Chapter 26 Benefits
In the garden covered with white snow, Zhu Hanbin went and came back.

His face remained expressionless, but the slight trembling of the beard at the corners of his mouth allowed Xiao Yan to see that he was not at peace in his heart.

At least in this matter, Xuanming Sect could not hit Zhu Hanbin's sore spot this time. And if the Dark Emperor wanted to attack Zhu Hanbin, he would probably have to postpone it for a while.

"You guys go down first!"

Zhu Hanbin waved to the maids and suddenly stopped.

He rolled his eyes, then called over the old servant, handed him a badge and whispered something in his ear.

Xiao Yan was sitting in the wooden pavilion bored and could see the old servant's expression suddenly change.

He had learned some lip reading from Ji Ruxue a few days ago, and now he understood the last few words Zhu Hanbin said.

"Deal with them all."

The old servant hurried down, and Zhu Hanbin's expression turned into a smile, and he strode into the wooden pavilion.

"Young man, your acting is really superb!"

Xiao Yan was playing with a black chess piece and said calmly, "The title of governor is wrong again."

Zhu Hanbin was stunned at first, then he smiled and said, "This is my fault, I should be punished."

Then, he changed the address and said, "I wonder where the King of Jiyin sent my young son..."

"When the governor has arranged what the prince requested, your son will be sent back safely." Xiao Yan stretched out his hand and the chess pieces scattered on the ground automatically floated up and fell into the chess box. Then he said, "Do you want to play a game, governor?"

Zhu Hanbin's expression remained unchanged. He sat across from the chess table and lowered his voice: "I will do this, but it won't be easy in a short time. I have been at odds with the Xuanming Sect for a long time, so I'm afraid it will be difficult."

Xiao Yan smiled and said, "I have already told the governor that I am your most solid ally, but if you have any trouble, just tell me directly."

"The Xuanming Sect's various branches do not need to go through the various state and town offices to recruit new personnel. According to convention, it should be done by Lord Yan, who should first recruit people from all over the country and then make overall arrangements."

Zhu Hanbin's chess skills were very poor, and he was defeated by Xiao Yan in just a few moves. He was too lazy to play anymore and said directly: "There are five Yan Juns. Although two of them have been killed by you, Jiang Yuanxin from the Taishan branch is still there, and I don't have a good relationship with him."

"This matter is easy to handle."

Xiao Yan said calmly: "The governor can withdraw the pursuing troops from the territory so that my people can move freely. That's all."

"What do you want to do?"

"The Lords of Hell won't stay in Caozhou forever. After they have dealt with their affairs, they will return to their respective territories, right?"

"That's right..." Zhu Hanbin stroked his short beard and said thoughtfully, "Jiang Yuanxin should return to Mount Tai first..."

"It's not just Jiang Yuanxin." Xiao Yan held up three fingers and said, "I need the governor to find out when the three of them will leave."

“Three people!?”

Zhu Hanbin's face was a little stiff.

"The five Jiang brothers are loyal to the Dark Emperor. Although two of them have been killed, the remaining three are still full of resentment towards you, the governor. How can we not get rid of them?"

Xiao Yan asked, "Doesn't the governor want to remove these evil thorns?"

Zhu Hanbin was a little frightened, but he just said: "They are quite powerful, and even if we get rid of them, the new Yan Junyi is the Hades' man."

"This is the limitation of the governor." Xiao Yan smiled and said, "Although the Xuanming Sect is extremely powerful, it is still a 'jianghu'. The high positions in it have always been occupied by the capable. If we get rid of a few Yama Lords, the governor can find a way to raise a Yama Lord."

He paused and asked, "Could it be that the governor doesn't want to have his own power in the Xuanming Sect?"

Zhu Hanbin's heart moved.

His eyes turned slightly, and he said calmly: "How can I trust you?"

"The governor can recruit a group of people from the underworld and place them in there together with my people."

Xiao Yan leaned forward and whispered, "Besides this, does the governor have any other better options? Why not take a gamble?"

Zhu Hanbin's heart immediately tightened.

Although he felt a little uneasy, a thought became stronger and stronger, suppressing the last bit of rationality.

Besides, the knife is still in Xiao Yan's hand.

As long as Li Yu is away, he will not feel at ease.

So, he clutched the chessboard tightly and said in a deep voice: "I will make the arrangements, and I hope that what King Jiyin said is true."

"rest assured."

Xiao Yan stood up and said with a faint smile: "I am not loyal to Li Tang. Everything I did was just for my own benefit." He lowered his body and smiled softly: "If the governor really becomes the emperor, don't forget this day."

Zhu Hanbin sneered but did not respond.

Xiao Yan put the chess box on the table and walked out of the wooden pavilion with a smile.

The former looked at his back and frowned.

At this time, Xiao Yan's voice came again.

"By the way, I will stay in the governor's house for now, but I may disappear from time to time. Don't worry, governor. If there is anything important, I will show up in time."

After saying this, without waiting for Zhu Hanbin's response, he lightly tapped the ground with his toes, and his body flew lightly to the roof. Then, with a few leaps, he disappeared from sight.

Zhu Hanbin sat alone in the pavilion and pondered for a long time.

Finally, he snorted heavily, then summoned a confidant and instructed him:
"Send people to the surrounding states and towns secretly to recruit some jianghu people. They must be reliable. I will personally check them out."

----

Two days later.

At the city gate, Xiao Yan, after a simple disguise, showed the badge given by Zhu Hanbin, and then left the city openly between the Xuanming Sect and the garrison soldiers.

The bad guys have been divided into several groups again, and since there are no more pursuing troops harassing them in Caozhou, all the wounded have to return to Yanzhou one by one.

With the cooperation of Caozhou Shogunate, everyone was re-equipped with travel permits and identity certificates that could be mistaken for real ones. At least the bad guys who were still lurking in Caozhou could appear in the streets like ordinary people.

In Nanhua County, there is a post station beside the Baihe River, on the official road. It is not large in scale, but it has all the necessary facilities.

The post station is also privately owned. Normally, many travelers would come here to say goodbye to old friends, but at this time of year, there are not many people here.

But on this day, the post station was filled with diners, and the chef who was responsible for preparing the dishes was busy sweating and complaining a lot.

The postmaster was extremely happy and personally carried the food to the courtyard, where he saw two groups of people sitting opposite each other at separate tables.

On the right is a group of women, all very pretty and pleasing to the eyes.

On the left, there is a group of men in military uniforms, each carrying a weapon and looking very ferocious.

Fortunately, there were not many people on both sides, and the postmaster had carefully checked their passes (travel permits), and knew that the group of tough guys on the left were escorting the handsome young man in the middle from Bianliang to Caozhou for a trip.

As for these women, who knows? As long as there was no problem with the passing, the postmaster did not dare to interfere. He nodded and bowed, put down the food, and walked out with his back hunched.

At the gate of the courtyard, there were two men with swords guarding it and no one was allowed to approach.

Inside, Xiao Yan poured a glass of wine and said with a smile: "It is a pleasure to cooperate with everyone in Zuiyinlou. I should drink this glass to the full."

Across from her, Ji Ruxue sat next to Miao Chengtian, her straight posture somewhat unnatural. She kept her eyes on the table, as if she didn't notice Xiao Yan's gaze.

"Xiao Lang is very courageous and brave. He broke the situation with his own body. I really admire him."

Miaochengtian and Xuanjingtian were talking and laughing happily, drinking from cups.

When the latter put down his wine glass, he smiled kindly at Xiao Yan again.

But Xiao Yan only hesitated for a moment, then went straight to the point: "I mean, the person should be handed over to me."

"No."

Miao Chengtian frowned and lowered his voice, saying, "My empress has sent a letter, knowing that the emperor has escaped, and should be brought back to Fengxiang as soon as possible."

"A emperor who exists in name only can't exert any power in the hands of your Qi country."

Xiao Yan shook his head. "At that time, when Zhu Wen's army was approaching, could Qi State resist it?"

"Then don't bother Xiao Lang."

Ji Ruxue pursed her lips and felt a little ashamed listening to their conversation.

According to Xiao Yan's plan, she should persuade Miao Chengtian and others to hand Li Yu over to him.

But at this time, both sides became a little anxious.

Xiao Yan sighed, feeling that there was no point in talking to these women. He couldn't possibly tell them what he was thinking. The short-term cooperation was over, and the only thing left now was a simple division of interests.

Behind him, Liu Cheng drew out his sword and said in a deep voice:

"You all may have to do as my captain says."

(End of this chapter)