Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 483: Karma and Cause
If you think about it carefully, this guess is not impossible.

Zheng Quan's death not only cut off his source of filial piety from his patrons in the Gongcao Yamen, but also nearly got him implicated, forcing him to throw out a few pawns to take the blame.

From this point of view, Zheng Quan's backers in the Gongcao Yamen must be full of resentment. It is not surprising that they would take revenge.

Although Feng Boyuan was in charge of Zheng Quan's downfall, Feng Boyuan was a disciple of the Feng family. Therefore, the person behind Zheng Quan, even if he was a powerful figure in the Gongcao Yamen, did not dare to act against Feng Boyuan easily.

But Shang Lu was different. He was born in a poor family and was just an unemployed constable in the past. Although he had been promoted to the position of a thief official, he had no background or foundation, making him very suitable for being exploited and vented.

As for why that person waited until now to take action, it was most likely because he had investigated him. After all, Shang Lu was able to become a thief Cao official through the recommendation of the Feng family, and that person must have first figured out his relationship with the Feng family.

Now that person has taken action, it should be because he found out that he had no connection with the Feng family, and was only being treated favorably because he helped Feng Boyuan.

After all, the Feng family practices the art of creation and they love to "invest" everywhere. Whenever a disaster strikes, it is the Feng family that gives out the most porridge and charity.

But there was one thing Shang Lu couldn't understand.

How close is the relationship between the man in Gongcao Yamen and Zheng Quan? Why would he want to take revenge on Zheng Quan, who has become a thief Caoyuan and joined the Discipline Department, just for the sake of his death?
Not to mention that he also made great contributions. Not only did he help the Witch Academy to catch the great witch Zhongli who was bewitched by the mountain ghost, he also saved many people in the Three County Witch Academy.

Normally, even if that person wanted to take revenge, he should have found another time. Why did he choose to attack him when he was at the peak of his powers?
What kind of medicine is sold in this gourd?

Was it because he was afraid that after making great contributions, he would be rewarded and would not have the opportunity to seek revenge? Or was it because of the influence of the "human robbery"?

Shang Lu thought about this and guessed secretly: "I'm afraid it's both!"

If that person is really affected by the calamity and becomes a part of his "human calamity", the hatred and anger in his heart will be completely aroused and burning.

Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that some people do things that seem almost insane to others.

But is it really just that?

"There must be an influence from the human robbery, and he also doesn't want me to get the reward. But he attacked me, it must not just be to avenge Zheng Quan. There must be other reasons hidden in it. There must be something that made him more angry than Zheng Quan's death..."

What could it be?

What could have happened in Luoshui County that would make people in the Gongcao Yamen far away in the county city so angry and resentful?
Moreover, this matter should have something to do with Zheng Quan.

"Could it be the Black Wind Gang?"

Shang Lu quickly thought of a possibility.

"The protector of the Black Wind Gang is not Zheng Quan, but this person?"

No, it's not that simple.

Shang Lu quickly shook his head again.

He was just a gangster from a low-ranking county, not even as good as Zheng Quan, so how could he make that man so angry?

"and many more……"

Shang Lu suddenly remembered one thing: when the Black Wind Gang was destroyed, Zheng Quan was not angry at first, but sent a large number of people to search the whole county for the Black Wind Gang's treasure and the Black Wind Gang's evil party who "escaped with the treasure". He wished to wipe out the entire Luoshui County.

Later, when he failed to find the treasure of the Black Wind Gang, Zheng Quan was very angry for a while, even showing fear, and then he sent people to send a large amount of gold and silver to the county town.

At that time, everyone in the Luoshui County Government believed that Zheng Quan sent money to the county town in order to completely remove himself from the Black Wind Gang case and avoid being implicated.

But now, looking back, Shang Lu felt that Zheng Quan's behavior was not right.

He is apologizing and paying for his life.

If he really wanted to send money to gain connections, he should have come to the county town himself! But he only sent someone to send money, obviously he was afraid.

What is he afraid of? Why is he asking for forgiveness, or even paying for his life?

What is there in the Black Wind Gang, or rather, in the Black Wind Gang’s treasure, that is worth Zheng Quan doing this?
Shang Lu thought carefully about the treasures he had taken away from the Black Wind Gang.

Gold and silver are obviously not of that value, and a few sets of skills are not of that value either.

"Could it be..."

He suddenly thought of something, something he had burned.

"Human skin pill recipe!"

In the treasure of the Black Wind Gang, there is a strange recipe for human skin pills, which records the use of humans as materials to make pills.

But Shang Lu did not find any trace of the human pill in the treasure of the Black Wind Gang at that time, and he did not even find the human pill on the bodies of Zhao Hai, the leader of the Black Wind Gang and others who were killed by him.

Is it that although Zhao Hai got the recipe for the human pill, he didn't use it to make the human pill?
This is obviously impossible! With Zhao Hai's temperament, he would definitely refine the secret recipe of Rendan! The Black Wind Gang has been dominating Luoshui County for many years, and many people do "disappear" every year.

These "missing" people were most likely used to make human pills.

Since Zhao Hai refined a lot of human pills, where did these pills go? Did he give them to the person who gave him the recipe? And that person was Zheng Quan's backer in the Gongcao Yamen?
"It wouldn't be surprising if it had something to do with Ren Dan."

At this moment, Shang Lu felt that all the confusion in his head had been cleared up one by one.

There is a saying among the people that cutting off someone's financial resources is like killing his parents.

For a cultivator, destroying his cultivation resources and opportunities for breakthrough is definitely a greater hatred than killing his entire family.

After the Black Wind Gang was destroyed, that man not only lost his stable source of human pills, but he was also terrified that his human pills would be discovered and traced back to him.

It is no surprise that they would retaliate.

It seems that the man did not carry out revenge before because, on the one hand, he was investigating the relationship between Shang Lu and the Feng family, and on the other hand, he was busy cleaning up his mess, fearing that the Discipline Department would find the human pill from the Black Wind Gang and trace it back to him.

However, judging from the fact that he later pushed forward a few officials to take the blame, the Discipline Department should not have found out anything about the human pill.

It seems that this person handled the aftermath very well.

Even Zheng Quan probably didn't know about the existence of the Human Pill, and only knew that there was a big threat hidden in the Black Wind Gang...

In this way, Zheng Quan can't really be considered as the umbrella for the Black Wind Gang.

At most, he is just a tool.

However, an official in the Gongcao Yamen actually dared to refine human pills and take human pills to practice. He was really bold! Was he really not afraid that he would be taken away by the Discipline Department for punishment after the matter was leaked? Or was he like the great wizard Zhongli, whose cultivation level was blocked for many years, not only did it not improve but also declined, so he took the risk of taking this evil path?
Who could that person be?

Is it Gongcaoyuan? Or Gongcaoli?

Shang Lu was thinking about it when he suddenly noticed that Shen Tu appeared in several pictures sent back from Tongyi.

It was Shentu who rushed to the Gongcao Yamen to ask for someone.

As Shang Lu expected, the Gongcao Yamen refused to hand over the man, and the reason given was that Zhu Quan had committed a crime in the Gongcao Yamen and they would punish him after interrogation. It was also through the eyes and ears of the copper ant that Shang Lu realized that the Gongcao Yamen of Ba State had great power. It not only managed the assessment and promotion of officials, but also had the power of supervision, which was equivalent to combining the "Organization Department" and the "Disciplinary Inspection Commission" into one.

Precisely because they have great power and are "officials" in charge, these people in the Gongcao Yamen are quite arrogant.

Shentu was a clerk in the Bandits' Office, an assistant official in the Bandits' Office. Logically, even if the Gongcao official could not come out, a Gongcao clerk should have come to negotiate with him.

But from beginning to end, the person who stopped Shentu was just an ordinary clerk in the Gongcao Yamen, and his attitude was very arrogant.

Of course, this may also be intended to provoke Shentu.

Fortunately, Shen Tu received Shang Lu's warning and did not fall for it. He also carried many witchcraft weapons and residual spirits with him, so he controlled his emotions very well and was not angered at all.

It was also at this time that Shang Lu noticed that after Shen Tu arrived at the Gongcao Yamen, someone quickly turned around and went to the Gongcao official's office.

An idea suddenly came to his mind, and he quickly asked Tong Yi to follow him, wanting to see what the man was doing and saying.

Unfortunately, when the Bronze Ant arrived, the man had already come out of the Gongcao Li's office and ran towards the backyard of the Gongcao Yamen.

The small dark room where Zhu Quan was imprisoned was in the backyard of Gongcao Yamen, which was also the place where Gongcao Yamen used to interrogate and investigate officials involved in the case.

Although this man ran fast, he was still not faster than the copper ant.

A copper ant quietly crawled onto the man's body and hid in his clothes.

The whole process was carried out silently and the man was unaware of it.

Soon, the man ran to the backyard and came to where Zhu Quan was imprisoned.

Only then did Shang Lu see through the bronze ant that there were several people guarding outside the small dark room.

When this person arrived, he waved his hand, and several strong men with swords walked away tactfully, leaving only a tall and thin man who bowed to the visitor.

"Old Peng, why are you here? Does the master have any instructions?"

"My Lord asked me to ask you, how is the matter going?"

"This guy is too stubborn. I tried every trick I could, but I couldn't get him to write a confession according to our request..."

"Then continue to torture him, and hurry up! As long as he is willing to write a confession, we can use the secret treasure to prove the truth. By then, even if the Discipline Department asks the gods to investigate, they will not be able to find out whether it is true or not!"

"But what if this guy still refuses to give in? I heard that the thief Cao's office has come to ask for him, but I'm afraid that time is limited and there is nothing we can do to him."

"So you have to speed up. If it doesn't work, you'll have no choice but to let him go. But before you let him go, feed him this thing, but be careful not to let him notice it."

The clerk named Peng took out a small wooden box from his bosom and handed it to the tall and thin man.

After receiving the item, the latter nodded and said yes without any hesitation or confusion, obviously he did this kind of thing often.

The clerk named Peng did not stay here for long and soon turned around and left.

The tall and thin man immediately returned to the small dark room and continued to torture Zhu Quan.

Shang Lu saw this and didn’t wait any longer.

Although he didn't know what the clerk named Peng was going to feed Zhu Quan, it was definitely not something good.

Once Zhu Quan eats it, he might go crazy or die.

Zhu Quan is tough enough, so he can't be any worse.

Shang Lu raised his hand and wiped his face, changing into the Nuo mask of a god with a pig body, eight legs and a snake tail.

This sudden scene made He Ying, Du Feng and Tu Pi in the yamen all stunned. They asked in amazement: "Thief, what are you doing..."

"I will go to the Gongcao Yamen in person and ask them for the person."

After Shang Lu threw down these words, he made hand gestures and used the earth escape technique. His body turned into a yellow light and drilled straight into the ground, disappearing in an instant.

He Ying reacted the fastest. As soon as Shang Lu left, he came to his senses and shouted at Du Feng and Tu Pi, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and gather the bandits to go to Gongcao Yamen to give the bandits a boost!"

If possible, He Ying did not want to offend the Gongcao Yamen, because the Gongcao Yamen held the official hats on their heads.

But the current situation is that the Gongcao Yamen is determined to cause trouble for them.

Even the accusations of killing innocent people to claim credit and harming their colleagues were thrown at them.

He Ying didn't understand how they had offended the Gongcao Yamen. But he knew that once the dirty water was confirmed, not only would Shanglu suffer, but they would also be in trouble!
At that time, not only would he lose his official hat, but he would also lose his life.

Since the other party is determined to cause trouble, hiding is definitely not an option. It is better to make a big deal out of it.

They have just made a great contribution. Once they make a big deal out of it and get the county governor involved, why would they be afraid of the Gongcao Yamen?
As for whether doing so would completely offend the Gongcao Yamen and target them in the future, he could not care about it at all. He had to get through the current dilemma first! Otherwise, he would not live to worry about the future.

Du Feng and Tu Pi didn't think so much, but after receiving He Ying's instructions, they immediately went to gather people and followed He Ying to the Gongcao Yamen.

He was afraid that if he arrived too late, his own bandits would be bullied because they were outnumbered.

What Du Feng and Tu Pi didn't know was that Shang Lu had been waving people on his way to the Gongcao Yamen.

He first used the Jade Tablet of the Witch Academy to send messages to Lu Dao, Yan Tao and other witch officials from the Discipline Department, telling them that the Gongcao Yamen suspected that the cases of catching mountain ghosts and collecting wheat thieves were forcing innocent people to become thieves and killing innocent people for credit, and he earnestly invited them to come and help testify.

He said he was helping to testify, but in fact he was telling these witch officials: The people from the Gongcao Yamen suspect that there is something wrong with the case you are handling. It doesn't matter if I am being smeared, but if they really let them frame you, I'm afraid all the merits and rewards you have earned will be taken back.

All the witch officials from the Discipline Department who were involved in cases such as the Mountain Ghost and the Wheat Thief were generously rewarded by the Witch Academy.

Needless to say, Lu Dao even filled the vacancy left by the great wizard Zhongli and got the opportunity to break through to the fifth-grade inner palace realm.

Others like Yan Tao, Xu Shan and others also obtained a large amount of resources for cultivation.

If the Gongcao Yamen really classified the cases handled by Shang Lu and others as forcing innocent people to become thieves and killing innocent people to gain credit, and used special means to make them into ironclad cases, then people like Lu Dao, Yan Tao, Xu Shan and others would be considered accomplices of the tyrant, wouldn't they?
At that time, not only will the rewards they received be taken back, but they will most likely be punished!
It was because of this that Shang Lu suspected that the man in the Gongcao Yamen had been affected by a calamity, and had been blinded by hatred and anger and had lost his mind.

Soon, Shang Lu received replies from Xu Shan, Yan Tao and other witch officials, all of whom said they would testify as soon as possible.

There is still no news from Lu Dao, so he is probably still in seclusion.

After a brief consideration, Shang Lu sent another message to Zishu Xunshu, explaining that he was being targeted by the Gongcao Yamen, and also vaguely mentioned the matter of the human elixir.

"You think I'm easy to bully and want to frame me, right? Just wait and see how I'll poke a hole in your way today!"

After sending a message to Zishu Xunshou, Shang Lu fled to Gongcao Yamen without waiting for a reply.

It was also at this moment that Shang Lu saw the clerk named Peng and turned into the official office of Gongcao Li again.

(End of this chapter)