Except for one person.

Zhang Xia strode briskly, stepping directly over the threshold. A group of attendants initially intended to stop him, but upon seeing that it was Mr. Zhang, the advisor to Cao Wendo, they withdrew their outstretched hands.

"Are you saying you've found Min Ning?"

Interrupted in his thoughts, Cao Wendo didn't show any displeasure, maintaining his composure as a man in authority.

Zhang Xia held up the scroll in his hand and said, "Indeed. Lifeng Pavilion sent over intelligence, stating that Min Ning is suspected to be in the direction of Liu Feng County in Dongyu."

"Is it truly Min Ning? Wasn't he supposed to be at Jin Country's borders?" Cao Wendo hesitated.

"He could have escorted someone to Jin Country and then doubled back to Dongyu." Zhang Xia paused and added, "Though it's merely a suspicion, there are too many details aligning to ignore it."

"Speak."

"This man uses the Brocade Spring Blade, and he carries both a sword and a blade. His blade techniques are profoundly skilled, and he's a young, robust man."

"It seems everything aligns."

"It should indeed be him. Beyond Lifeng Pavilion, I've also obtained a rough intelligence report from contacts within the Surveillance Academy."

The Surveillance Academy of Jin Country is equivalent to Yu Country's Two Factories and One Guard. However, unlike the balancing act and mutual obstruction between the Two Factories and One Guard in the Capital City of Yu Country, where Xique Pavilion unconditionally obeys the Empress Dowager, Jin Country operates with a singular entity—the Surveillance Academy.

Yu Country has spies planted in Jin Country's Capital City, and Jin Country's Surveillance Academy similarly has spies embedded within Yu Country.

"This Min Ning serves as a Thousand Households officer in the West Factory. His father held the rank of Thousand Households, and his grandfather served as the Garrison Commander of the Jinyiwei. It's said that he once befriended Chen Yi, the man renowned for his meritorious act of rescuing the emperor." Zhang Xia paused before continuing, "That concludes the intelligence; beyond this, there's nothing more that could be uncovered."

Cao Wendo furrowed his brows. He recalled rumors suggesting that Chen Yi might be a descendant of the Chen Family, leading to a flurry of speculations in his mind. Yet, with scant information, he couldn't settle upon a definitive judgment.

"We don't need to concern ourselves with Chen Yi. Just have Lifeng Pavilion focus on dealing with Min Ning."

"Understood. Although it seems Lifeng Pavilion is asking for more money."

"Blood-soaked work!" Cao Wendo cursed, "Those desperate dogs seize any opportunity to demand more payment. Fine, give them what they want."

............…

Heading straight toward Shantong City, Chen Yi did not pause his steps.

He entered Shantong City and secured a room at an inn, thereafter beginning to gather information about the situation inside and outside the city.

Shantong City's name is derived from its treacherous terrain, where travel is arduous. Most of the area consists of mountainous land and deep valleys, frequently plagued by mountain bandits who prey upon merchants and Darts Masters traversing the official roads.

The closer one approaches Shantong City, the more perilous the paths become. Rumor has it that continuing westward from Shantong City leads to towering peaks and sheer cliffs. Exiting Shantong City from the west entails traversing one of two routes: one flows eastward before turning west, and the other passes through the perilous Jinxmen Trail, precariously clinging to cliffsides, with the narrowest section allowing passage for only a single individual.

However, Chen Yi had no intention of taking the route from Shantong City to Western Shu, so these details were merely background noise to him.

Having investigated earlier, he discovered that mountain bandits were active along the paths leading to Shantong City. Since he was scouting ahead for his senior sister Lu Ying, Chen Yi had already mapped out the movements of these surrounding bandits.

It wasn't that he sought trouble with the bandits, but rather that they came looking for trouble with him.

It happened when he was calmly walking on the road outside the city, only to be intercepted.

The instigators were none other than the infamous terror that reigned over the mountains and rivers—a name that struck fear in all who heard it.

They were known as the "Muddy Blade Sisters."

These sisters were neither two nor three individuals, and they were certainly not women.

Their leader's name was actually Sisters Hua.

The surname was "Sister," and the person was of Western Qiang descent.

What happened next was quite straightforward—Chen Yi claimed the head of the bandit leader with a single swing of his sword. The remaining bandits were disarrayed, fleeing or dying in a chaotic retreat.

Still, Chen Yi couldn't quite understand why these bandits had specifically sought him out.

"Someone delivered word to target a man carrying both a sword and a blade… If we encountered him on the road, we were to apprehend him." He captured one of the bandits, who confessed in his panic.

Through this, Chen Yi realized that he had become a target.

As for who was targeting him, Chen Yi's eyes narrowed slightly, his mind racing through numerous speculations.

The most probable culprit was An Hou.

But… how had she pinpointed his route from Liu Feng County to Shantong City?

The situation seemed riddled with enigmas, prompting Chen Yi to remain cautious. The circumstances within Shantong City seemed to promise complexity.

"Did the person who gave you orders leave any contact information?" Chen Yi asked.

"Yes, yes, but only the chief knows," the bandit replied.

What followed was inevitable—Chen Yi promptly extracted Sisters Hua's spirit.

"Moon Viewing Tower… Seems to be a brothel," Chen Yi murmured to himself.

Sisters Hua's knowledge of the person who issued the order was limited. They knew neither their identity nor their true motives. All they knew was that if they captured the man, they were to report it to the Moon Viewing Tower.

With a lead in hand, Chen Yi naturally decided to chase it down.

Chen Yi adjusted his appearance, removing his sword-and-blade gear and donning a Taoist robe, transforming himself into the guise of a Taoist priest.

Several days later, after scoping out the surrounding environment and investigating the situation within Shantong City, Chen Yi left the city to await Lu Ying's arrival along the road.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.