Feint East, Strike West-Saving the Fire Came First

Several members of the Blackwater Gang emerged from the Gambling Den and headed straight out of the city gate.

It was already night, pitch black, and the group had lost money, so naturally they were all irritated and cursing, full of hostility.

Seeing that the road was pitch black, he blew on a tinderbox while cursing.

Li Xian followed behind, secretly pleased, now he was even less afraid of getting lost.

It seems Xiao Fan isn't in the city.

After walking for more than ten miles, they saw the group of gang members turn a corner and cross a mountain pass.

There was a large mansion in the mountains, its lights flickering, indicating its considerable size. Li Xian frowned, guessing that Xiao Fan was here.

Then the gang members walked towards the house, knocked, and soon a servant came to open the door.

"Hey Blackwater Gang bosses, you're back! Did you make your fortune?"

"Bad luck, bad luck, I lost a lot."

Please come inside.

"By the way, young master, is there anything you require?"

"No, nothing else."

The Blackwater Gang has a large number of members, and these men were on holiday today. They had some extra money and were itching to gamble, so they spent the whole day at the Gambling Den and didn't return until night.

After a brief conversation in front of the house, they closed the door and silence returned.

"It turns out that Zheng Caiqi of the Blackwater Gang colluded with Liu, the wealthy man from Yellow Jade County, to imprison my Younger Brother here."

"That makes things easier. The Blackwater Gang members and Master Liu's servants are certainly not acquainted. I'll infiltrate them and investigate."

Li Xian moved quietly, clinging to the wall.

He wiped some plaster off the base of the wall and smeared it on his face, making his skin dark and giving him a very dirty and messy appearance.

Look around.

Then he saw a large tree with lush leaves and a very thick trunk. He jumped up onto the tree, placed his bow and arrows and long sword on it, and covered them with leaves.

After doing all this, wait quietly for the right opportunity.

"This manor is far smaller than One Accord Manor, but their operating rules should be similar."

"At night, Guard would go out on patrol. Although it was called patrolling, they were often tired and listless, making them easy targets for intrusion."

Li Xian lay in the grass, waiting.

As night deepened, Guard were indeed seen going out of the house, looking around and patrolling various areas.

There were two patrol groups.

One group consisted of Liu Yuanwai's Guard, while the other group were members of the Blackwater Gang.

Suddenly, a Guard needed to relieve himself and ran into the depths of the woods. Li Xian seized the opportunity and quietly followed him.

"Comfortable..."

A line of water flowed out.

At the moment when the Guard were most relaxed, Li Xian used her "Clearwind Leg" to lightly kick him in the lower back.

"Forehead..."

In an instant, the Spiral Force penetrated his body, rendering him completely immobile and about to fall over.

Li Xian reached out to support him, quickly took off his clothes and changed them, then knocked him completely unconscious and hid him behind the bushes.

In this way, they successfully infiltrated the Liu Residence.

Li Xian was overjoyed; things were progressing smoothly.

Taking advantage of the patrol to search for my Younger Brother's whereabouts is truly the best thing to do.

The Liu Residence was indeed large, a grand mansion with four courtyards and four entrances, featuring artificial hills and water features, and beautiful gardens. However, compared to "One Accord Manor," it was still quite inferior.

They arrived at a house with lights on, and could hear hushed conversations coming from inside.

Li Xian slowed his pace and listened attentively:

"Seventh Young Master, isn't this a bit inappropriate? With your abilities, you're sure to Flower Plucker in next year's Winter Examination. Why take such a risky step?"

"Hmph, you haven't even participated in the academic exam, how would you know how difficult it is? This year it's thirty-seven, next year it'll be forty-five, and seventy-seven is still uncertain."

"Can..."

"No need to say anything more. This is the closest I've ever come to Flower Plucker. Father has ordered you to obey my commands, so just follow them."

"That brat can't even afford books, why should he be ahead of me? If we let him go to the Prefectural City, enter the academy, and even go further to seize that Mysterious Fortune, even Father will have to show him some respect."

"Does he deserve it? I wish I could kill him, that he would never have existed, so that I could be one of the thirty-six, a truly honorable Flower Plucker master!"

The voices inside the room belonged to an old man and a young man.

It must be Zheng Caiqi, the seventh young master, and his personal bodyguard.

Li Xian narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of anger rising in his heart, but he didn't linger and went to search elsewhere.

"Hello."

Suddenly, a shout came from behind.

A member of the Blackwater Gang, with a large knife at his waist, called out to Li Xian.

"Hey, why is your face all black?" the gang member asked.

"Sigh." Li Xian shook his head and said, "Don't even mention it. I was on patrol just now when I suddenly needed to pee. Damn it, the ground was so slippery, I slipped and fell flat on my face."

"Hahahaha." The gang laughed so hard they slapped their thighs. "Hey kid, why do you smell like pee?"

"You patrol the area near the west courtyard for me; I need to relieve myself."

Li Xian was about to go to the west courtyard to investigate when he readily agreed.

Upon arriving at the west courtyard, they found it heavily patrolled, with many members of the Blackwater Gang.

In front of one of the houses, two members of the Blackwater Gang stood guard on either side of the entrance.

"This is it!"

Li Xian paused for a moment, then subtly glanced at him a few times.

Hey, you there, you've got the wrong place!

One of the Blackwater Gang stopped Li Xian, saying, "This is not your patrol area."

"Oh, it's like this. Just now, one of your gang members said he needed to relieve himself and asked me to cover his patrol for a while," Li Xian explained.

"It must be that Wang Mazi, that lazy bum who poops and peees all the time."

"Alright, you're in charge of this area."

The man pointed southwest.

"Become."

Li Xian looked around and estimated that there were about ten people here, heavily guarded. With his current strength, forcing his way in would be tantamount to suicide.

Seeing that these followers looked tired and were slacking off, very few were truly focused, a direct attack was not advisable. However, if a clever plan was devised, perhaps it could succeed.

"How about we use a feint attack later?"

Li Xian stabilized the situation, concealing any flaws, and secretly memorized the layout of the courtyard.

About half an hour later, Wang Mazi, who had relieved himself earlier, came over, patted Li Xian on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Brother, thanks, I'll take care of things here."

"Of course."

Li Xian simply smiled.

As the shift changed, Li Xian left the west courtyard, scooped up some snow from the roof tiles, and smeared it on her face, using the coldness of the snow to invigorate herself.

If the plan is implemented.

The slightest negligence could lead to death here.

"A feint to the east while attacking in the west—that's the best way to start the fire!"

Such large mansions usually have dedicated stables.

Dry grain and fodder are highly flammable, and those in the Jianghu world value their horses above all else. If a stable catches fire, they will inevitably come to put it out.

They immediately found the stables.

There are dozens of horses in the stable, belonging to the Blackwater Gang and Master Liu.

Several horses were exceptionally handsome, one of which had snow-white hair, red pupils, and meticulously combed fur, making it more refined than a human.

This is Snow Jade White Horse.

"That's a fine horse."

"It's a pity he followed the wrong master."

"Unexpectedly, the gunpowder I bought on a whim actually came in handy."

Li Xian used gunpowder as a catalyst to ensure that the fire could spread quickly once it started.

He then made up his mind, lit a tinderbox, and threw it into the dry grass. The sparks gradually spread, and a plume of black smoke drifted out.

With the added force of gunpowder, the fire spread rapidly. The entire stable was engulfed in Great Fire, and the fire gradually spread to the surrounding houses.

It was as bright as day.

Waves of heat swept over us.

Li Xian feigned panic and shouted, "Water Journey! Water Journey! Help! Help put out the fire!"

He ran and shouted, first waking up the Miscellaneous Servant and slaves. With these people joining in, the situation immediately descended into chaos.

In the midst of great chaos.

Li Xian ran to the west courtyard and saw the Blackwater Gang patrolling. He shouted, "Quick, quick! The young master wants you to put out the fire! Water Journey!"

"This..."

"What?! The fire started in the stables! If the young master's horse is burned, can you take responsibility?!"

"But that kid..."

"With his skinny arms and legs, he can't run away."

"Okay, okay, we'll go right now."

The Blackwater Gang members spread the word quickly, and in an instant, they all set out for the stable area.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Li Xian kicked the door open.