MEN FROM THE DARK CULT 2

After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the information-giving farmer, they immediately headed for the mansion.

"Such a luxurious building! Just like a palace!" Qu You grumbled. "How come Kaifeng people respect those swindlers more than the government?!"

This mansion was surrounded by a tall wall and protected by many guards. It seemed like a mansion of a nobleman, Wu Qi and Qu You grumbled as they noticed this matter. Meanwhile, Zhu Su folded his arms and observed the mansion thoroughly.

"It must be not easy for us to meet with the householder," Qu You made a conclusion.

Zhu Su thought for a while.

"I will wait until they are in action." Zhu Su was so curious about the vandals' true identity. This was very different from the conditions he faced before when he knew clearly with whom he was facing. Just knowing the enemy's identity did not make him directly able to defeat his enemy, then of course it was getting more difficult since the enemy's identity was unknown?

He really wanted to find out who was so eager to rebel against the government, to the point of using this dirty method.

Was there any former minister who was still loyal to Zhu Yunwen, and thereby assumed that the new government must be destroyed?

Were they the former officials who had been treated unfairly in the reign of his father, and now planned to take revenge?

Or, they were just a group of ambitious people who were eager to gain power by taking the opportunity at adversity?

So... who?...

He indeed should know the real identity of his enemy, in order to get the most precise strategy to deal with them!

While Zhu Su was busy thinking, an immense of people carrying a luxury palanquin stopped in front of the gate. A middle-aged man went down the palanquin, while one of the escorts yelled, "Open the gate! Merchant Kui is coming!"

A few moments later, the gate opened. Three men appeared from behind, accompanied by several soldiers. One of them was recognized by Zhu Su as the head of Dao priest, but he failed to recognize the others. Yet one of the unknown people appeared even more impressive than the head of Dao priest. He seemed to be in early fifties, tall and hefty, had a pair of fierce, sharp eyes and thick eyebrows, and a pragmatic yet menacing facial expression. He was gazing closely towards the palanquin. Another man appeared at the same age as Liu Ku. He was pale and quiet, it looked clear that he was a quiet nerd who did not like to hang out with the outside world and preferred to befriend books. He even seemed to be a coward, his eyes blinked too often and his gaze turned awkwardly to and pro. The impressive man now greeted Merchant Kui respectfully, and Merchant Kui replied to him with a cheerful smile. "Mr. Huan Shikang! Many thanks for your willingness to meet me and fulfill my request!"

Huan Shikang also smiled, yet his smile was not as wide as Merchant Kui's. "It has been my duty to help everyone, Merchant Kui. So, what can we do for you?"

"You have helped the people by diminishing the disaster, the people thus thank and also respect you. So do I. Actually I don't come to ask a favor, instead, I want to give you a special benefit. I have a business in herbal industry, my medicine becomes the bestseller in the market, now I want to offer it for you to cure the sick."

This moment Huan Shikang laughed, loud and booming.

"I know, your purpose of coming here is to give this offering." He waved a sumptuous fan on his hand. "That's why I accept your request to have a meeting. After paying a lot of money for a business, of course, we must profit from it. Merchant Kui, please come in! We will discuss it more detailed inside."

Merchant Kui grinned. The head of Dao priest smiled slightly, while the nerdy man still showed his indifferent expression. That clamorous group entered the mansion, and the gate returned closed.

All was quiet again.

Behind a tree, Zhu Su observed everything happening in the front of that huge mansion, eyes barely blinked. They were fast enough to find this tree as a hiding place. Their hideout was inconspicuous so as not to arouse suspicion from their target, but it was close enough to be able to hear everything clearly.

"Three strange men are going to make a profit relationship with a merchant trader..." Zhu Su turned his gaze towards his men. "What is your opinion about... Liu Ku, what's up?"

Liu Ku who used to went poker face, now had his attitude turned one hundred and eighty degrees. His pupils widened, and his face was purplish-white. Zhu Su even had to make sure whether Liu Ku appeared scared.

"Your Highness..." His voice was trembling. "This... is bad..."

"What is bad? You look scared, it's not like the usual you..."

"Our enemy is not just anyone... we are having business with men from the dark cult!"

Wu Qi and Qu You gazed closely at Liu Ku. "Men from The Dark Cult?"

"The man who talked the most just now, is named Huan Shikang. He is a mixed-race, half-Han and half-Khitanese. He has become famous for owning a weird ability since he was a child - yet his behavior is also weird. He can do killing very easily, even without using hands, and every time after he does the killing, the rumor said that he will drink the blood of his victim. He believes that it will increase his power. Meanwhile, the quiet man standing beside him is named Suo Junhuan. His nickname, is The Murderer Physician."

"The Murderer Physician?!" Everybody glared in surprise as they heard such a contrastive nickname.

"In daytime, he works as a physician and helps the sick, but in the nighttime, he will do the killing. According to him, to heal and to cure are both the art. And the most interesting art for him is the art of medicine and the art of killing. His name is famous all over Jianghu."

"Is he the physician Chen Xinyi's men mention?" Zhu Su thought. He then briefly asked, "Liu Ku, you know them... do they know you?"

"So lucky we quickly hide. They know me very well, since I was involved in dark cults previously..."

It seemed that Liu Ku still wanted to continue his words but he quickly held it back. Zhu Su did not want to force him nonetheless. He knew Liu Ku's behavior very well, and he was sure that it was a correct step by not pushing the Changshi to continue.

"But... since when has the dark cult gone confronted with the government? Do they only make trouble in society..." Wu Qi said in confusion.

"No." Qu You replied. "Since long ago Bai Lian Jiao always tries to usurp the legitimate government. That's why Bai Lian Jiao was banned by the Hongwu Emperor. And now Bai Lian Jiao is categorized as one of the forbidden sects."

"Are they... from Bai Lian Jiao, whose mission is to take revenge because their sect has been banned, and they want to overthrow the government?" If that was the case, everything happening during this time, and the reason why they hated the government so much to the extent that they waged rebellions continuously - all made sense for Zhu Su.

"I don't think so... but I am not so certain of it. They are very mysterious, what I know is only that they are the followers of heretical sects..."

"Maybe they are the heretics somebody hires. Heretical sects are often hired to cause chaos since that is how they earn a living," Qu You said.

"Either way, it doesn't matter at all... What really matters is, we are getting into trouble since we are dealing with the black magician from dark cult!" Liu Ku gnashed his teeth.