Chapter 1447: Unable to Make Sense of the Situation

“Report! A secret passage has been discovered inside a room in one of the courtyards at the rear!”

At the report, Guan Fangyi, still unable to speak, felt every string in her heart pull taut. Her heart truly seemed to rise into her throat.

“A secret passage?” Consort Yuan’s tone changed slightly. She glanced back at Guan Fangyi, then strode forward. “Lead the way. Let’s have a look.”

The messenger immediately led the way, with several others following Consort Yuan.

The group reached the entrance to the passage. Someone released a Moon Butterfly for light, and they entered one after another while others shot ahead to clear the way.

After meeting up with the people who had gone in earlier, the group emerged into a room at the passage’s other end.

Consort Yuan stepped outside and saw that they were still inside Maolu Annex. Another group from their party was already searching this side of the compound.

That much was unsurprising. The passage itself was not very long.

Consort Yuan suddenly said, “Find out who lives in the rooms at both ends of this passage.”

“Yes!”

Someone immediately accepted the order and left.

Before long, the man returned at speed. “We asked. They are the residences of Hongniang from the Qi capital and Yun Ji of Duyun Mountain.”

“Them?” Consort Yuan paused, then abruptly turned back into the room and returned to the entrance of the passage. She stared into it. “The distance is this short. They could walk from one courtyard to the other in a few steps. What do two women have that cannot see the light of day, enough that they deliberately dug a tunnel between their rooms? Send more people inside. Search the passage again carefully. Check every inch.”

“Yes!”

People immediately entered the tunnel again.

Just as she had said, the distance was short. With more than ten cultivators inside using their arts to search carefully, they found something almost at once.

A man quickly ran back out and reported, “Report! A series of sizable hidden chambers has been discovered inside the passage.”

So there really was something here.

Without another word, Consort Yuan entered the tunnel once more. Near the middle, she found a section of wall that could rotate, revealing another concealed entrance.

Beyond it lay a straight corridor with several rooms opening on either side. The people who had arrived first were already opening chests and cabinets and searching through everything.

The chamber Niu Youdao had used was clearly the hub of the underground complex. That much could be seen from the furnishings alone.

Consort Yuan stood inside and slowly surveyed the room.

The search results came quickly.

No people were found. Neither were any additional secret rooms or passages. There were only five chambers. From the clothing left behind, it appeared that two men and three women had been living here.

Consort Yuan said blandly, “Bring that Hongniang from the Qi capital here.”

Someone immediately accepted the order and hurried to the front courtyard to fetch Guan Fangyi.

By this point, Guan Fangyi had calmed instead.

So much time had passed without the slightest sound of fighting. There was no possibility Master Dao and the others would simply sit there and wait to be captured.

When she entered the hidden chamber and saw what was inside, especially when she noticed that the map of the Sacred Realm had disappeared from among the maps on the wall, she became even more certain.

They had escaped.

Master Dao and the others were already gone.

A huge weight lifted from her heart.

She could not help marveling inwardly as well. Master Dao truly was Master Dao. Even without anyone warning him, he had still managed to slip away without being discovered.

Consort Yuan unsealed the acupoint that had robbed Guan Fangyi of speech. “Explain these hidden chambers.”

Guan Fangyi answered, “They are used for discussing confidential matters.”

Consort Yuan asked, “Who comes here to discuss them?”

“That depends on the matter. Powers all over the realm have secrets to discuss. Who doesn’t?” Guan Fangyi looked at her. “Who exactly are you people? As far as I know, Misty Pavilion does not casually interfere in local affairs.”

Consort Yuan ignored the question. “When I ask something, you had best answer honestly. Otherwise you are only making trouble for yourself. Where is that snake demon from Duyun Mountain? Why is her room empty?”

Guan Fangyi fell silent for a moment while secretly observing the state of the chamber and choosing her words with care. “She went back to Duyun Mountain.”

“When did she leave? When will she return?”

“She left today. There is no fixed date for her return. It depends on the situation at Duyun Mountain...”

No matter what she was asked, Guan Fangyi found a plausible answer.

As the questioning continued, however, she gradually sensed something.

These people did not seem to have come because of any specific incident. Their questions had no obvious target, and the search results did not resemble those of people who had known something beforehand and come specifically for Master Dao and the others.

That only made the situation stranger.

If they had not come because of anything in particular, then why had they suddenly barged in and started searching?

Later, Guan Fangyi saw a side gate of Maolu Annex swing open. A carriage rolled inside, and from it descended an enormously fat man with a kindly appearance and a constant cheerful smile.

Every person from Misty Pavilion treated the fat man with great respect. More than respect, there was even a trace of fear.

The Misty Pavilion people addressed the fat man as “Sir,” while calling the veiled woman “Auntie.”

Afterward, someone brought over the manager of the All-Under-Heaven Money House in Nanzhou’s provincial capital specifically to meet Guan Fangyi.

The purpose was simple: to tell her that there was no need to doubt the visitors’ identities. They truly were all people of Misty Pavilion, and Guan Fangyi’s side was required to cooperate fully.

...

In the mountains outside the city, Yuan Gang kept watch from a nearby summit while Yun Ji had gone away to handle another matter.

Niu Youdao glanced toward the peak where Yuan Gang was concealed, then turned to Lü Wushuang, who sat on a rock beside a stream.

He suddenly asked, “Are you getting used to being with Monkey?”

Lü Wushuang stared at the flowing water without looking back. “Do you think he can get used to being with me? I ran over to warn him. Before I could even open my mouth, he grabbed me by the throat without the slightest mercy and dragged me straight to all of you. I can guarantee that if I had dared make even one sound, he would have snapped my neck without the slightest hesitation.”

Niu Youdao said, “He can’t show himself openly in the annex now. Back when he could, everyone in the entire compound except me—including Hongniang and Yun Ji—was under his watch. It has nothing to do with whether he trusts someone. Nor is he someone who enjoys suspecting people. He simply does everything within his responsibilities to the best of his ability.”

Lü Wushuang looked back at him. “There’s no need to explain. I understand. It is normal that he doesn’t trust me. It was only that he suddenly did that to me, and for some reason I lost control of my emotions for a moment. You must have found it amusing.”

Niu Youdao smiled. “It was a good thing. At least for that moment, you looked less like Sacred Venerable Wushuang and more like a flesh-and-blood woman.”

Someone approached from outside the mountains.

A figure landed beside them.

It was Yun Ji.

Niu Youdao immediately turned to her. “What did you find in the city?”

Yun Ji replied, “I passed by the entrance. The guards are our people, and they don’t appear abnormal. But there are people wandering around inside who aren’t ours.”

“Outsiders? Then something really has happened. Our own people at the gate look normal, yet outsiders are inside?” Niu Youdao frowned, unable to make sense of it. He muttered to himself, “What’s going on?”

Lü Wushuang suddenly asked, “Any signs of fighting?”

Yun Ji shook her head. “It doesn’t look like it.”

Lü Wushuang said, “When we left, there didn’t seem to be any sounds of fighting either. If people truly forced their way in, who could stop Hongniang from raising an alarm and still keep everyone in the entire annex so quiet? With that many people guarding the compound, someone openly breaking in during broad daylight could not go unnoticed. Nor could anyone easily control that many people at once.”

Niu Youdao frowned. “You suspect Misty Pavilion?”

Lü Wushuang gave a slight nod.

Silence fell for a moment.

Yun Ji said, “We left in too much of a hurry. We didn’t even manage to bring out the Goldenwings used for our confidential contacts. Should I sneak inside and have a look? Or perhaps go to the Prince’s residence and see what is happening there?”

Niu Youdao said, “This is not the time to rely on superior skill and courage. Until we understand the situation, we don’t know how their people are positioned on the surface. The spiritual fluctuations when you approach from underground could easily be detected. There is no harm in being careful.”

He considered briefly.

“Do this. Disguise yourself and enter the city. Find Niu Shan, one of Feng, Lin, Shan, and Huo. He is currently responsible for the city defenses. Have him use some excuse about reporting official business to enter the Prince’s residence and see whether anything unusual has happened there.”

“If everything is normal, have Niu Shan contact Lan Ruoting for you. Let Lan Ruoting use some pretext to visit Maolu Annex and see what is going on.”

“Remember this as well. If something has happened, and once you are certain it is safe, bring Yin’er out first if possible. Knock her unconscious and bring her here. At this hour, Yin’er and the Commandery Princess should be over at the schoolhouse. Don’t forget to warn the Commandery Princess.”

“As long as we remove Yin’er, the dangerous variable, the situation should not worsen for the time being. The others probably won’t be in immediate danger either. If whoever came is truly targeting us, they are even less likely to kill Hongniang and the others right away. They will want to keep them alive.”

“That will buy us enough time to understand the situation and work out how to rescue them.”

“All right.” Yun Ji nodded and swiftly departed. Entering and leaving the city posed no difficulty for her.

...

Inside the kitchen of Nanshan Temple at Maolu Annex, a group of monks were busy cooking.

Yuan Fang supervised from the side, glancing toward the doorway from time to time.

He was puzzled.

Why had people from Misty Pavilion suddenly come here?

It was not even mealtime yet, but they had already ordered the monks to prepare an entire banquet. What were they doing?

...

Inside the main hall of Wuliang Mountain, only two people were present: Consort Yuan and Gongsun Bu.

They were supposedly questioning people one at a time.

Gongsun Bu had no idea what his visitor intended to ask. The woman wore a veiled hat, so he could not even see her face.

“You are the Sect Leader of Wuliang Mountain. What was your name again?” Consort Yuan suddenly asked.

Gongsun Bu bowed respectfully. “Gongsun Bu.”

“I had forgotten the name, but I remember your identity. Do you know why I asked for you?”

“I do not.”

Consort Yuan said, “Is there any need to keep pretending ignorance in front of me? Let me remind you of something. By now, you should know that I am from Misty Pavilion.”

Emotion surged inside Gongsun Bu. He cautiously replied, “Please make your meaning clear.”

“Make it clear?” Consort Yuan walked over and stopped before him. “You are one of Misty Pavilion’s people. Do I really need to spell things out any further?”

Gongsun Bu’s heart tightened.

Consort Yuan continued, “You should be familiar with the people and affairs inside Maolu Annex. Remember this from now on: use your position to keep watch over everything that happens in this compound. If you discover anything abnormal, report it to me immediately.”

...

Outside the main gate of Maolu Annex, Lan Ruoting climbed into his carriage. Once it started moving, he lowered his voice to the disguised Yun Ji seated beside him.

“Something is wrong. The guards at the gate wouldn’t let me in. What exactly happened?”

Following Niu Youdao’s instructions, Yun Ji had contacted Niu Shan.

Lan Ruoting, however, had not been at the Prince’s residence. He had gone to one of the subordinate offices to handle official business, so it had taken some effort to locate him.

The moment he met Yun Ji and heard the request, Lan Ruoting wasted no time and came straight to Maolu Annex.

Who could have expected him to be stopped at the gate and not even allowed inside?

Yun Ji did not explain what had happened. She merely said in a low voice, “I’ll have to trouble Sir to return to the Prince’s residence again. If you find nothing unusual there, use this carriage to bring the Commandery Princess and Yin’er out.”

Lan Ruoting nodded.

Inside, however, he had already realized something serious must have happened.

Otherwise there was no reason he would be barred from Maolu Annex, and even less reason for this woman to be afraid to return there herself.

Unease and worry rose in him.

What neither of them knew was that the delay in locating Lan Ruoting had cost them time.

By now, the students at the schoolhouse had already been dismissed.

Shang Shuqing was holding Yin’er by the hand as they walked together toward the rear gate of Maolu Annex.

[End of Chapter 1447]