"Captain Wei, you’re here so early! Coming this early means no skewers to eat," Lu Yang joked at the door. It was still morning when Captain Wei arrived at the barbecue shop with two constables and a banner.
"Here it is, the banner we talked about yesterday," Captain Wei said, shaking the banner in the street to show it off. It read, "Acting with Justice, Promoting Righteousness."
This certainly attracted a crowd of onlookers.
The two constables hung the banner prominently on the wall opposite the main entrance. Originally, there were two ghosts preparing skewers in the hall, but Lu Yang had sent them to the backyard to avoid being seen.
Lu Yang brought over three cups of tea and casually asked, "Did those stupid thieves say anything about where they came from or why they dared to provoke the famous Iron-Faced Captain?"
"Ah, don’t mention it, we didn’t get anything out of them," Captain Wei replied, downing his tea quickly.
His throat, now at the Foundation Building stage, didn’t mind the hot water.
"Why is that?"
"Those fools were weak-willed. They got scared and started talking. Just as they were about to explain why a group of cultivators came to Yanjiang County, they were suddenly killed by an unknown assassin. Nine poisonous needles struck their necks, and they died instantly. The room was closed, so we have no idea how the assassin got in."
"I instinctively went outside to look for the assassin but found nothing. Later, I realized the assassin must have used some shadow-related technique. They hid in the shadows, killed them as we questioned them, and slipped away while I was running out."
"If I had blocked the door, the assassin wouldn’t have escaped. I regret being so angry at that moment and not thinking of that!" Captain Wei said angrily, finishing off the tea meant for the other two constables.
The two constables stared at Captain Wei, confused, since they hadn’t even had a sip yet.
Lu Yang smiled as he sent off the furious Captain Wei and the two unfortunate constables who hadn’t even gotten to drink.
Meng Jingzhou sent a message: "According to yesterday's plan, should we kill Qin Yuanhao?"
After returning home last night, Lu Yang shared what he had seen. Now that they knew the location of the Yanjiang gang, there was no need for Qin Yuanhao to stay alive.
The three of them quickly made a plan to ambush Qin Yuanhao.
Specifically, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou discussed the details while Man Gu listened in.
"Don’t rush. I have a new idea. Let’s prepare a bit more."
...
A person in a black robe lightly knocked on Qin Yuanhao's door but waited a long time without anyone answering.
The black-robed figure just stood there waiting.
Finally, the door opened, but no one was there, as if it had opened on its own.
The door stood wide open like a monster’s mouth, ready to swallow the unsuspecting.
The black-robed figure calmly walked into the mansion. Just as they entered, the door slammed shut with a bang and locked them inside.
The black-robed figure took out a bone tile and called out, "Is Senior Qin Yuanhao here? I come on behalf of my master to pay a visit."
"I wondered who it was; turns out it’s a ghost under Brother Hu," a voice came from behind the ghost. Qin Yuanhao suddenly appeared, and the ghost didn’t even notice where he had come from, as if he had materialized out of thin air.
"What do you want from me?"
"My master has been thinking for a while and believes your words are wise: it’s good to lean on a big tree for shade. He wants to join the Yanjiang gang, but he has some concerns and would like to invite you to Songshan to discuss it."
Qin Yuanhao looked at the ghost with interest: "Oh, Brother Hu has been slow to reply. I thought he wasn’t interested in joining the Yanjiang gang."
The ghost smiled awkwardly: "My master took his time to think."
Qin Yuanhao's expression changed, and he grabbed the ghost by the neck: "Daring to play tricks in front of me? Tell me, who sent you? With Brother Hu’s character, how could he willingly join the Yanjiang gang?"
The ghost was terrified and repeatedly insisted that no one had sent him.
Qin Yuanhao tightened his grip, squeezing the ghost's spirit out of him until he finally spoke the truth.
"A few days ago, some foolish cultivators stumbled into Songshan and accidentally discovered my master’s whereabouts. My master killed them, and while cleaning up, he found out they were from a notable sect with a Golden Core expert among their elders."
"My master is worried that a Golden Core cultivator might come looking for him, so he’s a bit scared. He remembered your invitation and, after convincing the lady of the house, decided to join the Yanjiang gang. He sent me to invite you to discuss the details together."
Qin Yuanhao got the answer he wanted and casually tossed the ghost aside: "Now that’s more like it."
Qin Yuanhao no longer doubted the ghost and followed him to Songshan.
"Senior Qin, my master is waiting for you just ahead," the ghost said respectfully. "He doesn’t like anyone eavesdropping, please."
Qin Yuanhao ignored the ghost and walked ahead on his own.
The forest was dense and quiet, seeming untouched by human presence for a long time. The distant chirping of birds added to the tranquility of the woods.
A four-meter-long tiger demon sat ahead, with two cups of tea on a stone table, as if ready to receive guests.
Qin Yuanhao unconsciously relaxed and quickened his pace.
Suddenly, his cultivation technique activated automatically, forming a thin layer of protection around his body, blocking an unknown attack that left a shallow cut on his neck.
"An ambush!"
Qin Yuanhao, experienced and alert, quickly stepped back and saw a nearly invisible thin line at neck height.
"This hanging noodle is really useful; it almost took his head off."
A gleeful voice came from a tree to his right; it was Meng Jingzhou.
What Qin Yuanhao saw was not a thin line but the dragon whisk noodles that Lu Yang had bought from the cafeteria.
According to the senior who sold him the noodles, this kind of noodle could kill without a trace and was perfect for ambushes.
If it weren’t for Qin Yuanhao’s unique technique that provided automatic defense, his head would have been severed by now.
"You dare to plot against me!" Qin Yuanhao glared fiercely at the tiger demon. This was not about discussing joining the Yanjiang gang; it was a trap from start to finish!
But the tiger demon had already vanished. The ground beneath Qin Yuanhao was soft, and a green sword struck at his lower body.
Fortunately, Qin Yuanhao reacted quickly, colliding his right knee with the sword, deflecting it and protecting himself.
Realizing the danger, he turned and ran.
He was completely unprepared, while the other side was fully ready. How could he fight back?
"It must be the work of demonic cultivators!" Qin Yuanhao was certain; that last strike was too underhanded. What kind of righteous cultivator would attack like that?
Man Gu had been waiting behind him for a long time, swinging a tree branch to smash at him. Qin Yuanhao was sent flying far away.
"Hmm, why doesn’t it feel right?" Man Gu wondered. He clearly hit the target but felt as if he had struck a piece of paper.
Qin Yuanhao flew far but remained unhurt, his momentum still strong.
"Watch out for their techniques; they’re very strange!" Man Gu shouted.
"A few young ones think they can deal with me? They’re a hundred years too early!" Qin Yuanhao laughed. As long as they couldn’t figure out the true nature of his technique, no one could catch him.
Lu Yang calmly leaped into the air and used his identity token to call out to Qin Yuanhao, "Collect!"
Qin Yuanhao was momentarily stunned, not understanding what was happening. The token looked like a different kind of storage ring, but storage rings couldn’t collect him.
He noticed that Lu Yang and the others were looking at him with strange expressions.
Slowly, he looked down and realized he was naked, his clothes had disappeared without him noticing.
Qin Yuanhao’s clothes had been stored in the token, leaving him in just his underwear, shivering in the air.
"Damn, it’s you guys who are strange!"
(End of Chapter)