Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Liu Shuyu’s eyes nearly bent into crescents and hidden in her gentle smile was curiosity. “Have you heard of Longzi, Senior Brother?”
“No.” Meng Qi shook his head. He had truly never heard of this name.
Secretly feeling disappointed she said, “She’d definitely be overjoyed if you had heard of her, but alas…”
“I still have something to attend to, so please excuse me.” These days, Meng Qi would feel uneasy whenever he heard of any girl whose name carried the word ‘Zi’ or ‘Sang’. Besides, his sister had been trying to matchmake him and Liu Shuyu, so he kept the conversation brief and instantly took his leave.
“I dare not disturb you, Senior Brother. Go right ahead.” She gave him a dignified salute with an ever-gentle expression, never once showing anything out of ordinary on her face.
While they engaged in a question-and-answer-like conversation, the rest were still immersed in the fight from earlier. They were still in shock over how quickly Ke Changji, a Half-step Exterior Scenery master equipped with a Precious Weapon, had lost.
It was just like what they had thought earlier. Though they knew that Killing Blade was strong, but they had never expected him to be this strong, powerful even!
It was no wonder that Wolf King, who had killed comparatively weak Half-step masters like they were nothing more than chickens, died in his hands!
It was no wonder that the consummate stage of the Oneness of Heaven and Men realm was dubbed the “initial step” to the harmonizing of the inner and outer worlds!
Stepping outside of the fighting ring, he ran straight into Su Yue. The latter was still in his usual deep golden Super Arrester garb, with a golden-eye pendant hanging at his waist. “Will you be contacting Gu Changqing today?” he asked with a grim expression.
“Yes,” Meng Qi answered honestly, without concealing anything. Since this matter involved the Luo Denomination and the Destruction Sect, he alone wouldn’t be able to handle it. He would largely leave the latter half of the affairs to the Six Fan School.
One should only consume as much food as one’s stomach allows.
Su Yue nodded. “Chief Arrester is particularly concerned about the two assassination cases. He personally requested the Emperor to order the operations of the Grand Formation of Luoyang be heightened before and after the Sumptuous Fruits Banquet. Though not all of the formation would be activated, we’ll be able to respond as soon as we notice anything unusual happening within the city walls. Unless you’re unable to withstand even one Exterior-level attack, you’ll have no problem leaving with your life. The assassin will also have to worry about whether he’ll be able to escape after killing you with one strike.”
It would require treasure from many talents to activate the entire formation. Even if the imperial court was affluent, their wealth wasn’t inexhaustible.
“That’s good to know.” Meng Qi heaved a sigh of relief.
Earlier, he had been thinking about requesting an Exterior master from the Six Fan School or Wang Zai’s father to follow him in the shadows to prevent any mishaps.
Leaving the grounds of Duke Mightiness’ Mansion, Meng Qi headed straight for the Escort Agency of Central Province located outside the city walls. When he had reached the vicinity, he saw the famed agency covered in white silk mourning cloth, giving it a dark and gloomy look.
“The Head of Escorts here was likely the only Exterior master in the agency in the Central Province. Without him, the branch here must have instantly dropped to an ordinary level. There are probably many of his descendants and disciples working here as well. Them being in the mourning is only to be expected…” Meng Qi didn’t appear to be surprised as he carefully observed the agency.
Just then, he spotted a man wearing a bamboo hat entering the agency, looking overly cautious.
Meng Qi’s heart jolted and he instantly hid. He inched closer to the external city walls and, under the chaos of the mourning, snuck into the courtyard. He hid amid the leaves on a tree.
A middle-aged man in mourning attire came up to the other and said, “What are you here for, sir?”
The man pressed down on his bamboo hat and said, in a gloomy voice, “I’m here for the escort item.”
“What escort item?” The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes.
“The escort item that we requested your agency to return to Luoyang.” Irritation began to creep into the hat-wearing man’s voice.
“So it is really because of this…” Meng Qi activated his Will-projecting to have everything in his surroundings imprinted in his mind, thanks to his state of harmonized heaven and earth. Every detail was particularly clear in his mind.
The middle-aged man finally understood what the newcomer meant. He was angry but didn’t dare lose his temper. He looked as if he hated that the escort item was entrusted to their agency and caused their Head of Escorts and many fellow escorts to die so tragically, but was also feeling awkward about having lost the item.
In the end, he tried his best to suppress his anger so he could preserve the agency. “I’m very sorry to say that we’ve lost the escort item, sir. Our Head of Escorts was also murdered by those of the Nine Evil Paths. Please give us some time to find the item. We have no complaints even if you demand compensation from us.”
It no longer mattered whether or not the client hadn’t revealed the full extent of the risks involved in the assignment. Since their Head of Escorts had accepted the request, that meant the agency had promised to take on the risk. That was the only way the middle-aged man could answer. Otherwise, the reputation of their agency would take a beating and it would be hard for them to continue operating in the future.
The man wearing the bamboo hat tried very hard to hold his temper. “You lost it? How did you lose it?!”
The middle-aged man recalled the details of what had happened and relayed the events to the newcomer. When he came to the end of his explanation, his voice became quiet and sorrowful as he said, “We were wiped out when we broke up into two groups. I suppose that was when the escort items fell into the hands of the Luo Denomination and the Destruction Sect.”
He appeared to be unaware of Meng Qi’s rescue of Gu Changqing. That meant that Gu Changqing had gone deep into hiding and hadn’t contacted the Escort Agency of Central Province.
The man wearing a hat paced back and forth for some time, sounding irritated and solemn at the same time. “If you have any news of the escort item, make a note on the door at once…”
He explained all the noteworthy content in one breath and left without even looking back, never once bringing up the issue of compensation. It was as if he found the details to be inconsequential.
Meng Qi, like a large bird, soundlessly slid down from the tree and jumped over the wall. He kept his distance and followed after the man in the cone shaped bamboo hat from afar.
If he could find out the purpose of the escort item, then perhaps he could draw out those targeting him and kill them. That way, the conspiracy between the Luo Denomination and the Destruction Sect would fail.
The man wearing the bamboo hat was incredibly cautious and made several turns along the streets and alleys nearby. If not for Meng Qi’s skill in disguising and hiding, the man would’ve long shaken him off his trail.
The man suddenly made a detour and returned to the entrance of the Escort Agency of Central Province. A horse carriage was waiting at the mouth of the alley, with the horse quietly munching on hay.
Twice, he had passed by the horse carriage without any change in expression. Now, he suddenly turn around and gave it a quick once-over. With the utmost speed, he slipped inside the carriage.
“Did he make detours without entering the carriage all so whoever’s in the carriage can observe if he’s being followed?” Shock gripped Meng Qi. These people were shrewd!
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Even though he had been constantly changing his appearance and breath, the fact that there was always someone following the middle-aged man still put him on high alert!
Just as the thought crossed his mind, he felt two pairs of eyes directing their gazes in his direction. Their sight was focused squarely on him!
The horse raised its head and neighed loudly before running straight into the path outside of the city walls.
Meng Qi didn’t have time to worry about keeping himself hidden. He quicked his pace and ran straight up to the carriage, staying on top their trail via the passengers’ breaths.
He took off in large strides, and quickly closed the gap of several tens of meters.
Just then, the two gazes once again turned toward him and met his eyes.
“Bang!”
The collision of their breaths were similar to a bolt of lightning striking. The passengers inside the carriage suddenly ‘leaped’ out of Meng Qi’s locked-on targeting of their breaths.
It was like closing one’s eyes and ears. If Meng Qi would have relied primarily on his senses, he would have noticed that the carriage had disappeared from the map in his mind as if there was no difference from those of the crowd. His sea was being obscured!
Meng Qi retreated to the side of the street and saw only numerous horses galloping past with their carriages. It was a much bigger challenge to find them now.
“It’s a master of the Oneness of Heaven and Men realm…” Meng Qi frowned. Under the collision of breaths earlier, he was able to get an idea of the other party’s strength.
If not for his injuries, it wouldn’t be so simple for a master of the consummate stage to escape from him.
Of course, the passengers on the carriage had used a secret technique. Even if he was in peak condition, he might not have been able to hold onto them.
“Judging from the collision of breaths, the passenger wasn’t Yan Chong. Who could it be…” Meng Qi racked his brain but no answer came to him.
Even though the number of masters on Ranking List of Young Masters who were in the consummate stage of the Oneness of Heaven and Men realm could be counted with one hand, there were no other than himself, Yan Chong, Liu Su, Luo Hou of Asura Temple, Tian Ce of Pure Sun Sect, and Super Purple Sword Cui Zhe. He had no ideas for any such masters outside of the list. There were always no shortage of up-and-coming youngsters who would soon overpower the older generation or those who were working to become even more powerful step by step. It was just like the Club Principal who had asked Meng Qi for advice on his path. Not to mention the low-profile Evil Spirits who had grown accustomed to killing people and desecrating corpses.
Meng Qi decided to stop making any guesses after giving it a thorough pondering. Making a detour away from the Escort Agency of Central Province, he headed for a shabby courtyard that he and Gu Changqing had decided on prior to and left a mark there.
When he finished this task, he hid in a secluded residence nearby and patiently waited for Gu Changqing.
This matter was of grave importance. He didn’t choose to leave and wait for Gu Changqing to find him after seeing the mark. He didn’t want any mishaps cropping up.
Due to his experience of waiting for Wolf King, he wasn’t at all disturbed by any emotions. He felt not the least bit of anxiousness or frustration. He had entirely intergrated with his surroundings, as if he had become the root of a rotten tree.
The sunlight at noon was particularly bright, signaling the laziest time of the day. Every now and then, the sound of barking would drift from afar to shatter the silence.
Just then, a shadow silently inched close. When he saw the mark, he paused momentarily before quickening his pace.
He felt a sudden weight on his shoulder and lost his balance as someone pulled him into a corner.
“It’s me.” The familiar voice that drifted into Gu Changqing’s ears stopped him from drawing his sword.
“Are you alright?”
“Little Meng, the escort item was stolen!”
The two of them spoke at nearly the same time.
“What?” Meng Qi blurted out in surprise. He didn’t expect that the escort item in Gu Changqing’s hands would be stolen.
In his shock, he suddenly felt a tiny sliver of breath surging. The feeling passed as soon as it came and disappeared without a trace!
“Someone’s following me… He’s far stronger than me…” Meng Qi made an instant judgment. He wouldn’t have noticed the person if it wasn’t for the impact from Gu Changqing’s news and his acute senses!
“You’re not injured, are you? How could it be stolen?” he asked with an unchanging expression.
“I scoured the vicinity of the agency yesterday to see if the Head of Escorts has returned, only to hear of his tragic death…” Gu Changqing appeared downcast. “I was hesitating whether or not to go back into hiding but, perhaps it was because I didn’t conceal my emotions well and accidentally revealed my hiding place. The culprit instantly found me and paralyzed me before taking away the escort item. By the time I opened my acupoint, I was worried about implicating the agency, so I left on my own.”
“It can’t be the work of evil spirits considering you’re still alive. Did you take a good look at his face or remember any unique features?” Meng Qi nodded, looking thoughtful.
Gu Changqing shook his head. “He was wearing a mask and a black robe.”
“What mask?” Meng Qi gasped.
Gu Changqing frowned, deep in thought. “It’s like… like the mask of Primogenitor Guangcheng in the plays. Yes, that’s it! Primogenitor Guangcheng’s mask!”
“Primogenitor Guangcheng? Damn it, I didn’t recognize him! Are we even in the same team…” Meng Qi wiped a non-existent bead of sweat off his forehead. “Changqing, I’ll find you somewhere to stay first. Don’t show yourself for now.”
“No problem,” Gu Changqing replied, agreeing with the suggestion.
When the two of them left the alley, a man stepped out from among the shadows.
The man, with a golden-eye hanging at his waist, scowled.
“So it’s true that the escort item isn’t with him…”
The man hadn’t disappeared for long when a ripple spread across the void. Someone muttered to himself doubtfully, “Why did he order me to come personally? Isn’t it just as good to have the Six Fan School handle this matter…”