pdf-ebookys Chapter 264 Shadow Towards the Mountain Cat House
Chapter 264 Shadow Towards the Mountain Cat House
Xu Ning knew that this Kujo Sara was one of the few people in the Inazuma upper echelons who had carried out General Raiden's will most thoroughly.
"I have come to Inazuma on behalf of the merchants who have contributed to Inazuma in the past, to discuss with the General the possibility of continuing our cooperation while ensuring adherence to the General's eternal will!"
Upon hearing Xu Ning's words, Kujo Sara's expression immediately softened.
After all, as long as you also admire General, we're good friends.
But Xu Ning's next words immediately made her face turn ugly.
Even Shinsuke Hiiragi, the commissioner of the Imperial Advisory Council, coughed unnaturally.
"But after I arrived, I discovered that the governor of the remote islands had actually betrayed the general's will and was using various pretexts to exploit merchants from different countries to amass wealth. This forced many merchants of the World Merchants Association to seek the protection of the Inazuma people who opposed the shogunate, indirectly providing the resistance army with a large amount of supplies, which further tore Inazuma apart."
"After experiencing it firsthand for a day, I lost nearly ten million Mora just for the two simplest procedures of landing on the island and staying there. How can ordinary merchants afford to accept this? This makes me wonder if the Kan Ding Feng Xing (滅定谲行) of the Three Feng Xing (三谲行) is no longer following the General's lead?"
Shinsuke Hiiragi quickly interjected, "That's an exaggeration. It should just be a few bad apples below..."
Xu Ning, not wanting the old man to speak, laughed and said, "I do have a different opinion on this. Yesterday, I received information about the Fools' delegation and the Commissioner of the Imperial Censorate in close contact. However, before it even got dark, two groups of samurai attacked me in the street, trying to take me to the Commissioner's office for questioning. How does the Hiiragi family head explain this?"
Shinsuke Hiiragi finally witnessed Xu Ning's ability to spout nonsense. Regardless of whether there was evidence or hearsay, he would just blurt it all out.
But ironically, there are many things he says that are actually true.
The only one listening nearby was Kujo Sara, who was most loyal to the shogun. If he couldn't explain these words clearly, his name would probably appear frequently in the memorials submitted to the shogun soon.
It is rumored that Thomas, who has been very active on the outlying islands recently, is a spy planted here by the magistrate. If the two sides launch an attack together, he will be unable to fight alone.
"We, the investigating and censors, accept all of Lord Xu Ning's accusations."
Shinsuke Hiiragi knew what he should do at this moment, and waved his hand generously, saying, "I will definitely investigate those who have been extorting money under false pretenses to the end, and Lord Xu Ning's losses of tens of millions will be fully returned without missing a penny. As for the people who attacked in the street, we will take them back for a thorough interrogation to find out the real reason."
Then Shinsuke Hiiragi said sincerely to Sara Kujo, "As for those baseless rumors related to the Fools, I will personally go to the head of the Kujo family to clarify things, so you don't need to worry."
Kujo Sara was quite satisfied with Hiiragi Shinsuke's arrangements. She turned to Xu Ning and said, "I believe the Hiiragi family head will give you an explanation regarding this matter. As for what you said about meeting the Shogun, I'm afraid it can't be arranged in the next three to five days. After all, the delegation of the Winter Fools has already arrived at the castle tower, and I don't think you would be very happy to see them."
A while ago, Liyue suddenly launched a major diplomatic attack on Winterfell, and the friction between the two countries has become one of the most concerning issues on the Teyvat continent.
Xu Ning smiled and said, "In that case, the timing is just right. I was also planning to make a trip to Mount Kage and visit Narukami Shrine."
After Kujo Sara led the group away, Hiiragi Shinsuke bowed to Xu Ning and said, "Wait a moment, and someone will personally deliver the Mora you lost to you. As for these people on the ground..."
Xu Ning smiled and casually said, "I just drank too much. I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
Hiiragi Shinsuke nodded, unwilling to continue making small talk with Xu Ning, and summoned a group of men to carry the drunken people on the ground back to the magistrate's office.
Before Xu Ning could even take a couple of sips of wine, a warrior-like man approached him, handed him a large money bag, and gave him a pass to leave the island.
"Oh, you even prepared this for me. It seems your patriarch doesn't want me to stay here for even a moment longer."
Xu Ning accepted it without ceremony, casually put it in his pocket, and walked directly towards the direction of leaving the island.
He didn't go looking for Kong; that guy should still be running errands for the World Chamber of Commerce, right?
Xu Ning had no desire to do those thankless tasks with him. Taking such a risk would only benefit others, while he himself would receive a wanted poster and a knife from Nai Xiang.
Xu Ning presented his pass at the port and embarked on his journey to Yingxiang Mountain.
However, the road to Yingxiang Mountain was extremely complicated. By the time Xu Ning arrived at the foot of the mountain, it was already dark. Just as he was wondering how to get up the mountain, he saw a person carrying firewood coming down the mountain.
"Hello, how do I get to Kagemiya Narukami Shrine?"
The man carrying firewood smiled and pointed in a direction, "Just keep walking along that road and you'll find it."
Xu Ning sincerely thanked the person and, following their instructions, walked up the winding path towards the mountain.
But as Xu Ning walked, he noticed something was amiss.
Around the path, many stone statues began to appear, all of them round and chubby, some of them looking like little fat dogs with bear heads.
"It seems I've wandered into the tanuki's territory."
Xu Ning then realized that the person carrying firewood was probably also a raccoon dog in disguise.
These little creatures, showing off their ability to transform, often enjoy playing tricks on people who come into the mountains. Although they don't cause any harm, it's the tricksters' pleasure to make those who are fooled suffer a little.
But to my surprise, I fell for it myself.
"Heh, let's go in and see how these little guys plan to deal with me!"
The thought that some ill-intentioned little devils were lurking in the shadows, waiting to plot against him, actually made Xu Ning feel somewhat excited.
Hiking on mountain roads is inherently a very boring thing, but now with these little things, it's not so lonely after all.
The further you go in, the darker it gets.
However, after turning a corner, Xu Ning suddenly saw two lights.
"Heh, these raccoons are something else. They can even grasp and exploit such subtle psychological cues. In an extremely dark corner, a lantern suddenly appears, radiating warmth. I'm afraid any normal person would be unable to resist going to investigate!"
"Could it be that these guys have the ability to read people's minds?"
Xu Ning pondered for a moment, then went to knock on the door.
"Excuse me, is anyone home?"