“Is this... Cheng Du of the Nine Anhuai Fiends?!”
Gu Dacheng's pupils contracted sharply, his face turning as grim as iron in an instant.
“Senior Brother...”
Shen Xiuhan briefly recounted the robbery of the Ji Family caravan, his voice deep as he spoke:
“The Nine Anhuai Fiends have snuck into the prefecture capital with the intention of harming the Prefectural Governor.”
“Furthermore, Cheng Du had close ties with the Cangwu Demon, Chen Hongyuan. He hated me to the bone, so he set a trap to lure and kill me. Unfortunately for him, he underestimated me...”
A sharp light flickered in Gu Dacheng's eyes. After a brief silence, he slowly shook his head.
“It's not enough!”
He suddenly raised his eyes, his tone grave. “Just this alone isn't enough to convince—”
Swoosh!
Before he could finish, Shen Xiuhan flicked his wrist.
A pre-written slip of paper lay quietly in his palm.
“Senior Brother!”
“I also managed to interrogate him and get the hiding places of the remaining Nine Anhuai Fiends...”
Gu Dacheng shuddered violently!
Without another word, he snatched the paper, snapping it open to scan the contents.
“North City... Dicui Ward... Apricot Blossom Lane... the ninth house...”
“Whew...”
A wave of intense excitement flashed in Gu Dacheng's eyes. He stared at Shen Xiuhan with his fierce, tiger-like eyes and grinned, revealing a mouthful of stark white teeth.
“If this is true...”
“You've just accomplished a monumental feat, kid!”
Before Shen Xiuhan could respond, he suddenly fished something out of the storage bag at his waist.
The object resembled a conch shell. It was neither metal nor jade, radiating a cold, moonlight-like glow all over. Its opening was smooth and round, emitting a faint, mysterious light from within.
Gu Dacheng channeled his True Qi into it. The conch shell instantly lit up, its light swirling as invisible ripples of energy dispersed into the surroundings like waves on water.
In the very next instant!
Within Shen Xiuhan's perception...
From deep within the sprawling Prefectural Governor's Mansion, several massive auras shot into the sky simultaneously.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Three figures wrapped in fierce, whistling gale-force Qi leaped out of the mansion almost at the exact same moment.
One sat lightly upon the upturned eave of a roof, her gauzy robes fluttering gently.
Another leaned against the shadow of a wall corner, arms crossed over his chest.
The last stood atop the very tip of a weeping willow branch, his body swaying slightly with the wind.
Shen Xiuhan's eyes flickered as he immediately recognized their identities from the waist tokens they wore!
Kan Qingluo, a core disciple of the Qingyuan Sword Pavilion!
Zeng Qiyuan, a Qi Lineage Deacon of Bixia Villa!
Lai Zong, a First-Tier Sea Patrol Guard of the Zhenhai Marquis Mansion!
And adding Gu Dacheng, a Kaiyang Academy Deacon of the Star-Plucking Sect...
Four Huajin Rank experts!
Shen Xiuhan felt a slight jolt in his heart, secretly astonished.
The Prefectural Governor's Mansion was indeed heavily guarded. Just those showing themselves here numbered four Huajin Rank experts!
And who knew what kind of powerhouse was still holding down the fort deep within the estate.
A thought couldn't help but flash through his mind...
How on earth did the Nine Anhuai Fiends have the audacity to attempt an assassination of the Prefectural Governor in such a dragon's den?
While he was pondering, the veiled woman leaning lightly against the roof eave spoke first. Her voice sounded like jade striking stone—clear, cold, and utterly indifferent:
“Baldy Gu, what is the meaning of summoning all of us out at once?”
Gu Dacheng's face twitched, the muscles at the corner of his mouth jumping.
With a flick of his hand, he sent the crumpled paper flying toward Kan Qingluo's face with a sharp, whistling gust of wind!
“You've got quite a temper. It's not like I was the one who gave you that nickname. Why take your anger out on me...”
The woman chuckled. With two slender fingers, she casually pinched the paper, catching it securely.
She opened it, took a glance, and her willow-leaf brows arched slightly. With a flick of her finger, she sent the paper flying toward Lai Zong.
Once all three had read it, Gu Dacheng took a deep breath and spoke in a deep voice:
“Everyone!”
“The location written on that paper is the hiding place of those demonic rogues, the Nine Anhuai Fiends!”
Hearing this, the expressions of the three Huajin Rank experts changed dramatically.
From the shadow of the wall corner, Lai Zong, who wore a bamboo hat and cradled a long saber in his arms, asked in a cold, hard voice:
“Is this true?”
Gu Dacheng did not rush to answer. Instead, he strode forward and yanked open the curtain of the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Cheng Du's corpse was plain to see, accompanied by a sudden, heavy gust of bloody stench.
He turned back around, lowering his voice even further:
“This intelligence was obtained after Shen Xiuhan, a core disciple of our Star-Plucking Sect's Tingquan Academy, single-handedly executed Cheng Du of the Nine Anhuai Fiends.”
His fierce gaze slowly swept across the three of them, his tone growing increasingly solemn:
“The Nine Fiends have snuck into the prefecture capital with massive designs, and their target is indeed the Prefectural Governor. The situation is urgent. Regardless of whether this intelligence is absolutely foolproof, my proposal is that the four of us immediately join forces to surround and annihilate them. We must strike first and absolutely cannot sit by and wait for these demonic rogues to take the initiative!”
As his words fell, his eyes shone like torches, scanning the three figures on the roof eave, in the wall shadow, and atop the willow branch:
“What do you all say?”
Without the slightest hesitation, the three of them spoke almost in unison:
“Agreed!”
“Very well!”
With a solemn expression, Gu Dacheng whipped around, his voice booming like muffled thunder:
“Yu Zhen!”
“Your subordinate is here!”
“Quickly report this matter to Garrison Commander Lin and request him to inform the Prefectural Governor!”
“Understood!”
“Deng Hui!”
“Here!”
“Lead four patrol squads and notify the regular army of the prefectural office to immediately seal off all city gates. Tonight, the prefecture capital allows entry only—no one is permitted to leave!”
“Understood!”
“Pang Weiyuan!”
“Here!”
“Go personally to the nearby Huo and Liu clans and request their Huajin Rank experts for reinforcement!”
“Understood!”
A series of military orders rang out with resounding force. Only then did Gu Dacheng look back at Shen Xiuhan, a touch of solemn respect appearing in his fierce eyes:
“Junior Brother, you...”
Shen Xiuhan's face turned serious as he cupped his fists and said, “I am willing to assist Leader Deng in the dark and guard the outskirts for you, Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters.”
“Good!”
Gu Dacheng slapped his hand heavily onto Shen Xiuhan's shoulder:
“For your contribution this time, once tonight's matter is settled, I will make sure to report it truthfully. I won't let your hard work go to waste.”
With that, a savage grin spread across his rugged face, and intense killing intent flared in his eyes:
“Let's go!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their majestic Qi erupted violently. The four figures shot toward the North City like shooting stars trailing through the sky, accompanied by the fierce, whistling sound of breaking wind, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye!
...
North City.
A dark, hidden chamber. The candlelight flickered unsteadily.
A withered, thin old man sat quietly with his eyes closed, looking like a piece of dead wood, silently waiting for something.
Suddenly!
The entrance above was pulled open from the outside, and a crumpled ball of paper was tossed down, carrying a faint whistling sound.
The old man's eyes snapped open instantly. Deep within his deathly gray pupils, a trace of long-suppressed excitement surfaced.
He reached out with his withered, twig-like fingers, slowly picking up the crumpled paper and smoothing it out.
However...
In the very next instant, the trace of excitement on his face suddenly froze!
On the paper...
There was no action time or location that he had been waiting so anxiously for. Instead, there were only four shocking words:
“Compromised, retreat immediately!”
The withered old man's expression changed dramatically. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in a fraction of a second. Suddenly, as if realizing something, a hoarse, low growl erupted from his throat:
“Hua Ying!”
With a soft swoosh, a fragrant breeze arrived in response.
The second of the Nine Fiends...
The Entangling Silk Fiend...
Hua Ying!
She appeared there, her face still carrying a hint of confusion:
“Brother, is there news from that side...”
“Where is Cheng Du?!”
The withered old man interrupted sharply, his deathly gray eyes pinning her in place, his tone turning somewhat savage.
Hua Ying's expression froze slightly, her delicate body trembling violently. As if realizing something, her lips quivered for a long moment before she said in a trembling voice:
“Ninth Brother... he... for the sake of Chen Hongyuan...”
“Foolish!”
The withered old man shook with rage, delivering a fierce slap that sent Hua Ying sprawling to the ground.
Immediately after, his True Qi erupted violently. Like an enraged old wolf, he crashed straight out of the secret chamber, shattering the stone. Amidst the flying debris, he roared toward the sky:
“Brothers, we are exposed! Follow me—”
“Hahaha!”
Before he could even finish his sentence!
A burst of wild, arrogant laughter boomed from all directions like rolling thunder crushing across the streets, making the roof tiles rattle.
“Flying Fiend, Ke Duhe, where do you think you're running?!”
Rate on N.U.
