A Tangled Web and a Swift Sword

Li Fan didn't mind being used as a pawn for an egg, after all, he still had a village's worth of grain to pay off. Of course, he couldn't just believe whatever Qingting Sou said. He still needed to see for himself what was really going on in Xiping Prefecture.

Even rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrows. The soldiers stationed here year-round, even if they were recruits, should mostly be locals. How could they be so ruthless towards their own acquaintances? It's really illogical.

So before entering the city, following Qingting Sou's advice, he changed back into the hemp clothes and straw sandals issued by Ink Bamboo Mountain. He also changed his appearance, shifting the position of his facial features and rubbing some ash on his face to ensure that even 'Mother Zheng Mingzhu' wouldn't recognize the face mask. Only then did he set off, first circling the city before entering through the East Gate to check on the situation inside.

In conclusion, Qingting Sou clearly did not conceal or deceive anyone regarding the matter in Xiping Prefecture. After all, Duhu Huang Hai did not hide anything either; anyone with discerning eyes could see through it after a quick look.

The Xiping Protectorate was heavily fortified, with a thousand swordsmen alone gathered in the Duhu Manor's office in the north of the city. The city's gates, military posts, thief-catching offices, armories, and granaries were all guarded by recruited soldiers led by the Duhu Manor's imperial guards. Meanwhile, the garrison troops of the Five Guards were transferred out of their posts under the pretext of the assassination attempt on the Censor-in-Chief, and the troops were stationed in the outer city for defense. Of course, the commanders of the five guards, along with their captains and commanders, were all 'protected' in the inner city, while the troops leading the outside forces were replaced by Huang Hai's trusted confidants from the Duhu Manor.

As for the newly recruited soldiers of the Duhu Manor, although they wore weapons from the Li Country and carried halberds and swords, their accents were clearly not local. Many of the mercenaries did not even look like those from the Central Land, and it was unknown where Hu Barbarians came from.

But no matter where they came from, they certainly had no connection with the forces of Ink Bamboo Mountain, and probably not even with the local powerful clans of the 'Outer Sect Northern Faction'. Clearly, Huang Hai did not trust the local powerful families who had close ties with Ink Bamboo Mountain at all, so he used these outsider soldiers as his personal guards, held several commanders hostage, and used the army of the Xiping Protectorate to support himself.

No wonder Huang Hai, a powerful protector who commands five guards and is a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain, is receiving offers of recruitment from a group of powerful headhunters. It seems that Huang Hai himself has indeed developed ulterior motives and wants to use this chaotic platform to switch sides.

It's no wonder Qingting Sou hesitated to act. If he did, few would believe it was all over an egg and a few grains of rice; it would immediately become a case of the Southern Faction killing the Northern Faction, with so many other forces waiting for an opportunity—that would truly lead to internal strife.

However, Qingting Sou is quite an interesting person. There aren't many with cultivation levels as high as his, yet he still cares about straw sandals and eggs. No wonder the mountain lord thinks highly of him. Although this guy is also an annoying riddle teller, there is one thing he said that is quite true: many things can only be seen when wearing straw sandals...

Li Fan wandered around Xiping City in straw sandals, treating the wounds of a peddler who had been beaten half to death by bandits, writing sutras to pray for the soul of a young woman whose father-in-law and husband had killed by drunken bandits, and chatting with a brothel madam in the red-light district. She listened to her lament that dozens of her "daughters" had been summoned to the North Yamen to serve drinks, only to be wrapped in straw mats and thrown out the back door the next day. She rented a cart to take them to the mortuary, but the mortuary was already full of corpses, and none of them had been buried yet.

Li Fan listened as these men, women, old and young cried to him, venting their pent-up frustrations on fellow sufferers who wore straw sandals, and heard them grit their teeth and curse.

Bah! The demonic path of Bamboo Mountain!

Li Fan remained silent until dusk, then went to fetch a pot of rice wine, drank it all in one gulp, and staggered drunkenly toward the Duhu Manor's office in the north of the city.

Then, right in the middle of the street, they ran into a group of cavalrymen from the Duhu Manor were on night patrol. Coincidentally, these cavalrymen were also drunk. They sped along the street, kicking over countless stalls and driving the people away in the Fourth Department, laughing loudly and making a huge commotion.

The leading knight, his nose red and his eyes glazed with drunkenness, saw a ragged Daoist priest walking down the street ahead. The priest, yelling at his soldiers, proclaimed, "Watch! I'll ride over there and sink that ball in one shot!"

The cavalrymen burst into laughter, "Hahaha! The commander's drunk! He thinks this is polo!" "I don't believe it! He definitely can't fly!" "Betting open! Bet a string of coins! Bet a string of coins!"

"Alright, let's bet a string of cash!" The rider laughed, drew his saber, but didn't pull it out. He just held it in his hand, like a golf club or whistle, and drunkenly spurred his horse forward, charging straight at the Daoist priest who was coming towards him. He swung his saber at the 'ball' on the priest's shoulder.

"Ha, that horse..." Li Fan spat out the wine dregs between his teeth, dodged the galloping horse, turned his head to avoid the scabbard swinging towards his head, reached out and grabbed the knight commander's belt, pulling the nearly 200-pound man and armor off the horse with one arm, slamming him to the ground with a thud, shattering even the blue bricks.

"Ah! Hiss--" Being thrown down so hard that his back almost broke, the rider was also jolted awake. He suddenly realized what was happening and was about to scream for help, but the words were swallowed back by a gust of wind.

He looked up and saw the Daoist priest blow out a gust of wind, which sliced the patrolling knights on the other side of the street into pieces before they could react. Their laughter stopped abruptly, and they fell off their horses with thuds.

What...?

Before he could even react to what he was seeing, a cold light flashed past him, a chilling aura of iron rushed towards him, and a strong force pressed down on his scalp, pressing his neck against the blade.

"Huh!!!"

Now that he'd peed all over himself, he was finally sober.

Li Fan grabbed the rider's head, pressed his neck against the blade of his saber, and cut it in half. He then asked, "Half a month ago, you massacred a family, raped the women, and may have even eaten a hen. Who led the group?"

The rider was covered in cold sweat, his eyes rolling upwards to the left.

"You've been raiding for grain these past few months, haven't you? How much rice have you stolen, how many people have you killed?"

The baby's long teeth chattered, and its nose was running.

"You've ruined all the singing girls in the city these past few days, surely you've had your share too?"

The rider involuntarily glanced to his right, about to speak.

"Lie."

Li Fan pressed down with his hand, swung his sword horizontally, and ripped the man's head off, splattering hot blood all over him.

Li Fan casually tossed the cavalry commander's head into the ditch, pulled out his double maces, and headed straight for the Duhu Manor. As he walked to the side gate, he bumped into a lame servant who was emptying swill. The two exchanged a glance.

This servant was actually about the same age as Li Fan, around ten years old. He was beaten up like a pig's head, his face bruised and swollen, his eyes squinted into slits, and his legs were trembling.

The servant glanced at the blood on Li Fan's body, then at the double maces in his hands, and finally at the straw sandals on his feet. He looked up and squinted, saying, "Protector Huang is not here today."

"Whatever, I'm not waiting anymore, I'll kill them all the same way," Li Fan turned to look at the government office, which was filled with smoke and chaos, probably still hosting a banquet inside. "This is none of your business, you can leave."

The servant put down the bucket and started to run, but after a couple of steps he stopped, turned back to look at Li Fan, and said, "Could... could I ask a friend to come with me?"

Li Fan thought for a moment, then stood at the door, leaning on his iron mace. "Then hurry up."

"Thank you so much, sir!" The servant boy gratefully clasped his hands in a fist salute, then turned and dragged his leg into the government office.

' Profound Heaven Sword Intent Dao, aren't you afraid he'll betray us?'

"Don't worry, he wears straw sandals too."

So Li Fan waited for a while, and then saw the servants, menial servants, and maids in the government office slip out one after another. There were only about ten of them. When they saw him at the door, they would cup their hands or bow, and then silently dart into the streets and alleys to escape.

Finally, the bruised and battered young man emerged, knelt on the ground, bowed to Li Fan, and said, "These are the only survivors. Please, righteous man, kill all these beasts."

"Good."

So Li Fan picked up his mace and walked into the government office, unleashing his attack techniques and slashing anyone he saw. Relying on the strength of his Golden Core Stage Dharma Body, he could cut a person into four pieces, tear them in two, or pierce them through with a single mace strike. He just kept fighting his way in without saying a word, killing indiscriminately.

Reaching the Golden Core Stage, his physical strength was already superhuman. Moreover, he had already mastered the Qiongqi Dao Body, which was literally invulnerable to blades and spears. A casual thrust of his mace could pierce through seven layers of leather armor and emerge from the back; a single blow to a helmet would turn the helmet and the skull into a mushy mess. To Li Fan, the recruits in the government office were nothing more than paper-thin, blood-soaked sacks, which he could easily burst apart with a single blow, without even needing to use any immortal techniques.

So Li Fan stopped bullying them and vented his anger with swordsmanship. However, the guards often didn't even have time to react before they were killed, before they could even draw their swords. It wasn't until Li Fan had fought his way to the central courtyard that the soldiers recruited by the government office were alerted. The swordsmen assumed that some assassins had broken in and were playing some kind of chivalrous trick, so they all shouted and rushed up to attack.

Li Fan, wielding his double maces, maneuvered amidst the flashing blades, employing Gu Yingshi, on-the-spot defensive and counter-attacking style. Utilizing the terrain of the government office, he moved left and right, leaping back and forth between the railings, parrying attacks with his maces while simultaneously striking with his sword. The first strike severed the head and spine, while the second mace was withdrawn to cover the surprise attack.

Amidst the clanging and clashing of blades, and the splattering of blood, Li Fan's brown fur coat was instantly stained crimson. Yet, the more he fought, the more skilled and energetic he became, almost leaping and dancing like a butterfly among flowers, stirring up a gust of hot wind in the crowd. In just a few dozen breaths, a large number of the swordsmen in the central courtyard had been killed, leaving a layer of blood and gore on the ground.

Those outside couldn't see it yet, only thinking that this assassin was exceptionally skilled in martial arts, managing to hold out until now. But what use was such high skill? This was a heavily guarded government office; although it wasn't as large as a thousand soldiers, there were still several hundred swordsmen stationed there. Could one person really kill them all?

Li Fan could have killed them all without even using his mace, but he simply vented his pent-up anger, stretched his muscles, and perhaps even tricked the lurking villains.

"Haa!" Li Fan pierced the lungs of a swordsman with his double maces, smashed through a window, and landed in a side room to catch his breath. He could clearly feel the Divine Sense around him spying on him. "How about it? How many people are secretly watching me?"

'Six Profound Heaven Sword Intent, all at the Golden Core level; the one from the Shenxiao Sect is in the southeast corner.'

"Ha! Fuck! Die!" Li Fan shouted as he moved through the room, killing all the swordsmen who had rushed in. "Have you found his location yet?"

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent, knowing the escape technique in advance, can naturally defend against it, but this is Nascent Soul technique. Your primordial spirit is not yet sufficient, so you can only be careful not to be attacked first. However, the others are all trash, the kind that can be killed with a single sword strike, and none of them can team up in pairs, so there's no need to pretend.'

It seems that Huang Hai is indeed not in the government office. Otherwise, the Golden Core cultivators of various forces would not be so leisurely watching the Jianghu people attack the Duhu Manor while he is hiding in Xiping Prefecture.

Including Qingting Sou, there are actually six of them, and they don't even join forces. If they are all representatives of different factions, then Huang Hai has really colluded with a lot of people. It's truly a mess, a situation where one move affects the whole situation.

"Kill! Slay the assassins!" "Kill!"

The swordsmen from the Duhu Manor continued to pour in, while Li Fan put away his double maces and pulled out a yellow flag.

So what if they move their whole bodies? It's none of their business! These scoundrels must die!

Flip the table!

"Huang Hai, you scoundrel! You oppress the people! You violate my sect's rules! You disgrace my sect! Qingyue of Ink Bamboo Mountain is here today to cleanse your sect!"

Li Fan flicked his sleeves, threw out the Qiankun Flying to clear the area, and at the same time flew into the sky, leaping into the air. He then unleashed his Dao power and roared, his voice like thunder, shaking the night sky of Xiping Prefecture. The tiles of the Duhu Manor also crackled and popped.

This roar immediately blasted out five Dao Breath from the surrounding area. Li Fan ignored them and set up the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation on the yellow flag, sending it towards the eight gates of the Duhu Manor Office to seal them off.

"Hmph! You Ink Bamboo Mountain are really arrogant! You even dare to mess with the Protector General of Li Country!"

Immediately, some cultivators realized that Li Fan was really going to set up an array to kill people, and they jumped out to stop him.

To everyone's surprise, Li Fan was even more decisive. He made a sword gesture and pointed a finger, and a flying sword shot out from behind him. It was the Ghost Slayer sword, which landed directly on the head of the Golden Core cultivator.

The opponent was also surprised that Li Fan killed someone without saying a word. In shock, he roared and spat out his magic weapon to defend himself, but the Demon-Slaying Sword came down and cut off the magic weapon and his head in two, killing him instantly.

The other four cultivators froze instantly.

Li Fan ignored them and continued to unleash his power, roaring, "You treacherous dog Huang Hai! Colluding with the Demonic Sect! Harming the common people! Your crimes are compounded! I'll count to three, and you'd better show yourself and face execution! Three, two, one! Good! You stubbornly resist and refuse to surrender! You deserve to die!"

The four cultivators hesitated for a moment, clearly worried that if they went forward and made any more noise, they would be killed as members of the 'Demon Sect', and immediately cowered in fear.

Finally, only a monk from Ink Bamboo Mountain, dressed in Purple Sash Immortal Clothes, coughed and said, "Junior brother, you mentioned cleaning up the sect, do you have anyone from the Discipline Institute...?"

He couldn't continue, because Li Fan waved his command flag, and the earth, water, fire, and wind below erupted Duhu Manor into a living hell. The hundreds of private soldiers inside were all blasted to smithereens.

But Li Fan wouldn't let him off the hook. He turned and pointed at the other man, shouting, "Who the hell are you! You beast surnamed Huang! You've ruined the reputation of my sect! Why don't you just cut off his head and feed it to the dogs? You still have the nerve to jump out and talk nonsense in front of me! Are you in cahoots with him? Trying to betray my sect? Speak! Which faction are you from and who are you with? State your name!"

"I... I... I... you... you!" The sorcerer was furious, his face flushing red and then turning pale. But seeing the Black Sword eager to strike the ghost, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and suppress his anger, saying, "I Liang Qigan, Outer Sect Disciple Ink Bamboo Mountain. I was merely passing through this place by chance. I was unaware of Huang Hai's actions, but in any case, according to the sect rules, it should be handled by the Discipline Institute..."

"Kill him!"

"Wh-what? You dare!" Liang Qigan he almost bit his tongue, but fortunately the demon-slaying sword wasn't aimed at his head. Instead, it slashed at a cultivator wearing golden armor with golden fire wings on his head and shoulders.

"You bastard! You've gone mad! You're killing everyone you see!" The golden-armored cultivator, seeing the situation was not good, was about to flee. However, he was on guard and hurriedly spat out a mouthful of blood essence. He then used his fire escape technique to fly away quickly, and the Sword Light of the demon-slaying sword could not catch up with him for a while.

So the sword speed is indeed a bit slow...

"Never mind, let's go slay the demons."

Before the cultivator could catch his breath after Li Fan sheathed his sword, a white light suddenly pierced through his skull. Pi Tian had arrived in an instant, slicing the fire-escape cultivator's skull in two and killing him on the spot.

The remaining three were dumbfounded.

Li Fan said expressionlessly, "Oh, I just got angry looking at the Nangong Family. I accidentally let my hand slip and lost control. I'll come and apologize another day. As for that guy surnamed Liang! Go on, what were you going to say? I'll give you one more chance to organize your thoughts."

The crowd was horrified. This guy's a lunatic!

Liang Qigan a deep breath, bowed, and smiled, "Junior brother just happened to be passing by and doesn't understand anything, but he feels that everything Senior Brother did was right. Huang Hai colluded with the Demonic Sect and had secret dealings with the Nangong Family. If there are witnesses and evidence, he should indeed be killed! He should be killed!"

"Good boy/girl." Li Fan nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the remaining two.

The two were shocked. "We! We just came out to admire the moon!"

"Yes, yes! We're enjoying the moon and grabbing a late-night snack while we're at it."

But Li Fan and his two flying swords remained focused on them.

Then the one who came out to admire the moon immediately pointed at the first person who had been killed and said, "Oh, oh, oh! Isn't that He Shiman, the remnant of the Black Lotus Demonic Cult that the imperial court is after! Huang Hai actually colluded with the demonic path! He ruined the reputation of Ink Bamboo Mountain, he is truly hateful, he deserves to die! He deserves to die! I, Li Kun, a rogue cultivator from Peach Blossom Cave, am willing to testify with my real name!"

The man having a late-night snack gasped, pointing to the nearly burned-down Duhu Manor below, and said, "Yes, yes! These rabid soldiers are killing indiscriminately and preying on the people. They must be bandits recruited from the north by the Nangong Family! I, Xu Yong from the Li River Academy, will also submit a memorial to the court, denouncing the Nangong Family's sinister intentions in causing chaos in the Li Country and framing Bamboo Mountain! Let the world judge for themselves!"

Then the two glared at each other, wishing they could tear each other apart.

Li Fan then sneered, "You all heard that, didn't you?"

The three cultivators were taken aback. Following Li Fan's gaze, they saw five officers kneeling on the ground in the southeast. They recognized them as the five garrison commanders who had been imprisoned by Huang Hai. Qingting Sou was efficient; he had rescued them all in no time.

All the generals bowed down, saying, "We obey our master's orders."

Li Fan nodded, "Good! Huang Hai colluded with the Demonic Sect, secretly communicated with foreign enemies, allowed his soldiers to become bandits, preyed on the people, violated my sect rules, and disgraced my sect! Today, with witnesses and evidence presented, if he doesn't dare to show himself even after I call him three times, it means he has admitted it! I, Qingyue of Ink Bamboo Mountain, will definitely cleanse our sect and cut off his dog's head!"

"I implore the five commanders to step forward, restore order, and lead troops into the city to exterminate all these foreign Hu Barbarians bandits! Furthermore, win back the hearts of the people, stabilize their lives, and prevent those treacherous individuals from taking advantage of the situation! Ink Bamboo Mountain is your strong support, and my disciples will certainly protect you in secret."

The commanders were naturally delighted and responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"

Then Li Fan turned to the three cultivators and said, "I'm going to get an egg. I'd appreciate it if you could keep an eye on these generals while they fight off the bandits. If anyone gets hurt..."

The three men quickly nodded and bowed.

"No, no, I wouldn't dare."

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

"Senior brother, please go... go and eat the eggs..."