Back at the stronghold, Huang Shang said to the housekeeper Afu, bah, to the old woman.
"Yes, sir."
The old woman was quick with her hands and feet and quickly took out the secret volume.
Huang Shang opened it and took a closer look.
If you know yourself and the enemy, you can fight a hundred battles. What you know in the original plot is only a rough outline and only a few paragraphs. Only real-world information can further understand the enemy.
Of course, the few passages in the original plot cannot be ignored.
For example, Anlong said something at that time: "Master's death was only due to his misfortune while practicing the 'Heavenly Heart Lotus Ring', which caused the menstrual blood all over his body to explode and he died. Therefore, the body and bones are not preserved, so what do I, Anlong, do?"
These words arranged the outcome of his master Lu Qian.
Regardless of whether Lu Qian really went wrong in his practice, went crazy, or was harmed by An Long, at least one thing can be said that he did not achieve the Tianxin Lotus Ring.
This is good news.
Huang Shangyou is self-aware, and the life of this current clone is still relatively hard. He only has two volumes of "Heavenly Demon Strategy" and is not as good as Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling who studied the "Secret of Immortality", sucked the He family's jade, and played with the evil emperor's relics.
He is treated like the protagonist, so his strength has an upper limit.
There should be no rivals among the younger generation, but it is still difficult to face those old guys with profound skills and excellent inheritance.
Of course, it is not that there is no chance of winning. After all, this is no longer a low-level world of martial arts that relies purely on internal strength and moves. The emergence of spiritual confrontation makes the battle situation affected by various factors and becomes richer and more changeable.
But no matter how much it changes, there is an upper limit.
For example, in the original plot, Ba Fenghan looked like he was dragging others down and challenging Bi Xuan all day long. However, he got so many opportunities to strengthen with Double Dragon, and was beaten to death by Bi Xuan in the end.
That is a complete disparity in strength, and there is nothing left to chance.
In the same way, if Lu Qian had learned the Tianxin Lotus Ring, the secret skill of the Tianlian Sect, then Huang Shang would not have the advantage at all. Then with far inferior skills, he should not have even the slightest chance.
Yes, it shouldn't be.
Even if you can win, it won't work. Otherwise, when the reincarnation comes in, there will be no way to explain this unreasonable strength.
Fortunately, Lu Qian was sensible and didn't develop any special skills.
But seeing Huang Shang carefully checking the Huajian Party's knowledge of the Tianlian Sect over the past generations, the old woman felt that the storm was about to come, and she was a little uneasy: "Young Master, the Tianlian Sect belongs to my holy sect, and Lu Qian is by no means easy.
It’s not appropriate for a person like him to fight to the death with him!”
Huang Shang said coldly: "If you don't have unity within your sect, how can you unify the world?"
The old woman's thin body was shaken, and she surrendered happily again.
In fact, the real reason is not that.
It is one thing to maintain the character of Shi Zhixuan who was rebellious and brave in the face of difficulties when he was young. Another thing is that Huang Shang himself is also preparing to develop his own power.
Due to the difference between the internal and external speed of time, as long as the world barrier in this world is maintained for a while, the time left for him will be several months or even more than a year.
Compared to Tianlong World, it was quite long, but given the task of guarding the Temple of War, it was not long at all, but rather tense.
We cannot be satisfied with simply hiding, the advantages of the advanced world must be brought into play.
Huang Shang has set two goals for this:
Eyeliner and retreat!
There is no doubt that the purpose of the eyeliner is to discover the movements of reincarnators as much as possible.
In the world of Tianlong, the first reincarnators he discovered were the siblings Xu Yue and Xu Feng. Their identities were revealed through the death of Bao Zheng.
But that was just good luck. Huang Shang had nothing at the time. Starting from scratch, he could only rely on half preparation and half luck.
Now Shi Zhixuan has high-level martial arts and inheritance. If he doesn't know how to use it and waits for the reincarnation to come to him, he will be too passive.
The same goes for retreat.
After all, the reincarnations entering this world are three-star level.
As Shi Zhixuan, sometimes he should give full play to his areas of expertise.
Eyes and escape routes are actually equivalent to power.
The forces cannot come casually. Huang Shang cannot be sure how deeply these reincarnators who entered have an in-depth understanding of the situation in Shi Zhixuan's youth. Before the reincarnators enter, the changes cannot be too exaggerated.
Fortunately, no matter how in-depth, according to An Long, the younger brother in the original plot, the ready-made forces that embezzle the Tianlian Sect are reasonable, consistent with the character and logic. Computer version::/
After reading the secret volume, Huang Shang remembered the target he was supposed to assassinate before and asked: "The person Lu Qian paid a lot of money for me to assassinate was Hu Gui, the 'Midas that turns stone into gold' in the gambling house Yinru Pavilion. Who is he?"
The old woman introduced without any bias: "There are ten major gambling houses in the world. Yinru Pavilion ranks ninth. It is the most famous casino in the Yangtze River area. It was originally doing business in Nanchen and Nanliang. In recent years, it has moved north and is in
The Northern Qi Dynasty also opened several gambling houses. I heard that Hu Gui was originally a member of the Hu Xian sect. Later, he cheated and betrayed the Hu Xian sect and joined the Yinru gambling house as the host. He had extraordinary gambling skills and unknown martial arts skills, but
There are quite a few good people around to protect you.”
Huang Shang made a note of it and was even less prepared to assassinate him.
Even if places like gambling houses and brothels are not controlled by various factions of the Demon Sect, they are still involved.
In the original plot, Yin Ruge is the influence of Xianggui, one of the two gambling gods. Xianggui is Xiangyushan's father. The father and son were first tricked by the Yingui sect, and later they fell under the command of Demon Xiangdao.
Lu Qian borrowed his knife to assassinate Hu Gui, which in all likelihood was an internal fight among the demon sect.
Huang Shang is currently short of manpower, so he should not provoke too many forces, nor should he be too clever to use Yinru Pavilion to deal with Lu Qian when there is a lack of intelligence. Doing so may lead to a wise man making a mistake.
So at this moment, Huang Shang used Shi Zhixuan's talent to go straight to the core and looked at the location of the Northern Qi Imperial Palace.
Lu Qian's current identity is actually biased towards the imperial businessman, so he should implement his previous ideas and seize his true lifeline
Gao Zhan, Emperor of the Northern Qi Dynasty.
Gao Zhan is a madman who is angry with both humans and gods, and is worse than an animal. No matter how smart a normal person is, they can't guess his thoughts because there is no way to substitute him. However, there is someone who can take advantage of him.
That He Shikai who slept with Queen Gao Zhan.
Don't underestimate the slanderous ministers. The slanderous ministers are no more capable of settling down than the loyal ministers and capable ministers. Their status comes entirely from the emperor's favor. Once they fall out of favor, they will definitely die. It depends on how miserable the death is.
Therefore, they were at the pinnacle of understanding the emperor's thoughts.
If Gao Zhan is to be used to deal with Lu Qian, then He Shikai is the best candidate.
Of course, He Shikai would not be obedient.
So the housekeeper comes into play.
In just one day, the old woman presented the information of the godsons around He Shikai.
Many slanderous ministers and sycophants in the past dynasties liked to adopt godsons. They must have groveled before the emperor and their self-esteem was too much depleted, so they had to replenish it from their godsons.
Heshikai is no exception.
But these godsons of his are domineering and exploiting the common people, which is actually even more harmful.
So it's not that the old woman's investigative power is better than Conan's, it's that these guys are too notorious.
"Thirty-two godsons, really a family full of children and grandchildren!"
Huang Shang picked out a person who was very diligent in flattering but not so valued, and gave it to the old woman and gave her some instructions.
The old woman was convinced and took the order to do it.
Huang Shang walked out of the stone room and looked up at the sky.
The fifteenth moon is sixteen round.
After the perfect assassination, he is going to do a free assassination.
…
…
Among the most luxurious and luxurious mansions in the west of the city.
The monk opened his pipa and his face was full of pride.
All the godsons suddenly burst into thunderous cheers.
I am in my forties, with a house full of children and grandchildren, but no biological children. How happy I am.
It's finally back to normal.
Since the Blood Shadow Murder Case a few months ago, the other courtyard has become a forbidden area. If it weren't for the fact that this place was closest to the imperial city and could receive Gao Zhan's various movements immediately, He Shikai would definitely have moved away directly. : :
Even so, in the past few months, he suffered from pain in his waist and legs, and was in low spirits, as if his body had been hollowed out, and even applying powder could not hide his gray face.
This is not the Queen's fault, it's just out of fear.
The scene that night was really terrifying.
The bloody corpses stood there, seemingly still guarding the headless scholar in the middle.
He Shikai had nightmares for several days, and after that he was in a trance. He went to the toilet at night, and when he opened the door, he saw the headless Confucian scholar squatting there. When he returned to the room and lifted the quilt, he found the headless Confucian scholar lying there.
Who can withstand this?
He came to Gao Zhan and cried in front of him. Gao Zhan became furious and ordered the imperial guards to attack the whole city.
But as expected, nothing came out.
He Shikai finally realized that unless he could live in the palace, the masters of the world who were bribed with gold, silver and wealth could not stop the real masters from assassinating him.
No one, especially such a powerful minister who is usually aloof and responsive to every call, wants to see his own life involuntarily taken care of.
Fortunately, time is the best medicine to heal wounds.
Less than half a year later, the headless Confucian scholar finally no longer accompanied him to the toilet and fell asleep, and the guards in the mansion were nearly doubled. He Shikai returned to his former appearance, becoming a dragon and a tiger, and a dragon and a horse.
The queen smiled.
After sharing family happiness with all his godsons, the banquet dispersed. The monk returned to the room, opened his arms, and eight beautiful maids helped him change clothes. They touched them with their little hands, but he didn't look away, as if they were one of them.
A true gentleman.
In fact, it is a lack of energy.
However, when Dang and Shikai were recuperating and lying on the bed alone, they suddenly heard a shout coming from outside.
The voice was so urgent that it turned into a hoarse gurgling sound without even shouting out a complete word.
He Shikai's color suddenly changed, and without hesitation he reached out his hand and pressed on a secret raised mechanism beside the bed.
Wow!
The bed board suddenly turned over, and his whole body slid down the secret passage, and soon hit a soft cushion.
His face was full of fear, but his movements were extremely fast, he jumped up and ran wildly along the secret passage.
This secret path has always existed. After all, He Shikai has offended too many people over the years by helping the emperor to do evil. He also had martial arts when he was young, but it is now abandoned. At the moment of life and death, he still bursts out with a level far beyond the ordinary.
.
Within a few dozen breaths, he saw the long ladder at the exit of the secret passage and climbed up in ecstasy.
When the bright moonlight fell on him again, he had already appeared on the edge of the imperial city, and immediately rolled and crawled towards it.
"He who comes is stopped!"
"I am He Shikai! I was assassinated, let me in quickly!"
Among the Northern Qi Dynasties, the only ones who could reopen the gates of the imperial city at night were probably the monks who were the leaders of the Eight Nobles. Even if King Lanling and Hu Luguang came with military reports, Gao Zhan would definitely do it.
Not even seen.
And when the gate of the imperial city closed behind him, He Shikai suddenly collapsed like mud.
This is the safest place. If someone is assassinated in the Northern Qi Palace, there is nothing you can do.
That night, He Shikai stayed in the side hall.
Stayed up all night.
The next day it was still dark and the beautiful roosters had not crowed. He Shikai got up and urged the commander of the imperial army to go to his mansion to check.
The commander of the imperial army did not want to offend his favorite, so he asked the drunken Gao Zhan for instructions, and after receiving a "hmm" response, he led his troops forward.
Half an hour later, he returned to the imperial city, his face became extremely ugly, he opened his mouth and said: "They are all dead."
He Shikai is confirmed.
It's him! It's him! It's him!
The private soldier who worked hard to raise him, the master who was bribed with a lot of money, and the assassin who harvested hope and despair!
To be fair, He Shikai didn't care how many of his men died. Anyway, with his power, he could recruit again at any time.
What he cares about is that this time he has become the target of assassins. No matter how many people he recruits, he can't save his life!
Have you always stayed in the palace?
That's impossible.
There is only one way to find this assassin and kill him.
In view of this, He Shikai calmed down and prepared to return home.
The commander of the Forbidden Army took a special look at this man and quickly sent two hundred Forbidden Army soldiers to escort this favorite.
When He Shi arrived at the house, the body was already gone and had been disposed of cleanly. His godsons were waiting early.
It's just that there are fewer people.
The thirty-two godsons usually spend their days and nights, and no one is absent, but this time, only twenty of them came here, and those who came had pale faces, as if they were attending a funeral.
He Shikai looked at them coldly. Although he had expected it, he couldn't help but feel so heartbroken that he couldn't breathe.
I am your father!
But at this moment, a filial son who was not usually taken seriously suddenly said: "Father, I have an idea, maybe I can catch this assassin."
He Shikai hurriedly asked: "How to catch him?"
Dai Xiaozi said: "We don't want to investigate the assassin. We can investigate the person who commissioned the assassin. If he can hire such an assassin, he must be a powerful person. However, the assassin will not ask for property. It must be real money. Let's investigate Yecheng."
Which force suddenly has a large amount of gold and silver missing recently? Maybe it's the people who hired assassins? Of course, this idea was just a whim, I just wanted to share my father's worries..."
With a word that woke up the dreamer, He Shi took a few steps forward. Under the envious and jealous gazes of the other godsons, he held the filial son's hand tightly and shook it: "Okay! Okay! Although this method is stupid,
A little, but it’s still a path, and you’ve made a great contribution!”
Not to investigate the assassin, but to investigate the person who commissioned the assassin, is indeed a way to clear away the fog and get to the core.
He Shikai also had his own thoughts about this assassin.
There are two possibilities, either they are entrusted by favors and go on a killing spree. However, in the past six months, there have been more than one assassination in Yecheng. Obviously, no one with such a big face can always invite assassins of that level to take action.
Or it's profit.
This benefit can be political or commercial benefits after killing the target, or it can be simply money.
The latter is more likely. After all, there was no political benefit after killing the Confucian scholar Jia Dezhou at the beginning. It was just pure revenge.
In this case, hiring such a powerful assassin to assassinate him, the head of the Eight Nobles of the Northern Qi Dynasty, would require a reward of thousands of gold, right?
Thousands of gold is not a small amount. Even if he has thousands of acres of farmland, thousands of servants and soldiers, restaurants, gambling houses, antiques and treasures, it still takes a lot of effort to come up with so much real money at once.
"Go and check! Try every means to check for me all the big shots in Ye City who can afford to pay thousands of gold!"
"yes!"
The knight gave an order, and all the people surrounding him moved into action.
He knew there was only a certain chance of this.
The other party may have prepared a large amount of money for a long time, or it may be so secretive that outsiders have no way of knowing.
But it was about his own life, even if there was a glimmer of hope, he would give it a try.
But this time, luck was on his side.
Just three days later, the news came.
When he looked at the account books stolen from the Hebei Chamber of Commerce and listened to the analysis of his staff, He Shikai's brows rose.
(╰_╯)
You won’t know if you don’t look at it, but you will be shocked when you look at it.
In the past three months, the largest amount of money flowing to unknown sources was the Hebei Chamber of Commerce, which amounted to two thousand gold. After bribery, the confessions of many shopkeepers were consistent. The person who issued the order was none other than the leader of the association, Lu Qian.
Confidant.
"Two thousand gold! Two thousand gold! There must be something wrong with Lu Qian!"
He Shikai threw down the account book, his face became extremely ferocious, and he said every word: "Better kill by mistake! Don't let go!"