"Constable Wei, you're here so early! Coming this early means there are no skewers to eat yet," Lu Yang teased with a smile at the doorway.
It was still morning when Constable Wei arrived at the barbecue shop accompanied by two constables and a silk banner.
"Well, here's that banner we agreed on yesterday. I brought it over for you."
Constable Wei gave the banner a sharp unfurl right on the street, intentionally putting it on display. Inscribed upon it were the words: *Acting Bravely for a Just Cause, Promoting Righteousness.*
The spectacle promptly drew a good-sized crowd of onlookers.
The two constables lifted the banner and hung it on the wall directly opposite the main entrance, making it exceptionally prominent.
Originally, two chang ghosts had been skewering meat in the dining hall, but Lu Yang had sent them to the backyard ahead of time so they wouldn't show their faces.
Lu Yang brought over three cups of tea and asked casually, "Did you get anything out of those foolish thieves from yesterday? Where are those out-of-towners from, daring to provoke the famous Iron-Faced Constable?"
"Sigh, don't even mention it. We didn't get a thing out of them." Constable Wei picked up his cup of boiling tea and downed it in a single gulp.
The throat of a Foundation Establishment cultivator had no fear of scalding water.
"Why is that?"
"Those foolish thieves had no backbone. A little scare and they started spilling everything. But right as they were about to explain why a group of cultivators had come to Yanjiang Commandery, an assassin appeared out of nowhere and killed them. Nine ox-hair poison needles struck their necks, bringing instant death. The room was completely sealed, so I have no idea how the assassin got in.
"At the time, my first instinct was to run outside looking for him, but I found nothing. Later, it hit me—the assassin must know some shadow-related spell. He hid in the shadows beforehand, struck to kill the moment we started the interrogation, and then slipped away through the shadows while I was running outside.
"If only I had blocked the doorway back then, he wouldn't have escaped! I was just too furious at that moment and didn't think of it!" With that, Constable Wei indignantly drank dry the tea meant for the other two constables as well.
The two constables stared at him in utter bewilderment. They hadn't even had a sip yet.
Smiling brightly, Lu Yang saw off the furious Constable Wei and the two unlucky constables who hadn't gotten so much as a drop of water.
Meng Jingzhou sent a voice transmission: "Shall we follow yesterday's plan and kill Qin Yuanhao?"
After returning last night, Lu Yang had recounted what he saw. Now that they knew the location of the Yanjiang Branch, there was no longer any need to keep Qin Yuanhao alive.
The three of them had stayed up through the night formulating an ambush for Qin Yuanhao.
To be precise, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou discussed it while Man Gu sat in on the conversation.
"No rush. I have some new ideas. Let's prepare a bit more."
***
A black-robed figure tapped lightly on the gate of Qin Yuanhao's residence. A long time passed without anyone answering.
The black-robed figure simply stood waiting.
Finally, the gate swung open, yet no one stood at the threshold. It seemed to have opened on its own.
The open doorway resembled the gaping maw of a demon, ready to devour the ignorant.
Unhurriedly, the black-robed figure walked into the compound. The moment he stepped inside, the gate slammed shut with a bang and the bolt slipped into place, locking him within the residence.
The black-robed figure produced a bone plaque and called out loudly, "Is Senior Qin Yuanhao present? Entrusted by my master, I have come specifically to pay a visit."
"And here I was wondering who it was. Turns out it's a chang ghost under Brother Tiger."
The voice came from behind the chang ghost. Qin Yuanhao appeared abruptly. The chang ghost hadn't even noticed which direction he had approached from; it was as if he had materialized out of thin air.
"Why seek me out?"
"My master says he has thought it over for some time and feels what you said makes sense—a big tree offers good shade, and he wishes to join the Yanjiang Branch. However, he still has some concerns and would like to invite you to Mount Song for a discussion."
Qin Yuanhao looked at the chang ghost with amusement. "Oh? Brother Tiger took so long to reply that I thought he had no interest in joining the Yanjiang Branch."
The chang ghost offered an ingratiating smile. "Master needed more time to deliberate."
Qin Yuanhao's expression changed abruptly. He seized the chang ghost by the throat. "Daring to play tricks in front of me! Speak—who sent you? With Brother Tiger's personality, how could he ever willingly join the Yanjiang Branch!"
The chang ghost turned pale with fright, repeatedly stammering that no one had sent him.
Qin Yuanhao exerted a fraction more force, choking the chang ghost until his ghostly soul began to fade. Only then did the chang ghost speak the truth:
"A few days ago, several blind cultivators entered Mount Song and stumbled upon Master's tracks by sheer accident. Master killed them, and while gathering their belongings, he discovered they hailed from an extraordinary sect with Golden Core stage experts among their seniors.
"Master grew fearful that a Golden Core cultivator might come hunting for him. He remembered Senior Qin's invitation, and after convincing the mistress, he decided to join the Yanjiang Branch. Thus, he sent this lowly one to invite you over so you could discuss the specifics together."
Having obtained the answer he wanted, Qin Yuanhao tossed the chang ghost aside. "That sounds more like it."
Doubting the chang ghost no longer, Qin Yuanhao followed him all the way to Mount Song.
"Senior Qin, Master is waiting for you just ahead," the chang ghost said respectfully. "Master dislikes having others eavesdrop. Please, after you."
Qin Yuanhao ignored the chang ghost and walked ahead alone.
The forest was dense and secluded, as if untouched by human presence for ages. The distant chirping of birds lent an even deeper sense of quiet to the thick woods.
A four-meter-long tiger demon sat cross-legged ahead. On a stone table before it rested two cups of tea, creating the appearance of hosting a guest.
Involuntarily, Qin Yuanhao lowered his guard, quickening his pace.
Suddenly, his cultivation technique activated automatically, forming a thin membrane across the surface of his body. It blocked an attack coming from out of nowhere, leaving only a faint red line of blood on his neck.
"An ambush!"
Experienced and cunning as he was, Qin Yuanhao pulled back violently. Across the empty air at neck height, he spotted an almost imperceptible fine strand suspended horizontally.
"These dried noodles really work! Nearly took his head right off!"
A gloating voice rang out from a tree to Qin Yuanhao's right. It was Meng Jingzhou.
What Qin Yuanhao had seen was not a thin wire at all, but Dragon Whisker dried noodles that Lu Yang had purchased from the dining hall.
According to the senior brother who sold them, these dried noodles killed without a trace and were ideal for ambushes.
Had Qin Yuanhao's cultivation technique not possessed a unique automatic defense, his head would already have rolled.
"You dare ambush me!" Qin Yuanhao glared viciously at the tiger demon. This wasn't about inviting him to discuss joining the Yanjiang Branch at all—it was a trap from start to finish!
To his shock, the tiger demon had already vanished. The ground beneath Qin Yuanhao's feet turned soft, and the Green Blade Sword struck straight for his crotch.
Fortunately, Qin Yuanhao reacted with lightning speed. He brought his right knee up against the Green Blade Sword, knocking the blade off course and saving his family jewels.
Sensing that things looked grim, he spun around and bolted.
He had been caught completely unprepared against an enemy with full preparation. How could he possibly fight?
*They must be fellow demonic practitioners!* Qin Yuanhao was certain. That sword strike just now was utterly underhanded—what righteous sect fought like that?
Man Gu had been waiting behind him for quite some time. Swinging an entire tree like a club, he smashed it right into him, sending Qin Yuanhao flying far into the distance.
"Huh? Why didn't that feel solid?" Man Gu wondered. He had clearly landed a direct hit, yet it had felt like striking a sheet of paper.
Qin Yuanhao flew a great distance, yet his momentum surged, completely uninjured.
"Watch out for his technique—it's very bizarre!" Man Gu shouted a warning.
"A few juniors wanting to take me down? You're a hundred years too early!" Qin Yuanhao laughed heartily. As long as they couldn't figure out the true effect of his technique, no one could catch him.
Without the slightest hurry, Lu Yang leapt into the air, pointed his identity jade pendant at Qin Yuanhao, and commanded, "Collect!"
Qin Yuanhao froze for a second, not yet grasping what had just happened. The jade pendant looked like an alternative storage ring, but a storage ring couldn't store a living person.
Then Qin Yuanhao noticed the strange looks Lu Yang and the other two were giving him.
Slowly looking down, he discovered he was stark naked. His clothes had vanished without him realizing it.
With his garments sucked into the jade pendant, Qin Yuanhao stood shivering in midair, clad in nothing but a pair of underpants.
"Fuck! The bizarre ones are you bastards!"
Chapter 63