The Blade-Wielding Legend-Chapter 1259 - 657: Hellflower Emerges (Part 2)

However, his son indulged in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, not only squandering the family wealth but also owing a considerable amount of silver to the casino, which was used as leverage against him by a group of mysterious individuals.

Over the years, Yang Laohai has been committing crimes with his disciples, all under coercion.

Making money is one thing, but what's more frightening is the potential extinction of the Yang family lineage.

"It's simply a joke!"

Chen San's face was full of mockery, "You seem to be ruthless, with your head hanging by the belt, but this is clearly a trap, why don't you think of a way to break free?"

"Hahaha~"

Yang Laohai laughed bitterly, "It's not that simple."

"That group is highly skilled, vicious, and they drugged us. If we go without it for a few days, we feel like we're in purgatory, unable to muster the will to fight…"

Just as he was speaking, two young disciples began to behave strangely.

First, they broke out in a cold sweat, then their bodies started convulsing unnaturally, as if suppressing something.

But soon, they couldn't hold on, "Dear heroes, we know all about this old man's affairs, you can ask anything, but our addiction is acting up, let... let us take a puff…"

As they spoke, tears and snot were streaming down their faces.

A puff?

Li Yan furrowed his brows, his voice turned cold, "Puff on what?"

"It's the drug those people gave us."

At this point, Yang Laohai also showed similar symptoms, biting his teeth, his forehead was bulging with blue veins: "Dear heroes, let us take a puff too, otherwise these three young lads can't withstand it, they might bite their tongues off."

Li Yan sniffed, "Where is the stuff?"

"It's... it's at Hejin Inn…"

At this moment, Yang Laohai's forehead started sweating.

"Take a few people and fetch it!"

Chen San also noticed something wrong and immediately sent his men to fetch the stuff.

Soon, their belongings were brought.

Yang Laohai and the three disciples knelt on the ground like dogs, trembling, and each took a box from the bundle, opened it to reveal some blackish-brown paste-like substance, sticky on the surface, with a stale urine smell.

They stuffed it into their pipes, and then lay on the ground puffing clouds of smoke.

All previous symptoms vanished, and their expressions were all blissful, as if becoming immortal.

"What... is this?"

The people around watched with shock.

Yang Laohai is a magician, even if he's old, his mental strength should be formidable.

His three young disciples, who managed to master such excellent bone shrinking skill, must have endured a lot.

How could they be powerless against this stuff?

As for Li Yan, his face was dark and cold.

Opium!

He didn't expect that this harmful substance would appear here.

By now, a crowd had gathered around.

That Kong family father and son also joined to watch the commotion.

The young scholar Kong Shangzhao looked thoughtful, and walked over under everyone's gaze, took some opium with his hand, and rubbed it open, "This seems... like Mian Nang Flower."

Wang Daoxuan's face was also serious, "Kong scholar recognizes this stuff?"

Li Yan was also somewhat curious.

This was certainly opium, but it was his first time hearing the name "Mian Nang Flower."

"Read about it in books."

Kong Shangzhao nodded, stood up, and said: "This substance originates from the Western Regions and was introduced into the Central Plains during the Six Dynasties. The Old Tang Book once recorded that Fulin Country presented it, and Tang Dynasty poet Guo Zhen also wrote a poem 'Mian Nang Flower'…"

"Blooming bright and better than grass, its fruit helps not the people; though mocking wild fields of millet, musical pipes miss the spring. Originally, this substance was used for viewing pleasure, many literati praised its beauty, and some medical practitioners included it in medicine…"

"In Song times, this was considered a nourishing tonic, and Su Shi mentioned it in his poem as 'Opium Soup,' and it was even made into 'Buddha Porridge' and 'Fish Cake' for consumption…"

Speaking, his expression also turned serious, "I've heard of something else."

"During the times of Golden Tent Wolf Country, recorded in Tianzhu Records, in the twenty-third year of Yuanjing, the Secretariat Tuotuo Timur marched against Tianzhu, witnessing the magic skill of opium, which could connect to the netherworld, confuse one's spirit."

"I remember the original phrases: Opium, known as Bosun's Tears in Sanskrit. Its flower is crimson as blood, its fruit is like a pod; split it to obtain black paste. Tianzhu's demon monks combined it with corpse oil and human bones to refine Tongyou Fragrance, which, when inhaled, reveals immortal gods' illusion realms, lasting three days..."

"Captured demon monk Narayan claimed: Opium paste could be refined into 'ghost soldiers.' Administer to a dying man for three days, then even in death he could fight, impervious to blades and spears…"

"The Golden Tent Wolf Country wanted to use this for training soldiers but later abandoned it."

Chen San heard this, only feeling his back hair stand on end, his voice shivering:

"Are you suggesting that remnants of Golden Tent Wolf Country are causing trouble behind the scenes?"

He was not afraid, but excited.

If he could truly capture remnants of Golden Tent Wolf Country, it would be a monumental achievement.

Though the Great Xuan Court has stood for over a hundred years, the fear Golden Tent Wolf Country instilled in Divine State has never faded.

In rural areas, many bizarre legends are related to it.

Even the rebellion at the Northern Border decades ago involved remnants of Golden Tent Wolf Country.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple…"

Li Yan shook his head slightly, feeling there might be another cause behind this.

At this thought, he further asked sternly: "Speak, who is the insider in the mansion?"

With these words, the others weren't surprised.

Wang Daoxuan just obtained Xu Fu's relic slip, only a few knew it.

Moreover, the enemy first unraveled the plan, then sent people directly to Wang Daoxuan's room, indicating an insider was tipping them off.

Yang Laohai and his four disciples on the ground, after smoking several puffs of opium, were already recovering, their eyes vacant, pupils dilated, lacking any resistance, they opened their mouths to speak.

However, before they could speak, a figure suddenly turned and ran out the door.

It was a middle-aged man from Chen Mansion.

Li Yan recognized that person as the mansion's gardener.

But with Cao Gang disciples guarding the door and the gardener being a mere commoner, how could he escape?

After a few steps, a Cao Gang man grabbed him by the neck and pinned him to the ground.

Chen San's eyes were full of murderous intent, "Speak, who instructed you, I'll let you die with a complete corpse and spare your family."

Planting spies in the mansion had touched his reverse scales.

"Master Chen, have mercy…"

The gardener, frightened, knelt on the ground, bowing continuously, "I didn't know it was such a big deal. It was Wang the temple priest from Ren Fenzhi Temple, he gave me twenty taels of silver to pay off gambling debts and asked me to inquire about this matter."

"Ren Fenzhi Temple, go!"

Chen San immediately gave the order, leading many Cao Gang brothers out.

Li Yan, after confirming the location, directly performed the Armored Horse Skill, stepping lightly on water and flying with the wind, arriving at Ren Fenzhi Temple ahead of others.

This Ren Fenzhi, suspected to be of the Eight Immortals clan, yet the temple was merely built by the local people for commemoration, the actual site of becoming a Feathered Immortal is unknown.

When Chen San and others arrived, only Li Yan was there, looking at the temple engulfed in a raging fire.

"The person has already fled."

Li Yan slightly shook his head, looking towards the distant dark canal.

"Chen San, you must report this immediately."

"Have the Captain Bureau investigate those Japanese and red-haired barbarians to see who's stirring up this stuff."

"This matter is absolutely not that simple…"

......

The next morning, Li Yan and others boarded the ship to leave.

That "Mr. Lan Du" Kong Hui, though part of the Kong family, was considered taboo; after years of reincarnation, he probably lost contact with the Kong family, staying longer wouldn't uncover anything.

However, Yang Laohai and his people provided intelligence.

The people who set the trap for his son,

are in Tianjin!

This time, their voyage was personally arranged by Chen San.

Onboard were all Cao Gang members, naturally, no one dared provoke them along the way.

All water bandits and road bullies avoided them from afar.

This allowed Li Yan to see the might of Cao Gang.

Compared to Pai Sect, Cao Gang was closer to the court, so on the Northern canal, it was virtually Cao Gang's domain; Pai Sect couldn't squeeze in even a small dinghy.

They sailed for a day, nearing dusk.

Li Yan was meditating in the cabin when he heard a Cao Gang disciple respectfully say from the deck, "Gentlemen, we have arrived at Linqing."

Upon hearing, everyone immediately got up and went outside.

It is said that thirty years the river flows east, thirty years west.

Divine State's Qi fortune alternated, leading to the rise of other cities as Divine Capital Luoyang declined.

Take Linqing City for instance, now its fame even surpasses Jinan.

"Richest in Qi County, flourishing over the two capitals," refers to this place…