…
By the time Shang Huan returned to his pioneering squad, the moon was already suspended in the middle of the sky.
By the bonfire, two people were on night watch.
The others had long since crawled into their tents to sleep soundly.
“You are Shang Huan.”
A voice arose in the darkness.
The two night watchers glanced over upon hearing the noise, then turned their heads away, no longer concerned.
Shang Huan’s eyes narrowed into slits as he looked at the three unfamiliar personnel from the Inspection Courtyard before him.
“Yes, I am. And who might the three of you be?” Shang Huan’s heart skipped a beat.
“Do not be afraid,” Wu Lie said soothingly.
“We are here to solve a problem for you.”
“Your Insect Repellent Incense is selling so well, it might attract unwanted attention. You should take precautions early on.”
Wu Lie’s face was full of smiles.
“Although we at the Inspection Courtyard do our utmost to maintain order and stability,”
“the scale is so large that some oversights are inevitable.”
“If someone were to take advantage of a loophole, losing money is one thing, but losing lives… that’s when it gets dangerous.”
Wu Lie spoke earnestly.
Shang Huan’s scalp tightened instantly.
This man had his eye on the profits of the Insect Repellent Incense!
He had been careless! He should have gone to consult with Brother Mo earlier!
His mind raced. He had to bluff his way through this first!
“I never expected the Insect Repellent Incense to be so popular,” Shang Huan sighed, feigning distress.
“The source of this business is Brother Mo Wuzhou.”
“Born in the Lower Courtyard, Brother Mo has a group of old friends. In order to repay their past help, he gave us this job.”
“My friends produce it, and I sell it. We just want to give a little support to our old friends.”
Wu Lie’s heart skipped a beat.
The people involved in production were all friends of Mo Wuzhou?!
He glared fiercely at the strong man beside him.
This detail was not in the intelligence these two had gathered!
Noticing Wu Lie’s expression, Shang Huan was inwardly assured!
“Brother Mo is so righteous!” Shang Huan said, clenching his fists and bowing into the void.
“Brother Mo is righteous, and we cannot be greedy.”
“Just yesterday, several old friends discussed with me, saying we can’t let Brother Mo suffer a loss. We have to give him some dividends.”
“You probably don’t know, Brother Mo is currently preparing the Condense Aperture Secret Method and needs money,” Shang Huan sighed.
“I was thinking of making a trip there after a while.”
“To discuss this matter with him as well.”
“If it comes to it, we can just hand over this business to the Hundred Herbs Pavilion in the Lower Courtyard. Brother Mo can earn money in peace, and we won’t be in any danger.” Shang Huan spoke seriously about his plan.
Then he looked at Wu Lie with gratitude: “I also have to thank the three of you for the advice.”
“It seems this matter cannot be delayed; tomorrow, I will make a trip to Cold Moon Pond.”
“It’s just that I’m worried about the journey…” His face couldn’t help but show a look of concern.
Glancing at the three men, his eyes suddenly brightened: “Perhaps the three of you would join me on a trip to Peng Yue Mountain tomorrow.”
“Indeed! With the three of you accompanying me, I’d like to see some good-for-nothing dare to trouble me!”
Wu Lie: “…”
Is this fatso insulting me?!
Shang Huan pulled out a grey cloth bag from his sleeve and handed it to Wu Lie.
He spoke with earnestness: “Please make sure to protect me on this trip tomorrow!”
“I will inform Brother Mo of your help!”
“Brother Mo has a good relationship with Liang Shaojian. When the time comes, he could arrange a comfortable and pleasant sinecure for the three of you, very simple!” Shang Huan winked at the three men.
The two strong men seemed tempted.
However, Wu Lie’s mouth twitched, and his expression darkened.
Is this really one of Mo Wuzhou’s businesses?
Seeing the excitement on the faces of the two men beside him, Wu Lie’s expression grew even darker.
Idiots!
Do you really think you’re here to maintain public security?
If you actually met Mo Wuzhou, would he not see through our intentions?
Imbeciles!
Wu Lie suppressed his irritation and said gently: “You need not thank us. We are merely passing on a message from Prefect Zhang Jin.”
With that, he handed the grey cloth bag back to Shang Huan.
“Unfortunately, Prefect Zhang has already assigned us tasks for tomorrow. We simply cannot spare the time.”
“Take care of yourself. We will take our leave now.”
Then, dragging the two subordinates who were still staring at the grey cloth bag, he departed swiftly.
Shang Huan watched the backs of the three men disappear with a smile on his face.
He leisurely greeted the two night watchers, cleaned up, and then crawled into his own tent. Not long after, the sound of heavy snoring could be heard.
…
In a large tree five hundred meters from the campsite,
Wu Lie squinted toward Shang Huan’s tent.
Listening to the faint snoring coming from within, he couldn’t help but sigh.
“It looks like this deal isn’t going through.”
“Just let him go?” Two burly men showed unwillingness on their faces.
“Do you dare to provoke Mo Wuzhou?” Wu Lie glanced at them coldly.
Idiots, they can’t even handle tasks efficiently.
If it weren’t for their failure to properly investigate, how could they have offended Shang Huan today?
When leaving, bringing up Prefect Zhang, who knew whether the other party would fall for it?
“Let’s go!”
He glanced at the two burly men who were still reluctant. Wu Lie couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
With Prefect Lin Su in trouble, his days wouldn’t be easy either.
All the capable and strong subordinates had switched allegiances, leaving only these two fools who were still somewhat faithful.
As a result, they almost caused him great trouble.
“What a pity, a source of wealth gone.”
…
In the wee hours, the moon was waning in the west.
Beneath Peng Yue Mountain, nearly half of the dense forest’s vegetation had been cleared away.
Broad paths were laid among the original jungle.
The crisscrossing tracks divided the former woodland into several blocks. The wildly growing primitive jungle seemed to have turned into neatly arranged farmland.
On a concealed path.
A tall, stout figure, like a fat rabbit, stuck to the shadows of the roadside trees, rapidly darting forward with a whoosh.
“That Prefect Zhang really has some nerve! He actually dares to disregard Brother Mo’s reputation.”
“Team Leader Wu isn’t any better. He must be the one who led the investigation of this matter.”
Shang Huan, carrying a large bundle, ran while feeling a sudden fear.
“Fortunately, I bluffed that person.”
“As long as I meet Brother Mo tonight and lay out the whole story, only then I can truly be under Brother Mo’s protection, and this deal will be safe!”
Shang Huan thought about how to phrase everything when he saw him later.
A figure suddenly appeared in his field of vision, blocking the way.
Shang Huan stopped abruptly.
Hisst!
The inertia was so great, and the grass so slippery, that he couldn’t help but slide forward several meters before stopping.
Upon seeing who it was, large beads of sweat instantly formed on his forehead.
“Shang Huan, running around in the middle of the night, where are you headed?” Wu Lie said with a smile.
The waning moonlight illuminated half of his face.
His gentle smile caused Shang Huan an uncontrollable shiver.
“Great, is Big Brother Wu agreeing to escort me to see Brother Mo?” Shang Huan feigned composure, pretending to be pleasantly surprised.
“Rest assured, I will definitely report to Brother Mo and have him thank you properly.”
“No need to trouble Brother Mo,” Wu Lie laughed softly, his eyes drifting toward the large bundle on Shang Huan’s back: “Wouldn’t it be better for you to thank me in person?”
Since he couldn’t take over this business.
Cashing in on a windfall wasn’t bad either.
Wu Lie’s smile grew even more radiant.
Shang Huan’s face twitched.
Damn it!
In the wilderness, all alone, this bastard was thinking of killing him and taking his possessions!
…
“Aren’t you afraid Brother Mo will hold you accountable?” Shang Huan’s face was tense.
“You running around in the middle of the night getting eaten by an Exotic Beast, who’s going to hold anyone accountable?” Wu Lie said, unfazed.
“I just met you, and then something happened; Brother Mo will definitely suspect you,” Shang Huan’s mind raced.
“Stop talking nonsense; haven’t we never met before?” Wu Lie was leisurely.
“Don’t deny it, someone saw…” Shang Huan paused: “Those two Night Watchers…”
Wu Lie’s mouth corners lifted slightly: “Unfortunately, they also encountered an Exotic Beast. Heh…”
Shang Huan’s face changed dramatically.
They’ve been silenced?!
He tried to run but suddenly felt a chill at his back.
An ice-cold hand, unbeknownst to him, had already been placed on his neck.
Just as he was about to beg for mercy.
Crack!
A sharp snap suddenly resonated in Shang Huan’s ears.
“Is this what a broken neck sounds like?”
“Hmm… it doesn’t hurt much.”
Suddenly, the hand on his neck slid off powerlessly.
Shang Huan instinctively turned his head, meeting Wu Lie’s shocked eyes.
His head slumped weakly to one side, his neck’s skin wrinkled and twisted like a pretzel.
At this moment, Wu Lie’s cervical spine was broken, but due to his formidable physique, the skin of his neck, engorged and purple, had not yet broken, hanging like a limp hose, weakly holding his head from falling off.
Shang Huan was so scared his hair stood on end!
He stepped back repeatedly, and finally saw a figure not far away.
A white mask, a black cloak, swirls of black smoke.
“Mr. Gongsun!”