First...
I definitely can't just charge into Prince Ning's Residence and kill that old fox.
Even the intelligence collected by the Bright Cult specifies that Prince Ning's Residence is packed with mechanical traps and arcane formations. It certainly won't lack secret escape tunnels. If I charge straight in, that old fox will probably dive into a tunnel and flee the moment I make my move. Even a cunning rabbit knows to keep three burrows. That old fox has spent twenty or thirty years building his power in Jiangzhe. God knows how many holes he's dug in secret.
In the fiery sunset, Yang Ge stood atop the low city wall with his arms folded, gazing steadily at Prince Ning's Residence in the distance.
Prince Ning's Residence contained numerous towers nearly as tall as the city walls. From afar, its pavilions, terraces, waterside structures, and covered bridges rose and fell like overlapping mountain peaks. From no angle could he see through the entire residence at a glance, much less make out its full layout...
Yang Ge was at his wits' end.
He had been in Ninghai County for three days, yet he still hadn't even established whether Prince Ning was in his residence.
As for why...
The locals' accents were simply too thick. Their soft Wu dialect sounded gentle and warm, but he struggled terribly to understand it. To avoid exposing his identity and stirring the grass to startle the snake, he couldn't initiate conversations and steer the locals toward the questions he wanted answered. Ninghai was Prince Ning's home base, after all. He had to watch every word and action.
Of course, he had considered kidnapping a servant or steward from Prince Ning's Residence for questioning. Ultimately, however, he hadn't acted on that idea for the same reason: he couldn't alert