Chapter 188: The Female Extraordinary Appears
The Blood Crow flew north.
A flock of crows, scattered and straggling, slowly dispersed behind it.
Tang Wen wanted to intercept General Zhao.
Then, he would head out of the city to meet him first.
This was to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.
One Blood Crow, and a hundred other crows.
They could cover a hundred-li radius.
He definitely wouldn’t miss General Zhao.
At this thought, Tang Wen nodded to himself and relaxed, taking a stroll around the Beast Taming Garden. He even grabbed half a piece of dry flatbread and fed the carp in the stone fishpond.
A question surfaced in his mind: ’How did that Female Extraordinary determine that the safe house was still safe?’
’Does she have a spy here?’
’Unlikely.’
’After Wu Hao and I chose this place and made inquiries, we had everyone nearby relocated.’
’The Beast Taming Garden’s walls are very high, and there are no taller buildings nearby.’
’So there’s no way she could be observing from a high vantage point.’
’Then, was it an Exotic Beast?’
’That didn’t seem right either.’
Under the surveillance of Tang Wen’s Spiritual Power, the area was quiet, both in the air and underground.
Moreover, the High-level Exotic Beast, the Brown-tailed Crow, was here monitoring the surroundings.
Tang Wen had already thoroughly investigated all the nearby households.
Unless it was an Extraordinary Exotic Beast skilled in Invisibility or one that could block Spiritual Power.
Otherwise, nothing could escape Tang Wen’s Spiritual Power and the Brown-tailed Crow’s surveillance.
’This is a bit strange.’
The crows watching the courtyard where the Female Extraordinary last appeared hadn’t seen anyone enter or leave.
One crow landed in the courtyard, pecked open the paper sealing a window, and peered inside.
It discovered the house looked like it had been uninhabited for a long time.
A thick layer of dust covered everything.
There wasn’t even a single footprint on the floor.
And yet, that day, the crow had clearly seen the Female Extraordinary go through the door with its own eyes.
If she had to use Qinggong after entering to ensure she left no traces, that could only mean one thing.
This house was not her actual hideout.
That was why she had to continue covering her tracks.
The strange thing was, the room had only one door and two windows, both on the same wall as the door.
The other three walls were solid, undamaged stone.
Neither the crows nor the Brown-tailed Crow had seen her leave the house.
In other words—
The Female Extraordinary had vanished after entering that house.
And that house... unless it had a secret passage, it was a sealed room.
A hint of excitement flashed in Tang Wen’s eyes, but he remained highly vigilant.
’If I’m not mistaken...’
’...that Female Extraordinary must have already discovered someone was watching her.’
’And she’s probably pinned the suspicion on me.’
This wasn’t hard to deduce.
Assuming she used this courtyard to make her getaway every time she went out at night, but there had been no sign of her for over a month.
’Could she really have been inactive for a month?’
’The probability is very low.’
Tang Wen was more inclined to believe that she had realized she was exposed.
Exposed after just one trip to the Beast Taming Garden.
Near the Beast Taming Garden, the only one capable of discovering her was him, the "Seventh Young Master" of the Black Water Gang.
Or rather, the Extraordinary Powerhouse backing him.
It had the distinct flavor of the Dark Forest theory.
He stood by the fishpond for a long time.
One of his subordinates, sensing the mood, tactfully suggested:
"Young Master, we feed these fish every day. A few of them look big enough to eat. Why don’t we grill them today?"
"Mm, good idea. Find a famous chef, and have them make a fish head and tofu soup as well."
"I’ll get right on it! The head chef from Delicious House is off today. I’ll go get him."
Next, Tang Wen went to the Sand Wolf’s den, took out some medicinal herbs, and compounded them into pills.
"AWOOOO~"
The Sand Wolf howled excitedly.
Who could possibly know its suffering?
Although there were many equine Exotic Beasts in the courtyard, the Sand Wolf was still the top stud in the breeding business.
"Alright, this is to replenish your strength."
As the Sand Wolf watched with excitement, Tang Wen prepared thirty jin of restorative medicine for it all at once.
The pills were ready.
He fed it a few right on the spot.
The medicine’s effect was too strong, and its body began to react.
The joy in the Sand Wolf’s eyes faded, replaced by a dopey look reminiscent of a husky as it stared at its master.
’Isn’t this supposed to be a restorative tonic?’
’Won’t I be even more drained after taking this?’
As a being with relatively high intelligence among Middle-level Exotic Beasts, its eyes clearly conveyed its inner thoughts.
Tang Wen’s face flushed. "Ah, my mistake. This medicine is very potent. Your reaction... it’s a side effect. Yes, this is a normal situation."
The Sand Wolf whimpered and retreated into its den, leaving only its rear end sticking out.
He played his trump card: "Next time, next month, I’ll let you evolve."
After speaking, he was about to turn and leave.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, he glanced toward the pond.
Everything was normal.
’Am I just being paranoid?’
Tang Wen didn’t think so.
He drew closer, observing carefully, inch by inch.
There really was nothing out of the ordinary.
’Am I really just being paranoid?’
After a moment of thought, he quietly extended his Spiritual Power.
He scanned the entire area, including the safe house below, bit by bit.
This technique of projecting his Spiritual Power out of his body was something he had slowly figured out after his recent seclusion, modeling it after the external projection of the Dark Ability.
According to the gang’s records, it could effectively detect enemies or Exotic Beasts underground.
It could even see through the Invisibility granted by the Dark Ability.
After confirming again and again that no one was there, Tang Wen finally relaxed.
He walked back to the front courtyard for the barbecue.
Dinner was a lively affair.
Wu Hao and the others repeatedly raised their glasses to toast Tang Wen.
Their group now lived a life that was the envy of many.
They had become the Seventh Young Master’s Close Guard.
Not only had their original resources and stipends doubled, but business at the Beast Taming Garden was also booming.
Double the stipend, plus extra income on the side.
On top of that, they didn’t have to report for duty or punch a clock.
Their lives simply couldn’t be better.
It was comparable to a dream job in a later era: working 10 to 4, with guaranteed income, a 36-month annual salary, and a fully covered expense account for all food, drink, and entertainment!
The moon climbed to its zenith.
His belly full, Tang Wen boarded his carriage, preparing to head back to Seven Kills Hall.
Originally, he had planned to spend the night at his residence here.
But since this place had possibly been targeted by the Female Extraordinary, what was the point in staying?
The carriage departed.
In a dark corner, a blind spot in the crows’ vision, the air trembled slightly.
With a shimmer, like a reflection on water, a slender woman appeared on the spot.
She was panting lightly, pressing her temples repeatedly.
Large beads of sweat dripped from her smooth forehead, dampening the ground.
She didn’t speak aloud, but murmured to herself:
’Something’s strange. This Seventh Young Master Tang is actually an Extraordinary.’
’And if that weren’t enough, he doesn’t have any other Extraordinary Guards with him.’
She waited on the spot for several minutes.
Everything remained quiet and normal.
The surprise in the Female Extraordinary’s eyes deepened. ’This Seventh Young Master... it seems he’s worth a thorough investigation.’
’There might be some unexpected gains.’
The sound of a bird flying overhead reached her.
She immediately made a motion as if pulling a hood over her head.
SWISH.
Like a magic trick, she vanished on the spot.
A crow flew overhead. Its view was unobstructed; there was nothing there.
The horse’s hooves clip-clopped on the stone slabs.
Inside the carriage, Tang Wen sat with a Hand Crossbow in his grip, a Whistling Arrow nocked on the string.
The journey was uneventful. Nothing happened, right up until he stepped into Seven Kills Hall.
’Was I really just overthinking things?’
’No.’
’Impossible.’
His gaze grew heavy.
That night, the Blood Crow and its flock of crows flew over the wilderness, heading in the direction of Four Seas Camp.
At that moment, outside the southern gate of Four Seas Camp, two black-robed figures on horseback had just paid the entrance fee.
They were drawn to a notice board by the side of the road.
[Major Event]
[Ganshan City’s major Outer City power, the Black Water Gang, has appointed Tang Wen as its Seventh Young Master. His portrait is as follows:]
Seeing the name, the two of them froze.
When they saw the portrait, they were utterly stunned.