The Blade-Wielding Legend-Chapter 1256 - 656

"Mr. Lan Du" Kong Hui is a member of Jianmu.

He hails from the Kong Family and was one of the Ten Grandmasters during the Northern Song Dynasty.

Since he was familiar with the Scriptures from a young age and wore out the Kong Family's Library Pavilion's texts from reading, he was called "Mr. Lan Du". Later, he entered the palace to become the Imperial Tutor and even went to Shangqing Palace on Mang Mountain to make strategic arrangements.

With his status, he certainly was also one of the members involved in the scheme.

The group stayed at Zhangqiu Town to work with the Captain Bureau to investigate information about this person.

Upon hearing this good news, Li Yan's expression remained unchanged; instead, he turned his head to the side and asked, "Squad Leader Chen, who are these two?"

Following Chen San back were two others.

One was a well-dressed middle-aged man, obese, with layers of chins, panting as he walked, smiling broadly, his eyes narrowed to slits, constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

The other was a young scholar in a blue robe, with a jade-like face and a straight posture, exuding a gentle and refined aura. Even though he carried himself politely upon entering, his eyes were brimful of curiosity.

The middle-aged man was just an ordinary person. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

But the young scholar was a Cultivator, with the unmistakable presence of Confucian Vast Energy.

"Oh, let me introduce them."

Chen San quickly said, "These two are from the Kong Family; they are our own people."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan instantly understood.

Before Chen San left, he had mentioned that someone within the Kong Family was cooperating with the court, serving as an informant for the Captain Bureau.

But judging by their demeanor, they were obviously not significant figures.

This was not surprising. Ever since Han Gaozu came to Lu to pay respects to Confucius and conferred the title of Patron Lord to Kong Teng, the imperial court of the Divine State had continually bestowed titles on the descendants of Confucius.

Until now, the family had grown and expanded over generations, and it was impossible to know how many descendants there were.

Within the clan, there were both the rich and the poor, the high and the low.

Those willing to be court informants were not of high status.

Needless to say, the entire Kong Family was in decline.

The title of Yan Sheng Gong had been prestigious for too long, longer than many dynasties' histories, and decay was unavoidable.

In the last century, two events occurred.

One was at the end of the Song era when the Golden Tent Wolf Country invaded, and the then Yan Sheng Gong did the unthinkable and directly defected to the Grassland Royal Court, which was seen as an enormous disgrace by Confucianism in the Divine State.

Although he was later purged and killed, the Kong Family's reputation plummeted.

When the Great Xuan Dynasty was established, due to an illegitimate claim to the throne, they continued to confer titles on the Kong Family.

Needless to say, this led to a new generation of dissolute offspring.

The previous generation Yan Sheng Gong not only became notorious for his wicked deeds but also boasted drunkenly, "There are only three families under Heaven: mine, the Zhangs of Dragon and Tiger Mountain, and the Xiaos of Jinling. The Zhangs have the spirit of Taoism, and the Xiaos are upstarts, petty-minded."

The current Emperor is not the type to turn a blind eye.

When these words reached the Capital, several Holy Decrees of reprimand were issued, scaring the Kong Family into sending people overnight to plead for forgiveness.

The Yan Sheng Gong voluntarily abdicated for a wise successor, allowing the issue to settle.

It is said that the current Yan Sheng Gong of the Kong Family, although generally capable and knowledgeable, is a conservative old fogey who doesn't adapt easily.

His only strength is in restructuring the family customs and trying to maintain the family's dignity.

Even so, the Kong Family's reputation is not what it once was.

Many great scholars in the north and south even directly compose poems mocking and criticizing them.

However, in the pugilistic world and Mystical Sect, no one dares to underestimate the Kong Family.

The reason is simple: the Kong Family still has a great figure.

It is Lu Hongyuan, one of the Ten Grandmasters.

Initially, he was a son-in-law looked down upon in the Kong Family, but he happened to have extraordinary talent, excelling in both literature and martial arts. He established the Mingde Martial Arts Academy and took up the banner of Confucian representation.

In his youth, he was a dual pride alongside today's Huo Yin of the Divine Fist Association.

The Kong Family has this great figure, so few dare provoke them easily.

Upon thinking of this, Li Yan asked, "So you are esteemed members of the Kong Family. Which generation are you from?"

The Kong Family is "the foremost family under Heaven" and places great emphasis on generational hierarchy. Most members are from the "Gong, Yan, Cheng, Hong, Wen, Zhen, Shang, Yin" generations, names bestowed by the founding Emperor of the Great Xuan Dynasty.

"I am Kong Zhenshan."

The obese middle-aged man wiped his sweat while smiling ingratiatingly, "My literary skills are poor, and I have been on the move since I was young, managing some of Jinan's industries for the clan, so I have access to certain things."

"Upon receiving Lord Chen's orders, I immediately sought an opportunity to enter the library to search. But Young Hero Li, you know, when the Golden Tent Wolf Country invaded back then, half the library was destroyed by fire, making it hard to find many things. I owe it to my son here…"

Saying this, he cast a fierce glance at the young man beside him.

With a helpless look, the young man had no choice but to step forward and cup his fists, "I am Kong Shangzhao, greetings to all the great heroes."

"Kong Hui was a rare Grandmaster in the Kong Family in his day, but within the clan, he is a taboo. Even without that fire, many of his records have been destroyed."

Li Yan slightly furrowed his brows, "Oh? Why?"

The young scholar Kong Shangzhao replied, "He was a man of extraordinary talent and had become one of the Ten Grandmasters of the Divine State in his middle age, even entering the Song Court to become Emperor's teacher. But later his actions became increasingly radical."

"Once, a Wudang disciple came to denounce him, accusing him of colluding with the Ghost Sect. Although there was no concrete evidence, that Wudang disciple mysteriously disappeared…"

"Later, when the Great Song Ghost Sect ran rampant, the Mystical Sect of the Divine State joined forces to eradicate them. Several Grandmasters teamed up to hunt down Kong Hui. They did not publicize this widely, but the clan likely knew of it and did their best to cover it up."

"In addition, there is another rumor within the clan: when the Golden Tent Wolf Country invaded, and Yan Sheng Gong defected, this person played a key role in facilitating it…"

Li Yan squinted his eyes slightly, "Didn't you say the clues were burned? You know quite a lot..."

"Please don't misunderstand, Young Hero Li!"

Noticing something was off, Kong Zhenshan quickly explained, "My son has a photographic memory, has been well-read since childhood, and is adept at piecing things together."