Seeing that Niu You Dao and the others were about to leave, Cui Yuan walked out to the main hall.
And when he saw that the group of people went in the direction of the secret entrance, he realized that the situation had indeed changed. Niu You Dao decided to leave the courtyard with them.
Cui Yuan immediately left the inn.
Bai You Lu, sitting on the sofa and calmly observing everything, eagerly awaited the future. He wondered if Huangdi Dao would be able to shake off the pursuit.
Only he didn't understand. If Huangdi Dao knew that Liuxiang Sect's people were following him, then why did he take the spies with him? Couldn't he have left alone?
Cui Yuan quickly entered the shop and immediately called out to Huang En Gui:
"Brother, the situation has changed."
Huang En Gui, standing behind the counter, seriously asked:
"What is it?"
Cui Yuan approached him: "Niu You Dao and the others left the inn together. They didn't split up."
Huang En Gui: "Lei Zong Kang, what about him? Didn't he warn you?"
Cui Yuan shook his head: "No. If I hadn't noticed myself, we probably wouldn't have known."
Huang En Gui's face darkened: "Is Lei Zong Kang playing with us?"
Cui Yuan: "It doesn't seem so. Lei Zong Kang must understand the consequences awaiting them if he plays with us. If he had truly betrayed us, Niu You Dao would have secretly left the inn long ago. Why would he walk out like that and take risks? And when they left, Lei Zong Kang gave me a signal and looked helpless. It seems Niu You Dao truly changed his plans and acted in a way that prevented Lei Zong Kang from warning us."
Huang En Gui: "Did he discover Lei Zong Kang?"
Cui Yuan replied with doubt: "That doesn't seem likely either. If Lei Zong Kang had been discovered, why would Niu You Dao take Hei Mudan and the others with him then?"
The two men thought about it and came to only one conclusion. Niu You Dao was extremely cautious and acted prudently. He deliberately changed his plans at every step.
"That bastard! So cunning!" Huang En Gui said fiercely.
"What about Uncle?" Cui Yuan asked with a bitter smile.
Huang En Gui's eyes widened too. Uncle and the others had already been traveling for 5 hours. Would Niu You Dao even go to Mountain Lake County? If not, did Uncle personally go there and bring so many people for nothing? Was this a joke?
And Niu You Dao used the city's secret exit. Now, looking for him was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
No matter what, all that was left for them now was to send a message to Uncle so he could decide everything himself.
They wrote a secret message and dispatched a Bird King.
After they had done everything, Huang En Gui sat down on a chair, leaning back, and sighed:
"I wonder, in this situation, will Lei Zong Kang release the bait and inform us?"
Cui Yuan sat nearby. Now, there was nothing left for them to do but await instructions from Uncle and hope for Lei Zong Kang....
"Splosh, splosh, splosh."
Several people scrambled onto the bank. Everyone was fine, except for Yuan Fang who was completely soaked. His entire clothing was already drenched. His cultivation was a bit lower, so he couldn't stay in the water for long.
Having determined the terrain, Niu You Dao headed in one direction. They began to cross the mountain ranges.
Along the way, Lei Zong Kang occasionally crushed pellets and dropped them on the ground.
As soon as the group left, one could notice how the crushed pellets emitted a faint scent that was carried away by the wind.
As soon as they crossed the mountain range, an endless Gobi Desert appeared before their eyes, and a stable was visible in the distance.
This was not the stable where Niu You Dao had left his horses. The city had many exits, so stables were set up in all directions around the mountain.
These stables should not be underestimated. In fact, the profits of these stables were no less than those of the Yaoyue Inn, because many travelers arrived here and left their horses. Many travelers also abandoned their horses here, because it was expensive to leave a horse for just one day. And if left for many days, there was no longer any point in redeeming the horse or paying for it. If someone returned to redeem a horse, they might overpay many times more than if they had simply bought a new one. Therefore, many simply didn't bother and abandoned their horses.
Just like Niu You Dao. He didn't go to that stable, but immediately headed to the one that was along their way.
As soon as they reached the stable, they immediately bought 6 horses. There were many abandoned horses at the stable, so nothing prevented the stables from selling them. Thus, the travelers headed deep into the Gobi Desert.
Hei Mudan and the others, sitting on their horses, constantly exchanged glances. After all, he had clearly stated that they should proceed on foot, without attracting attention. Yet here he was, taking horses right away.
Moreover, they were by no means riding towards Mountain Lake County.
Hei Mudan and the others began to understand what was going on. However, they wouldn't ask questions about this. Niu You Dao usually didn't answer, and he was even less likely to answer such a question.
And Lei Zong Kang increasingly felt fear from the constant change of plans. Had he discovered him?
Inside the Liuxiang Sect shop, two disciples sat, wondering what to do. Cui Yuan had already checked out of his room and returned to the shop. He placed a cage with birds on the table. The two disciples still didn't know what to do, or when Uncle would reply. Just then, the birds in the cage began to chirp.
These birds were called *Niuhachi*!
The two men exchanged glances and excitedly said:
"Lei Zong Kang!"
Cui Yuan: "Brother, what should we do? Wait for Uncle? The bait's effect won't last long, after all."
Huang En Gui: "We can't let that scoundrel escape. We're going after him!"
Cui Yuan: "Brother, even if Lei Zong Kang is with him, the situation with Hei Mudan and the others is still unclear. Plus Niu You Dao and the bear demon. It will be difficult for us to oppose five of them."
Huang En Gui replied decisively: "Let's go to the Flowing Clouds Sect shop and Subtlety Mountain shop. We'll take the remaining people. They must help us. If the three sects let Niu You Dao escape, it will be everyone's fault and a disgrace to all of us."
Cui Yuan waved his hand: "There's no one to leave to watch the shop, what will we do with it then? There's a fortune's worth of goods here!"
Huang En Gui: "We won't have time to pack everything. We need to hang a sign saying the shop is temporarily closed, and lock it. No one would dare break in. We need to catch Niu You Dao, otherwise our future will be in question. The masters will doubt our abilities."
Cui Yuan also thought about it. Moreover, no one outside knew what was happening with them, so no one should cause them trouble.
The two disciples prepared themselves, took the cage with the Niuhachis, and also took a Bird King with them. They closed the shop, hung a "closed" sign, and left.
They reached the shops of the Flowing Clouds Sect and Subtlety Mountain. Not long after, those ones did the same.
In the end, 6 people quickly left Zhaixing City. They reached the mountains, and Cui Yuan released the Niuhachis.
One could see the Niuhachis circle a bit in the air, and then head in one direction. The 6 people immediately raced after them.
Down below, due to the terrain, it was difficult to pursue the birds, so Cui Yuan occasionally took out a flute and played it. The Niuhachis, hearing the flute, immediately descended. And when the riders caught up to them, Cui Yuan played the flute again, and the Niuhachis soared upwards once more, continuing to fly.
Soon they reached the first spot where a pellet had been. The Niuhachis immediately descended and began pecking at its remains, visibly delighted.
Huang En Gui and the others noticed that the spot where the pellet was left was indeed not far from a mountain river. They could now continue their pursuit with greater confidence.