The boat entered the water hole and docked at the shore. Yan Xiu turned around and opened the curtains, and Miao Yi strode out from the cabin.
Cao Fengchi, who was waiting on the steps by the shore, smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.
Coming ashore, Miao Yi chuckled, "How could I dare to trouble Manager Cao to personally welcome me?" His eyes once again revealed a sense of scrutiny. This woman was different from the one he had seen before. Last time at the Blue Night Temple, he had already made a judgment that this woman was most likely Xiahou Longcheng's younger sister. Her ambiguous response at that time was also proof.
Cao Fengchi also knows that he has seen through his identity, so he says with a smile: "Niu daren is the Ghost City's Main Town after all. How could Fengchi dare to neglect the host's presence?" He extends his hand to invite him inside.
"You flatter me!" Miao Yi mocked himself. Was there a need to argue about who was the landlord of the Phantom City? There was no need to dwell on this. He looked around and asked, "Why don't I see the Seventh Master?"
Cao Fengchi, who was accompanying him, shook his head and teased, "I knew that Lord Niu felt that Fengchi's reception wasn't high enough, but there was no other way. Seventh Master was busy, so Lord Niu had to make do with it."
"As expected of siblings. It's just as interesting to talk to your older brother," Miao Yi casually said.
However, this sentence made Cao Fengchi a little absent-minded. After a moment of absent-mindedness, he quickly caught up and fell silent.
Watching from the corner of his eyes, Miao Yi smiled to himself. 'Looks like I was right. She really is Xiahou Longcheng's little sister.'
When they reached the second floor, Yan Xiu was stopped at the passageway. Allowing him to come up here was already giving Miao Yi face. Miao Yi also gestured for him to wait here.
"Master Cao!"
Inside a private room for receiving guests, Miao Yi led the way and saw Cao Man. It wasn't their first time meeting, so Miao Yi cupped his fists and greeted her.
Seated beside the clay stove for boiling tea, Cao Man smiled faintly. She didn't get up, but simply gestured for Miao Yi to take a seat across from her. It might seem rude, but on this piece of land, she indeed had the right to do so. For her to take the time to meet with Miao Yi, she was already giving face to Miao Yi, the unworthy Phantom City's Head Commander.
He invited Miao Yi to take a seat. Cao Fengchi went around to stand behind Cao Man.
The fragrance of the tea wafted through the air. Cao Man personally poured the tea for the guests with a leisurely expression.
The host and the guests sipped their tea and greeted each other. Miao Yi took the initiative to ask, "May I know what instructions Master Cao has for me by summoning me here?"
"It's not an order." Cao Man shook her head and smiled as she raised the glass to her lips. She took a sip and put down the glass. "Congratulations, Lord Mayor. It's true."
Miao Yi chuckled. "What's there to be happy about?"
Cao Man didn't beat around the bush and bluntly said, "The Trust Pavilion has recently found the whereabouts of a group of fugitives. Once Lord Niu captures these fugitives, I'm sure it won't be long before your official position is restored. Naturally, I have to congratulate you. "
Miao Yi was wondering why he had to personally make a trip here. So it was because of this. The Kou Clan had already informed him about this beforehand.
What he didn't know was that this matter had caused the Pavilion of Trust and Justice to have a lot of trouble. Master Qing's sudden amnesty had caused a lot of trouble, causing the Pavilion of Trust and Justice, which had always been calm and steady, to feel depressed. Why was it that whenever this matter involved Niu Youde, something always happened that caught them off guard? Previously, the result of Jiang Yiyi's incident was unexpected. Now, another group of suspects had met with an accident.
"Thank you." Miao Yi nodded. Everyone was well aware of the situation and didn't need to say much. However, he couldn't help but ask, "It's just a small matter. Master Cao can just send someone to inform me. But to alarm Master Cao to receive me, there must be some other instructions?"
Cao Man smiled. "The Kou Clan has spared no effort in supporting Lord Mayor. I heard that it even alarmed the Heavenly Empress. She replaced almost all the old people in the Phantom City's Manor. Speaking of which, those old people can be considered to have benefited from Lord Mayor. It doesn't matter. They have no background and have been guarding this dark place for so many years. Now, they can finally be free. Perhaps they will be thanking Lord Niu behind their backs. "
Miao Yi also acknowledged this point. The Heavenly Empress only controlled the market. After the Phantom City's troops withdrew, they didn't have the authority to send them elsewhere. They could only send them to Heaven Street. A group of people who originally didn't have much of a future suddenly had a stroke of good fortune. They were actually transferred to Heaven Street, which not everyone could go to. If it wasn't because of him, then who was? To put it bluntly, it was just a thought from the higher-ups that decided the fate of many people.
However, the other party clearly didn't want to say this. Miao Yi lifted his teacup and waited for him to continue.
Sure enough, after Cao Man scrutinized his reaction, he continued. "Fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. Some good things may not be good, and some support may not be true support. Lord Niu, do you think I'm right?"
Some things were pointed out, so the two didn't go into detail.
Cao Fengchi personally sent Miao Yi off. When he returned, he saw Cao Man standing in front of the window. He approached and looked out, just in time to see Miao Yi riding the boat and leaving. He couldn't help but ask, "Third Grandpa, why didn't you warn him about the tunnel being dug in the Manor?"
Cao Man's gaze was deep. "The tunnel is a small matter. It can be destroyed at any time. It's better to pretend that we didn't notice it for the time being. Just treat it as giving him an escape route. However, this guy's background is a little interesting. He's hidden very deeply! In the past, we paid attention to the Six Dao for a long time, but we didn't discover anything. If it wasn't for the incident with the Transcendence Bow, this guy was sent to the Phantom City and revealed some clues. Who would've thought that this guy actually had the Six Dao as his backing? At the same time, he repeatedly caused trouble in the Heavenly Court and was able to escape. I'm afraid this isn't something that can be explained by luck. Yet, we didn't know anything about it at all. The Xiahou Clan has been standing in the world for so many years. When did they become so slow? I'm scared just thinking about it! "
Cao Fengchi hesitated. "Third Grandpa, what do you mean?"
Cao Man narrowed her eyes and slowly said, "Right now, the only key point is this guy. The clues are very fragile. If something happens to this guy, I'm afraid our chance to get to the bottom of the matter will be completely cut off. That guy is very vigilant behind the scenes. We've been paying attention to the Six Dao for so many years, but we still haven't discovered anything. In order to avoid alerting him, even though our deal with the Kou Clan has ended, we still can't let anything happen to him in secret. Before Old Seventh returns from his patrol at the black market, you should keep an eye on him. "
Cao Fengchi seemed to understand. She nodded and said, "Fengchi understands."
"Fengchi, I heard that you were very close to Niu Youde when you were at the Blue Night Temple!" Cao Man suddenly said as she leaned against the window.
Cao Fengchi's heart trembled. She didn't expect Third Grandpa to find out after just a brief contact with the Blue Night Temple. She tried to be as calm as possible and replied, "We can't say that we're very close. We're just people from the Phantom City. We just chatted a little."
"That's good!" Cao Man turned around and looked at her with a faint smile, "I don't mean anything else. I heard that he was Long Cheng's only friend when he was alive. I'm worried that you'll think too much, so I want to remind you that his background is so deep. Maybe he has the intention to get close to Long Cheng. Whether he's a real friend or not, I'm afraid it's not certain. Don't let your emotions affect your decisions! Although you're a woman, the fact that the clan has chosen you to come here shows that the clan is disappointed in you! "
Cao Fengchi nodded, "Third Grandpa. I understand. "
In the Land of Purgatory, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. But Yang Qing couldn't sleep. He quietly walked to the edge of the cliff.
Below the cliff, the raging waves beat against the shore. On the cliff, Yang Qing raised his head to look at the moon. In less than a year, his divine form seemed somewhat haggard. But when he looked at the night sky, his eyes were still full of spirit, deep and bright. His brows were slightly wrinkled, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Qing Ju slowly walked from behind. A black cloak fluttered open and gently draped over his shoulders. Seeing that Yang Qing was deep in thought, Qing Ju couldn't help but lower her head and purse her lips. Her expression was a little sorrowful. She was the only one who knew what kind of state Yang Qing was in after he came to Purgatory. She was the only one who knew how much energy Yang Qing had expended in dealing with so many old men. It was just as Yang Qing had said, he would exhaust himself to the point of death!
Not far away, Zhao Fei and Wu Menglan stared at Yang Qing's much thinner figure for a while. Then, they looked at each other and gently shook their heads, sighing.
Although they weren't Yang Qing's personal handmaidens like Qing Ju, and didn't know as much as Qing Ju, they could still see some things.
The two of them followed by Yang Qing's side and saw with their own eyes how Yang Qing had crossed swords with the old man of the Six Paths. He had roped in the Five Sages and gathered his old subordinates from the small world. He had provoked the Six Paths into chaos, and then appeared to calm them down. He provoked them into chaos again, and then continued to calm them down. He had repeatedly created conflicts, and repeatedly appeased them.
Perhaps it was because they were spectators, but the two of them felt that the Five Sages had unknowingly been pushed to the forefront by Yang Qing without even realizing it. Meanwhile, Yang Qing seemed to have become the peacemaker, and gradually became an indispensable part of the reason why both sides didn't fall out with each other. Not only was his prestige growing, but at least no one would ignore this Grand Deacon anymore. As Yang Qing's errand boys, the two of them had witnessed Yang Qing's various methods with their own eyes. They were a little shocked, but behind the scenes, Yang Qing had put in an endless amount of effort. Right now, Yang Qing had yet to nurture someone who could share his burdens in this matter.
In short, ever since Yang Qing had arrived in Purgatory, he had been working non-stop. The two of them had seen Yang Qing either rushing between the Six Paths, or constantly thinking. He didn't seem to have taken a break at all. Even a cultivator would find it hard to endure such a situation. At the very least, the two of them were starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Fortunately, they still had Sikong Wuwei and Tao Qingli. They took turns to follow Yang Qing, waiting for his orders at any time.
Now, Zhao Fei and Wu Menglan finally understood why Miao Yi had entrusted such an important task to Yang Qing. At the very least, the two of them were now completely convinced of Yang Qing's abilities. While admiring Miao Yi, the two of them couldn't help but sigh at the same time. A robust man like him had gradually become haggard, and had actually aged quite a bit. This was clearly the result of working hard for a long time without being able to recover. Otherwise, a cultivator like him wouldn't have ended up like this. The fact that his figure had become a little thin under the moonlight at the edge of the cliff was proof of this.
However, they didn't know what was wrong with Yang Qing today. Usually, when Yang Qing was thinking, he would wander around the courtyard instead of exposing himself to the outside world.
Little did they know that Yang Qing's attention had temporarily shifted from Purgatory to the phantom market, and then to Miao Yi. He had no other choice. He was too worried about Miao Yi. If something happened to Miao Yi, then no matter how much effort he put in, it would all be for naught.
Miao Yi's way of doing things often drove him crazy. He really couldn't control Miao Yi, because Miao Yi often didn't act according to common sense. However, this time, when Miao Yi asked for his help, his first request was to have a grasp of the situation at the phantom market. He wanted Miao Yi to inform him of the situation there at all times. He really couldn't afford to lose this round.
Miao Yi agreed verbally.
Yang Zhaoqing was in charge of reporting the situation of the phantom market to Yang Qing. Yang Qing was still worried, so he asked Yan Xiu, who often followed Miao Yi, to report to him some of the situations that Miao Yi normally couldn't observe. Fortunately, both of them had Qing Ju's contact details, so she could contact Yang Zhaoqing and Yan Xiu at any time.
That wasn't enough. After Miao Yi confirmed that he had to do it, he immediately met up with the people from the Six Paths. He wanted the Six Paths to report everything they knew about the phantom market to him in a timely manner. This time, he bluntly reported Miao Yi's current situation to the higher-ups of the Six Paths. He clearly told them that if something happened to Miao Yi, everything they had would be for naught. They wouldn't be able to get any more resources in the future, and they would just have to wait for the people below them to run out of resources before something happened.
After being tormented by Yang Qing, the Six Paths also became nervous.
However, Yang Qing quickly calmed them down. He wanted the Six Paths to maintain the phantom market as usual, and not to alert the enemy. In reality, he was afraid that the old men of the Six Paths would not report the situation of the phantom market in a timely manner. Right now, he needed to grasp a large amount of information about the phantom market.
For this reason, Yang Qing had already transferred a group of higher-ups from the Six Paths to gather here to receive and summarize all information related to the phantom market at any time. With the fastest speed possible, he effectively organized a huge information network to serve Miao Yi alone.
Just now, Yang Qing received another message from Miao Yi, who told him the details of his encounter with Cao Man.
Cao Man's inexplicable hint and reminder was actually the same as what he told Miao Yi. However, it was this reminder that made Yang Qing highly vigilant, and his nerves suddenly tensed up.
After standing at the edge of the cliff and thinking for a long time, Yang Qing once again took out the Star Bell to contact Miao Yi. He suddenly asked, 'Master, did you come into contact with the people of the Six Paths in the phantom market?'
Miao Yi didn't know why he was asking this, so he replied, 'The phantom market is the territory of the Pavilion of Faith. How would I dare to come into contact with the people of the Six Paths here?'
Yang Qing thought about it and agreed, but he had always been cautious. When faced with this kind of situation, it was better to be safe and ask, 'Master, are you sure that you have never come into contact with the people of the Six Paths in the phantom market?'
Miao Yi, 'No …'
Then, as if he had thought of something, he added, 'Not after I became the phantom market's main town. Previously, when the Heavenly Court set up a trap in the phantom market, I ran into some trouble and escaped with the help of the people of the Boundless Path.
Yang Qing immediately asked, 'Master, can you tell me the details?'
Miao Yi didn't hide anything from him, and told him everything he could remember.
"Please wait a moment, Master!" After listening to this, Yang Qing didn't say anything else. He flung his cloak and strode towards Jin Man's residence.
Jin Man was naturally disturbed from her cultivation. When the two met in the living room, Yang Qing cupped his fists and greeted, "Divine Lord."
Jin Man asked curiously, "Do you have business so late at night, Great Deacon?"
"I heard from the Sage King that when the Heavenly Court set up a trap in the phantom market, the Sage King ran into some trouble. The Boundless Path had sent people to receive him …" Yang Qing kept it short and quickly explained what he wanted to ask.
It was concise and comprehensive, so there was no reason for Jin Man not to understand. After pondering for a moment, she nodded her head and said, "That is indeed the case. The Sage King personally contacted me, and I was the one who personally arranged for people from the phantom market to receive him. Is there a problem, Master?"
Yang Qing said, "I want to know the specifics of the rescue. Can you find out?"
Jin Man said hesitantly, "I am not sure about the specifics of what happened next. I'm afraid I will have to ask."
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