Chapter 391: Come On, Let's Catch Him in the Act!

The cultivator had been knocked downward first, yet he drifted lightly through the air and landed a step later.

Yuan Gang, the one who had knocked him down, hit the ground first. The instant both feet touched earth, he pitched forward into a roll, planted his feet, and charged madly toward the point where his opponent was descending.

Blood seeped from the cultivator's nostrils. Before he had even landed, he saw Yuan Gang rushing him again. He flung both arms wide and poured everything left in his cultivation into one final attack. His palms struck out, releasing two spherical masses of invisible force that converged on Yuan Gang from left and right.

Yuan Gang kicked off the ground like a projectile. Crossing both arms over his head, he hurled his entire body forward as though fired from a cannon, using flesh and blood to smash directly into the two invisible spheres.

Boom! Boom!

Both spheres of force exploded apart. The clothing across Yuan Gang's upper body tore to shreds and scattered through the air, exposing a powerful, reddened torso. Even the band binding his hair snapped loose.

The blast uprooted the grass within several zhang. A layer of turf peeled outward in every direction like ripples across water.

His momentum checked for only an instant. The moment Yuan Gang landed, he sprang forward again. The sight made the cultivator's heart tremble. What kind of monster was this?

He had neither dodged nor blocked. He had actually used his fleshly body to withstand a full-force attack powered by everything the cultivator had left!

The cultivator knew his present strength had been severely diminished, but taking such a blow head-on with flesh and blood was still absurd. Just how strong was this freak's body? There was no time to think further. Yuan Gang was already upon him.

Before the cultivator's feet could touch the ground, Yuan Gang leaped and brought the broken half of his Saber down toward his head in a savage chop.

The cultivator reacted with startling speed. Both hands clamped around the saber's hilt. His feet slammed into the ground.

Under the tremendous downward force, his legs drove into the earth like wooden stakes.

Boom!

The ground cracked and sank around him.

Bang!

Using the blocked strike's momentum, Yuan Gang crashed in sideways with an elbow. It struck squarely into the cultivator's chest.

"Puh!"

Blood sprayed from the cultivator's mouth. A sharp crack came from his chest as ribs broke. Even with his cultivation, he could not withstand the violent impact. His entire body flew backward several zhang before slamming to the ground and rolling.

Yuan Gang stood bare-chested, his long hair whipping in the wind. The muscles across his body looked carved from stone. The broken saber hung at an angle in one hand. His face remained expressionless. He walked toward the cultivator, one slow step at a time.

The cultivator staggered to his feet, knees buckling beneath him. He fell again, struggled once more to stand, then turned and lurched away. Blood streamed steadily from his mouth and nose. One hand clutched his chest. He could barely walk, yet he was still trying to flee. Suddenly, a kick struck the back of one leg. His knees gave way and he dropped to the ground.

Before he could rise again, the broken saber blade was already resting across his throat.

Yuan Gang slowly walked around in front of him, the blade still against his neck. He looked down coldly. The cultivator raised his head with difficulty.

Before him stood a bare-chested man with a powerful body and long hair lashing wildly in the wind, like some warrior out of ancient times.

A miserable smile spread across his face. "You... who are you?"

Yuan Gang said coldly, "Where is Shao Pingbo? Tell me, and I'll spare your life."

The moment the ambush began, Yuan Gang had realized something was wrong. Only two cultivators seemed to have been guarding the carriages. The rest were ordinary warriors, and they had lost the ability to resist almost immediately after the first strike. That was not normal.

Shao Pingbo was one of the foremost figures in all Beizhou. Coming to a place like this, how could he possibly have only two cultivators protecting him? Yuan Gang immediately understood that he had probably struck empty air. Shao Pingbo had used the cicada-shedding stratagem.

The cultivator laughed bitterly. "Shao Pingbo left several days ago."

Yuan Gang said, "I asked where he is."

Panting, the cultivator shook his head. "His movements in the State of Qi could change at any time. Only he himself knows them clearly. No one else does. I only learned before setting out today that he had already left ahead of us. I truly don't know where he is."

He swallowed painfully, then continued, "Brother, you and I have no grievance. I still have some money. Take it and show mercy. Spare my life, all right?"

He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a handful of banknotes in various denominations. Yuan Gang extended a hand and took the entire handful.

He glanced at the money once, then looked coldly back at the cultivator.

The man's Adam's apple bobbed. "Brother, if you think that isn't enough, I have more deposited at a money house. We can work something out and each take what we need. What do you say?"

The blade lifted away from his throat. Yuan Gang turned and walked past him. The cultivator looked back.

Seeing that Yuan Gang truly seemed to be leaving, he braced both hands against the ground and struggled slowly to his feet.

After putting some distance between them, Yuan Gang suddenly hooked the toe of his boot beneath the broken half of the saber blade lying on the ground. It flipped into the air.

Clang!

A sharp metallic ring echoed across the grassland. Yuan Gang spun and swung the broken saber in his hand, smashing the airborne blade away. It became a streak of light.

Like a meteor, it punched into the cultivator's back and burst out through his chest in a spray of blood. The cultivator's eyes bulged. He dropped to his knees, then pitched forward into the grass, twitching. Yuan Gang never looked back. Broken Saber in hand, he strode away.

The setting sun cast a slanting golden light across the hard contours of his chest. His long black hair streamed in the wind, bending in the same direction as the endless waves of green grass. Gradually, his walk became faster. Then he began to run. Soon he was racing across the grassland like a leopard once more.

The wind rolled through the grass, but it could not erase the trail he had trampled on the way out.

Following that trail beneath the setting sun, he ran all the way back. He returned to the forested mountains and pushed deep into the woods. Near the official road, he met Yuan Feng and the others.

Seeing that Yuan Gang's upper clothing was gone and only half his saber remained, Yuan Feng stepped forward. "Are you all right?"

Yuan Gang slapped the banknotes he had never released into Yuan Feng's chest. Yuan Feng caught them with both hands.

Yuan Gang asked, "Did we get the target?"

Yuan Feng turned and had someone bring over a disheveled wig streaked half white. "This was inside the carriage. The target we killed was wrong. It was a decoy."

Yuan Gang asked, "Did you clean the scene?"

Yuan Feng said, "Only roughly. The blast damage is too obvious. We can't restore the road completely in such a short time."

Yuan Gang immediately broke into a fast run. The others followed at once. He reached the slope overlooking the official road and inspected the area.

They had indeed done little more than fill in the crater. The marks of fresh earth left by the explosion could not be hidden cleanly in so little time.

The group followed Yuan Gang down the slope, crossed the road, and rushed deep into the forest on the opposite side. They crouched beside a stream and washed themselves quickly. Then they untied the horses hidden nearby, mounted, and thundered away... The sunset over the sea was even more beautiful.

At the bow of a large ship, Shao Pingbo stood facing the wind.

Half his hair was white, yet he remained elegant and distinguished, his gaze calm and deep. The cloak behind him snapped and billowed. A Goldenwing broke across the line of sea and sky. Before long, Shao Sansheng approached holding a secret message.

"Eldest Young Master, we've identified that red-faced man. His name is An Taiping. He's the proprietor of the Tofu House, the place whose tofu we tasted last time. They say the business is jointly run with Huyan Wuhen's son, Huyan Wei."

"This An Taiping was originally a soldier in the frontier army of the State of Qi. Supposedly, his superior framed him, and he nearly died in an attempt to silence him..."

Shao Sansheng gave a general account of An Taiping's background.

Shao Pingbo asked, "Why would a man who sells snacks be able to enter the private rear quarters of Among the White Clouds, and Sister Zhao's bedchamber at that?"

Shao Sansheng smiled bitterly. "That I truly couldn't discover. I'm afraid we'd have to ask Miss Su herself."

Shao Pingbo fell silent for a while before asking, "Still no news from that group?"

"They haven't replied for several days."

"That's not normal. Something has probably happened to them. It seems someone truly does want to make a move against me."

Shao Pingbo murmured to himself, "Who wants me dead? The news of my arrival was kept under the strictest secrecy. Everyone concealed his identity. Very few people knew. Even entering and leaving the imperial palace of the State of Qi was done in disguise. When I met Hao Yuntu, only Bu Xun, Chief Steward of the Inner Palace, was with him."

"Hao Yuntu currently has no wish to see anything happen to me. News of my presence here shouldn't have leaked from him. Something about this is strange..."

He closed his eyes briefly.

Then he suddenly asked, "How long has that An Taiping's Tofu House been open?"

Shao Sansheng froze for a moment, thought, then answered, "Judging from what our agents heard, he opened it after being absolved of the charges against him and coming to the capital. It must have been more than half a year. More than half a year... more than half a year..."

Shao Pingbo murmured the words.

"That should be roughly when Niu Youdao came to the Qi capital as well. In barely half a year, An Taiping has gained access to Sister Zhao's bedchamber. That isn't ordinary..."

Slowly, Shao Pingbo turned his head toward the sinking sun above the sea.

His gaze seemed to settle on the beauty of the evening, yet his voice remained measured.

"Have someone draw a portrait of An Taiping and send it to Beizhou. Let Lu Shengzhong see whether he recognizes him."

"Yes!" Shao Sansheng answered.

Shao Pingbo added, "We won't continue by sea. Put ashore as soon as possible and switch to land. Destroy the ship. Leave none of the boatmen alive. ..."

Shao Sansheng stared at him, then glanced toward the distant coast. "Eldest Young Master, if we go ashore now and return by land, we'll likely have to cross the desert between the State of Qi and the State of Zhao. That road is difficult."

"Then we cross the desert. The people from Dachan Mountain will have to work a little harder."

In the inner courtyard of the Tofu House, ropes used by the "workers" for their daily training hung throughout a small grove.

Huyan Wei sat astride one of the ropes, swaying back and forth like a child on a swing. Yuan Gang walked in.

Seeing his gloomy expression, he approached and asked, "You haven't been coming as often lately."

Huyan Wei sighed. "I'm exhausted. I'm actually doing proper work now. Soon I probably won't have much chance to come at all. Before long, I'll likely be transferred into the Valiant Cavalry and attached to the army. It won't be easy to return to the capital. But leaving may be for the best. There's a tigress at home. She's a cultivator, so I can't beat her, and there isn't even anyone willing to speak a fair word for me. I keep getting bullied. How am I supposed to live like this? I've lost all interest in the capital's splendor. Leaving will count as escaping disaster."

Yuan Gang grabbed one of the ropes and tugged on it, apparently testing its strength.

Then he asked, "Everyone outside is talking about Prince Ying remarrying. They say he's marrying Shao Dengyun's daughter from Beizhou in the State of Han. Is it true?"

"Mm. It's true." Huyan Wei nodded, then suddenly laughed at himself. "We're barely managing our own problems. Why worry about other people's?"

Outside the Tofu House, a carriage arrived and stopped by the road. A young maid who had been waiting nearby quickly climbed inside.

Within the carriage sat Hao Qingqing, now dressed as a married woman, a sword in her hand.

The maid immediately reported, "Princess, it's confirmed. Third Young Master went into the Tofu House again."

Clang!

Hao Qingqing drew the sword halfway from its sheath and gave a cold laugh. "Do I not know what kind of man that fellow is? A tofu shop couldn't possibly attract him this much. There must be a woman hidden in there."

She shoved the sword back into its sheath.

"Come on. Let's catch him in the act!"

The maid panicked and hurriedly reached out to stop her. "Princess, you can't act recklessly!"

"Recklessly?" Hao Qingqing laughed coldly. "He'd better hope I don't catch him. If he's sneaking around with another woman behind my back, I'll castrate him and send him into the palace to be a eunuch! Move!"

She shoved the maid aside, climbed straight out of the carriage, and jumped to the ground.

[End of Chapter 391]