Chapter 473: Waiting for the Hare by the Tree Stump

**Chapter 472: Waiting for the Rabbit**

Xu Dayou quickly located the warehouse He Lingchuan was looking for. This row of three warehouses stored four types of herbs. Selfheal was among them, occupying one entire warehouse.

"Does Luocang store selfheal anywhere else?"

"Yes, but it's scattered across seven or eight smaller, mixed-herb warehouses. We checked the inventory; the largest of those holds about four hundred catties, while the smallest has only forty catties, and none are categorized." The person in charge pointed to the warehouse behind him. "This one contains seventeen thousand three hundred catties that have already been sorted and are scheduled for dispatch to seven locations within three days."

"This is it then." He Lingchuan personally went inside to inspect the contents, confirming all the herbs were present, and then let out a long sigh of relief. His efforts since last night had not been in vain; he had finally seized the initiative.

"Has this warehouse always stored selfheal?"

"Yes. The warehouses in the town center have the most comprehensive security, so they store the most valuable medicinal materials. These warehouses on the town's outskirts have always stockpiled selfheal, ephedra, and similar herbs." These herbs are inexpensive, so no one bothers to steal them.

General Antelope, however, remained concerned: "What if Wan Song just raids a few pharmacies or herbal shops to grab some selfheal for immediate needs?"

He Lingchuan asked him, "Why do you think Mr. Mai and Wan Song chose Zhitian Village as their base?"

General Antelope thought for a moment: "Because it's easy to obtain herbs here?"

"If that's truly the reason, then the demon puppet's consumption of selfheal must be substantial." If they only needed a few catties or ounces, they could easily buy them from any pharmacy; why bother moving to Zhitian Village? Only in Zhitian Village could they purchase large quantities of herbs long-term without arousing suspicion.

Before He Lingchuan could speak, Jiao Yu said, "Since Mr. Mai has been exposed, they can't stay in Zhitian Village and must evacuate quickly. If you were Wan Song, and your monster couldn't survive without selfheal, what would you do?"

General Antelope blurted out, "Pull off a big heist and then leave." Since they were going to steal anyway, it was better to go big than small.

He Lingchuan patted the herb sacks beside him: "There are over twenty thousand catties of selfheal here, which should last it for a while until they find a new source."

"Will he know to look here?"

"Wan Song might not know, but Mr. Mai should be very clear," He Lingchuan said calmly. "Mr. Mai is a meticulous person; he likely plans his escape routes in advance. Since Luocang always has selfheal needing transportation, this would be their backup supply warehouse."

In fact, he had an absurd idea in his mind that he hadn't shared with anyone, human or demon. It awaited verification.

"So, what do we do now?"

"We'll make some arrangements, then wait for the rabbit to come," He Lingchuan replied. He then asked Xu Dayou, "I heard the grass jelly here is delicious?"

"Absolutely!" Xu Dayou chuckled. "Every time I'm on official business in Luocang, I always make sure to have a bowl of grass jelly on my way there and back."

It was the height of summer, July, a season when any movement brought sweat. Although everyone had true energy and primal energy for protection against the heat, a bowl of something cool on a hot day was still wonderfully refreshing. So, led by Xu Dayou, they found a nearby dessert shop.

The shop had been open for over sixty years, with the craft passed down through four generations. The grass jelly He Lingchuan ordered was made from a broth brewed from bundles of immortal herbs, soaked overnight in cold well water to set. When served, it was topped with osmanthus honey water and a few soft, chewy glutinous rice balls. The taste was a mix of sweet and bitter, dispelling the inner heat and restlessness. Most importantly, it was cheap. He Lingchuan finished two large bowls, and it only cost him four copper coins. In Yuan State, the osmanthus honey alone would cost more than that.

While sweeteners could fetch a price anywhere, only in Beijia Kingdom was it a seasoning readily available to common folk. The variety was rich, and the prices were affordable. Therefore, in both Baoshu Kingdom and Chiyan Kingdom, every street and alley was filled with various dessert shops, many of which had become long-standing establishments. For instance, the bowl of grass jelly He Lingchuan was currently enjoying used "immortal herbs" prepared according to the shop's unique secret recipe, reportedly incorporating thirteen different herbs and even two types of honey. This freedom to enjoy sweets was a rare luxury globally.

The officers also sat down to rest, ordering various desserts. One of the officers was a black-bodied, white-striped skunk; it didn't want grass jelly, only two bowls of honey water. Of course, humans weren't the only ones working for the government.

In summer, dusk falls slowly. But now, several dark clouds drifted across the sky, arrogantly chasing away the bright sun and drawing a dark curtain. Several flashes of lightning rolled through the clouds, heralding an approaching storm. This was what He Lingchuan was waiting for. He stood up immediately and said, "Let's go back and get ready to work."

The night's wind and rain were mighty, plunging the world into darkness. The entire Luocang area was enveloped in a rustling sound, and there wasn't a soul on the road. Dried herbs are most vulnerable to water, so even the busiest warehouses were forced to shut down at this time.

He Lingchuan's team was evenly distributed among the nearby warehouses of various sizes, while he and Jiao Yu, with four or five others, guarded the main warehouse containing the selfheal. The warehouse occupied three hundred square meters, built squarely, with particularly high beams, over two zhang (more than six meters) from the ground. Twenty thousand catties of selfheal were neatly stacked, occupying only half the storage capacity; the rest remained empty. Oh, and black jars were placed in the corners of the warehouse. He Lingchuan and Jiao Yu took positions on the beams.

Three hours had passed since they returned to the warehouse after finishing their grass jelly. The warehouse remained perfectly quiet, with no abnormalities. It was almost midnight, the standard witching hour. He Lingchuan looked out from the warehouse's high window, seeing not a single soul. Fortunately, Jiao Yu was also a beast skilled in ambush, accustomed to waiting without complaint.

Suddenly, a "thud" sounded from below, and He Lingchuan's nerves instantly tightened. However, he quickly saw that it was just a small twig, blown by the wind, falling to the ground. Several more bolts of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the entire area. He Lingchuan suddenly patted the tiger's back, pointed out the window, and urged, "Look!" Jiao Yu turned his head, and his fur bristled: Outside the opposite window, there seemed to be a colossal, shadowy mass whose outline was unclear, but it was at least as tall as the herb warehouse. If not for the lightning illuminating the sky at just the right moment, probably no one would have noticed such a thing appearing in the dark, rainy night. Immediately after, the window went dark.

"Go!" Indeed, plans are often outpaced by changes. He Lingchuan had originally thought the monster would emerge from beneath the warehouse, but instead, it appeared directly outside. Although the herb warehouse was spacious, the thing outside was absurdly massive—it couldn't possibly fit inside! Fortunately, he had a B-plan. He turned and leaped out through the small window on the opposite side. Jiao Yu followed closely.

For the officers and demons guarding the other surrounding warehouses, this rainy night was long and tedious. Xu Dayou stifled his tenth yawn and wiped away the tears, only to see General Antelope beside him still intensely focused, staring unblinkingly at the opposite warehouse. These demons truly had boundless energy, far surpassing ordinary humans. The scene outside the window was exceptionally monotonous: just the unchanging heavy rain and still objects.

Something was off about the opposite warehouse; it looked as if a massive dark shadow had appeared behind it. But the lightning flashed and was gone, and the outside plunged back into darkness. What was that? Xu Dayou thought he was imagining things and rubbed his eyes. When the next lightning bolt struck, he saw the warehouse was still in place, and nothing around it had changed. The huge dark shadow was also gone. Was it really just an illusion?

But then Jiao Yu suddenly darted out from behind the warehouse, accompanied by a long roar: "Shoot arrows at the warehouse!" The tiger's roar pierced the rainy night, exploding like thunder in everyone's ears. The surrounding warehouse doors flung open one after another, and people rushed out with bows and crossbows, raising their arms to shoot arrows! Each arrow had a long rope tied to its end. Although they hadn't seen any other suspicious figures, they obeyed Jiao Yu's command.

The wind-drilling beasts also crashed through the warehouse doors where they were hiding, shooting out like arrows. For them, ten zhang was just two steps. The wind-drilling beasts lowered their heads, like bulls charging, and slammed their spiral horns violently into the outer wall of the warehouse! Almost simultaneously, a flurry of arrows from the others arrived, also striking the warehouse. With such a large target, even He Lingchuan, who had only started learning archery a few months ago, couldn't possibly miss.

A strange scene unfolded: Although the arrows struck, they all slid off; not a single one pierced the wall. Even the sharp horns of the two wind-drilling beasts failed to puncture the outer skin, only scratching deep gouges and producing three clear "thudding" sounds. This sound indicated that it was not only very hard but also hollow! The two wind-drilling beast guards staggered back a couple of steps and shook their heads, clearly dazed by the recoil. Only General Antelope's horn pierced half a finger deep, but it still didn't seem to reach flesh. That single impact could have sent a giant elephant flying, yet the warehouse remained unmoved. It had to struggle to pull out its horn, then shook its head. It felt a bit dizzy from the impact.

Now everyone realized something was seriously wrong. The warehouse was clearly made of wood; how could it be so robust? Even if such warehouses typically had protective talismans, those would be for waterproofing, fireproofing, or pest control, not for making them exceptionally sturdy. The worst part was that after this round of attacks, the warehouse rapidly began to sink. Yes, it was sinking into the ground. If left unchecked, it would completely disappear underground within three to five breaths! This thing could move so fast?

Fortunately, as General Antelope charged and rammed it, he roared, "Activate the array! Damn it, activate the array quickly!" No sooner had he spoken than the official badge on Jiao Yu's neck began to glow. Centered on the selfheal warehouse, seven spots within a twenty-zhang radius on the ground began to emit a faint yellow light, indicating that the array talismans buried beneath were activating. An officer stood in front of each talisman, protecting it with a sharp blade. The ground didn't appear to change significantly; it was still muddy, with mud and water splashing as people ran, leaving deep and shallow footprints. But the warehouse's sinking abruptly halted.

This was one of Beijia Kingdom's widely used arrays in warfare—Escape Technique Suppression. It was commonly used in siege defense and positional warfare to block enemy earth or water escape techniques, preventing infiltration and sabotage within one's territory. It was an extremely practical method. After all, the methods and talents of demons were incredibly diverse and strange.