Li Xuan bluffed, “You shouldn’t be a Japanese pirate who took someone’s identity, but rather a spy trained by the Land of the Rising Sun. Are you here at Jintai Academy on purpose, or by chance?”
“What… what are you saying? I don’t understand…”
Liao Yong Chang still tried to conceal his identity.
Li Xuan let out a sneer, pointing at his legs, “Look at your bowlegs, I know you’re not a citizen of Great Yan.”
“Boy, you brought back your master’s kneeling posture, but you didn’t bring back the raised heels. Who else has bowlegs other than you?”
“What kneeling posture, what raised heels? I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“And that poison, it wasn’t mine!”
“Just because I’m a student from a poor family, you Embroidered Uniform Guards can’t just talk nonsense. I’m a student of Jintai Academy, the academy won’t watch its students suffer this kind of unfair treatment!”
Liao Yong Chang still tried to argue.
Li Xuan said calmly, “Do you think we Embroidered Uniform Guards can’t find out just because you don’t admit it?”
“You’re underestimating us.”
“First take him down, then search his room thoroughly. After that, we’ll take him to the Meeting Hall!”
Now, Liao Yong Chang didn’t hide.
He snatched a blade from a Guard and squatted down, striking out with a draw cut.
He charged towards Li Xuan.
The instructors around let out a gasp, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards were also in a panic, about to rush forward, even if it meant risking their lives.
But they saw Li Xuan didn’t even draw his blade, he just casually deflected it.
Bang!
Whoosh—
Liao Yong Chang was sent flying by the scabbard.
Only then did everyone hear Li Xuan mutter, “How did the Land of the Rising Sun train him? Second-rate swordsmanship, but he didn’t even enter the realm. Isn’t that putting the cart before the horse?”
A non-realm entry, and second-rate swordsmanship, wanting to assassinate himself, a sixth-rank realm master of swordsmanship.
What a joke!
The Embroidered Uniform Guards finally remembered that this Master Li Xuan was a great master who had entered the realm, not some useless martial-arts scion.
They only saw him wearing the flying-fish robe all day…
Without Li Xuan giving any further orders, someone went up and bound Liao Yong Chang with their hands and feet.
Others went into his room and started searching inch by inch.
The academy didn’t dare to stop them.
Liao Yong Chang just now resisted and even specifically tried to kill Li Xuan, the most honorable one there. Who would dare say there’s something wrong with him?
Without making them worry for long, soon one of the Guards yelled, “Master, we found another kind of unknown poison, plus a letter from the envoy of the Land of the Rising Sun and him. It was to let him poison Jin Shang Rong, with the intention of harming Great Yan’s literature and education!”
An unknown poison…
Li Xuan narrowed his eyes, glancing at Zhang Wei and Ma Bo Yong from the corner of his eye.
“Let the tracking dog smell this. Everyone present, who has the scent of 牽機引 and 馬錢子 on them.”
Before the Guard leading the tracking dog could come forward, Zhang Wei cursed, “Baka, *Sinai*!”
Because they weren’t in a circle formation, he didn’t even snatch a blade, he just turned and ran.
Lu Zong Qi charged up from the side, drawing his blade and striking down with a heavy chop!
Zhang Wei had no weapon in his hand, so he dodged.
He looked around, about to grab a blade, when he saw the Guards quickly disperse, forming a circle again, but no one went up.
Li Xuan nodded, shouting, “Lu Zong Qi, this feat is yours!”
In the middle of the field, two people who clearly weren’t simple (ninth-rank), the ordinary soldiers went up to deliver weapons.
Lu Zong Qi grasped his blade, slowly nodding, revealing a bloodthirsty smile.
He charged forward again.
It was wrong to say Zhang Wei had no weapons.
He brushed his hands across his body. He drew out two *Fen Shui E Mei Ci*, and with a flick of his wrist, he spun them.
One used a blade, his strikes were large and open.
One used a dagger, light and nimble, turning and leaping around.
The two fought fiercely as soon as they clashed, entangled in a struggle.
They fought for seventy rounds without separating, Lu Zong Qi feigned a flaw, exchanging injuries to seriously wound Zhang Wei, who was focused on escaping.
Even Li Xuan couldn’t help but applaud.
Damn, so it turns out fighting against a ninth-rank realm can result in injuries?
Oh, I’m a sixth-rank, with twelve layers of Golden Bell Cover, Iron Body Shirt, etc. all perfected, and the Nine Revolutions Body Tempering Method created and cultivated to the fourth layer, then it’s fine.
He walked to Zhang Wei and lowered his head, carefully looking into his eyes, lightly tapping his forehead. Actually, he was sensing his heartbeat, blood flow speed, and other physiological responses.
He asked word by word, “A force from outside Great Yan? Domestic? So, it’s domestic.”
“Royalty? Nobles? Gentry? Families? Oh, this is a bit difficult, merchants? Salt merchants? Military? Rebels? Oh, so it’s rebels.”
“The Maitreya Sect? The White Lotus Sect? It’s the White Lotus Sect.”
“Did you kill Jin Shang Rong?”
Li Xuan didn’t say the answer to the last question.
But everyone was stunned.
He tapped his forehead and knew what the other person was thinking? Could it be Li Xuan had telepathy?
Li Xuan: People with strong martial arts skills can observe other people’s physiological states, isn’t that just a human lie detector!
Without revealing the secret behind it, Li Xuan turned and smiled at Lin Shan Chang, saying, “Disturbing you for half a day, successfully capturing the criminal and dangerous elements, I suppose I’ve not disgraced my mission.”
“For the sake of your relationship with my uncle, I won’t do anything else. You should check to see what kind of *chī mèi wǎng liǎng* your academy has.”
He nodded, waving his hand and shouting, “Disband!”
Although he didn’t know if Lin Shan Chang was on his side.
But since there were foreign spies and rebel spies among the students, whether to deal with them, how to deal with them, he didn’t need to worry.
Not doing anything more, extending a favor was truly beneficial without any effort.
If he really took the academy people back to the Embroidered Uniform Guards, then that would be stirring up a hornet’s nest!
…
Back at the Northern Town Fusi, he reported to the Town Fusi about the Japanese spies and their conspiracy, as well as the White Lotus Sect’s movement, assassinating Jin Shang Rong and framing the Japanese spies, etc.
Only then was he able to relax and go off duty.
What national affairs, what the White Lotus Sect might be about to rebel again, those had tall people taking care of them, what was there to be afraid of!
He took the side door back to his courtyard.
The first thing he did was eat some fruit and listen to gossip. “Qing Wen, did you hear any good gossip today? Tell me about it.”
“You won’t believe it, Master, really!”
Qing Wen had a look of astonishment.
She had been here for half a year, and the Rong Guo Mansion wasn’t this lively. What was going on now?
She composed herself, her expression strange, and said, “First, the Master remembered *Gui* Brother’s disobedience yesterday, and even said, ‘Thirty years in the East River, thirty years in the West River, don’t bully the young and poor,’ and made him go kneel in the Buddha Hall, to kneel for thirty years and then talk.”
“Then in the afternoon, the imperial decree arrived, every noble family has to send at least one person, together with Uncle (Wang Zi Teng) and an army of one hundred thousand to the north.”
“Ning Mansion is full of regret. If they had known, they would have delayed *Hu* Brother’s appointment as a military officer for a few days, and wouldn’t have to make things difficult for the young men in the mansion.”
Li Xuan smiled.
Now they know to consider Jia Hu as someone from Ning Guo Mansion?
They don’t even ask Jia Hu if he’s willing!
Then he thought of even more interesting news, and asked, “What about Rong Guo Mansion?”
Qing Wen pursed her lips and giggled.
She said with a giggle, “Compared to them, Rong Mansion is much more intense.”
“Master said that *Bao Er* Master should go with his uncle to earn some credit. Lady Wang said that *Bao Er* Master is still young, it’s better to let *Lian Er* Master go, and he can earn a noble title for his soon-to-be wife, Feng Jie Jie.”
“Anyway, they’re arguing endlessly.”