To the southwest of Wenshui City were twelve extremely large granaries. It was said that they could guarantee a year's supply for the six counties of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If Wenshui City was besieged, this amount of grain would be enough to support the soldiers and civilians of the city for several centuries. From this, one could easily imagine how much grain these granaries held.
The most important thing about granaries was naturally fire prevention, so these granaries were not far from Wenshui.
Although it was the middle of winter, standing in the granary, one could still hear the distant sound of running water.
In truth, it was not the sound of running water, but the sound of blood.
In the deepest granary, there was not a single grain. This incredibly spacious, perhaps even grand, storehouse was empty, with only several dozen people inside.
Seven people were stripped naked and hung on the iron chains used to transport the grain. Blood flowed continuously from their bodies and splashed on the ground.
They had already suffered countless tortures and were in an extremely miserable state. Even the slaughtered pigs would be much happier than them.
The executioners were all very young, and some of them were even teenagers. Their expressions were very focused, and they were not the slightest bit distracted by the scene in front of them. Their faces did not show any sympathy or pity, but there was an occasional bashful expression.
These young people were all members of the Tang clan's Torture Hall, and they all had the same teacher: the thin old man sitting in the chair.
It was also the thin old man that had appeared in the old estate not long ago.
The seven prisoners were released. There was not a single piece of unharmed skin on their bodies, and they had lost a great deal of blood, but they were still alive.
The problem was that at this moment, they wished that they had never lived.
"Sign your name, and then I'll send you on your way."
The thin old man finally spoke. His voice was as calm as his expression, exceptionally ordinary and ordinary.
But to the seven blood-soaked prisoners on the ground, the old man's voice was like the howl of a demon from the depths of hell, like a flower blooming in the Divine Kingdom above the sea of stars.
Already on their last breaths, they desperately crawled forward, leaving behind several bloody streaks on the floor of the granary. They crawled to the old man, used their already blurry eyes to find a brush and paper, and then used their fastest speed to sign their names. Then, they incessantly wept, "Grandpa Wei, hurry and kill me …"
… …
… …
A plume of black smoke rose from the estate, followed by the indistinct glow of fire, and then curses.
The Tang Second Master's favorite Tong Cottage had been personally set on fire by his plump son-in-law, turning into scorched earth.
The estate was behind the willow trees on the banks of the Wenshui, but the Tong Cottage was located relatively far away, so the fire could not affect the lives in the river.
The snowflakes fell on the surface of the water and disappeared instantly. The fish swam slowly in the water plants at the bottom of the water.
This was the southern part of the city, where the Tang Clan's main branch and second branch lived across the river. It was the most prestigious place in the city.
This place was far away from the Daoist Hall and the long street. There were no inns or restaurants.
Naturally, there would be no pedestrians and no liveliness.
Even the servants of the eldest branch who had come to watch the show were captured by Madam Tang.
In the next moment, the deserted Wenshui suddenly became lively.
Seven peddlers, six bailiffs, three fortune-tellers, two sesame-candy-selling elders, and a young girl who bought cosmetic powder suddenly appeared.
Everyone knew that these people were not ordinary people.
The yamen runners could manage the peddlers, and the fortune-teller could chat with the sesame-candy-selling old man, but none of the peddlers sold cosmetic powder. Who would the little girl buy it from?
They happened to be Fivekind Man.
Tang Thirty-Six had requested Fivekind Man from the Tang Old Master.
No one knew that the most frightening aspect of the Tang clan was not those private soldiers, nor was it the old Guardian half a step from the Divine in the ancestral hall, nor was it even the Torture Hall.
It was these people that no one knew about.
The Tang Old Master flew into a rage upon hearing Tang Thirty-Six's request. This was his natural reaction to discovering that the Tang clan's true secret and killing move had been discovered.
Although that person was his own grandson, he still found it somewhat difficult to accept.
From this, one could see the importance of these people to the Tang clan.
From the moment Chen Changsheng entered the Daoist Hall of Wenshui City, these peddlers, bailiffs, and Fivekind Man had been on the other side of the river.
They had to keep an eye on the experts of the Orthodoxy, ready to strike at any moment. At the same time, they had to keep an eye on that clump of water plants in the depths of the river.
Just as the Tang clan Guardian had said to Tang Thirty-Six, that monster called Chusu seemed to be moving about in a mysterious and unfathomable manner, but in reality, he had always been in the grasp of the Tang clan's old estate.
Today, these peddlers, bailiffs, and fortune-tellers had to follow Tang Thirty-Six's request and force Chusu out, then capture or kill him.
Although the Longevity Sect had already withered away, its ten-thousand-year-old foundation was like a mountain. If one looked down, they would see a bottomless abyss.
Chusu was the most terrifying product of this abyss. Could these peddlers and bailiffs with ordinary Qi defeat him?
The seven peddlers unloaded their frames, took out little toys like rattles, needles for spinning sugar, and dragonflies made of bamboo, and began to assemble them.
Their expressions were very calm, even somewhat wooden, but their movements were practiced, concise and swift.
In a very short time, those needles, rattles, and bamboo dragonflies had been assembled.
This was a sand table that had been shrunk down several hundred times. The buildings and corridors on it were extremely realistic, like they had been carved out of a walnut by the most brilliant craftsman.
The peddlers placed their hands on the edge of the sand table. Seven different but naturally compatible Qis poured into it.
Two fortune-tellers walked over, staring at the shrunken buildings and corridors, the long banners in their hands faintly fluttering in the wind and snow.
After some time, the wind and snow continued, but the banners stopped. Perhaps it was because their minds were calm, or perhaps because they had already calculated the result.
A dot of blood slowly appeared in a certain part of the building on the sand table.
It was Chusu's current position.
… …
… …
Chusu was in a remote corner of the estate.
This was a garden, and he was in the deepest part of the rockery. Even though it was winter, the cave was still rather humid.
This made him feel very comfortable.
He knew that Chen Changsheng had gone to the Tang clan's old estate today, and he even knew that the Mount Li Sword Sect disciple had remained in the Daoist church. In the past, he would have definitely sneaked into the Daoist church and killed that Mount Li Sword Sect disciple, but he had not done this, because he had always felt that this was a trap laid down by the Orthodoxy.
He squatted at the entrance to the cave deep within the rockery, the moss-covered stones around him seeming to become one with him.
As he gazed at the nearby black smoke and heat, his eyes revealed an irritated and callous expression.
Chusu did not know what had happened in the Tang clan's old estate, but he knew that there was a problem with the second branch of the Tang clan. However, he was not worried. Even if Chen Changsheng had managed to convince the Tang Old Master, he did not believe that anyone could capture him. Whether it was his speed or his ability to escape through the earth, he was extremely confident. If an expert really did find him, he could just escape.
At this moment, he suddenly sensed that the snowstorm in the sky had changed.
It was not because of the speed or shape of the snowstorm, but because the Qi of the world concealed within had changed, revealing a murderous intent.
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