"My eldest brother has been missing for almost two days. Our uncle went to report it to both the External Affairs Office and the Evil Punishment Office, but unfortunately, there's still no news. Brother Wang, if you have any leads about my eldest brother, please be sure to tell us. The Niu family will reward you generously."
The speaker bore some resemblance to Niu Yong; both had a hint of roguishness about them.
Still, he clearly had considerable affection for his elder brother. His eyes reddened as he spoke.
"Brother Niu is a fortunate man. Heaven will watch over him."
Wang Ba offered words of comfort.
Come to think of it, Wang Ba really had not seen Niu Yong for two days.
That was hardly unusual, though. Ordinarily, Niu Yong sometimes went two or three days between visits to collect chicken manure.
As the Manure Boss, this whole area was his territory anyway. No one else dared come and snatch his chicken manure.
But Wang Ba did not quite trust this man who claimed to be Niu Yong's younger brother.
Too much of a coincidence!
The Immortal Ascension Society only started watching me yesterday, and today someone who looks like Niu Yong has taken over his work, claiming he's gone missing.
It's hard not to suspect this might be a ploy by the Immortal Ascension Society. For one thing, it would cut off my channel for reporting them.
For another, it could test whether I intend to inform on them. If I really took his words at face value and reported them, the result...
Whether or not that was the Immortal Ascension Society's intention, Wang Ba would respond as though it was.
After Wang Ba fobbed him off with a few words, Niu Yong's younger brother drove away in the manure-collection cart.
Seeing how weighed down with worries he looked before leaving, Wang Ba actually believed his words a little more.
But how could a living, breathing man vanish into thin air?
The sect may be large, but Niu Yong isn't some reckless greenhorn. Given the worldly tact and seasoned experience he's shown after years of getting by in the sect, he should never have offended a sect disciple badly enough to get killed...
Unless...
Yu Changchun's utterly ordinary face instantly sprang into Wang Ba's mind.
The Immortal Ascension Society!
Recalling how he himself was under surveillance, could Niu Yong have been targeted by the Immortal Ascension Society too?
It was possible.
Watching the forlorn figure of Niu Yong's younger brother drive away, Wang Ba hesitated, but ultimately abandoned the thought of telling him.
I'm still being watched myself. With a Qi Refining cultivator's power, I'd probably be dead the moment the words left my mouth.
Wang Ba was not a bad person, but neither was he good enough to sacrifice himself for someone else's sake.
He quickly fed the Precious Chickens and cleaned up, then scooped out some rice and hid in his room to cook himself a meal.
Better to endure the smoke than waste Yin Spirit Power for nothing.
In the single day yesterday, the successive drain caused by the Foundation Establishment cultivator and the Immortal Ascension Society steward had cost him three whole drops of Yin Spirit Power.
That was the fruit of eating more than a dozen Spirit Chickens and practicing visualization for nearly a month.
Wang Ba hated the Immortal Ascension Society so much that he gritted his teeth.
At one point, he had wanted to crush the jade pendant Zhao Feng had given him, bringing Zhao Feng here to confront the Immortal Ascension Society.
Once the two sides fought, the Immortal Ascension Society would be exposed in broad daylight.
Then whatever schemes or plots they had would collapse without a blow.
But after turning it over and over in his mind, he gave up on the idea.
No one could say just how many members the Immortal Ascension Society had. Once he exposed them, he would inevitably become the target of every arrow.
Struggling at every step would be bad enough; there would probably be no shortage of people who wanted his life.
Even if he wanted to leave the sect, he would probably have trouble finding an opportunity.
Most importantly, he had secrets of his own that would not withstand investigation.
Besides, even an Outer Sect disciple like Zhao Feng and a mortal like Shopkeeper Lu had sensed something wrong within the sect. He did not believe the sect's higher-ups had noticed nothing.
Perhaps they were plotting something too. If he escalated the conflict, it might not do him any good.
In short, as far as he was concerned, he only needed to hold out until things settled down in South Lake Village and he could escape the Eastern Saint Sect's whirlpool. Then every problem could be cleaved apart like bamboo beneath a blade.
There was no need to grow extra branches at this point, exhausting himself for no thanks.
"Strange. Why hasn't Old Hou come yet? I'm waiting for him to help me put on a good show."
Wang Ba looked outside the Mountain Manor as he drank his thin porridge.
Normally, Old Hou would have arrived long before this.
In a mountain hollow outside Dingbaqi Manor.
Yu Changchun's eyes were narrowed, his lips slightly parted as he breathed Spiritual Qi in and out.
Just then, the triangular flags around him suddenly quivered.
"Hmm?"
Yu Changchun's eyes snapped open, his lightning-sharp gaze sweeping toward one of the triangular flags.
A water mirror silently rose, reflecting the figure of the visitor outside.
The man's face was blurred, but he was corpulent and wore the attire of an Outer Sect deacon.
"Li Zhi? What does that smiling tiger want with me?"
Yu Changchun muttered in puzzlement, then formed hand seals. A small triangular flag quivered, and ripples seemed to spread through the surroundings.
Immediately afterward, the visitor stepped out of those ripples.
"Why have you come here instead of looking for suitable seeds? Aren't you worried the chief steward will hold you to account?"
The moment Li Zhi entered, Yu Changchun addressed him without the slightest courtesy.
Yet the other man showed no anger. Though his face was strangely blurred, there was a faint sense that he was smiling.
"You've been quite comfortable here, with no idea that everything outside has been turned upside down."
"Turned upside down?"
Yu Changchun froze briefly, then his expression changed. "Have we been discovered?"
"Heh heh, almost."
A smile lingered on Li Zhi's blurred face.
The strange smile on his face made Yu Changchun deeply uncomfortable.
"Enough nonsense. Hurry up and tell me what happened!"
Li Zhi remained perfectly amiable, speaking in an even tone.
"The day before yesterday, Liu Changfeng used the Burial Bone Technique to lure in a Servant Disciple, but acted rashly without checking his background thoroughly. It turned out that the man was actually an Outer Sect disciple's nephew. As soon as he received the Burial Bone Technique, he headed straight for the Evil Punishment Office. Fortunately, our people in the Evil Punishment Office intercepted him on the way..."
"Worthless bastard! I always knew Liu Changfeng was unreliable! He nearly ruined us all! Once this business is done, I'll send him into the Snake Bone Cavern to suffer the bites of ten thousand snakes! Only then will the hatred in my heart be quelled!"
Yu Changchun immediately erupted in curses.
Li Zhi was still smiling.
"Heh heh, it's all right. He's already dead."
Yu Changchun's furious cursing cut off abruptly, and he stared blankly at Li Zhi.
"D-dead?"
Yu Changchun still found it hard to believe.
"Liu Changfeng, he... he was at the ninth level of Qi Refining... He was that person's grandson in the direct line..."
Li Zhi's smile was blurred, yet full of warmth. "Dead. The chief steward personally took care of him yesterday."
At that instant, nothing remained in Yu Changchun's heart but a deep chill!
Only after a long while did he speak in a dry, hoarse voice. "Then why didn't the chief steward mention it when he descended into the puppet yesterday?"
Before Li Zhi could answer, realization belatedly dawned on him. "Of course. He must have deliberately sent you here. Killing a chicken to warn the monkeys..."
"You're mistaken."
Li Zhi shook his head slightly.
"Hmm?"
Yu Changchun was puzzled. Had he misunderstood?
"It's killing a monkey to warn the chickens."
The smile on Li Zhi's blurred face was incomparably gentle.
Yu Changchun's expression instantly stiffened.
"Heh heh, just joking."
Li Zhi laughed it off, then said, "Right, speaking of 'chickens,' how have you gotten on with that little fellow I introduced to you, the one who's good at raising chickens?"
Before you continue