Chapter 278: Fox Guarding the Henhouse
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chen Fei swiftly arrived in front of the mountain cave, sensing a faint residue of aura in the surroundings.
When compared, it did indeed bear some resemblance to the lingering aura left at Moyang Manor.
If Chen Fei hadn’t possessed the black thread, he might have mistakenly believed that both auras belonged to the same person.
However, he couldn’t help but wonder why there was a similar aura here. If the thief was here, then whose was the black thread in his possession?
“Elder Fang, have you investigated inside?” Chen Fei turned to look at Fang Zhehua standing beside him.
“I’ve looked inside, but the cave is a complex maze with many intersections. If I go in alone, I might startle them,” Fang Zhehua replied, lowering his voice. “Now, it’s just the two of us here. I’ll be straightforward. Whoever infiltrated Moyang Manor must have stolen quite a lot to attract the attention of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.”
Chen Fei nodded in agreement. After all, if the losses were minor, Moyang Manor would likely keep the matter quiet.
Reporting it to the sect would mean exposing the incident, and the sect might perceive it as negligence on the part of the caretaker.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, they would keep it under wraps. Only when they could no longer hide it, and further delays could worsen the situation, would they consider reporting it.
“Green Yang Grass and Blood Serpents are quite valuable, and I never intended to monopolize them. However, since I discovered this place first, if we do find something, I’ll need to take a significant portion,” Fang Zhehua stared into Chen Fei’s eyes, speaking with a deep voice.
Chen Fei was momentarily surprised by Fang Zhehua’s words but nodded in agreement, saying, “That’s only natural. If we do make a discovery, Elder Fang, you can take seventy percent directly. How about that?”
Chen Fei showed considerable respect to Fang Zhehua. The gains from this kind of task were of no concern to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. Moyang Manor couldn’t investigate either, so naturally, all the proceeds went to the one who took the mission.
Blood Serpents and Green Yang Grass were valuable, and Fang Zhehua made it clear. Chen Fei had no objections.
For most early-stage Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, this was a significant gain and a helpful resource for their future cultivation.
However, with the resources he had acquired in a month, Chen Fei could open up two acupoints. Blood Serpents and Green Yang Grass were relatively insignificant in comparison. Of course, to appear normal, he still needed to collect some; otherwise, it would seem too unusual.
After all, for those who had just entered the Aperture Tempering realm, various cultivation resources were of utmost importance.
“Very well! Let’s go in together. Each of us will investigate different sections. Although it’s complicated inside, we won’t let anything escape our grasp!” Fang Zhehua couldn’t help but smile when he saw Chen Fei was so understanding.
“Please, Elder Fang!” Chen Fei nodded and gestured for Fang Zhehua to lead the way.
Fang Zhehua nodded and swiftly entered the cave. Chen Fei watched as Fang Zhehua’s figure disappeared, then looked into the distance before stepping into the cave as well.
Inside the cave was indeed a hidden paradise, with many intersections and numerous pathways branching out in different directions, just as Fang Zhehua had described. At this moment, Fang Zhehua had already chosen one of the paths and ventured further inside.
Chen Fei spread out his core soul energy, detecting traces of formations. However, the formations had already been dismantled, making it impossible to discern what had been placed there previously. Nevertheless, for a Visceral Tempering realm cultivator, setting up formations was quite challenging.
Chen Fei furrowed his brow as he walked along the intersection, sensing the surroundings. He wasn’t in a rush to find the thief right away. Many things puzzled him, and he wanted to take this time to reflect.
“Drip, drip, drip!”
Water droplets from the cave ceiling fell to the ground, producing a sound. Chen Fei replayed the events of the day in his mind, and his eyes gradually lit up.
“Boom!”
The entire cave suddenly shook. Chen Fei’s footsteps paused, and his figure flickered as he returned to the cave’s entrance. In just a moment, Fang Zhehua appeared before him, carrying a figure.
“We caught him, but there’s not much left of the things. He ate most of it!” Fang Zhehua’s face wore a troubled expression as he threw the figure to the ground.
Chen Fei sensed the person’s aura on the ground, and it had no connection to the black thread in his sleeve. They simply shared a similar aura.
“As long as we complete the mission,” Chen Fei replied, choosing not to inquire about the remaining items. Seeing Chen Fei’s lack of questions, Fang Zhehua’s anger subsided slightly. He grabbed the person by the neck again and walked out of the cave.
Chen Fei remained expressionless as he followed. In less than fifteen minutes, the two of them returned to Moyang Manor. Qian Jianlong quickly came out to greet them.
“Master Qian, please check if this is the person,” Fang Zhehua said with a muffled sound, tossing the captive onto the ground. Qian Jianlong stepped forward to inspect while calling the guards who had been patrolling that night to identify the person. After some bustling activity, they ultimately confirmed that the captured individual was indeed the shadow from that night.
Chen Fei stood aside, watching as the people busily verified the identity.
“Thank you both for lending a hand and capturing this thief. This will prevent further disturbances at the manor in the future,” Qian Jianlong said with a grateful smile, repeatedly bowing to Fang Zhehua and Chen Fei.
“Most of the credit goes to Elder Fang; 1 dare not take much credit,” Chen Fei said, waving his hand modestly.
Fang Zhehua remained silent, accepting the credit entirely. Indeed, today’s capture, from discovering the cave to capturing the thief, had all been accomplished by Fang Zhehua alone.
Chen Fei, on the other hand, had merely walked through the cave and could be said to have done nothing.
“Although we’ve captured the thief, for the sake of prudence, I’d like both of you to stay at the manor for another day,” Qian Jianlong said with a smile.
Both Fang Zhehua and Chen Fei nodded in agreement, offering no objections. This was part of the mission procedure, and it depended on whether there would be any other attempts at theft in the manor tonight.
At the same time, Qian Jianlong intended to interrogate the captive in the hopes of extracting more information.
As night fell, Chen Fei sat cross-legged in his room, circulating his elemental energy throughout his body. His inner energy resonated with the surrounding vital energy, guiding it into his acupoints.
Even in recent months, despite the assistance of elixirs, Chen Fei continued this daily practice. After all, the Heaven and Earth Vital Energy was the most fundamental element.
Even though the elixirs contained vital energy, there was still a slight difference compared to the Heaven and Earth Vital Energy. Chen Fei hoped to bring himself closer to the Heaven and Earth Vital Energy.
After a while, Chen Fei stopped his cultivation, opened the window, and gazed at the bright moon in the night sky. Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
The black thread that had been hidden in Chen Fei’s hand trembled slightly.
Clearly, the owner of this aura had now appeared at Moyang Manor.
The manor’s defensive formations were fully operational, and there were two Aperture Tempering realm cultivators within the manor. However, none of these measures had detected the arrival of that aura.
Combining the events of today, an answer that seemed unlikely but was the closest to the truth now lay before Chen Fei.
The fox guarding the henhouse!
There are some suspicious issues with the owner of Moyang Manor, Qian Jianlong and based on the current situation, Fang Zhehua, who came to assist with the investigation, also appears to be questionable.
Is the thief caught today the real mastermind?
At the time, the aura of the black thread pointed to a location not far from the cave, meaning that the person was lurking nearby. Why did he choose to hide? Was he worried about being discovered while guarding and stealing, prepared to kill and silence anyone at a moment’s notice?
If Chen Fei’s reactions at the time were off or if there were other anomalies, would that person have conspired with Fang Zhehua to attack Chen Fei?
“Now that the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect is stretched thin, the situation here is easily overlooked. But why would Qian Jianlong, the head of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s main lineage, do such a thing? Just because he saw the Blood Serpents and Green Yang Grass too many times and couldn’t resist?”
Chen Fei furrowed his brows and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
Fang Zhehua’s behavior throughout the day seemed normal—arrogant, pretending to be a senior, and all the other aspects that matched his outward image. But it was just too fitting, which made it all seem rather suspicious.
Moreover, Fang Zhehua found the thief too quickly, almost as if he wanted to resolve this matter as soon as possible.
Of course, if Chen Fei didn’t have this black thread in his possession, these anomalies might have been easily ignored, as no one can be suspicious of everything all the time.
Chen Fei only connected everything because of the black thread, making him unable to stop himself from overthinking.
“It’s worth the greed of several Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, and the loss of Blood Serpents and Green Yang Grass is definitely much greater than what’s recorded on the books. Immortal Cloud Sword Sect will definitely notice something unusual as soon as they have the time. Unless… they think Immortal Cloud Sword Sect won’t be able to oversee this place in the short term?”
Chen Fei’s eyes narrowed slightly. Fang Zhehua was from Long Rainbow Sect, so was Long Rainbow Sect planning something? Or perhaps, did the Divine Flame Sect have some actions planned, jointly with Long Rainbow Sect?
Chen Fei lightly tapped his fingers on the tabletop, and these speculations, to some extent, felt irresponsible because there was no evidence at present.
But what if it were true? What if Long Rainbow Sect had indeed encountered problems, and how would it affect the upcoming situation?
What impact would it have on the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, and how would it affect Chen Fei himself?
Chen Fei’s thoughts expanded further. When faced with situations, it’s often a good idea to consider the worst-case scenario. This way, even if something unexpected happens, it falls within the realm of anticipation.
Chen Fei now pondered, what if Long Rainbow Sect had indeed become involved with the Divine Flame Sect?
However, before delving into these speculations, the first step was to confirm whether it was an inside job.
To verify his conjecture, there was a straightforward method – revisit that cave and inspect the traces left behind by the captured thief.
With this in mind, Chen Fei’s figure swayed slightly, and a phantom emerged from his body. After a moment, the phantom stabilized, taking on Chen Fei’s appearance.
In the pinnacle stage of the Soaring Heaven Technique, known as “Great Completion” stage, cultivators could create a phantom with one-third of their original strength. Although Chen Fei’s mastery of the Soaring Heaven Technique had not reached this level, he could still create a semblance of himself.
However, this phantom had no combat ability; its aura was an exact match to Chen Fei’s. In certain situations, it could pass for the real thing.
Leaving the phantom in the house, Chen Fei concealed his aura and stealthily left Moyang Manor, heading towards the cave he had discovered earlier in the day..