The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 222 - 157 Oiran Zhao Wanfang_2

Chapter 222: Chapter 157 Oiran Zhao Wanfang_2

"A disheveled man with a fierce look on his face joked," "Master Bai is generous with good wine and meat, we are certainly comfortable."

He said, revealing a lewd smile," "Only, heh heh... as you know, we’ve been stuck up in the mountains for too long, it’s truly suffocating."

"This is Pingkang Square, there are plenty of women, you see..."

"Fair enough!"

Bai Ruoxu smiled, shook his head, and said, "Aren’t you all out early, making a good amount of money? Why bother telling me what you want to do?

"Don’t you think so, Brother Yang?"

Behind the crowd, there was also a man who looked like a scholar.

If Li Yan were here, he would have recognized this person as the ’signpost’, responsible for gathering information in the Four Beams and Eight Pillars of White Tiger Village on Niubeiliang.

This was also the man who had killed Lu Kang.

"Master Bai jokes."

Hearing Bai Ruoxu’s question, the scholar smiled sinisterly, touched the scar on his neck, and sneered, "We were dispatched by the Sect Leader to infiltrate Chang’an City."

"Master Bai, on the other hand, keeps us brothers cooped up here. It’s hard even to catch a breeze, and no identities arranged."

"Since it’s like that, we brothers must think of other strategies."

As he spoke, his expression turned icy, "Don’t think you’re the only one who can operate in Chang’an. I’m not talented, but I have quite a few brothers on the street!"

The others looked at each other, their faces fierce, and each placed their hands on their weapons.

"Ah, brothers, you’ve misunderstood."

Bai Ruoxu shook his head and sighed slightly, "The current Chang’an seems calm on the surface, but underneath, turbulent currents rage. It’s not as simple as you think."

"Enough with the nonsense!"

The scholar said coldly, "While the Sect Leader is playing hide and seek with the people from Taixuan Orthodox Sect in Qinling for the treasure, we were sent to create chaos in Chang’an, yet you keep us locked up here. Could it be that you’ve developed a secondary motive and are planning a rebellion?"

Bai Ruoxu forced a smile, "Let me show you something."

He said, pulling off the white gloves he always wore.

The bandits looked on and were instantly startled.

The hand was completely rotten, with pus blisters in some places and strange bugs wriggling in others.

The scholar chuckled coldly, "What? Whose trick did you fall for? What’s the point of showing us this..."

Before he finished speaking, his expression changed.

"Poison!"

However, it was already too late for him to notice.

The bandits felt dizzy and suffocated, struggling to breathe, and soon collapsed to the ground, coughing continuously.

Their necks swelled red, spurting fresh blood.

Only then did Bai Ruoxu calmly put on his glove and shook his head, "I showed you this to make you understand that with your abilities, you can’t stir up any trouble in Chang’an."

"Hmm, once a thief, always a thief, only causing trouble!"

He said and turned to leave the secret passage.

Behind him, in the dark room, the skin of the bandits turned sauce-red, their heads swollen, eyes bloodshot, gradually losing breath...

...

In the courtyard of Prince Mansion, Hei Dan looked around in shock.

"Yan bro, you’re amazing!"

His admiration for Li Yan was boundless.

Back in the village, he thought Li Yan could definitely become a great bladesman, but what he witnessed today far exceeded his imagination.

"How could I afford it?"

Li Yan smiled wryly, "We’re just helping someone inspect the house, and even that took quite a few connections."

"That’s right!"

Sha Lifei also laughed beside him, "We’re all hard-luck cases; we just have more friends."

"Must be hungry after a day’s work, huh? Let’s go, first tidy up the rooms, then I’ll treat you to a meal at a restaurant."

"Hei Dan, who would have thought you had such an uncle..."

Seeing Li Yan giving him a signal, he knew there was more to attend to and began taking care of Hei Dan and his nephew.

Li Yan glanced at the sky, noted that the sun had already set, and then turned to leave the courtyard, winding through the dark alleys.

Soon, he arrived at the narrow alley near Qingyuan Building.

He looked around, saw that there was no one around, then his legs burst with Hidden Energy, and he soared up, grabbing the eaves to climb upwards.

As he neared Zhao Wanfang’s room, he hung from the eave with one hand while the other performed a mantra, his little finger lightly hooking.

Whoosh!

A spirit emerged from a leather pouch at his waist, slid along the wall, and silently entered through the window.

With the words of the Oiran of Qingyuan Building, he naturally would not take them at face value, so he had only mentioned that a Magician was causing trouble, but he knew who the culprit was.

The time he had set was after nightfall.

It was just dusk, and he had arrived early to see whether this woman would play tricks or if she had any accomplices.

In the room, there was only Zhao Wanfang.

She sat at the vanity, holding a tattered comb, lost in thought, not knowing what she was thinking...

A thought struck Li Yan, and after drawing back the spirit, his arms exerted force, his body suddenly leapt into the air, and he jumped directly onto the window and entered.

"Who?!"

Zhao Wanfang was startled and quickly turned around, but upon seeing it was Li Yan, she immediately understood and scoffed, "As expected, not a true word!"

"The pugilistic world is treacherous; one must always be on guard."

Li Yan was unperturbed, glanced around, and thoughtfully said, "Tell me, what exactly did you see at that time?"

Zhao Wanfang clenched her teeth, "First tell me who the murderer is!"

Li Yan did not respond, just looked at her coldly.

They stood in deadlock for a while, until Zhao Wanfang, helpless, lowered her head to the table, sighed, and said solemnly, "Back then I was young, my mother had me, and I didn’t know who my father was, so I worked in the building, boiling water for the ladies."

"Though it was tough, I was grateful, because in other buildings if a lady gave birth to a bastard, the madam would drown it or sell it to traffickers."

"At least, I was still alive..."

"That night, I was lying in the kitchen sleeping, when I remember it was unnaturally quiet at midnight, and then I heard a cat’s cry."

"That cat’s cry was very strange; upon hearing it, it was like being held down by a ghost, my mind was clear, but my body couldn’t move."

"Then a fire broke out, the flames spread frighteningly fast, neither the ladies nor the patrons had any time to react, and in an instant, they were engulfed by the fire."

"Fortunately, at the last moment, I came to my senses, struggled, and crawled into a water tank, escaping death."

"I was terrified, disguised myself as a beggar on the streets, saw the government officials arrived, turned a few corners then hurriedly left, finally concluded it was an accident."

"But I knew, someone had committed murder!"

"After much suffering on the streets, twisting and turning, I returned to the brothel, slept with pugilistic guests, and begged them to teach me martial arts..."

"To outsiders, I was an Oiran, wearing gold and silver, but my heart was already dead, I only wanted to find my enemy and die together..."

As she spoke, her eyes became lifeless, her scratching arms fiercely tore out streaks of blood.

Li Yan firmly grabbed her hand and said coldly, "Stay focused; I haven’t finished asking my questions!"

Zhao Wanfang took a deep breath, "What else do you want to know?"

Li Yan appeared thoughtful, "In the old Golden Jade Tower, who had cats?"

Zhao Wanfang replied, "Aunt Liu, Hua Qing, Cui Lan."

"Hua Qing and Cui Lan were the two ladies who accompanied your father, and soon after the incident, Hua Qing hanged herself. Aunt Liu, fearing legal trouble, had the body secretly buried."

"Not long after, something happened to Golden Jade Tower."

Li Yan appeared pensive and said solemnly, "Those ladies you served water to, did you ever notice, who always carried a lan incense bag?"

"Also, who was from Jiangsu and Zhejiang?"

Zhao Wanfang thought for a moment, "Aunt Liu, Hua Qing, Cui Lan, they all carried lan incense bags."

"Also, Aunt Liu is from Jiangsu and Zhejiang!"

At this, her face showed shock, "You mean..."

Li Yan said gravely, "I’ve heard that in the side door sects of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, there are women adept at raising a demon named ’Jinhua Cat.’"

"This demon is skilled at captivating people. During Song Dynasty, a court lady raised this demon using Witchcraft Technique, bewitched the Emperor, but was later discovered, leading to the extermination of her family. This technique was subsequently spread among the people."

"Those who raise this demon must always carry a lan incense bag, otherwise, they will be devoured by the Jinhua Cat..."

At this point, he had understood the cause of his father’s death...