He did not know exactly how dangerous Shao Pingbo was, and he needed time to understand.
Although he had quite a bit of autonomy, it was not easy to kill someone of Shao Pingbo's status. He had no chance to get close to him, and even if he did, he could not do it. Shao Pingbo must have experts protecting him, and it was difficult to have a chance, whether in the open or in the dark.
This matter was quite difficult for him, and he could only slowly understand and ponder.
After returning to the small courtyard he rented in the city, he spread out the map of the Northern State Prefecture and stared at it for a long time.
Then he spread out a piece of white paper and began to draw the relationship diagram of the people around Shao Pingbo. He marked the situation that Wu Sanliang knew on the diagram in case he forgot it. The relationship diagram was not complete, and Wu Sanliang had not been here for long, so his understanding was limited. He had to find out the rest himself.
Pa!
Something fell to the ground in the courtyard outside the house.
Lu Shengzhong quickly rolled up the things on the table, hid them, and then opened the door.
There was no one in the courtyard, only a ball of paper. He walked over and picked it up. There was a stone wrapped in the paper.
He quickly opened the courtyard door and looked left and right at the street. He saw sporadic people coming and going, and he did not know who had thrown it in.
He closed the door and returned to the house. He spread out the paper and looked at it. There was a special symbol on the corner of the paper. At a glance, he knew that it was Niu Youdao who had sent the message. This was the symbol that he had agreed with Niu Youdao.
He did not directly contact Niu Youdao, and the golden-winged man coming and going in the city was also a loophole. It was easy to arouse suspicion, and it was also to ensure his safety.
Niu Youdao did not say who the middleman was, and only arranged for a street trader to contact him. If there was anything, he could send the message to the other party, and someone would naturally pass the message to Niu Youdao.
The paper was full of secret words. Lu Shengzhong found a pen and first translated it, then read it carefully.
The contents of the secret letter asked him to find a way to get in touch with Shao Pingbo's two younger brothers, Shao Wubo and Shao Fubo, and find a way to let them know something.
After reading it, Lu Shengzhong had a pensive look on his face. He burned the secret letter along with the translated text.
He turned back and flipped through the relationship diagram he had just drawn. He rubbed his chin and continued to ponder, his eyes flickering …
In the study of Lingbo Manor, Shao Pingbo received the documents one by one, then wrote his instructions on them and placed them to the side.
He was busy until it was almost lunchtime. The butler, Shao Sansheng, stepped forward and reminded him, "Young Master, you should take a break."
He took out a report and handed it over with both hands. "News from Qingshan County. Shang Chaozong has taken over the military and political power of Qingshan County and Guangyi County!"
Shao Pingbo's eyes suddenly lit up. He raised his head and reached for the report, flipping it open and reading it carefully.
After reading for a long time, he said in a muffled voice, "I knew that Feng Lingbo wasn't a match for Shang Chaozong's side, and would be swallowed by Shang Chaozong sooner or later. I just didn't expect it to be so fast, such a fast speed of integration!"
His gaze fell on the contents of the report and he muttered, "New policy … Farmers don't have to pay taxes for farming. As long as they settle down in the two counties, they will be allocated land. Merchants have their taxes reduced by half. Where did he get so much financial resources?"
Shao Sansheng said, "He must have gotten the support of the Heavenly Jade School. Otherwise, it wouldn't be easy for the two counties to support the Heavenly Jade School. There's also the military and political expenses of the two counties. Without the support of the Heavenly Jade School, it's impossible for Shang Chaozong to do this."
Shao Pingbo leaned against the back of the chair and sighed softly. "Farmers don't have to pay taxes for farming. It's bound to attract refugees from all over to cultivate the land. With more people gathered, trade will definitely flourish. In addition, the tax for merchants will be reduced by half. With these two temptations, it's bound to attract a large number of merchants to do business. In time, when the new policy spreads, people, wealth, and goods will be hoarded in the two counties. The merchants will bring a large amount of wealth, the people will be prosperous, and the people will be able to accumulate grain. They will have money, manpower, and grain. This is what you call long-term vision. From this, it can be seen that the Great Zen Mountain is inferior to the Heavenly Jade School! "
Shao Sansheng said, "It's not easy for the Great Zen Mountain to make a decision like the Heavenly Jade School with so many people's expenses. There are benefits to being small too. One or two people from the Heavenly Jade School won't affect much. If the Northern Prefecture is as big as the Heavenly Jade School, I'm afraid the Heavenly Jade School won't be able to afford it. "
Shao Pingbo waved his hand helplessly. He didn't want to talk about this anymore. He threw the report back on the table. He didn't want to read it. It made him feel envious and annoyed. If the Great Zen Mountain could support the Shao Family with such boldness, he wouldn't have to put in so much effort.
Shao Sansheng said, "It's confirmed. Niu Youdao has indeed returned to Qingshan County. He's currently living in seclusion in the valley outside the county capital."
"Living in seclusion in the valley outside the city?" Shao Pingbo narrowed his eyes and asked, "Is there a chance to get rid of him?"
Shao Sansheng shook his head. "It's difficult. We've sent people to approach him, but they couldn't. We've already lost two men. According to the news, the Celestial Retaining Sect, Fuyun Sect, and Lingxiu Mountain have all moved there. Niu Youdao is surrounded by a large group of cultivators and experts. They're many times stronger than the guards around Shang Chaozong. There's no chance for outsiders to make a move. Even if we gather a large number of cultivators to attack him, he'll probably slip away before we even see him. "
"He's got so many people to protect him. He has a guilty conscience!" Shao Pingbo snorted. Slowly, he said, "The three sects that were attached to the Song family have sided with him. It seems that the massacre of the Song family might really be his doing."
Shao Sansheng said, "Young Master, he's already back in Qingshan County. Can we make a move on the Crimson Sun Fruit?"
Shao Pingbo asked, "Is there anything unusual in Jinzhou?"
Shao Sansheng said, "Nothing unusual yet?"
Shao Pingbo asked again, "How long has it been since the Ice Pavilion incident?"
Shao Sansheng said, "Almost three months."
Coldness flashed across Shao Pingbo's eyes. "Let's wait! Either we don't make a move or we make a move to kill him. We can't give him another chance to turn the tables. This guy is cunning. If he's hiding and hasn't treated him yet, we won't be able to find any evidence against him even if we expose him … "He paused.
He slowly turned to look at Shao Sansheng and asked, "If a good doctor comes to treat Xiao Tianzhen, do you think Hai Ruyue will agree?"
"Of course she will. Even if she can't cure him, she can't avoid trying with a glimmer of hope. All these years, Hai Ruyue has taken the initiative to look for many good doctors …" Shao Sansheng was also stunned. Then, a look of realization appeared on his face.
He understood what Shao Pingbo meant. If Niu Youdao didn't use the Crimson Sun Fruit to treat him, Hai Ruyue would naturally agree. If he had already been cured, there would be no need for Hai Ruyue to treat him anymore.
This was a test! Shao Sansheng nodded and said, "I understand. This old servant will arrange for the right people."
Spring Breeze Brothel was the largest brothel in Bei Zhou Prefecture. The entrance of the brothel was decorated with birds and swallows, welcoming and sending guests in and out.
Opposite Spring Breeze Brothel was a restaurant. Lu Shengzhong was sitting in front of a table of food and wine by the window on the second floor.
"Take care, Young Master Wu." The brothel keeper's exaggerated voice sounded.
Lu Shengzhong, who was sitting by the window, tilted his head and looked at the opposite side. He saw three young men dressed in luxurious clothes swaggering out. The young man named Wu Tiannan was especially taken care of by the brothel keeper.
To be sent off by the brothel keeper, it was inevitable that he was rich. Wu Tiannan had another identity. He was the son of the district magistrate of Pingchuan County. He had dealings with the Shao brothers, Wubo and Fubo, but they weren't exactly friends. The Shao brothers might not be interested in the son of a mere district magistrate.
However, Lu Shengzhong had his eyes on such a person for a few days.
It couldn't be helped. Niu Youdao had described Shao Pingbo to be so dangerous. According to the information he had gathered, Shao Pingbo didn't seem to get along with his two younger brothers. He was worried that the two brothers were also under Shao Pingbo's surveillance, so he didn't dare to have direct contact with them. He also didn't dare to interact with those who were too close to the two brothers, so he could only target those who were further away.
After watching Wu Tiannan leave, Lu Shengzhong threw the money on the table and stood up to leave …
Two days later, Lu Shengzhong appeared in a city outside of Bei Zhou. He also came to a brothel.
"Our esteemed guest doesn't want a girl and insists on seeing me. Could it be that he's interested in me?" The fat brothel keeper covered her mouth with a fan and giggled.
Lu Shengzhong flashed a gold note and pushed it in front of her.
The brothel keeper couldn't laugh anymore. Her eyes lit up as she looked at the gold note with a face value of ten thousand on the table.
"Young, beautiful, with a good figure. Knows how to play the flute and sing, knows how to write poems, and knows how to act!" Lu Shengzhong flicked a finger and made a request. "If you can find her, this money is yours!"
Finally, a horse carriage stopped at the door of the brothel's backyard. A graceful woman wearing a veil hat walked out of the backyard and followed Lu Shengzhong into the carriage.
With a whip, the wheels of the carriage rolled away …
The faint sound of the flute echoed in the forest.
The riders stopped and Wu Tiannan, who was on horseback, looked around. His gaze was fixed on a hill in the shade of the trees beside the road. He saw a woman dressed in white, her skirt fluttering in the wind. Her face was beautiful and gentle, and her slender fingers were holding a flute. She was playing a sad tune, and her expression was full of sorrow.
The beautiful woman stopped playing the flute as if she had noticed their rude peeping. She frowned slightly and turned around to go down the hill.
Wu Tiannan and his entourage looked at each other in surprise. They could tell that she was from a good family just by looking at her pure and innocent appearance. Where did such a good family come from in the wilderness?
They winked at each other and galloped to the foot of the hill. Only then did they realize that there was a horse carriage parked in the forest.
They jumped off their horses and climbed up the hill. They saw the graceful figure of the woman in white again.
However, there was a man beside the woman. He was burning incense and burning paper money in front of an old grave. The man and woman were obviously paying respects to someone.
They were in Pingchuan County. Wu Tiannan strode down the hill with great confidence and led his entourage to the grave.
The man and woman turned to look. The man was none other than Lu Shengzhong.
Up close, the woman's appearance was even more beautiful and had a slight scholarly air about her. Wu Tiannan's eyes immediately lit up when he saw her fair skin, coupled with her slender waist and voluptuous breasts. He did not expect such a beautiful woman to exist in Pingchuan County.
Clang! The sound of a sword rang out. Lu Shengzhong suddenly grabbed a sword beside him and unsheathed it. With a wave of his hand, a ray of sword qi sliced a nearby thistle in half.
Wu Tiannan and his entourage were startled. They realized that they had bumped into a cultivator and quickly put away their evil thoughts.
"What do you want?" Lu Shengzhong asked coldly. There was a clear warning look in his eyes.
Wu Tiannan hurriedly waved his hand. "Venerable One, please don't misunderstand. We were just passing by and suddenly saw a weak woman wandering alone in the wilderness. We were worried about her safety, so we followed her to take a look."
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