Chapter 1098: Something Hidden in Its Belly

When the group left Wuliang Garden, everyone was subjected to another meticulous search. Even Ding Wei obediently cooperated.

In short, almost everyone entering or leaving the place had to do so empty-handed.

After they emerged and watched Wuliang Garden mysteriously vanish into thin air once more, Ding Wei's party mounted their flying mounts and left first. Niu Youdao immediately ordered his own people to catch up.

When he finally drew alongside them, Ding Wei glanced at him and asked, "What? Do you intend to follow me all the way to Dayuan Sacred Land?"

"Aren't you returning to Wentian City?" Niu Youdao asked, only to realize immediately that he had asked a pointless question.

Who had ever said Ding Wei had to return to Wentian City?

Wentian City was where Niu Youdao was stationed. It was not Ding Wei's permanent base. To the Presiding Administrator of Misty Pavilion, it was merely one department under his authority.

Ding Wei ignored him and led his people away, traveling in a direction that had nothing to do with Wentian City.

"..."

Niu Youdao was speechless.

He felt as though Ding Wei had played him.

Apparently, when Ding Wei had asked whether he wanted to leave together, he had meant only leaving Wuliang Garden together, not returning together. It now felt very much as though Ding Wei had simply wanted to get him out of Wuliang Garden.

He was already outside and could do nothing about it. He waved Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie onward in another direction.

Looking back at the charred scar across the earth, Niu Youdao teased them. "Well? Opened your eyes, didn't it? There aren't many people in the entire cultivation world who can enter Wuliang Garden. Even fewer are fortunate enough to see the Wuliang Fruit. The two of you have enough material to boast about for years."

Ke Dingjie smiled bitterly. "Elder is joking. The Wuliang Fruit... Even if we return to the sect, we wouldn't dare casually use something like this as a topic of conversation."

Qin Guan sighed. "I wonder which dog bastard had the nerve to actually set Wuliang Garden on fire."

The corner of Niu Youdao's mouth twitched slightly.

He raised his head and looked at the sky.

...

On the journey back, Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie encountered the problem they had feared.

Niu Youdao abandoned them on the road yet again.

They had worried about this beforehand only because they had grown accustomed to being left behind.

Even after growing used to it, they still dreaded it because waiting was unbearably dull, and they had to hide carefully the entire time to avoid being discovered.

Watching Elder Niu ride away alone on the flying mount, Qin Guan sighed repeatedly. "I have no idea what Elder is actually trying to do."

Ke Dingjie suddenly said, "Ao Feng. Could Elder have gone into Wuliang Garden specifically to see him?"

Qin Guan turned.

Their gazes met.

Both men harbored the same suspicion.

Others did not know that Elder Niu and Ao Feng were secretly colluding.

The two of them did.

...

In a forest within the Desolate Marsh Deadlands, a black fox emerged and transformed into Hei Yun, Clan Chief of the Demon Fox race.

"You're here." Niu Youdao, who had been sitting cross-legged, greeted him and rose.

Hei Yun walked over. "Something else happened?"

"I just came out of Wuliang Garden."

"What?" Hei Yun was badly startled. "You entered Wuliang Garden?"

When Niu Youdao nodded, Hei Yun could not help worrying. "If you could get inside, why did you make us take the risk of setting that fire? And aren't you afraid going in and out like this will draw suspicion?"

Niu Youdao said, "Just as expected, Wuliang Garden is guarded extremely tightly. Even my contact with Ao Feng inside was under observation. There was no room for any small movements.

"Wuliang Garden itself was not the place to persuade Ao Feng to cooperate. Burning the forest to draw him outside for a meeting was the right move.

"As for suspicion, you don't need to worry. I wouldn't have entered without confidence."

"I've already communicated everything necessary with Ao Feng. What happens next will depend on the abilities of the Demon Fox race on your own ground..."

Niu Youdao then explained in detail the specific plan for establishing contact with Ao Feng, and the two carefully discussed every part of it.

Once everything had been settled, Hei Yun let out a breath, though worry still lingered on his face.

"Back then, we were able to communicate with the former Clan Chief right under Luo Qiu's nose. Delivering a message to Ao Feng should naturally be no problem. I'm confident we can do it without the people of Wuliang Garden noticing.

"I simply don't know whether Ao Feng will cooperate."

"Whether he'll cooperate, we'll only know after we test him. As Du Wuxu's grand-disciple, he still has certain advantages when it's Wuxu Sacred Land's turn to guard the formation gate."

Hei Yun nodded. "I'll send people over as soon as possible to establish a communication channel with him."

"We cannot afford a failure in this matter, so you must be extremely careful."

"Don't worry. No one understands this world better than we do. We may not be able to defeat the Nine Dogs, but slipping around under their noses and doing a few covert things is still within our ability.

"Even if only for the former Clan Chief's sake, so that she can recover again, we'll be careful."

Niu Youdao acknowledged that with a murmur, then said, "Speaking of your knowledge of this world, there happens to be something else I need your people to do."

"What?"

"The Seven-Colored Treasure Pearls produced in the seas. Have you heard of them?"

"Do you mean the pearls produced by the rainbow clams in the sea?"

"Exactly."

Hei Yun looked puzzled. "Those things aren't useful for anything beyond being pretty. At most, they can serve a little like luminous pearls, but the light they cast is a mess of colors, so they aren't even very good for illumination. They're best suited to decoration. What do you want them for?"

"I have a use for them. Once we obtain them, you'll understand what they're for. Send people into the sea and collect some. Remember, I want red ones."

"That's simple. It'll take a little effort, but it's very safe."

"Problems often come from small details people don't take seriously, and those small details are often fatal. Don't be careless. Stay cautious and don't let anyone notice what you're doing."

"Don't worry. Right, how many do you need?"

"I've seen Seven-Colored Treasure Pearls before. A few should probably be enough. But the ones I've seen may not be representative in size. To be safe, get ten. Arrange it as soon as possible."

"Fine. I'll have people handle it when I get back. Once they're obtained, I'll send them to you immediately."

Niu Youdao waved a hand. "No need to send them to me. Keep them here. Also prepare a hidden place for me here. I'll need to use it.

"Inside that hidden place, prepare some very hard timber, some stone, some jade as well, and... resin."

Hei Yun looked increasingly suspicious. "Those things are all easy enough. There won't be a problem. They can be ready whenever you need them."

"Then that's settled. I'm leaving first. Contact me as soon as everything is prepared."

With that, Niu Youdao took his leave.

...

The three characters Wuliang Garden stood prominently on the gatehouse arch.

The archway was also the exact location of the entrance whenever the protective formation opened.

Ao Feng stood beneath it.

Today was Wuxu Sacred Land's turn to provide the gate watch.

Two men were on duty.

The other was named Wei Ye.

Anyone assigned to guard the gate could hardly possess high status. Unlike Ao Feng, who had been assigned there as a disguised punishment, Wei Ye truly had been given the duty because of his ordinary rank and standing.

The two kept watch as usual, but Wei Ye noticed that Ao Feng seemed somewhat different today.

He appeared absent-minded.

As Ao Feng paced beneath the archway, he seemed to be constantly watching the area outside.

"Mr. Ao, what are you looking at?" When the two crossed paths again, Wei Ye finally could not resist asking politely.

He remained courteous because of Ao Feng's background.

Ao Feng might be out of favor now, but he was still Du Wuxu's grand-disciple. Who knew whether one day he might rise again and end up above Wei Ye?

Ao Feng's heart tightened.

He realized his behavior today might indeed appear abnormal.

But he truly could not help it.

Niu Youdao had said he would have the Demon Fox race contact Ao Feng, that the foxes would deliver a message to the formation entrance, and that if Ao Feng paid attention he would notice something.

Notice what?

Niu Youdao had not even asked which day Ao Feng was on duty, nor had he explained how they would contact him.

From outside, the foxes could not see clearly what was happening within the defensive formation.

Ao Feng simply could not imagine how they intended to make contact.

He was also afraid.

Afraid the Demon Foxes might create some disturbance and expose the entire affair.

How could he possibly stop himself from watching outside more carefully?

"Ah. Something this serious has happened, and the Sacred Venerables are furious. We can't afford to be careless again. Otherwise, neither you nor I could bear the consequences."

Ao Feng casually supplied a perfectly reasonable explanation.

Wei Ye heard it and immediately grew solemn, becoming more alert himself.

After getting past the question, Ao Feng continued observing outside closely.

Deliver the message to the gate?

Was that a joke?

The area around the entrance was relatively open. In particular, the ground more than ten zhang outside had been burned bare by the fire. With much of the cover gone, anything approaching the entrance was even easier to spot.

How could the Demon Foxes possibly deliver a message all the way to the gate?

But Niu Youdao could not possibly have taken such repeated risks merely to make a joke like this.

That really would have made the whole affair absurd.

Ao Feng looked and looked, yet found nothing unusual.

The only thing he noticed was a beetle perched on a grass stem outside. Every so often it flew up and circled around before landing again.

Were they planning to use a beetle to deliver the message?

Even Ao Feng himself found the idea ridiculous.

Who could remotely control a beetle from a distance?

Standing gate duty was extraordinarily dull.

By midafternoon, a large flying mount appeared overhead and swooped down outside.

The arrival was an Elder from Tianmo Sacred Land, who displayed Wu Chang's pass token.

Wei Ye immediately walked to the bell hanging beside a small side gate under the archway, seized the rope, and rang it loudly.

Before long, the Wuxu Sacred Land personnel assigned to the current rotation arrived in formation.

The formation entrance opened.

A group went outside and subjected the newcomers to a meticulous search.

While Ao Feng watched the inspection, his gaze suddenly shifted.

The beetle that had been resting on the grass outside abruptly took flight.

It flew straight inside.

No one paid the slightest attention to a tiny insect.

Once through the gate, the beetle landed directly on Ao Feng.

Ao Feng raised a hand and, without revealing anything, closed his fist around the beetle on his clothes.

Keeping it hidden in his palm, he sent a trace of spiritual power through it to inspect it.

His heart jolted.

There was something hidden inside the beetle's abdomen.

He immediately raised his eyes and swept the area outside.

There was no possibility the beetle knew who he was by itself.

He could now be certain that somewhere outside, a Demon Fox was hidden and watching.

Niu Youdao had not known what day Ao Feng would be on duty. Nor could anyone outside see clearly through the formation to identify who was standing inside.

Yet the instant the gate opened and Ao Feng became visible, the beetle had flown straight to him.

That meant some Demon Fox hidden outside had been watching constantly, and the moment the formation opened and revealed Ao Feng, the fox had driven the beetle toward him.

But no matter how Ao Feng searched, he could not find where the Demon Fox was hiding.

The Tianmo Sacred Land party, after passing the strict inspection, was admitted into Wuliang Garden.

The personnel who had gone outside to conduct the inspection also withdrew.

The formation closed again, and tranquility returned beneath the archway.

As Wei Ye paced past, he muttered, "Lately it feels like someone comes every day."

Ao Feng sighed. "Something this serious only just happened. Wuliang Garden may look fine inside, but no one can guarantee nothing went wrong.

"With everyone worried about the Wuliang Fruit, if the Nine Sacred Lands didn't send someone over every day to confirm it personally... put yourself in their place. Would you be able to rest easy?"

After saying it, Ao Feng himself suddenly realized something.

That fire Niu Youdao had set probably had not been merely to make it easier to enter Wuliang Garden and meet him.

[End of Chapter 1098]