Chapter 500: People Plan but Heaven Decides

Upon seeing the message on the mother-child talisman, Bai Qiru gasped in shock, quickly removing the cigarette holder from his mouth. He hurried forward, showing the message to Li Xianghong, and urgently asked, "Where is Mei You now?"

Li Xianghong, however, looked surprised and doubtful. "This person clearly has ulterior motives," she stated, "and what they say may not be credible."

She didn't need to ask for the source of the message; she knew exactly who had sent it. Of course, she was aware that the other party had retrieved the mother-child talisman she had discarded.

Bai Qiru's voice suddenly rose several decibels. "I can't afford to take that gamble! Where is Mei You? Ah Hong, please help me!"

Sitting upright, Li Xianghong turned her head to look at him, utterly speechless.

Inside the city tower, Lou Xiu was deeply troubled by the stagnant light spot on the mirror. He considered sending someone to investigate and confirm, but he worried that if the city lord's people had indeed intercepted it, his dispatched men would be walking straight into a trap.

Could this mastermind truly possess such immense capability, even to the extent of knowing the city lord's movements?

He turned to glance at Mei You, who was observing the outside world through the ornate window. Lou Xiu pursed his lips, then walked over to a small tea table in the corner. He pulled out a tiny red pill, carefully crushed it into powder, and sprinkled it into an empty glass. After that, he used a teapot to pour two cups of tea.

As he did so, he called out, "Waiting anxiously won't help. Have a cup of tea to relax; let's take things one step at a time."

He then set down the teapot and picked up a cup for himself, sipping slowly.

Mei You strode over, picked up the prepared tea, and, with a cupped-hand salute, offered a compliment: "Commissioner, your calm demeanor is truly admirable; I am ashamed that I cannot compare."

With that, he tilted his head back and drained the cup in a single gulp.

Evidently, he had no mind to savor the tea. After setting down his cup, he returned to the window to gaze into the distance, muttering, "It should be near Zhelan Slope by now; we'll have news soon..."

Lou Xiu, meanwhile, continued to slowly sip his tea at the table. When Mei You wasn't looking, he picked up the cup Mei You had just used and discreetly crushed it into powder in his palm.

He walked to an open window, extended his hand, and opened his palm, allowing the powder to be carried away by the gusts of wind.

In essence, he had destroyed the evidence.

He had just poisoned Mei You's tea.

If the mastermind's message proved false, he would administer the antidote before the poison took full effect. However, if Mei You had indeed been captured, there would naturally be no antidote.

With the evidence scattered by the wind, he returned to the tea table, put down his cup, and pulled out a mother-child talisman. He then sent a distress message: "My Lord, Li Xianghong is targeting me; please assist me!"

Regardless of the truthfulness of the mastermind's words, the frozen white spot in the mirror made him realize the situation appeared to be spiraling out of control, and he feared he couldn't manage it on his own.

The instant he finished sending the message, he suddenly looked back to see a group of figures descending onto the city wall, heading directly for the turret. Among them was Bai Qiru, Huang Yingying's wife.

Lou Xiu had no time to put away the 'mother-child magic disk' before the city lord's leading female attendant kicked open the door. He knew he could no longer make any sudden moves.

Before Mei You could even process what was happening, he saw the group charging straight towards him. "You..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the city lord's female attendant quickly made her move; it was practically a surprise attack. She immediately subdued him, while two other people swiftly stepped in to restrain him.

"What are you doing?" Mei You shouted, a mix of surprise and fury in his voice.

The city lord's attendant knocked off his bamboo hat, then lifted his chin, demanding, "Where is Huang Yingying?"

What was going on? Mei You didn't understand why these people were demanding Huang Yingying from him, so he quickly glanced at Lou Xiu.

Lou Xiu raised a hand and made a downward gesture, indicating that it wasn't a major issue and to remain calm.

Mei You immediately exclaimed, "I don't understand what you're talking about!"

Unable to restrain himself, Bai Qiru suddenly intervened, fiercely grabbing Mei You's neck. He demanded in a sharp voice, "Tell me, where is he?"

Lou Xiu immediately spoke up to warn him, "Bai Qiru, what is your authority? How dare you lay hands on the Deputy Tax Supervisor of Dazhi City? Who gave you such audacity? Was it the City Lord?"

Bai Qiru turned his head to glare, his cold eyes sharp as blades.

The female attendant patted Bai Qiru's hand, signaling him to release his grip, then motioned to one of her accompanying guards, "Take him away!"

Mei You was thus escorted away on the spot. Before he was led out, Lou Xiu gave him another reassuring glance.

However, the female attendant and the others in the room did not leave. Lou Xiu questioned them, "So, you've arrested Deputy Supervisor Mei You without cause; are you now going to arrest me without cause as well?"

The female attendant had already walked to the 'mother-child magic disk.' She stared at the light spot on it, pointed, and asked, "Who is this?"

Lou Xiu ignored her, turning away with his hands behind his back to gaze casually out the window.

Receiving no immediate answer, the female attendant turned to stare at him. "I am here on behalf of the City Lord to question and investigate," she stated. "Is Commissioner Lou intentionally refusing to cooperate?"

Seeing her invoke formal regulations, Lou Xiu, standing by the window, dropped his pretense. He turned his head slightly and calmly remarked, "I'm not sure. Mei You asked me to borrow the 'mother-child magic disk,' claiming he wanted me to watch a good show. I don't know what kind of show it was; I was just waiting here, and then you all came and interfered."

The female attendant then asked, "You're not going to claim you didn't take Lord Axun's relic, are you?"

Lou Xiu was secretly startled by this revelation, unsure how the other party knew, but he maintained his composure. "I already told you that Mei You said he wanted me to watch a good show and asked me to bring Lord Axun's relic," he calmly replied. "He claimed he had a way to lure out the culprit. If it helps us catch the culprit, why wouldn't I cooperate with him?"

Alright, seeing him push all the responsibility onto Mei You, the female attendant knew that further questioning would be futile. The personnel brought in from outside the city could also be blamed on Mei You using the same excuse. She immediately warned, "Everyone present has heard Commissioner Lou's words. You won't be able to retract them when you confront Mei You later. Let's hope he has the courage to take responsibility for everything."

Lou Xiu calmly replied, "Is it not permissible for this commissioner to answer truthfully? If you wish to frame me or make false accusations, go right ahead; I'll accept it. However, I must remind you that my position in Dazhi City is second only to the City Lord, an appointment sanctioned by Shenshan. It is not your place to mock me. If Dazhi City truly becomes a lawless place where people can act as they please, so be it. Shenshan will deliver its own divine judgment, and I hope you can withstand it when that time comes!"

The female attendant did not engage him in further argument. Instead, she first sent a message to the City Lord, reporting the situation.

Li Xianghong had issued an order: Lou Xiu was to be kept under surveillance, and his case would be dealt with only after Mei You made a confession.

Furthermore, she was instructed to contact Lord Poyuan, who was stationed outside the city, and hand over the 'mother-child magic disk' to Shenshan's forces for verification...

Near the city gate, Chu Jingting witnessed the arrival of Bai Qiru's party and the capture of Mei You. He quickly sent a message to Shi Chun, informing him of the situation.

After reviewing the message in the library, Shi Chun felt relieved, knowing that events were unfolding within his predictions. He immediately replied, instructing Chu Jingting to withdraw.

There was no longer any need to keep watch at the city gate; staying there might lead to unforeseen complications and easily arouse suspicion.

Continuing his work diligently in the library, the only thing he now awaited was news of Wu Jinliang's safety.

He estimated that Wu Jinliang's safety was assured.

He had gone to such great lengths precisely because he anticipated that Lou Xiu would not cooperate obediently. It was easy to guess that Lou Xiu would arrange for additional personnel. Stating beforehand that the transaction would take place outside the city was precisely to give them an opportunity to prepare; they would only proceed with the deal if they had a chance to counter.

While Fan Wuzhe's delivery method was relatively secure, Shi Chun's use of Fan Wuzhe was, to some extent, a tactic to lure Lou Xiu's personnel away, hoping to create an even safer environment for the transaction.

If Lou Xiu's personnel were successfully lured away, then Li Xianghong's people, who were monitoring Lou Xiu, would naturally also be drawn away.

Li Xianghong's personnel were specifically positioned to restrain Lou Xiu's people in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Even if he couldn't successfully lure people away, and even if Lou Xiu had the means to plant tracking devices in the exchanged items and could see through his luring trick, Shi Chun's prompt tip-off would still prevent Lou Xiu's forces from making any rash moves toward the location where Fan Wuzhe discarded the items.

With multiple layers of precautions in place, and Wu Jinliang claiming to possess earth-burrowing magic, he should have been able to leave safely and calmly.

However, many things in reality often unfold unexpectedly, proving that human calculations can fall short of fate.

Under the bright sun, just as Lao Changtai rode his Xilin steed into the city, Wu Jinliang, leading Huang Yingying, emerged from underground to catch his breath. Breathing the fresh air and gazing at the blue sky and white clouds through the blades of grass, he felt immensely refreshed.

Traveling underground wasn't particularly fast, certainly not as quick as moving on the surface. Continuously using the earth-burrowing spell below ground was quite exhausting, a factor related to one's cultivation level.

In short, it was stifling and tiring, so they emerged midway to catch their breath and rest.

Wu Jinliang, who pulled down his mask to fan himself and get some air, was relatively fine; he could conserve energy by having Huang Yingying lead the way. Huang Yingying, however, was genuinely panting like an old dog, and the injuries from his previous beating had not yet healed.

The two, sitting on the ground and breathing freely, had not yet fully recovered when, with a sudden whoosh, a figure descended from the sky, landing right nearby.

It was none other than the personnel dispatched from Shenshan.

Following Bai Qiru's urgent plea, Li Xianghong had directly taken action against Lou Xiu, leaving nothing further to conceal. Consequently, Shenshan's forces were immediately dispatched.

Fan Wuzhe, who hadn't even reached Zhelan Slope, had already been apprehended.

According to the 'mother-child magic disk,' the location where Fan Wuzhe discarded the items was found, and the mother-child talisman Wu Jinliang had thrown away was also recovered. With no other items or individuals to take custody of, they naturally wouldn't give up easily.

With personnel forming a widespread net and the sky offering too clear a view for anyone to escape unseen, a large-scale grid search of the ground commenced.

As fate would have it, one searcher faintly heard some movement nearby. He leaped over to investigate and, to his precise surprise, stumbled upon Wu Jinliang and Huang Yingying on the spot.

Both parties stared wide-eyed at each other.

The newcomer suddenly bellowed, "Over here!"

Wu Jinliang's hair stood on end from the shout, his scalp tingling as if he'd been electrocuted. He darted towards the newcomer, still holding onto the iron chain.

He had no choice; there was no time to place a restraint spell on Huang Yingying, fearing he might flee.

The reason he didn't flee but charged forward to engage was that the other party had seen his true face, necessitating immediate elimination.

Anyone who immediately shouts for help upon meeting someone probably isn't very strong, right?

Under the blue sky and white clouds, in the shade of the green grass, one person stood stunned with a saber, while the other charged forward, tugging a chain. Huang Yingying, yanked into the air, had bulging eyes and an extremely long tongue lolling out, his expression oddly ecstatic, as the chain suddenly tightened around his neck, nearly yanking his head clean off.