The Meng residence was much quieter tonight than in the past few days. Yin Wujou noticed that the lights in the inner courtyard were dimmer than when he last visited. Although the main hall was lit, the windows were tightly closed and the curtains were drawn, making it impossible to tell how many people were inside from the outside. He held his breath and focused his senses for a moment, catching several fluctuations of Spiritual Power emanating from the main hall. One of them was deep and steady, carrying a sense of oppression that only those who had long held high positions possessed; it must be Meng Qi himself.
About half a watch later, the door to the main hall suddenly opened. A figure strode out from inside, of medium build, dressed in a dark casual robe, with a blue jade pendant hanging at his waist. Yin Wujou recognized the figure as Meng Qi. He was followed by two bodyguards. The three of them did not leave through the main gate, but instead turned into the side gate of the back courtyard.
Yin Wujou's heart skipped a beat. He unleashed his full Spiritual Power to lock onto Meng Qi's aura and silently slid down from the old locust tree, circling around the outer wall of the Meng residence to the direction of the back gate. When he arrived, the gate was already half-closed, with a faint light shining through the crack. Yin Wujou squeezed through the gate, hugging the wall, and scanned the surroundings. It was a narrow path leading to the back alley, and Meng Qi and his two servants were walking quickly along the path towards Chongwen Ward.
Yin Wujou followed behind, keeping a distance of twenty zhang, his breathing as low as possible, his steps extremely light, each step landing on the muddy side of the road to avoid making a sound on the stone pavement. Meng Qi and the other two moved quickly, clearly familiar with the area, and stopped in front of an inconspicuous little house after passing through three streets and alleys. Meng Qi knocked three times, two lightly and one heavily, exactly the same knocking method used by the teahouse owner.
The door opened, and a dark figure stepped out and ushered the three inside. Yin Wujou dared not get too close, hiding in the shadow of a sycamore tree to observe. The small house had no plaque, low walls, and a deserted entrance, appearing to be the dwelling of an ordinary family. However, Yin Wujou's spiritual sense told him that at least seven or eight Spiritual Power fluctuations were converging inside the house, some of which were no less powerful than Meng Qi himself.
He clenched the communication talisman in his sleeve, hesitating whether to crush it to summon the Snow Empress. But then he thought that the Snow Empress should be waiting for him at the Bell and Drum Tower. If he rashly sent a message and interrupted her plans, it would only make things worse. He decided to continue to wait and make a decision after Meng Qi left the residence.
However, more than an hour passed. The night grew deeper, and the lights in the surrounding houses gradually went out. The lights in the small house also dimmed, but Meng Qi still did not come out. Yin Wujou's heart sank. He realized that Meng Qi might be secretly meeting someone in that small house, perhaps an undetected spy, or perhaps discussing an escape plan.
Just as he decided to risk getting closer, the door to the small house suddenly opened again. Meng Qi appeared in the doorway, but instead of coming out, he stepped aside, seemingly making way for someone. Immediately afterward, a tall man dressed in the armor of a captain of the Imperial Guard walked out from inside the door, exchanged a few words with Meng Qi in a low voice, and then turned and strode away in the opposite direction from Chongwen Ward.
Yin Wujou recognized the patterns on the man's armor; he was a mid-level captain in the Imperial Guard, one of the twelve hidden agents mentioned in Zhou Jing's confession. He didn't chase after the captain but continued to track Meng Qi's aura. After seeing the captain off, Meng Qi didn't return to his residence but instead, with two guards, retraced his steps and headed towards the Meng residence.
Yin Wujou followed them all the way to the side gate of the Meng residence's backyard. He watched as Meng Qi and his two servants entered and the side gate closed again before quietly retreating. By the time he hurried back to the Bell and Drum Tower, it was nearly midnight, and the Snow Empress was indeed still waiting on the eaves.
" Meng Qi has left the mansion." Yin Wujou quickly reported what he had seen and heard, emphasizing the location of the small house and the Imperial Guard captain who had secretly met with Meng Qi.
After listening, Snow Empress pondered for a moment, " Meng Qi's secret meeting with his mole tonight shows that he has begun to prepare for the worst. The movements of that Imperial Guard captain are crucial; he headed towards the Imperial Guard's garrison, most likely to make prior arrangements or destroy some evidence. You took too much risk tonight. Next time you encounter a similar situation, crush the communication talisman immediately; I'm not far from you."
Yin Wujou breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps coming from below the Bell and Drum Tower. The two of them became alert at the same time and looked down. They saw a dark figure rushing from the night and panting as it climbed to the top of the tower.
It was Mu Canglan. His face looked exceptionally pale in the moonlight, and a thin layer of sweat glistened on his forehead, clearly indicating that he had run all the way here.
"Something's happened." He gasped for breath, steadying himself by leaning against a pillar of the eaves. "On my way to the Hundred Herbs Hall in the south of the city, I ran into a group of people, guards from the Meng family, about a dozen of them, led by Meng Qi's advisor. They... were searching the old ancestral hall."
Snow Empress's expression suddenly changed. "The old ancestral hall? There's nothing left there; we evacuated long ago."
"They're not looking for us." Mu Canglan's breathing calmed down a little. "They're looking for Liu Yanzhao. I overheard a few words; Meng Qi suspects that Liu Yanzhao was being held in some stronghold after being captured, so he sent people to search places like the old ancestral hall. But they probably haven't found the safe house yet, otherwise they would have already surrounded it with a large force."
After a moment of silence, Snow Empress suddenly took out one of the three communication talismans from her sleeve and held it between her fingers. She did not crush it, but simply gazed at the faint light flowing across the surface of the talisman, as if she were pondering something.
" Meng Qi is looking for Liu Yanzhao." Her voice was low and slow. "This means he hasn't confirmed the specifics of Liu Yanzhao and Zhou Jing's capture, nor is he certain the workshop has been destroyed. He's only suspicious and probing. We can't let him find out the truth. Before dawn, we must move Liu Yanzhao, Zhou Jing, and that complete case file to a safer place."
Yin Wujou Mu Canglan nodded simultaneously.
"Split up." Snow Empress quickly deployed. " Yin Wujou, go back to the safe house and move Liu Yanzhao and Zhou Jing to the abandoned kiln in the west of the city as quickly as possible. That place is more hidden and harder to find than the safe house. Mu Canglan, go to Song Xuanwei and tell him to speed up the submission process. It's best to submit it to the palace before midnight tonight. We can't delay any longer. I'll follow Meng Qi's search team to see what other places they're searching besides the old ancestral hall. If they find the vicinity of the abandoned kiln, I have a way to distract them."
The three dispersed again, disappearing into the night. The capital city slept soundly in the stillness of midnight, with only the occasional sound of night watchmen striking their clappers echoing from afar through the empty streets and alleys.
The abandoned brick and tile kiln in the west of the city is a brick and tile kiln site that has been abandoned for many years. It is located between a mass grave and a dried-up river on the outskirts of Beijing. The kiln site covers an area of about two acres. The surface is covered with collapsed adobe kiln caves and overgrown weeds. Underground, there is an abandoned underground channel that was used by the kiln workers to transport water. After it was abandoned, it was forgotten and very few people knew of its existence. During the time of the Spirit Vein Bureau, Snow Empress once led people to take refuge here and was very familiar with the terrain of this place.