Chapter 1595: Cao Wendao's Gain

Security at the entrance and around Spring Mountain Villa was very tight.

They drove the carriage into the bushes, unhitched the horses, stowed their flags, then knocked the captives unconscious and put them into sacks.

A strong gust of wind swept through, bringing sleet that pelted down relentlessly.

Then, Dong Rui released the snail-toad.

"Quickly!"

Half an hour later, the rain and snow subsided, dwindling to a gentle fall.

Another carriage slowly approached the woods.

No one got out, but a flock of large, clumsy moths with dusty heads flew out of the carriage window, flapping their grey wings as they entered the forest.

About a quarter of an hour later, they flew back, re-entering the carriage through the curtains.

The carriage started moving again, slowly disappearing into the darkness.

The ground was mostly yellow mud, and they were relieved to finally see a patch of green.

Soon, it met another carriage by the stream. A person emerged, bowed to the other carriage, and said, "Master, your disciple has returned."

The curtain on the opposite carriage was lifted, and Cao Wendao stepped down, sitting by the stream.

Two disciples busied themselves, digging a small pit to start a bonfire, fetching clean water, and finding a large, flat stone. They dried the stone, laid two layers of soft animal hide over it, and then invited their master to sit.

The rain had just stopped, leaving water everywhere, dead branches, fallen leaves, and the scent of damp earth. However, this spot was only three li from Spring Mountain Villa, and the forest was dense with no high ground nearby, so even if they lit a fire, it wouldn't be visible from a distance.

On a winter night, the countryside after the rain was especially cold.

Cao Wendao warmed his hands by the fire, asking the disciple who had just dismounted, "Are they no longer in the woods?"

"The people are gone and the carriage is empty. The horses have been unhitched, and two are hiding in the bushes, grazing," the disciple replied. "Those few people are nowhere to be found."

"They must have returned to the Villa," Cao Wendao said, stroking his chin. "Why didn't they just drive back directly? Does He Xiao not want the Yaoguo people in the Villa to know about his outing tonight?"

He Xiao, as the "intended victim" tracking and fighting back against assassins, why wouldn't he openly declare it?

Those Yaoguo personal guards would likely be willing to be dispatched by him. Once the assassins were caught and sent to the palace, it could also be recorded as a credit against Qingyang, the Regent.

Why wouldn't He Xiao do this? What was he concerned about?

Cao Wendao pressed his forehead, remaining silent for a long time.

A disciple asked with concern, "Master, are you feeling unwell?"

"Your second senior brother is dead. These people didn't leave him alive."

The remaining disciples looked distraught, and one of them cautiously asked, "Master, what... what do we do next?"

They hadn't even made a move, yet their side had already lost three members.

The opponents had even turned the tables, relentlessly pursuing them.

If Cao Wendao hadn't seized the opportunity, they might have been cornered by He Xiao at the Fennel Inn long ago.

After taking on assassination contracts for so many years, it was his first time encountering such a difficult target.

No wonder Qingyang entrusted this task to him; she couldn't handle it herself.

"Wei Yishan will return west tomorrow morning to bring Xiao An back."

This was the best news he had received tonight.

The disciples were astonished, then overjoyed. "Xiao An is still alive!"

"Congratulations, Master! Congratulations!"

"This is amazing, an unprecedented breakthrough!"

"Success? How can we talk about a breakthrough before we find Xiao An?" Cao Wendao said, though a smile appeared on his face. Not only was Xiao An alive, but from what he overheard, her condition was very stable, both mentally and physically.

This was truly an amazing surprise!

"Ha, I can also confirm one thing: Wei Yishan is one of us!"

This was the second good piece of news.

If Cao Wendao had only suspected before, now he was certain.

"Although he didn't personally admit to being a Demonic Puppet Master, his understanding of demonic puppets and of us is truly excessive."

Only an expert would know such intricacies.

The moment Wei Yishan displayed his style, Cao Wendao understood: this was a fellow practitioner!

"Wei Yishan leaving Spring Mountain Villa is our good opportunity. We must capture both this person and Xiao An!"

Killing two birds with one stone!

Thinking about how much these two people could help his research, Cao Wendao couldn't help but rub his hands together in anticipation.

As for He Xiao, the mission target, he was temporarily put aside.

Anyway, he had promised Qingyang to kill He Xiao, but he hadn't specified when.

He had to wait for the most opportune moment, right?

The disciples all said, "If he's not in the Villa and not with He Xiao, then it'll be easy."

Wei Yishan spent all day in the mountain cellar, with nearly a thousand guards outside. Even Cao Wendao found it difficult, knowing it would be impossible to abduct him without a sound.

Now that he was willing to come out on his own, and even travel a long distance to pick up Xiao An, that was the best possible scenario for Cao Wendao.

Along this path, how many opportunities would there be to strike?

A disciple asked, "Master, where is Xiao An?"

"Probably only He Xiao and Wei Yishan know," Cao Wendao said gravely. "They are also very interested in my research task. Why is that?"

"Xiao An hasn't died yet. Could it be related to this person named Wei?"

The disciples all said, "How could a mere nameless Demonic Puppet Master possess such ability? Xiao An's continued survival must be due to Master's correct methods!"

Cao Wendao glanced at them and let out a soft snort.

A bunch of sycophants.

"Wei Yishan will depart for Zhuxian tomorrow morning, which is the best route for him to take a boat west, besides Mangzhou," Cao Wendao mused. "Once he gets on the water, it'll be hard for us to track him."

Travel by water inherently offers concealment and is difficult to track. In this season, rivers often have dense fog.

If they encountered it even once, they would lose track of him.

Therefore, if they wanted to capture Wei Yishan, it was best to do it before Zhuxian to avoid many unfavorable factors.

"Given Wei Yishan's pace, he can reach the South Gate of Tianshui City within two hours of dawn, and then head west from there."

"We came to Tianshui City via this route!" a disciple offered. "From the South Gate of Tianshui City heading west, the route perfectly bypasses two post stations, so to rest, one must go to the nearest village or town."

Cao Wendao casually broke off a branch and drew a simple map on the ground.

"How can there be villages or towns there? It's all self-built camps," he said. The design of this route south of Tianshui City was very unreasonable; it was clearly an official road and close to Tianshui City, yet merchants and travelers had to walk seventy li before they could get supplies.

Cao Wendao and his group naturally didn't know that the plan to add more post stations had been made seven years ago but had never been implemented.

The King of Yao and the Yao court were very busy, rarely having the energy to glance in this direction.

Of course, where there's demand, there's business. Along this official road, there was a riverside flatland named Huilong Slope, where someone, unknown, had spontaneously built wooden houses. This quickly developed into a camp, supplying food, lodging, storage, and even commercial orders, though the conditions were certainly not as good as official post stations.

After walking seventy li continuously, most merchants and caravans would stop at Huilong Slope to rest, feed their horses, and replenish food and water before continuing their journey.