A Pawn's Passage

After Pei Xiaolou left the Commandery Prince’s Mansion, he did not meet anyone from the Confucian School.

That was because he did not find the need to report anything to the Confucian School. A post-event note would suffice. Moreover, the Confucian School had a loose structure and system, so informing them in advance would alert the enemy instead.

Likewise, Pei Xiaolou also did not inform the local provincial government. After all, he was under the orders of the Chongyang Palace of Immortality and did not require permission from the Huzhou provincial government to handle matters. This was also to avoid any news leaks since there could be spies everywhere.

The Yuan family owned a large residence in the Panlong Hutong of Poyang Street. However, no members of the Yuan family had ever lived there. The people living there were fighters recruited by them.

Since the residence covered a vast area, it could accommodate hundreds of people without being crowded.

In addition, the elite fighters in the Kunlun stage also had separate residences. The Yuxu-stage fighters were honored as guests and were allowed to live in the Yuan Residence. They all had dedicated servants, lacking nothing. Moreover, they were given a salary comparable to a fifth-rank Daoist priest, so they could earn considerable savings.

Although these people were living under someone else’s command and did not have as much freedom as Qi Xuansu or were not as rich as Third Master Chang, Song Luodi, or Monk Deng Hua, they were only required to show their strength in numbers.

These people did not have to constantly worry about getting killed on the field like Qi Xuansu did. This kind of life was only suitable for those who were talented and bold. Thus, most people were willing to be lackeys for a wealthy family and live a peaceful life.

This kind of big job of besieging Zhang Yuelu was extremely rare, akin to plotting a rebellion.

After Yuan Shangdao led most of these fighters away, the Panlong Hutong became empty, with only a few people left to look after the residence.

Pei Xiaolou quietly came to the Panlong Hutong. It was getting late, and most places were dark. Only one living room was brightly lit and full of people.

The people who stayed at the residence were having a meal, so Pei Xiaolou came straight to the living room, with a bamboo staff in hand. He knocked the staff on the ground a few times to gain their attention, then asked, “Who is in charge here?”

Everyone was stunned before realizing what had happened. They hurriedly grabbed their weapons. Some took out their repeating rifle, which was strictly prohibited by the Imperial Court, just like crossbows and armor were banned in ancient times.

Others took out talisman water and gulped it down. Their bodies instantly inflated and emitted a faint golden glow. These were common and crude methods used to boost one’s strength, like a superficial application of magic. If one believed it would work, then it would be effective in increasing one’s strength or ignoring one’s injuries to a certain extent. That way, they would be able to continue fighting even if they suffered serious injuries. This was what the masses referred to as an invincible body.

The Heavenly Court often used such methods when stirring trouble.

However, in front of Pei Xiaolou, these methods were merely cheap tricks.

Pei Xiaolou raised his bamboo staff and tapped it on the ground lightly. The ground shook, and everyone fell over.

“Who is in charge here?” Pei Xiaolou asked again.

Everyone looked at each other, but no one said a word.

Pei Xiaolou casually swept the bamboo staff across, causing someone’s head to explode.

“Who is in charge?” Pei Xiaolou asked another time, unbothered by the bloody scene before him.

The remaining people dared not risk their lives, so they all pointed to the person in charge almost simultaneously.

Pei Xiaolou walked over to that person, pulled up a chair, and sat down. “My name is Pei Xiaolou, a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master.”

The person in charge of this residence originally wanted to threaten Pei Xiaolou with the Yuan family’s name. However, after hearing Pei Xiaolou’s introduction, he immediately swallowed his words and forced a flattering smile. “Nice to meet you, Sage. Do you have any orders?”

Pei Xiaolou asked, “Are there any important documents here?”’

The man looked hesitant to answer this question, his eyes darting around.

Pei Xiaolou was not in a hurry. He just raised the bamboo staff in his hand again.

“Yes, there is! But they are all locked in a box, and I don’t have the key.” The man hurriedly confessed.

Pei Xiaolou paused his movement. “Take me there.”

After a while, Pei Xiaolou left the Panlong Hutong with a thick roster of fighters hired by the Yuan family and their attached files. However, this was just a copy. The original was in the Yuan Residence.

Only a few of these people had clean backgrounds. Most of them had criminal records. So it would be detrimental if this roster fell into the hands of the Imperial Court or the Daoist Order. There were hundreds of these criminals, so the Yuan family could be charged with conspiracy to do evil.

However, this was just an appetizer compared to what was kept at the Yuan Residence.

......

The chief butler of the Yuan Residence wore a cloak and a hood that covered his face as he quietly left from the back door.

He had only taken a few steps before he tripped over a bamboo staff that seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

The chief butler had some cultivation. He stretched out his arms and stood up. When he looked around, he was shocked to see a Daoist priest in a black robe.

He recognized this man, but his hands and feet felt frozen in place, and he dared not move.

Pei Xiaolou leaned on his bamboo staff and asked casually, “What’s your name?”

“I am Yuan Feng.” The butler answered honestly.

Pei Xiaolou asked again, “Who did Yuan Chongzong meet after the banquet was over?”

Yuan Feng was hesitant to reply.

Pei Xiaolou raised his bamboo staff, placing it on Yuan Feng’s shoulder. “Think about it carefully before answering.”

Yuan Feng only felt a huge weight on his shoulder where the staff was. He hurriedly said, “Old Master Yuan met two masters, the Wind and Thunder Marshals.”

Pei Xiaolou’s face turned solemn. “I see.”

Pei Xiaolou had heard of them. They were a pair of brothers who made a name for themselves in Jianghu when they were in their prime. They were considered powerful figures who dabbled in the grey areas of society. Later, when the Heavenly Court expanded to Jiangnan, the two brothers joined the Heavenly Court and were grouped among the Four Marshals, who were all on par with Feng Bo.

The Four Marshals of Heavenly Court were: Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Lightning. The two brothers were called Marshal Wind and Marshal Thunder, respectively. That was why they were known as the Wind and Thunder Marshals collectively.

Pei Xiaolou asked again, “Where are the Wind and Thunder Marshals?”

“Marshal Wind followed Master Yuan to besiege Mage Zhang, and Marshal Thunder was protecting Old Master Yuan in the Yuan Residence,” Yuan Feng replied.

Pei Xiaolou suddenly felt worried and hesitant. His wife, Lei Xiaohuan, was capable of beating people up. If she was here, she could certainly defeat the Wind and Thunder Marshals by herself. Unfortunately, Pei Xiaolou was alone, and he certainly could not compare to his brother, Sage Donghua. His cultivation was only good enough to defend himself from Heavenly Beings, but he was not proficient in fighting.

If he had to fight against the Wind and Thunder Marshals by himself, he would surely lose. Even if it was one-on-one combat, he was not confident he could win.

As such, Pei Xiaolou knew that he could not barge into the Yuan Residence hastily. Moreover, it also seemed like Zhang Yuelu was in trouble.

Pei Xiaolou went to see Commandery Prince Qin as an insurance, but now it seemed that he had to rely on the latter to settle the matter with the Yuan family.

......

In addition to the financial resources of the Yuan family, the reason they were able to recruit so many fighters was largely due to the Wind and Thunder Marshals, as most of these fighters were the subordinates of the two marshals.

Without the Wind and Thunder Marshals, these fighters might not be willing to risk their lives to besiege and kill Zhang Yuelu.

Among them, Marshal Wind was the one who injured Qi Xuansu, but he was also merciful toward the latter.

After all, Qi Xuansu’s original intention was to capture Yuan Shangdao to threaten the latter’s army of fighters. Yuan Shangdao was also in the Guizhen stage, so he would not have died from just two of Qi Xuansu’s punches.

However, Yuan Shangdao was clearly dead at this time, just like Yuan Fengchan. Their cause of death was unclear.

During the chaos, Zhang Yuelu fled with Qi Xuansu, and most of the fighters chased after them. Only a few people paid attention to Yuan Shangdao. By the time they came to their senses, Yuan Shangdao was already dead.

Marshal Wind stared at the two bodies at his feet for a long time.

Someone came up to him and asked, “Marshal, should we still pursue those two?”

Marshal Wind did not answer. Instead, he laughed loudly and rolled up his sleeves.

A violent gust of turbulent qi swept across the area. In the blink of an eye, the people standing behind Marshal Wind collapsed to the ground like fallen wheat. No one was left alive.