In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Page 53

Unexpectedly, An Yunshan, who had been hiding behind the scenes, was actually planning to take direct action and wipe them all out.

An Yunshan's main target was him!

The existence of the Zhang family has long been a stumbling block on An Jia's path to "imperial dominance".

Over the years, the Zhang family and the An family have become rivals.

Moreover, the Zhang family displayed extremely strong strength. The former head of the Arhat Hall, Juexin, protected Zhang Yuan, the bronze Arhat Juezhi guarded the courtyard, and four other masters—Elephant, Lion, Tiger, and Leopard—served under his command.

Especially beside Zhang Xiaoshan, there were two iron-tower-like bronze-armored warriors, Yagyu Meike and a team of mysterious Japanese Jonin!

It can be said that in An Yunshan's eyes, the biggest trouble in ascending to the throne was the Zhang family.

The Zhang family's apparent strength alone is in no way inferior to that of the An family.

Looking at the message in his hand, Zhang Xiaoshan couldn't help but frown.

He could easily handle An Yunshan on his own.

Although An Yunshan's strength was formidable, Zhang Xiaoshan's Pure Yang Limitless Skill had already reached its pinnacle in the past two years.

Moreover, from the very beginning, the pure and righteous nature of the Pure Yang Limitless Skill meant it was not afraid of the opponent's energy-absorbing technique.

With the two ghost corpses beside them, the three of them working together were more than capable of killing An Yunshan.

However, dealing with An Yunshan is not an easy task.

It should be noted that the An family is full of experts. Although their quality cannot compare with the Zhang family's Arhats and Masters, the An family's foundation is far more profound than that of the Zhang family.

If they were to clash head-on, both sides could suffer heavy losses and end up in a dismal state.

Neither Zhang Xiaoshan nor An Yunshan wanted to see this scene.

Therefore, the best approach is to first capture the leader of the enemy, and to shoot the horse before shooting the man.

An Yunshan's target was him, but Zhang Xiaoshan's target was also An Yunshan.

Moreover, An Yunshan was completely unaware that there were spies around him.

"Uncle Yang, where should Father be now?"

Zhang Yuan was always away doing business, and this time was no exception.

Therefore, Zhang Xiaoshan's biggest concern was Zhang Yuan's safety while he was away.

Once An Yunshan intercepts and kills Zhang Yuan, he will be powerless to help, as distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

"Young Master, the Master went to the south three months ago to oversee the sugarcane purchase. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, he should be on his way back."

The Zhang family's business continued to expand, and the brown sugar extracted from sugarcane was extremely popular throughout Kyushu.

Every year, the Zhang family would purchase sugarcane in the south and extract it themselves in their workshop.

In this way, not only is the extracted brown sugar of extremely high quality and almost identical, but the cost is also low, making it a top-grade product.

Therefore, a bag of brown sugar from the Zhang family sold for one tael of silver, and demand exceeded supply.

"I wrote to my father and asked him to go to Jingdezhen to purchase a batch of high-quality celadon and have it shipped over first."

Afterwards, they will stay in Jingdezhen for the time being. With the arrival of the Persian Zoroastrians, the Zhang family can directly import Sumaliqing from Persia, so it is best to make preparations as soon as possible!

Outside the celadon kilns, it would be best to recruit several master potters and some geniuses in porcelain-making techniques.

"Understood, young master!"

Butler Yang was also pleasantly surprised. He never expected that Zhang Xiaoshan would actually get the import rights to Sumaliqing during the last Persian visit.

It should be noted that this celadon dye is extremely popular in the Central Plains at present, and most of it is directly supplied to the official kilns for porcelain.

With dyes in hand, the Zhang family's celadon porcelain will surely bring in a fortune every day.

Celadon, along with silk and tea, was considered one of the three great luxuries by the Hu people.

Jingdezhen is not far from here, but it's not close either. If the An family makes any moves, Zhang Xiaoshan will definitely know.

Next comes the battle of wits and strategies with the An family.

"Floating catkins!"

Zhang Xiaoshan summoned Liu Sheng Piaoxu, took out his personal magical jade, and gave the following instructions:

"Go find Jin Bu'er and tell him to activate the Blood Droplets and be ready to deploy at any time!"

"Yes, son!"

Although Liu Sheng Piaoxu didn't know what the Blood Droplet was, the name alone told her it was an assassin's weapon.

Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan activating the Blood Droplet must mean something happened. Thinking about recent events, even Liu Sheng Piaoxu couldn't help but feel wary.

After all, if even Zhang Xiaoshan is on high alert, something big is probably going to happen.

The four top experts of the Zhang family are Zhao Longxiang and Kuangshi Tiezhan, who work in the Zhang family business, one in charge of escorting goods and the other as a henchman; Jin Qianbao works as a bodyguard and dealer in a gambling house opened by Zhang Xiaoshan, holding multiple positions; Jin Buer is in the same position, but secretly he is in charge of an assassination group and wields the Blood Droplet.

An Yunshan was good at choosing his timing; many of the Zhang family's top experts, both openly and secretly, were not in Bianjing.

Huang Yaoshi and three top masters of the "Jue" generation set sail; Lei Laowu embarked on a quest to excavate the Great Golden Dragon Vein; and the masters previously recruited by the Zhang family were also on board...

At this time, the Zhang family seemed to be at its most vulnerable.

With this in mind, Zhang Xiaoshan picked up his pen and wrote a few more notes, seeking out experts to gather in Bianjing.

First, there is Guo Jing from Niujia Village in Lin'an Prefecture. He has been living in seclusion since returning from Iron Palm Peak, and his strength should have reached the Innate Realm.

Second, there are Lu Chengfeng, the useless man from the Five Lakes, and Mei Chaofeng, the iron corpse.

With the Black Jade Rejuvenating Ointment, Lu Chengfeng not only regained his leg but also reached the level of a top expert; Mei Chaofeng retired to Peach Blossom Island last year, a journey that took only two or three days.

Third is Zhuo Qianshan, the number one escort in Jiangnan, who possesses the Hundred-Step Divine Fist, a powerful and imposing skill.

Although there aren't many, they are at least top-tier experts.

For Zhang Xiaoshan, these were all pleasant surprises for An Yunshan.

The other party thought they had figured out the Zhang family's secrets, but in reality, they were trapped in a cage instead.

Not to mention these experts, just the two personal guards are two top-level masters, but they cannot leave Zhang Xiaoshan's 15-zhang range.

With Zhang Xiaoshan's plan in place, the culprit in the copper case is now obvious, but Zhuge Zhengwo is unable to apprehend him directly.

Anjia is not a small, insignificant family; they have powerful connections.

Just as the Zhang family had Tong Guan, the An family had Cai Jing to protect them. These two powerful ministers, one the Grand Chancellor and the other the Grand Chancellor Cai, wielded immense power.

Therefore, taking over Anjia is not a matter of a single official document!

In the end, Zhuge Zheng had no choice but to seek help from the Six Doors (a government agency) to capture the person.

Chapter Seventy-Five: Hunting Dogs Warn, Divine Soldiers Appear

"Surround them! Anyone who resists arrest will be killed without mercy!"

With the Imperial Guards clearing the way, experts from the Six Doors and the Divine Marquis's Mansion stormed into the An family compound and forcibly entered the core of the An family's backyard.

However, the Four Constables felt a sense of unease.

Because all they encountered along the way were guards, not any experts, just ordinary thugs.

Sure enough, with the Imperial Guards and the Six Doors taking control of the entire An family, the An family was now just an empty shell, leaving behind only a group of servants who knew nothing.

"Found it! There's a secret room here!"

Suddenly a loud shout rang out, and everyone rushed inside.

However, the place was deserted, with only a pile of junk left behind and not a soul in sight.

"That's right, these coffins are the deadly orchids we investigated earlier."

Moreover, the layout here should be the place where divine weapons are forged. Where is An Shigeng?

Leng Xue, Tie Shou, and the others examined their surroundings and found evidence of the Deadly Orchid, as well as the layout of the place and some remnants of failed divine weapons.

This is confirmed to be the place where An Shigeng forged the divine weapon.

"Not only An Shigeng, but not a single divine weapon can be found here."

If I'm not mistaken, An Shigeng is now desperate and resorting to any means necessary. I wonder who his next target will be?

The God of Catchers entered, his expression grave.

The copper-plated case has been solved, but the murderer is still at large, especially since he is accompanied by a group of unkillable monsters, which could trigger an even greater crisis at any time.

"Zhuiming, search the city thoroughly and find An Shigeng. Report back immediately!"

"Yes!"

···

At this time, the Zhang family's house was still brightly lit, and the servants were busy at work.

Woof woof woof...

Suddenly, the barking of dogs echoed throughout the Zhang residence. Five hunting dogs with internal energy barked loudly and jumped around wildly inside the mansion.

The five hounds were not only fast and strong, but also incredibly agile despite their large size.

Fortunately, there was no intention to harm anyone.

Therefore, when the disturbance broke out, the guards in the mansion had no choice but to ask Zhang Xiaoshan to quell it.

"Young Master, for some reason, 'General' has suddenly started barking incessantly, and we can't stop it no matter what we do!"

Dayong, who works as a guard at the facility, has always loved big dogs, and in two years he has even gained the initial approval of five hunting dogs.

But no matter how he tried to stop them, the five hounds wouldn't quiet down.

Da Yong breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Zhang Xiaoshan's arrival.

He knew that these five divine dogs had always been under Zhang Xiaoshan's command.

"I see."

Zhang Xiaoshan frowned as he looked at the barking hunting dog, then turned to Da Yong and said:

"Notify Master Juezhi to gather everyone in the hall, with the guards fully armed and ready to wait."

"Master?"

"Dogs are the most sensitive animals; if a dog keeps barking, something big is about to happen."

Regardless of whether it's a natural disaster or a man-made one, the main hall is the safest and most spacious place.

"Yes!"

Da Yong suddenly realized that the unusual behavior of the five hunting dogs was no coincidence.

As Da Yong left, Zhang Xiaoshan looked out into the thick, silent night and couldn't help but recall a phrase—

The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.

Inside the hall, more and more servants gathered together, while the guards erected iron shields around the perimeter, making everyone tense.

On the rooftop, a skilled guard peered around, his whistle ready to sound an alarm at any moment.

"Master Juezhi, why did the young master have us gather here, and why does he seem so wary of us?"

"Amitabha Buddha, please do not be alarmed."

"Even if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. This time, the dog suddenly issued a warning. Whether it was an accident or something that happened suddenly, it's better to believe it's true than not."

Upon hearing this, everyone realized that what he said was true.

However, they were also curious. The Zhang family was a family that had accumulated good deeds and was bound to have good fortune. What could have suddenly happened to them?

Even the butler, Uncle Yang, wanted to ask but didn't know where to begin.

Beep! Beep! Beep...

Suddenly, a warning whistle sounded from the roof, startling everyone.

Juezhi quickly jumped up and went to the roof to check. He saw that there were many figures moving around in the darkness, at least a thousand people.

"what happened?"

The Zhang family's residence is located in a residential area where wealthy businessmen in the western part of the city live. Although it has large gardens and a spacious area, there are definitely many people here.

This is a residential area, not a haunted house, so naturally there needs to be people around to keep the place quiet.