Chapter 341: Finally, There's Movement

The sea was pitch-black beneath a raging storm. Wind howled, rain lashed down, and great waves rolled across the water. After the downpour passed, the clouds opened and the mist dispersed. Moonlight poured over a sea gradually settling back into calm. The strange weather at sea had come quickly and gone just as fast.

A broad blaze of fire suddenly appeared across the island. One torch after another went aboard the ships, and vessels gradually began pulling away from the island... Inside a quiet, elegant side room at Among the White Clouds, Wei Chu sat alone drinking. He too was a regular here for its pleasures and dalliance.

The door opened and Qin Mian entered, greeting him with a cheerful smile. "Lord Wei, you've become a rare visitor lately."

She turned and shut the door. The smile on her face vanished the moment she sat beside him.

"What was so urgent that you called me here to speak face-to-face?" Wei Chu asked in a low voice.

Qin Mian poured wine for him as she replied quietly, "You're planning to kill Niu Youdao?"

Wei Chu turned to look at her. "Is there a problem?"

"You don't need to do it yourself. The higher-ups will deal with him for you. What you need to do now is disappear for a while."

Wei Chu frowned. "What do you mean?"

"More precisely, you need to fake your death for a while. As long as you remain alive, Niu Youdao won't leave the Qi capital, and there'll be no way to make a move against him."

Wei Chu fell silent briefly. "If I fake my death, how do I explain it to Prince Jin?"

"That's for you to weigh yourself. You understand Prince Jin better than any of us."

Wei Chu nodded, but he was still somewhat puzzled and could not resist asking, "Why did the higher-ups suddenly decide to help me dispose of Niu Youdao?"

Qin Mian shook her head. "You know the rules. It may involve protecting other people or matters within the organization. Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. Likewise, I'm only passing along the higher-ups' instructions. They wouldn't tell me the exact reason either. I don't know what's happening. You and I only need to carry out the order."

She truly did not know why the higher-ups had suddenly decided to move against Niu Youdao.

Wei Chu sighed, then slowly said, "I've been here for so many years and still have never met the Incense Master. Can you contact the Incense Master and arrange for me to pay my respects?"

"No!" Qin Mian rejected the request outright. "Your involvement is too important. The higher-ups spent far too much effort putting your younger sister in that position and planting you inside Prince Jin's residence. They will not tolerate the slightest mistake. Your identity is absolutely secret. You can maintain only a single line of contact, through me. The Incense Master doesn't even know you exist. That's for your own good and for your protection as well. The reason I've remained in the Qi capital all these years without being transferred anywhere else is mainly to protect you and coordinate with you. The higher-ups cannot allow a second person to know you exist."

Both she and Wei Chu had arrived in the Qi capital many years before Su Zhao. Wei Chu and Su Zhao did not even know each other's true identities.

"Fine." Wei Chu nodded helplessly and rose. "I'll think this over again after I return. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

Qin Mian pressed a hand onto his shoulder and pushed him back into his seat.

"Since you're here, don't give anyone reason to suspect anything. I'll call two girls for you. Relax properly before you leave."

After making arrangements on his side, Qin Mian returned to the rear courtyard and went directly to Su Zhao's room.

Su Zhao was changing clothes. Seeing her enter, she asked, "Is everything ready?"

"It's ready. Proprietress, you really don't need to go personally. Everything that needed preparation has already been prepared. There's little point in making the trip yourself."

"No. Unless I personally see every last warhorse loaded safely aboard the ships, I won't be at ease."

By the time the two women emerged from the room again, Su Zhao had disguised herself as a handsome young man with delicate features.

They went downstairs to a secluded corner. Qin Mian pushed and rotated a rockery, revealing below it a water-filled opening like the mouth of a well. Su Zhao slipped directly into the flooded passage and vanished without a trace. Qin Mian waited for a while before slowly pushing the rockery back into place and concealing the entrance once more... In an alley elsewhere in the capital stood the small courtyard of what looked like an ordinary household.

Linghu Qiu walked up to the gate, looked around, then raised his hand and knocked several times. Someone plainly peered out through the crack before the gate quickly opened.

Hongxiu appeared, delighted. "Sir, you're back."

Linghu Qiu said nothing. Expressionless, he walked inside. His reaction immediately made Hongxiu feel guilty.

"Sir." Hongfu came out at the sound and saluted him. She received no reply either; instead, Linghu Qiu casually handed her the cage containing the Goldenwing.

The sisters exchanged a glance and followed him into the main room, where Hongxiu quickly began pouring tea. Linghu Qiu walked to the main seat, turned, and sat down. He waved one hand.

"Don't busy yourselves. Let's talk business."

The two women came forward and looked at him cautiously.

Hongfu apologized first. "Sir, we sisters handled the matter poorly. We failed."

Linghu Qiu's gaze passed over both their faces.

"The higher-ups said the arrangements on their side were flawed. They said this failure can't be blamed on you. Instead, their mistake implicated the two of you. They asked me to convey an apology on their behalf."

The sisters both dipped into a half-curtsy.

Hongxiu asked, "What exactly happened? How could the higher-ups fail to restrain even Hongniang? Even if everyone in Fufang Garden had come out together, that shouldn't have been possible!"

"They were careless. No one expected that bitch Guan Fangyi to have hidden her depths so well. She actually had a high-grade Heavenly Sword Talisman and a whole handful of high-grade Mountain-Splitting Talismans. The people sent there simply couldn't stop her. She tricked them, and that's how she escaped."

"A Heavenly Sword Talisman?" The two women looked at one another in astonishment.

Hongfu asked, "Where did she get a Heavenly Sword Talisman? Why had there never been the slightest rumor of it before?"

"Does that matter?" Linghu Qiu said. "The message you sent was vague and unclear. What I want to know now is how the two of you ended up being driven out of Fufang Garden by Guan Fangyi."

Hongfu said, "When we were meeting Niu Youdao privately, Guan Fangyi suddenly appeared and caught us. She became jealous and drove us sisters out."

"The higher-ups don't know the exact situation, but do you think I don't?" Linghu Qiu said. "Of course, there are things the higher-ups don't care about either. Guan Fangyi is a woman who has spent her life among affairs of the heart. What sort of man hasn't she seen? Her signboard as Hongniang of the Qi capital has stood for this many years. Would she really become jealous over a man that easily? If it was only an ordinary private meeting and nothing happened, forget giving me face—couldn't Niu Youdao stop her? Tell me honestly. Did the two of you already sleep with Niu Youdao?"

"Sir!" Hongxiu and Hongfu hurriedly waved their hands. "Absolutely not! Sir, don't misunderstand!"

"You can relax. You were trying to complete the mission. If something did happen, tell me the truth. I won't blame you."

"Sir, there really was nothing."

"Sir, nothing of that sort happened."

Linghu Qiu sighed. "Then tell me what actually happened. Do you insist on waiting until I return to Fufang Garden and Guan Fangyi points at my nose, tells me what happened on the spot, and curses me bloody?"

The words made both women's hearts tremble. They understood that Linghu Qiu was obviously still going to seek out Niu Youdao. He would inevitably meet Guan Fangyi. There was no point hoping Guan Fangyi would conceal anything for them.

"Sir, that sort of thing truly didn't happen. But Niu Youdao really is shameless and filthy. He put his hands all over us..." Hongfu recounted what had happened, though she omitted the most humiliating details. She could not bring herself to say them aloud.

Even so, some of Niu Youdao's indecent behavior was enough to infuriate Linghu Qiu. His face turned green with anger. When she finished, he slammed the table and shot to his feet.

"That dog Niu! He's gone too far! He swore brotherhood with me, yet even lays hands on his sworn brother's women. He's nothing but a beast!"

At this moment, he had completely forgotten that his side had been the one to send the women to seduce Niu Youdao in the first place. He had likewise forgotten that they were the ones plotting to kill him.

Having recounted the events of that day, the two women were themselves unbearably embarrassed. They stood there with their heads lowered while those indecent scenes replayed again and again through their minds. They did not want to remember them, yet lately they had found the memories impossible to banish. Only after considerable effort did Linghu Qiu finally calm down.

He ground his teeth. "I'll settle this score with him sooner or later! Tell me, did he see through your intentions?"

Hongfu slowly raised her head.

"Judging from the situation at the time, it didn't look like he was pretending. If he'd truly seen through us, how could he have dared meet privately with the two of us alone?"

Linghu Qiu slowly sat back down and fell into silence.

After a long while, Hongxiu asked softly, "Sir, what do we do now?"

"Find a way back into Fufang Garden."

Hongfu said, "After failing this time, even if we go back, I'm afraid it'll be difficult to find another opportunity to strike."

In truth, neither sister wanted to return to Fufang Garden. It was far too humiliating. If they went back, they would not even be able to lift their heads. How were they supposed to face anyone there?

"We don't need to worry about that anymore. The higher-ups have already arranged for someone to deal with Wei Chu. From here on, all we need to do is keep track of Niu Youdao's movements."

At Fufang Garden, Niu Youdao sat beneath the eaves in the morning sunlight, his hair hanging loose as he read a secret message.

When he finished, he said, "Tell them not to alert the snake by striking the grass. Wait for my word."

"Yes!" Shen Qiu cupped his hands and turned away.

Niu Youdao lowered his gaze back to the message. Gongsun Bu had finally sent word that there was movement at the island. The warhorses Beizhou wanted were finally on the move. He had remained in the Qi capital for so long precisely waiting for this day!

"A good dog doesn't block the road!"

Guan Fangyi came swaying out of the room. Seeing him sitting there without reacting even after she cursed him, she asked, "What are you daydreaming about?"

Niu Youdao reached back and handed her the secret message over his shoulder. Guan Fangyi read it, then walked to his side, smoothed down her skirt, and sat beside him.

She lowered her voice. "The shipment you want to seize is finally moving?"

Niu Youdao did not deny it. He took the message back, rubbed it to pieces, then asked, "Is the person for Xianyin Mountain in place?"

"Old Eight is already in position. He's only waiting for word from us."

"Prince Ying still refuses to see me?"

"He refuses!" Guan Fangyi sighed. "Among Hao Yuntu's sons, Prince Ying is the most low-key. When there's work, he does it. When there isn't, he rarely even shows his face. He never gets involved in messy affairs. Of all the people you could choose, why do you insist on sinking your teeth into him?"

"The person who understands an opponent best is the opponent's opponent. Princess Consort Yu had barely met with me before Prince Jin's people came knocking. What does that tell you? Every move Prince Yu makes easily draws Prince Jin's attention. This matter cannot withstand even the slightest disturbance. I can't take that risk."

Guan Fangyi sighed. "Then why does it have to be Prince Ying? He's always kept such a low profile. He does whatever duties the court assigns him and otherwise keeps out of trouble. Why pick the one man who least wants anything to do with this sort of mess?"

[End of Chapter 341]