Chapter 356 - 353: Da Lang
Chapter 356 - 353: Da Lang
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"At that moment, I was thinking, could there be treasures hidden beneath that crack? It was exactly because there were treasures down there that Li Xiaoming wouldn't let us get close. Just when I was about to go down and take a look, someone came...
For safety reasons, I could only retreat and plan to come back later to check." At this point, Wu Dalang paused for a moment: "When I returned to the back mountain the next night, I discovered something bizarre... The crack had disappeared... To be precise, it had been sealed off, clogged with broken stones. No need to ask, it was definitely Li Xiaoming's handiwork.
Apart from him, no one could seal off a bottomless crevice in just one day. Afterwards, the back mountain was declared off-limits, no one was allowed to approach it."
"What happened after that?"
"Nothing happened after that..."
"Nothing?"
"Yeah, that's all I know."
"..." Gao Fei tugged at the corner of his mouth: "What about the ten missing Decurions...?"
"I'm not clear about that matter." Wu Dalang shook his head: "But I personally think... it's related to Li Xiaoming..."
"Do you have anything else to add?"
"No... Oh, actually, there is one more thing."
"What's that?"
"We were warned not to speak of the collapse at the back mountain."
"By whom?"
"The newly appointed Centurion Feng Chen. He said if anyone dares to let slip the secret, he would take their head." As he spoke, Wu Dalang shrank his head down.
"Very good." Gao Fei nodded: "The information you've provided is very important to me."
"So, about that reward..." Wu Dalang rubbed his hands together sheepishly.
"Here you go." Gao Fei took out a bunch of Spirit Stones from the Storage Ring, roughly a hundred or so: "Is this enough?"
"Enough, more than enough." Wu Dalang's eyes gleamed as he quickly stashed away the Spirit Stones: "Thank you, my lord, thank you so much." He was just an ordinary soldier, and his monthly military pay was only three Spirit Stones. A hundred stones amounted to several years of his salary.
"Go back and think carefully to see if there's anything you've missed."
"Yes, I will, my lord. I'm leaving now. I wish you success in breaking the case. And remember, our meeting must be kept secret."
"Don't worry, I won't betray you."
With Gao Fei's assurance, Wu Dalang sneaked away, creeping off like a ghost.
Gao Fei's lips slowly curled into a smile: "See? This is what people mean when they say 'Where there's a will, there's a way!' We didn't even have to search for clues; they came to us."
"There's something fishy about the back mountain." Chen San said.
"We should check it out. We might discover something." Liu Qing suggested.
"No time to delay, let's head to the back mountain now." Gao Fei, being impulsive, knew that since they'd found a lead, they had to act on it immediately, with no delays.
And so, Gao Fei and the others set out for the back mountain under cover of night.
...
Inside the small building.
Centurion Feng Chen was hugging a charming woman, sound asleep. He had a peculiar habit; he needed to be holding a woman to fall asleep each night.
"My lord!" A shout came from below, waking the dreamy Feng Chen.
"Who is it." Feng Chen cursed irritably: "Have you eaten the heart of a bear and the courage of a leopard, daring to disturb my sleep?"
"It's me, Erdizi, I have urgent news to report."
"Damn it, can't even sleep in peace." Feng Chen pushed the woman aside, got dressed, and went out.
"My lord, something terrible has happened." A man with a weaselly face hurried over.
"What on earth has happened?" Feng Chen asked, impatiently.
"I just received news that the imperial envoy went with his men to the back mountain..."
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"What?" Feng Chen's eyes bulged. "What did you say? They went to the back mountain?"
"Yes," the man with the shifty eyes nodded.
"What are they doing in the back mountain? They couldn't have found something, could they? No, I must hurry over!" Feng Chen rushed out in a hurry.
The man with the shifty eyes quickly followed.
...
The back mountain.
Gao Fei stood in front of a pile of rocks, silent for a long time.
"My lord? What's the matter?" Chen San asked. "Is there a problem with this pile of rocks?"
"There is, and it's a big problem," Gao Fei said in a puzzling manner. "Move these rocks out of the way."
"Ah?"
"Do you not understand what I said?"
"Yes, we'll start moving them right away."
Under Gao Fei's command, Chen San and Liu Qing moved the mountainous pile of rocks to one side.
After the rocks were moved, a crack more than a dozen meters long was revealed, filled with rubble.
"A crack?" Chen San was taken aback. "My lord, how did you know there was a crack under the pile of rocks?"
Liu Qing's face was also full of surprise.
"If you observe carefully, you can find it," Gao Fei found an excuse. "Come on, keep working, clear out the rubble from the crack."
"Alright, will do." Chen San and Liu Qing rolled up their sleeves and began to clear the rubble.
Gao Fei was not idle either. He stepped forward and joined in clearing the rubble. Another person might have found it difficult to locate the buried crack, but Gao Fei was different, because he had Clairvoyance. A casual glance was all it took for him to find the crack.
Just now, Gao Fei had pushed his Clairvoyance to the limit, looking deep into the ground...and he vaguely spotted something.
"What are you doing!" Feng Chen arrived at the scene with a group of people. "Stop! All of you, stop!"
"Why has Lord Feng come?" Gao Fei stood up and asked with a smile.
"Lord Gao, what is the meaning of this!" Feng Chen said with a stern face. "You don't sleep in the middle of the night, instead coming to the back mountain to dig rocks. What exactly do you intend to do?" Gao Fei's actions had crossed his line, so Feng Chen spoke quite rudely.
"I found a crack." Gao Fei pointed to the crack under his feet. "I plan to clean up the rubble and see what's underneath the crack."
"There's nothing there," Feng Chen hastily said. "It's just an ordinary crack that was washed out by a heavy rain several months ago. I had already surveyed it; it's just an ordinary crack with nothing underneath. For safety, I had someone fill in this crack..."
"Is that really so?" Gao Fei looked at Feng Chen with a mocking smile.
"Every word I say is true. If Lord Gao doesn't believe me, you may ask others. Many people can testify to that," Feng Chen spoke loudly.
"As the saying goes, 'Hearing is false, seeing is believing.' Just clean up the rubble, go down and have a look, and you will know whether Lord Feng is telling the truth or lying."
"You're wasting time."
"I have plenty of time to spare, wasting a little is not an issue."
"You..."
"Lord Feng seems very concerned about this crack. Could it be that there really is a secret hidden beneath? Are you afraid I will find it?"
"Don't talk nonsense! There are no secrets under the crack!"
"If that's the case, then why are you stopping me?"
"I... I had just managed to fill in the crack, and now you've opened it again. You're intent on giving me trouble!"
"Don't worry, once I've investigated the matter thoroughly, I will refill the rubble. You won't have to lift a finger." From beginning to end, Gao Fei spoke with an even temper and steady tone, showing not the slightest hint of anger.
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