Chapter 81: The Oriole
Chapter 81: Chapter 81: The Oriole
Bai San, of course, was completely oblivious to everything that had transpired at Chen Yongxiao’s home. He was still lost in a daydream of getting the antidote, grabbing the money, and disappearing for good as he rushed all the way to Zhuoyan Collection.
Zhuoyan Collection was as bustling as ever.
He followed his employer’s instructions, heading to a mass burial ground outside of town and locating a prearranged old grave.
"Pah! Of all the places to pick. What bad luck!"
Bai San spat and muttered under his breath.
After glancing around to confirm he was alone, he quickly shoved the oilcloth ledger from his robes, which recorded the amount of stored grain, into an inconspicuous crack in the gravestone and covered it with dirt.
Afterward, he made his way to the Ten-Mile Tavern.
The tavern had few customers, and while the Shopkeeper and the waiter appeared normal, there was a subtle, almost imperceptible indifference about them.
As instructed, he bought a bowl of thirty-three-year-old pure grain vintage wine and drank it slowly. He observed his surroundings the entire time, but there were no special signals, nor did anyone make contact with him.
’Strange... is that all there is to it? Or is it not time yet?’
Bai San was filled with suspicion. For a normal delivery, he wouldn’t be able to get his final payment and leave until the employer had confirmed receipt.
But as of now, neither the employer nor even a middleman had appeared. Naturally, that meant he couldn’t get his silver.
’Whatever. I’ll wait one more day. If there’s no news, I’ll head back to Lingxi, grab that silver, and leave Jiangzhou for good.’
His commission for this trip was a mere six hundred taels of silver. The employer had already paid a deposit of two hundred and seventy taels, leaving a final payment of three hundred and thirty.
While this seemed like a lot of money, it was insignificant compared to the enormous stash of silver at Chen Yongxiao’s home.
He immediately took a room at the Feiyan Inn.
Night fell.
Two figures departed stealthily from the Ten-Mile Tavern.
Chen Li, who was also staying at the Feiyan Inn, spread out his Spiritual Sense. Feeling no trace of anyone at the Ten-Mile Tavern, he immediately slipped into Bai San’s room.
Bai San, who had been tossing and turning restlessly, was so startled he almost cried out.
"The people from the Ten-Mile Tavern have left. Go scout it out. Your focus is to see if anyone is left inside and to check for any secret rooms or hidden compartments. You just need to investigate."
Chen Li’s voice was ice-cold.
Bai San’s face soured. ’Didn’t he just say I had to drop off the ledger? Why do I have to go scouting now?’ He tried to get out of it. "Sir... My good sir, that place is seriously creepy... My Martial Arts still haven’t recovered..."
A cold glint appeared in Chen Li’s eyes. "Hm?"
Bai San immediately lost his nerve and had no choice but to brace himself and agree. "I’ll go right away, I’m going..."
He quickly executed his Lightweight Skill and crept cautiously toward the Ten-Mile Tavern.
Bai San took a deep breath, suppressing his fear and reluctance. Pushing his Lightweight Skill to its absolute limit, his figure became like a wisp of smoke as he silently vaulted over the low wall of the Ten-Mile Tavern’s back courtyard.
The courtyard was deathly still. All the doors and windows of the rooms were shut tight, and everything was pitch-black.
He held his breath and listened intently for a moment. After confirming there were no sounds other than the wind and the chirping of insects, he grew a little bolder.
’Is there really no one here?’
Bai San muttered to himself and began to search carefully.
The front hall, the back kitchen, the private rooms...
He crept through them one by one, and just as he had suspected, they were all completely empty.
Finally, he arrived at the entrance to the wine cellar.
It was a heavy wooden door, and it wasn’t locked.
He pushed it open a crack, and a thick aroma of wine, mixed with the scent of aged wood and a hint of dampness, washed over him.
The wine cellar was a bit smaller than he’d imagined, filled with rows of wine jars.
"Hm?"
As Bai San’s eyes adjusted to the faint moonlight filtering through the crack in the door, he frowned and subconsciously gestured with his hands. ’This wine cellar... from the outside, it looked like it should be bigger, right? The wall thickness doesn’t add up...’
The discovery invigorated him. He immediately began to search the cellar meticulously, his fingertips gliding across the rough brick walls, tapping for any areas that sounded hollow.
He had navigated the streets and the Jianghu for many years; his title of "Thief King" was not just an empty boast.
He had considerable experience with such mechanisms and secret rooms.
Soon, behind a row of wine racks, he felt a brick that was slightly loose.
He pressed it firmly.
"CLICK..."
A faint mechanical sound echoed from within the wall.
Immediately after, a section of what had appeared to be a solid brick wall slid open without a sound, revealing a passage just wide enough for one person. Dark stairs led downward, and a cold, damp draft flowed out.
’There really is a secret room!’
Bai San’s heart jumped. After a moment’s hesitation, he carefully leaned in, reaching out to pull the secret door open wider for a better look.
But the very instant his hand touched the edge of the door, as he tried to pull it open a little more...
...a pair of cold, vicious eyes lit up without warning in the profound darkness behind the door.
Following that, a fierce gust of Palm Wind shot toward his face like a striking viper.
"Who’s there?"
A low, sharp question came from the darkness.
’There’s someone here!’
Bai San was scared out of his wits; he never imagined someone would actually be inside.
Survival instinct took over. He let out a strange cry, his body recoiling violently backward. He narrowly dodged the fatal blow, the Palm Wind grazing the tip of his nose and making his skin sting.
He hadn’t even gotten a clear look at his attacker’s face, seeing only those glowing eyes in the dark and a blurry, fleeting silhouette.
Terrified beyond belief, he spun around and fled from the wine cellar for his life.
He had just escaped the wine cellar and reached the courtyard.
"Where do you think you’re going!"
A cold shout came from behind him again.
The figure pursued him like a shadow, moving with incredible speed. Before the person even arrived, another palm strike was launched from a distance.
The power of this strike far surpassed the previous one. The Palm Force was concentrated, and from nearly ten feet away, Bai San felt as if his back had been struck by a sledgehammer.
"PUH!"
A sweet taste rose in Bai San’s throat as he spat out a mouthful of blood. Agony shot through him as if his organs had been rearranged, and the immense force sent him flying forward.
Fortunately, his Lightweight Skill was exceptional. He used the momentum from the blow to stumble out of the cellar and, with his last ounce of strength, vaulted over the back wall like a beaten dog, landing with a heavy thud in the alley outside.
The man who had emerged from the secret room clearly had no intention of letting him go. With a single movement, he prepared to leap over the wall in pursuit.
The man was dressed in gray, his face was grim and sinister, and his eyes were filled with undisguised killing intent.
Seeing his life hanging by a thread, Bai San was consumed by a great terror. He could no longer think of anything else and screamed with all his might, "Master! Save me!!!"
...
Chen Li had sensed the exact moment Bai San triggered the mechanism and was attacked.
Although the pursuer’s aura was fierce, as soon as he made a move, Chen Li discerned his Realm.
The first gate of the Spirit Realm: Meridian Passage.
Seeing Bai San in mortal danger and crying for help, Chen Li no longer hesitated.
Just as the gray-robed man was about to leap over the wall, Chen Li’s figure shot through the air like a nighthawk, his Qiankun Ruyi Staff humming and vibrating in his hand.
A vast and mighty True Martial Dao emanated from the staff, like a hidden dragon emerging from the abyss, stirring the surrounding air currents.
He thrust forward with a formation-breaking strike. The staff’s momentum was incomparably fierce, forcefully driving his opponent back into the courtyard.
’Profound Acupoint?’
The gray-robed man, caught completely off guard, was horrified. His expression was a mixture of shock and fury.
He couldn’t fathom where such an expert had come from.
’He’s stronger than me, yet he resorted to luring me out just to launch a sneak attack.’
’Utterly shameless!’
The two men instantly clashed in the courtyard.