yang's room. He stood at the door, hesitating whether to go in or not. What if the prince was in the mood? Wouldn't going in at this time be courting death?
The next second he heard Chu Yang's voice.
"If you have something to say, hurry up and come in. Why didn't Lu Xiaofeng come back with you?"
Li Gexiao pushed open the door and saw Chu Yang lying alone on the bed. Several courtesans were packing up musical instruments and, as he entered, they slowly and discreetly withdrew from the room.
"I thought His Highness was busy," Li Ge said with a mischievous grin.
"Busy my ass. These courtesans sell their art, not their bodies. Do you think I'm like that guy with four eyebrows, going after everyone I see?" Chu Yang replied disdainfully.
"Ahem, Your Highness, I have some bad news for you." Li Gexiao suppressed his smile and said solemnly, "Lu Xiaofeng seems to be in trouble."
Chu Yang said casually, "When does that guy ever not cause trouble?"
"This time it might be a little different." Li Ge shook his head and told Chu Yang what had happened in Jinling City.
Chu Yang stood up and walked out. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go see that Boss Qian. My intuition tells me that guy is definitely up to something."
"If I get there too late, I'm afraid that guy with four eyebrows will really be dead."
In the original storyline, the manager of Datong Money Exchange, Boss Qian, was a traitor. Now that he's involved with a demon, the plot is going crazy, and Chu Yang is worried that there might be other unforeseen events.
The two rushed to Datong Money Exchange. After waiting for a while, a servant led them to the main hall, where they met the money tycoon.
This man was pot-bellied and adorned with jewels. He exuded an air of nouveau riche the moment you met him. In addition, he walked unsteadily, had a sallow complexion, and was clearly in poor health.
Seeing him like this, Li Ge thought he was also a victim, but when she thought of Chu Yang saying that he had a problem, she immediately felt something was strange.
Chu Yang smiled, as if he had discovered something interesting.
It seemed that Boss Qian had received the news and knew that Li Gexiao had the Embroidered Uniform Guard's waist token. He treated them with great politeness and was almost completely open with information.
After all, no one in the world dares to impersonate a member of the Imperial Guard to investigate a case, because that is a serious crime, punishable by imprisonment at best, and execution at worst.
Boss Qian recounted his entire encounter with Lu Xiaofeng, mentioning a special place.
"Master Lu's investigation into the demonic aura surrounding the silver notes went relatively smoothly. He quickly found a place called the Paradise Pavilion, from which the silver notes originated."
"The origins of the Paradise Tower are very mysterious. No one knows exactly where it is, and ordinary people cannot find a way to get there. So, Master Lu asked a friend to take him there."
"That man was named Sikong Zhaixing, known in the martial arts world as the King of Thieves. He knew many unorthodox methods. He disappeared with Master Lu and Young Master Hua. As for whether they went to the Pleasure Pavilion, I don't know."
"Like you all, I haven't received any news."
Li Gexiao frowned and asked, "Did he tell you how to get to the Paradise Tower?"
Boss Qian replied, "There is a mass grave outside the city with many coffins. Just find one and lie down. When night falls, someone will carry you to the Blissful Pavilion."
Li Gexiao's intuition, honed through years of handling cases, made him increasingly suspicious of Boss Qian. He clearly knew so much, yet he hadn't told anyone, not even Magistrate Xu.
Li Gexiao looked Qian Laoda up and down, making him very nervous and afraid to look Li Gexiao in the eye.
"In that case, we won't bother you any longer—"
Li Gexiao clasped his hands in a fist salute to Boss Qian, and was about to take his leave when Chu Yang pressed him down with his hand.
"The sun has already set outside. Why don't we stay at Datong Money Exchange for a while, and Manager Qian will personally take us to that mass grave?"
"We've just arrived in Jinling City and aren't very familiar with the area. We're worried that we might miss our chance to visit the Paradise Tower."
Chu Yang gave a kind smile.
Boss Qian nodded hurriedly and said, "That's how it should be. It was my oversight. Please come with me, have something to eat and rest for a while."
Chu Yang and Li Gexiao were arranged to stay in a guest room. Not long after, Boss Qian had a table of fine wine and food brought over.
As usual, Li Gexiao first tested the poison to confirm it was safe before letting Chu Yang pick up his chopsticks.
"Don't worry about the food being poisoned. He's not stupid. If the two of us die at Datong Money Shop, how will he explain it to Magistrate Xu?"
Li Gexiao didn't refute. He was naturally cautious and couldn't change that habit overnight. After eating, he asked curiously, "Your Highness, what's so strange about this Boss Qian?"
Chu Yang said, "He has a demonic aura about him."
Li Gexiao was immediately startled and exclaimed, "How come I didn't feel anything?"
Chu Yang explained, "His demonic aura doesn't emanate from his body, but rather from within his bones. It's extremely rare, so of course you wouldn't be able to detect it."
Li Gexiao said in a deep voice, "Is he a demon?"
Chu Yang shook his head and said, "Strictly speaking, he is not yet a true demon, but is developing in the direction of a demon, though he is only one step away."
Li Gexiao drew his sword and rose, declaring with righteous indignation, "This scourge who betrays humanity, I will personally slay him!"
Chu Yang pressed down on him, gesturing for him to sit. "If you kill him, who will lead us to the Blissful Pavilion? If we don't go to the Blissful Pavilion, who will save that bastard Lu Xiaofeng?"
Li Gexiao sighed, sheathed his sword, sat down, picked up the wine jug, and poured it into his mouth. Although he was not from the Divine Marquis's Mansion, which was dedicated to exorcising demons, he still hoped to kill more demons and monsters and do something for the country and its people.
Chu Yang tapped the table with his finger and said softly, "The reason why the Blissful Pavilion is so hard to find is probably because it relies on a formation formed by the natural terrain. Ordinary formations are fine; they can be broken by force. But the real problem is that it might be an illusion formation, where even the entrance cannot be found."
"Now that we want to find the Blissful Pavilion, we must first use their method to enter the formation and break it from the inside."
Chu Yang reminded him, "When we get to the mass grave and lie down in the coffin, make sure that wolfhound follows closely behind."
Li Ge smiled and nodded. "I understand. I've already asked Xiao Feng to wait outside the city."
Chu Yang was taken aback. "Who is Xiaofeng?"
Li Gexiao scratched his head sheepishly and said, "The name I gave that big wolfhound, Xiaofeng, doesn't it sound very imposing? Isn't it nice?"
Chu Yang shook his head decisively, "It doesn't sound good. It would be better to call it Wangcai. A proper, good dog should be called Wangcai."
"Wangcai—" Li Gexiao hesitated, thinking to himself that this name couldn't compare to Xiaofeng's, and besides, Xiaofeng was a wolf, not a dog—
"You don't like the name 'Wangcai'?" Chu Yang squinted at him.
"That sounds beautiful!" Li Gexiao exclaimed, startled. "The name bestowed upon it by the Prince is a blessing for Wangcai!"
Chu Yang said coldly, "Don't lose it, or I'll stew it when I get back!"
As dusk fell, the moon and stars became fewer.
A knock came at the door.
The voice of Boss Qian could be heard from outside.
"It's time for you two to set off."
On the road?
-
Chu Yang and Li Ge exchanged a smile.
"That bastard really knows how to talk."
"Maybe that's what they really think?"
Chu Yang didn't care, pushed open the door and walked out. Li Gexiao, on the other hand, gave Boss Qian a good scolding.
"I am clumsy with words, please forgive me, gentlemen!"
Old Qian knelt on the ground in fear and trepidation, kowtowing repeatedly, as if he were terrified of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Chu Yang's lips curled up.
This guy is really good at acting!
From the moment Chu Yang and Li Gexiao stepped into the money shop, he probably hoped that the two of them would go to the Pleasure Pavilion to die.
"Hurry up and take us there, don't let us delay our important business!"
Chu Yang casually lifted him up from the ground and left a spell on his body.
Boss Qian nodded hurriedly and led Chu Yang and Li Gexiao to the outside of the money shop, where they boarded the carriage that had been prepared in advance.
The carriage traveled out under the cover of darkness.
Because of the recent strange occurrences in Jinling City, the city gates are heavily guarded, and no one is allowed to leave the city after curfew. However, Boss Qian was allowed to leave after getting off the car and exchanging a few words with the soldiers guarding the city.
When Boss Qian returned to the carriage, Chu Yang looked at him with a half-smile.
Old Qian laughed and said, "General Qi is not in Jinling City now. He has led the Qi Family Army to fight outside. The defense of the city gates is temporarily being taken over by the County Magistrate."
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