Almost at the same time when Xia Pingan got on the horse, a middle-aged man walked onto the bus stop on Runyi Street in the west of Shangjing City with a black long-handled umbrella and a black hand-held leather briefcase. He was wearing a woolen overcoat, a vest, a linen shirt, and a pair of glasses. His sideburns were a little white, and he had a well-trimmed mustache above his lips. He looked very gentle and charming.
In Shangjing City, those men who went out with an umbrella and a briefcase in hand when it was not raining were generally the respectable middle class in this city. They had a stable income and decent jobs. They were the backbone of banks, trading houses, firms, law firms, and accounting firms. Some of them ran their own small businesses and lived a good life.
When there were many people on the bus stop, there would be at least three or four of such men in the crowd.
In Shangjing City, such people were full of gentlemanly demeanor and looked the most harmless.
A newsboy was hawking near the bus stop.
When taking the bus, some people would buy a newspaper, which was the best way to pass the time.
"Selling newspapers, selling newspapers, great news! The Judgement Army has taken action. The demons of the Blood Demon Sect who caused the massacre at the Peach Blossom Bridge yesterday have been executed …" The newsboy hawked at the bus stop with a tender and loud voice while waving the newspaper in his hand.
Hearing the newsboy's hawking, a strange look flashed across the gentle middle-aged man's eyes. He called the newsboy over and said, "Come, give me a newspaper …"
"Hello, sir, three copper coins …" The newsboy quickly ran over and handed him a copy of 'Shangjing Daily'.
The middle-aged man paid a few copper coins and had just bought the newspaper when a track-tracked bus came from afar. The conductor at the door stretched his hand out of the window with a brass bell in his hand and shook it vigorously to remind the passengers on the bus stop and the passersby.
The bus entered the bus stop. With a 'chi' sound, white steam rose and the door of the bus opened automatically. The people waiting on the bus stop got on from the front door.
The middle-aged man also got into the car. There weren't many people in the car. A few people got out of the back door, leaving a few empty seats. The middle-aged man sat in one of the seats.
The boiler room was at the back of the bus. It was a little noisy and hot. Some people might like it in cold weather, but in summer, there were not many people at the back.
"Tickets, tickets! Happy Bridge is two copper coins, Green Peak Road is three copper coins, Cloud Valley Square is four copper coins …" The bus started moving again, and the ticket seller with a loose leather bag started selling tickets on the bus.
The middle-aged man took out another four copper coins and bought a ticket to Cloud Valley Square. He waited until the conductor returned to his seat before he placed his black leather briefcase on his lap and hung his umbrella on the handrail beside him. Only then did he open the newspaper and read it carefully.
"Water Demon Qiao Chi Sea", "Seaside Fishing Village", "Last night", "Killed …" These words immediately entered the middle-aged man's vision.
The middle-aged man felt an inexplicable chill on his neck. He couldn't help but twist his body on the bus.
When he saw Qiao Chi Sea's name and the location of the seaside fishing village, the middle-aged man knew that Qiao Chi Sea was really dead. This wasn't nonsense from the newspaper.
The Judgement Army? So fast …
The middle-aged man inadvertently looked up from behind his glasses and scanned the people in the bus. When he saw that there were no abnormalities in the bus and that there were only ordinary people coming and going, his heart calmed down a little. However, he still couldn't help but feel a little scared …
Qiao Chi Sea must have accidentally left some traces when he released the water demon yesterday and exposed his whereabouts. That was why the Judgement Army chased after him and killed him.
The middle-aged man cursed in his heart. He had thought that he could "do something big" with Qiao Chi Sea. He hadn't expected Qiao Chi Sea to die as soon as he showed his face. Qiao Chi Sea was the first of the Five Demons to die in Shang Jing. Although the Five Demons went their separate ways and didn't have any friendship, Qiao Chi Sea's death made him feel cold.
However, he also rejoiced in his heart. Fortunately, he had held back when he went to see Qiao Chi Sea yesterday and didn't expose his whereabouts. He had also left the small fishing village early. If the Judgement Army had tracked him to the small fishing village early, he would have been killed as well.
This middle-aged man was Dark Demon.
Dark Demon's real name was Yang Ying, and his current name was Li Zhao.
If he wanted to do something big in Shang Jing, he had to blend into the city and have a Shang Jing identity. This was the easiest way to hide and deceive the Judgement Army. On this point, he and Qiao Chi Sea had the same idea.
Qiao Chi Sea had disguised himself as an old fisherman by the sea, while he had disguised himself as a small bookstore owner in the city. The real Li Zhao was already dead. Li Zhao's wife had passed away, and he had a son serving as a soldier in a foreign land. He wouldn't be back for two years. This kind of local with a family and social connections in Shang Jing was better at disguising himself. Furthermore, Li Zhao opened a bookstore and had simple social connections. It was easy for him to put himself in his shoes.
With Qiao Chi Sea's death, the Dark Demon's plan to target Xia Pingan had been ruined.
After being in Shang Jing for so many days, this was the first time the Dark Demon felt that this city was full of danger.
Once their identity as a member of the Blood Demon Church was exposed and they couldn't escape in time, there was only one result — death.
The Judgement Army's ability to guard Shang Jing definitely wasn't a fluke.
After reading the newspaper, the Dark Demon carefully folded it and put it in his bag leisurely. A sly glint flashed in his eyes. It looked like he had to change his plan.
After two stops, he saw someone sit down across from him. As the number of people on the bus increased, the Dark Demon's expression returned to normal. There was even a faint smile on his face.
When the bus was about to reach Cloud Valley Square, an old man got on the bus. The Dark Demon stood up with a smile and took the initiative to give up his seat for the old man to sit down. When the bus stopped, he got out of the bus with an umbrella.
There were several universities in Shang Jing near Cloud Valley Square, so there were many students nearby. There were also many bookstores there, and the Li Family's Bookstore was one of them.
The Li Family's Bookstore was located on a small street full of sycamore trees. It had a small front and was divided into two floors. It mainly sold specialized reference books and some drawing tools. The prices were reasonable, so it was quite popular with the students of the nearby Shang Nation's Engineering College.
The Dark Demon arrived at the bookstore. Not long after he opened the door, students came to buy books and drawing tools. Half an hour later, a student who came to buy a set of drawing tools left. The doorbell of the bookstore rang and another person came in.
The person who came in was a young man in his twenties. He was wearing a capable black suit and a hat and looked full of youthful energy.
"Manager, has the book 'Boiler Pressurization and Pipe Water Supply Design' that I asked for last time arrived?" The young man asked loudly as soon as he entered the door.
"Oh, it's here. It arrived two days ago. It's upstairs. I'll find it for you …" The Dark Demon glanced at the young man and went upstairs. The young man followed him to the second floor of the bookstore.
There was no one on the second floor of the bookstore. When the two of them came up, the wooden stairs creaked.
"Qiao Dahai is dead …" As soon as the young man went upstairs, his face turned gloomy and he said in a low voice, "His action at the Peach Blossom Bridge yesterday was too risky. Otherwise, his whereabouts wouldn't have been exposed. We need to contact him less recently …"
The Dark Demon turned around and took a book from the bookshelf. The young man couldn't see the expression on the Dark Demon's face. "I just found out after reading the newspaper. I just got a piece of news here. I originally wanted to find Qiao Dahai today and discuss it with him. If we're lucky, we might be able to get a batch of Immortal Pills. I didn't expect …"
"Oh, what news?" Hearing about the Immortal Pills, the young man's face changed and revealed a trace of greed.
"Do you still remember the Voidwalkers that the Hall Master put a bounty on with the Immortal Pills? One of them is in Shang Jing City. I already know his identity …" The Dark Demon took a book and turned around. "If you can take him down, the Hall Master will definitely reward you. I don't know if you're interested. If you succeed, we can split the Immortal Pills equally."
"Did you plan to cooperate with Qiao Dahai?" the young man asked calmly.
"Yes, Qiao Dahai is indeed good in the water. I didn't expect him to be so reckless. The Judgment Army acted so quickly. It's the same if I cooperate with you now …"
"Why not look for Shi Mo and Dream Demon?"
"Shi Mo is very powerful, but the Judgment Army is chasing him very closely. He has temporarily left Shang Jing City and is hiding outside. If I look for him, it's easier to be exposed. Dream Demon is used to being alone. Since he came to Shang Jing City, Dream Demon seemed to have disappeared. I can't contact him. If you're interested, we can cooperate. If you're not, then I'll do it myself …"
"Where is that Spacewalker now? What's his identity?" the young man who came to buy books asked.
"If you agree, I'll tell you. If you don't, then there's no need for you to get involved in this matter …"
"The person that Palace Master wants to kill is naturally the person that I want to kill. It's just a Spacewalker. It's no big deal. I can concoct poison for you. I can concoct any poison you want, but if I don't show up, Shang Jing City is very dangerous now …"
"You can only get 30% of the Immortal Pill!"
"I want at least 50%!" the young man who came to buy books said resolutely.
"40% at most. It's not that easy to kill that person. The Judgment Army already knows his identity and is using him to bait us. I'm acting alone. Even with your poison, I'll bear most of the risk!"
"Okay, deal. What poison do you want?"
"Vanishing Shadow Poison!"
The young man who came to buy books pondered for a moment. "Vanishing Shadow Poison is one of the most difficult living poisons to concoct. The shadows of summoners below the Five Sun Realm will die upon contact. I need three days to concoct it!"
"Okay, I'll wait for you for three days!" the Dark Demon said.
…
The young man who came to buy books then left with the book.
The Boy of Bliss followed him.
After leaving the bookstore, the young man who came to buy books got on a rental carriage by the roadside. An hour later, the carriage stopped at the entrance of a water plant in Shang Jing City. After greeting the security guard at the entrance of the water plant, the young man directly entered the water plant …
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