Chapter 1446: The Situation Is Urgent

Consort Yuan sat beside him. She had already changed into ordinary clothing and wore a veiled conical hat. Reaching out, she opened a narrow gap in the carriage curtain and looked outside.

People guarded the carriage on all sides. The rest of the escort had already forced their way into Maolu Annex.

Consort Yuan let the curtain fall and looked back. “Why did you suddenly decide to stop here?”

After the Six Sacred Venerables split up, Yuan Se had chosen to take command in Yan. While passing through Nanzhou, he had suddenly ordered the group to come here, leaving her puzzled.

Yuan Se said, “We’re inside Yan either way. There’s no need to make ourselves suffer.”

Consort Yuan became even more confused. This man was cautious enough that even now he still refused to reveal the truth. She gave a cold laugh. “If you don’t want to tell me, forget it.”

Seeing her displeasure, Yuan Se chuckled. “I’ve heard that the food of Maolu Villa is unmatched under Heaven. Since we’re already here, it would be a shame to miss it. Hearing is empty; seeing is believing. I’d like to see just how unmatched it really is.”

“...” Consort Yuan was instantly left speechless.

At last she understood. He had come for the food.

Thinking it over, of course. Eating had always been one of this man’s great pleasures. It was perfectly normal for him to come here because of that.

“I’ll go take a look and make sure word doesn’t leak.” Consort Yuan spoke briefly.

Yuan Se nodded slightly and waved a hand, indicating that she should go.

Consort Yuan bent down and slipped out of the carriage...

Seeing people force their way inside, how could Guan Fangyi simply stand by? She shouted, “Who are you?”

Old Six Xu quickly retreated to her side and whispered, “They’re from Misty Pavilion.”

Misty Pavilion?

Guan Fangyi froze, then felt a surge of alarm. Why would Misty Pavilion suddenly force its way in here? Had they discovered the secrets on this side?

She thought of the people inside the secret chamber. Niu Youdao, Lü Wushuang, even Yuan Gang—none of them could be seen openly. If any of them were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Worse, the timing was terrible. Yun Ji was not outside. Every one of them was inside the secret chamber and knew nothing about what was happening above. The others at the annex did not even know Niu Youdao and the rest were there, so there was no one who could secretly warn them or tell them to evacuate.

The thought made every hair on Guan Fangyi’s body stand on end. She immediately turned, intending to hurry away and warn them.

“Stop!”

A figure flashed over and blocked her path. A Misty Pavilion command token was thrust out before her on an open palm.

Guan Fangyi examined the man, then looked back at the others. Every one of them wore ordinary clothes. Not a single person was dressed in Misty Pavilion garb.

The moment they entered, they rushed toward every corner of Maolu Annex, clearly intending to seize control of the entire compound at once.

The man said indifferently, “You’re Guan Fangyi, Hongniang of the Qi capital?”

Uneasy inside, Guan Fangyi forced herself to remain calm on the surface. “I am. When Misty Pavilion acts openly, its people do not dress like this. All of you suddenly arrive dressed this way, and I find the whole thing suspicious. How am I supposed to know you truly belong to Misty Pavilion?”

“You’ll be given proof.” A voice came from behind.

Consort Yuan approached gracefully beneath her veiled hat, her tone haughty.

Seeing the man beside her cup his hands in salute, Guan Fangyi immediately turned and could tell the newcomer was a woman.

Consort Yuan stopped before her and said arrogantly, “Hongniang of the Qi capital. I have long heard your name. I hear you are the one in charge here. Pass down the order immediately. Everyone in Maolu Annex is to remain exactly where they are and submit to inspection. No one is to move without permission. Anyone who disobeys dies!”

Guan Fangyi’s mind raced as she searched for a response. The moment she heard those words, she seized the opportunity. “Fine! I’ll make the arrangements immediately.”

She intended to use the excuse to warn the others.

But the moment she turned, Consort Yuan placed a hand on her shoulder. “There’s no need for the mistress of the house to run around over something this minor. Just give the order.”

She lifted her chin toward Old Six Xu, indicating that he could handle it.

Anxiety gnawed at Guan Fangyi. She could not even pass Old Six Xu a coded warning now. She hesitated, wondering whether she should turn hostile and deliberately create enough commotion to alert Niu Youdao and the others.

Before she could decide, Consort Yuan abruptly struck. Her fingers tapped several points on Guan Fangyi’s body in succession, sealing her cultivation before she could react.

Consort Yuan then told the people beside her, “You two, go with him.”

Two men immediately moved to Old Six Xu’s side and gave him a push. Old Six Xu had no idea what was happening and had received no instructions. Faced with people from Misty Pavilion, he dared not disobey and could only go along obediently.

Consort Yuan then issued another crisp order. “Search! Search carefully. Do not overlook a single corner. If you find anything suspicious, control it immediately and report back!”

“Yes!”

Several people acknowledged the order and immediately began searching Maolu Annex.

This was no trifling inspection. A Sacred Venerable of Dayuan Sacred Land had arrived in person. If Yuan Se intended to stay here, every possible danger inside the compound first had to be eliminated before he would feel safe enough to enter.

Once Yuan Se moved in, everyone here would be placed under a gag order. No one would be permitted to reveal that Yuan Se was present, nor even that this group had arrived.

Watching the search begin, Guan Fangyi felt as though her heart were burning. The entrances to the underground passages might deceive ordinary people, but how could they withstand cultivators using arts to search? One serious inspection and everything would certainly be exposed.

How had this happened?

She could not understand it.

Had they truly been exposed?

“Who exactly are you people?” Guan Fangyi’s tone turned cold.

She wanted to find an excuse to make trouble and provoke a reaction from everyone in Maolu Annex. Once a commotion started, perhaps Niu Youdao and the others would be alerted and flee.

Making that decision was not easy.

If these people truly belonged to Misty Pavilion and she angered them, she currently had no ability to resist. She might lose her life.

Yet they had stormed in under Misty Pavilion’s name in broad daylight. Their identity was probably genuine. Under normal circumstances, no one dared impersonate Misty Pavilion so openly.

And if they had come because they had discovered something and meant to search the compound, then the chance that their Misty Pavilion identity was genuine became greater still.

Which meant that in making this decision, Guan Fangyi had already gritted her teeth and prepared to sacrifice herself.

It was not because she was some noble martyr.

If Niu Youdao and the others were truly exposed, she would meet no good end either. After weighing both sides, she had little choice but to make this difficult decision.

But Consort Yuan reacted even faster.

With a casual finger, she struck another point on Guan Fangyi’s body and instantly robbed her of the ability to speak.

Then Consort Yuan casually pushed her aside. People immediately stepped forward and restrained Guan Fangyi between them.

Guan Fangyi cursed inwardly. She could only watch helplessly as the intruders searched everywhere, placing all her hopes on Niu Youdao and the others themselves.

She knew that, with their strength and Yun Ji present, even Misty Pavilion might not necessarily be able to capture Master Dao and the others.

As long as Master Dao escaped, then with his abilities he might still find a way to rescue her and everyone else...

Outside the annex, Yuan Se continued reclining comfortably in the carriage.

He was in no hurry. He could wait until the people below had cleared the compound before going in and revealing himself. He had traveled a long way to get here; another short while made no difference...

Just as Guan Fangyi had feared, several men searching her courtyard soon discovered the entrance to the secret passage. They simply did not know how to open it.

If they had patiently used their arts to investigate, finding the mechanism would not have been difficult.

But the three men were confident enough to have no interest in wasting the effort. Too lazy to bother, they simply attacked.

Boom!

The cabinet concealing the entrance exploded apart, and the three forced their way inside.

The noise made everyone inside the secret chamber turn their heads in alarm.

Niu Youdao and Lü Wushuang, who had been speaking, stopped at once. Niu Youdao had been reclining, but in an instant he sat upright, his eyes flashing rapidly.

Underground it was quiet, and sound carried well through the passages. Even with a wall between them, everyone inside had heard the noise clearly.

Yun Ji turned toward the direction of the sound. “That came from Hongniang’s side. I’ll go see what happened.”

“Stop!” Niu Youdao was already on his feet. His vigilance was extremely high. “Withdraw! Immediately!”

Yun Ji looked surprised.

Lü Wushuang rose as well, her expression grave, her words rapid and urgent. “That noise from Hongniang is abnormal. It may be outsiders. Everyone above belongs to us. Hongniang would never allow outsiders to force their way in, and there was no warning. Something may have happened. We cannot meet the newcomers face-to-face. If we do, Hongniang and the others will be in even greater danger.”

That was exactly the logic behind Niu Youdao’s reaction. Hearing her say it, he gave her another look.

Yun Ji began, “Maybe Hongniang accidentally knocked into...”

“If it was an accident, then treat this as a false alarm. We cannot take the risk now,” Lü Wushuang said quickly in a lowered voice. Then she turned to Niu Youdao. “If something has changed, then unless Hongniang betrayed us, the secret passage hidden inside the secret passage will not be exposed so easily. Hongniang only just went out. Even if she meant to betray us, it could not happen this quickly. They will still need some time to find their way here. Pack everything that could expose us immediately. I’ll go notify Monkey and have him join us.”

With that, she ran off quickly.

Niu Youdao said, “She’s right. Pack everything immediately.”

He turned and tore the Sacred Realm map from the wall at once, quickly gathering several intelligence reports with it.

Yuan Gang came running from another underground passage with the Three-Roars Saber on his back and a large chest in his arms. The chest held all the intelligence reports temporarily stored for later reference.

The moment he saw Lü Wushuang running toward him, he grabbed her by the throat before she could speak. Preventing her from making a sound, he dragged her away. “Someone’s here. Withdraw!”

He had heard the noise as well. His instinct for danger was no slower. Without waiting for anyone to notify him, he had already gathered the materials and started toward the others.

Lü Wushuang was nearly choked senseless. Her eyes widened as she struggled and pulled desperately at his hand, but she did not have enough strength to pry it loose.

When the two reached the secret chamber and Niu Youdao saw Yuan Gang dragging her by the throat, he frowned. “Monkey, what are you doing?”

Yuan Gang released Lü Wushuang. He did not explain his behavior. Seeing the bundle Niu Youdao had packed, he knew Master Dao had understood the danger as well. “Let’s withdraw.”

Lü Wushuang covered her mouth with both hands and coughed several times before finally catching her breath.

Niu Youdao looked at her. “Did you clear out everything in your room?”

Yuan Gang answered for her. “I’ve been keeping watch on her side the whole time. There’s nothing there that could expose us.”

Lü Wushuang whipped her head around.

She understood now. Although Yuan Gang shared the same room with her, in reality he had been monitoring her all along.

Combined with the way he had nearly strangled her to death just moments ago, Lü Wushuang turned her face away. For no apparent reason, her eyes reddened, though her expression revealed nothing.

Niu Youdao looked at the two of them and sensed something in their reactions. He said nothing more. This was not the time for unnecessary words.

He gave only one command.

“Go!”

Yun Ji immediately took the group underground and fled through the earth.

As they moved through the subterranean darkness, Niu Youdao held a luminous pearl and glanced at Lü Wushuang from time to time. She kept her head turned to one side and never once looked at Yuan Gang.

Meanwhile, of the three men who had discovered the secret passage, one withdrew while the other two advanced cautiously inside. He went back first to report what they had found.

[End of Chapter 1446]