klisemfg Chapter 455 Shadow Sect Secret Intelligence Gathering: Yi Bu Has Ulterior Motives (1)
Chapter 455 Shadow Sect Secret Intelligence Gathering: Yi Bu Has Ulterior Motives (1)
The Northern Army Camp.
Xiao Ruofeng was the only one left in the tent. He walked to the map and slowly moved his finger along the route of the Micang Road on the map, his brows furrowed.
Xiao Ruofeng thought to himself, but this route is too dangerous. He would never let his brother take the risk unless absolutely necessary.
Jianmen Pass... that is a true natural barrier, where many famous generals in history have fallen.
Since the Qin and Han dynasties, countless heroes and great men have emerged, but only one has successfully crossed this formidable natural barrier, taking the Micang Road straight to Sichuan…
"Marquis of Zhenxi... what kind of formation would you deploy at Jianmen Pass?"
Xiao Ruofeng muttered to himself.
As night deepened outside the tent, the campfires twinkled like stars.
Unbeknownst to anyone, three pairs of eyes were silently watching the central command tent from the shadows of the camp.
Song Chen, Luo Qinghong, and Zhuo Yifeng lay hidden in the grass, staring intently at Xiao Ruofeng's central command tent.
"The Prince of Langya intends to send Lei Mengsha and Ye Xiaoying to scout the Micang Road," Song Chen said in a low voice. "This is extremely important news. We must send a message back to Tianqi first thing tomorrow morning and deliver it to the Sect Master!"
Luo Qinghong asked, "Senior Brother Song, do we really have to keep an eye on him like this? I think the Prince of Langya acts with integrity and is wholeheartedly dedicated to suppressing the rebellion. Could someone like him really have ulterior motives?"
"Whether they harbor disloyal intentions is not for you or me to decide," Song Chen said coldly. "If the sect leader tells us to keep an eye on things, then we'll keep an eye on things and do our duty. As for the rest... we won't ask about it, nor do we have the right to interfere!"
As he spoke, Zhuo Yifeng suddenly raised a finger: "Shh—someone's coming."
The three of them immediately held their breath.
Xun Yichuan returned, lifted the curtain, and entered the tent. A conversation could be faintly heard inside.
“Your Highness, there is one more thing… This humble general has just received a report from our scouts… Qian Dong… Wen…”
The voice was very low and could not be heard clearly.
Song Chen's eyes sharpened, and he channeled his inner energy into his ears, trying to hear clearly.
The two people inside the tent were speaking too softly, and only a few words could be heard intermittently:
"This humble general can ascertain... Qian Dongcheng... the Wen family... the medicine man... Zhuo Luo... Your Highness, regarding the matter of the Rice Granary Road, in this humble general's opinion... it is still... to order Lei Ye... to return..."
Medicine man?
Qiandong City?
The Wen family?
Song Chen was deeply shocked. The Shadow Sect's intelligence network spanned the entire world; more than half a year ago, someone in the martial arts world had said that Wen Yanzhao of the Lingnan Wen family had obtained the legendary "Medicine Man" technique!
If, as the intelligence reports, Wen Yanzhao went to Qiandong City and apparently even created many medicinal humanoids to resist the Northern Li army, then...
This battle will probably be more difficult than we imagined!
The conversation inside the tent lasted for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before Xun Yichuan finally left.
Song Chen signaled his two fellow disciples to retreat. The three exchanged glances and then quietly left their hiding place.
Under the cover of night, they raced all the way to the nearest village.
Finding a house with roof tiles, Song Chen pushed open the wooden latched gate with one hand and went straight into the main house.
"Squeak..."
Hearing the noise in the courtyard, a candle flickered to life inside the house. Before the owner could get out of bed and open the door, Song Chen struck again with his palm.
"Oh!"
With a single strike, splinters of wood flew from the doorway!
"Who...who are you? Don't harm my wife! If you want money, I have some silver here, take it!"
The male homeowner was an old man nearing fifty, with his wife and young daughter behind him. Seeing that Song Chen and his two companions were dressed in night clothes and had black longswords hanging at their waists, they mistook them for passing robbers!
"Who wants your filthy money? Bring me the candlestick and a shallow dish to grind the ink!"
Seeing that the three men had no intention of harming him for money, the old man cautiously followed Song Chen's instructions, bringing out the candlestick and saucer and placing them discreetly on the table.
At this moment, Luo Qinghong and Zhuo Yifeng found a place to rest outside the courtyard, while keeping an eye on their surroundings to prevent any unauthorized people from getting close and leaking the news.
Song Chen took out paper, pen, and pine ink from his bag and glanced at the old man:
"What are you standing there for? Grind the ink!"
The old man dared not delay and began grinding ink with trembling hands.
By the dim light of the candlestick, Song Chen quickly wrote:
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty
May 18th, 7 PM.
The Prince of Langya dispatched Lei Mengsha and Ye Xiaoying with four thousand elite troops to scout the Micang Road.
In addition, Xun Yichuan secretly reported that the Wen family of medicine people in Lingnan were mentioned, reminding the Prince of Langya to be careful.
The medicine-using soldiers may have already formed an army; details await further investigation. Disciple Song Chen and others bow in respect.
After writing, he rolled the paper into a thin roll and inserted it into a specially made small bamboo tube.
With everything prepared, Song Chen pulled a silver ingot from his waist and tossed it on the table, giving the family of three a sinister look before saying:
"Take the reward, but don't tell anyone we were here!"
The old man dared not utter a sound. Seeing the broken silver ingot on the table, he was filled with unease and dared not approach. He simply protected his wife and daughter behind him and said:
"Thank you, brave warrior. We will never mention this to anyone, but this silver..."
Not wanting to waste any more time, Song Chen left the house and called to his two fellow disciples to leave the village.
After the three left, the old man and his young daughter timidly said to their father:
“Father…that man had a black tag hanging from his waist, and it looked like the character ‘影’ (shadow) was written on it!”
Upon hearing this, the old man broke out in a cold sweat.
"Shadow? Shadow Sect..."
……
The three left the village and found a high slope. Song Chen slightly curled his fingers and whistled very loudly in front of his mouth.
"Pullingleng..."
A moment later, a gray hawk came flapping its wings in response to the sound!
Song Chen raised his left arm, and the falcon landed steadily. Then he tied the bamboo tube to the falcon's leg and gave it a push.
The gray falcon took flight, blending into the night, and flew towards Tianqi City in the north.
He stood outside the tent, gazing in the direction where the gray falcon had disappeared, remaining motionless for a long time.
The speed of the falcon was incredibly fast; in just thirty or fifty miles, or the time it takes to eat a meal, it had already arrived outside the Shadow Sect's gate.
"Chirp~!"
The falcon landed on the eaves of the sect's archway and let out a long howl.
Hearing the call of the falcon, Luo Qingni, a disciple of the Shadow Sect on duty, looked up, then leaped forward and grasped the falcon in her hands.
"Reporting to Master, Senior Brother Song Chen and the others have sent a message. Please open it yourself!"
Inside the sect's inner chamber, Luo Qingni stood respectfully before Yi Bu, holding the secret letter she had taken from Xin Jun.
"Okay, back off!"
Luo Qingni left the inner room. Yi Bu unfolded the secret letter, glanced at it, and when he saw the last paragraph, a chill ran down his spine!
"Medicine...medicine person!?"
……