The room was filled with a strange, burnt-meat aroma, a peculiar and eerie scent.
Unhurriedly, the Iron-Faced Man did not toss his chopsticks onto the tray until he had finished eating every last beast ear.
Only after downing a cup of wine did he stare at Bai Lan and say, “You want to kill the Third Place Scholar to avenge your husband’s death?”
Bai Lan, her face still streaked with tear tracks, knelt and dared not rise. She nodded and then shook her head, clearly unsure how to answer correctly, fearing he might be one of the Scholar’s men.
Guessing her thoughts, the Iron-Faced Man continued, “I know you have many questions and do not understand why I captured you. Think about it yourself. The moment the Third Place Scholar arrived at Youjiao Port, you began approaching him, lingering in the shadows. Anyone with even a bit of capability or awareness would likely have noticed you.
After noticing you, I was also curious about who you were. Only after uncovering your identity did I understand the situation. If I am not mistaken, you have been watching him since Shiji Bay, correct?”
Bai Lan nodded.
“I am asking you a question. Did you not hear me?”
Startled, Bai Lan quickly answered honestly, “Yes. After hearing he had entered the Little Cloud Pavilion, I waited at Shiji Bay, but I never found an opportunity to get close, nor a chance for revenge.”
The Iron-Faced Man asked, “How did you reach Youjiao Port?”
Bai Lan replied, “When I learned he was transporting goods to Youjiao Port, I travelled overland as quickly as possible to wait here, hoping to find a chance to strike.”
The Iron-Faced Man said, “Just as I expected.” After speaking, he raised his hand to give a signal.
A sliding door on one side was pulled open. Bai Lan turned to look and saw three people kneeling inside. Recognising their faces, she was instantly stunned and utterly confused.
There was a tall, thin man with dishevelled hair and a hooked nose, a burly bald man in white robes, and an extremely old, wrinkled woman.
She knew all three. They were Gao Yuan, Jiang Shan, and Granny Rat, who had once joined forces with her and her husband to ambush imperial examination candidates on the path through the Ancient Tomb Wasteland.
All three looked thoroughly bedraggled. Their clothes were dishevelled, and some bore obvious injuries and bruises.
Their expressions were filled with terror. Judging by their docile, compliant posture and their rigid kneeling without daring to move, it was clear they had been frightened and severely punished.
They looked at Bai Lan. Although separated by a door, they could guess what had just happened and were not surprised.
Bai Lan, however, was taken aback. She had no idea why the three of them were here. Had they not fled long ago after hearing the news of Lady Qixia’s death?
The Iron-Faced Man glanced at the three and said, “You are not unfamiliar with these three, are you?”
Bai Lan nodded. “I know them.”
She did not dare claim they were close, as their previous parting had been unpleasant.
The Iron-Faced Man said, “Good that you know each other. From now on, the four of you will work together in close cooperation.”
Cooperate? Even Gao Yuan and the other two could not help but exchange bewildered glances, unsure what they were supposed to cooperate on.
Bai Lan could not help but ask, “May I ask what you require us to do, sir?”
The Iron-Faced Man replied, “Do what you want to do. Avenge your husband’s death. Is that not your wish?”
“…”
Bai Lan was bewildered. He had captured her to help her avenge her husband. If that were truly the case, there was absolutely no need for such elaborate methods. He could have simply found her, stated his intentions openly, and shown his strength. She would have agreed immediately. Why resort to such circuitous tactics?
Especially since he had wiped out all her children and used such a bloody display to intimidate her.
She did not believe his explanation.
Granny Rat and the other two were equally confused. Had they been dragged here and gathered together just to avenge this wretched woman’s husband? And why were the three of them beaten into this state? The whole thing sounded utterly bizarre and absurd.
They were also sceptical.
Bai Lan did not dare question him openly, but she asked doubtfully, “With your capabilities, sir, killing Ashi Heng should not be difficult. It would certainly be easier than leaving it to us. Why use ordinary people like us?”
The Iron-Faced Man replied calmly, “Do you not have a grudge against him? A husband-killing grudge! But your strength alone is too weak. I cannot rest assured, so I am giving you three assistants. It happens to work out perfectly, as you all ambushed him years ago and share an irreconcilable hatred. Wanting to take him down is only natural.”
All four instantly understood. It was not that these people lacked the strength to kill the Third Place Scholar. Rather, it was inconvenient for them to act directly. They needed a legitimate, unremarkable cover story, which was why the four of them had been captured.
However, Granny Rat and the other two felt like crying. They had no idea which mighty figure they had offended to be dragged here and forced to kneel obediently. After all this trouble, it turned out to be about that old mess from three years ago.
They had assumed the matter was settled. After all, the Great Sage from the Demon Realm had intervened to apply pressure, and the Earth Mother had balanced Lady Qixia’s death with the life of one of her direct disciples. Though nothing was announced publicly, everyone knew the Earth Mother had tacitly agreed to stop pursuing those from the Demon Realm, and the Great Sage had consequently ceased hostilities.
Bai Lan was a special case. She herself refused to let go, insisting on settling the old score and clinging to her husband’s vengeance. If the State of Jin caught her, the Demon Realm would not utter a word in her defence, leaving her to face whatever punishment came.
You break the rules, they catch you, and it happens in plain sight, leaving undeniable proof. Once Bai Lan is captured, no one in the Demon Realm will step forward to help her. Besides, she has no powerful backing. If she truly had influential connections, she would not have resorted to such desperate measures as beheading examination candidates for profit.
Naturally, the three of them still feared the State of Jin would settle accounts with them. Even if not openly, who could guarantee there would not be covert reckoning? Therefore, they had kept a low profile and hidden for years, hoping to wait out the storm and avoid attention, cutting off contact with each other.
The problem was that they now felt deeply wronged. They had been forcibly dragged into the affair by Bai Lan and her husband back then, and now they had been pulled out again over that same wretched business.
Precisely because of this, all four felt even greater fear towards the mysterious group before them.
How long had it been since the Third Place Scholar arrived at Youjiao Port with the Little Cloud Pavilion’s goods? Only a few days. Yet, because Bai Lan had drawn their attention, it had triggered this entire chain of events.
Within a short span, not only had Bai Lan’s identity been uncovered, but her children, whom she had hidden so well, had been directly dragged out and transported all the way here.
In equally brief time, three demon cultivators who had vanished into hiding across different regions, maintaining no contact with each other, had been swiftly located, had their weaknesses exploited, and been brought here over long distances.
Anyone thinking about it could easily realise this was far beyond the capabilities of ordinary people.
The sheer power and reach of these mysterious figures left the four demon cultivators secretly astounded.
Granny Rat suddenly blurted out, “Sir, is this merely to avenge Bai Lan’s husband, Hei Yunxiao?”
This was what Bai Lan wanted to ask, and it was the doubt shared by the others.
The Iron-Faced Man said, “How the vengeance is carried out is not for you to decide. I will naturally instruct you on what to do. No one is permitted to take a life without authorisation. Those who defy this will be severely punished!”
His gaze fixed once more on Bai Lan’s eyes. “From today onwards, you are forbidden from lingering around the Miaoqing Hall, and you must stop watching the Third Place Scholar. Your actions may appear hidden, but that only applies to ordinary people. Once a proper organisation takes notice, they will quickly spot your suspicious behaviour.
From today onwards, you need only conceal your whereabouts and await orders. I will provide action plans at any time, and you will simply execute them. You must also understand one thing hereafter. This is a private feud between you and the Third Place Scholar, completely unrelated to anyone else. This will remain true regardless of who discovers it. Otherwise, I guarantee you will deeply regret it.”
“Yes.”
All four knelt and meekly agreed.
Given the capability these people had shown in dragging them here, they also believed the speaker possessed the power to carry out his threats.
However, Bai Lan still asked nervously, “Sir, what about my children…”
The Iron-Faced Man replied, “Rest assured, they will be properly cared for. As long as you obey, they will remain safe. Afterwards, you will not only get to exact your revenge with your own hands, but I also guarantee that each of your children will receive a Sin Spirit Pill, which you have always desired. As for the three of you, so long as you commit yourselves fully, those you care about will remain unharmed, and your desires will be fulfilled.”
…
In a small courtyard of an inn, Long Xingyun stood with a folding fan clasped behind his back, watching streaks of light dance across the sky above. A deep sense of gloom remained etched on his face.
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt. That so-called Third Place Scholar, what the hell was he? Long Xingyun felt he could easily crush him with a single finger.
Yet, at the Little Cloud Pavilion, because of that bastard, he had been publicly slapped across the face.
When he tried to vent his anger at the Miaoqing Hall, he was met with utter disdain and ended up giving away half a million taels of silver for nothing.
Not long ago, he had personally led men to block their path, hoping to settle the score. Instead, he faced more contempt and was publicly scolded with the word “scram”. The humiliation was so great he wanted to find a crack in the ground and disappear into it.
The resentment in his heart only grew more stifling the more he dwelled on it.
At that moment, those around him had quietly slipped away, terrified of catching his bad mood and drawing his ire.
Before long, Cui You, who had recently attached himself to a new powerful patron, hurried over and reported to Long Xingyun, “Third Master, it is confirmed. Those two from the Phoenix Clan do indeed belong to that woman. However, they have both left with her.”
“Left?” Long Xingyun turned around.
“Confirmed. They are gone.”
“How many immortal peach trees did they buy to take with them?”
“Not a single one. At least, I did not see them take any. I personally went to the cargo yard just now, and so far, there is no sign of any goods being collected. Perhaps they still harbour some fear of the Chilan Pavilion and Mount Jilu?”
These words sounded pleasing to him. Long Xingyun opened his fan again and began to fan himself, his brow relaxing considerably.
Immediately after, the observant Cui You tentatively added, “Third Master, there has been an incident with the prisoner we escorted here.”
Long Xingyun was startled. “What happened?”
Cui You said cautiously, “We just received a report. The prisoner was ambushed and taken on the road.”
Long Xingyun’s eyes widened. “How is that possible? Did you not say the detention location was secret? Did you not assure me the information would not leak?”
Cui You ventured, “It is indeed very secret. That man was originally kept by the Eldest Master as a reserve for a critical moment. We did not dare use him lightly before because we did not want to alert the Youjiao faction, especially since he still held an identity connected to Youjiao Port when captured. Later, we never expected the Eldest Master to meet with disaster at the Little Cloud Pavilion. Logically, since he has been safe in the Eldest Master’s hands for so long, his people should not have any issues. Third Master, could it be that someone you dispatched for the escort leaked the information?”
Long Xingyun immediately cursed, “Nonsense. They are all men of the Chilan Pavilion. Does that insignificant Miaoqing Hall truly have the ability to turn my Chilan Pavilion men into traitors?”