As soon as the sweeping attendant put down his broom, he immediately entered the courtyard and ascended the stairs to his second-floor room. Inside the room, he went straight to the bed and pulled back the mattress, beneath which lay a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, he saw an image of Niu You Dao. It was the same image that Huang En Gui and others possessed.
He was a member of the Yan Kingdom's intelligence agency, specifically placed here to await his target. Who could have known that Niu You Dao would actually appear here?
Niu You Dao could not have foreseen this. He only knew that Cui Yuan and others possessed his image. But he was unaware that Song Jiu Ming had cast his nets throughout the entire Zhao Kingdom. He had not only activated forces within the Zhao Kingdom but across the entire world under heaven. Not just Niu You Dao, even the Liuxiang Sect was ignorant of this. They believed the Song family had only mobilized a few sects, nothing more.
In truth, Song Jiu Ming could not simply order the intelligence department to work for him. Moreover, merely for the sake of his son, Song Lun, he would not have been able to mobilize the kingdom's intelligence department to capture a killer. But Song Lun was not only Song Jiu Ming's son; he was also an ambassador. Therefore, the Yan Kingdom could not simply turn a blind eye to everything. This was why the intelligence member was now a part of Song Jiu Ming's vast network.
Holding the image, after gazing at Niu You Dao's likeness, the man folded the image and placed it back under the mattress. Then, he wrote a secret letter on the table. He retrieved a birdcage from the cabinet, placed the letter in the bird's beak, and after confirming that no one was observing him from outside, he immediately sent out the Bird King...
Chizhou City. The House of All Flowers. Orioles sang, swallows danced.
Chuan Shao Kang, the city's wealthy magnate, was lavishly entertaining guests. Wine, delicacies, beauties—everything here was as at any such gathering. He was currently engaged in lively conversation with his friends.
At that moment, as a girl poured him wine, the house manager emerged from a private chamber and approached Chuan Shao Kang.
Smiling, he said:
- Master, a man has arrived from the capital.
Chuan Shao Kang glanced sideways at him, then gently pushed away the girl who was leaning against him. He stood up and, cupping his hands, addressed his guests:
- My apologies, gentlemen. I must attend to a guest.
The plump man sitting nearby chuckled and said:
- Did I hear correctly? Someone from the capital? Perhaps you could invite him here? Let us see him.
- Good! Let's hear what he has to say!" the others chimed in.
- No need, no need! — Chuan Shao Kang smiled and shook his head. Then he waved his hand:
- Gentlemen, please enjoy yourselves. Eat, drink, and be merry. — With that, he exited with the manager.
A carriage awaited them outside the House of All Flowers. They immediately stepped inside.
The house manager waved his hand, and the carriage moved forward. The cheerful expression on Chuan Shao Kang's face instantly vanished, and all traces of wine faded from him. He immediately became serious.
They swiftly returned to the Chuan Residence. The master and manager immediately proceeded to the library.
Chuan Qiao retrieved a secret message from a cabinet and handed it to Chuan Shao Kang.
Chuan Shao Kang read the secret message, then handed it back to Chuan Qiao.
Chuan Qiao immediately burned the message, while Chuan Shao Kang approached the map hanging on the wall. He traced with his finger:
- According to the direction, he is heading towards Flowing Clouds Mountain. However, where he intends to go next is still unclear. He should reach it this afternoon. There are few roads leading to the mountain, but many places he could go afterwards. Qiao, send people in all possible directions the target might take. The target must be apprehended.
He appeared to be a Chizhou businessman, but in reality, he was the head of the Yan Kingdom's intelligence in Chizhou City. The business was merely a cover.
- Understood!" the house manager replied.
Chuan Shao Kang pointed at Flowing Clouds Mountain:
- Immediately contact all the demonic creatures near the mountain. Offer them gold to eliminate the target. Remember, you must be careful. We cannot be exposed!
- Understood! I will arrange everything carefully!
Flowing Clouds Mountain.
In the distance, the rugged mountainous terrain was already visible.
Niu You Dao and the others had already approached the mountain range. From there, they did not follow the road but moved alongside it, through the forests.
They hadn't stopped once during their entire journey, so Niu You Dao addressed everyone:
- Let's stop and rest for a bit.
Then he turned his head to Black Peony:
- A little later, you and I will travel on ahead for a while. We'll go together, so that if anything happens, the rest of you won't fall into a trap.
"Do you know that if something happens to us, there's nothing we can do? Especially against the demonic creatures here!" Black Peony thought to herself, but she could only nod.
- It's improper to meet guests looking like this. Let's go bathe. — Niu You Dao gestured to Black Peony towards a mountain stream.
They approached the stream. Black Peony squatted opposite him and, while washing, reminded him:
- Lord Dao, I haven't been to Flowing Clouds Mountain before, and I'm not familiar with the current situation.
Niu You Dao: "It's fine. It will broaden our horizons. Don't you know anyone from here?"
Black Peony: "I don't know anyone. Especially not demonic creatures. This mountain is quite vast; it's unlikely we'll encounter anyone within half an hour."
Niu You Dao: "No worries. We'll go inside and act according to circumstances."
Black Peony was speechless. This was a den of demonic creatures and shapeshifters. If anything happened, they wouldn't even be able to escape.
The two bathed, then returned to the forest.
Niu You Dao said to Yuan Fang:
- Give me 200,000 gold.
He carried no money himself. He disliked carrying money in general, so someone always accompanied him to pay on his behalf.
"200,000?" Yuan Fang became wary. He had long noticed that Niu You Dao usually didn't spend money on himself. So he asked:
- What for?
Niu You Dao tilted his head and gave him a meaningful look, as if to say, "Do I still need to ask your permission to spend money?"
Yuan Fang twisted his mouth and reluctantly reached for the banknotes.
Niu You Dao had given him money before, and Yuan Fang had also picked up Black Peony's 50,000. And then he had taken all the money in Zhaixing City. In total, he now held 1.3 million gold coins. This had kept Yuan Fang in high spirits the entire journey. And now, it was hard for him to part with the money...
He fumbled for 20 notes and handed them to Niu You Dao.
Niu You Dao looked at the thick stack and, as if remembering something, said:
- Give everyone 50,000. Everyone should have some money.
As soon as everyone heard this, their hearts pounded.
"50,000 gold coins each?"
Yuan Fang, however, widened his eyes. His mood visibly plummeted. He looked around and, glancing at Lei Zong Kang, asked, "50,000 for everyone?"
Niu You Dao understood him, yet calmly said:
- Everyone.
Yuan Fang nodded, then pulled out another 200,000 gold and handed it to Black Peony:
- Distribute it.
After saying this, he immediately put away all the money, fearing Niu You Dao would remember something else. 400,000 had been taken from him in one go!!! Yuan Fang's heart was bleeding. He cursed to himself. He had money, but he couldn't spend it!?
Black Peony remembered Niu You Dao's words: "If they give it to you, take it."
- Then, on behalf of everyone, I thank Lord Dao! — Black Peony said joyfully. She turned to Niu You Dao, cupped her hands, then turned back to distribute the money.
As each person received the money, they all said:
- Thank you, Lord Dao!
Even Lei Zong Kang, the last one, initially didn't want to take the money. He felt awkward.
- Take it, no need to refuse. — Black Peony stuffed the money directly into his pocket.
Lei Zong Kang awkwardly nodded and, turning to Niu You Dao, said:
- Thank you, Lord Dao.
Niu You Dao seemed not to hear him. He took out a piece of paper from his pouch and wrote something on it. Then he folded it, called Yuan Fang over, and quietly whispered in his ear:
- If I don't return before dark, you are to immediately go back to Zhaixing City. Find the Wandong Heavenly Palace shop and tell them I am in trouble here on Hai Ru Yue's behalf. Have them come here and rescue me. If they refuse, tell them to relay the message to Hai Ru Yue. She will then find a way.
Yuan Fang asked in surprise:
- Lord Dao, if it's so dangerous, perhaps we shouldn't go? A whole bunch of monsters, why get involved with them? — He spoke as if he himself wasn't a shapeshifter.
Niu You Dao: "Nothing dangerous. It's just a precaution. Do as I said. Be careful on the way."
- Alright!" Yuan Fang nodded. He suddenly remembered something and, scratching the back of his head, asked:
- Lord Dao, how did you know at the inn that someone was reporting on us? Did someone from the inn inform you? — He had doubted this for a long time and wanted to ask throughout the journey, but there hadn't been an opportunity.
Niu You Dao calmly replied: "If Monkey were with me, he would know."
Yuan Fang asked in surprise: "Why?"
Niu You Dao: "Your heart and eyes are fixated only on money. You only see money, but you don't notice the important things! If I hadn't been careful, would you even have the chance to stand here counting money now? Bear, I'm not saying you're far from Monkey, but if it weren't for that, you wouldn't have fallen into that imbecile Song Yang Qing's hands!"
Having said this, he turned and left. Although he didn't know exactly what had happened then, he could guess.
- ... — Yuan Fang twisted his mouth.
He wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent and hung his head: "Is it really like that? If Monkey were here, he would have noticed everything? And I couldn't discern anything? Am I truly so far behind Monkey?"
- Be careful! If we don't return before dark, you are to follow Jin Wei. I have already planned everything. — Before leaving, Niu You Dao gave instructions to several people, then waved to Black Peony:
- Let's go!