Chapter 392: Enticing the Enemy

Chapter 392: Inviting You into the Pot

Li Jun wasn’t surprised that Liang Shao could uncover his true identity.

After all, the mystery of the Imperial Guards was only for ordinary people. For someone like Liang Shao, who had a military background and had once been a fifth-rank military official in the court, having some connections and acquaintances within the Imperial Guards was nothing unusual.

Li Jun even thought that if Liang Shao didn’t have this ability, he might have come to the wrong person today.

“Everyone used to make a living in the same bowl, so we all know each other. I don’t need to hide anything anymore.”

Li Jun sat down with a grand gesture, his right arm resting on the table. “I came to see you this time because I have a small favor to ask you for help.”

“You are an official now, and I am a civilian. I don’t need or deserve the word ‘please.’ If you have something that needs my help, just tell me.”

Liang Shao smiled and asked, “But if you have to come here in person, it probably isn’t a small matter, right?”

“For others, it might be difficult, but for you, it’s just a small matter.”

Li Jun said, “If we succeed, we can become friends.”

Liang Shao stroked his beard and pursed his lips. “I can’t make such a big promise. Why don’t you tell me what the matter is first? If I can’t do it, I won’t be able to call you a friend.”

“I want to ask you about someone.”

“What kind of person?”

“A person who participated in the Edo Rebellion.”

Li Jun said solemnly, “I received information that he is currently hiding in this samurai town. I need to know his exact hiding place at this moment, as well as all the information about people who have had contact with him in the past.”

“You’re giving me a tough problem here.”

Liang Shao frowned and asked back, “How do you think I can find out where he is hiding if even the Imperial Guards can’t find him?”

“Cats have their own paths, and rats have their own ways. What we can’t do doesn’t mean you can’t do it.”

Li Jun laughed loudly, “Compared to you, we only have an extra layer of pretending to be powerful. If we really peel off that layer, who knows who is more capable?”

“Don’t say that, or else the Hundredth Officer of the Leopard Tail will hear about it and I’ll have no good days left.”

Liang Shao joked, and after a moment of thought, he looked at Li Jun and said, “It’s not impossible to do, but the price is not cheap.”

Since entering the samurai town and using Ke Yi as an informant, Li Jun had prepared himself to be overcharged.

So when Liang Shao said this, he had already anticipated it.

In fact, the information Liang Shao had might not be completely unknown to the Imperial Guards in Matsumoto Castle. Moreover, the scope had now been narrowed down, and the Imperial Guards in Matsumoto Castle could completely identify the suspects and then have Zou Si Jiu enter their dreams one by one to investigate.

But unfortunately, in the previous trial, the Leopard Tail showed no cooperation with Li Jun’s ideas and was only focused on how to avoid responsibility and claim credit.

And there was a big problem with doing this, which was that it would take a lot of time.

And this was undoubtedly what Li Jun needed the most at the moment.

Half of the investigation deadline set by the court has passed, but except for the Huanggai leader who has been turned into an informant by the Huai Kingdom, none of the other conspirators of the Edo Rebellion have been caught.

Although Su Ce is in charge, he can’t really do anything to the Imperial Guards in the Wa District, at most he can send a few letters of reprimand and curse him sarcastically.

And even the wording has to be carefully considered, not too sharp, so as not to accidentally anger Su Ce and give him an excuse to return to the mainland and cause trouble for them.

But next year’s funding and construction quotas for the Imperial Guards in the Wa District will definitely be cut by the court on this pretext.

This is reasonable and justified, and even if Su Ce wants to get angry, he won’t find any excuse.

Li Jun immediately lifted the hem of his robe, crossed his legs, and gestured to Liang Shao and the others, saying with a confident face, “Whatever the price, you pay it, Liang Boss.”

Liang Shao didn’t rush to speak, but squinted at Li Jun, seemingly calculating how much money he could squeeze out of this hundredth officer of the Imperial Guards.

After a moment, Liang Shao suddenly burst into a smile and said, “I heard that in the new deliberation, Inuyama Castle took first place last year and has a large amount of construction quotas in hand?”

“It’s true that we took first place, but the money is hard to come by and easy to spend. You should know what happened in Inuyama Castle. To ambush that group of Huanggai, I paid a high price.”

Li Jun frowned and said, “I don’t know how much you charge.”

“It’s not much.”

Liang Shao’s dark, wrinkled skin trembled, and he revealed a row of sharp, beast-like teeth. He extended one finger.

Li Jun’s eyebrows twitched, and his face suddenly turned gloomy. “Liang Boss, that’s a huge price to ask for.”

“I always consider priorities when doing business. The lighter and slower things are, the cheaper they are. Important and urgent things cost more.”

Liang Shao looked around. “Moreover, the other party is not an easy person to deal with. After I finish this business for you, I might have to move. The assets accumulated over the years can be said to be completely gone, and the loss is not small.”

Li Jun frowned and remained silent for a while.

He had expected Liang Shao to overcharge him, but he didn’t expect the other party to be so ruthless.

Even if it were half of that, he couldn’t afford it now.

His weapon customization, the horse general’s body updates, Xie Bian’s Me equipment, the hardship fee for the poor man, and the compensation for the casualties of the Imperial Guards, etc.

Although Li Jun hadn’t calculated exactly how much money this was, it was undeniable that Inuyama Castle’s current assets were probably already depleted.

Liang Shao noticed Li Jun’s embarrassment and smiled, “I know this price is high. If Mr. Yan thinks it’s difficult to pay, you can use other things as a substitute.”

Li Jun immediately became interested. “What kind of thing?”

Liang Shao glanced at Ke Yi, who was standing behind Li Jun, and pushed a covered Mahjong tile in front of him. “Someone asked me to send you a message. If you agree, you won’t have to pay this money.”

Li Jun said, “Oh,” and raised his eyebrows, smiling and asking, “What message can be worth so much money?”

“They want to ask you, if they help you today, can you promise them a ‘if you become rich, don’t forget each other’ commitment?”

As soon as the words were spoken, Liang Shao suddenly noticed that Li Jun’s embarrassment on his brows suddenly disappeared, replaced by a sense of ease that came from the bottom of his heart.

This feeling was like that of a person being chased for debt suddenly finding another way to solve the problem besides money.

Suddenly, Liang Shao’s heart sank for no reason, and he continued with a stiff face, “As long as you say you can, the person you want will naturally be found by someone else for you.”

Li Jun smiled and didn’t respond to Liang Shao’s words, just raising his hand to brush his eyebrows.

“Those people who asked you to speak for them really have such great abilities? The person I’m looking for is not easy to kill.”

“Of course, there are people who can say such things.”

Liang Shao’s eyes were cunning, and he said softly, “Moreover, in these times, the line between black and white has become blurred. Men can be women, and women can be men. Those sitting on the altar are not necessarily real immortals, and those in the mud are not necessarily fake Buddhas. It is the gray area between black and white that allows people to survive better.”

Li Jun leaned back and looked down his nose. “I’m just a rough person. I don’t really understand what you just said. Why don’t you explain it to me?”

Liang Shao patiently said, “You came to the samurai town today, whether to find Ke Boss or me, the ultimate goal was to find the person above and bring him back to report. Isn’t that right?”

Li Jun smiled and said, “Of course not. Go on.”

“The key to reporting someone is to have solid evidence. Now someone can provide evidence, and you can confirm it. As long as they say yes, you say yes, does it really matter who the person is who is finally reported?”

“Oh, I see.”

Li Jun suddenly realized and shouted, “Ke Yi!”

“Huh?”

Ke Yi trembled all over and responded immediately.

“Do you think what Liang Boss said makes sense?”

Ke Yi’s heart was pounding like a drum as he stood there, his face flushing and paling in turn. Finally, he clenched his jaw and said, “You’re right.”

“Even you think it’s reasonable?”

Li Jun took a deep breath, slowly lowered his crossed legs, leaned forward, and inch by inch pressed against Liang Shao, his eyes blazing with a fierce intensity. “But how can I think this is anything but nonsense?”

“If you think what I’m saying is unreasonable, don’t want to agree, and can’t afford it, then this deal is off.”

Liang Shao tucked his hands into his sleeves, his expression growing cold. “I’ll have to reluctantly show you out.”

“You must make this deal. You can’t get rid of me, your guest.”

Li Jun’s smile was wild, a fierce aura radiating from his brow.

“If you do that, it would be against the rules.”

“Whose rules?”

Li Jun pressed his right hand against the table and rubbed a mahjong tile.

Liang Shao’s eyes darkened, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Of course, it’s the rules of Bushido Town, and also the rules of Liang Shao. I’ve been in Bushido Town for years, and I’ve always believed one thing: those who follow the rules don’t die, and those who break the rules don’t live.”

Li Jun stared at the sinister-looking Bushido Town boss, suddenly laughing and shaking his head. “I think this isn’t your rule, but rather the rule of Hong Yao.”

“If you insist on thinking that way, then I have no objection.”

Liang Shao sneered. “By the way, I’ve also thought of a way out for you. Would you like to hear it?”

“Tell me.”

“You leave two arms behind, breaking your original physique, and I’ll let you leave Bushido Town.”

Li Jun’s expression remained calm as he asked, “Just cutting off my hand—no other benefits?”

“Of course there are. I can make them announce to the outside world that you’ve successfully killed me, so you can go back and report.”

Liang Shao frowned. “Is this deal fair after all?”

Li Jun’s mouth twitched, revealing a faint smile. “So you’re the Chu Guest? When did you know I was coming?”

“Since the moment you stepped into Bushido Town.”

“Why didn’t you run away?”

“Why should I run away?”

“If you don’t run away, are you specifically waiting for me?” Li Jun asked. “Want to recruit me to Hong Yao?”

“Your current identity is not ordinary. It’s very likely that the next thousand-man leader of the Japanese pirates will fall into your hands. Now that such a good opportunity is presented to me, I have to try it. Don’t you think so?”

Liang Shao, or rather the Chu Guest of Hong Yao, sneered. “I’ve already explained the rules. Whether you drink the wine of respect or the wine of punishment, it’s up to you to choose.”

“Choose?”

Li Jun’s expression was arrogant, his brow showing a fierce look, as if he were looking at a naive child holding a knife and shouting loudly in front of him.

Li Jun slowly picked up the mahjong tile next to him and placed it face down on the table.

Bang!

On the white bone-colored tile, three green circles were arranged diagonally in a straight line, representing the three dots.

“I’m a member of the Imperial Guard. What kind of rules am I supposed to follow with a traitor like you?”

Boom!

A loud explosion echoed through the entire underground casino, causing everyone to turn their attention. In the elevator shaft, smoke billowed, and a dull thud sounded from the midst of the chaos.

There was also a slightly hazy cry.

“The upper trigram is Xun, the lower trigram is Kan, the dragon lies hidden in the abyss. I said people are underground, but Old Horse still doesn’t believe me.”

The dust swirled, and a black armored figure with a long knife emerged, walking like a dragon and a tiger, with a fierce aura.

“Since you insist on drinking the wine of punishment, then leave your body here today!”

The Chu Guest’s expression was ferocious, but his figure remained motionless, sitting in place, unafraid of the lone warrior standing right in front of him.

Suddenly, just as Li Jun was about to make a move, he felt a gust of evil wind howling above him.

Without thinking, Li Jun kicked the square table, and he and the chair slid backwards.

Boom!

The black shadow landed with a thud, shattering the square table below, and mahjong tiles of different suits flew like bullets towards Li Jun.

Li Jun flipped and jumped up, and at that moment, a black armor appeared behind him, like a dark cloud suddenly spreading, engulfing Li Jun.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The flying mahjong tiles collided with the armor plates, exploding into piles of white powder.

Li Jun wiped the fine dust off his shoulders with his hand, and his right index finger pointed at the strange man standing next to the Chu Guest.

“Since you’re the Chu Guest, you’re Water Village’s Wu Dou, right? So you’ve been digging a pit for a long time, no wonder you’re so arrogant and want to drag me down with you.”

“Those who know the times are wise.”

The Chu Guest sat like a crouching tiger, coldly snorting. “Yan Jun, you are now...”

“Your nonsense is really too much.”

Li Jun’s left hand suddenly swept across the blade of the embroidered spring knife, and a burst of red flames suddenly rose up, wrapping around the knife and the blade.

Bind the flames.

White air flowed in and out of his mouth and nose, and Li Jun’s body expanded at a visible speed, along with his armor, becoming even more hideous and terrifying.

Eat the dragon and tiger.

The upper floor rises.

“Old Horse, choose a song that fits the occasion, and let’s send them on their way!”