Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 94 Zheng Hui
Wen's Restaurant is very close to the city gate.

It is normal for the city gate officer to discover the commotion here and bring soldiers to check it out in a very short time.

However, the soldiers under the city gate officer usually only wore leather armor on their upper body, which was considered good, and most of the time they did not wear armor.

What Cheng Xiazi heard now was the sound of armored, well-trained, and rapidly approaching footsteps.

"Listen up, all the criminals inside! Drop your weapons and surrender immediately!"

A middle-aged man's deep and powerful voice rang out.

Then Chu Tianshu even heard the sound of a crossbow being strung.

A team of armored soldiers appeared outside the door, divided into three rows.

The one in front holds a shield and a sword, while the one in the back holds a bow and crossbow.

The last row consisted of several unarmored swordsmen, all of whom had a stern demeanor and were guarding a man who looked like a general.

It was the middle-aged general with thin cheeks and a goatee who was shouting.

"General Duan."

Lady Wenjing saw this person and smiled, "It turns out to be General Duan Rusu, who leads the troops on patrol in the city. He has also eaten at my place a few times. I guess he happened to be nearby."

She said loudly, "General, this group of thugs has been captured."

Duan Rusu's eyes flashed as she noticed the corpse in the restaurant.

"If he's a murderer, how could he surrender so easily? Besides, what are you two doing with knives and swords? Did you kidnap Madam Wen Jing?"

Madam Wen Jing's face turned slightly cold, and she sensed something was wrong.

If it was really the murderer who hijacked the people in the restaurant, wouldn't General Duan be forcing the murderer to go to extremes by exposing the matter directly?
Chu Tianshu whispered: "Is this person stupid or bad?"

Lady Wen Jing stared at the person outside, her footsteps already moving towards the counter, and replied softly, "I heard that he had made great contributions in the army. I'm afraid he is not a fool."

The guys in the store, who had been hiding behind the counter and pillars, were now peeking out.

Blind Cheng scolded, "Don't come out."

"Why, you're speechless because I hit the mark?"

Duan Rusu shouted, "You gang of thugs have committed too many crimes recently. Even if you kidnap someone in the restaurant, you won't be able to escape with your life."

"Since you refuse to surrender your weapons, you must be killed without mercy!"

Duan Rusu's face showed a ruthless look, and the crossbowmen were about to pull the trigger of their crossbows.

Chu Tianshu's eyes lit up. He just didn't have enough fun.

At this moment, someone suddenly rushed down the long street.

The man seemed to be wearing a purple-red robe, with a high crown and tied hair. His body was so fast that he looked like a flat shadow.

He passed through the gap between the row of sword and shield soldiers and the crossbowmen.

Crash crash crash crash!!!
The bowstrings were all stretched out, but there were no arrows on the strings.

The force of this bullet was wasted, causing the bowstring to break directly. Some crossbow arms broke and hit the people nearby.

All the soldiers were shocked.

The swordsmen drew their swords one after another.

Duan Rusu suddenly turned her head and stared at a shadow in front of her right.

The man in the purple-red robe flashed by, then turned sideways and returned to the door of the restaurant.

The arrow on the crossbow was like a handful of chopsticks held in his hand.

Just now, with just a few swipes, he took away all the arrows on the row of crossbows in front of the main gate.

Blind Cheng felt how fast this person moved and his expression became serious.

Chu Tianshu was also a little surprised and glanced at the man's feet.

The man faced the door of the restaurant sideways and took a look inside the restaurant first.

This encounter also allowed everyone in the building to see his face clearly.

This man had a head of thick hair with a few white hairs, narrow eyes, a thin and elegant figure, and a black beard that hung down to his chest.

Judging from his temperament, he is definitely a well-educated scholar. However, the gold and jade inlays on his belt are a bit too complicated and look a bit tacky.

He glanced at everyone in the building, smiled slightly, looked outside again, and his voice turned cold.

"General Duan, why don't you let your men withdraw their weapons? Do you want your men to chop down this old man in his purple robe with their swords?"

The soldiers all looked hesitant, and upon hearing this, some of them couldn't help but turn around to look at the general.

Many places in the Nanzhao Kingdom imitated the Tang system, but they were not exactly the same.

However, this luxurious purple robe, paired with the six-flowered gold and jade belt around the waist, is an outfit that only "Qingping officials" can wear.

Below the king, there were only six Qingping officials in the entire Nanzhao country, equivalent to first-rank officials.

Among the Qingping officials, the most powerful person is even similar to the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty.

"Mr. Zheng, why are you here?"

Duan Rusu's face looked a little ugly, but she didn't look too afraid. She took two steps forward with confidence.

"Someone dared to cause trouble in the royal city. This is almost a contempt for the monarch. I am here to arrest the criminals. This is truly a dangerous place. Duke Zheng should return home quickly."

When Chu Tianshu heard this, he remembered what Dao Baishu said, that among the six Qingping officials in Nanzhao Kingdom, one was of Tang descent, named "Zheng Hui".

This man originally passed the imperial examination and served as a county magistrate during the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty. He was abducted by the former king of Nanzhao along with the county's craftsmen and people and brought back to the country.

He was highly valued in Nanzhao, which enabled the Tang people to settle down. In recent years, he also made great contributions to Nanzhao's decision to seek an alliance with the Tang Dynasty again.

I just didn't expect that this civil servant was also a master.

"Where is the murderer?"

Zheng Hui threw the crossbow arrow in his hand to the ground, stroked his beard and said, "The murderer you are talking about is the leader of the Gentlemen's League and the lady Wenjing in this restaurant?"

"Or is it Doctor Chu, whose medical skills and kindness have become famous recently, and I plan to invite him to my house to treat me?"

"Or is it Captain Cheng, whom I have long wanted to recruit?"

Zheng Hui exclaimed, then looked towards the building. "That can't be the case. You're talking about the kitchen helpers and the storyteller, right? They're all honest people with local household registrations."

Duan Rusu didn't expect that this old guy could explain the origins of these people in the restaurant in detail.

"Hahaha!"

Duan Rusu laughed and said, "So these are all people Lord Zheng knows. It seems they are not the murderers. If they are, Lord Zheng will be held responsible in the future."

"Then I won't bother you here any more. Let's take those murderers away."

Zheng Hui waved his hand and said, "No need. The affairs here are not under the general's jurisdiction. Let me handle it."

Duan Rusu's eyes twitched and her gaze fell on Yuwen Tongxun. She seemed to see that the man was not dead, but she said nothing more. She just waved her hand and left with the team.

Chu Tianshu sighed secretly.

This Duan guy is lucky to have a life. Anyway, Zheng Hui is the more interesting one at the moment.

"Thank you, Lord Zheng!"

Lady Wenjing smiled and bowed.

The guys also came out and saluted in uneven manner.

"It doesn't have to be this way."

Zheng Hui turned around and said quickly, "I was a little late. In the end, you guys were the ones who defeated this gang of thugs."

Lady Wenjing introduced Chu and Cheng, saying, "Duke Zheng has visited our Gentlemen's Alliance many times and is very concerned about us Tang people."

"I can hear Mr. Zheng's concern."

Cheng Xiazi laughed at himself and said, "You can find out everything about the lieutenant."

Zheng Hui said seriously, "A few years ago, you arrived near the royal city and spent three months hunting down criminals, killing countless people. It's inevitable that the government would pay more attention to such a brave and courageous assassin."

"After careful investigation, I learned a little about your background. You were born into a commoner family, yet you rose to the rank of captain in the army before the age of thirty."

"How can we take such a person lightly?"

Cheng Xiazi said calmly: "I am just a small lieutenant. I am just a blind man now."

"I wasn't the one who dealt with the most powerful character in this gang of thugs. I don't know why they chose to attack Doctor Chu."

Chu Tianshu uttered an "oh" and said casually, "They thought I was an internal guard."

Internal security? !
The expressions of the people in the lobby changed a little.

Dao Baishu took a breath of cold air, his legs and feet felt a little weak, and he was supported by the guy next to him.

He recalled that during those days, Chu Tianshu paid him money to inquire about information every morning.

Great! So I was just showing off my well-informed knowledge in front of the Tang Dynasty's inner guards...

Dao Baishu's throat was dry and he tried hard to recall the past.

I also accepted money from the Internal Security Bureau, so I didn't say anything nonsense during those days.

Zheng Hui's expression also changed slightly: "So, Your Excellency..."

"I'm not."

Chu Tianshu waved his hand and said, "They just made a mistake."

Zheng Hui nodded slightly, with a look of understanding.

"I have been following the recent assassination attempt on the Gentlemen's League for a long time. I also learned that some of the elders and patriarchs of the tribes near the Royal City had met with misfortune. I knew there was something behind this, and it was probably quite serious."

Zheng Hui said, "If they want to provoke the Tang people into conflict with other ethnic groups, I'm afraid they will incite people from other ethnic groups to burn, kill, and loot the Tang people."

"And in the end, these things undoubtedly developed to undermine the friendly alliance between Nanzhao and the Tang Dynasty."

"There are people in the Tang Dynasty who are paying attention to this matter and upholding the alliance. That's a good thing."

What he said implicitly was that the Tang Dynasty's internal guards were secretly causing trouble in Nanzhao, and as long as it helped the overall situation, he would give them convenience.

"I really am not... Never mind."

Chu Tianshu shook his head and said, "Let's first ask who is behind these guys."

Yuwen Tongxun was a master after all. Even though he lost his arm and fell unconscious, the wound did not continue to bleed. His body instinctively contracted his muscles to stop the bleeding.

Chu Tianshu took a look and shot out three silver needles, which were nailed into the acupuncture points on his chest to hinder blood supply and make his brain reaction slower. Then he nailed a needle into the center of his eyebrows to wake him up.

Yuwen Tongxun opened his eyes, with a murderous gleam in them, but then a silver needle slid in an arc in the air, turned a corner, and nailed into his crown.

"Pro!"

Chu Tianshu spoke the truth.

All the silver needles on Yuwen Tongxun's body hummed, making his eyes blurry.

Chu Tianshu asked, "Why did you want to assassinate Madam Wen Jing and the others?"

As Zheng Hui expected, Yuwen Tongxun's response was to provoke confrontation and undermine the relationship between Nanzhao and the Tang Dynasty.

"Who asked you to do this?"

When Chu Tianshu asked this question, he was already thinking of Duan Rusu and his gang.

Unexpectedly, Yuwen Tongxun said, "Huaixi."

Chu Tianshu frowned: "What?"

Huaixi and Nanzhao, have you come all this way to cause trouble?!

"Huaixi Jiedushi Wu family, our Yuwen family is helping Huaixi."

Yuwen Tongxun's voice sounded sleepwalking, as if he had returned to the scene before his departure. He said, "During the An Lushan Rebellion, Tubo took advantage of the opportunity to occupy large tracts of Tang territory."

"Ten years ago, the imperial court defeated the combined forces of Tubo and Nanzhao, briefly testing the waters. While recuperating over the past few years, they are still gathering food and fodder, preparing to launch an attack on Tubo, completely recover lost territory, and intimidate the border."

"Wei Gao will be the commander-in-chief, and Nanzhao has already surrendered, so they will most likely become Wei Gao's assistant."

"We need to create trouble in Nanzhao, so that Nanzhao will once again turn to Tubo and fight against the Tang army together."

"Huaixi and other places can take advantage of the opportunity to start an uprising."

Chu Tianshu thought for a moment and said, "Even with all these things you're doing, you might not be able to influence Nanzhao's decision, unless you have an ally among the Nanzhao officials. Is that Duan?"

"Yes."

Yuwen Tongxun said, "Duan Rusu."

Chu Tianshu chuckled and looked up, saying, "Master Zheng, if I had taken action just now, you might have had to stand on Duan Rusu's side and help when the critical moment came."

"But now that we have this confession."

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "Can you tell me where General Duan lives?"

When Zheng Hui heard who was behind this, there was no surprise on his face.

"A confession alone is not enough."

Zheng Hui asked Xiang Yuwen, "Do you have any evidence? A token? A letter?"

Yuwen Xinxun replied: "No."

"Sure enough, not."

Zheng Hui looked at Chu Tianshu and said, "Doctor Chu, even if there is evidence pointing to Duan Rusu, it doesn't mean much."

"He was just a messenger sent out to run errands. The real mastermind behind the collusion with Huaixi was someone else."

Chu Tianshu's eyes lit up.

"It sounds like Lord Zheng already has a guess in his mind. Who is this person? He must be of high status, right?"

(End of this chapter)