Zhang Rongfang closed the courtyard gate, his expression slightly somber.
This trip was only possible because he had previously worked in the government office; otherwise, he would most likely have been discovered and wanted by a large number of Imperial Court troops.
Then they ended up being jointly suppressed by the Black Ten Sect and the Imperial Court.
Only then did he truly understand the benefits of power.
Although he only relied on the Li Family, it didn't put him in a situation where he was besieged by the entire city.
After a moment of reflection, he was about to go back to his room to rest.
Suddenly, a Xiao Hong Bird gently flew down from the top of one side of the wall, stood there, and chirped a few times.
Zhang Rongfang looked up and waved his hand.
The little bird immediately flew over and landed on the back of his hand.
After removing the bamboo tube, he carefully poured out the letter and unfolded it for a closer look.
It was a message from the Golden Wing Tower Prefectural City. Through a series of changes to the Xiao Hong Bird, it finally flew to him.
Xu Miaotong should also have a copy.
The letter had limited space and few words.
'The goods have been received. All activities within Tanyang City have been brought to a standstill, and we will remain completely in hiding for one month. Awaiting further updates. —Red Spirit.'
"They're actually going to go completely undercover." Zhang Rongfang guessed the thoughts of the upper echelons of the Golden Wing Tower.
Now that the Scripture Silk have been obtained, time is needed to use them. Therefore, in order to avoid retaliation against the branch offices in various regions, all branch offices in various regions are required to go into hiding.
Complete infiltration means cutting off all operations, not even exchanging intelligence, and acting as if you never joined the Golden Wing Tower, living your life as usual.
This is what is known as complete stealth.
"It seems that the fact that the Scripture Silk is likely to be leaked. Or rather, it's likely that it will be impossible to hide it," Zhang Rongfang speculated to himself.
"Let him lie low then, it's just what I need to do," he suddenly recalled the events of last night.
He had left an empty box at home to test whether anyone would actually harm him.
Unexpectedly, this test actually revealed a problem.
He released the Xiao Hong Bird and stopped thinking about it.
After contacting Qing Su, we'll find out how his information was leaked last night.
Logically speaking, his apparent identity is Zhang Ying, a mere Third Grade Official Messenger, so he shouldn't be being targeted.
Even if everyone guessed that Zhang Ying might have High Grade Expert behind her, no one would be interested in Zhang Ying's personal belongings, right? Zhang Rongfang speculated in his heart.
Last night's operation was too rushed, and he missed many clues. He can only wait until later to meet with her.
And the injury to his right hand—a severe sprain like that—will require at least a month of rest. "By the way, the Black Ten Sect's Snake King is coming down to investigate the murderer. That's troublesome too."
Zhang Rongfang suddenly remembered that so many people had died in the Black Ten Sect, and it seemed they were all related to him. Now it wasn't a question of whether he should go undercover, but rather that they were looking for him. The Snake King was incredibly powerful, far beyond Zhang Rongfang's capabilities. "This is troublesome."
However, upon further reflection, he realized that he hadn't been exposed. At most, people might suspect him about the Black Ten Sect, but it was unlikely that they would directly target him.
Without evidence, he is implicated in the Li Family and is now getting close to the Wan Yan Family.
The Black Ten Sect dared to attack Imperial Court officials because of a mere doubt.
If he dares to make a move in this world, he will be going against the entire Ling Ting.
So he just needs to be careful of assassination attempts.
*** State Governor.
Sun Chaoyue carefully placed the tea in her hand on the table in her father's study.
"Father, your tea is Dongling Tieguanyin that I brewed myself. Your stomach has been weak lately, so this flower tea is better for your spleen and stomach."
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness. Chaoyue, you should go back to your room and rest. Your Uncle Xue and I still have something to talk about."
Governor Sun smiled gently.
"Yes." Sun Chaoyue gave a standard, gentle, and demure smile, befitting a well-bred young lady.
"It's been so many years, Chaoyue has grown into a beautiful young woman. I still remember more than ten years ago, when I held you up high and you peed all over me."
The man sitting opposite Governor Sun and others chuckled and joked.
"Uncle Xue, I'm a grown woman now, please don't bring up this kind of thing again, it's so embarrassing," Sun Chaoyue said helplessly.
"That's right, it's Uncle's fault, he should be punished." The man took something out of his sleeve and handed it over.
"In that case, consider this a token of apology and give it to Asagi."
"Thank you, Uncle." Sun Chaoyue accepted it generously without any hesitation.
It was a Pixiu carved from purple jade.
It symbolizes the arrival of wealth and good fortune.
"Oh, it's been so many years. Ping'er always mentions Chaoyue. How about the children of both families meet sometime?" The man looked at Sun Chaoyue with admiration and suggested.
The candlelight illuminated his face, and if Zhang Rongfang were here, he would recognize him immediately.
This person was none other than Xue Jinghao, the Black Ten Sect Snake King, with whom he had just fought.
"How is Ping'er's study at Haojin Mountain?" Governor Sun asked affectionately.
"He's quite good; his teachers think highly of him. He even started Small Club at the Academy and became its Vice President. He's living a very free and comfortable life," Xue Jinghao said with a smile.
"Isn't it all thanks to your father backing us up? With you in charge of Shuangfeng, all the major industries are still raking in profits." Governor Sun pointed at him.
"These days, in this world, money and power are both indispensable. Otherwise, nobody will respect you."
"Let's not talk about that. Brother Sun, you know what I'm here for this time." The Snake King's smile faded, and he said seriously.
"That thing was originally intended as bait. The Secret Teaching members knew it was a trap, but they had no choice but to take it. The benefits a Spirit Vein can bring are too great. What are you doing getting involved now?" Governor Sun shook his head and said.
"It's different. This time, the Secret Scroll." The Snake King glanced at Sun Chaoyue.
The latter immediately smiled sweetly, bowed, and turned to leave.
After she left, the Snake King continued.
"This Secret Scroll contains the final two pieces of the puzzle that make up the Yin Fu Xi Sheng Scripture."
"The Yin Fu Xi Sheng Scripture??" Governor Sun's expression changed slightly. "How credible is this information?"
"Absolutely true!" the Snake King said solemnly. "The fragment hidden inside the Moon Chasing Blade was one of the pieces of this scripture puzzle. Ten Statue and ten Scripture Silk are all indispensable."
"No wonder... no wonder someone lured the madmen from both lists here. It turns out they were just trying to take advantage of the chaos." Governor Sun's expression turned somber.
He deliberately presented himself to the outside world as someone who was obsessed with money, insatiably greedy, and only knew how to enjoy life.
But it would be a grave mistake for others to regard him as a simple and foolish person.
Once an enemy is defeated, misjudging him will lead to his demise.
"The Secret Teaching sects have been mobilized by the news, and now they've even attracted the Heavenly Maiden from the Black List. With a Heavenly Maiden and a Silver Masked Cicada, this little place will be quite lively," Governor Sun said with a self-deprecating laugh.
"Speaking of which," Governor Sun paused, "Old Xue, did you come here for the Secret Scroll, or for those people who died in your sect?"
"I think so. Everything was fine before, but then this happened, so I just came over." The Snake King nodded.
"I was originally going to do it myself, but I heard you were coming, so I waited a while longer. What's your plan? I don't think a city-wide search like this will find any clues," Governor Sun asked in a deep voice.
"Originally, there were no clues, but last night, we were lucky enough to find one," the Snake King laughed.
He had no clue at first, but then someone suddenly appeared last night, saying they would provide him with valuable clues.
***Bang.
The small box was slammed heavily onto the rocks in the forest, its bottom collapsed, and it bounced to one side.
Zhao Tianming stood by the rock, panting heavily, his face flushed, his eyes bloodshot.
He took such a huge risk to get his hands on this box, intending to give it to the Secret Teaching, and this is what he got?! An empty box, yet it's so securely placed?!
Isn't this a scam?!
'We have no leads on Zhang Ying's side, but Qing Su keeps going that way; there's definitely something wrong. The Secret Scroll Scripture Silk most likely have handwritten copies, and those are definitely with White Eagle.'
'It's confirmed that White Eagle and Zhang Ying have a close relationship. So, what exactly is White Eagle to Zhang Ying? Is he an elder?'
He kept piecing together the logic based on the information he had.
The Secret Teaching sect's strict requirement was that he hand over clues related to the Secret Scroll.
He must take this opportunity to avenge the humiliation and power grab he suffered back then.
'What if there really isn't a handwritten copy of that Secret Scroll?' This thought suddenly flashed through Zhao Tianming's mind.
His expression flickered as he continued to ponder.
'Forget it, I can't do much by myself. I'll just expose that the Secret Scroll was taken by White Eagle of the Golden Wing Tower and sent away. Then the Secret Teaching and the Black Ten Sect will both come after him.'
There are too few clues. He can't handle it on his own.
The only solution now is to expose White Eagle.
Let the Secret Teaching find it themselves.
A ruthless glint flashed in Zhao Tianming's eyes. This wasn't the first time he'd done something like this.
That's how the previous White Eagle died.
As a spy for the Secret Teaching, he had previously leaked information about the building to the Secret Teaching, which was discovered by White Eagle.
So he secretly summoned a master of the Secret Teaching, killed White Eagle, and disposed of the body to cover his tracks.
This time, it's just a repeat of the same thing.
'And Qing Su, she must have seen my Arm Guard last night. If she suspects me, there could be problems. Maybe we should just go all the way.'
He made up his mind.
The Zhao Family is not small in Tanyang, so he absolutely cannot be harmed. If anything happens to him, none of the more than one hundred members of his Lineage will survive.
Therefore, for the safety of their family, White Eagle and Qing Su had no choice but to die together!
He knew best just how powerful those masters of the Secret Teaching were. With the Statue he obtained from Xiong Wuye, he had gained initial trust. Next, all he needed to do was persuade...*** Mingjing Palace.
Xu Miaotong walked into Zhang Rongfang without any hesitation and closed the door behind him.
She wrinkled her nose.
"Are you injured?"
"Yes, internal injuries." Zhang Rongfang nodded, sitting cross-legged in the center of the courtyard without getting up.
The two frequently exchanged information and have become quite familiar with each other.
"How are things going on your end? Do you need any help?" Xu Miaotong walked to the opposite side of Zhang Rongfang and sat down cross-legged about two meters away.
Have you read the letters in the building?
"Nature."
"Let's do as they say. It's really not a good time to move around," Zhang Rongfang said calmly.
"You've done a great job this time. Hasn't there been any reward from above?" Xu Miaotong asked.
"It wasn't mentioned, and it wasn't mentioned in the letter either." Zhang Rongfang was also puzzled by this.
"Not mentioned at all?"
Not at all.
Xu Miaotong thought for a moment.
"It seems there's only one possibility left."
"What?" Zhang Rongfang didn't like this kind of cryptic talk.
"I'm just guessing. We'll find out later." Xu Miaotong smiled and began to talk about the latest intelligence from Black Eagle.
The two exchanged pleasantries for half an hour as usual.
Xu Miaotong then got up and left.
As she walked to the gate of the courtyard, she suddenly turned around.
"By the way, is your weight loss method really effective?"
"???" Zhang Rongfang looked bewildered. He glanced at the other woman's slender waist. "Of course, you want to lose weight?"
"Hmm, I've been feeling a heaviness in my chest lately, which makes practicing martial arts very inconvenient," Xu Miaotong said with slight annoyance.
Zhang Rongfang was speechless.
"Also, once the infiltration is completely over, remember to visit Cloud and Mist Residence." Xu Miaotong left with those last words before turning and departing.