Escape Transaction

016 Escape Transaction

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

The middle-aged man, part of the man-and-woman pair, spoke first, "I didn't expect the Director's second disciple would also need to hide his name to do such hard and tiring work."

The masked person opposite him replied, "I didn't expect a distinguished Earl would also need to cover his tracks and employ a stratagem of 'the golden cicada shedding its shell'."

They exchanged a sigh of mutual sentiment.

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

"I believe in your sincerity. All the arrangements I know of within Qing Shui County can be handed over to you, making it convenient for you to investigate and eliminate hidden dangers."

After speaking, the Earl changed the subject and continued, "I heard that your Sky-Toppling Observatory has always had a hidden Senior Brother. You are truly lucky, you almost became a candidate for that position."

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

"You and I both know what the other is talking about. Your Director is being watched by many factions. Everyone suspects he is the First Generation Director. How many Directors have you changed over the past thousand years? You deliberately blur this information yourselves, but everyone else is meticulously recording it for you."

"I'm telling you, you've misunderstood. I wasn't talking about that issue," Second Senior Brother Kirin also said. "I just regret not being chosen to become the Director's body."

"Moreover, my teacher explicitly stated that he doesn't need us to become his new body. Therefore, in this generation, we truly have a Senior Brother. You should be careful."

"You don't need to scare me. You've changed so many Directors, and our family has corresponding records. During that time, several should have been taken over by the so-called true Senior Brothers, but they didn't stay in power for long before passing it on to a newcomer, and that newcomer could quickly take control of the entire Sky-Toppling Observatory."

"You tell me, when such strange things happen one after another, how can it not attract everyone's attention?"

"We've known internally for a long time that you could guess these things, but they are actually unimportant to us. Everyone is willing to die for our teacher and fight to the end for the Sky-Toppling Observatory. It is our teacher who gave us everything."

"Furthermore, as long as you can't capture him, he will always exist, and you dare not completely turn him into an enemy. He will keep coming back, and that's what you fear the most. No matter how many times he dies, he will return; that is his greatest trump card."

"Before I understand his methods, I am actually unwilling to become his enemy. It's just that the Daoist Sect to the north, to which he exiled me for a thousand years, wants to return. We cannot resist such a powerful trend."

"Since you want to dig a pit for me, I can't help but reciprocate. Your esteemed wife should also be well aware that although your families in the north and south both originate from the Daoist Sect, especially since you now occupy the ancestral home of Dragon Tiger Mountain, the Daoist Sect in the north also claims to be the pure lineage of the Celestial Master Dao. I believe you have made preparations and shouldn't lose your entire foundation to them, should you?"

Kirin said casually, taking a stack of intelligence from Earl Ying, all concerning the arrangements within Qing Shui County.

The operation needed to be moved up.

Earl Ying escaped and detonated the arrangements within the city, making all parties pay a price, but these were merely each other's bargaining chips.

The bet was placed.

Especially the intelligence regarding several forbidden areas where ghosts were raised and the Ximen Family, which greatly interested Kirin.

"Do you have any further arrangements regarding the matters within the city? If you need our follow-up assistance, you can mention it. I still have some authority."

"I think, even without this intelligence from me, you should have already sent people to contact the county magistrate by now. He should mobilize the Academy's forces to cooperate with your actions. He cannot allow a major incident to occur during his tenure."

"If it can be detonated and resolved in advance, it would be a great achievement for him. This requires a certain degree of courage, and coincidentally, I believe he will be a courageous person, not a pedantic and cowardly scholar. He yearns to climb higher, and now the opportunity has arrived."

With that, the Earl waved his hand, unwilling to continue speaking. Holding the esteemed lady's hand, they strolled leisurely down the mountain.

Both were dressed as wandering swordsmen, with no hint of noble bearing.

Kirin also turned back to the camp and immediately began making arrangements for the upcoming action plan.

Although he couldn't figure out the transaction between his Director teacher and these families, nor their ultimate purpose, he was sufficiently astute. The tasks at hand must be handled quickly.

Then he could think about the more taxing matters.

He sent people in to find Chong Li and see how the cooperation with the county magistrate was progressing. Then, the county magistrate would gather a few trusted and capable families to muster sufficient combat power.

They would then initiate the action, clearing out some critical targets, such as the forbidden areas beneath the brothels and gambling houses.

The Ghost Spirits in those forbidden areas had already been significantly depleted, which was good news.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this issue that Earl Ying believed their original plan's chances of success had decreased, leading him to refuse to gamble further.

He quickly changed his stance and withdrew from the game.

There are no eternal enemies.

Standing in an invincible position, he played both sides, selling out his original allies completely.

Old Zhao also received the signal, but because they were just wandering around, the news they received was already long delayed. They almost missed the timing.

Even because some people had already begun to act, the key brothels in the city immediately sent out signals.

The thugs, hooligans, and scoundrels at the entrances of every alley quickly sprang into action, directly blocking every street and alley.

Ming Shu and Old Zhao happened to be blocked on the road.

Old Zhao easily took down three or four thugs.

However, as the atmosphere in the city changed, a mist began to rise, spreading a faint haze.

Those thugs and hooligans, who had seemed weak, suddenly had red eyes, becoming ferocious and stronger.

They became even more fearless of death.

The Demon Hunters had already sealed off several exits and dispatched several teams to target the Ximen Family.

This was one of the most crucial cores. Especially since Chong Li and Ren Yuan had discovered that some of the abnormal situations in the city might be related to the Ximen Family's medicine.

Second Senior Brother had to take it seriously. Coupled with the intelligence provided by Earl Ying, the Ximen Family could be said to be the key to victory or defeat in this battle.

They had to be dealt with as soon as possible to avoid prolonged complications.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Just as they began their operation, a large number of workers, laborers, and household guards who had taken drugs, abandoned everything, and surrounded the Ximen Family, actively protecting them.