It was only recently that Hai Bing, the chief manager of the Ice and Snow Palace, had personally visited Hai Ru Yue. That incident, just like the present moment, stood vividly before her eyes, filling her with dread.
If Wandong Heavenly Palace sensed even the slightest risk from Hai Ru Yue, they would certainly kill both mother and son. This would ensure no one could prove her son's use of the Red Yang Fruit. As for the mother herself, she would be silenced permanently.
Watching her son eat with such appetite, Hai Ru Yue still couldn't bring herself to smile. She paced back and forth, and the ashes from the letter on the floor began to scatter everywhere.
She pondered who could have done this. Who had cured her son yet concealed their identity.
The first person she thought of was Niu You Dao. After all, rumors of the Red Yang Fruit being stolen pointed directly at Niu You Dao. And Niu You Dao had indeed traveled to the Ice and Snow Palace.
Even if it truly was Niu You Dao, she was at a loss for words. The Ice and Snow Palace—what kind of place was that? How could he have possibly stolen the Red Yang Fruit from there? It was inconceivable!
Though she suspected him, she had no evidence whatsoever!
She desperately wanted to send people to capture that Mister Ming. However, if she did so and uncovered who was truly behind him, she might inadvertently expose a secret that would lead to her own demise. For now, she was powerless...
Outside the city, Mister Ming rode for over 10 li before disappearing into a forest. As soon as he vanished into the trees, he immediately pulled out a basket and buried all its contents in the ground.
Soon, a silhouette flashed near him. It was none other than Duan Hu. He chuckled as he said:
"Brother Wang."
Mister Ming dismounted his horse and, shaking his head, said:
"This truly was a risky business. I nearly died of fright."
Duan Hu laughed and said: "Brother Wang is an experienced swindler. How could he be afraid of anything?"
Mister Ming retorted unhappily:
"Are you praising me or scolding me? This is Qingzhou, and the governor's palace is crawling with Wandong Heavenly Palace cultivators. Can any of my previous tasks compare to this? Didn't you see? Was no one following me?"
Duan Hu: "I looked, no one is following. Calm down. If they take you for a disciple of the Devil Doctor, and if the medicine works, they won't dare to follow you."
Mister Ming took out two 10,000-gold banknotes and handed one to Duan Hu:
"As agreed, I got 20,000. Half is yours, half is mine."
Duan Hu checked the banknote and, tucking it into his bosom, replied:
"Alright!"
Mister Ming chuckled to himself. They had agreed that he would cure the young master for 20,000 gold. Yet, he managed to secure 100,000. Now, he kept 80,000 for himself and split 20,000 with Duan Hu.
However, there was a logic to this. He was alone in the palace, and he alone risked his life there.
"Alright. You said the fake Red Yang Fruit would be discovered in 7-8 days. Then we need to run away quickly." Mister Ming waved his hand, preparing to leave.
Duan Hu stopped him with a hand:
"Did you give the letter to Hai Ru Yue? Did you warn her about the Red Yang Fruit so she wouldn't tell anyone? Did you reveal yourself? If you did, then you and I have nowhere to hide. We'll have to flee through the desolate mountains."
Mister Ming replied: "Calm down. I know how things are done. I did everything according to the plan. Alright, let's go to the next client. Tell me, where is the next client?"
Duan Hu smiled:
"If I hadn't told you about the next client, would Brother Wang have returned with the money? Or would he have taken all the money and left?"
"I'm not that kind of person." Mister Ming feigned anger, then grew wary and asked:
"Are you saying there's no next client?"
Duan Hu nodded: "There is, it's not far from here. We can get rich just from this!"
Mister Ming's eyes lit up: "Who is it? Tell me, and we'll make a plan on the way!"
Duan Hu slowly and clearly said: "Far away, at the edge of the heavens, close before your eyes."
Mister Ming froze, then his face changed. He realized that Duan Hu wanted to rob a robber. He immediately darted away, intending to flee.
But a silhouette with a sword appeared before him. It was Lei Zong Kang.
Mister Ming was frightened. He only now understood that he had been trapped. They had been waiting for him for a long time.
He was furious at his own avarice. He had made so much money in Qingzhou. Yet, he was told that after this job, there would be another profitable one for him. That's why he came back. He already had plenty of money, why did he need to return? Because of greed! Greed kills.
Duan Hu attacked him from behind with a sword, and another silhouette appeared from the side. It was Wu San Liang.
Realizing he was in a dire situation, Mister Ming shouted: "Gentlemen, do you want money? I'll give you all my possessions!"
Duan Hu smiled, saying: "We're not interested in money; we're interested in your life!"
After they became Niu You Dao's followers, they started speaking differently and no longer prioritized money as they once did!
The three men surrounded Mister Ming, and a fierce battle ensued. Tree leaves fell, and with them, Mister Ming's body finally dropped.
"Duan, I still won't let you off. I..." Mister Ming said bitterly as he fell. But before he could finish, Lei Zong Kang stepped forward and pierced his heart with a sword.
Lei Zong Kang first tossed the sword away from Mister Ming, then, looking at Wu San Liang, asked:
"Wu, how are you?"
Wu San Liang smiled bitterly and said: "Just a little, nothing serious."
Plunging his sword into the ground and tearing his clothes, Lei Zong Kang helped heal Wu San Liang's wounds.
Duan Hu crouched before Mister Ming and searched his body. Very soon, he found a stack of banknotes. There, he discovered eight 10,000-gold banknotes in a deep pocket.
"Looks like this guy got 100,000, but only gave me 10,000. I thought this guy pocketed quite a bit of money."
After that, they dug a pit and buried Mister Ming there so that no one would find him. Wu San Liang, after dealing with his wound, changed his clothes, and then the few people vanished into the forest...
A few days later, the three men arrived at a mountain gorge behind Qingshan.
Niu You Dao emerged from his hut at dawn and saw the three men. He smiled faintly:
"You're back."
"Lord Dao!" the three men cupped their hands.
Niu You Dao: "How did it go?"
"Everything was done as Lord Dao instructed. Nothing unusual happened. Everything went smoothly." Duan Hu nodded. He pulled out a stack of money.
"The small change probably belonged to that swindler, Wang, and the 100,000 was most likely given to him by Hai Ru Yue. In total, there's over 103,000 here."
They didn't even think of pocketing the money. Whatever happened, Niu You Dao would learn about it during his first conversation with Hai Ru Yue.
Niu You Dao didn't accept the money: "You all worked hard, so divide it among yourselves."
The three men smiled. They were already accustomed to Lord Dao's behavior. Since he told them to divide it, they immediately shared it without ceremony.
They used to rob other thieves too. But now, if they robbed, it was at least tens of thousands of gold.
Their actions had changed too. Would they have dared to deceive the Qingzhou governor's palace before?
Now they had even outsmarted the Ice and Snow Palace. What did they have to fear now? The main thing was that Lord Dao was here; then they would have courage. Nothing else mattered.
"Wu, what happened to your face? Are you injured?" Niu You Dao asked, looking at Wu San Liang.
Wu San Liang smiled bitterly and said: "Just a little, nothing serious."
Duan Hu said: "I underestimated that swindler. I didn't think that even with the three of us surrounding him, he could still injure Wu. Wu was almost sliced through by his sword."
"In the future, don't make such mistakes! Think more, risk less. Alright. You've worked hard, now rest." Niu You Dao waved his hand.
"Yes, sir!" the three men cupped their hands and left.
Niu You Dao could only entrust such a matter to these people. After all, only they and Yuan Gang knew about the Red Yang Fruit. And for Niu You Dao, it was better if fewer people knew about this matter.
Niu You Dao slowly walked to the cliff and watched as several people descended the mountain. Then he noticed another person climbing up the mountain. It was Shu Qing.
When they saw each other, Shu Qing approached him and greeted him with a melodious voice:
"Lord Dao!"
She no longer wore the canonical hat when not traveling outside. However, her face was so frightening that it was unpleasant to look at. But not looking was also impolite, which made people uncomfortable.
Niu You Dao asked: "Does the Princess have something to discuss?"
Shu Qing: "I just returned from the county chief. I heard Brother received news that Hai Ru Yue personally wants to observe the training of the Wuli and Yinyang Guards. She is already on her way. But the training of the soldiers hasn't really begun. When she arrives, we won't have anything to show her. Brother asks for Lord Dao's advice. What should we do?"
Earlier, Niu You Dao had told them not to worry about Hai Ru Yue. Therefore, Shang Chao Zong was asking him what to do.
Niu You Dao put his hands behind his back and, looking far into the distance, smiled cunningly:
"It seems this woman is terribly impatient!"
Shu Qing noticed his strange smile and asked doubtfully:
"Terribly? Impatient? Is Wandong Heavenly Palace pressuring her?"
Niu You Dao shook his head and chuckled: "Princess, tell the Prince not to worry. Let him attend to his own affairs. She isn't coming to see the soldiers; she's coming to me."
Shu Qing nodded and remembered his words. She already trusted Niu You Dao's abilities, so she couldn't resist asking:
"Why is she coming to Lord Dao?"
Niu You Dao smiled but said nothing. If he told her, Shu Qing would indeed suspect him of being involved with the Red Yang Fruit matter...