A Secret Stronghold

Just as Dong Rui reached out to pat it, Xi Yunhe stepped forward. "I'll go first." *This bastard is definitely keeping his guard up against me.* Dong Rui felt a twinge of alarm, yet maintained an indifferent expression. Right at that moment, a deafening roar erupted beside them! The carriage depot's storage room exploded. It was barely twenty feet away, and the powerful shockwave threw everyone off balance, sending them stumbling. Thick white smoke billowed into the air, shadows flickering within. The three guards immediately rushed forward. Xi Yunhe darted ahead to shield Dong Rui, barking, "Loose arrows!" Whoever it was, shoot them down first and ask questions later. Xi Yunhe had no certainty in his heart either. The fact that National Preceptor Qingyang dared to frame Dong Rui suggested she might very well know his dwelling. Pursuers could arrive at any moment; one could hardly blame him for jumping at shadows. In the sudden chaos, nobody noticed the snail-toad in the rear lowering its massive head toward Dong Rui. Just then, a monster bounded out of the carriage depot. Shrouded in white smoke, the guards initially mistook it for a monkey. Yet it was not. It was actually an enormous bat. Its face was not as hideous as other breeds; instead, it looked somewhat like a monkey and somewhat like a bear cub, even appearing rather cute when its mouth was shut. However, the moment it opened its mouth, crisscrossing canine fangs were revealed. Apart from its head, its body was completely hairless, with lizard-like skin covered in fine wrinkles. Every bony joint of its wings bore long, slender spines. What kind of devilish thing was this? Even with Xi Yunhe's vast experience, he had never seen such a creature. It radiated an uncanny sense of discordance. Speaking of discordance, his heart gave a jolt. *This thing looks awfully like a demon puppet!* *Damn it.* "Seize—" Xi Yunhe whipped around, only to see the snail-toad open its cavernous maw and swallow Dong Rui whole! It took a deep dive, plunging straight into the earth like a fish diving into water! It gave Xi Yunhe and his men no chance to intercept. In the blink of an eye, Dong Rui and the snail-toad vanished without a trace, leaving the depot's rear courtyard once more an empty stretch of muddy ground. "..." Unable to give chase, Xi Yunhe slammed his fist into the wall. At that moment, the guard who had gone inside to retrieve the box vaulted over the wall, bewildered and shaken. "Milord, what do we do now..." "Withdraw!" An explosion in a bustling market was bound to draw a crowd. They could not linger here. Before leaving, Xi Yunhe glanced back once more and saw the demon puppet spread its wings, taking flight toward a nearby watchtower. Even such a creature knew how to conceal itself. That scoundrel Dong Rui's reputation as an escape artist was truly no exaggeration. With a momentary lapse of vigilance, Xi Yunhe had fallen right into his trap. Still, as long as Dong Rui did not show his face again and did not implicate National Preceptor Shuangye, his mission was considered complete. *** No sooner had Xi Yunhe and his men departed than He Lingchuan set down his large bowl and stood up. "Check, please." The thunderous explosion had alerted the neighbors, and people were already poking their heads out in front of the carriage depot. He Lingchuan walked over and craned his neck alongside the onlookers, while in reality, a tiny spider leaped down from the wall and landed inside the lapel of his robe. Having retrieved his eyeball spider, He Lingchuan turned and walked away. The authorities would dispatch men shortly; for him, it was equally unwise to linger here. Stepping back into the noodle shop, He Lingchuan led his rock sheep out from the rear and strolled along the street on his way back. "This is a catastrophe!" the mirror inside his lapel babbled incessantly. "National Preceptor Qingyang actually accused Dong Rui! What is going to happen with Nian Zanli then?" He Lingchuan kept his mouth shut. The mirror continued, "If Nian Zanli really borrows those tens of thousands of troops, your Yuan Kingdom will be completely ruined! Master, you will be the sinner of the Yuan Kingdom!" Frowning deeply, He Lingchuan patted his chest. "Shut up." He had originally conceived a whole series of plans, an essential link of which was framing Nian Zanli with the divine blood, throwing him into prison or subjecting him to Heavenly Palace interrogation, which would strip him of any chance to use National Preceptor Shuangye's token to borrow troops and invade Yuan. Yet now National Preceptor Qingyang had fingered Dong Rui as her source of divine blood. Although Dong Rui indeed possessed divine blood as well, this abrupt twist threw He Lingchuan's entire plan into disarray. What should he do? Could he simply sit back and watch Nian Zanli slip out of his snare? That would bring endless ruin. A glint of ruthlessness flashed in He Lingchuan's eyes. "Screw it. In for a penny, in for a pound!" The mirror didn't catch it clearly. "What did you say?" "Aren't the celestial gods hell-bent on tracking down the source of the divine blood?" The bustling street was loud with foot traffic. He Lingchuan kept his voice down, and nobody noticed or cared about what he was muttering, save for the soul-snatching mirror. "Then we bind Nian Zanli and Dong Rui together!" "Huh?" Bind... bind them together? Was it in the sense it understood? He Lingchuan said no more, pondering a new plan the entire way. Achieving great things was never easy; when complications arose midway, one had to adapt on the fly. Suddenly, a cool drop touched his face. He Lingchuan looked up to see silver threads descending from the sky. It was raining. *** The rain poured heavier and heavier. By the time He Lingchuan returned to Pianxiang Villa, his clothes were soaked through. Fu Shanyue was out and would not return to the villa today. He Lingchuan strolled casually toward the back mountain—after losing track of him countless times, the Tongxin Guards were already accustomed to his sudden appearances and disappearances. Boarding an ornate painted boat, he rowed toward the center of the lake himself. The lake behind Mount Qilin was remarkably serene, dotted with several islets like scattered pearls. Though it was late autumn, the foliage on the islets remained lush—the trees planted here in the past were specially chosen evergreen species, some of which even changed color or bloomed in autumn and winter, such as the silk floss trees. People on the shore could only see a ring of verdant greenery around the lake's center island, knowing nothing of what lay within. There were even two colossal banyan trees on the island, their canopies spreading like umbrellas and shading half the islet. He Lingchuan stepped ashore and made his way through the dense outer woods. The islet was not large, spanning roughly three hundred square meters, but beneath the giant banyans stood two elegant cottages, their structure, doors, and windows completely intact. Originally, this islet was a private retreat for the previous master's leisure, but it had subsequently been abandoned for a decade along with the rest of Pianxiang Villa. After the villa was bestowed upon Fu Shanyue, the servants diligently cleaned the courtyards and buildings, overlooking only these islets in the middle of the lake— First, there were no boats readily available, and second, it was human nature to slack off in deserted corners. In short, it was an exceptionally secluded place now, home to few birds because of the excessive number of snakes. As He Lingchuan brushed through the tall grass, he encountered four snakes; the largest was as thick as a wrist, while the smallest was thinner than a chopstick. Evidently, ten years without human disturbance had turned this lake islet into a serpent's paradise. He Lingchuan walked to the clearing before the cottages. Sheltered beneath the shade of the giant banyans year-round, the ground was blanketed with thick humus and fallen leaves, damp from the recent rain, perfect for reptilian inhabitants. The sudden downpour halted abruptly, leaving the air rich with the scent of damp earth and fresh grass. He Lingchuan retrieved several round beads from his bosom, crushed them, and smeared the paste onto the ground. These were snail-toad eggs. To be safe, he climbed onto the giant banyan, putting some distance between himself and the ground. How had Zhongsun Mou perished? He Lingchuan did not trust the snail-toad enough to risk suffering the same fate. The chirping of insects and birds echoed around him in deep tranquility. He shed his damp clothes and changed into a clean set. After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the ground beneath the giant banyan subtly caved in. Then, the enormous shell of the snail-toad surfaced slowly from beneath the earth, settling steadily beneath the tree. Dong Rui leaped out from the shell, looking left and right. Seeing He Lingchuan drop down from the treetop, he spat onto the ground. "Hiding so far away—afraid I'd ambush you?" "I trust you one hundred and twenty percent," He Lingchuan lied without batting an eye. "But I blew up that snail-toad once, and I was worried it might hold a grudge." In plain words, he simply didn't trust Dong Rui's control over the snail-toad, did he? Dong Rui rolled his eyes and looked around with distaste. "You found me a place like this?" In the highly sophisticated Lingxu City, there was actually a patch of wild jungle like this? Could it be some estate on a mountain? And those two cottages up ahead—they looked dignified enough, but they were covered in dust and dead leaves. He even saw two earthworms wriggling out from the window. "We're inside Fu Shanyue's Pianxiang Villa. This is an island surrounded by water where idle folk can't trespass, and the damp soil is great for the snail-toad," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "You're a fugitive looking for a hideout. Did you expect fine wine and red-light revelry?" To He Lingchuan, Dong Rui was the quintessential shut-in, capable of staying indoors for days on end when researching demon puppets. This island suited him perfectly. Dong Rui scratched his head and yielded. With the snail-toad in hand, anywhere served as shelter; what difference did inside or outside Lingxu City make? He patted the snail-toad, and the behemoth shrank rapidly, reducing until it was no larger than a hand drum. He Lingchuan was thoroughly amazed. No wonder the snail-toad hadn't been easily spotted in the outskirts; the thing could actually change size. Come to think of it, every one of Dong Rui's demon puppets seemed capable of shifting size. Supposedly, this was the power of celestial gods; demon puppets concocted with divine blood might well inherit a portion of that ability. No wonder he dared to remain in Lingxu City. As long as the snail-toad wasn't so glaringly massive, Dong Rui's chances of being discovered dropped by more than half. Dong Rui carried the snail-toad to the roots of the giant tree, where the moisture was heavy—just the way mollusks liked it. "In a bit, dig a hole here and fill it with water. The snail-toad loves water too." "Done." "I also need to set up a concealment formation." Dong Rui looked up at the sky. "Birds frequently pass overhead." This was, after all, a kingdom of demons. Who knew if a pair of tiny eyes was watching silently from some corner? One could never be too cautious. He Lingchuan helped him lay out the formation. The formation was harmless to men and beasts, serving merely as a disorienting illusion. Whether approached from the ground or viewed from high above, the area would appear overgrown with wild grass and trees just as before. So long as someone didn't use origin power to peer through it, Dong Rui would remain hidden; anyone wandering around the island would never find their way to the cottages. Who knew this fellow was so versatile? "A fugitive wanted on Beijia's Earth Ranking truly is something else. By the way, seems Zhu Erniang is ranked higher than you." Dong Rui sneered. "So what? Just wait until Lingxu City issues a bounty this time and see!" The moment the words left his mouth, he felt foolish. What was there to compare about that? The formation was simple and completed in no time. He Lingchuan produced an oiled paper parcel from his storage ring and handed it over. Dong Rui opened it to find several beautiful golden thread pastries, still piping hot. "Yilan Pastry House?" "Just that noodle shop outside the carriage depot." He Lingchuan handed him another storage pouch containing several buckets of fresh water. "Don't go near the shore; it's easy to expose yourself. If all else fails, ride the snail-toad through the underground. If you need me for anything—" Before his voice had fully faded, a bat plummeted from midair, landing on Dong Rui's shoulder with a soft slap.