Chapter 278 - 188: Returning to Strike (2)
Li Yuhuan gave the two of them an indifferent glance before her eyes landed on Fang Yue.
Then, a smile bloomed on her face.
"On behalf of my good-for-nothing brother, I apologize, Sir." As she spoke, Li Yuhuan gave Fang Yue a deep bow to express her regret.
Her manners were impeccable. Coming from a woman, no less, it made it difficult for Fang Yue to press the matter.
He nodded, then turned and left.
~~~~~~
「That night, in Udon Town.」
Inside Hall Master Hu’s room at the Medicine Hall Manor.
"I didn’t expect the Li Family’s eldest daughter to show up right then. If they had come to blows, we could have gauged the man’s strength," Hall Master Hu said, a hint of regret in his voice.
"Hall Master, he’s just a customer buying medicine. Is all this really necessary?" the steward beside him asked.
"Hmph, what do you know? I suspect he’s the Observatory’s Inspector stationed here. If we can confirm his identity, we can use him to lead us right to the node!" Hall Master Hu said with a triumphant wave of his hand.
He then began to recount what he knew about the merchant Fang Yue was pretending to be.
He was ostentatiously wealthy but clearly wasn’t a real merchant. Every time he came, he only purchased the most expensive ingredients.
Furthermore, his inquiries revealed that every time Fang Yue left town, he would mysteriously vanish without a trace before he’d traveled even thirty li.
There was no sign of Fang Yue on any of the roads leading to the major cities, either. That made it obvious: Fang Yue must have gone into the mountains.
Piecing it all together, Fang Yue fit the profile of the Observatory Inspector known to be in the area.
That’s why Hall Master Hu had come up with the idea of testing Fang Yue.
So today, when Fang Yue came to town again, he’d had his men lure the Li Family’s dandy heir over. He had originally planned to manufacture a small conflict, but he never expected Fang Yue to be riding a Black Qilin Horse.
That saved him the trouble. The Li Family’s dandy played his part perfectly all on his own.
It was a shame that just as a real conflict was about to erupt, the dandy’s sister showed up just in time, spoiling a good show.
After a moment of thought, Hall Master Hu made a decision. "Go send a message to headquarters. Tell them to send experts over. Say we’ve found the node!"
"Hall Master, aren’t you still uncertain? If this turns out to be false intelligence, the blame from above will be severe," the steward said, stunned. He thought his master was acting rashly and taking a reckless gamble.
Within the Blood Dragon Platform, filing a false report and wasting the organization’s manpower carried very serious consequences.
The two of them would be stuck here for years, at the very least.
"Heh, fortune favors the bold. If this intelligence is accurate, we can finally leave this godforsaken place. What’s so great about a tiny medicine market? It doesn’t even have a decent brothel. It’s damn frustrating."
Hall Master Hu shook his head. He didn’t want to stay in this place a second longer. He then looked at the steward, who still hadn’t moved. "What? You think I’m wrong? Do you have a different opinion?"
The steward flinched at his tone, then quickly started sucking up. "Brilliant, Hall Master! It’s all clear to me now. After hearing your explanation, it really makes sense. That man is so mysterious, you’re almost certainly right."
But just at that moment.
Just as the two of them finished writing the secret message and were preparing to send it via carrier pigeon.
There was a loud BANG! The tiles and timbers of the roof above them shattered as if struck by a battering ram.
They splintered into countless pieces, and with a tremendous ROAR, the entire roof caved in.
"Hall Master! Look out!"
The steward and Hall Master Hu reacted instantly, diving out of the way. But just as they found their footing...
...they heard a CRACK! A long blade fell from the sky and slammed into the spot where they had just been standing. Dozens of bluestone floor tiles were pulverized, and the sharp blade left a long, terrifying gash in the ground.
"Who’s there! You’re courting death!" the steward roared.
But then he shoved Hall Master Hu forward, using the diversion to make his own escape.
Even Fang Yue hadn’t anticipated this sudden betrayal.
That’s right—the assailant was none other than Fang Yue.
The incident during the day had made Fang Yue suspicious. It didn’t seem like a coincidence; on the contrary, it felt orchestrated.
And in Udon Town, only a few factions had any motive to plot against him.
So, in fact, Fang Yue hadn’t left after the incident.
He had used the cover of night to slip back into Udon Town, and the first place he checked was the very Medicine Hall he always bought his ingredients from.
He hadn’t expected to hit the nail on the head so perfectly. Now there was no need to investigate the others; he had overheard the conspiracy against him right here in the Medicine Hall.
And so, he had struck without hesitation.
For the assault, he had changed his appearance.
He was dressed all in black, with a cloak to conceal his true identity.
Gazing at Hall Master Hu, who had just been sold out by his own subordinate, Fang Yue smiled faintly. His figure then blurred and vanished from the spot.
Hall Master Hu only had time to let out a cry of alarm before Fang Yue sent him flying.
THUD.
After landing, Hall Master Hu struggled for a long while but was unable to get up.
Fang Yue didn’t press the attack. Instead, he chased after the fleeing steward, subdued him, and tossed him down in front of Hall Master Hu.
"Spare me! Spare my life! Whatever you want, we’ll give it to you! I have silver, lots and lots of silver! It’s all hidden in..." At this point, Hall Master Hu was trembling, his face ashen. He kowtowed on the ground, begging for mercy. His voice grew softer and softer, until it was barely a whisper that one would have to lean in to hear.
"Hidden where?"
Fang Yue looked down at him, his gaze chilling.
"Ah, it’s... it’s hidden... hidden in..." Hall Master Hu stammered, unable to get the words out. Inwardly, he was cursing up a storm. ’Why isn’t this person playing along?’
’Isn’t this the part where he’s supposed to lean in close so he can hear me?’
’Then I can take the opportunity to poison him.’
’Just like that, I’d turn defeat into victory.’
’But why isn’t this person playing by the rules? This has put me in an impossible situation. If he won’t get close, how can I use my poison?!’
"Come closer, and I’ll tell you!" Hall Master Hu persisted, still trying to lure Fang Yue nearer.
~~~~~~
In the end, Fang Yue, of course, did not move closer. Instead, he simply struck out and killed the Medicine Hall’s master.
Seeing this, the steward—who had been captured after his escape attempt—spilled everything like beans from a jar.
He confessed that they were both subordinates of the Blood Dragon Platform, placed in Udon Town for the sole purpose of finding the node in the area.
Over the past few weeks, they had noticed that Fang Yue was rich and spent freely, and that he always vanished shortly after leaving town.
That’s what made them suspicious of him, which led to today’s test.
’So that’s how it is.’
Fang Yue nodded, then killed the steward as well.
Afterward, he began to search the room.
Sure enough, he found several intelligence documents.
"Locate the node. Await an opportunity to strike."
Fang Yue frowned as he read the first line of the document on top of the pile.
The current turmoil in the Great Wei Imperial Dynasty was because Prince Wucheng’s plot to usurp the throne had been exposed. He had been defeated within the Divine Capital by several of the Imperial Dynasty’s Tributors, after which he fled the city, his current whereabouts unknown.
However, his subordinate force, the Blood Dragon Platform, had instigated revolts in Shanyang Prefecture and two other prefectures, which they now fully occupied. They were beginning to extend their claws into the surrounding regions, having already launched several attacks.
Only the great river, a formidable natural barrier, had prevented them from breaking through into Guangfeng and the other prefectures.
At the same time, the Imperial army was finding it difficult to advance into the three occupied prefectures.
The two sides were locked in a strange stalemate.
None of this had anything to do with Fang Yue, however, and he didn’t pay the matter much mind.
After all, he was just a lowly Inspector for the Observatory. Power struggles for the throne and other major political affairs had very little to do with him.
All he had to do was peacefully stand guard here until his one-year term was over, then he could return to Yujing City and be reunited with his family.
But as the old saying goes: trouble can fall from the heavens, even when you’re just sitting at home.
He was here cultivating, tending his vegetable garden, and fishing—his days were leisurely and couldn’t be more pleasant.
But some people just had to cause trouble for him. This Blood Dragon Platform... from Shanyang Prefecture all the way here, they were truly like a persistent ghost you couldn’t shake.