Chapter 1567: Not Easy to Blend In

“Fu Country? Is Zhu Erniang also connected to Fu Country?”

“Yes. The local people of Fu Country say that there used to be a merchant named Gan who regularly transported fluorescent spores from the Demon’s Lair Swamp and sold them to Beijia. However, the Gan family met with misfortune a few years ago. The merchant Gan was robbed and killed by bandits, and his son went mad. A few days later, the Gan family’s home caught fire. All eight family members, along with their servants, long-term laborers, and three or four neighboring households, perished without exception. Naturally, the Gan Family Trading Company ceased to exist.”

Upon hearing this, Qingyang immediately understood: “They were silenced.”

She walked to the window, leaning on the railing and gazing at Tianshui City to the west. “The royal palace in Tianshui City is filled with fluorescent spores, but this substance only appeared six months ago. Do you know where they came from?”

“Yangshan Archipelago.”

“Yes, the Yangshan Archipelago,” Qingyang slowly stated. “How did the fluorescent spores from the Demon’s Lair Swamp become a special export product of the Yangshan Archipelago? And conversely, is Zhu Erniang currently in the Yangshan Archipelago?”

“There’s one more minor detail,” Yuan Xuan reported again. “Eighteen months ago, Beijia canceled the arrest warrant for Zhu Erniang.”

This was indeed a small matter, so minor that Qingyang hadn’t even heard about it.

Of course, she was no longer in Beijia at that time.

But now, putting the two pieces of information together, she immediately sensed something was amiss:

“After the Heavenly Palace incident, Zhu Erniang successfully escaped Beijia and then went to the Yangshan Archipelago?”

“Our friends in Mou Country learned that Zhu Erniang initially fled into the forests of Mou Country but couldn’t get along with the great demons there. She then left, and her whereabouts became unknown.”

“It seems she moved to He Xiao’s island. What was the reason Beijia canceled Zhu Erniang’s arrest warrant?”

“According to the cancellation statement, Zhu Erniang appealed to Beijia’s special envoy, claiming she only went to Lingxu City to retrieve lost items and knew nothing else.”

Qingyang found this strange: “Just one sentence?”

“Yes.”

“The Yangshan Archipelago is conveniently located behind Mou Country, so Zhu Erniang must have found sanctuary there. Beijia can’t send an army, so they can only dispatch masters to apprehend her. Hmm, Zhu Erniang is also an ancient demon immortal; capturing her wouldn’t be easy,” Qingyang mused. “Indeed, leaving her on the wanted list indefinitely wouldn’t look good. However, the warrant was canceled so decisively, which makes the whole situation a bit suspicious. I don’t believe Lingxu City didn’t attempt to use force.”

Canceling the warrant without trying to capture Zhu Erniang doesn’t align with Lingxu City’s typical approach.

“Who was the special envoy from Beijia who went to find Zhu Erniang?”

“We couldn’t find out.”

“Whose idea was it to cancel the arrest warrant?”

“That also couldn’t be determined.”

Qingyang exhaled heavily. “Even Zhu Erniang’s arrest warrant was canceled. Ha, impressive skill.”

It was no wonder outsiders were involved; someone within Beijia must have been orchestrating things.

Nevertheless, Zhu Erniang, one of the main culprits behind the havoc in the Heavenly Palace, was now on the Yangshan Archipelago, even continuing to sell special products through the Yangshan Trading Company. She was certainly living comfortably.

Coincidentally, He Xiao, the lord of Yangshan, also hailed from Fu Country. Did he and Zhu Erniang know each other from way back?

Zhu Erniang’s previous accomplice was also a criminal from the Heavenly Palace incident.

The more she delved into He Xiao’s background, the more intriguing it became. She had initially thought he was merely a trusted subordinate of Shuangye, but it now appeared to be much more than that.

And she always felt that He Xiao’s actions were only superficially honorable, and that he had come to Yao Country with ulterior motives.

Just then, another demon bird arrived with a message.

Yuan Xuan personally took the sealed letter from the bird’s talons and presented it to Qingyang with both hands.

The main body of the letter was written in code, roughly stating:

“We have collected very few supplies from the five locations: Mangzhou, Zhuoan, Changyu, and Zhaoqing. It appears someone may have gotten there first.”

“It has been confirmed that our companions did not collect them; empty shell trading companies were used, making it difficult to trace.”

Qingyang put down the note and murmured, “It’s getting more interesting.”

Someone else was doing the same thing as them.

Perhaps they smelled a business opportunity and wanted to buy up stock?

Or perhaps something else?

Tianshui City, Shiquan Inn.

As the Crimson Manor Lord entered his private room and sat down, two of his disciples came in, standing side by side and speaking softly:

“Master.”

The Crimson Manor Lord looked at them, and both disciples lowered their heads.

“Speak, what’s wrong?” The Crimson Manor Lord raised his cup and took a few sips of warm water. “It’s been two days. Don’t tell me your informants still haven’t infiltrated Yongquan Villa.”

The disciple swallowed before replying, “Master, please don’t be angry, but no, not yet.”

Their master was formidable, but also exceptionally strict, and everyone feared incurring his wrath.

The cup in the Crimson Manor Lord’s hand paused. “Reasons?”

As soon as he arrived in Tianshui City, he had dispatched his disciples to first deploy their insect puppets into Yongquan Villa, aiming to ascertain the terrain and personnel distribution there.

Assassination missions might sound thrilling, but they were far from simple.

The Crimson Manor Lord had a high success rate, and although he had demon puppets to assist him, he still required meticulous prior preparation and precise reconnaissance.

At the very least, they needed to figure out the target’s residence within Yongquan Villa, potential routes, and the security forces around them, didn’t they?

“Yongquan Villa is vast, and its buildings are scattered, so our control range over the insect puppets is limited.” In short, Yongquan Villa was too large, and the demon puppeteers couldn’t fly their insect puppets to the core areas—if the distance was too great, the puppets would go out of control. “We can only investigate the villa’s perimeter. And that perimeter… is basically all fruit trees!”

Yongquan Villa occupied an entire small hillside, covered entirely with fruit trees. This season, they were indeed laden with fruit: mangoes, pears, and late-ripening apricots, nearly bending the branches. Who wouldn’t salivate at the sight? But what reconnaissance value did fruit trees have?

“Moreover, there are guards within the villa who patrol every thirty minutes.”

“Have you tried to infiltrate?” the Crimson Manor Lord asked them. “With such a large villa, there must be a constant flow of supplies and personnel.”

How could infiltration be difficult?

The disciples exchanged glances. “We tried, but the villa rarely buys things from outside, and the servants also live directly on the premises. It seems only trading company personnel enter and exit, but the guards mostly recognize them, making it difficult to blend in.”

“They rarely buy things? So they just live on thin air?”

The two disciples didn’t know the answer and remained silent. They also knew that their explanations sounded too much like excuses.

The Crimson Manor Lord looked at them, not particularly angry. Yongquan Villa appeared vast, but it was likely more secure than it seemed, with excellent security, making it genuinely difficult to infiltrate. Otherwise, why would Qingyang not send her own subordinates to eliminate He Xiao, but instead entrust him with the task?

The Crimson Manor Lord suddenly asked, “Where’s the second disciple?”

The second disciple hadn’t come to see him.

As the two were about to speak, the courtyard gate creaked open, and someone entered.

“Master!”

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

The second disciple rushed in, startling everyone. He was ragged, bruised, and his forehead had a purple contusion. His hands and neck were marked with streaks of blood from a whip.