"Five wins"

Only after Ren Youyang and his guards disappeared from sight, and the Zhen Estate's servants led their horses away to tether them up ahead, did Ding Songyan enter through the side gate and meet Yu Wanxiong, Mr. Yu.

Without a word, he followed the man deeper into the Zhen Estate along the familiar route.

On the way, he prayed to all the gods and buddhas, hoping the Small Boat Gang's experts would launch their attack today and bring chaos.

He was not alone in this wish. He believed Yan Changqing, Zhen Qianfan, and that bunch from the "Ding Family" were all hoping for the same thing.

After all his earlier probing, combined with the anomalies the Zhen Estate had displayed, Ding Songyan believed Zhen Qianfan had asked him to tell stories to Yan Changqing precisely to create an opportunity for this "honored guest" to escape.

The reason was nothing more than this: despite years of brutal torture, Yan Changqing had refused to reveal where the Celestial Emperor's secret treasure-the thing Zhen Qianfan wanted-was hidden. Now sixty, Zhen Qianfan could no longer afford to wait. He had chosen to "release the tiger back into the mountains," casting a long line to catch a big fish.

He wanted Yan Changqing to escape with difficulty, then, under pressure from pursuing enemies and the like, choose to go to the hiding place and retrieve the treasure for a slender chance of survival. At that point, he would appear at just the right moment, the oriole swooping on the cicada.

If those who came to rescue Yan Changqing exceeded his expectations in both strength and number, the True Spirit Sect and the Celestial Maiden Sect, lured here with something else, would become his support. Working with the city's Martial Grandmasters, they would ensure matters did not slide toward the worst possible outcome.

The Zhen Estate had delayed "inviting" Second Brother Ding to tell stories to Yan Changqing not because they did not "trust" him, but because their "reinforcements" had yet to arrive. As soon as the Celestial Maiden Sect and the True Spirit Sect arrived, Ding Songyan promptly received his "invitation."

On that basis, the Small Boat Gang wanted to attack the Zhen Estate to wash away its past humiliation;

Yan Changqing wanted the Small Boat Gang to attack the Zhen Estate and create the chaos necessary for him to escape;

Zhen Qianfan wanted the Small Boat Gang to attack the Zhen Estate, creating a situation in which he was too distracted and overextended to prevent Yan Changqing's escape;

The Ding Family bunch wanted the Small Boat Gang to attack the Zhen Estate so they could fish in muddy waters and take Yan Changqing away;

Ding Songyan wanted the Small Boat Gang to attack the Zhen Estate and make the chaos as great as possible. Only chaos brought variables, and only variables gave him a chance to escape this calamity.

Thus, if the Small Boat Gang really made its move today, it would be five wins!

Amid his swirling thoughts, Ding Songyan once again saw the little building nestled among flowers and trees.

Hooves clattered as three fine horses galloped into the city from outside. Leading them was Zheng Zhuxi, who had changed into a close-fitting black outfit with stars and candle flames embroidered on its cuffs.

At first light, she had ridden hard back to the Xiaoming Sect's mountain headquarters with her senior brother Wu Feng and senior sister Tao Wuyue. After reporting what had happened, they changed horses and returned to Linjiang City. More than six hours had passed in the process.

Her mother, Tao Wenshu, the Xiaoming Sect's leader, had not traveled with them. Over such a distance, a Spirit Communion Martial Grandmaster was far faster than a horse; she had already reached the prefectural city.

Once through the city gate, Zheng Zhuxi, afraid of colliding with pedestrians, forced down her agitation and dismounted. She handed her horse to the fellow disciples guarding the gate, then employed the Bi Moon Illusory Form movement technique to weave through the crowds, leaving behind scenes that wavered faintly like illusions.

Soon, she reached the tallest watchtower, climbed its wooden stairs, and arrived at the top.

Apart from the two members of the Yi clan responsible for routine surveillance, a woman in black robes was also there.

The woman looked to be only in her thirties and bore a considerable resemblance to Zheng Zhuxi. Though her features were less delicate and beautiful than Zheng Zhuxi's, tending toward squareness, her overall bearing possessed an added maturity and gentle grace distilled by the passing years.

She wore a rather heavy yet quite rudimentary Iron Crown and held a longsword in a deep-black sheath in her left hand. Both eyes had double pupils, with glimmers of light hidden in their dark depths.

"Mother, has anything happened at the Zhen Estate?" Zheng Zhuxi caught her breath and asked urgently.

Tao Wenshu glanced at her daughter.

"Not yet.

"When will you learn to remain as unruffled as your father, even if Mount Tai collapses before you? Always so flustered."

"Then I'd have to switch to practicing the Book of Utmost Sincerity, and it's too late for that." Relaxing at her mother's words, Zheng Zhuxi replied with a playful grin.

Tao Wenshu turned her gaze toward North Water Street and the Zhen Estate, then said in an even voice:

"Prefect Lin is already at the northern watchtower, and County Lieutenant Yi is at the eastern one. You can put your mind at ease and go home to rest.

"Even if you stay here, your martial arts cultivation won't be of any use."

Zheng Zhuxi adopted a little girl's manner.

"My cultivation progress is no worse than that of the major sects' core disciples. If you'd had me a few years earlier, Mother, I'd definitely be Transcendent by now, or even at Divination.

"County Lieutenant Yi is only at Divination. Can he stop any Evil Path fiends who might come?"

Tao Wenshu, whose black robes were embroidered with scattered stars, looked at the Zhen Estate and said:

"As long as he shoots from high ground, County Lieutenant Yi can hold off a Subtlety Martial Grandmaster."

Zheng Zhuxi asked no further questions. She steadied her breathing and focused all her attention on whatever might happen at the Zhen Estate.

The Zhen Estate, Riverwave Hall.

Su Chongxiao and Su Qingli sat cross-legged behind low tables set with tea and refreshments, their attendants and maid standing beside them. Opposite them sat Ren Youyang in a swaggering posture, his four guards lined up behind him.

At the head sat Zhen Qianfan, wearing black robes embroidered with the character for good fortune and a Six-Harmony Cap. His four ears twitched slightly, though no one knew what he was listening to.

As they exchanged polite pleasantries, Zhen Quanwang approached his father with a wooden box covered in red cloth and handed it over.

"My three honored guests." Zhen Qianfan accepted the wooden box and placed it before him. "Allow me to let you verify its authenticity once more."

He lifted the red cloth and opened the lid.

Inside lay a fruit the size of a papaya, red all over. Despite the considerable distance, Ren Youyang and Su Qingli could smell its faint, sweet fragrance. As that scent entered their noses, both felt as though their strength had increased a little.

"It's genuine." Su Chongxiao, wearing a Bamboo Crown, nodded lightly.

Zhen Qianfan closed the lid and spoke with sincere earnestness:

"I originally had no intention of selling this Huai Fruit, which came into my hands by chance. My sons are dull and untalented; even now, not one has reached Divination. If one of them ate this Huai Fruit, he would have a little more power to protect himself after I pass away.

"Alas, things do not go as one wishes, and I can only sell this divine treasure. I seek neither money nor secret manuals, only a promise."

Blindfolded with Black Cloth, Ding Songyan was guided through winding turns by two Zhen Family Disciples. Only when he reached Yan Changqing's quarters did a question suddenly dawn on him:

Why didn't I ever consider not coming to tell Yan Changqing stories today?

I could have stalled for time and waited for the authorities to investigate the matter and intervene directly!

Although the Zhen Estate might send an Attendant like Mr. Yu to force me to come, the fact that I never even considered this must be Yan Changqing's doing, or his "old friends'." If it's the latter, are they definitely making their move today?

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, a cool sensation descended into Ding Songyan's sea of consciousness and took the form of the lean-faced Yan Changqing.

Using the seed, Ding Songyan divided his awareness in two. While beginning the next part of Legend of the White Snake, he questioned Yan Changqing above the glittering golden illusory ocean:

"Senior, are you making your move today?"

Yan Changqing smiled.

"Let's watch a little longer and wait a little longer."

Ding Songyan glanced at the clear, hazy light piercing the mist, then changed his question:

"What treasure did the Zhen Estate use to draw the True Spirit Sect and the Celestial Maiden Sect here?"

"A Huai Fruit," Yan Changqing said with a serene smile. "Eating it grants great strength. It will give you boundless might without interfering with your practice of other techniques. In the early stages alone, the Celestial Maiden Sect's and the True Spirit Sect's martial arts are rather deficient in that respect, so naturally they desire it. But they won't fight to the death for it. They're merely seeking an opportunity for their juniors."

No wonder he brought Miss Xiaoqing to broaden her horizons. He means to give it to her to eat as soon as he gets it... Ding Songyan said thoughtfully:

"Then will they assist the Zhen Estate because of it and obstruct your old friends, Senior?"

Yan Changqing chuckled.

"Wasn't it Zhen Qianfan who drew my old friends here in the first place?

"He deliberately invited someone affiliated with my sect to visit, giving him an opportunity to steal that Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas. Afterward, how could my elders and old friends fail to recognize my handwriting, or fail to discern what that Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas truly signifies?"

So you really did copy that Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas by hand! And it did come out of the Zhen Estate. So that was their intention... Ding Songyan pretended he had not guessed. More wary still that Yan Changqing might be deliberately misleading him, he merely asked in return:

"What does it signify?"

Yan Changqing glanced at him and said, his smile unchanged:

"It signifies the tremendous good fortune I'm going to bestow upon you."

He began pacing with his hands behind his back, speaking leisurely:

"If the people from the True Spirit Sect and the Celestial Maiden Sect can hold off my old friends for a while, that would be excellent.

"You brought that dagger, didn't you?"

"I have it on me, Senior." Ding Songyan's nerves tightened.

Yan Changqing smiled.

"It will have its use shortly."

At this, Ding Songyan's thoughts shifted, and he asked as if seeking confirmation:

"Senior, you're versed in the art of numerology. Can you calculate whether the Small Boat Gang will attack the Zhen Estate today?"

Still smiling, Yan Changqing paced another two steps and said calmly:

"They will."

Not long before, at the Zhen Estate's rear gate, two porters dressed as farmers, their heads lowered beneath bamboo hats, carried shoulder poles laden with ingredients. Led by a Zhen Estate servant, they made their way to the kitchen.

Once payment had been settled, they followed the same servant back toward the gate. There were very few household servants or guards along the way, as though they had all been reassigned somewhere else.

Suddenly, one of the porters quickened his pace, came alongside the servant, and patted his shoulder.

The servant turned his head in annoyance and saw eyes stained with bloodthirsty malice, whitened facial skin, and bright-red lips with the texture of a bird's beak.

Hostility surged through his heart at once, filling him with resentment toward the Zhen Estate:

Why should you get to drink, make merry, and enjoy yourselves every day while I have to run here and there under the blazing sun?

The moment this thought arose, he wanted nothing more than to hack at the Zhen Family Disciples a few times. But knowing he lacked the strength, he could only return to his room in bitter indignation to sleep, abandoning his current task.

With him gone, the two porters immediately slipped into the shadows of the covered walkway and advanced like ghosts, sneaking toward Riverwave Hall, where the Zhen Estate entertained its honored guests.

They remained silent throughout, neither speaking, because both knew Zhen Qianfan practiced the Water Ape Divine Art, and his ears could hear in all directions.