Chapter 669 - 208: All Sides in Motion

Zhang Dao Ling gazed at the empty inner courtyard. The memory of killing Zhang Huan with his own hands surfaced, and a flicker of sorrow passed through him.

He quickly suppressed the feeling.

He returned to his room, lit an oil lamp, and resumed his contemplation.

...

Outside, Shen Bai walked down the street, observing the constables around him.

After a sweep with his Void-breaking Red Eye, his expression was placid, but his mind was racing.

’Zhang Dao Ling is certainly cautious. These are all regular constables, not members of the Demonic Forces. They’ll only report my daily comings and goings.’

The constables beside him were beaded with sweat, looking extremely tense.

Of course they were nervous. After all, they were facing Daoist Si of Lingyun Dao.

On top of that, this Daoist Si and their Lord Zhang seemed to be on very bad terms.

Now, with this latest stunt, the situation had become even more serious.

For those of them sent to surveil Shen Bai, it felt like they were sitting on pins and needles.

Shen Bai patted a constable’s shoulder. "Don’t be so nervous. You’re just following orders. I understand that. I’m not a cruel man."

Hearing this, the constable broke out in even more sweat.

Rumor in the Jianghu had it that Shen Bai was unpredictable and killed without remorse.

So for him to claim he wasn’t that kind of person... there was no way they would believe him.

After saying this, Shen Bai turned to Wang Teng and Ma Yuan. "Go back and get to the bottom of the situation at Lianyun Medicine Mountain. Then, draw up a plan as quickly as possible. I’m only giving you one day. Before tomorrow evening, all personnel assignments and other details must be presented to me clearly."

Ma Yuan quickly responded, "Yes, my lord. I will obey."

"Rest assured, it will be done before tomorrow evening."

Shen Bai said no more and continued on his way to the Observatory.

Before long, he was back at the five-story building, and he shut the door behind him.

Outside the door, several constables stood guard.

Wang Teng and Ma Yuan exchanged a glance, then left to carry out the task Shen Bai had given them.

They weren’t entirely sure why Shen Bai had done what he did today, but they didn’t dare question it.

After all, it was their superior’s decision, and as subordinates, they wouldn’t dare interfere.

The constables stood guard outside. Though their faces were stern, inwardly, every one of them was on edge.

Everyone wore a grave expression, except for Shen Bai inside his room, who seemed utterly at ease.

Once inside, Shen Bai clapped his hands. An Array immediately sealed off the room.

Amber and Red Makeup emerged from his body.

A hint of confusion appeared in Red Makeup’s eyes. "Master, why did you have them send people to watch you? You could have just sent them away."

Even she couldn’t quite understand it, hence her question.

Amber just looked baffled.

She wasn’t one for overthinking things, so she just nodded along enthusiastically.

"Whatever Master does is right. Master definitely has his reasons."

Shen Bai looked at the two distinctly different women, sat down, and gestured to a nearby teacup. "Tea."

Red Makeup, ever perceptive, prepared a cup of tea and presented it to Shen Bai with both hands.

Shen Bai took a sip. Looking at Red Makeup’s curious face, he smiled and stroked her cheek. "Their plan is designed to corner me. I suspect Zhang Dao Ling has already sent a letter to Xuanjun City overnight."

"But that’s not a major problem. It gives me the perfect opportunity to turn their own plan against them."

Hearing this, Red Makeup seemed to be catching on, but she waited quietly for Shen Bai to continue.

After a brief pause, Shen Bai continued, "He wants to track my movements, doesn’t he? Fine, I’ll let him. But as for whether the information he gets is true, false, or a mix of both... that’s for them to guess."

Red Makeup’s eyes brightened. "So you mean to use these constables to feed them false information."

Shen Bai nodded. "Exactly. Information that’s hard to verify is the most confusing. This way, I can turn my passive position into an active one."

Ever since arriving in Lingyun Dao, Shen Bai had seemed to be on the offensive, but in reality, he had been in a reactive position the entire time.

From the Marquis of Ren De’s banquet to his current predicament, he had always been out in the open while his enemies lurked in the shadows.

Now, by turning their plan against them, he could finally seize the initiative.

Everything now depended on the information he chose to release.

His opponent could only base their next move on the information he fed them.

"So, Master, when do you plan to release the information?" Red Makeup asked curiously.

Shen Bai replied calmly, "We’ll deal with that tomorrow night."

He stared at the closed door, lost in thought.

...

Time passed slowly.

A day went by in the blink of an eye.

The next day, the Jianghu remained quiet.

But beneath the surface calm, something was stirring.

Lianyun Medicine Mountain had now become a Forbidden Land within Lingyun Dao.

Rumor had it that many Jianghu Demons had been spotted there, forcing the locals to halt their herb gathering in the medicine fields.

The attention of the Jianghu People also shifted to the Observatory in Lingyun Dao.

They were all waiting to see what move the Observatory would make.

This day passed like any other.

The sun rose and then it set. As the moon replaced the fading sunlight, darkness fell.

As darkness arrived, lights were already flickering within the five-story building.

At that moment, Shen Bai stared at the smoke before him, his heart perfectly calm.

The smoke gradually condensed, forming a line of text that hovered in mid-air.

[Life and Death Storage Skill Level 4 (Space +8, Living Creatures +8, Dead Objects +8, Teleportation +8): 0/10000]