The Journey of Immortal Cultivation

Chapter 1034 - 565: Following the Vine to Find the Melon (Part 2)

Ning Xiaoxian said indifferently, "Just now, how many patrols did we encounter on our way here?"

"Three waves." As the auction date draws near, the entire Central Capital City is under strict guard. But even so, it can’t handle the influx of cultivators coming into the city. Some have longstanding grudges, and seeing their enemies now makes them especially furious. Cultivators are used to being free-spirited and would draw swords without a word. So, in the past few days, the streets have been far from peaceful, and the Supervision Bureau has also strengthened the city’s defenses. On their way here, they encountered at least three waves of patrol guards.

"With so many large wagons suddenly on the road at night, wouldn’t the patrols step forward to question them?" Ning Xiaoxian smiled with a hint of bitterness. "Even if they came up with a good excuse to let the patrols pass, it should delay them for a moment. From the spiritual tea being stolen to Manager Yang notifying you, it was merely a moment. If the robbers truly encountered patrols, how could they not be caught by you?"

It’s been less than two hours since the incident. As the saying goes, ’the longer the night, the more dreams,’ and ’the longer the road, the more ghosts.’ The road from the Medicine Ginseng Group’s back door to the Li Mansion isn’t short. If the robbers really drove dozens of large wagons along the road, they’d have to gallop at full speed to thunder across the entire street. What band of robbers would do such a foolish thing? But if not, it wouldn’t be easy to reach in two hours.

She sneered, "Stealing the spiritual tea is both a goal and a means. If I were to track them, they would deliberately lay a false trail, directing the clues all the way to this Li Mansion. Otherwise, the goods were stolen only after overpowering the guards and taking them to the warehouse without being damaged in a fight. Why would the packaging be torn, and the tea fragrance leak out? The other party knows that Hidden Stream is full of sharp-nosed demons and deliberately lured us here. I am certain that even if there are carts in this yard, they’re empty with not a bit of spiritual tea left. More likely, there are some interesting things waiting here for us. Even though causing death in Central Capital City isn’t an option, as soon as we rush in, we might find seven or eight stolen goods from others planted here to incriminate us."

"If we back out now, the ones who set up this trap wouldn’t lose anything. They’ll still pocket ten thousand jins of spiritual tea. Heh heh, several million spirit stones, that’s quite a fortune." Her voice had an undeniable anger. With the whereabouts of the spiritual tea unknown and the Heavenly Residence’s delivery date approaching, usually if someone stole even one cent or mace from her, she would beat them up. Now, this unseen opponent is plotting for her millions of spirit stones!

The Hidden Guards remained silent. They had a vague feeling that this pursuit was too smooth. Now that Ning Xiaoxian exposed the mechanism, they were filled with indignation. They were proud and arrogant demons who preferred straightforward and brutally aggressive fighting methods. Being outmaneuvered like this, they all felt a pent-up fury they couldn’t release.

Ning Xiaoxian gazed at the Li Mansion in the darkness and slowly said, "Why must we be brought to the Li Mansion?" She turned to ask Manager Yang, "Are there any suspicious people coming and going from the Li Mansion usually?"

Manager Yang was taken aback and said embarrassingly, "Boss, well, I really don’t know. He’s not a high-profile figure in Central Capital, just a moderately wealthy merchant. Among such merchants, there are not a thousand but eight hundred in the Inner City..." Seeing Ning Xiaoxian’s gaze suddenly sharpen, he suddenly remembered that his superior hated excuses, and cold sweat broke out on his back, unable to continue.

Ning Xiaoxian knew he spoke truthfully, but it wasn’t the answer she wanted. She rubbed her forehead and then transmitted a message to Qingluan, "Go find the secretary under Miluo and get detailed information about the Li Mansion from him. I know you have his address memorized. Additionally, urge Steward Wu for more news." Ultimately, her subordinates were not strong enough, and thus she owed Miluo a big favor.

Qingluan quietly acknowledged and turned to leave.

Qi Zai couldn’t help saying, "If this is a trap, why not just not go in? What’s the next step, go back to the inn and plan slowly?"

Ning Xiaoxian’s mouth curled into a cold smile, "Not go in? We’ve chased them up to here, how could we not go in? Besides, do you think the other side expended such efforts, stole my spiritual tea in the heavily guarded Inner City, didn’t mind sacrificing their own, and even planted many ’coincidental’ witnesses on the roadside would just let us walk away unscathed? I’m afraid if we return to the inn, someone will come to make trouble for us in the middle of the night."

Qi Zai puffed out his chest and said, "Let them try if they want to die! The people of Hidden Stream aren’t afraid of others causing trouble! If we’re not troubling others, they should be thanking Heaven and Earth, ’Ah yo!’"

It was then that Ning Xiaoxian turned the hilt of the Tusk sword and "slap" hit him on the head. His skin was thick, and she didn’t use real force, so it was loud but didn’t hurt, echoing far in the quiet cold night.

Some pedestrians turned to look at the sound and, seeing Ning Xiaoxian’s group, immediately smiled, "Elder Ning."

Ning Xiaoxian saw him, her eyes brightened, the corners of her mouth lifted, and she appeared quite pleased, "Elder Liu, we meet again." It was actually an acquaintance, Liu Yunfeng, the elder of the Chaoyun Sect.

Liu Yunfeng surveyed the group and curiously asked, "Miss Ning, it’s so late at night, are you planning to find a place for a drink? There’s no tavern around here."

Ning Xiaoxian replied with a half-smile, "No tavern? So what are you doing here, Elder Liu?" The old man last time was in Duling City first visiting friends for drinks before allowing Quan Shifang and others to travel by themselves. He stumbled upon her and Huangfuming’s killing scene, signaling his hidden attribute must be a big alcohol worm. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for a recommendation or monthly ticket on Qidian.com as your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)