Li Ang flipped the iron shard a couple of times and put it into the cloth bag at his waist.
Mo Si showed a moderate level of devouring desire for the iron shard, a bit stronger than an equivalent amount of Fine Gold.
It was probably some sort of Mutated Object.
"It went smoother than I expected."
Seeing Li Ang accept the iron shard, Ya Jiu nodded with a smile. "It seems you really are not one of those Disciples who can’t think for themselves and only follow orders from the Academic Palace."
"Do I have a reason to refuse?"
Li Ang glanced indifferently at Ya Jiu. The latter claimed to control the lives of Song Shaoyuan and Aunt Song, and with unknown information, Li Ang didn’t want to take risks and burn bridges with him.
Ya Jiu laughed briefly, seeming to know what Li Ang was thinking, and said, "As long as you become one of us, I will have people stop monitoring your family and friends. It’s a necessary precaution, isn’t it?"
Li Ang didn’t agree or disagree.
Currently, regarding the Zhao Ming organization that Ya Jiu claimed to represent, all Li Ang knew was that it included the Academic Palace defector Jun Qianzi, possessed numerous Ancient Cultivation Skills, and showed a willingness to utilize Mutated Objects. As for the organization’s leader, its scale, structure, purpose, principles of conduct, and internal promotion rules, he knew nothing. He still needed to gather more intelligence.
"Seven to eight days at the shortest, a month at the longest. I will prepare a gift and an assignment for you."
Ya Jiu spoke leisurely, waving his hand. He turned to look at the row of women from Pingkang Square below the ruined Buddha statue and asked, "What about them next? How do you plan to deal with them?"
Li Ang countered, "What do you think?"
"Hmm... Keeping them here, whether it’s the Government Officials from Chang’an Wannian County, constables from the Ministry of Justice, or soldiers from the Town Suppressing Office, there’s a chance they’ll trace back to them and find clues pointing to you."
Ya Jiu spoke casually, "The best solution, naturally, is to silence them permanently."
Li Ang said expressionlessly, "Doesn’t Zhao Ming claim to want to change the world and help more people live better lives?"
"Yes, everyone has the right to happiness. The problem is, some people’s rights take priority."
Ya Jiu curled his lips. "And don’t think these women from Pingkang Square are so innocent. Living in that environment, they inevitably become corrupted.
"Many of them help the Brothel Madams monitor and suppress the new girls in Pingkang Square,
"or lure innocent women into ruin,
"or beat their own maids, forcing them into the same wretched life."
Li Ang remained unmoved. Ya Jiu’s words were clearly presuming guilt. He still asked, "Making so many people disappear at once will only draw the attention of Wannian County, the Ministry of Justice, and the Town Suppressing Office, increasing my risk of exposure. Doesn’t Zhao Ming have methods to erase or modify memories? At the very least, you need to help me cover my tracks."
Ya Jiu had previously claimed Jun Qianzi was benevolent and selfless. Yet, as Jun Qianzi’s disciple, Ya Jiu now threatened Li Ang using the lives of Song Shaoyuan and Aunt Song, and even hinted at killing the women from Pingkang Square to silence them. This made Li Ang doubt whether Zhao Ming had any internal unity or guiding principles in its actions.
"No trouble, I’ve already planned it all out," Ya Jiu said nonchalantly. "I didn’t kidnap them out of the city. Instead, as a distinguished guest of Chang’an City, I invited them onto a pleasure boat. As long as we create a false scene where the guest drank too much and, with no one watching, the pleasure boat caught fire and sank in Qujiang Pool, it will be a plausible story for the Town Suppressing Office and the Ministry of Justice. After all, every year in Chang’an and Luoyang, dozens, if not a hundred or more, nobles die from various causes while pursuing pleasure. Afterwards, even if Jiao Cheng’s backers want to investigate, there will be no evidence. A clean sweep."
After speaking, Ya Jiu gently flicked the sword scabbard at his waist.
A ripple of watery light spread out, with the scabbard at its center.
The longsword did not fly out of its scabbard, but the row of women struggled even more desperately. Lake water mixed with algae continuously flowed from their mouths, and they frantically tried to scratch their own throats with their bound hands.
Ya Jiu’s sword scabbard was also a Mutated Object. With another flick of his fingertip on the scabbard, the expressions on the women’s faces became more pained as they were forced into a drowning state, their struggles growing more intense.
Some of them, disregarding the pain, stuck their fingers into their mouths, desperately scraping at their throats, yet they still couldn’t prevent the air they inhaled from becoming thinner and thinner.
A sharp sound rang out in the ruined temple. Ya Jiu’s right arm pressed down, his palm catching Li Ang’s hand-chop aimed at the scabbard.
"Risheng, what are you doing?" Ya Jiu asked, narrowing his eyes.
Li Ang said indifferently, "I don’t like covering tracks this way. Stop."
"I can," Ya Jiu said with a smile, "as long as you can stop me."
He stood still, but the two Judges of the Town Suppressing Office flanking him charged forward, attacking Li Ang from both sides with powerful punches.
The Judges’ bodies were pierced with long needles, yet their movements were unobstructed. With a single step, the stone slab under their feet shattered.
Two fierce tiger and wolf phantoms appeared behind them, their intense gazes fixed on Li Ang, causing an inexplicable tremor in his heart.
Li Ang wasn’t familiar with the internal Cultivation techniques of the Town Suppressing Office, but Instructor Ren Xin had once mentioned similar Martial Arts during a Physical Training lesson. It was called "Fierce Appearance." This technique involved washing the body with animal blood for years, then using bone powder as the main ingredient to tattoo the pattern of an Exotic Beast on the back. Once activated, it could summon the Fierce Appearance of an Exotic Beast, intimidating the weak. The strongest Martial Arts Grandmasters could even make an entire army freeze in terror with their presence alone.
The two Judges controlled by Ya Jiu, both at the Postnatal Martial Artist level, invoked Fierce Appearances that seemed to freeze Li Ang in place, rendering him motionless.