The moon hangs high in the sky, and the riverbanks are still filled with a thousand sails.
Inside the riverside warehouse, various ores and finished goods about to be shipped were piled up. The warehouse was brightly lit, and dozens of laborers were moving things around inside.
The residence of the steward was located to the side of the storeroom; it was a two-courtyard house, square in shape and not particularly large.
As the head of the Foreign Affairs Department, He Lin was responsible for foreign negotiations and trade. After seeing off a messenger, he came to the main house in the courtyard alone.
The main house was dark, but three people were sitting inside, all dressed in cloaks and looking mysterious.
As for their identities, they were naturally the ' Horn Wood Flood Dragon, Neck Metal Dragon, and Root Earth Raccoon Dog ' of the Azure Dragon Hall. After Ye Xingge's rampage, only four of the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon remained.
A few days ago, Duan Lianshan, the superior, died suddenly in Beijing. He Lin's face was also exposed. He knew that exposure was inevitable. He originally wanted to disappear and go underground.
However, given the high value of Ye Xingge and the fact that so many core members of the Return to Origin Cult had been killed, they decided to use a counter-strategy, bringing him back to lure the enemy out and eliminate him.
He Lin had never interacted with Ye Xingge. To prevent Ye Xingge from not recognizing him, the Return to Origin Cult even arranged for someone to "inform" Ye Xingge that he was Heart Moon Fox.
After entering the main house, He Lin closed the door and whispered:
"The message has been sent out, and Ye Xingge should receive it tomorrow. But this boy is meticulous; if he suddenly receives a tip, he'll easily think of a 'luring the enemy into a trap' scheme. He'll either not fall for it, or he'll come prepared..."
Seated at the head of the table is the Horn Wood Flood Dragon, whose true identity is also extraordinary— the Black God of Wealth, Zhao Jintang, the former head of the River-Spanning Pavilion.
River-Spanning Pavilion has been passed down through generations. Zhao Jintang is the direct descendant, while Chu Hannu was an orphan whom her father picked up during a snowstorm, hence the name 'Hannu' (meaning ' Hannu ').
But no matter how good Zhao Jintang's background was, it couldn't keep up with his junior brother's ambition. Not only did his junior brother surpass him at a young age, but later, when the world was in chaos, he also successfully seized the divine weapon " Thousand-Gold Spike " and became First Rank.
According to the conventions of the underworld, whoever has the strongest fist is the boss.
Without his junior brother even needing to be told, Zhao Jintang gracefully relinquished the position of sect leader to him and retreated to the background to work as an assistant.
Chu Hannu clearly did a great job, transforming River-Spanning Pavilion, which was originally a minor, third-tier sect, into a behemoth that controlled the seven-hundred-mile Dongyuan Lake, and even gradually replacing Mountains and Rivers Association, showing a trend of dominating the southern martial arts world.
But these things were obviously irrelevant to Zhao Jintang; all he knew was that the family business, passed down for generations, now bore the surname 'Chu'.
Even though he had already ranked Second Rank, in the eyes of the disciples and martial arts practitioners, he was still just a henchman under Chu Hannu. Zhao Jintang was certainly dissatisfied with this, but Chu Hannu was so strong that it was despair-inducing, and he could never catch up in his lifetime, which is why he was slowly won over by the Return to Origin Cult Sect.
The reason Duan Lianshan and He Lin were able to escape from Forgetful River Mouth was because he secretly helped them; otherwise, if the leader of Black Dragon Island had personally pursued them, they would not have been able to come out alive.
At this moment, Zhao Jintang, wearing a mask, responded:
" Ye Xingge has seen your true face. When the news reaches the capital, he will likely send him to investigate. As for coming prepared, among the four commanders, only Luo Xuanqing is likely to accompany you, but Luo Xuanqing has been hit by Mantanghong's ' Heavenly Silk Meridian Lock ', and his strength is less than one-tenth of what it used to be. Even if he comes, he is not a threat."
Neck Metal Dragon, sitting next to him, wasn't worried about the experts from the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, but he did have other concerns.
Neck Metal Dragon's real name is Lu Ye, and his true identity is the leader of the Mountains and Rivers Association. As for the reason for joining the Return to Origin Cult Sect, it is much simpler than Zhao Jintang's. He was originally a leader of the rebel army, but after his defeat, he joined the Mountains and Rivers Association, seeking only fame and fortune.
At this moment, Lu Ye thought for a moment:
" Ye Xingge's actions are so swift and successful that he likely has powerful backing, or even protectors."
The third Root Earth Raccoon Dog, is actually Li Wangchao, the head of the Clear River Manor. His stated reason for coming here is to order famous weapons and materials for sword-making. The false information from the Mountains and Rivers Association originated from this.
Of course, neither side was aware of the details at the time.
At this moment, Li Wangchao interjected:
"If someone is behind it all, then those who help gather intelligence are probably scattered throughout the Great Yan."
"Neither River-Spanning Pavilion nor Mountains and Rivers Association has made a move; Dragon Flower Cult Eight Pillars Hall have no reason to help this boy obtain the Fate-Robbing Saber to plot against the Later Zhou."
"If someone is helping them from behind, it's either a force from the Northern Jianghu (martial arts world) or the Heaven-Observing Pavilion itself."
He Lin thought for a moment, "This boy was discovered by Flower Judge and has been working under Flower Judge ever since. Flower Judge Perfected Jiuhua. Is it possible that Perfected Jiuhua secretly planted the seed?"
"It's not impossible, but last time at the Forgetful River Mouth, this boy was all alone; Luo Xuanqing didn't accompany him. What kind of protector would let such Miaozi grow so freely..."
While the group was discussing, Zhao Jintang suddenly twitched his ears and looked outside.
Lu Ye, He Lin, and Li Wangchao, upon seeing this scene, also fell silent and looked out of the house.
Then a clear knocking sound came from outside the house:
thump thump thump--
The room fell silent instantly. The bright moon hung in the sky.
The bright moonlight shines on the riverbanks amidst green hills and clear waters.
Hongyu hid in the poplar grove by the river, observing the movements inside the house from high above the treetops using a telescope. Seeing Ye Xingge approaching, she whispered a reminder:
" He Lin went to the backyard of the house next to the warehouse. The room was dark and without lights, so it was unclear what he was doing."
Ye Xingge his horse alongside the Great Beauty Great Beauty Luo. Since he found it difficult to communicate with her, he looked towards a cargo ship moored on the riverbank.
"Judging by the flag, that ship belongs to the Clear River Manor. The goods haven't been delivered yet. If the Return to Origin Cult really wants to rob the caravan, they'll definitely do it on the way. There might be spies here. Sister Luo, you can wait here. I'll go check it out."
Luo Xuanqing's purpose in coming here was to protect the Dao, and he did not want to interfere with Ye Xingge's work process. Seeing this, he stopped his horse by the river.
"Be careful, and signal immediately if anything happens."
"Clear."
Ye Xingge smiled and agreed, then dismounted and headed alone towards the warehouse. After walking a short distance, he raised his hand and adjusted his bamboo hat.
Are there other people inside?
Hongyu, being a skilled scout, carefully observed the interior of the room but found no lights on in the backyard. She then surveyed the surrounding area and, seeing that the Mysterious Armament Pavilion's personnel had been diverted, replied:
"There seems to be someone involved. Something doesn't look right. Be careful."
Ye Xingge found it strange that He Lin dared to return to the Mysterious Armament Pavilion, so he became more cautious. He first flicked his wrist to retrieve the Ravine-Leaping Tiger, then took out the Gold-Chasing Bell and quietly began to investigate the situation.
Riverbank in the distance.
Luo Xuanqing, mounted on horseback, wearing a black veiled hat, surveyed the scene from afar.
Ye Xingge moved very quickly. When he was still more than a hundred meters away from the reservoir, he stopped and carefully observed the terrain and water level around the reservoir. He then focused his attention on a house next to the reservoir.
Upon seeing this, Luo Xuanqing knew something was wrong, so he dismounted, picked up his weapon, and quietly approached.
Ye Xingge pressed himself against the wall, slowly approaching the courtyard. He could see that there were no lights on in the two courtyards, and he couldn't hear any movement. But after entering the survey area, he stopped and whispered:
"The four golden bells rang, unlike He Lin's weapon; there were footprints outside the wall, each foot seven inches and nine-tenths inches long, suggesting a height of about five feet and five inches, which doesn't match He Lin's height. Moreover, judging from the direction the footprints were pointing, they came from a boat on the river."
The Gold-Chasing Bell only marks the most valuable item within its range and cannot determine the number of people. However, a four-ringed Golden Bell already indicates an extremely high value. Only items with unique mechanisms, such as the Gold-Chasing Bell, the Mountains and Rivers Pouch, the Flower and Moon Pendant, and the Thousand-Silk Exquisite Pendant, are likely to ring five times.
The range of the Four Sounds is usually that of the Well-Nurtured Dust-Returning Robe, Dark Green Bow, and Ravine-Leaping Tiger, etc., and the holders' skills are generally in the upper-middle of the Third Rank, with the upper limit possibly reaching the middle of the Second Rank tier.
Upon hearing this, Hongyu frowned.
" He Lin is bait; Neck Metal Dragon and the others must have arrived. That slut can't beat them."
Ye Xingge raised his hand to stop the Great Beauty Luo from approaching, and whispered:
"I'm helping the Mysterious Armament Pavilion catch an internal traitor. If something goes wrong and we can't win, can Wen Zhuohua get here in time?"
Hongyu had already gathered the information, and replied...
"Sure. Wen Zhuohua has been invited by the River-Spanning Pavilion to Dongyuan Lake to discuss next year's weapons procurement. He's leaving tomorrow morning and will be gone for three or four days, but he'll still be there tonight."
"?"
Ye Xingge was somewhat puzzled by these words.
If the Return to Origin Cult intended to use He Lin as a spies to ambush him, then knowing that he possessed the Gold-Chasing Bell, they should have been careful to keep an eye on his personal guards and sent Wen Zhuohua away beforehand.
There are top-tier soldiers in this house, and Wen Zhuohua isn't leaving until tomorrow. So what He Lin and his accomplices doing at home tonight?
Embezzlement?
Or maybe I arrived too early...
Thinking about this, Ye Xingge felt it was very likely.
His intelligence capabilities are phenomenal. He received the news last night, just after He Lin returned, and he's already arrived.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't know He Lin at all, so his actions couldn't have been so swift.
Even if he recognized or remembered his appearance, he should have reported it to the Heaven-Observing Pavilion for investigation on the day of the incident, instead of remaining silent for a while and then waiting hundreds of miles away for He Lin to show his face before acting swiftly.
Therefore, this is not Return to Origin Cult Sect, but rather a group of unpredictable figures in the martial arts world...
Ye Xingge pondered for a moment, not caring about the reasons behind it. As long as the Mysterious Armament Pavilion Master was there, it would be difficult for this group of people to escape.
However, he really shouldn't have known He Lin. Even with the Gold-Chasing Bell, he could only confirm that there were high-value items inside, but he couldn't report to the Great Beauty Luo that the Return to Origin Cult heroes were inside, thus preventing the Great Beauty Luo from calling them over in advance.
After a moment's thought, Ye Xingge didn't choose to climb over directly, but instead went around to the main gate of the house...