When he walked out of the Ji Mansion, the sky had completely darkened.
The evening clouds were like lead, pressing heavily upon the upturned eaves of the streets and alleys.
Ji Shuying's response to Shen Xiuhan's warning could not be described as anything but decisive.
The moment Shen Xiuhan passed along Wang Xuanyang's hints, Ji Shuying immediately summoned Ji Wen and ordered him to recall the two Anjin Rank guest retainers stationed at the prefecture capital and Yunyi Island overnight.
These two were both experts whom the Ji family had supported with heavy sums of money for many years.
Recently, one had been guarding the trade routes while the other secured the waterways. Recalling them both now was a clear sign that she was shrinking their defensive lines and preparing for a serious confrontation.
Not only that, but Ji Shuying also handpicked a trusted confidant to carry a secret letter and gallop toward the prefecture capital at top speed.
According to her, this letter was to be delivered to an inner sect disciple of the Star-Plucking Sect named He Tunan.
This man had a profound background, hailing from the He family, an influential clan in the prefecture capital. He had entered the Star-Plucking Sect's Tingquan Academy in his early years and held considerable sway within the inner sect.
That the two sisters, Ji Xue and Ji Yao, could cultivate peacefully in the Wuji Academy was largely due to his protection.
To put it bluntly, He Tunan and the He family behind him were the backers the Ji Mansion had spent vast sums of wealth to cultivate in the Nanxiang Prefecture capital.
Ji Shuying was highly capable at coordination, arranging everything seamlessly without showing even a hint of panic on her face.
Yet, Shen Xiuhan could still sense the lingering haze of worry deep in her eyes.
Walking through the alleyways, Shen Xiuhan's mind was as clear as a mirror as he thought:
This matter... is probably not that simple! The friendship between the Ji family and the He family is far too shallow.
The Ji Mansion's business is vast, yet they have no Huajin Rank master guarding their clan. They are like a toddler carrying a gold brick through a bustling market; they can never find peace in any aspect of life and must pay for protection.
The He family is happy to do them a favor and resolve minor troubles after receiving tributes.
But once a truly bloody crisis strikes, this sort of relationship will be heavily discounted.
Especially...
The Luo family has the shadow of the Raging Sea Sect looming behind them!
Merchants value profit, and prominent families do so even more. A relationship built on mere money can resolve minor issues, but expecting them to risk their lives on the battlefield?
That would be far too naive!
And judging by Ji Shuying's reaction, she might not have failed to anticipate this.
Knowing her backers might not be reliable, she still chose to hold her ground at the Ji Mansion without retreating.
This only meant that besides the He family, the Ji Mansion still had other cards to play.
At worst... if it really comes to that, I can always swallow my pride and ask Zuo Muxian for help!
As Shen Xiuhan calculated in his mind, he unconsciously turned into Apricot Blossom Lane and arrived outside his courtyard gate.
“Hm?”
Suddenly, his pace slowed, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
Under the shadow of the old locust tree outside the courtyard, a figure stood silently.
The person wore black practice robes and a black cloth mask, their empty right eye socket looking exceptionally terrifying.
Song Huatang!
“Brother Song?”
Song Huatang nodded slightly. Without any pleasantries, he quickly stepped forward and said in a low, urgent voice,
“Burn after reading!”
With that, he stuffed a crumpled slip of paper into Shen Xiuhan's palm and walked away rapidly without looking back.
Shen Xiuhan's gaze sharpened slightly. He pushed open the door, entered his wing room, lit the oil lamp, and slowly unfurled the slip of paper in his palm.
A brief line of text was written on the paper:
“The old ghost has left the mansion. We strike precisely at the hour of Zi in two days. —Xiao.”
...
Deep within the abandoned mine of the Bai family.
At the entrance of the cave, the soft white glow of a formation flickered rhythmically.
Inside the stone chamber, however, several torches were lit, making it as bright as day.
Xiao Wu sat imperiously on a stone chair. By the flickering firelight, he lowered his head to flip through the stacks of paper on the desk.
The writing on the papers was dense.
They were all ironclad evidence of the Bai family's abduction of young children over the years across several counties, including Changyun, Changshui, Fenglin, and Taoyuan.
Between the lines...
When, where, who took action, where they were sent, who consumed them after they were refined into human pills...
Every single incident was recorded with shocking clarity.
The Bai family believed they had concealed these deeds flawlessly.
Yet with a few simple methods, Xiao Wu had intercepted all of these files.
“The Bai family... Chenjian Dock...”
A murderous glint flared in Xiao Wu's eyes. He loosened his grip and threw the stack of papers, soaked in blood debts, back onto the table.
He took a deep breath to suppress the rising fury in his chest, then turned his head to look at his left shoulder.
There, a plump Gold-Tailed spirit rat was curled up fast asleep. Faint snores drifted from its nose, rising and falling with its breath.
The murderous aura surrounding Xiao Wu softened slightly. He chuckled helplessly and tapped the little creature's head with his finger.
“You little thing are truly heartless. At a life-or-death moment like this, you can still sleep so soundly.”
Just as he finished speaking.
The Gold-Tailed Rat's ears twitched slightly. It opened its bead-like eyes, arched its back, and stared warily toward the passage ahead.
At the entrance, the hazy white barrier rippled like water.
Immediately after, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, two figures draped in black robes stepped into the stone chamber side by side.
“Brother!”
“Young Master.”
Xiao Wen and Song Huatang quickly walked forward.
The former reported with a solemn expression and in a concise manner:
“The manpower and plans have all been arranged. Two days from now, at the hour of Zi, Brother Ji Ning will personally lead a team to cut off the secret passage behind the Bai Mansion.”
“Brother Han Li will meet up with us, and we will charge straight through the main gate.”
“We have also informed Brother Shen. He will go alone to take Bai Fufeng's head!”
As soon as Xiao Wen finished speaking, Song Huatang took a step forward and asked in a low voice for instructions,
“Young Master, regarding Wang Xuanyang...”
Before Song Huatang could finish voicing his concerns, Xiao Wu raised his hand to cut him off, saying,
“No need to worry about him!”
“Wang Xuanyang is insincere. When the time comes, we will keep him by our side and watch him closely to ensure he doesn't ruin things. As for the Wang family...”
Xiao Wu paused, a calculating look appearing in his eyes as he said slowly,
“Wang Zhidao has always been devious. However, since he agreed to help block the exits of the Inner City to intercept any of the Bai family's escapees, we might as well make use of him. Besides, with Tangyin supervising from the shadows, I trust her.”
At this point, Xiao Wu took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the two like lightning as he spoke with powerful conviction:
“Alright, go make your preparations!”
“In this battle, I will personally deal with the Bai family patriarch, Bai Benji!”
“For the rest of the Bai Mansion's direct lineage, our primary targets are Bai Jing, Bai Xiuan, and Bai Fufeng. I want to see their heads.”
“Furthermore, those Anjin Rank martial artists of the Bai family, along with the death warriors raised by the Martial Enforcement Hall, shall not be spared either!”
“As for the remaining collateral branches, women, and children...”
Xiao Wu paused, a cold light like a blade flashing in his eyes. “Anyone who dares to resist shall be treated as an accomplice and killed without mercy!”
“Yes!”
Xiao Wen and Song Huatang cupped their fists in unison. Excitement was evident in their voices as their fighting spirit burned fiercely.
Without another word, they turned and left the mine, quickly disappearing into the white light of the entrance.
The mine fell silent once more, save for the flickering torches that occasionally popped and crackled, spitting out a spark.
Standing alone before the stone table, Xiao Wu remained silent for a moment. He reached into his robes and pulled out an ancient jade plaque.
The jade plaque was about the size of a palm, entirely lustrous and translucent, carved with intricate cloud patterns. It was clearly no ordinary object!
Xiao Wu held his breath and focused. With a flick of his thumb, a thread of force surged into the jade plaque.
Buzz!
The jade plaque suddenly burst with brilliant blue light, pouring out like a tide and illuminating the entire mine as bright as day.
In mid-air, thousands of tiny characters peeled off, floating in the air like a sky full of stars.
And at the very top of these complex, obscure scriptures, eight large characters flowed gently like water, exuding a wild, ancient martial will that seemed ready to break the heavens and trample the high skies:
“Divine Ape Combat Treading Emptiness Mystic Chapter!”
Xiao Wu sat cross-legged on the spot and silently began to comprehend it.
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