fantasy novels Chapter 61: Li Bo's Past
Chapter 61: Li Bo's Past
Lu Yuan Escort Agency.
Wu He recognized the name; upon closer inspection, it was the escort agency that Li Bo had entrusted with transporting his valuables.
When he was fighting, many of his comrades died on the battlefield and could not receive the government's pension. So he paid out of his own pocket and regularly entrusted the Lu Yuan Escort Agency to transport them.
Now the entire family of the third leader has been wiped out...
Wu He frowned slightly. It was hard not to make some connections when such a thing happened at the time when Li Bo was traveling around.
"grandfather!"
As I paused my horse to ponder, shouts approached from afar.
It was a pretty young girl with braids, Lin Lianhua, who looked anxious.
"Master Li is back, but, but..."
Fifteen minutes later.
In the Desire Immortal Pavilion, the afterglow of the setting sun shines through the old windows onto the decaying wooden bed, where a thin figure is slowly laid down.
He had numerous wounds on his chest, and one of his arms was missing. His faint life force was like a candle flickering in the wind, and he could be extinguished at any moment.
Wen Qiaoniang slowly closed the medicine cabinet and sighed deeply, saying, "My godfather's life has been saved, but his injuries are too severe, and he has also been infected by cold poison. Many of his meridians have been damaged, and he still needs to recuperate properly."
"And his arm... there's no hope of it being reattached either."
Wu He stood to the side, his face grim, watching the dying Li Bo, his anger barely contained.
lol~
As he clenched his fist, he asked, "Who was responsible for the cold poison?"
"The Net".
Wen Qiaoniang got up and placed her hand on his chest. The faint herbal scent emanating from her body subtly soothed the anger in his heart.
"It is extremely toxic and leaves no trace after entering the body; it is indeed the Ice Needle Cold Poison of the Net."
A net.
Wu He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Li Bo once said that in addition to the seven mainstream sects in the martial arts world, there are some organizations that specialize in dirty work, and Luo Wang is one of the best among them.
Their origins are ancient; assassins are found throughout the states, and countless righteous heroes have died at their hands.
How did they manage to target Li Bo?
"Lin Lianhua".
"Yes, sir!"
"Go to the Imperial Guard camp and bring Sun Lin here."
"good!"
Sun Lin had also participated in the Imperial Guard selection a few days ago and successfully made it into the top rank. Wu He then brought him under his command, where he continued to serve as the captain of a scout team.
Soon after, a heavy thud was heard in the courtyard, dust rose, and Sun Lin stumbled in.
"grown ups!"
"Go and find out about Lu Yuan Escort Agency and whether there are any rumors about my godfather."
Sun Lin paused for a moment, then looked at the seriously injured Li Bo on the bed and quickly nodded, "Yes!"
"You suspect that your adoptive father massacred the Lu Yuan Escort Agency?" Wen Qiaoniang asked.
Wu He nodded, sat down on the edge of the bed, and looked at Li Bo with a deep gaze.
"My godfather left suddenly three days ago, and then the Lu Yuan Escort Agency had an accident. Now he is also being hunted by assassins from the Luo Wang network. This should not be a coincidence."
"I think it must be that Lu Yuan Escort Agency tampered with my godfather's goods."
"My wife, you should go back first. We'll bring your godfather back to our home once his injuries have healed a bit."
Wen Qiaoniang bowed slightly, left some medicine, and departed.
As night fell, Sun Lin returned with the news.
……
"This is roughly what I've learned from my intelligence: Qian Zhuanghu, the third-in-command of the Lu Yuan Escort Agency, has been embezzling Master Li's money for many years and has murdered all the widows and family members, forging receipts to deceive Master Li."
"Master Li somehow got wind of the news and two days ago, he single-handedly stormed into Lu Yuan Escort Agency and slaughtered the entire family."
"Although he avenged himself, Master Li broke his vow to retire from the underworld and returned to the martial arts world, which angered some of his old enemies, so he hired assassins from the Luo Wang organization."
"Among these enemies, the one who hates Master Li the most is Prince Teng, Wang Yan."
Just as I had guessed.
Wu He felt a chill run down his spine.
He had heard Li Bo mention that he had fallen out with someone in the army, including Wang Yan.
During the Northern Expedition, it was a major taboo for Wang Yan to advance his troops without imperial orders. Moreover, his soldiers burned, killed, and looted wherever they went, resulting in extremely poor military discipline.
Therefore, the emperor ordered Li Bo to personally execute his three adopted sons as a warning to others.
Wang Yan dared not hold a grudge against the emperor, so he could only direct his anger at Li Bo, which led to many conflicts and frictions from then on.
Some of Wang Yan's followers naturally sided with him, and after gaining power, they further marginalized Li Bo, such as the current Kaifeng garrison commander Shi Shouxin.
Later, unable to bear the persecution any longer, Li Bo announced his retirement and publicly crippled one of his legs to fulfill his vow to wash his hands of the underworld.
Those who practice martial arts value integrity above all else. If both parties agree to retire from martial arts, then the grudges are washed away with the water and wiped clean.
Wang Yan and his group weren't particularly cunning, and they truly didn't cause any more trouble after that.
To this day, Li Bo has broken his oath, so the retribution he will receive can only be many times, even dozens of times, greater.
After sorting everything out, Wu He let out a long breath, his fair face showing more indifference.
"Sir, what do you think?" Sun Lin swallowed hard.
"This is none of your business, go away."
"Yes."
Sun Lin dared not say anything more and could only retreat and leave.
Wu He remained silent in the room for a long time before walking to the unlocked box in the corner and finally opening it.
He was curious about the many boxes. Inside, besides some gold and silver jewelry, were the martial arts techniques he had practiced. The contents were not as rich as he had imagined, as he had already practiced them all.
"I thought Old Li was quite wealthy, being a martial arts expert."
He chuckled softly at his own self-deprecation, but his heart was filled with bitterness.
Li Bo truly shared everything he knew with me.
Continuing to flip down, he reached the bottom, but Wu He could tell that it was just a partition. Once opened, a dark light flowed out from below.
It was a huge pile of various waist tags and other miscellaneous items.
Wooden, iron, copper... these are all objects that can represent one's identity.
Pick one up at random; it's engraved with "Deng Bao," and on the back, in tiny characters, is written the place of origin.
"They were all my godfather's former comrades and subordinates."
Wu He counted them; there were at least seventy or eighty.
With seventy or eighty people, including seventy or eighty widows and family members, it's no wonder that Li Bo's place is like a bottomless pit, which no amount of money can fill.
He didn't know what Li Bo had experienced on the battlefield, or how deep his feelings for his comrades were, that a crippled veteran would spend all his wealth to support his widow.
It is rare for a soldier to achieve this level of skill.
"My godfather said that he was able to live because they were dead."
"He lived on carrying their last wishes."
Wu He muttered to himself, and suddenly felt a slight sting in his nose. He took a deep breath before closing the box.
There were some rustling sounds outside.
He turned away coldly, donned the Tiger Warrior armor, and stood at the doorway.
Under the bright moonlight of a clear night, several figures stood silhouetted against the surrounding eaves.
Their figures were all different, and their auras varied in depth. They resembled a pack of hungry wolves baring their fangs, or a group of spiders weaving a net that had trapped their prey.
Wu He didn't say a word, his handsome face as cold as ice, and he suddenly drew his long, slender Plum Blossom Knife from his waist.
After two clangs, the long sword was plunged into the ground, vibrating softly with a cold, rippling light.
He, meanwhile, flicked his tiger-patterned cloak and sat down on the grand master's chair with a rustling sound.
The menacing iron armor stood firm and unmoving like a mountain.