Chapter 201: Framing, Tracking Reappears
Lin Mansion, the residence of Vice Gang Leader Lin.
The first person in Ganshan City to become Tang Wen’s enemy.
He had publicly denounced Tang Wen on multiple occasions.
Of course, Tang Wen had retaliated.
Not only did he sabotage their plan to sneak into the Cold Pool and retrieve the Azure Stone Slab,
he had also played the role of the oriole stalking from behind, snatching the prize for himself.
And he’d pinned the blame on them.
But since the Gang Leader didn’t know there were two Azure Stone Slabs,
he only thought that someone had tried to fish in troubled waters during the battle with the Ice Chilong, but had failed.
Therefore, the investigation wasn’t very strict.
Otherwise, suspicion would very likely have fallen on the Lin Family.
Of the people the Lin Family sent, one Direct Lineage Martial Artist was captured by Tang Wen, while Vice Gang Leader Lin’s grandson successfully escaped. The Extraordinary Powerhouse leading the team also managed to flee, though he was injured.
The rest were all Lin Family Death Warriors.
In the ensuing chase, not a single one of them survived.
The Lin Family was so powerful.
How could Tang Wen not be wary of them?
After taming the Brown-tailed Crows,
the place in the city most heavily monitored by the flock of crows, besides the area around Tang Wen’s own courtyard,
was the Lin Mansion, which was watched overtly and covertly with the utmost scrutiny.
Unfortunately,
that old codger, Vice Gang Leader Lin, appeared to have an explosive temper on the surface.
But in reality, he was extremely cautious.
Like all the upper echelons of the gang, he was highly guarded.
Many of the corridors in his home were covered walkways.
From the Lin Family’s main house, along the corridors, and right into a carriage, the path was completely covered from above.
This was clearly a precaution against anyone staking out his home from the sky.
Though there were many crows near the Lin Mansion, they couldn’t see who was actually inside the Lin Family’s carriages.
Similarly, truly honored guests received the same treatment.
Tang Wen couldn’t see who was coming and going from the Lin Family’s residence at all.
However, it wasn’t a total loss.
Under long-term surveillance,
even if he couldn’t see who was visiting or what they looked like,
the crows were positioned along all the major streets.
The carriages’ destinations and final stopping points were seen with perfect clarity.
His reason for coming to the Lin Mansion tonight wasn’t a sudden whim.
While on stakeout, the crows had chanced upon three carriages that had set out from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. They had made their way to the Lin Mansion in a furtive, roundabout manner that only drew more attention to themselves!
The Lin Family already kept a large number of concubines, but occasionally calling some women over for a change of pace wasn’t a big deal.
Why be so secretive?
It was obvious something was wrong.
Carrying the scent of a special flower nectar, Tang Wen landed silently inside the Lin Mansion’s courtyard.
It was his first time here, but his crows had flown over it countless times.
He knew the layout of the Lin Family residence like the back of his hand.
The Lin estate consisted of dozens of independent courtyards, front and back.
All of them were inhabited by Vice Gang Leader Lin’s direct lineage relatives.
As for the more distant relatives or descendants with insufficient Talent, they had long since moved out.
Avoiding the Lin Family Guards, Tang Wen collected the nectar he had gathered from the walls, as well as the nectar clinging to his soles and clothes, and wrapped it all in a piece of paper. He planned to toss it into Vice Gang Leader Lin’s room to give him a little surprise.
When he cautiously approached the main house, he saw that the lights were on, but only a few Maids were inside.
’Something’s not right.’
’So many women from outside, and several carriages coming and going.’
’There might not be many men in the Lin Family tonight.’
’But three large carriages could easily hold twenty to thirty women.’
’Based on the number of women, Vice Gang Leader Lin should have three or four guests tonight.’
Tang Wen moved stealthily through the various courtyards of the Lin Mansion.
But even after searching the entire estate, he found no trace of Vice Gang Leader Lin.
After a moment of thought, he slipped over to the kitchens.
TSSSSS!
Stir-frying over a fierce fire, with white steam rising from a steamer.
Waves of fragrant aromas wafted over before he even got close.
The kitchens were also a heavily guarded area in the Lin Mansion.
Tang Wen sensed the aura of an Extraordinary from the leading Guard.
’Assigning an Extraordinary to watch the food... Vice Gang Leader Lin must be terrified of being poisoned.’
Tang Wen, wearing the [Moon Traveling Clothes], stood openly at the kitchen entrance and peered inside.
The ones chopping, washing vegetables, assisting, and cooking—about ten people in total—were all bustling about happily.
’Martial Artist Clans are full of big eaters. A kitchen team this size is nothing special.’
Once the food was ready and packed into food containers, the chefs called out.
A Guard went over, picked up the containers, and walked out of the courtyard.
Tang Wen tailed him and discovered that the Guard delivered the food containers into a rockery in the back garden.
’No doubt about it, there’s a secret chamber down there.’
He didn’t dare to follow.
The Moon Traveling Clothes were miraculous, but not omnipotent.
His own Spiritual Power was just a bit stronger, his intuition a little sharper.
And with that, he could accurately detect if he was being followed.
Vice Gang Leader Lin was at the Sixth Grade Gangwu Realm.
The probability that his guests were experts of the same level was high.
If he followed them down, he would likely be seen through the moment he entered.
Waiting at the rockery entrance, Tang Wen took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, silently waiting for the Guard to emerge.
Three or four minutes passed.
The Guard returned the way he came, carrying two dirty food containers.
Tang Wen chuckled to himself. ’Looks like being a guard for the Lin Family isn’t easy.’
This Guard was also a Martial Master Level expert.
Yet he was stuck doing the work of a waiter.
After he left,
Tang Wen timed his move and entered the rockery.
He took out the paper-wrapped nectar, divided it in half, and sprinkled it on the middle of the steps.
Afterward, he began searching along the rockery again.
’A secret underground chamber that can host a banquet for dozens of people can’t be small.’
’It must have hidden air vents.’
After searching for a while, Tang Wen found two rows of fist-sized vents in a stone grotto formed by the rockery.
He didn’t know the principle behind it, but some of the vents were expelling air, while others were drawing it in.
Tang Wen took out the remaining nectar.
Considering that the people below would still be quite vigilant even while drinking, feasting, and cavorting with women,
he held the paper packet and, with great patience, fed the nectar into an intake vent bit by bit.
The total amount was no bigger than a fingernail.
Yet it took him a full ten-plus minutes.
BUZZZZ.
A faint vibrating sound arose.
Tang Wen followed the sound.
He saw a small, emerald-green Hummingbird hovering in the air.
Its beady black eyes stared at the vent where Tang Wen had just placed the nectar.
His expression changed slightly.
He felt as if he had returned to that night long ago.
’Hummingbirds tracking nectar!’
This wasn’t his first encounter with it.
Back then, when he and Zhou Bing were being hunted, they had also been tainted with the scent of nectar.
Their enemies had used Hummingbirds to track them down.
On that same night, an ambiguous intimacy had blossomed between them.
’Black Mountain Camp. Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall. I hope there’s no connection.’
The Hummingbird had appeared alone.
After waiting a few minutes, he saw no one follow.
’The trackers should be from the Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall.’
’They wouldn’t just barge into Vice Gang Leader Lin’s home over something like this.’
’That could trigger a direct conflict between the two major gangs of the Outer City.’
However, they probably wouldn’t do nothing either.
The major gangs of the Outer City were all rivals.
’Someone climbed over the city wall and came to the residence of the Black Water Gang’s Vice Gang Leader Lin... Does the Black Water Gang or Water Gang Leader know about this?’
SWOOSH!
A black shadow vaulted over the wall.
Following another, yellow Hummingbird, it came all the way to the entrance of the secret chamber where Tang Wen had sprinkled nectar.
’This outsider actually didn’t realize he stepped in nectar?’
Looking at the clearly visible, nectar-laced footprints on the ground, the black shadow was in disbelief.
What he didn’t know was,
in the half-hour after Tang Wen sprinkled the nectar,
a Guard delivering food had stepped in the nectar and walked into the secret chamber.
His footprints, naturally, were very clear.
The black shadow couldn’t afford to overthink it. He took out a thin sheet of oiled paper and, using a special technique, made several rubbings of the nectar-laced footprint on the ground.
Afterward, not daring to linger, he took the yellow Hummingbird and left directly.
’A Veteran Extraordinary?’
’Seems like a Wind Department Technique. Fast enough.’
The green Hummingbird stood on Tang Wen’s shoulder, looking lively and cute.
It had completely forgotten its origins.