Qiu Jiangping shook his head and said, "I am not targeting you, I am targeting this case. I don't know why Master Chongliang is concerned about the cases of missing children. He was going to come to Jin County in person, but was delayed by other things and returned to the capital. He asked his sister to bring the Eighteen Thunder Chasing Riders to Jin County on his behalf to supervise the case.
"I didn't take her seriously at first. On the surface, I followed her orders and stepped up the investigation, but in fact, I was hiding it for your gang. I originally thought that she was not a local after all, and a rich lady, what could she know? I just need to hide it for a few days and avoid this storm.
"I don't know where she got the information from. This time, she bypassed our Six Gates and came directly to your Shuhu Gang. The Eighteen Thunder Chasing Riders led by her were the ones who arrested people on the river tonight. Gang Leader Cheng, to be frank, you have to endure this even if you don't want to.
"We can't afford to offend that little girl! We can't afford to offend the Yueketai family and the ancestral altar behind her even more!"
Hong Youyi frowned, "Not only does she know that we are involved in this matter, but she can also know so accurately what Gu Zhubu looks like, which ship he is on, and the time and location. She must have spies in Jin County."
Qiu Jiangping said in a deep voice: "I have some doubts. It was that Shi Hao who provided her with the information. This Shi Hao is a bit strange. His martial arts have unknown origins. He suddenly got involved with Chongxian Sect. He also saved the county lady for no reason. Last time, he followed her to Snake Mountain and almost ruined the whole thing.
"Maybe this guy has been a spy for the Yue Ketai family from the beginning. And we also found that the daughter of the Yue Ketai family went to Mingkun Temple twice, most likely to see him. He also went to the Marquis' Mansion yesterday to meet Yueyaer and the county lady."
Cheng Kun gnashed his teeth and said, "Can we try to kill this guy to prevent future troubles?"
Qiu Jiangping shook his head and said, "If he is really Yue Ketai's spy in Jin County, then we must not cause trouble for him. You have to look at the owner when beating a dog, not to mention that he has Yue Ketai and Chongxianmen behind him? So I say, we have to endure this matter, pretend that we know nothing, and complete this deal as soon as possible."
Cheng Kun paced a few steps beside the cracked stone table with his hands behind his back, and whispered: "But Gu Shufeng knows a lot of inside information."
Qiu Jiangping sneered, "Gu Shufeng can't stand being tortured, he will definitely confess everything. But just because he will confess everything, we don't have to worry. Since Yueyaer can come to supervise the case on behalf of her brother, she must not be a completely ignorant and stupid girl.
"After asking everything, she naturally knew that she couldn't investigate this case any further. The key is this last batch of goods. We have to deliver it properly. When they receive the goods, we will get what we deserve. Then I will catch some traffickers who deserve the punishment and send them to her. Then the case will be closed.
"As for your gang's Chief Gu, it would be best if she is willing to send him back. If she is not willing to send him back, then just leave him to her to vent her anger. I think your gang can do without such a person!"
Cheng Kun and Hong Youyi exchanged a glance. Hong Youyi whispered, "Boss, what the chief constable said makes sense. The most important thing now is that this last batch of goods must be delivered safely, avoiding the route that Gu Zhubu knows about."
Cheng Kun gritted his teeth and said, "Tomorrow night! Tomorrow night we will send all the goods to a safe location in the northwest, gather them together, and send them all to that person."
…
—
At the back of Hongshan Mountain, under the stone pavilion with pointed corners.
Shi Hao sat with Du Yuejiao, Princess Litong, and Yueyaer. Lanterns were hung high outside the stone pavilion, and in the center of the stone table there was a glass ball with night-scented grass inside. The ball glowed, bringing light to the entire pavilion.
Princess Litong made tea for them herself. In this era, although "boiling tea" has not been completely eliminated, many people have begun to drink plain tea.
In the distance, Gu Shufeng's screams could be heard. Two of the Eighteen Flying Riders were torturing him severely.
Listening to the shrill screams, Yueyaer was talking to others with a giggle, and didn't seem to take it seriously.
After a while, a warrior stepped into the pavilion and presented a confession: "Miss! That guy confessed everything."
Yueyaer took the confession, picked up the fluorescent glass ball, and read it page by page in the light of the night-scented grass.
Suddenly, she asked in surprise: "Are you sure he didn't lie?"
The warrior said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, young lady. None of his ten fingers are intact at the moment. Under our questioning, he dare not lie."
Yueyaer nodded, turned to look at Shi Hao, Du Yuejiao, and Litong County Master, and sighed: "I'm afraid we can't investigate this case any further."
County Lady Litong asked in confusion: "Sister Yue, what does this mean?"
Yueyaer said, "According to what this guy said, those children were sent to the vast sea in the northwest, all the way to Xueqing Gorge. After arriving at Xueqing Gorge, they were received by people over there... The vast sea, Xueqing Gorge... This is really troublesome."
Shi Hao said slowly: "What's the problem?" As he asked, he looked at Du Yuejiao and County Master Li Tong, only to see that they also looked confused.
Yueyaer muttered, "I don't want to do this either, but the investigation of the buyer can only stop here and can't go on any further. Not to mention me, even if my brother was here, or even if the Prime Minister was here, it would still be like this."
Du Yuejiao and Litong County Master looked at each other. Du Yuejiao whispered, "Junior sister, do you know what the Vast Sea Blood Gorge is?"
Princess Litong shook her head.
Yueyaer took off the flower crown on her head, and her black hair fell down naturally.
She pouted, looking a little annoyed: "You don't have to ask. Anyway, this is not something you can ask."
Shi Hao stood up, took two steps, and suddenly turned back to look at Yueyaer: "Can you tell me, if those children are sent to that place, is there any chance that they can survive?"
Yueyaer tilted her face, then quickly shook her head: "Although I don't know why that person wants so many children, but if they are really sent to the Vast Sea Blood Gorge... then there is no way they can come back."
Shi Hao nodded calmly, then sat back down slowly and continued to look at Yueyaer: "Then, let's not ask about the buyer, or even the collusion between the Six Gates and the gangs, and just deal with the Shuhu Gang... Is there any problem?"
Yueyaer curled her lips and said, "It's just a small Shuhu Gang, so it can be destroyed. Besides, although I can't track down Hanhai, they can't do anything if I destroy a gang that has done so many evil things in Jin County. I can't afford to offend the people from Hanhai, but our Yueketai family is not easy to mess with."
Shi Hao said in a deep voice: "In this case, our main goal is to deal with the Shuhu Gang and rescue those children. If we cut off the evil hand of the Shuhu Gang, I believe the buyers will be more restrained. Besides, even if we can't cure the root cause, we can save as many children as possible."
Yueyaer quickly put her hair on her head, tied it into a knot, slapped her hands on the table, and said with wide eyes: "Whatever ideas you have, I'll listen to you."
Shi Hao said: "We robbed Gu Shufeng tonight. I believe that the Six Gates and the Shuhu Gang will soon find out that you did it. I guess that there must be a big shot in Hanhai who can afford a high price. Even the Six Gates were bribed.
"But on the other hand, the big shots over there may not be afraid of the Yue Ketai family, and the Shuhu Gang and the local Six Gates will definitely have some concerns. Therefore, they will definitely complete this deal as soon as possible. Tomorrow, they will try to find a place to gather all the children and send them together.
"If you end this deal, they will try to calm the situation down, or even arrest some people who deserve to be killed and report to you."
Yueyaer nodded seriously: "That makes sense!"
Shi Hao said, "But there is one thing I must confirm. As far as I know, there are at least hundreds of children captured this time. In order to do this business, the Shuhu Gang will definitely send out the gang's masters and a large number of gang members. I believe this group of people is at least over a hundred people."
He looked at the eighteen flying knights outside the pavilion and said, "I know these eighteen warriors are all masters, but I'm afraid we don't have enough numbers to save those children and kill people at the same time."
Princess Litong whispered: "You can ask father to send the county soldiers..."
Yueyaer smiled and said, "No need! The people in Hanhai are not people your Wusu family can afford to offend. And among your county soldiers, I don't know how many of them have been bribed by the Six Gates. Even if they haven't been bribed, there are still unclear relationships. Don't worry, when you really need soldiers, I will naturally have my people!"
Shi Hao was naturally not worried about this. If the Yue Ketai family could not bypass the county soldiers to mobilize manpower when they really needed it, they would be unworthy of being a royal family.
Shi Hao looked at Lady Litong and said, "We still need the county soldiers. I hope that tomorrow night, the county soldiers will find reasons to set up checkpoints everywhere and conduct a large-scale search, so that the Shuhu Gang will not be able to send all the children away tomorrow night. At the same time, we can also let the Marquis' Mansion hint to the Six Gates and tell them to be more restrained tomorrow night. This commotion is just a lot of noise but little action, and everything will be fine after one night."
Then he turned to look at Yueyaer: "The day after tomorrow! The night after tomorrow is the time to take action. As I said before, I will provide the time and place, and you take action!"
Yueyaer grabbed the rice paper from her left hand, took out the brush, and wrote a few words. She then took out a small command arrow from her bosom and called a warrior in: "Take the Yingzhao, fly out of the city overnight, and head to Tianwu Pass. You know who should give it to!"
"Yes!" The warrior gave the order, turned around and walked away. Soon, a brave bird flew out of Hongshan and left in the night.
Yueyaer looked at Shi Hao and said with a smile, "I have the person, but I have the location where the action will take place. Don't make a mistake. If you make my people go there in vain, I will not forgive you."
Shi Hao said calmly: "I will ensure that there are no mistakes in the intelligence, but I also have a request. For scum like this who kidnapped children and destroyed countless families, I hope..."
Looking at Yueyaer: "Kill them all when the time comes, don't let any one go!"
—
That night, Shi Hao stayed in Hongshan under the arrangement of Lady Litong.
Early the next morning, he left Hongshan alone, walked in the market, and went around many alleys, changing his appearance along the way, before heading to the Dark Thunder Society's base in the city.
This time, it was not the original house, but a small shop. After entering the shop and giving the secret code, he was taken inside to meet Mr. Qiu and Lu Tong.
He whispered the information Yueyaer had extracted from Gu Shufeng last night.
Elder Qiu was moved: "Hanhai, Xueqingxia?"
Shi Hao made his hooked-nosed face look even more gloomy, and looked at Old Qiu: "Do you know this place?"
Old Qiu sighed and said, "That's the Blood Lion's territory!"
Chapter 29 Don't Tell Anyone
Shi Hao said in a deep voice: "Blood Lion?"
Old Daoist Qiu said: "Mr. Hao, you don't know that this 'blood lion' is called Zong Hai Xiongtu. Eighty years ago, he was the most famous general in the Barbarian Court.
"At that time, the people of Chuyin Province were oppressed by the barbarians, and they were in a miserable state. The Chuyin martial arts community gathered together and led the people to launch a rebellion against the barbarian court. At that time, it was this Zong Haixiongtu who led the troops to suppress Chuyin.
“In that battle alone, he killed more than 200,000 Chinese people. Almost all of Chuyin’s martial arts world was slaughtered. The corpses of the people were scattered all over the ground, and the blood flowed like a river. It was a horrible sight.
"Zonghai, like Yueketai, is one of the four great families of the barbarian tribe. This Zonghai Xiongtu was the most trusted general of the barbarian emperor Lie Zunyi at that time. He practiced amazing evil skills such as 'Big Handprint' and 'Blood Sand Frenzy'. Because he killed tens of thousands of people with his own hands when suppressing Chuyin, he was called 'Blood Lion'.
"Because he massacred countless Chinese people, at that time, some heroes from the Central Plains martial arts world secretly gathered together and carefully planned to assassinate Zong Haixiongtu in Kyoto. In that battle, almost all the martial arts heroes who participated in it were killed, and Zong Haixiongtu was also seriously injured and dying.
"But over the years, there have been news reports that this Hai Xiongtu did not die in that fierce battle, but was hiding in the vast sea and survived to this day with some kind of magical power. I don't know what he did in the vast sea. Now the vast sea is full of blood and the atmosphere is terrifying. It is also called the 'Blood Sea'.
“In terms of seniority, this Zong Hai Xiongtu is even the grandfather of the current head of the Zong Hai family, Zong Hai Haohan. If those children are really sent to Hanhai, I’m afraid there is no hope for them to survive.”
Shi Hao nodded: "I see!"
There was not much surprise in his heart.
When Yueyaer said "this case can't be investigated further", he knew that on the other side of Hanhai, there was a high possibility that other wealthy families of the barbarians were involved.
Just like in the history of another world, the son of a certain president went to “fight tigers” and investigate corruption, but when he found the four major families at the time, he could no longer investigate further.
As the daughter of Yueketai, Yueyaer naturally knows the situation in the vast sea better than outsiders.
She is just the daughter of Yue Ketai's family, while they are the ancestors of Zong Hai's family.
Under such pressure, she still had the courage to dispatch troops to destroy the Shuhu Gang and rescue those children. This was quite daring. Compared with that "President's Son", she was many times stronger.
Shi Hao said: "I need more information. Tonight, the Shuhu Gang will definitely send the children imprisoned in various places to the same base, gather them together, and then send them away together.
"But the daughter of the Yue Ketai family will make a big move to disrupt their position. In this case, some children will be sent away, and most will be left behind. I need you to find out the bases of those children in transit in this chaotic situation."
Qiu Laodao said: "Master Hao, just rest assured, leave this matter to us."
After Shi Hao finished his instructions, he left in a hurry. On the way, he changed back to his original appearance, found Du Yuejiao, and returned to Mingkun Temple with her.
Before noon, Du Yuejiao came to him again, but she helped him get the Great Cold Peony Fairy Buds, the Water Moon Lotus, and three Lihuo Heavenly Leaves.
Shi Hao looked and saw that the Great Cold Peony Fairy Buds and the Water Moon Wonderful Lotus were each placed in a different jade box.
The peony buds of the Great Cold are bright red and crystal clear, emitting a chill. When placed in a jade box, the inside of the box is slightly frozen.
The Water Moon Lotus is a verdant lotus branch that is as clear and transparent as water, emitting a mysterious moonlight. It is magnificent at first glance.
The three Lihuo Tian leaves were wrapped in a handkerchief. Each leaf was like a triangular maple leaf, bright red like fire, with clear veins inside the leaves, and one could see the flames flowing.
Shi Hao took the three immortal materials he needed and said, "Yue Jiao, thank you so much!"
Du Yuejiao shook her head gently and said, "It's good to be able to help you, Senior Brother! Senior Brother, are you preparing to advance to the seventh rank?"
Shi Hao smiled and said, "That's right! So I might leave for a few days and find a deserted mountain to practice in seclusion."
To advance in Taoism, one needs to harmonize the inner and outer elixirs, practice in seclusion, first let the inner elixir reach the perfect state of tranquility and inaction, then take the outer elixir, and practice both inside and outside.
Therefore, it was natural for him to retreat alone in the deep mountains where no one would disturb him. Du Yuejiao did not take it seriously.
After obtaining the main ingredients for the seventh-grade immortal recipe he needed, Shi Hao gathered all the auxiliary ingredients at noon.
This is much simpler. Bai Shaoyuan has everything. In the past few days, while learning alchemy, he has also learned these materials one by one. Now he just needs to find them all by himself.
In the afternoon, Shi Hao was alone, practicing in his room.
The two kinds of internal forces, Taoism and magic, were running in his upper dantian and lower dantian respectively, and in a very short period of time, they quickly completed thirty-six great cycles.
As evening approached, he slowly opened his eyes while sitting cross-legged, his mind clear and his gaze sharp.
The internal force of the Immortal Ice Art condensed into a pill in his upper dantian.
The internal force of the Xuanmei Gong rolled into a hot sea of qi in his lower dantian, which was ethereal and mysterious, and strange and inexplicable.
At this moment, he had finally mastered these two completely different skills to the highest level at the same time.
He was delighted in his heart. If this was not the Mingkun Temple, he would not dare to show it too much. He might have let out a long roar to express his excitement.
Shi Hao floated out and walked out of the gate of Baishaoyuan, but found that something was unusual tonight.
He saw many soldiers stationed in the temple, and many flying horses flying in the sky. Knights in armor were riding on flying horses in the air, keeping a close watch.
In the distance, the abbot of Mingkun Temple, Taoist Songcui, Taoist Lanke, Zhuo Mulan and Zhuo Sanren were accompanying a tall and burly general towards the direction of the Assay Hall.
Shi Hao tried to approach, but was stopped by the soldiers. He pondered in his heart, made a detour, and went to Weixiang Tower.
It was not yet dark, and the golden glow of the setting sun was cast on the gorgeous buildings and the fragrant flowers and weeds in the yard, like a beautiful picture embroidered on brocade.
The door of Weixiang Tower was closed. Shi Hao came to the vermilion door, grabbed the round brass doorknob, and knocked: "Yue Jiao?"
I originally thought that Du Yuejiao was not in the building, but soon I heard Du Yuejiao's clear voice from inside the door: "Master, wait a moment."
After a while, the tightly closed vermilion door was opened from the inside.
Du Yuejiao stood on the threshold, with her long black hair, a pink dress with a collar around her body, and pink embroidered shoes on her feet. Only her crystal ankles and a section of her slender calves were visible through the hem of her skirt and the embroidered shoes.
The folded collar on her chest was a little loose, and the knot on the right side of her waist was obviously tied in a hurry, and the knot was not tied properly. There were still tiny drops of water hanging on her fair neck.
Shi Hao whispered, "Is it bothering you?"
Du Yuejiao shook her head: "No!" She let Shi Hao in.
Shi Hao followed her and went up to the second floor. The rooms here were used for meeting guests.
Shi Hao raised his head and looked along the exquisite wooden staircase to the third floor. He suddenly said, "Yue Jiao, can I go to your room to take a look?"
The sudden request made the girl blush. After all, how could a man enter her boudoir casually