This strong man calls himself Xiang Liu. He is involved in many things Bao Gui plans. He is considered a very useful person and a confidant.
Song Qiyun stood in front of Xiang Liu, looked at him, then at the other cowering people, and his eyes rested on the shocked Bao Gui for a moment.
Bao Gui didn't expect that the person he regarded as his best brother would betray him so easily. But he can't do anything now. His face is covered with sweat if he moves even a little bit. His voice is completely mute and he can't say a word. He can only watch as he pours beans into six handfuls of the things he knows. pour out.
"Are you from the Tianxing Sect? How many people are there in total?"
"Yes, you guys are believers of the Liuzhou branch of Tianxing Sect. There are seventy-one people in the whole branch." Xiang Liu admitted happily, "Shopkeeper Bao is the person in charge of Liuzhou Mansion. Whatever tasks he has, he can do it." It was issued by Shopkeeper Bao, and all we have to do is obey and execute."
"Liuzhou branch?" Song Qiyun swung the whip in his hand and heard the sound of the whip in the air, which made him feel particularly comfortable. "Then are you followers of this branch a recent member, or are you already a believer in the Tianxing Sect?"
"Young people are already believers, you didn't just join." The strong man looked at the whip being whipped nervously, for fear that it would fall on him. He raised his head to look at Song Qiyun standing in front of him, and swallowed Swallowing his saliva, he spoke faster than before, "In our little people's families, generations of people have been believers in the Tianxing Sect, and it has not changed for so many years. Since the last time the Tianxing Sect was wiped out, those of us who have been Believers who fell through the cracks of the government were forced to hide their whereabouts, change their names, and blend in with ordinary people, waiting for the next comeback. Little people all know that the confrontation and conflict between the mages and the government will not end easily, and it will definitely still happen. It’s going to explode.”
"Wait a moment." Bai Meng took a step forward and walked to Song Qiyun's side. "As far as I know, Master Tianxing had already surrendered many years ago. How could he still be fighting against the government? What else could he do? A comeback? Is there any other hidden secret in this? "
"The person who was caught and later imprisoned was just the mage's stand-in. The real mage has been safely transferred long ago."
"substitute?"
"Yes." Xiang Liu nodded, glanced at Bao Gui, and sneered, "As far as the villain knows, most believers don't know the whereabouts of the mage. The mage they see is just a substitute. And there are no less than five such substitutes."
"Oh?" Song Qiyun raised his eyebrows slightly, narrowed his eyes, and looked at him with a hint of suspicion, "This should be considered an internal secret of Tianxing Sect, right? How do you know such a secret?"
"Shopkeeper Bao said that." Xiang Liu looked at Bao Gui and showed a scary sneer again, "This is a great achievement of shopkeeper Bao!"
"Did he suggest it?" Song Qiyun felt that Xiang Liu's reaction was wrong, "You..."
"My lord, the person named Bao is not a good person. He looks like a dog on the surface, but he does some dirty things behind the scenes!" Xiang Liu took a deep breath, "I grew up with the villain. A little brother, because he was about the same height as the Master, was sent over by Shopkeeper Bao to be the Master's stand-in. In fact, this was a good job. For this little brother, he earned more than a dozen taels of silver a month. It is good to allow parents and younger brothers to have no worries about food and clothing. Moreover, although they are substitutes, they do not have to stay in the temple every day. They can also go home to visit their parents one or two days a month to comfort their family members. Bitter. In addition to this, the master is also very good to them. They can keep their bellies full and even hired a husband to teach them how to read, which is absolutely impossible at home."
"Isn't it great?" Song Qiyun was puzzled, "Why do you say Bao Gui is not a thing?"
"Substitutes also have different divisions of labor. Some are to attend the Dharma assembly on behalf of the Master, and some are to die in place of the Mage. Originally, this brother of the villain is more hard-working and learns things very quickly. He was assigned to attend the Dharma assembly on behalf of the Master. The same kind of thing. But then..." As he spoke, Xiang Liu's eyes turned red, "Brother Xiaoren took advantage of going home to see his parents and secretly told me that shopkeeper Bao went to see the Master and told the Master. The relationship between us means that if his life is used as a threat, the villain will definitely sacrifice his life loyally."
"This logic is wrong." Song Qiyun shook his head, "If your brother had always been the mage's substitute, it would be easier to control you."
"That's not the case." Xiang Liu smiled bitterly, "The villain's brother is very popular with the mage. The man named Bao is worried that once the villain brother gets a foothold, he will recommend the villain in front of the mage, and his status will be compromised. Threatened. Therefore, he must eliminate this hidden danger in order to retain the power in his hands."
"So, your brother is the Tianxing Master... is he dead?"
"...Yes." Xiang Liu nodded and looked at Song Qiyun, "He did not die in the hands of the government, but before the government thoroughly investigated the Tianxing Sect, some more radical believers once besieged the Master's carriage. They thought On that carriage was the mage himself, I didn’t expect..."
"When did you receive the news?"
"I haven't received it. I know this. On the way to Xijing a few days ago, the man named Bao drank too much and let it slip." Xiang Liu took a deep breath, "Originally, he was mocking the government. , saying that there are many substitutes for the mage, and the government has no idea that the mage is safe now. Later, when talking about those radical believers, the man named Bao called them stupid, saying that the attackers did not even know whether they were the masters. "
"He specifically told you that your brother died in place of Master Tianxing?"
"No, he didn't dare to say it." Xiang Liu shook his head, "The villain drank too much. He went out to sober up. When he came back, he heard what Bao told them." Xiang Liu looked at the people around him. "He said that the villain has been asking him to find his brother, but his brother has died long ago, and even Hui'er is gone. He also said proudly that the villain wants to step on his head and use the ladder of the villain brother to climb up , he is going to completely destroy this ladder."
Song Qiyun looked at the other people kneeling on the ground. They all nodded hurriedly, proving that what Xiang Liu said was right.
"But you...have never met the mage himself, right?"
"Of course not. Even if the villain brother likes the mage, he can't be so unruly as to introduce the villain to the mage." Xiang Liu smiled bitterly, "What the villain brother wants in his heart is that he can spend more time in front of the mage. For some, life at home will be easier, for others..." He shook his head slightly, "I have no other ideas."
"What about you? Do you want to use your brother to climb up?"
"No, I don't have a family, and I don't plan to get married and have children. I don't want to compete with him."
"So, whether there is this whip or not, you will tell what you know and avenge your brother, right?"
Xiang Liu said nothing, just nodded slightly.
"Aren't you afraid of being criticized? Aren't you afraid of being accused of revenge?"
"There are no public vengeances. They are not good people and they have done nothing good. Where did he come from?" Xiang Liu looked at Bao Gui. "He led us to Beijing this time. In addition to killing people and silencing them, he also wanted to Instead.”
