Night Raid, Storm Gathers

Chapter 50: Night Raid, Wind and Rain Rise

"How is it? Any news?"

The woman was clearly injured, her face and lips somewhat pale.

Manager Wu sighed and shook his head slightly, "I've sent people to investigate daily, but there are no hidden marks left by the Branch Master in any of the places."

The woman gritted her teeth, "Could it be..."

"Impossible!"

Manager Wu said sternly, "With the Branch Master's skills and sorcery, as long as he isn't surrounded by experts from the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect, where in the world can he not go?"

"Besides, he has the Cockscomb Snake God protecting him. No matter how many bandits are on the mountain, he could wipe them all out in one night."

"I suspect he's just been held up by something."

"You're right."

The woman nodded, but her eyes were still full of worry. "Ever since the Sect Leader failed his promotion, the sect has been in disarray. Several Branch Masters have harbored ill intentions. If this continues, I fear we'll be defeated one by one by the Imperial Court."

Manager Wu's eyes were firm as he shook his head, "Hmph, let them have their fun for a while longer. As long as the Branch Master's promotion is successful, he can unite the Divine Sect and eliminate the rebels!"

"Xianyang City is likely to fall into chaos soon. And that traitor Chu Shan has sent a bunch of beggars running around everywhere. He must have found out something. Stay put and don't go out."

The woman nodded, then asked, "Something happened in Chang'an, and Yuan Qu is coveting it from the side. Is this Branch Hall going to be lost?"

"Don't worry."

A fierce glint flashed in Manager Wu's eyes, "Originally, I was helpless, but now that the martial world in Xianyang City is about to erupt, it's the perfect time to fish in troubled waters!"

As the night deepened, the candlelight was bright in the side room of the Asking Dao Pavilion.

"Come, let's have one!"

Sha LiFei raised the bowl of wine and downed it in three gulps. He wiped his mouth and smacked his lips, "Manager Wu is really rich, willing to use this Xifeng Old Wine from so many years ago."

Wang Dao Xuan also took a sip, his eyes narrowed. "Indeed, sour but not astringent, sweet but not cloying, bitter but not sticky, spicy but not choking, fragrant but not pungent. It truly is one of the 'Five Absolutes'."

Having won the arena match today, Li Yan was naturally in a better mood. He bit into a chicken leg, shared another bowl of wine with the two of them, and laughed, "Don't worry, as soon as the business in Xianyang is settled, we can take on jobs with peace of mind. We'll be eating well and drinking heartily from now on!"

"Just waiting for you to say that!"

Sha LiFei laughed heartily, picked up the wine jar, and refilled his own bowl. "I'm drinking, you two can do as you please."

Whatever he said was an excuse; he just craved this wine and wanted to drink more.

"Look at your ambition."

Li Yan chuckled speechlessly, then looked at Wang Dao Xuan. "Daoist Priest, you've been preserving the spirit for a long time. You should have a chance to build the second floor by now. How much money would that require?"

Wang Dao Xuan was taken aback and quickly shook his head. "The urgent matter is to help you perform the ritual to build the tower first, so that the preserving the spirit doesn't dissipate and all your effort goes to waste."

Li Yan naturally couldn't say he had the Great Luo Dharma Body and had no such worries. He said seriously, "I'm still young, there's no rush. Besides, in our current situation, the best choice is for you, Daoist Priest, to advance further in your cultivation."

"I'm still an amateur in many things. Even if the tower is built, cultivating spells won't happen overnight. It should be you first, Daoist Priest."

A flicker of emotion crossed Wang Dao Xuan's eyes, and he no longer refused. He said solemnly, "The items needed for the rituals for the first two floors can all be bought with silver."

"But from the third floor onwards, Heavenly Spiritual Treasures will be indispensable. During the ritual, different treasures will lead to different improvements in Spiritual Power."

"I am skilled in surveying feng shui and can find Earth Marrow, which is more conducive to identifying feng shui terrain. If I can find Cloud Moss, the power of Curse Spells can be enhanced."

"These two items are not uncommon. There are people selling them in the Xuan Gate Dharma Veins in Chang'an City, but the price is high. However, if we can get someone skilled in Treasure Sniffing to help, the price can be halved, but it will take time to find them."

"Why worry so much?"

Sha LiFei waved his hand grandly. "When the time comes, we'll pull off a few big jobs and let you two build your towers simultaneously. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"By the way, how much does it cost to build a tower? Is five hundred taels enough?"

Wang Dao Xuan chuckled speechlessly. "To build the first floor, besides the magic tools to be purchased, we also need to rent the Spiritual Aperture of Tai Bai Mountain. At the very least, it will cost a thousand taels."

"O... one thousand taels?"

Sha LiFei was instantly stunned.

"Yes."

Wang Dao Xuan sighed. "These things are nothing to the orthodox Xuan Gate and Dharma Veins, but for some small folk inheritances, they need to prepare from the beginning, lest they find a suitable disciple but be unable to pass on the dharma."

"Many inheritances are thus interrupted..."

Just then, Li Yan frowned slightly, signaling the two to be quiet.

Since preserving the spirit, his Spiritual Power had been under control. He usually closed it with Yin Incantations and couldn't smell those special odors, but his sense of smell was still astonishing.

He could smell several new, foul odors outside the courtyard wall.

He remembered this smell: the stench of sweat mixed with the sour smell of spoiled food, and the fetid odor of some poisonous insects.

It was the beggars from the Mass Burial Grounds!

He hadn't expected the Zhou Family's revenge to arrive yet, but these guys had found him first.

Li Yan quietly instructed the two of them a few words, then slowly opened the door and went outside with Sha LiFei.

He picked up a few broken bricks from the flowerbed, while Sha LiFei put his hands on his hips, took a deep breath, and cursed, "What kind of little thief are you? Take this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yan hurled the broken bricks over the courtyard wall.

A few muffled groans immediately sounded from outside the wall.

They were several vicious beggars from the Mass Burial Grounds in Xianyang.

They had heard that Li Yan was seriously injured and had come to sneak attack under the cover of night.

These vicious beggars had acted on impulse and had not informed the Beggar Leader Mountain Lord, all because Li Yan had killed one of their sworn brothers that day.

Of course, they were also extremely cautious.

Two of them were skilled at controlling venomous snakes and insects, carrying cloth bags filled with black snakes and poisonous scorpions from the Mass Burial Grounds.

Unexpectedly, they were discovered by Li Yan as soon as they got close.

The few men were smashed until their heads and faces bled, but this only incited their ferocity. They unceremoniously ripped open their bags, intending to throw the venomous snakes and insects into the courtyard.

Even though it was through the wall, Li Yan could guess what these people were trying to do based on the smell. He sneered inwardly and immediately put his hand on the hilt of his saber.

As the thought of Preserving the Spirit arose, the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin Sword Tassel immediately began to shake.

He had discovered the weakness of these things at the Mass Burial Grounds that day. Because they were tainted with Yin Energy, they were also afraid of various items that suppressed evil.

As expected, the poisonous insects and scorpions in the bags immediately became agitated.

As soon as one vicious beggar loosened the bag, a venomous snake shot out and bit him right on the nose.

Another was not faring any better. A large poisonous scorpion darted out and stung his hand, causing the cloth bag to fall. The remaining scorpions also crawled everywhere.

"Ah--!"

"Run!"

Screams erupted, and the vicious beggars, enduring the pain, turned and fled.

At Li Yan's signal, Sha LiFei did not pursue them. Instead, he stood in the courtyard and laughed heartily, "A few petty villains dare to come and trouble your Grandpa Sha? You deserve it!"

After speaking, the three of them prepared to return to the house.

They knew this was just a minor incident.

Although the Beggar Gang had many members, they were a mixed bag with varying quality. Only the core members were truly capable of taking action.

Moreover, they had a major hidden danger, which was the Beggar Den itself.

Among the ordinary beggars, there were many pitiable individuals, and even young beggars who had been abducted and crippled by them, forced to beg every day and beaten frequently, living a life worse than death.

If too many core members were killed, those beggars who had suffered greatly might immediately retaliate.

The only thing they needed to do now was to protect themselves as much as possible before this storm subsided.

However, before they could enter the house, Li Yan turned his head thoughtfully.

"What's wrong? Someone else coming?"

"It's nothing, someone is more anxious than I imagined..."

In a dark alley, footsteps were chaotic.

Several beggars stumbled as they ran, fumbling for dark-colored antidote pills and stuffing them into their mouths.

They also constantly complained to each other.

"Didn't you say Sha LiFei was just an incompetent fool?"

"Everyone said so, and I've never fought him before..."

"Stop arguing, let's find a place to rest first, lest the poison attacks our hearts..."

However, as soon as they exited the alley, four or five burly men suddenly sprang out from both sides, wielding long sticks and sweeping them low with force.

Bang bang bang!

A few crisp sounds accompanied by the cracking of bones. The vicious beggars immediately fell to the ground, screaming and clutching their legs, wailing, "Grandpa, we won't dare again."

"Sirs, please stop. We are from the Beggar Gang."

"From the Beggar Gang?"

From the darkness, a middle-aged man slowly walked out. He had dark skin, a full beard, wore a sheepskin jacket, and had a long whip at his waist.

Looking at the beggars, he smacked his lips, "Since when did people from the Beggar Gang become lackeys of the Zhou family?"

"Speak!"

Before the beggars could offer any excuses, the black-clothed men rushed forward and slapped them across the face repeatedly.

The beggars' faces immediately turned bruised and swollen. Realizing they had encountered ruthless characters, they could only confess everything about the Mass Burial Grounds.

"So that's how it is."

The man in the sheepskin jacket sneered, "That brat was faking his injuries. I thought he was a timid coward, but it turns out he's also a restless fellow."

"Take them back. Tomorrow, we'll send a post to the Beggar Gang, telling them that if they want to live, they should stay far away from Xianyang during this period!"

"Yes, Foreman."

Several black-clothed men immediately stepped forward and dragged the people from the Beggar Gang away like dead dogs.

In the darkness, the man in the sheepskin jacket's voice rang out:

"Go tell Old Senior Zhang, the fish didn't bite…"

In this world, some people are always happy and some are always sad.

While Li Yan and the others were drinking and eating meat, the Zhou family was shrouded in gloom.

Inside a side room of the large mansion, the candlelight burned brightly.

Zhou Bai lay on the bed, his body wrapped in bandages and splints. His face was flushed, his eyes tightly shut, and a pungent medicinal smell filled the air around him.

At this moment, the Zhou family's Eight Great Vajras were all in the room.

Wang Yao, skilled in medicine, frowned as he felt Zhou Bai's pulse. He then shook his head slightly and said, "His life is temporarily saved, but his internal organs are damaged, and his bones and tendons are fractured. I'm afraid he will never be able to practice martial arts again..."

Zhou PeiDe's face turned ugly upon hearing this.

He clenched his fists, making them crack, then suddenly turned and lunged, grabbing Yuan Qu by the neck and shoving him against the wall. He said coldly:

"Yuan, what did you do to Zhou Bai before the arena match!"

Yuan Qu's face turned red as he was choked. Just as he was about to speak, an aged voice sounded from outside: "What are you doing to him? I gave the order."

The others were startled and quickly turned to cup their hands in greeting:

"Greetings, Master!"