He picked up a jar of wine and placed it on the counter. The waiter waved for another waiter in the hall to come over and instructed him to send the wine to the designated guest room.
Bai Yulou turned around and walked out of the inn unhurriedly. He stood on the stairs outside the inn with his hands clasped behind his back and looked up at the vast starry sky.
Xuanyuan Dao's men and the Immortal Retaining Sect's men were constantly in contact. Xuanyuan Dao himself had also begun to exert his power in the dark. Even a bystander like Bai Yulou was involved. Tonight, the starry sky and the inn seemed a little strange. Xuanyuan Dao said that he would leave tomorrow. Bai Yulou hoped that nothing would happen tonight.
The stars twinkled endlessly in the night sky. The ancient city's lights were waning, but the night was cold.
On this peaceful night, under the tranquility, the clouds rippled with treacherous waves …
"Shanhu County?"
In the Immortal Retaining Sect's shop, the shopkeeper, Gao Sucong, frowned and muttered after hearing Cui Yuan's report. He turned to Huang Enping and said, "Let me have a look at the map."
Huang Enping entered and soon returned with a map. He spread it out on the counter. Three Moon Butterflies with their wings erect rested on the silk thread above, illuminating the area below. There was no need to take out another lamp to illuminate the area.
The three searched around the map for a while. Cui Yuan pointed to a place and said, "Here. Martial Uncle, Shanhu County is here."
The three looked at the same place. Huang Enping rubbed his chin and pondered, "Meeting here … This guy ran all the way from Jinzhou to Star picking City. Now, he wants to go to Shanhu County. Where is he going?"
Gao Sucong moved the map and looked in the southeast direction. He seemed to have understood something. He pointed to Shanhu County and said, "Yes, it can't be wrong. Unless he travels on foot in a straight line or takes a detour, he can't avoid Shanhu County if he wants to go back to Jinzhou or Canglu County. He will have to pass by this place if he rides back."
The two looked at the route and suddenly realized something. Cui Yuan said, "It seems that he came to Star picking City to buy some things. After taking a stroll, he still wants to go back to Shang Chaozong's place."
Huang Enping snorted coldly, "Anyone with eyes can tell that Shang Chaozong's so-called severing of relations with him is nothing more than a facade to get rid of his responsibility, so as to prevent others from gossiping about him. It's not surprising that he continues to hang out with Shang Chaozong." He lifted his head to look at Gao Sucong. "Martial Uncle, we can't let him go back to Shang Chaozong's side. Otherwise, with the Heavenly Jade School's protection, it'll be difficult to strike again."
In truth, everyone in the Immortal Retaining Sect knew that although Liu Ziyu and the others were said to have died at the hands of Niu Youdao, the real culprits were Bai Yao and the others from the Heavenly Jade School. However, the Immortal Retaining Sect could not afford to offend the Heavenly Jade School, so they could only look for the mastermind behind the scenes, Niu Youdao, to settle the score. Moreover, the Song family had the same intention.
Cui Yuan said, "The crux of the matter now is that he wants Black Peony and the others to leave first. The spies we've planted around him are unable to grasp his exact whereabouts. No one knows when he'll leave. It's even possible that he'll sneak away tonight …" He pointed at Shanhu County. "We can only wait here for him to walk right into our trap."
Gao Sucong stared at the map and sighed. "So be it. In any case, we can't let him escape again. If we let him escape with just him and that bear demon, the sect won't be able to explain it to the Song family. We won't be able to face the sect either."
He raised his hand and pointed at the other two. "One of you will oversee the shop and maintain communication with the outside world. The other will continue to keep an eye on the tavern and inform me immediately if anything happens. I'll personally bring the other four to Shanhu County. This time, we must take care of this fiend."
Huang Enping hurriedly said, "It's just a mere Niu Youdao. How can we let Uncle-Master personally run an errand? Let us handle it."
Gao Sucong shook his head. "There's no need to run an errand. If we let him escape again, the Immortal Retaining Sect won't be able to afford to lose face. If it weren't for the fact that our sects are too far away and it's too late to dispatch more people, I would definitely ask the sect to send more people to assist us to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Therefore, this time, not only will I personally go, but I'll also gather the people from Lingxiu Mountain and Fuyun Sect. This time, we must set up an inescapable net in Shanhu County and capture him in one fell swoop. There's no room for error! "
The two looked at each other. Lingxiu Mountain and Fuyun Sect could be considered forces on the Song family's side. The three sects usually didn't have a good relationship and even competed with each other. But then again, on this matter, Lingxiu Mountain and Fuyun Sect would probably do their best. Although Song Jiuming had stepped down, there was news that the Minister of Public Works, Tong Mo, would still frequently summon him. From this, it could be seen that Song Jiuming could make a comeback at any time. No one dared to underestimate him.
This time, Uncle-Master actually wanted to ask for help from these two sects. It was really not an ordinary matter. It made the two feel like they were making a mountain out of a molehill.
Since Gao Sucong had already put it this way, the two could only obey.
Gao Sucong wrote a secret report and had someone catch another Golden Wing. Then, he sent another message to the Immortal Retaining Sect to report the situation.
After that, Gao Sucong got up with four disciples and set off that very night. Just as Cui Yuan had said, they didn't know when Niu Youdao would leave. It was even possible that he would sneak away tonight. They had to reach Shanhu County first to make arrangements.
The few of them brought two Golden Wings with them and quietly left the shop through the back door. They then went straight to Lingxiu Mountain and Fuyun Sect's shops. Soon, they gathered ten to twenty people and left Star picking City …
Beside the lamp, Niu Youdao was still holding that sword.
Yuan Fang didn't know what Niu Youdao was doing. He had been holding the sword and wiping it for a long time. He felt that Niu Youdao was unbelievably calm. This was the first time he had seen Niu Youdao in such a state.
There was a knock on the door. Yuan Fang got up to take a look.
"Sir, your wine."
"Wine? We didn't ask for wine! "
Niu Youdao, who was holding the sword and wiping it, said calmly, "I asked for it."
Thus, the noise at the door stopped. Yuan Fang walked over with a wine jar and placed it beside Niu Youdao. He asked curiously, "Daoye wants to drink?"
Niu Youdao said calmly, "It's for you to drink."
"Hehe, Daoye, don't make fun of me. You know I don't drink. At most, I only put on an act to hide my identity."
"You're too boring. I don't drink, I don't eat. If you don't want to drink, just leave it here."
Niu Youdao didn't care. At this moment, he shifted his gaze from the sword to the wine jar, and a cold glint flashed across his eyes.
The sword in his hand flashed, and with a swoosh, he returned it to its scabbard and tossed it aside. He waved his sleeves to create a gust of wind and extinguish the lamp. In the darkness, he said, "Rest early."
They were just joking a moment ago, but they suddenly fell into darkness. Yuan Fang was speechless.
The time he had spent with Niu Youdao was still too short …
The next morning, the few of them met up in the inn and ate breakfast together. Then, they returned to their respective rooms.
Not long after, Black Peony and the others, who were ready, came to Niu Youdao's room. They knocked on the door and entered, bidding farewell.
"Daoye, we'll make a move first. We'll wait for you in Shanhu County." Black Peony and the others cupped their hands and bid farewell.
Niu Youdao, who was standing by the window with his back facing them, slowly turned around. He held his sword in front of him and said to Yuan Fang, "Pack your things. We're checking out too. Let's go together."
"…" Black Peony and the others were stunned. When they were eating breakfast together just now, he didn't have any intention of leaving. Why did he change his mind now?
Did he change his mind again? Yuan Fang was puzzled. "Daoye, aren't we going to stay for a few more days?" He asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
Niu Youdao said, "I thought about it. I don't think there's a need to go through so much trouble. As long as we leave this place secretly, there shouldn't be any big problems. If we stay together, we can look out for each other on the way."
The few of them looked at each other. Lei Zongkang asked, "Daoye, then is there still a need for us to go to Shanhu County?"
Niu Youdao said, "There's no need to meet up, but we'll still have to pass through Shanhu County." He waved his hand, indicating for Yuan Fang to pack his things quickly.
Yuan Fang said, "Oh." Actually, there wasn't much to pack. They just packed their bags and carried them on their backs.
The few of them left the guest room, went downstairs, and went straight to the inn's lobby to check out.
Cui Yuan, who was sitting in the garden leisurely sipping tea, noticed them. Drinking tea was just a facade, but he was actually monitoring them. When he saw that Yuan Fang was also carrying a bag, he was stunned.
He quickly stared at Lei Zongkang. Lei Zongkang's eyes met his, but there were people beside him, so it wasn't good to pass on any obvious messages. Cui Yuan gave Lei Zongkang a look that he didn't know if Lei Zongkang could understand.
When they arrived at the lobby, Yuan Fang naturally took out the 1,800 yuan receipt. If it was more than it was refunded, and if it was less than it was paid, it was impossible for someone who loved money like him to just throw it away.
Bai Yulou, who was sitting behind the counter, stood up. He didn't handle it himself, so he gestured for the waiter beside him to do it.
After settling the bill, the waiter asked, "Do we take the open road or the secret road?"
Black Peony said, "The secret road!"
The waiter immediately called for someone to lead the way and send them off.
Bai Yulou cupped his hands at the group and said, "Everyone, please take care!" His gaze met with Niu Youdao's, but the two of them didn't show any abnormalities on their faces.
One of the waiter led the group out of the side hall and into a sealed corridor. Finally, they circled around the belly of a mountain and walked down a flight of stairs.
After walking for a long distance, they could faintly hear the sound of flowing water.
When the sky brightened again, they found themselves at the exit of a cliff cave at the bottom of a cliff. In front of them was a fast-flowing river, which just happened to be the intersection of two rivers. It was said that there were people from Star picking City guarding the area to prevent people from sneaking in. At the very least, at the exit, they could see a cultivator sitting cross-legged on a stone platform at the side.
After the waiter negotiated with the cultivator, they officially let them pass.
Niu Youdao pointed downstream, indicating that they should go downstream. The group nodded, invoked their arts, and jumped into the fast-flowing river together, disappearing into the water.
As soon as they entered the water, their bodies seemed to be wrapped in a bubble as they quickly flowed downstream.
From now on, they could be considered to have left the protection of the New Moon Inn. If anything happened, the New Moon Inn wouldn't be responsible.
However, under normal circumstances, the possibility of something happening to them while traveling along this river was very small.
The current in this canyon river was very rapid. Not many people would be able to endure hiding in this rapid current for a long time and forcibly resisting it. If they were slightly further away in the water, their line of sight would be affected. Furthermore, there were many cultivators coming and going in this river, so a careless interception could easily cause a misunderstanding. Unless they knew the exact time of departure from the inn, then there was no chance of an ambush succeeding. In addition, there were tributaries upstream and downstream, so not knowing which route to take increased the difficulty of an ambush.
The tributaries of the river basin were also very long, so it wasn't easy to figure out where people had come ashore. Once they came ashore, it was very convenient to sneak away by using the crisscrossing ravines that existed everywhere in the mountain range. It was indeed not easy to be discovered.
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