The final clash seemed like a desperate fight to the death between both men, but in reality, Zhou Yin was the only one risking his life. With the Divine Illumination Skill, even a mere fatal wound was nothing more than a trivial matter to Chen Xin.
The Divine Illumination Skill was formidable, but not perfect. There was one thing it couldn’t defend against: poison! This didn’t mean he was afraid of just any poison. His Divine Illumination Internal Power could resist and neutralize ordinary cold, fiery, red, or corrosive poisons without the need for an Antitoxic Pill. However, against poisons of a higher grade, or special toxins like hallucinogenic and melancholic poisons, his Divine Illumination Internal Power would be useless.
There were quite a few sects in the Martial World that specialized in poison—the Five Poison Sect in Miaojiang, the Lunar Mansions Sea in the northwest, and the Blood Hound Sect and Taiyin Sect of the Demon Path. He made up his mind, thinking, "I need to find some time to exchange for a few High Grade Antitoxic Pills from the Secret Vault."
Lifting the Unstoppable Long Blade, Chen Xin channeled his True Qi. The blade vibrated, shaking off the blood.
CLACK.
He sheathed the weapon, directed his subordinate Divine Robe Captains to clean up the battlefield, and walked toward Leng Lianyun.
"Brother Chen, what incredible courage! To risk your life to trade blows and slay an Outer Realm expert while only in the Inner Realm—even heaven’s favored geniuses can’t do better than this!" Leng Lianyun praised with sincere admiration. Even his eldest brother, a Divine Robe Silver Order, wouldn’t dare trade his life like that despite possessing a life-saving pill.
"Brother Leng, please don’t flatter me. If it weren’t for that sneak attack that crippled Zhou Yin’s left hand, the sharpness of the Divine Soldiers to pierce his Treasure Armor, and the Divine Pill from the Medicine King Sect... I would have been hard-pressed to match an Outer Realm expert." Chen Xin went along with the address, calling him Brother Leng, before smoothly changing the subject. "Secret Agent Leng..."
Just as he spoke, he heard the SWISH SWISH of Lightweight Skill as people sprinted across the eaves and walls. Looking outside, two silhouettes leaped into the backyard, each carrying a person. It was none other than Jiangg Hengchuan and Yan Chong, who had chased after the enemies earlier. In their hands were the fake Wind Catchers who had snatched "Meng Yuanshu’s" Map.
The two imposters were completely limp. Their upper bodies were slumped over as if entirely devoid of structural support, their sternums completely shattered—the handiwork of Chen Xin’s two palm strikes imbued with Divine Illumination Internal Power.
Jiangg Hengchuan and Yan Chong looked at the nearly cleaned-up battlefield and exchanged bewildered glances, wondering if they had missed something huge by chasing the spies.
Chen Xin called them over, and he and Leng Lianyun took turns explaining what had just happened. Meanwhile, the Divine Robe Captains took custody of the fake spies, piercing their collarbones, sealing their Dantians, and striking their acupoints to render them powerless.
Upon hearing that Chen Xin had single-handedly killed an Outer Realm expert, both members of the Jiangg Yan duo wore expressions that practically screamed, ’We knew you were strong, but we didn’t expect you to be this freakish.’
"So this Meng Yuanshu really was a fake," Jiangg Hengchuan said after hearing the full story. In truth, the moment the two spies had brazenly attacked, all four of them present had already grown suspicious.
Leng Lianyun’s mood dipped slightly. The Divine Robe Captains cleaning the battlefield had found the corpses of the two original Wind Catchers who had been replaced.
"To think the imposter was actually Zhou Yin..."
"He was a dignified Outer Realm expert and one of the three Venerables of the Celestial Fragrance Sect. Why would he be here disguised as Meng Yuanshu?" Yan Chong rubbed his chin, deeply puzzled.
Chen Xin exchanged a glance with Leng Lianyun, and they both realized they shared the same theory.
The crucial question was: where was the real Meng Yuanshu? Chen Xin summoned the captains who had searched the agency earlier to confirm they hadn’t found Meng Yuanshu’s body. Leng Lianyun also called over a spy, confirming that none of the corpses had been wearing a disguise.
"We must find the real Meng Yuanshu," Chen Xin said with a nod, preparing to order the Divine Robe Captains to tear apart the Changfeng Escort Agency in a massive search.
Leng Lianyun stopped him. Chen Xin looked over in confusion. "Brother Chen... Chen Copper Order, let my subordinate give it a try first."
Leng Lianyun called a young man over. His clothes and accessories were already of a higher specification than an ordinary spy, though still a step below Leng Lianyun’s. Chen Xin knew this meant the young man was a Trial Wind Catcher—a Wind-Catching Secret Agent who was still in his probationary period.
"Yilin, we want to know Meng Yuanshu’s location," Leng Lianyun said.
"Leave it to me," Lul Yilin, the probationary Wind Catcher, nodded. "As long as he’s still in the Capital City, I’ll definitely find him."
Yilin summoned a completely red rat from his sleeve, then pulled out a scrap of cloth for it to sniff. "These are clothes I found in Meng Yuanshu’s room," he explained before conversing with the rat in a series of SQUEAKS.
Immediately after, the rat leaped off Yilin’s palm and scurried off in a certain direction, with Yilin following close behind. The rat’s pace wasn’t particularly fast, so Chen Xin and the other three didn’t bother using their Lightweight Skill, simply jogging along at a brisk pace.
"Yilin’s surname is Lul. He is the most beloved youngest son of the Great Manor Master of the Liaodong Beast Taming Manor," Leng Lianyun explained on the way. "Yilin’s Inner Strength is on par with mine, but his Beast Taming Skill is absolutely outstanding. He has already achieved thirty percent of the Great Manor Master’s proficiency! This Gold-Seeking Rat is an Exotic Beast gifted to Yilin by the Great Manor Master. It can track a scent across half the Capital City. It’s incredibly impressive."
Chen Xin nodded. It was obvious the Great Manor Master truly adored this youngest son. A Gold-Seeking Rat capable of scanning half the Capital City was at least of the Fifth Grade, and the Beast Taming Manor might not even have a second one.
As for why Martial Arts Sects would send their sons to serve the Court, it wasn’t particularly strange. Everyone loved to beat up the Court’s lapdogs, but the Court itself was a different story. Openly and secretly, countless sects cooperated with the Court.
The Gold-Seeking Rat twisted and turned through the streets, leading the group in stops and starts. Chen Xin focused his gaze, surprised to see that their final destination was actually the study of the Chief of the Escort Agency at the Changfeng Escort Agency.
The five of them entered the study.
"It’s right here, but this place is laced with Fragrant Miasma, so the Gold-Seeking Rat can’t pinpoint the exact location," Lul Yilin said helplessly. The sixteen-year-old had originally wanted to put on a good show for these lords, but he never expected to encounter the Gold-Seeking Rat’s lifelong nemesis—Fragrant Miasma.
"It’s fine. If it weren’t for Yilin’s Gold-Seeking Rat, we wouldn’t have found this place at all," Leng Lianyun consoled him. He then scrutinized the study. "There must be a Mechanism here."
"The inner and outer dimensions of the study are normal, so there are no hidden rooms inside the walls. If there is a Mechanism, it must be underground," Yan Chong stated. He had paid special attention to the layout before walking in.
"Want me to split the floor open with my blade?" Jiangg Hengchuan lifted his weapon, eager to give it a try.
"No. The layout looks like it’s rigged with a self-destruct mechanism," Chen Xin vetoed the idea before adding, "Let’s search."
Thus, Chen Xin, Yan Chong, and Jiangg Hengchuan spread out, inspecting every nook and cranny of the study. Lul Yilin rubbed his hands together, eager to help in the search. However, Leng Lianyun stopped him. Professional work was best left to professionals.
Chen Xin and the other two expertly tested the study’s furnishings. In less than half a quarter-hour, Jiangg Hengchuan found the Mechanism. He turned an inconspicuous ornament, moved a vase of orchids on the floor, lifted an ancient painting hanging on the wall, and tapped on an unremarkable patch of the wall.
CLANG! RUMBLE!
Amid the sound of the Mechanism activating, the spot Jiangg Hengchuan had tapped caved in. A secret passage opened up in the floorboards at the corner of the study, and the ornament and orchid vase returned to their original positions.
Chen Xin and his two companions immediately made their way down.
Lul Yilin was dumbfounded. He wondered how they managed to find such a complex Mechanism in such a short amount of time.
Leng Lianyun followed closely behind. Before descending, he patted Lul Yilin on the shoulder and said, "Stay calm. The Divine Robe Guard are professionals. When you raid enough homes, you naturally get used to this."
In the study’s basement.
A Luminous Pearl illuminated the single bed in the room. Here, Chen Xin finally saw Meng Tianxiong’s eldest son, Meng Yuanshu, sitting on the bed in a long gown. He looked gentle, refined, and possessed a scholarly aura, entirely different from the imposter Zhou Yin had disguised himself as.
"Thank you all for the rescue." Meng Yuanshu stood up, heaving a long sigh of relief, and cupped his hands in greeting. His complexion was rather poor, likely because he had been awake all night. "I am Meng Yuanshu. I barely managed to survive last night. My father is Meng Tianxiong, Chief of the Escort Agency at the Changfeng Escort Agency."
Leng Lianyun and Lul Yilin came down from the study at that moment. Hearing these words and seeing Meng Yuanshu in the flesh, Leng Lianyun felt his tense mood relax. It was good that the man was still alive. The investigation into the Changfeng Escort Agency would surely see massive progress through him.
Jiangg Hengchuan and Yan Chong thought the same.
Chen Xin’s eyes twitched. What he saw was an entirely different picture, as an illusory panel materialized before him.
[Name: Meng Yuanshu]
[Realm: Inner Realm]
[Evaluation: Novice]
[Martial Arts: Fragrance Scripture, Sleeve Sword, Soul-Stealing Secret Manual]
Chen Xin gasped, exclaiming in his mind, "He practices the Fragrance Scripture too?!"