Chapter 1563: Chapter 796: Storm Looms Over the City

"The Zhang Huaisu Rebellion case?"

Upon hearing Kong Shangzhao’s words, Li Yan immediately recalled the incident.

Zhao Changsheng’s previous life was Zhang Huaisu, the Sect Leader of the Great Song Ghost Sect.

At the time, the wind of ghost rituals was prevalent. Zhang Huaisu had already secretly established the Ghost Sect but appeared under the guise of an eccentric divine stick, claiming the power of Daoist skills and that he had lived for over 1,700 years.

He went about telling people that he had witnessed Confucius executing Shao Zhengmao, and the standoff between Han and Chu at Chenggao, claiming to have observed the battle from a height, and his accounts were quite eloquent.

Logically speaking, no one should have believed him.

But sometimes, reality is quite absurd.

At the time, the people deeply believed his words. From high officials and nobility to the impoverished common folk, many followed him, unknowingly becoming part of the Ghost Sect’s periphery.

Many scholars also admired him greatly, the most famous being Cai Bian.

At that time, Cai Bian, due to supporting Wang Anshi’s reforms, was banished to Yuezhou, where the great Confucian Cheng Hao happened to be serving. They became friends, and Cai dragged Cheng to see Zhang Huaisu.

Cheng Hao was very resistant to it and declined to go.

And Cai Bian subsequently suffered great misfortune.

Zhang Huaisu, while touring Jinling with his followers, noticed the rebellious intentions of local officials and took the opportunity to declare, "Jinling is a place of dragon and tiger, with strong Dragon Energy; an emperor is imminent!"

This statement touched the court’s bottom line.

The rebellion was suppressed, and all officials connected to Zhang Huaisu were prosecuted, including Cai Bian.

And the Great Song Ghost Sect thus began to surface.

Thus, Jinling and Zhao Changsheng were closely connected, but due to the passage of time, Li Yan did not remember it at first.

"That’s right."

Kong Shangzhao looked at everyone and said in a deep voice, "The opponent calculated very accurately, using the little-known ’Red Silk House’ to take advantage of the terrain, and set the time for tonight to prevent us from seeking expert help."

"Even though Brother Yan’s Yin Bureau authority has been elevated, it’s still not secure. I will go check the records to see if ’Red Silk House’ can be located, so we can prepare in advance."

Li Yan nodded slightly, "Be careful, and do it secretly."

"I’ll go with you." Long Yan’er stood up slowly, her face calm.

Sha Lifei looked at Kuai Dayou with a somewhat grim expression, "Brother Dayou, there might be a fierce battle tonight. We need to prepare that thing you mentioned in advance!"

"Alright!"

Kuai Dayou nodded and said, "But we still need some things, and it must not be discovered."

Fatty Lin quickly stood up, "Tell me what you need. I’ll handle it. Although the Lin Family’s business is ruined, I still have some capability in Jinling."

Seeing everyone’s determination, a trace of warmth flashed in Li Yan’s eyes, "Everyone, be careful."

He didn’t ask in detail what everyone planned to do.

In this chaotic era, these companions were the only ones worth trusting.

Soon, the group quietly left in batches.

As for Li Yan, he returned to his room and laid out the Magic Artifacts from his luggage one by one.

Five Directions Luo Feng Flag, Bing Ding Ghost Talisman, the Astral Order from the Hook Paper, Duan Chen Blade, Thousand Thoughts Arm Guard...

Gazing at the Magic Artifacts before him, his expression turned solemn.

He had quite a few tricks up his sleeve, but still, it felt insecure.

All this was expected. Though they had become famous far and wide through many battles, much of their capabilities had been exposed, collected by pugilistic world intelligence organizations, and sold to various major forces.

They could fend off petty troublemakers, but when facing truly formidable foes, they would often be targeted, falling into a passive state.

At critical moments, he could only rely on his own strength.

Thinking of this, Li Yan sat cross-legged on the bed, meditating with Inner Vision.

Rustle rustle~

The surrounding suddenly filled with the sound of howling Yin Wind and chains rattling.

His strongest method currently was the "Thunder God Transformation" from the Divine Transformation Technique.

But this technique consumed too much energy, making prolonged combat impossible.

Timing was crucial...

...

While Li Yan was cultivating, the others were not idle.

Outside the Captain Bureau archive, the caretaker old man was nodding off.

Due to last night’s incident, the Captain Bureau suffered heavy losses, and with Qiu Mingyuan leaving with the elite forces to search the entire city for "Deaf Lu Ban" Chen Sanxiang, only an old man was left to guard this crucial place.

He hadn’t noticed a small bug had appeared at the back of his neck.

Soon, the old man fell into a deep sleep, snoring away.

Long Yan’er and Kong Shangzhao’s figures darted out from behind the wall.

"You go in."

Long Yan’er looked around, "I’ll keep watch here to avoid anyone disturbing us."

Kong Shangzhao didn’t waste words, took the key from the old man, and headed for the gate.

Considering how many demon spies still lay hidden within Jinling City, even the Captain Bureau personnel couldn’t be trusted. To prevent leaks, they could only use this approach.

Opening the storeroom, a musty and moldy smell rushed out immediately.

With Jinling City being the Ancient City of several dynasties and the Great Xing Dynasty’s capital a hundred years ago, it naturally accumulated many archives. Looking around, there were at least a hundred densely packed bookshelves, all filled with documents and ancient books.

Yet, most of this had already been transported to Beiping.

While others might find it daunting, Kong Shangzhao, having previously worked at the Capital City Captain’s Office, was already familiar with the filing system. Without a word, he searched along the wooden signs and quickly located the Song History Ancient Books section.

These records were from many years ago, mostly documenting the capital’s cases and some court developments.

Because no one had consulted them for a long time, they’d accumulated a layer of dust.

Kong Shangzhao carefully pulled them out and reviewed them.

He couldn’t waste time; if he couldn’t find what he needed here, he would have to go to the Jinling Prefecture Government Office.

Rustle rustle~

He moved swiftly, eyes and hands working in unison.

Useless files and tomes were quickly discarded.

Finally, a Song-era manuscript on the third shelf caught his attention.