Pang Chengqiu, who had been waiting in the garden, finally saw Qing Ya.
Qing Ya, walking with a clatter of footsteps, pulled out the banknotes he had just acquired and slapped them against his palm, looking quite pleased with himself. The feeling of having advantages on all sides was rather interesting.
“Let’s go, take this.” Qing Ya casually stuffed the one million taels of silver notes he had just obtained into Pang Chengqiu’s hands, not treating the money with much regard.
Pang Chengqiu took a look, smiled slightly, and casually thanked him, “Thank you, Master Qing, for the reward.”
The two of them walked back home one after another.
Just as they were about to walk out of this garden full of splendour, they saw a middle-aged man in blue clothes standing in their path with his hands behind his back. He had a clean face without a beard, a slender build, a sickly flush on his face, and large, lifeless eyes. He was looking up at the treetops in the garden.
Qing Ya was slightly startled when he saw him. He slowly walked up to his side and looked in the direction he was observing, but did not see anything of note. He immediately cupped his hands and said, “Master Lu, what are you looking at?”
The man in blue was named Lu Wudang. He was precisely the manager of this Langhuan Residence, and also the overall person in charge of the Thousand Flows Mountain Fifth Cave Master’s business dealings in the海市. The businesses under his control were not limited to Langhuan Residence. On the night when Wang Wentian had the incident at the Jinghong Palace, he had also been entertaining guests at the Jinghong Palace.
Lu Wudang was unmoved by these words, and did not even look at him properly. “Qing Ya, I heard you have been very busy, running back and forth in my Langhuan Residence. Are you not tired?”
Qing Ya was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, “Master Lu jests. I have no real skills either. I can only run errands for you great figures and earn some hard money for my troubles. If I have disturbed Master Lu’s peace, I hope you will not blame me.”
Lu Wudang said, “The legs are on your own body. No one cares if you like to run around. But you must think clearly about what kind of place this is. The guests in my Langhuan Residence are all precious. You had best not cause trouble here, otherwise whether there will still be a place for you to run errands in the海市 in the future is uncertain.”
Qing Ya chuckled and said, “Master Lu, rest assured. I would not dare to cause trouble on your territory, no matter where I might cause trouble.”
Lu Wudang said, “It is best that it is so.”
His sudden appearance here was because he had detected some abnormal signs. He felt that Qing Ya’s movements here were very unusual, and thus he had specially come out to warn him. One must know that one of the main selling points of Langhuan Residence in the海市 was safety. If people could still have accidents while staying here, if people still had to be constantly on edge, then that would really damage their reputation.
Qing Ya said, “If Master Lu has no further instructions, I will take my leave first.”
Lu Wudang said, “I will not see you out.”
Qing Ya cupped his hands, stepped aside, and continued forward with the clatter of his wooden clogs.
After leaving Langhuan Residence and getting into the carriage, Pang Chengqiu could not help but spit and say, “From beginning to end, he did not look at us properly. Does he really think he can represent the Fifth Cave Master?”
Qing Ya looked indifferent. He pulled out some peanuts and continued peeling them. “If he is happy to speak, let him say a few words. It is not worth bickering with him, and there is no need to get angry.”
By the window, Yu Qing and Nan Zhu took turns keeping watch, staring at a certain direction opposite them, waiting for the signal from Mu Aotie.
In fact, they very much did not want to see the signal from Mu Aotie, because it would add more trouble and variables.
Because of Qing Ya’s words, the three fellow disciples no longer had any disagreements. Their hearts were set on the same goal, and they all wanted to deal with a certain person.
Time passed bit by bit, until it grew dark, but they still did not see the signal from Mu Aotie.
When night came and the moonlight shone, the three fellow disciples all breathed a sigh of relief. The possibility of someone being called to clean at night was already very small. Even if someone went, they probably would not easily see that transparent silk thread.
Despite this, the three fellow disciples still remained at their respective positions waiting.
Mu Aotie had another task, which was to watch whether Wang Xueting had left.
And Yu Qing and Nan Zhu were in a pitch-black room without any lights, constantly watching the light from the window of the room where Wang Xueting stayed.
As the night grew deeper, the two of them saw that the target room had closed all its windows.
Yu Qing spoke up, “Old Seventh, go to the inn and get some wine and food. We will go to the terrace in the garden to eat, drink, and admire the moon.”
“The food in this inn is much more expensive than outside.”
“Then go outside to get some. I will go over there first and wait for you.” Yu Qing pointed out a position from the window.
The two of them went out together. After going downstairs, one went outside the inn, and the other walked into the garden for a stroll.
After finding Mu Aotie and confirming that Wang Xueting had not left, Yu Qing led Mu Aotie to the terrace in the garden to admire the moon.
There were also other scattered guests in the garden strolling and admiring the moon. From their clothing, they all looked either wealthy or noble.
After about half an hour, Nan Zhu arrived carrying a pile of things. The food was spread out on the table, and the three of them sat around it, slowly enjoying their meal.
There were also people in the Jinghong Palace ascending the terrace to admire the moon. Qing Ya, looking up at the moon, was alone, guarding a pot of wine.
After Pang Chengqiu came up to the terrace, Qing Ya took the initiative to ask, “What is the situation with those three fellows? Still no movement?”
The tone of doubt was very strong, because Yu Qing had previously informed them that he could not leave today and still had matters to attend to. Yet the surveillance here showed that there had been no movement at all, especially from Yu Qing, who had not even stepped out of his room. What kind of business was he attending to?
Pang Chengqiu said, “There is movement now. The fatty went out to buy food, and that Tanhua scholar also went out. The three of them are sitting on the garden terrace eating, drinking, and admiring the moon.”
Qing Ya frowned, and after a while muttered, “They really do have refined interests.”
Pang Chengqiu said, “Master Qing, you are paying such close attention. Is there a problem?”
Qing Ya shook his head slightly, “I cannot say for sure. I just feel something is not right. Have people continue watching them.”
“Rest assured, Master Qing. It has been arranged. We will keep watching them until they leave tomorrow.”
On the target’s windowsill, the swaying lamp light suddenly dimmed, plunging the entire target room into darkness.
Yu Qing, who was slowly raising his cup, suddenly narrowed his eyes. Then he continued to drink slowly, continuing to pretend as if nothing was wrong, drinking casually with his senior brother and chatting about the world.
It seemed like casual conversation, but in reality, his eyes never stopped secretly sizing up the surroundings.
After enduring for another half hour or so, seeing that there was still no light or movement in the target room, Yu Qing, with his wine cup blocking his lips, said in a low voice, “Old Ninth, it is about time. You should go take a piss.”
Upon hearing these words, Nan and Mu both felt a chill in their hearts. Naturally, they both understood what this meant.
Mu Aotie raised his cup and drank it all, put down the cup, and immediately got up and left.
Nan Zhu, whose heartstrings were taut, softly reminded him, “Old Ninth, be careful.”
Mu Aotie, who let out a soft hum, strode down the steps, crossed the garden, and went straight to the place for relieving himself.
Arriving at the public latrine in a secluded place, after loosening his clothes and relieving himself, he tidied up his clothes, leaped up lightly, and hooked a beam with one hand. From the ventilating bracket under the eaves, he pulled out a transparent silk thread, grasped it in his hand, cast a spell and circulated his power, transmitted force through the silk thread, and gave it a tug. He then landed, dragging the thread with him.
He quickly twisted and gathered the silk thread, and finally pulled in a metal cap from under the eaves. It was precisely the lid of the special fire starter that Yu Qing had made.
He also pulled out the fire starter he carried with him, lit the bundled silk thread with a fire, and threw it together with the metal cap into the latrine pit. After that, he quickly went out.
In this kind of high-class inn, the latrine’s location must be in a relatively hidden place. Secluded places easily held things that were not suitable for public display. Not far behind the latrine was a tiled shed, inside which were stacked the daily firewood used by the inn.
Among this firewood was tied a fire starter. Without its lid, when it met the air, the dim light inside gradually grew brighter, turning into a red light that flickered continuously.
After a long while, the red light flashed and turned into an open flame, gradually igniting the nearby firewood.
The consequences of a fire in this place where dry firewood was stockpiled could well be imagined.
“It lit up.”
Nan Zhu, who was holding chopsticks to pick up food while his gaze wandered everywhere, suddenly muttered.
Mu Aotie, who had returned some time ago, and Yu Qing also looked over. The firelight rendered in the night sky was especially conspicuous. Before long, they saw flames shooting towards the sky, showing that the fire was spreading very quickly.
“Fire!”
“Quickly, put out the fire!”
Inside Langhuan Residence, there was already a chorus of shouts. Above, figures were flying everywhere, and many people rushed with water buckets to put out the fire.
The chaotic scenes did not affect Yu Qing’s attention on the target room. He saw Wang Xueting push open the window in the inner room. After a while, the lights in the outer parlour also lit up.
A knock sounded at the door. Wang Xueting closed the window and left the window side, walked to the door and opened it, and saw Tu Xiuqiu, who had hurried over in an emergency. He immediately asked, “How did such a big fire start?”
Tu Xiuqiu said, “I sent someone to look. They said the firewood shed of Langhuan Residence accidentally caught fire, and they are dealing with it urgently. The inn’s people are advising us to rest assured, saying it will be fine, saying they have disturbed everyone’s rest, and saying they will definitely give everyone an explanation tomorrow morning.”
Wang Xueting still walked to the window and pushed it open to observe.
At this moment, he was not the only one opening the window to observe. Many guests were doing the same.
Many cultivators took action, and the fire was quickly brought under control. Before long, the fire was extinguished, but the smoke spreading was unavoidable, as were the ashes floating everywhere after the burning.
Tu Xiuqiu waved his hand to fan the window and reminded him, “Big Brother, there is smoke and ash. You had better close the window and rest early.”
Indeed, Wang Xueting, who smelled the smoke, wrinkled his nose and left the window side. Tu Xiuqiu quickly closed the window tightly.
At this moment, Yu Qing was completely focused. The smoke and fire scent floating everywhere was exactly what he needed. By the moonlight and the light of lanterns hanging everywhere, he stared intently at the subtle changes of the smoke at the target window, ignoring any noise, watching closely without letting go.
After chatting indoors for a while, Wang Xueting returned to the inner room. Tu Xiuqiu helped close the door by the way. Once the door closed, the signs of air flow spilling out from the window cracks and stirring the smoke became increasingly obvious.
After closing the inner door, Tu Xiuqiu also blew out the lamp in the hall. The sounds of opening and closing the door as he exited likewise stirred the air flow outside the window cracks.
“Old Ninth!” Yu Qing suddenly called out.
Mu Aotie’s body immediately leaned forward to listen.
Yu Qing glanced at the noisy movement around them and said in a low voice, “People are moving everywhere, it is chaos. The eyes watching openly and in secret are all in disarray. This is precisely the excellent opportunity for you to act. Your movements must be light.”
Mu Aotie nodded and was about to get up.
Nan Zhu raised his hand to signal him to wait, and said with his heart pounding, “What if there is someone in the hall? No matter how light you are, you can still easily be discovered.”
This was also the place he had previously felt was the most dangerous.
Yu Qing said with certainty, “There is no one in the hall. That person also entered the inner room and closed the door. At this moment, with movement everywhere, he will easily ignore slight sounds from inside. Believe me, this is precisely the good opportunity to act. It must not be missed.”
Nan and Mu were both shocked and doubtful, not knowing how he could be so certain that there was no one in the hall, and even know that the inner room door was closed.
Despite this, Mu Aotie still quickly left, believing that Old Fifteenth would definitely not harm him.
Nan Zhu, who turned back to watch him leave, felt his heart instantly rise to his throat. Including Yu Qing, they also became nervous. They all knew what the consequences would be if an accident exposed them. By that time, it would not only be Mu Aotie, who had gone to act, who would be caught.
In fact, Yu Qing himself very much wanted to go over and act personally. However, his target was too big, and he would easily attract attention. Secondly, Mu Aotie was the one who had handled the matter, and knew where the hidden line was concealed. Being familiar with the route made it convenient.
However, this was indeed a good opportunity to act. People were coming and going everywhere, including inn staff and guests. It was chaotic everywhere. Mu Aotie almost directly reached the target location without any concealment, grasped the hidden silk thread, and pretended to sit on the long bench by the corridor to rest, secretly pulling the thread in his hand.
The silk thread, infused with internal power, was slowly tightening, slowly twitching slightly within the almost stuck window crack.
Mu Aotie did not dare to move too much, afraid that he would pull out a friction sound.
Inside the window, the silk thread connected behind the chair was slowly straightened, and finally tightened the cap on the fire starter, slowly pulling the cap open.
When the cap completely separated from the rim of the fire starter, it swung like a swing and hit the wall.
Fortunately, it was close to the wall, and there was also the faint magical power transmitted by Mu Aotie on the silk thread making slight control. The impact sound was not loud. After a few slight thuds, it stopped swinging.
And from the opening of the fire starter, a dense white smoke that seemed to have been held in for a long time was already emerging, slowly and gently drifting throughout the entire room.
Slowly pulling the fire starter cap to the edge of the window, it got stuck. He really could not pull it anymore. Mu Aotie gave a slight tug with his arm, and with his cultivation directly snapped the silk thread at the position near the window. Then he quickly gathered the silk thread in his hand, got up himself, and quickly left, taking the overly long thread away to destroy it.
He ran to the firefighting scene to take a look, found there were too many people, and it was not easy to squeeze through. He casually wandered around before returning to the terrace, and said to his two fellow disciples, “The fire has been extinguished. It should be fine.” The last sentence was clearly a hint.
The two fellow disciples immediately breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Yu Qing stood up and said, “With so much ash floating around, there is no way to continue eating. Let’s go, let’s go back.”
The three fellow disciples then left.
After returning to their room unhurriedly all the way, they quickly closed the door. All three had the appearance of lingering fear.
Nan Zhu wanted to speak, but Yu Qing waved his hand to stop him, indicating to check the room first. The three lit candles, quickly searched the room, and only after confirming no one was eavesdropping did they meet again.
Nan Zhu was naturally uneasy, “Old Fifteenth, can this succeed?”
Yu Qing said, “We have already brought the matter to this step. The rest can only be left to fate.”
The three looked at each other. Tonight was destined to be sleepless, and they did not know what would happen tomorrow. Yet they could not leave, otherwise it would appear suspicious. They had to endure until tomorrow before they could leave.
Wang Xueting, who was sitting cross-legged on the couch in meditation, slightly flared his nostrils. The faint smoke that had invaded the inner room curled around him.
He did not have any resistant reaction either. He knew the reason. Outside there was a fire, so having a smoke smell was normal. Since returning to the room, there had been smoke the whole time.
But later, his body swayed. He suddenly opened his eyes, and supported himself on the couch with one hand. His eyes were full of shock. He wanted to get up and leave the couch, but his body suddenly lost balance, and he tumbled over and fell to the ground.
It was already too late by the time he discovered it.
He covered his neck with one hand, but even with all his strength he could not shout very loudly, “Come, come…”
He struggled to get up, then staggered, and finally fell at the doorway. His fingers scratched everywhere, and he pried open half the door. At one glance, he saw the thick smoke filling the outer parlour rolling in. His final clarity made him realise what was happening. Outside there was a fire, so how could there be so much smoke inside the room?
And this was precisely one of the important reasons why Yu Qing wanted to create another fire point. Otherwise, even a normal person would subconsciously hold their breath when encountering a smoke smell, let alone a cultivator. What he wanted was to numb Wang Xueting.
Wang Xueting suddenly used his last strength to slap the door, wanting to attract the attention of the guards outside.
He only slapped once, and then his hand hung down powerlessly. His mouth was wide open, and there were gurgling sounds in his throat. His entire face and neck gradually turned a swollen purple colour. The light in his eyes dimmed, and finally, with his eyes wide open, he completely stopped moving.