Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders

The yamen runners and bailiffs dispatched by the government were, without exception, terrified of the mountain demons. Sheng Qingzhi had no great solution for this group of incompetent subordinates, so he had no choice but to order the blockade of the passes and strategic points near Four Peaks Mountain, guarding against Cheng Zhi finding an opportunity to slip away. As for Four Peaks Mountain itself, he could only withdraw all the government runners and bailiffs who had entered the mountain.

He Sheng knew this was the correct choice. The One-Horned Mountain Demon of Four Peaks Mountain was a monster of three hundred years; it had already come into its own. When the Demon Race reached this level of longevity, their intelligence gradually matured, and they would concurrently awaken certain supernatural talents.

What innate divine ability that One-Horned Mountain Demon possessed was not yet clear, but aside from practitioners with cultivation, such a matured member of the Demon Race was simply not something an ordinary mortal could handle.

In fact, even he himself would have to expend quite a few means to face that mountain demon, and it would consume a great deal of his vital energy; calculating it this way, the losses would outweigh the gains.

It seems that the rumors flying about these past few days are also being fanned in the shadows by this Prefect Sheng. If so, the intentions of this Prefect Sheng are rather easy to guess...

He Sheng's mind stirred, and he deduced the inside story. He knew that the frequent moves against the He Family's business during this period, aside from Sheng Jin playing tricks, likely had another reason: this Prefect Sheng intended to discipline him.

(No, the one surnamed Sheng is also suspicious of me. If Cheng Zhi wants to enter Suian City to commit assassination, there must be someone in the city secretly coordinating. This man is old, crafty, and treacherous; it is inevitable that he might catch some clues...)

Alarm bells rang instantly in the depths of his heart.

If he were truly targeted by Sheng Qingzhi, it would be a bad sign. If this were a society ruled by law, one would naturally speak of evidence and procedure when encountering such matters...

However, the Great You Dynasty was a typical feudal dynasty. Here, just like the ancient dynasties on Earth, the official held all the power; why would a man-eater need to spit out the bones?

A local emperor like Sheng Qingzhi in Suian City would not necessarily discuss the laws of the imperial court with you.

In other words, for the death of his own son, Sheng Qinghong, this Prefect did not need any clear evidence; suspicion alone was enough.

This sliver of suspicion was sufficient for him to form the intent to bring ruin and death upon the entire He Family.

(The premise being that I, this head of the He Family, am a mere son of an ordinary merchant, rather than a successor of the Immortal Puppet Sect...)

He Sheng was well aware of this.

Just then, a servant hurried in from outside the door.

"Young Master, someone from the Prefect's Yamen has arrived, saying they wish to see you."

"An honored guest from the Yamen? Where are they?"

He Sheng asked hurriedly.

"Waiting in the outer hall..."

Before the servant could finish speaking, a voice that was not the least bit polite came from behind him.

"No need to wait. You must be the He Family's eldest son, He Sheng. I was sent by Prefect Sheng."

Suddenly, two figures emerged from behind the servant and stepped over the threshold one after the other.

The corners of He Sheng's eyes twitched slightly. As soon as these two figures entered the room, a cold, chilling sensation filled the hall.

The two figures walking in from outside the flower hall were entirely coated in a metallic luster.

Yes, metal. The two were dressed identically, clad in helmets and armor. Their entire bodies were encased in pitch-black plate armor, with waist swords slung at their sides, and they exuded an aura of cold, murderous intent.

"May I ask, who are you two?"

He Sheng's face remained expressionless, though he felt a sliver of displeasure in his heart, as these two had barged in without waiting to be announced to the master, which was truly quite rude.

"You are He Sheng."

The leader wore a beast-headed helmet and had a Purple-Complexioned Face. His features were upright, and he sported a neatly trimmed swallow-tail beard; he looked naturally imposing without being angry.

This man and his companion were both fully armored, and with every step they took, there was a light, metallic "clatter" from the shifting plates of their armor.

The two did not offer a salute upon entering, and the Purple-Complexioned Face looked at He Sheng with a hint of scrutiny.

"The Prefect has ordered me to find you. Do you know what this is for?"

The man's voice was low and hoarse, like grinding stones.

"I do not know."

He Sheng could see the man's arrogance and rudeness. He rose from his chair and bowed in greeting.

"You two were sent by the Prefect, right? If there is any important business, please feel free to command!"

He Sheng's posture was very humble at this moment, and his tone was gentle, though he was puzzled in his heart. These two who had barged into the He Mansion were not wearing standard military-issue armor—how strange. He wondered why they were wearing such armor; surely they couldn't be private soldiers raised by the Prefect...?

He secretly glanced a few more times at the armor on their bodies. This armor seemed to be crafted from a kind of pitch-black, gleaming metal plate. The black iron plates that made up the armor were densely engraved with complex patterns, giving a strong sense of uniformity, as if the top and bottom were one piece. They were likely some unknown runes, faintly shimmering with light.

Is this the legendary 'Rune Armor' of the Daoist sects? I can feel the spiritual light of sorcery. That makes sense... ordinary black iron infantry armor is extremely heavy. To wear such heavy armor over the entire body and move with such ease—it must be that a spell was cast to reduce the weight of the armor.

He Sheng immediately understood that the origins of these two were likely not simple.

"Oh, you are a clever man; that saves me some effort."

The man looked him up and down, and seeing that He Sheng's posture was so humble, he had to abandon some of his original plans. He snorted coldly.

"Listen well. The Prefect knows that you, the eldest son of the He Family, intend to eliminate the mountain demon of Four Peaks Mountain and open up the southern trade route. This time, he is giving you an opportunity. Gather your men for the 'Mountain-Clearing and Demon-Extermination' immediately and set out with us."

"Mountain-Clearing and Demon-Extermination?"

He Sheng feigned a look of bewilderment.

"So that is the matter. However, the preparations for this are not yet complete. Could you grant a few days of grace? I still need to discuss this with the Flying Fish Sect and the Long Wind Society before—"

"Enough."

The Purple-Complexioned Face waved his hand, cutting him off.

"I will grant you at most one day. By tomorrow, the Yamen will head to Four Peaks Mountain, and your men must follow..."

"This?"

He Ping revealed a contemplative expression. After a moment, he lowered his voice and said, "My He Family will naturally do our utmost."

"It is not about doing your utmost, it is about doing everything in your power. There must be no mistakes."

Purple-Complexioned Face sneered.

"You cannot shirk this matter. Prefect Sheng said that if any slip-ups occur, your He Family will no longer need to do business in Suian City; you can all pack your things and get out."

Having said this, Purple-Complexioned Face turned and left with his companion, exiting the doors of the reception hall.

"Young Master?"

Once the two had departed, He Fusheng stepped forward.

"What exactly is the Prefect trying to do?"

"Unclear."

He Ping gave a cold smile. The mask he had worn moments ago vanished, his sharp gaze glinting like a blade.

"This man is deep and cunning, an old fox. He might be suspicious of me, or perhaps he wants to use me, to keep me in check... Or it could be that he has already joined forces with He Jin, intending to help that uncle of mine seize my position as head of the family. Heh, no matter which it is, it is unfavorable for us."

"Then what shall we do?"

He Fusheng asked.

"The plan remains unchanged, only it must be moved forward."

He Ping had already made up his mind; his original arrangements needed to be accelerated.

In truth, his previous schemes were quite subtle, but the implementation process had encountered some twists and turns and still lacked a certain refinement. However, heading to Four Peaks Mountain to eliminate the ghoul was already a link in his plan, and Prefect Sheng's "coercion" had provided him with an even more suitable wedge.

(To be honest, this is like adding fuel to the fire and pouring oil on the flames. Now, taking advantage of this momentum to move things forward is not a bad thing at all...)

"At most, I just need to arrange some of the original preparations ahead of schedule."

He Ping sat back down on the sandalwood chair. He closed his eyes slightly, appearing as if he were resting, yet he was clearly contemplating the arrangements to come.