Escape Deal

Escape Deal

In a place unknown to Ming Shu, three people were meeting on a small hill outside the city, divided into two groups.

The middle-aged man among the pair, a man and a woman, spoke first. "I never expected the Supervisor's Second Disciple would also need to conceal his identity to do this kind of backbreaking drudgery."

The masked man opposite him replied, "I never expected the dignified Earl would also need to hide his identity and employ this Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell scheme."

They exchanged a few sighs of mutual commiseration.

The masked man continued, "The teacher has already agreed to his conditions. The Sky-Toppling Observatory will help you reach the south safely."

"I believe in your sincerity. I can also hand over everything I know about the arrangements within Qing Shui County, making it easier for you to investigate and eliminate hidden dangers."

After the Earl finished speaking, he immediately changed the subject. "I hear the Sky-Toppling Observatory has always had a hidden Senior Disciple Brother. You really are lucky. You almost became that person's backup candidate."

"I think you've misunderstood something. We do have a Senior Disciple Brother."

"You and I both know what the other is talking about. Your Supervisor is being watched by many factions. Everyone suspects he is the First Generation Director. How many Supervisors have you replaced over the past thousand years? You deliberately blurred that information yourselves, but everyone else has been helping you keep records."

"I told you, you've misunderstood. I wasn't talking about that." Second Senior Brother Qilin spoke as well. "I only regret that I wasn't chosen and couldn't become the body of Teacher Supervisor."

"Besides, the teacher has made it clear that he doesn't need us to become his new body. So this generation truly does have a Senior Disciple Brother. You'd better be careful."

"You don't need to scare me. Our family has corresponding records of all those Supervisors you replaced. Several of them should have been taken over by the so-called true Senior Disciple Brother, but none of them remained in office for long before passing it on to a newcomer—and that newcomer was then able to take control of the entire Sky-Toppling Observatory in short order."

"Tell me, when such strange things happen one after another, how could they not attract everyone's attention?"

"We knew long ago that you'd be able to guess this. But to us, none of it is actually important. Everyone is willing to die for the teacher, and everyone is willing to fight for the Sky-Toppling Observatory to the bitter end. The teacher gave us everything."

"Besides, as long as you can't kill the old man for good, he'll continue to exist. And you don't dare drive him into becoming your complete enemy. He'll keep coming back again and again. That is what you fear most, isn't it? No matter how many times he dies, he'll return. That is his greatest trump card."

"Before I understand his methods, I'm actually unwilling to become his enemy as well. It's just that the Dao Sect, driven to the north by him for a thousand years, wants to return. Against such a sweeping tide, none of us can stand in its way."

"Since you wanted to dig a pit for me, I can't fail to show some courtesy in return. Your noble wife should understand this clearly as well. Although both your northern and southern families inherited the Dao Sect's legacy, especially since you now occupy the ancestral court at Dragon Tiger Mountain, while the Dao Sect in the north proclaims itself the orthodox lineage of the Celestial Master Dao, I believe you've made preparations. You wouldn't hand over your entire family foundation to them, would you?"

Qilin spoke casually as he accepted a stack of intelligence from Earl Ying. It all concerned the various arrangements within Qing Shui County.

The operation had to be moved up.

Earl Ying had escaped and detonated the arrangements within the city, forcing every faction to pay a price. They were merely each other's bargaining chips.

The bets had been placed.

Qilin was especially interested in several forbidden grounds where Ghost Raising was practiced, as well as the intelligence on the Ximen Family.

"Do you have any other arrangements concerning the city? If there's anything you need us to handle afterward, you can bring it up. I still have a certain amount of authority."

"I imagine that even without my intelligence, you've already sent people to contact the county magistrate by now. He should mobilize the Academy's forces to coordinate with your operation. He can't possibly allow a major accident to occur while he's in office."

"If it can be detonated and resolved in advance, it will instead become a great achievement for him. That will require a certain amount of courage. As it happens, I believe he's a courageous man, not an inflexible and timid scholar. He yearns to climb higher, and now the opportunity has arrived."

As he spoke, the Earl waved his hand, unwilling to continue. He took the noblewoman's hand and leisurely walked down the mountain.

Both of them were dressed like wandering martial heroes, and there was no trace of their aristocratic bearing.

Qilin also turned and returned to the camp, immediately beginning to arrange the plans for the next operation.

Although he couldn't figure out what deal existed between Teacher Supervisor and these families, or what their purpose was, he was sufficiently sharp. The matters that needed handling now had to be dealt with as quickly as possible.

He could think about the more troublesome things later.

He sent people in to look for Chong Li and see how the cooperation with the county magistrate was progressing. Then the magistrate would gather several trustworthy and powerful families to assemble sufficient fighting strength.

They would make the first move and clear out several crucial targets, such as the forbidden grounds beneath the brothels and gambling dens.

The Ghost Spirits within those forbidden grounds had already been depleted by seventy or eighty percent. That, at least, was good news.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Earl Ying believed the odds of their original plan had fallen, and was no longer willing to continue gambling.

He had swiftly changed sides and withdrawn from the game.

There were no eternal enemies.

By standing in an invincible position and repeatedly switching sides, he had sold out his original allies completely.

Old Zhao also received the signal. However, since they had been wandering around, the news reached them long afterward. They had nearly missed the timing.

Some people had even already begun taking action. Several key brothels in the city sent out signals at once.

The thugs, ruffians, hooligans, and scoundrels at the various alley entrances quickly sprang into action, directly sealing off every street and lane.

Ming Shu and Old Zhao happened to be trapped halfway there.

Old Zhao easily knocked down three or four ruffians and thugs.

However, as the atmosphere in the city shifted, fog began to form, and a faint haze spread over.

The hired hands and ruffians who had looked weak at first now had bloodshot eyes one after another and grew ferocious, their strength increasing as well.

They became even more fearless of death.

The Demon Hunters had already sealed off several exits and sent out several squads to begin taking action against the Ximen Family.

That was one of the most important core points. In particular, the abnormalities in the city that Chong Li and Ren Yuan had uncovered might be connected to medicine from the Ximen Family.

Second Senior Brother had no choice but to take it seriously. Combined with the intelligence provided by Earl Ying, the Ximen Family could be said to be the key move determining victory or defeat in this battle.

They had to eliminate the family as soon as possible and prevent complications from dragging on.

Unfortunately, things went against their wishes. Just as the operation over there began, large numbers of workers and laborers who had taken the medicine, along with some household servants and guards, put everything aside and swarmed over, actively protecting the Ximen Family.