Midnight. Southwest of Heaven Dou City.
The abandoned Blackstone Post Station, long neglected, resembled a dead beast lying in the wilderness under the cold, hard moonlight. A broken flagpole leaned against the cracked wall, the courtyard wall already mostly collapsed, with rubble and withered grass mixed together. The night wind howled through the dilapidated doors and windows, carrying an indescribable chill.
In the backyard of the post station, next to the third dry well.
Ling Yun squatted by the moss-covered well, holding a slender, transparent glass tube in his hand. The tube was mostly filled with a dark red liquid. In the cold moonlight, the liquid swayed slightly with his movements, almost indistinguishable from real blood, and even faintly emitting an unusual, sweet-smelling odor.
Xiao Wu stood behind him, arms crossed, her rabbit ears perked up warily. She stared at the vial of red liquid for a long time before finally unable to hold back and asking, "Are you sure there's not a single drop of my blood in this?"
Ling Yun turned around, raising an eyebrow. "What? You're already reluctant to part with it?"
"Pah!" Xiao Wu glared at him without hesitation, revealing her two little tiger teeth. "I'm afraid you, you scoundrel, will secretly prick me with a needle while I'm asleep at night."
Ling Yun immediately adopted a heartbroken and wounded expression, clutching his chest and sighing, "What happened to the trust between us? How could you think of me in such a despicable way?"
Dugu Yan stood in the shadows not far away, arms crossed, her face cold and expressionless, adding insult to injury, "Last night, he did indeed subtly ask me about it."
Xiao Wu's eyes narrowed dangerously instantly, her fists clenching so tightly they cracked: "Ling--Yun--"
Ling Yun's expression froze, and he quickly took half a step back, coughing twice to explain, "Don't listen to her nonsense. What I asked was, if it really came to the point where it was absolutely necessary to take a sample, how much would be enough to avoid damaging your essential body?"
"Is there a difference?"
"Of course there's a difference; this is the fundamental difference between academic discussion and ulterior motives."
"Bullshit, what's the difference?"
Seeing that Xiao Wu had already started rolling up her sleeves to her elbows, preparing to pounce on him, Dugu Bo, who had been standing aside with his eyes closed, finally couldn't stand it anymore.
"Alright, all of you shut up." The Old Poison, hands behind his back, slowly emerged from the dark corner, his withered face full of impatience. He pointed a thin, bony finger at the glass tube in Ling Yun's hand. "What kind of time is this to be fooling around like this? The stuff in the tube is something I personally concocted using Hundred-Year Blood Ginseng juice, the heart essence of three high-level Soul Beasts, and a small amount of my unique life-enhancing powder. Just the quality of this stuff, the aura it emits is enough to fool the perception of ordinary Soul Masters."
Dugu Bo paused, then snorted coldly, "However, this thing is just for show. As long as they actually use it to activate the formation or refine it, it will be exposed in ten breaths at most."
Ling Yun casually shook the blood vessel, watching the viscous liquid clinging to the tube wall. "Ten breaths? That's enough."
Dugu Bo frowned slightly, his Youyou green eyes fixed on him. "You better remember this, kid. All this trouble to get this thing isn't for them to actually use. It's just to ensure the contact person responsible for picking it up can take it away without worry."
"Understood." Ling Yun nodded, then his joking expression faded as he looked down at the well wall in front of him.
According to the confessions of the Black Market Soul Masters captured earlier, after the blood sample was placed in this third dry well, no secret signal was needed. Simply tapping the third layer of blue bricks on the well wall three times with a specific force was enough to complete the delivery process. The person delivering the sample did not need to worry about anything else and could leave immediately.
Ling Yun extended his right hand, his knuckles bent, and tapped it on the cool blue brick.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound was muffled. Just as the third sound fell, a very faint grinding sound of mechanical gears suddenly came from deep within the well wall.
Click.
A seemingly perfectly fitted blue brick slowly popped out half an inch. Behind the brick was a tiny, extremely narrow compartment, barely big enough for one hand to fit inside.
Xiao Wu raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Wow, I didn't realize these shady rats could be so professional at setting up traps."
Without a word, Ling Yun directly inserted the glass blood vessel into the depths of the hidden compartment, then forcefully pushed the blue bricks back flat. Dust from the brick seams fell away, and everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
He dusted off his hands, stood up, and said, "All done, let's go."
Xiao Wu was taken aback, and subconsciously looked around. "Leave now?"
"What else? Stay here for a late-night snack?"
"Shouldn't we hide nearby and keep an eye on this well? What if that person comes and runs away?"
Ling Yun couldn't help but laugh, looking at her as if she were an idiot. "My goodness, if the four of us squat around this well all night, even a passing stray cat would Frisk something's wrong. Do you expect that contact, who's more cunning than a fox, to dare come to pick up the goods? It would be a miracle if he actually dared to come."
After saying that, he turned to Dugu Bo and said, "Old Poison, the rest of the work is up to you."
Dugu Bo snorted coldly, his aged face full of arrogance. "Do I need a brat like you to remind me?"
Long before Ling Yun inserted the blood vessel, he had already evenly coated the outer wall of the glass tube with a layer of his uniquely prepared tracking powder. The powder was colorless, odorless, and wouldn't even produce any noticeable Soul Power fluctuations, making it difficult for even Soul Master with extremely strong mental power to Frisk. However, as soon as the recipient's skin came into contact with the powder, within twelve hours, the person would be covered in a special scent that only the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor could smell. No matter where they ran, they wouldn't escape Dugu Bo's perception. Unless the person could steel themselves and peel off their entire skin the moment they got the item.
Ling Yun clapped his hands in satisfaction. "Everything is ready, so let's invite you into the trap."
Just then, Dugu Bo, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and raised one hand. Everyone held their breath instantly, and even Xiao Wu groggily opened her eyes.
"They've arrived." Dugu Bo's voice was as soft as a whisper, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.
Ling Yun was instantly wide awake, his eyes narrowed, and he looked in the direction Dugu Bo sensed. He saw a hunched figure slowly emerging from the morning mist on the abandoned path leading to the post station in the distance.
He was a withered old man with a limp. He wore tattered, patched-up clothes, leaned on a black wooden cane that looked old, and carried a dirty bamboo basket with a large hole on his back. By all accounts, he looked like a poor old man who had come from a nearby impoverished village and worked from dawn till dusk collecting scraps and recyclables.
The old man walked very slowly, with a limp. His cane tapped on the muddy ground, making a dull thud.
Finally, he reached the dilapidated gate of Blackstone Post Station. However, he did not go in immediately. Instead, he turned around quite naturally and sat down on a moss-covered roadside stone. He shakily pulled out a piece of hard, rock-like black bread from his pocket and struggled to gnaw on it with his few remaining teeth.
After finishing the biscuit, he untied the tattered water pouch from his waist and slowly drank a few sips of water. After drinking the water, he even Yawn, leaned against the dusty wall, closed his eyes, and actually began to doze off.
They sat there for the full time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Ling Yun, hiding in the bushes, watched the seemingly flawless old man, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "This old guy's got some skills."
Xiao Wu rubbed her eyes, looking somewhat bewildered, and asked in a low voice, "What is he doing? We've arrived, why hasn't he gone inside to get his things?"
He's waiting.
"Wait for what?"
"Let's see if anyone's more anxious than him." Ling Yun's lips curled into a cold smile. "The biggest fear with this kind of clandestine Black Market pickup method is someone lying in wait nearby. Now it's a matter of who loses their composure first. Whoever moves first will expose their hand."
Dugu Yan looked at Ling Yun thoughtfully. "So what do we do now?"
Ling Yun shrugged and said matter-of-factly, "Of course we'll keep lying down. When it comes to crouching in the grass, we're professionals."
Dugu Bo sneered from the side, "I think you were born a turtle; you're the only one who can lie down like that."
"Old Poison, if you keep quiet, no one will think you're mute."
After a while, and confirming that there was no other unusual movement except for the sound of the wind, the lame old man finally slowly stood up, leaning against the wall. But he still didn't go directly to the dry well in the backyard. He first slowly circled the entire dilapidated post station, seemingly unintentionally kicking away two stones Block his way, bending down to pull up a withered blade of grass that had grown too tall, and even walking to the corner of the wall to loosen his belt and urinate.
Xiao Wu, her face almost as black as the bottom of a pot, gritted her teeth and asked, "Is he going to take it or not? If not, I'm going to go over and beat him up!"
Ling Yun quickly pressed her down, gently reassuring her, "Don't worry, it'll be quick."
Sure enough, after all these tests, the old man finally took a step with his limp and walked into the overgrown backyard. When he passed the third dry well, his steps didn't even pause for a moment. He simply flicked his toe as he passed the well, seemingly casually kicking a small piece of stone the size of a fingernail against the well wall.
Smack
The gravel Tackle the third layer of well bricks with remarkable precision.
Click.
A very faint click of a mechanism sounded, and the hidden compartment instantly sprang open. The old man bent down smoothly, his movements as natural and fluid as if he were brushing mud off the edge of a shoe. The next instant, his hand was already withdrawn from the hidden compartment.
The glass blood vessel filled with fake blood had vanished into thin air.
The whole process was smooth and quick, taking less than two breaths in total. After getting the item, the old man didn't linger for a moment. He continued with his slow, limping gait, leaving the post station through another broken wooden door in the backyard, and gradually disappeared into the wilderness.
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up, and she couldn't wait to get up. "Got it, let's hurry and catch up!"
Ling Yun grabbed her shoulder and pressed her firmly into the grass. "Don't move. Wait a little longer."
Dugu Bo also raised his hand at the same time, his green eyes flashing with a cold light. "My medicinal powder has already touched him. As long as he doesn't die, he can't escape."
The group patiently endured the cold wind for a full half-incense stick's time. Only after confirming that no one else was secretly waiting around the inn did Ling Yun give a signal. The four of them, like Ghost type, quietly followed under the cover of night.
The lame old man walked slowly, stopping frequently along the way. At one point, he even turned into a remote village and stayed in a dilapidated thatched hut at the village entrance for half an hour. When he came out again, he had changed out of his tattered clothes and was carrying two heavy bundles of firewood on his back, transforming into an ordinary old farmer who got up early and worked late to carry firewood to the market to sell.
Ling Yun and the others maintained a great distance at all times, relying on Dugu Bo's perception of the medicinal powder to stay far behind, never getting close easily.
After traveling ten miles along the mountain road, it was broad daylight. The old farmer, carrying firewood, passed a bustling roadside market. He sold the firewood to a steamed bun shop owner for a very low price, took a few copper coins, and then walked to a vegetable cart loaded with cabbages, sat on the shaft, and took a breather.
A moment later, he patted the mud off his trousers and got up to leave. Just as he was leaving, Dugu Bo suddenly narrowed his eyes.
The blood vessels had disappeared from the old farmer's body.
Xiao Wu was stunned for a moment, then looked around. "Why did they leave empty-handed? Where are their things?"
Dugu Bo closed his eyes, carefully sensing the faint scent in the air. After a moment, he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze Lock-On on the vegetable cart that had just been whipped by the driver and was now slowly Rollout forward.
"In the car."
Ling Yun sneered, "Impressive tactic, this is the second handover."
Without hesitation, everyone immediately changed their target and continued following the vegetable truck.