Xu Xiaoyan curled her lips: "I'm too lazy to pay attention to you."
Mei Tao Niang looked at her seriously and said, "I'm serious. On the eighth day of last month, the day before the Double Ninth Festival, countless people saw a dragon on the Grand Canal, turning the river upside down, going upstream from Xuzhou to Haodu.
"Some people say that there seem to be three figures on the dragon's back. One of them is a young man. There are rumors in the martial arts world that he is suspected to be the 'Hidden Dragon' Shi Chongyun, but it cannot be confirmed. There is also a young girl and a young woman. Is that girl you?"
Xu Xiaoyan pretended to be mysterious: "If you say yes, then it is. If you say no, then it is not. Anyway, you have the final say."
Next to him was a Taoist priest, about forty years old, with black hair and a white beard. He was none other than Shuangming Taoist, the "Black and White Chess Saint" of Shuangxia Mountain.
Taoist Shuangming stroked his rather strange white beard with his hand and said, "Xiaoyan, you don't have to hide it. I happened to be by the river that day, and I saw you in the rolling river water. It's useless for you to hide it.
"I have sharp eyes and have practiced the art of divine vision. I will definitely not be wrong."
Xu Xiaoyan said with a grin, "You are a stinking Taoist priest who is old before his time. Although you can't see wrongly, you can lie. If you really saw it, it would be strange."
She knew that this man looked serious but was a habitual liar, so how could she believe him
Taoist Shuangming didn't take it seriously and said with a smile: "I heard that when you were in Bashan, you worked with this Master Chongyun to help Bashan Jiuzhai resist the Hanyang Gang secretly supported by the Dukui Sect, and finally defeated the Hanyang Gang and defended Bashan.
"Recently, I heard that this Shi Chongyun helped the Leopard Army break the siege of Luling and defeated the Yunlang Army. It seems that he is a man with god-like military tactics. Why don't you bring him here so that everyone can see him?"
Yun Caiyao said softly, "On that day, we fell into the trap set by the Barbarian Court to lure the tiger away from the mountain. Although Lie Zunyi was in Xuzhou, the real layout related to the destiny of heaven and earth was in Haodu. Afterwards, I found out that the dragon rushed from Xuzhou to Haodu through the Grand Canal within one day, and rushed into the secret underground palace east of Haodu with raging waves, causing the ground to sink.
"The Barbarian Court spent a lot of manpower and resources on this plan, but it failed at the last minute. No matter who the dragon rider is, he has made an indelible contribution to China."
Xu Xiaoyan smiled and said, "It's useless for you to just look at me. I can't say anything that I shouldn't. The most I can tell you is that it's not a dragon, but a Jiao. Dragons and Jiao are different!"
Once these words were spoken, it was actually equivalent to admitting it, but at the same time asking everyone not to ask more questions.
Yun Caiyao chanted in his heart: "Qianlong... Shi Zhongyun?!"
He smiled slightly, did not ask any more questions, and changed the subject: "That Jun Jiaojiao was suddenly on the blacklist, ranked tenth, causing a sensation in the martial arts world, but no one could find out what she had done.
"There must be something unusual about this. I learned from a rumor that the Six Gates didn't know who this person was. Instead, the Zutan ordered the Six Gates to add her to the blacklist directly through the Barbarian Emperor Zu Chiwu."
"If that's the case, it's more likely that the ancestral altar wants to use the curiosity of the world to find Jun Jiaojiao. And the Six Gates have hidden many spies in the martial arts world. Therefore, please try to contact the various sects in the white way, and don't randomly investigate the whereabouts of Jun Jiaojiao. But if you really find her, you must protect her well."
Someone nearby said, "But Jun Jiaojiao is number ten on the blacklist. Does she need anyone's protection?"
Yun Caiyao sighed softly, "I'm afraid it's necessary. The fact that the Six Gates listed her in the top ten of the blacklist doesn't mean that she really has the ability. In other words, if she really has the ability, the Six Gates would probably have to consider whether she should really be listed on the blacklist."
Everyone looked at each other and nodded in unison.
Mei Tao Niang looked at Yun Caiyao and said, "I wonder what you think of the Huangshan meeting recently organized by Chongxian Sect?"
Yuncaiyao smiled slightly: "Although Chongxianmen has ulterior motives, this meeting in Huangshan is not a bad thing for resisting the Barbarian Court. The Barbarian Court is a centipede that will not die even if it is cut into pieces. Although there are uprisings everywhere in the north, they have never been successful.
"In the areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Huguang and Hunan, if the various forces can really compromise with each other and fight against the barbarians together, there will be a chance to roll this trend north of the Yangtze River. I personally am happy to see this Huangshan meeting. And I also want to meet someone in Huangshan, but I wonder if that person will attend the meeting."
Mei Tao Niang said: "What the fairy said is..."
The eyes that looked like clouds and distant stars showed a fierce light: "The young master of the Evil Lotus Sect, the devil commander of the Dongting Army... 'Mad Blade Demon Knight' Hao Xinghua!"
Chapter 298 Li Xiuer
In Kuaiji City, a carriage stopped at the alley entrance in the east of the city. A young girl came out quietly, wearing a light grey cloak with the hood of the cloak covering the back of her head, and walked with her head lowered.
Two maids were chatting and laughing beside the carriage, and several warriors were guarding the side of the carriage. They seemed leisurely, but they were actually on guard around them.
The girl walked through the alley, flipped over and jumped into a garden, and after going around in circles, she entered a tunnel.
After passing through the tunnel, she looked back, then put down her hat, lowered her head and entered a hall that looked quite old.
"Master Xiang!" An old woman came forward and whispered, "Master Shatan is here."
Li Xiuer was surprised and delighted, and hurried inside. As expected, she saw a young woman holding an exquisite round fan, sitting at the table, drinking tea leisurely.
Li Xiuer hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, "Xiuer greets Pavilion Master!"
When she left Jinghua Shuiyue Pavilion, the three Xielian sects had not yet united. Although she now knows the news of the three sects' unification, when she sees Sha Lingshan, she still subconsciously calls her the Pavilion Master.
Sha Lingshan smiled and helped her up, saying, "You should call me the altar master now."
Li Xiuer whispered, "Xiuer heard about the reappearance of the Evil Lotus Sect in the martial arts world, but unfortunately, due to my humble status and inability to escape, I have no chance to meet the young master."
Sha Lingshan smiled and said, "Young Master is still in Jingzhou training the navy, but he already knows about you. He said that you have been working hard all these years. Don't worry, when the Huangtian Army is merged into the Dongting Army, you can return to the Xielian Sect, and then I will accept you as my personal disciple."
Li Xiuer knew that although the Demon Sect had strict rules, Sha Lingshan herself was easy-going. She smiled and said, "Then you must do it sooner rather than later. Don't wait until I become a spy in the Huang Tian Army. I will become an emperor by then, but that day has not come yet."
Sha Ling fanned herself and smiled, "If it really turns out like that, it won't be a bad thing."
Then he asked, "How is the situation here now?"
Li Xiuer whispered, "The situation is probably not good. I don't know how much magic potion Man Qing'er has fed Li Badao. She stays by his side all day. She brought a group of people with her, and killed all the people who were originally planted in the Yellow Sky Army by the Black Lotus Realm one by one in secret."
"I don't know what methods those people used, but the Black Lotus Realm has not made any moves..."
Sha Lingshan intercepted and said, "The Black Lotus Realm's branch leader in Kuaiji, Jin Yuhui, has either been bribed or controlled. Jin Yuhui reported back that everything is fine, Li Badao has no ulterior motives, and is following the plan set by the sect. This does not match the information you secretly sent back.
"After Long Niu discovered something was wrong, she came here to investigate and determined that there must be something wrong with Jin Yuhui, the head of the Yuhang branch. However, in order to avoid being exposed on your side, she did not take any action and pretended to continue to be deceived by Jin Yuhui and Li Badao."
Li Xiuer was stunned for a moment: "Jin Yuhui? Jin Yuhui, the 'Spring Flowers and Willows' of Chunmei Tower, is the head of the Yuhang branch of the Black Lotus Realm?"
Sha Lingshan smiled and said, "That's right! This is what we learned after exchanging information with the Black Lotus Realm after the three sects merged into one. But just in case, the Yuhang branch of the Black Lotus Realm and your Xiangtan are still not connected to each other, and they don't know each other's identities."
"It's a good thing you were prepared for this, otherwise you would have been betrayed by Jin Yuhui."
Li Xiuer said, "But this is not a solution. At present, Li Badao is still focusing on eliminating the people planted by the Black Lotus Realm around him, but Man Qing'er has begun to gradually target me. It won't be long before my power will be gradually taken away."
Sha Lingshan said, "No defense, since I'm here, how could I let anything happen to you? The most important thing right now, in addition to protecting your safety, is to find out who is secretly helping Li Badao. Li Badao can use demons to control demons, so the other group must be very powerful. Let him have the confidence to rely on those people to escape the constraints of the Black Lotus Realm."
She clapped her hands, and saw a man stepping in from outside, bowing in front of them and saying, "Altar Master, Incense Master!"
Li Xiuer saw that the young man had a gentle but gloomy face, muscular arms, and an iron knife stuck in his waist, so she asked: "Master, who is this..."
Sha Lingshan said, "This man's surname is Hao and his name is Zhen. He is a close confidant of the young master and has the strength of the fifth rank. You should bring him with you. If there is any accident, he will protect you. I'm afraid that the trustworthy people on the Yuhang branch of the Black Lotus Realm have been almost eliminated by the forces behind Man Qing'er. You should continue to pretend that you don't know and just protect yourself.
"Whatever it is, discuss it with Hao Zhen. If it is impossible to do anything, the important thing is that you escape successfully. Even if you lose Huang Tianjun, it doesn't matter."
He looked at the young man with a sword and said, "You must remember that the safety of Xiangzhu Xiu'er is more important than anything else, so the most important thing for you is to protect her."
Hao Zhen bowed and said in a deep voice: "Master, rest assured. The young master has already told us that talent is more important than anything else. We can recruit more people and build more troops. Miss Xiu'er is a talent of our Evil Lotus Sect and we must not let her go. I will do my best to protect Master Xiu'er's safety."
Sha Lingshan said to Li Xiuer, "To prevent being followed, you don't need to come here in person. If you have any important information, give it to Hao Zhen. He has his own way to deliver the information."
Li Xiuer came here in person this time, which was also a risk. If she came in person, she was afraid of being followed, but she was also worried about sending someone else. At this moment, she was relieved to hear the owner of the yarn altar say this.
She couldn't stay here for too long, so she said goodbye to Sha Lingshan and left with Hao Zhen.
She walked through the tunnel, back to the alley, and headed for the carriage parked at the alley entrance. She whispered, "Brother Hao, I have to inconvenience you for the time being. Treat you as my new bodyguard recruited from the martial arts world. Please don't blame me if I'm disrespectful."
Since this person is the young master's confidant, she naturally dare not neglect him.
Hao Zhen said in a deep voice: "Miss, don't worry! If you have any questions, just tell me."
—
The so-called "Hao Zhen" is naturally Shi Hao.
But his disguise at this moment is different from "Hao Xinghua". With the constant "adjustment" of Sha Lingshan and Huan Tingting who came to help him change his appearance, he kept his appearance at this moment in a state where people could not associate him with the two identities of Shi Hao and Hao Xinghua at all.
Although the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique can quickly change one's appearance, it also has great limitations.
Moreover, when you meet a truly remarkable person, even if his appearance changes, others can still see through him at a glance by his height, body shape, etc.
Just as when the goddess Ying was in Jingzhou, when she saw "Hao Xinghua" for the first time, she knew it was Shi Chongyun whom she met outside Xuzhou city at that time.
Fortunately, Huan Tingting is also a master of disguise.
With the help of Huan Tingting, Shi Hao's face was only slightly changed through the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique, and the rest was supplemented by using some kind of medicine that does not dissolve in water.
Through other means, "muscles" were added to his arms, shoulders, back, etc., making him look like a master of external martial arts.
Shi Hao himself also made some adjustments through the Nine Changes of Yin Mei.
Although I told Li Xiuer that it would be good if she could successfully escape when necessary.
But the ideal situation would naturally be to help Li Xiuer completely control Huang Tianjun.
More importantly, if we don't find out who is secretly hostile to the Evil Lotus Sect, there will be endless troubles.
So Shi Hao simply used an alias and stayed by Li Xiuer's side, with Sha Lingshan, one inside and the other outside.
The people guarding the carriage were all Li Xiuer's confidants, and those maids were part of the incense altar set up by Jinghua Shuiyue Pavilion in Kuaiji.
Seeing that there was another person beside the incense master, they did not ask much, as if this person had always been beside the incense master.
Li Xiuer got into the carriage, and Shi Hao followed the carriage like the other guards.
The carriage headed north until it arrived at a spacious and luxurious mansion.
It was originally a large garden where high-ranking officials lived. A considerable amount of manpower was spent on rebuilding the outer wall, which is seven zhang high and built like a city wall.
The carriage entered from the side door and entered the rose garden where Li Xiuer lived. Suddenly, a maid came forward, handed over a secret letter, and then quickly left.
Li Xiu'er dismissed the attendants, but asked Shi Hao to stay and took him to her boudoir. She opened the secret letter in front of Shi Hao and read it. Then she frowned and said, "Man Qing'er is really going to attack my people."
Shi Hao asked: "What do you mean?"
Li Xiuer said, "The Haiyou Clan has recently changed its leader and has begun to invade the coasts of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Man Qing'er suggested to Li Badao behind my back that Generals Xiao Siyu and Jing Shang be transferred to pacify the coast. Xiao and Jing are my men in the army."
She explained, "When Li Badao started the rebellion, I helped him to search for talents everywhere, and most of these people could be used by him. Of course, I later learned that Li Badao deliberately avoided the people provided by the Black Lotus Realm at that time, because the circle around him was involved with the Black Lotus Realm in some way, openly or secretly. Only the talents I found on this side made him feel more at ease."
"Xiao Siyu and Jing Shang have nothing to do with the Demon Sect. They are local people from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. They were wrongly imprisoned by the Six Gates. I managed to rescue them when they were dying. They were also the first batch of generals when the Huangtian Army started the uprising. These two are more loyal to me than Li Badao. Man Qing'er is whispering in Li Badao's ear. If they want to transfer them away, it can only be for me."
Shi Hao asked: "How did Li Badao react?"
Li Xiuer said: "Li Badao has not agreed yet, he just summoned Xiao and Jing to question them and ask for their own opinions. Xiao and Jing can only say that they will obey orders, but Li Badao has not made a decision. Man Qinger's pillow talk has obviously not worked completely, but if it continues like this, she will succeed sooner or later."
Shi Hao said in a deep voice: "If these two people are transferred away, how much impact will it have on you?"
Li Xiuer smiled bitterly and said, "They both have great achievements and are the first batch of generals. With them around, even Li Badao wouldn't dare to falsely kill me, his 'adopted daughter'. If they leave, my influence in the army will be greatly reduced, and it will be hard to say.
"But I guess Man Qing'er can only whisper in Li Badao's ear for the time being. After all, Li Badao also wants to stabilize the morale of the army while eliminating the people planted by the Black Lotus Realm around him. But the fact that he called Xiao and Jing to question them is an ominous sign."
Chapter 299 A Marriage
Li Xiuer said helplessly: "If it was before, he would not have asked for my opinion first."
Shi Hao said: "A thousand merits are not as good as sweet pillow love! Once or twice, the effect may not be so significant. In the long run, Li Badao will inevitably become estranged from you. To be frank, in the battle for hegemony, even a biological son may not be trusted, let alone an adopted daughter?"
Li Xiuer said with a headache: "But I don't have much to think about it."
Shi Hao asked, "Did Li Badao tell you about his involvement with the Black Lotus Realm?"
Li Xiuer shook her head and said, "Never, never even mentioned it."
Shi Hao said: "It seems that he either doesn't want to involve you in matters related to the Demon Sect, or doesn't believe that you have the ability to deal with it... This is normal. But if you can't intervene in this matter, then for this deeper secret, he can only borrow Man Qing'er's ability. In this way, the relationship between the close and the distant will gradually become clear. His reliance on the Demon Sect represented by Man Qing'er will also become more and more important!"
Li Xiuer said with a headache: "But I can't take the initiative to mention the Demon Sect to him. In his opinion, I should know nothing about the inside story of this aspect."
Shi Hao smiled and said, "Although in theory you know nothing, you can't completely ignore it. Li Badao knows your ability. There have been personnel changes around him recently, and some people even disappeared suddenly. It would be unreasonable for you not to care and wonder."
Li Xiuer seemed to be thinking about something. "Because I knew that he was eliminating people related to the Black Lotus Realm, I was afraid that I would be implicated, so I subconsciously tried my best to avoid him. But now that you mention it, it is true. If I don't ask about it at all, it will also seem abnormal."
As they were talking, a maid came in and said, "Miss! The master wants you to come over. He said he has something important to discuss."
Li Xiuer said: "I understand. I'll be there right away."
After the maid left, Li Xiuer changed into a pink dress with arrow-shaped sleeves in the inner room, and left the Rose Garden with Shi Hao.
After passing two halls, we arrived at the depths of the garden. A middle-aged man and a charming woman were drinking and having fun in the pavilion.
Shi Hao looked over and saw that the middle-aged man was of sturdy build, with a narrow forehead and a broad face, and bulging temples. He was obviously a master of external martial arts.
This middle-aged man was naturally Li Badao. Li Badao was originally an outer disciple trained by the Black Lotus Realm. However, the Black Lotus Realm's own magic skills were only passed on to inner disciples, and what was taught in the outer sect were all external skills.
The woman was wearing a peacock-like emerald green dress, leaning against Li Badao, her onion-like fingers gently pinching the exquisite little wine glass, and her laughter was charming and attractive. It was naturally Man Qing'er.
This Man Qing'er is about twenty years old, with a beautiful face like a peach or a plum, and is indeed a stunning beauty.
Li Xiuer left "Hao Zhen" at the garden gate, walked forward and said softly, "Father! Aunt Man!"
Li Badao smiled and said, "Xiu'er, you came at the right time! Chongxianmen held the Huangshan Conference in Hengshan, inviting various anti-barbarian forces in the south to discuss the matter of uniting to fight against the barbarians. Although Hengshan is one of the several main bases of Chongxianmen, it is also on our territory after all.
"You are my daughter, I plan to let you go to Huangshan instead of me..."
Li Xiuer suddenly interrupted, "Father, I wonder if your daughter has done something wrong recently to make you angry?"
Li Badao was surprised and asked, "Why do you say that, daughter?"
Li Xiuer lowered her eyes and said sadly, "Recently, there have been many changes in the government and the army, and some people have even disappeared for no reason. I don't know what happened, and I dare not say anything. I heard that my father wanted to send Generals Xiao and Jing to the coast, and now he wants me to leave Kuaiji and go to Huangshan."
"I guess my daughter has done something inappropriate recently, which has displeased me. In fact, why should I go to such trouble? I just need to tell my daughter and she will hand over her position. Why do I need to rush her to Huangshan?"