Chapter 116: Strange Bird

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  Returning to Hu Zhuang with a somewhat anxious mood, Na walked up and said: "Sir, how is the situation with reporting to the official?"

  "What can be done? Just follow the rules."

  Jianna said: "Dad is calling you over."

  "Uh-huh."

  It must have been Joana who told Huangfu about Ruxiao being kidnapped. If this old fox can provide help, the channels for solving the problem will undoubtedly be enriched and accelerated. If we wait for the official investigation, it's unknown when there will be a result, and the longer it takes, the more unbearable the consequences will be. Xiang'er has already had an accident, Chen Jianchen absolutely does not want to see Ruxiao have another accident.

  Inside the room, Huangfu was lying on a pillow. At first glance, he looked like a fox with fiery red fur, giving off an eerie and absurd feeling.

  But Chen Jianchen was used to seeing such things and wasn't surprised at all.

  "Liu Xian, I heard that Lu Niang had an accident."

  "Uh-huh."

  Chen Jianchen once again briefly recounted the process of reporting to the authorities.

  When he heard that Liu Xian ignored the official rules and regulations, with a punch drumming action, Huangfu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he stretched out his claws habitually to sweep the long whiskers on the edge of his mouth, saying: "Liu Xian's move is indeed spirited and refreshing, but I'm afraid the government will take advantage of this opportunity to set obstacles and delay the progress of the case."

  They collude with each other, and the old officials dare to privately set rules for marrying money, which is not a one-sided behavior, but represents the interests of the entire yamen.

  "Are you kidding me? Someone's been murdered and you're still asking for money first? This rule is ridiculous! Good job, sir, if I were there, I would have smashed that drum to pieces. What's the point of having it if we can't use it? It's clearly a drum for reporting injustice, but you're making up your own rules to charge people before they can even use it. What if someone doesn't have money? Does that mean they can't report their grievances?"

  Huangfu Yiwai glared at her for a moment.

  Jianna didn't back down: "Dad, although I promised to behave and listen, that doesn't mean listening without discerning right from wrong. Sir, isn't that true?"

  Hurry up and show Mr. Liang.

  Xianjian Chen burst out laughing: "Miss Huangfu's words are truly delightful. For people like us, who read the classics of sages and worthies, what is our purpose?"

  What is the purpose of reading the books of saints and sages?

  This question is quite thought-provoking... What's the point of reading the classics?

  For fame? For wealth? For power? For profit?

  It is feared that these four are the main purpose of the hard work of scholars all over the world, who seek and hope for nothing more than to one day top the imperial examination, leap over the dragon gate, bring glory to their ancestors, and enjoy a life of prosperity.

  Chen Jianchen suddenly remembered Nie Zhiyuan, who was demoted to Jinhua, Zhejiang after leaving Jiangzhou. After taking office as the governor of Jiangzhou, he worked diligently and cared for the people's livelihood, being a clean official who did not take bribes or bend the law. However, he ended up being demoted from a third-rank governor to a ninth-rank county magistrate due to "one memorial to the emperor in the morning and demotion to Zhejiang in the evening". The reason for this was certainly not just because of his opposition to Hongfa, but also involved many other conflicts of interest.

  When one's studies are successful, they then become officials; but being an official is fraught with danger and wickedness, far surpassing the simplicity of studying.

  Huangfu's expression changed, and he sat up abruptly, saying: "Liu Xian, listening to your words, I seem to understand why you can cultivate the righteous energy. Haha, if you think like this, you certainly won't expect the government office to crack the case and rescue Lu Niangzi, right?"

  Chen Jianchen raised an eyebrow: "We can't wait."

  "Alright then, what's your take on it? Go ahead and say something."

  Chen Jianchen said in a low voice: "Li Yifeng, Mr. Li."

  Huangfu Yiwai concentrated his mind and said: "Do you suspect it was him who did it?"

  "The other party's direct goal is to kidnap people, and in Suzhou, Lü Niang only has Li Da Guan Ren as an enemy, he must be the first suspect."

  Huangfu's eyes flickered: "You mean to say that Lu's identity has been exposed, so the other party wants to take action?"

  Chen Jianchen said, "With Li Yifeng's power and background, it shouldn't be difficult for him to find out someone's identity. Moreover, Lu Niang will definitely leave behind many clues when she returns to her hometown to pay respects to her parents."

  Huangfu Yiwai stroked his whiskers again and nodded repeatedly: "What Liuxian said is correct."

  "Since we have a lead, we should act immediately. The longer Sister Lu stays in their hands, the more danger she's in."

  Huangfu asked, "Where's Songniang? With her here, it'll be easy to find someone."

  Jiona replied: "Na'er also doesn't know where she flew off to, she hasn't been seen for two or three days."

  Chen Jianchen curiously inquired: "Who is Song Niang?"

  Jonna replied casually: "Songniang is just a bird, yes, sir, you should have seen it."

  Nian's heart skipped a beat as he suddenly remembered that beautiful and strange bird, with its white crown and long tail. So, this bird was also a demon?

  No wonder its performance has always been eccentric.

  Huang Fu's expression seemed to see through his thoughts, and he explained: "Song Niang was originally a strange bird, accidentally caught by me, and I used some methods to enlighten her, but it wasn't really enlightenment, just half-enlightenment. So she has some spiritual connection, can speak human language, especially good at spying on intelligence and so on. Hehe, actually, I wanted to find such a bird to accompany Na'er, but somehow, they are naturally incompatible, always quarreling." Jiao Na giggled: "Father doesn't understand, a fox and a bird quarreling is the most interesting thing."

  Huang Pu flipped out a white eye, it's hard for him to use the fox's original shape to make such a high-difficulty emotional gesture.

  Chen Jianchen didn't care about this and asked: "Then where is Song Niang now?"

  Jiona shook her head: "It's just that it's strange to say, she usually stays at the villa, where can she go? Ah, a few days ago she told me she really likes Lu sister, maybe she followed Lu sister?"

  Yi Lü Xi Yue stayed in Hu Zhuang for a period of time, she had a gentle personality and got along well with Jiao Na and others. Now it's said that a half-demon bird also has a crush on her, which is really speechless.

  Jianna thought for a moment and said, "She must be afraid of being scolded by Father and me, so she secretly followed us out of the village to Suzhou City."

  Chen Jianchen asked: "If so, why didn't it lend a hand when Lu Niang was in trouble?"

  "Sir, Songniang is just a bird, her spiritual orifice is only half open, and her yin spirit hasn't even emerged yet. What can she do to harm people besides throwing feces in mid-air and using her beak to throw stones at people?"

  Chen Jianchen was speechless, but he also knew that Jiao Na was telling the truth. People are divided into old and young, strong and weak, and demons are no exception. Some demons may be able to awaken, but they don't have much ability. For example, Sheng Yao Xiao Yi, when it first started out, apart from scaring people with its painted skin, it had no other strengths, and even a ten-year-old child could trample it to death. Awakening the spiritual aperture only represents having obtained spiritual intelligence and having a foundation for learning magic, but one's own strength can't suddenly soar to great heights. Especially for demons that are inherently weak, they really belong to the "weak group".

  Huang Pu said suddenly, "Na Er, if your guess is correct, then Song Niang must be with Lu Jiaojiao now. The reason she didn't fly back to report immediately was that she wanted to follow the bandits' trail, find out where they would eventually settle down, and then come back to tell us."

  Hearing this, Chen Jianchen slapped his thigh: "Brilliant!"

  The mountains and forests were dense, the roads were rugged, and this place was originally rare for human habitation. However, at this time, there was a team of people marching forward. There were twelve people in total.

  Oh, there should be thirteen people. All because one of them was wrapped in a hemp sack, only exposing a pair of feet.

  This is a pair of slender feet, perhaps due to the struggle, one shoe has gone missing, leaving only white socks.

  The struggles of the past period had undoubtedly exhausted Ma Bao, or he had fainted from exhaustion and was being carried away by two men, unable to move at all.

  Twelve Han men, each with a robust physique, wearing tight black clothes and wrapping their heads and faces in black scarves, moved extremely suspiciously.

  After walking quickly for a while, one of the men called out: "Big brother, we've already climbed up the mountain, can't we take off this mask now? It's uncomfortable to cover our mouths and noses."

  The eldest brother replied: "Okay."

  With his permission, the Han men immediately took action to remove their black scarves, revealing faces that were either ferocious or brutal. Many of them had scars on their faces, either from knives or swords.

  They were originally a group of bandits, with the notorious "Flowing Horse Eighteen Bandits" as their leader. The leader's surname was Wang and his name was Yun, with a rather legendary background. It is said that he was originally an martial arts student who had taken several exams but failed to pass any of them. One time, in a fit of rage after being scolded by the examiner, he was expelled from the examination hall. In anger, he gathered his followers and became the leader of the bandits, leading three hundred men to rob and kill merchants on the road.

  After many years of baptism, the eighteen bandits of Liu Ma were left with twelve, each of whom was a fugitive who feared for his life and had been put on the wanted list by the Suzhou government.

  "Brother, this little girl's skin is really smooth and delicate, even more so than the Huā Quī on the entire Suzhou River. Why don't we first..."

  At this time, a one-eyed man with an eye patch over his left eye spoke with a lustful and evil expression.

  Although not tall, the extremely majestic Wang Yun let out a cold snort: "Zhou Biao, stop spouting these fanciful ideas, at least for now. The 1,000 taels of silver that Lord Li put up, do you still want to take it?"

  When he heard a reward of 1,000 taels of silver, Zhou Bing swallowed hard and asked, "Boss, when did Mr. Li say we should go up the mountain?"

  "Tonight, and he said, after he's done playing with her, this little girl will be ours."

  "Really?"

  At this moment, not only Zhou Bing, but all the other men also showed a look of extreme joy, with ill-intentioned glances darting towards the hemp sack, gazing at the pair of slender white legs exposed, and everyone felt their blood boiling up.

  "Big brother, look! That strange bird has appeared again!"

  At this moment, someone suddenly shouted.

  Following his direction, Wang Yun saw a strange bird perched on a shrub not far away. The bird was the size of a fist, with bright and vibrant feathers in shades of green, its long tail almost as long as its body, elegantly floating behind it. On top of its head was a cluster of flame-like feathers, and above its round eyes were two thin white hairs, like human eyebrows, pure white as snow.

  A strange bird stood on a branch, staring straight at Wang Yun and others, its emerald eyes revealing an inexplicable chill that made Wang Yun involuntarily place his hand on the hilt of his waist knife.

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