The Blade-Wielding Legend-Chapter 1257 - 656:

"Many things were pieced together from those fragmented records."

"Oh, he has this skill too?"

Wang Daoxuan, intrigued, asked a few questions.

All were ambiguous historical records, with various opinions.

The young scholar, Kong Shangzhao, responded fluently, always providing convincing answers.

Chen San, on the side, also showed some surprise, glancing lightly at Kong Zhenshan.

On the road, this fatty hadn't mentioned this.

Kong Zhenshan sighed, first apologizing to Chen San, then looking at his son with disappointment, "To be honest, I came here shamelessly to ask you all to help send my son to the Capital to avoid disaster."

"What trouble has he caused?" Li Yan asked.

Kong Zhenshan looked pained and began to explain the reason.

As it turned out, this young Kong Shangzhao was considered renowned, joining Mingde Martial Arts Academy from a young age.

With outstanding talent, he excelled and was adept at analyzing classical texts.

Yet, inexplicably, he wasn't interested in Confucianism but was obsessed with eclectic studies, often speaking heretically, gradually losing favor with his mentors.

A few days ago, standing up for justice, he nearly beat Yan Sheng Gong's son to death.

Even though Yan Sheng Gong valued family discipline and severely punished his son, the enmity was formed.

Given the character of those Kong family descendants, they would definitely find a way to retaliate.

Kong Zhenshan, after a lifetime of struggle, though a disciple of the Kong family, was always looked down upon.

His pride was his son, naturally fearing the premature death of his child.

His fear was not unfounded.

Yan Sheng Gong, not only the host of Confucius Temple rituals, also enjoyed exemptions from taxes and hereditary sacrificial lands.

Today, Kong family sacrificial lands are spread across several provinces, with more than 320,000 acres of fertile land in Luzhou alone.

Qufu has even become Kong family's "autonomous territory," with family rules surpassing royal laws, a true local tyrant.

"Sending him to the Capital will suffice?" Li Yan asked.

"Exactly!"

Kong Zhenshan's face beamed with joy, quickly added, "I have arrangements in the Capital, and once there, the boy can change his name, stay low for a few years, and return when the turmoil settles."

As he spoke, he took out a wooden box from his bosom, pleading, "Though not a member of Mystical Sect, I know of the Twelve Primordial Spirits. Here are thirty thousand taels of Silver, my life's savings. Please, help us."

Beside him, Chen San saw this and remained silent.

Truthfully, he too appreciated this Kong family's talent.

But the trouble that came with it, he didn't want to accept.

Kong Zhenshan deliberately concealed it, knowing Chen San would refuse upon learning, even not bringing them to see Li Yan.

"Very well."

Li Yan felt moved and nodded in agreement.

Firstly, it was on their way; secondly, he wanted to use the young man's skills to help analyze some materials.

Especially regarding the evolution of Mortal God.

Thinking of this, Li Yan turned to Kong Shangzhao, "Do you know the later intelligence on 'Mr. Lan Du', Kong Hui?"

Kong Shangzhao humbled himself, "Since the fall of the Southern Song and the invasion of the Golden Tent Wolf Country, there has been no information on Kong Hui. After all, at that time, several Grandmasters were hunting him, and even though the Kong family was in Lang Country, they didn't dare to shelter him."

"Alright..."

Li Yan felt helpless, shaking his head slightly.

He knew that finding clues about Kong Hui from today's Kong family was likely hopeless.

The Kong family had Grandmasters to guard, and after so many years, the other might have already reincarnated, changed identity, and was hiding somewhere unknown.

Squeak squeak~

At this moment, the mouse from Lv San's waist pouch suddenly squeaked loudly.

"Here they come!"

Li Yan's eyes flashed with killing intent, signaling with a glance.

Sha Lifei immediately blew out the candle, and everyone dispersed.

Even Chen San instructed the Kong father and son not to speak, staying put in the room.

By now, it was past midnight, the night turning darker.

But outside Chen Mansion, in the forest, Yin Wind suddenly stirred.

"Awoo~"

As the trees cast shadows, a low tiger's roar could be faintly heard.

Outside the Chen Mansion, there were also covert sentinels placed by Cao Gang, who looked toward the sound and instantly felt chills.

Seeing two points of eerie green "tiger eyes" flickering in the forest, yet no tiger's body.

Bang!

The sentinel was about to whistle for a warning when a ball of phosphorus fire exploded from the treetop.

Amidst the green smoke appeared a phantom image of a tiger, forehead marked with white.

The size of its head was as large as three people's stature, its massive paw swiping away branches in swathes.

Yin Wind rose, cold air spreading outward.

Sha Lifei suddenly emerged from the rooftop, raising his Divine Fire Gun, ready to pull the trigger.

But Li Yan frowned and raised his hand to stop.

"Something's wrong, it's a person!"

With his current Divine Skills, he could see through the Illusion Technique opposite him.

It was clearly a frail old man, manipulating a tiger puppet coated in White Phosphorus with thin steel wires, accompanied by vocal skills, creating bursts of tiger roars to scare people.

As he spoke, Li Yan's ears twitched, and he suddenly leaped toward the backyard.

"It's a lure; you go catch them!"

Sha Lifei didn't waste words, descending from the rooftop.

While in mid-air, he placed the Divine Fire Gun on his back and, upon landing, drew two flintlock firearms.

Wu Ba was quicker than him.

With a loud boom, the ground's dirt splattered as Wu Ba's massive body leaped out, using his Mud Stepping, stepping left and right, entering the woods and suddenly leaning to the side.

Crack!

A tree as thick as a barrel was snapped in half by Wu Ba's direct collision.

The tiger, shadows, and smoke all dissipated.

A muffled groan came from the tree, and a frail figure fell, but strangely paused in midair, swinging his arms as several sharp steel wires spiraled towards Wu Ba's neck.

The opponent's skills weren't weak; he even wielded such Qimen weapons.

Once entangled by the steel wires, he'd likely be severed instantly.

However, he had the wrong idea.

Wu Ba chuckled, grabbed the steel wires with his Iron Fist Glove, and yanked down fiercely.

Bang!

The old man fell from mid-air, spewing blood from his mouth.

Before he could react, Wu Ba had his neck in a grip.

Meanwhile, Li Yan also reached the backyard.

In the darkness, three slim figures emerged silently from the base of the backyard wall's hidden drain.

The drain's entrance was barely the size of a bowl, but these three had bones cracking and popping, slipping through effortlessly; without Lv San's surveillance, they might have gone unnoticed.

These three were actually half-grown children.

Nimbly, they vaulted out, flicking their fingers to eject flying objects.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The medicinal powder shot out like sharp arrows.

Several Cao Gang disciples fell in response, clearly struck by some potent narcotic.

And these children headed straight for Wang Daoxuan's room.

There, Li Yan and others had placed the Xu Fu Bamboo Scroll.

But just then, the three of them halted simultaneously.

Li Yan had leaped down from the rooftop, coldly blocking their path.

"A tough one!"

"Use that thing!"

With vicious faces, the three teenagers drew spiked balls on chains from their waists and flung them.

Li Yan sniffed, catching a whiff of the pungent kerosene odor.

The spiked balls contained hidden Mechanisms at the front—concealed phosphorus fire that would ignite on impact.

It seemed that the Bao Hua Bookstore fire was their doing.

As the three iron balls flew towards him, Li Yan remained expressionless.

The teenagers felt a surge of joy inside.

They had witnessed this thing's power before.

No matter what resisted it, it would explode and burn fiercely, unstoppable by Ghost or God.

However, their worst fear unfolded.

Li Yan simply raised his left hand, drew a circle, and casually caught all three iron balls without them exploding.

How is that possible?

The three teenagers watched in terror, feeling like they'd seen a ghost.

What they didn't know was that Li Yan had already attained Dan Strength, merged the Undying Seal Technique into his entire body's force, directly neutralizing, preventing the balls' Mechanism from triggering.

"Run!"

Glancing at each other, the three teenagers turned and fled.

They knew this was not someone they could handle.

Yet, as they turned, they froze, watching in dread as a woman emerged from the darkness.

It was Long Yan'er, easily subduing them with her Gu Technique.

Soon, all the intruders were captured.

Cao Gang disciples raised torches, bound them in chains, and harshly threw them to the ground.

"Hmm..."

Chen San suddenly spoke, "Isn't this Yang Laosan from Wu Bridge..."