Because White Stone Village was massacred, the Demon Suppression Division mobilized a large number of Demon Suppression Guards to station themselves in the Great Marsh Township, strengthening patrols to prevent similar massacres from happening again.
At the entrance of White Stone Village, a temporary camp of the Demon Suppression Division was set up.
With hundreds of people in a village being slaughtered, the subsequent handling involved a large number of matters, which could not be properly resolved in just a few days.
In a tent in the camp, four Tankas were confined.
Although they were not allowed to go out, they were not short of food or drink.
"Fourth Brother, why did we meddle in so many affairs? We had good intentions, but in the end, we were still confined. If the Demon Suppression Guards put the blame on us, our lives might be in danger."
"None of the officials are good people. It's enough that they usually exploit the people, but when something happens, they only know how to pass the buck."
"Fourth Brother, we can't trust the officials. Let's find a way to run. Alas, we shouldn't have come to report the news and lead the way..."
Three ragged teenagers, about fifteen or sixteen years old, surrounded a white-clothed youth of eighteen or nineteen, whispering to each other.
The white-clothed youth was obviously much more mature, "When the few of us were wandering the streets and about to starve to death, it was Village Chief Liu of White Stone Village who gave us food and lent us fishing boats. Although I, Chen A'si, have not read any books, I know how to repay kindness."
As soon as these words came out, the other three teenagers lowered their heads in shame and said nothing more.
Chen A'si, the white-clothed youth who led them, comforted them, "You don't need to be so pessimistic. I heard that several good officials have come to the Demon Suppression Division. The leader is called Xie An, who is noble, righteous, and incorruptible. He previously wiped out the Giant Whale Gang. Although Zhao Cisi and Wei Cisi went to the island to kill the water monster, they are, after all, second-generation officials from the capital, mostly for political achievements, and may not be trustworthy. But Xie Zongsi is a local from Qingwu County and can be trusted."
A sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked teenager said, "Fourth Brother, I heard that people change when they become officials, and corrupt officials are all in cahoots."
Chen A'si gritted his teeth and said, "If Xie Zongsi wants to pass the buck to us, I will take it all on myself. I will never implicate you. I will just consider this life as repayment to Village Chief Liu."
As soon as these words came out, the other three were greatly ashamed, and their eyes flashed with fiery light.
"Fourth Brother, what are you talking about? If you hadn't brought us, we would have been buried in the bellies of fish long ago. If something happens, we'll carry it together."
"That's right, carry it together!"
"Although I'm afraid of death, I know the principle of repaying kindness. At worst, we'll be four heroic martyrs together."
Chen A'si, with tears in his eyes, hugged the other three brothers tightly: "Skinny Monkey, Biaozi, A'shui. Good brothers for life."
"Fourth Brother!"
Cough cough cough.
Xie An listened for a while outside the camp tent and coughed twice as a reminder before walking in.
Chen Tie followed him in, "This is Xie An Zongsi, who has something to ask you."
The four Tankas then stood up and saluted Xie An.
"No need to be polite."
Xie An waved his hand, sat down at the long table, and Chen Tie brought over a booklet and writing brush. Perhaps it was because of the time they had spent together that Chen Tie greatly recognized Xie An as his superior, so he took the initiative to bend down and grind ink for Xie An.
Xie An picked up the wolf毫 brush, examined the four Tankas, especially looking at Chen A'si, the leader, and a look of appreciation appeared in his eyes.
When Xie An heard the first half of the white fox's words, he thought that the white fox was extremely sensible, but he didn't expect the second half to ruin the atmosphere... So, you white fox were setting the stage with the first half, and the core was in the back, right?
What does it mean to be no less than big brother?
Even the words used are starting to be particular.
This wisdom is amazing.
Thump!
Chen A'si suddenly knelt on the ground and bowed deeply, "Thank you, Zongsi, for avenging Village Chief Liu."
The other three also thanked him.
Xie An said, "This official naturally cannot bear to see evil creatures harm the villagers. Also, you don't need to worry about this official passing the buck to you. This official has some questions to ask you, and you must answer truthfully. If you dare to deceive me, then you will really be held responsible. Do you all know what is important?"
The four nodded in agreement.
Xie An then began to ask questions, "Name, age, occupation, family situation..."
The government has a set procedure for asking questions. Although a lot of the information seems like nonsense, it is not. Because the case file needs to be transferred through many hands and presented to different officials for review.
If the information is not comprehensive enough, after being transferred many times, the officials in the back will see it very vaguely, and even misjudge the people involved and the course of the case.
This is a big taboo.
So, although it is nonsense, it still needs to be recorded.
After recording the information, family, background, occupation, and other information of the four people, Xie An officially began to inquire about the case.
"Half a month ago, you reported to the Demon Suppression Guard that you saw a black shadow overturning a fishing boat and eating your fish catch. Tell me in detail what happened..."
After some questioning.
Xie An really dug out more detailed information:
Chen A'si and the other three were originally from Black Marsh County. Because they couldn't stand the high fees and exploitation of the Fish Gang in Black Marsh County, they had a conflict with the Fish Gang. In the end, they were seriously injured and fled to the Great Marsh Township on the edge of Qingwu County. It was the old Village Chief Liu of White Stone Village who gave them food and took them in for a period of time, and finally lent them a fishing boat.
The four of them formed a small group, going out to fish together to make a living. Because there were many islands in Hongze Lake, they lived on small islands in Hongze Lake.
A few years ago, they could still go to Hongze Lake to fish, and the harvest was considerable. But in the past few months, strange things have happened frequently in Hongze Lake, and large water monsters have often been seen. The four of them dared not enter Hongze Lake again and went to fish in the Reed Island area on the periphery of Hongze Lake.
Half a month ago, they saw a black shadow, a large water monster, appearing on Reed Island.
For the sake of making a living, the four of them secretly investigated and found that the four-legged snake often entered and exited Hongze Lake.
On New Year's Eve, they saw that the large water monster had become very violent and had repeatedly passed through the waters outside White Stone Village, so they went to notify Village Chief Liu not to hold the circus. The old village chief did not listen and was massacred.
Xie An recorded all the information in the case file and finally circled two keywords:
The four-legged snake often enters and exits Hongze Lake!
"Is there anything else to add?"
Chen A'si and the other three looked at each other and shook their heads.
Xie An closed the case file, "This place is not peaceful recently, so don't go out fishing. Stay here for the time being, and if you remember anything, let someone tell me at any time."
Leaving a sentence, Xie An took the case file and left with Chen Tie.
The sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked Skinny Monkey suddenly whispered, "Fourth Brother, why didn't you say that thing?"
Chen A'si said, "That matter is of great importance. Xie An is not yet known to be trustworthy and cannot be easily said. Otherwise, we will really have no way out."
What they didn't know was that Xie An did not leave immediately after leaving the camp tent, but opened his five senses and heard their voices clearly.
...
Returning to the ancestral hall, Xie An handed the case file to Zhao Qing'er and Wei Haoran to read.
"Take a close look at the information above. Is there anything to add?"
Xie An naturally would not believe Chen A'si's one-sided words.
Wei Haoran and Zhao Qing'er have been in charge of the Great Marsh Township area for several months, and Zhao Qing'er naturally has a considerable understanding of the situation here. After comparing each other, only if there are no major discrepancies can it be proved that the testimony is credible.
After Zhao Qing'er carefully read the case file, she said that there were no major discrepancies in general, "It's generally correct. The villagers in the neighboring Black Marsh County mostly make a living by fishing, and the Fish Gang's exploitation is serious. In addition, the county magistrate's governance is ineffective, and many fishermen cannot make a living and flee to the Great Marsh Township area of Qingwu County to make a living.
People like Chen A'si are not an isolated case, there are many more. With more fishermen fleeing here, in order to find a sales channel for their fish catch, they band together to keep warm and form the Great Marsh Gang."
Xie An immediately became interested, took the case file, asked Chen Tie to bring paper and ink, and while recording, asked, "What is the story of this Great Marsh Gang?"
Zhao Qing'er said, "There are many fishermen in Black Marsh County, and the seafood market is huge. Even if the fishermen who fled to the Great Marsh Township catch fish, they have to find the Fish Gang of Black Marsh County to sell it. Banding together to keep warm always makes life easier. That's all I know."
After recording, Xie An couldn't help but support his forehead and thought to himself: It seems that Chen A'si is not honest. It seems that I have to go there again tomorrow.
Government questioning is like this, it's a troublesome matter.
Not every villager will cooperate 100%. It is necessary to repeatedly compare information, find loopholes, and constantly ask questions before the whole picture of the matter can be known.
Moreover, many times it is not that the villagers do not want to cooperate, but that it involves all aspects of the forces, and people also have concerns.
If you don't expose him, he will always have a fluke mentality and will not say it.
Police interrogation in the previous life was also like this.
Zhao Qing'er was especially concerned about the case, "Xie Zongsi, could it be that there is a problem with Hongze Lake?"
Xie An pondered, "This four-legged reptile should have escaped from Hongze Lake. However, whether it was intentional or not, we need to wait for Ye Luo's test results. By the way, did Liu Chun bring the equipment?"
Zhao Qing'er nodded, "He just arrived. Master Ye is in the back room testing the incense ash and medicinal liquid."
Xie An nodded, "Then we'll wait for Master Ye's results."
After that, everyone sat in the room, warming themselves by the fire, chatting, and waiting for Ye Luo's results.
At dawn.
Ye Luo hurried into the room.
Zhao Qing'er was especially anxious, "Master Ye, are there any results yet?"
Ye Luo nodded, taking out a piece of paper filled with words, "The ingredients of this medicinal liquid include Datura pollen, oleander wood core..."
A series of professional terms made Zhao Qing'er's head spin, "Master Ye, can you say something everyone can understand?"
Ye Luo awkwardly put down the paper, "The efficacy of this medicinal liquid is extremely special, I don't know how to describe it... I'll do an experiment for you and you'll understand."
Immediately, Ye Luo instructed Liu Chun to bring in the incense burner and washbasin, and also told a Demon Guard to catch a large rat.
Ye Luo then explained, "The medicinal liquid in this washbasin is the same thing as the incense ash. The incense ash dissolves in water and becomes a verdant medicinal liquid. Moreover, this medicinal liquid is highly poisonous..."
Ye Luo grabbed a handful of incense ash and, after dissolving it in water, it indeed turned into a verdant medicinal liquid.
Then, he made the rat eat a mouthful of the verdant medicinal liquid.
The rat immediately became incredibly powerful, its muscles bulged out piece by piece, its body grew larger, and it became a monster. Finally, its skin ulcerated, and pustules grew, making it look terrifying.
Awoo~
The monster rat roared madly, trying to bite people. The Demon Guard stepped on it, preventing it from moving, so it used its teeth to bite the ground, shattering the stone bricks and making "crack crack" sounds.
Before long, the big rat exploded with a "bang," and foul-smelling blood and flesh splattered everywhere.
Zhao Qing'er was startled, "How can it be so terrifying..."
Xie An, however, stared in astonishment.
Others might not know what this was.
But Xie An knew very well.
Corpse Poison Pill!
Back then, Brother Wei was poisoned by this Corpse Poison Pill. It was only because Brother Wei was a martial artist with strong Qi and blood that his body didn't mutate. But... everything from the past was still vivid in Xie An's mind.
Corpse Refining Hall?
Wasn't the Corpse Refining Hall destroyed?
Where did the Corpse Poison Pill come from?
Empress Chenxi?
Xie An felt it was unlikely.
That Empress's strength was extremely powerful, it was unlikely she would use such low-end things.
Li Hao...
What exactly is he doing?
After a long daze, Xie An came back to his senses.
He realized that things were probably more serious than he had imagined. He immediately took the paper from Ye Luo's hand, then picked up the register, "Deputy Commander Chen, Liu Chun, come with me."
Entering the camp at the village entrance again, after seeing Chen A'si and the others, Xie An didn't hesitate and said directly, "A major massacre is imminent, yet you dared to deceive this official. Head Constable Liu, drag them out and execute them!"
Liu Chun drew his broadsword, ready to behead them, "The Demon Suppression Division handles cases with the authority to execute first and report later, specially granted by the Emperor. Deceiving the Chief Commander is a serious crime!"
This scared Chen A'si and the others half to death.
Chen A'si threw himself on the ground, crying for mercy, "I'll talk, I'll tell you everything. Please, Chief Commander, calm your anger."
Xie An waved his hand to signal Liu Chun to stop, then sat down at the long table, opened the register, picked up his wolf-hair brush, and said seriously, "Chen A'si, I commend you for reporting the news and for being a man of loyalty and righteousness, so I'm willing to give you another chance. If there is any more deception, then you'll have to endure severe torture. Speak!"
In fact, even if Chen A'si didn't speak, Xie An wouldn't do anything to them, but now the mission was heavy and time was short, so Xie An had to resort to extraordinary measures.
Chen A'si was obviously intimidated and told everything in detail, "I am a small leader of the Daze Gang. In addition to fishing, I am also responsible for communicating with the Heize Fish Gang to discuss the sale of fish and aquatic products..."
After listening to Chen A'si, Xie An finally understood the situation.
It turned out that there were four major fish gangs in Heize County, but a few months ago, a group of missionaries came and recruited people everywhere to join the church. The leaders of the four major fish gangs all joined the church, and then the fish gangs of Heize County were unified, squeezing the Daze Gang even more severely.
In order to make a living and reduce the squeezed commissions, Chen A'si sneaked into the church and became a member.
That church is called the Tian'an Bang.
The god worshiped by the Tian'an Bang is called the Heavenly Father.
Even the magistrate of Heize County, Tian Youguang, also joined the Tian'an Bang.
Soon the Tian'an Bang swept through most of Heize County, infiltrating everywhere. Later, the magistrate personally welcomed the Heavenly Father's fleet into Hongze Lake in Heize County.
Chen A'si saw dozens of huge ships sailing into Hongze Lake in a mighty manner. From then on, Hongze Lake became the headquarters of the Tian'an Bang.
Moreover, the water monster incidents only started to appear after the fleet arrived.
After recording the information, Xie An handed the register to Liu Chun, "Send this to the Xie residence personally and give it to Miss Yuhe. And ask Yuhe to send me a reply immediately."
...
Xie Residence.
After Yuhe received Liu Chun's letter, she asked Liu Chun to wait in the tea hall in the back wing, then took the letter to the backyard and presented it to Su Yuqing.
"Miss, the second secret letter sent by the Master overnight, requesting the Miss to reply."
After carefully reading the letter, Su Yuqing slowly put it down.
Yuhe took the initiative to offer ink and paper and ground the ink on the side, assuming that Su Yuqing was going to write a reply.
Su Yuqing shook her head, "This matter is of great importance, I'm afraid a reply will be useless. Go tell Liu Chun to go back. I will arrange the other matters."
"Yes." Yuhe bowed and left.
Su Yuqing murmured, "No wonder Li Chao sent a letter some time ago, saying that the core remnants of the Changsheng Sect who were stranded in Nanyang Prefecture were missing. So they changed their name to Tian'an Bang and ran here. King Huainan... what great ambition."
If it were anyone else, they would probably be panicked in the face of such a situation.
Su Yuqing was very calm, but instead had an undisguised excitement.
"If it is the remnants of the Changsheng Sect who have come, then it means that the core power of the Changsheng Sect of the previous dynasty has come. And that Heavenly Father of the Tian'an Bang... is the former dynasty's National Preceptor, Guang Chanzi. This place is getting more and more interesting."
Su Yuqing slowly got up, took a small brocade box from the drawer, then walked out of the backyard, came to the east wing of the middle courtyard, and gently knocked on the door.
Master Huang was still in the room healing his injuries with the ancient mirror. Hearing the knock, he quickly got up to open the door. Seeing that it was Su Yuqing, he was greatly shocked and quickly bowed his hand, "Greetings, Madam Xie."
Madam Xie?
Su Yuqing was stunned for a moment.
However, she didn't think much about it and only said, "Master Huang misunderstood, I am not Madam Xie."
Master Huang chuckled, "Women are mostly reserved, it's just a matter of time. It doesn't matter. I think Chief Commander Xie is of high character and will definitely achieve great things in the future. Please be seated, Madam Xie."
Su Yuqing: "..."
After taking a seat, Master Huang took the initiative to make tea for Su Yuqing, repeatedly expressing his gratitude for Xie An and Madam Xie's kindness in taking him in.
Su Yuqing really couldn't listen anymore, so she interrupted, "Master Huang, I'll get straight to the point. I am not Madam Xie, but the Great Qian's Princess, Su Yuqing."
Master Huang was greatly shocked.
In his heart, he admired his old brother Xie An immensely.
Awesome.
He even managed to get the current dynasty's princess.
Su Yuqing continued, "I know that you had a conflict with the Four Old Demons and were even hunted down by them. The many demons that have appeared in the Qingwu County area recently were all sent by the Four Old Demons to track you down. Master Huang's days are probably not easy."
Speaking of this, Master Huang did not hide it, sighing repeatedly and denouncing the Four Old Demons for not having martial ethics, etc.
Su Yuqing said, "Master Huang doesn't need to be discouraged. After some contact, I know that Master Huang is not an ordinary bloodthirsty demon. As long as Master Huang and Xie An make good friends, my Great Qian can protect you and help you kill the other Four Old Demons."
Master Huang's eyes lit up, "Really?"
Su Yuqing said, "Of course. As long as Master Huang doesn't kill my Great Qian's people, we can always be friends."
Master Huang weighed it for a moment, "This matter is too important, can I discuss it with Chief Commander Xie?"
Compared to this Consort Xie An, Master Huang still felt that Xie An was more trustworthy.
Su Yuqing said, "Of course you can. But right now, I need to go out for a trip, which will probably take some time. During this time, please Master Huang sit here. If Yuhe has something to ask you for help, please Master Huang don't hesitate to lend a hand."
Master Huang generously said, "This is no problem, I already consider Xie An a brother, it's only right and proper."
"Thank you, Master Huang."
Su Yuqing cupped her hands in farewell, found Yuhe, and instructed Yuhe to go to the east wing to find Master Huang if she had anything to do.
After that, Su Yuqing went out overnight and went straight to Daze Township.
