Liu Shuyu’s eyes slightly curved, her smile warm with a hint of curiosity: “Has my senior brother heard of Longzi’s reputation?”
“No,” Meng Qi shook his head, genuinely unfamiliar with the name.
Liu Shuyu subtly showed disappointment: “If senior brother knew her, she would surely be delighted. Unfortunately…”
“I still have urgent matters; I must take my leave now.” Meng Qi, always feeling uneasy whenever hearing a woman’s name containing the characters “zi” or “sang,” and additionally eager to avoid further encouragement from Suzi Yue regarding any match with Liu Shuyu, decided not to prolong the conversation.
“Please, don’t let me interrupt senior brother. Go ahead.” Liu Shuyu gracefully bowed, her expression gentle and composed, showing no sign of discontent.
While exchanging these few words, the others were still immersed in the previous battle, shocked that Ke Changji, who possessed both a half-step external landscape cultivation and a precious weapon, had been swiftly defeated.
Just as they had thought earlier, they knew Kuangdao was powerful, but never imagined he would be this strong!
No wonder the Wolf King could slay weaker half-step opponents like chickens and dogs yet still be slain by him!
No wonder the “initial” stage of Heaven-Man Oneness was described as “preliminary” internal-external integration!
After exiting the martial arts arena, Meng Qi immediately encountered Su Yue. Su Yue was still dressed in his dark golden divine investigator attire, with the golden eye emblem hanging at his waist. He solemnly asked: “Are you heading to contact Gu Changqing today?”
“Yes.” Meng Qi did not hide it. This matter involved the Luo Sect and the Heaven-Extinguishing Gate, far beyond what he alone could handle. Later, the Six Bureaus would likely take over.
One eats only as much as one’s appetite allows.
Su Yue nodded slightly: “The Chief Investigator takes the last two assassination attempts very seriously. He specially requested the Emperor’s decree to enhance the operation of the Shen Du Formation before and after the Qionghua Banquet. Although not fully activated, if there is significant activity within the city, the formation will respond immediately. In case of another external landscape attack, unless you cannot withstand even a single strike, you won’t face life-threatening danger. Moreover, the attackers would have to consider whether they can escape detection after a single killing blow.”
Fully activating the formation requires numerous rare treasures; even with the imperial court’s vast resources, it cannot sustain prolonged consumption.
“Excellent,” Meng Qi exhaled in relief.
Previously, he had planned to request an external landscape expert from the Six Bureaus or Master Wang Zai’s father to secretly follow him and prevent unexpected incidents.
After leaving the Shengwei Marquis Mansion, Meng Qi headed directly to the Zhongzhou Escort Agency in the outer city. Approaching it, he saw the agency, relatively well-known in the martial world, now draped entirely in white mourning attire, presenting a gloomy and sorrowful scene.
“The Zhongzhou Escort Agency probably only had its Chief Escort Master at the initial external landscape level. Without him, the entire agency’s strength would immediately drop to ordinary levels. His death naturally causes great grief among his descendants and disciples…” Meng Qi felt no surprise at all, carefully observing the agency.
At that moment, he noticed a man wearing a bamboo hat cautiously looking around before entering the agency.
A thought stirred in Meng Qi’s mind. Concealing his form, he approached the outer wall and, taking advantage of the mournful chaos, stealthily entered the courtyard, hiding atop a tree canopy.
“Esteemed sir, what brings you here?” A middle-aged man dressed in mourning clothes approached.
The visitor pressed down his bamboo hat, his voice low: “I’m here to retrieve my consignment.”
“Consignment?” The middle-aged man slightly narrowed his eyes.
“The consignment entrusted to you from the Nan Province to be delivered back to Shen Du.” The man in the bamboo hat spoke with slight impatience.
So it’s indeed about this matter… Meng Qi focused his spirit outward, utilizing his unification with heaven and earth to capture every minute detail around him, clearly and subtly reflected in his mind lake.
The middle-aged man immediately understood, wanting to be angry but unable to, feeling both hatred toward the man for entrusting such a dangerous consignment to their agency, causing the Chief Escort Master and other escorts to die tragically, and embarrassment over the loss of the consignment.
In the end, to protect the agency’s reputation, he suppressed his anger and said, “Honored guest, we sincerely apologize, but the shipment has been lost, and our Chief Escort was killed by members of the Nine Paths of Demonic Sects. Please allow us some time to recover the goods. If compensation is necessary, we will accept it without complaint.”
Regardless of whether the other party concealed the danger, since the Chief Escort Master accepted the task, it meant he assumed the risk. Thus, he could only respond this way; otherwise, the agency’s reputation would be ruined, making future operations difficult.
The man in the bamboo hat struggled to control his tone: “Lost? How did it get lost!”
The middle-aged man detailed the entire incident, ending with a low, sorrowful tone: “Our forces split into two groups, both completely annihilated. The consignment should now be in the hands of the Luo Sect and the Heaven-Extinguishing Gate.”
He still didn’t know that Gu Changqing had been rescued by Meng Qi, indicating that Gu Changqing was keeping a low profile and hadn’t contacted the Zhongzhou Escort Agency yet.
The man in the bamboo hat paced back and forth, his tone urgent and grave: “If you learn anything about the consignment, immediately make the following secret mark outside the door…”
He rattled off several details before leaving without turning back, not even mentioning compensation, seemingly considering it trivial.
Meng Qi, like a great bird, silently glided down from the tree canopy, leapt over the courtyard wall, and stealthily followed the man in the bamboo hat.
If he could discover the consignment’s true purpose, the matter might resolve itself, and the Luo Sect and Heaven-Extinguishing Gate’s schemes would never succeed.
The man in the bamboo hat was extremely cautious, weaving through nearby streets and alleys. Without Meng Qi’s expertise in transformation and concealment, he would have been shaken off long ago.
As they walked, the man in the bamboo hat returned to the front of the Zhongzhou Escort Agency. A carriage stood at the alley’s mouth, its horse quietly eating weeds.
Previously, the man had passed this carriage twice without incident, but now suddenly turned back, quickly scanning the surroundings before hastening into the carriage.
“Did he circle around and pass by the carriage without entering merely to let the people inside observe whether anyone was following?” Meng Qi suddenly realized with alarm—the opponent was highly experienced!
Although Meng Qi continuously changed his appearance and aura, the fact that someone might have been following the middle-aged man still raised suspicion!
Just as this thought arose, Meng Qi abruptly sensed two gazes from inside the carriage directed precisely at him!
The horse whinnied loudly, reared up, and clattered onto the street outside.
Meng Qi abandoned further concealment, quickened his pace, sprinted forward, and locked onto the carriage using his aura.
With swift strides, he closed the distance rapidly, dozens of zhang disappearing in an instant.
At that moment, the two gazes lifted, meeting Meng Qi’s eyes.
Crack!
Their auras collided like lightning, and suddenly, the carriage “leaped” from Meng Qi’s perception!
If one closed their eyes, plugged their ears, and relied solely on sensing, they would find the carriage vanished from their mental mirror, seemingly no different from the passing pedestrians—like water in the ocean!
Meng Qi chased to the street edge, watching numerous carriages pass by, the target now untraceable.
“A master at Heaven-Man Oneness…” Meng Qi slightly frowned, gauging the opponent’s strength from their aura clash.
If it weren’t for his incomplete recovery, an opponent merely at the Perfection level wouldn’t have escaped so easily.
Of course, the opponent used secret techniques. Even at his peak, Meng Qi couldn’t guarantee pursuit—fifty-fifty odds at best.
“From the aura clash, it’s not Yan Chong. Who could it be…” Meng Qi pondered hard but drew blanks.
Indeed, among the current Human List, only a handful have reached the perfect state of Heaven-Man Oneness—himself, Yan Chong, Liusu, Luo Hou from the Asura Temple, Tian Ce from the Chunyang Sect, and Cui Zhe from the Zijie Sword Sect. Beyond the Human List, however, many remain unknown. This world always has its late bloomers or those who accumulate strength gradually through years of cultivation, like Master Qian, who once sought Meng Qi’s guidance on his path. Not to mention the demonic practitioners, who are accustomed to killing and erasing evidence, often concealing their true accomplishments.
After fruitless contemplation, Meng Qi temporarily shelved his guesses, circled around the Zhongzhou Escort Agency, and left a secret mark at the agreed-upon dilapidated house’s corner with Gu Changqing.
After completing this, Meng Qi hid nearby, patiently waiting for Gu Changqing.
Given the importance of the matter, he chose not to leave, allowing Gu Changqing to seek him out upon seeing the mark, to avoid unexpected incidents along the way.
With his prior experience of waiting for the Wolf King, Meng Qi’s mind remained utterly calm, showing no impatience or anxiety. He blended completely with the surroundings, like a piece of deadwood, indistinguishable from the environment.
The afternoon sun shone brightly, the laziest time of the day, occasionally interrupted by distant dog barks adding to the quietude.
Suddenly, a figure approached stealthily, paused upon seeing the mark, then quickened his pace.
Unexpectedly, he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder, lost balance, and was pulled into a corner.
“It’s me.” A familiar voice reached his ear, halting Gu Changqing’s drawn sword.
“Are you alright?”
“Xiao Meng, the consignment was taken!”
Almost simultaneously, both spoke.
“What?” Meng Qi hadn’t anticipated Gu Changqing losing the consignment, shock causing him to blurt out in astonishment.
In his surprise, he suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation, fleeting and vanishing instantly!
“Somebody followed me… far stronger than me…” Meng Qi quickly deduced. If not for Gu Changqing’s shocking news disturbing the follower and his own sharp intuition, he wouldn’t have detected it at all!
Maintaining his composure, he asked: “Are you unharmed? How did you lose the consignment?”
“Yesterday, I came near the escort agency to watch for the Chief Escort Master’s return, only to discover his tragic death…” Gu Changqing’s voice carried slight dejection. “While hesitating whether to continue hiding, perhaps failing to suppress my emotions, I was discovered. They approached directly, subdued me in one move, took the consignment, and left. After breaking free from the acupoint seal, fearing repercussions on the agency, I left on my own.”
“He spared your life, so likely not an evil practitioner. Did you see his face or notice any distinctive features?” Meng Qi nodded thoughtfully.
Gu Changqing shook his head: “He wore a mask, his body wrapped in a dark robe.”
“What kind of mask?” Meng Qi inhaled slightly.
Gu Changqing furrowed his brow in thought: “It seemed like the ‘Guan Cheng Tianzun’ mask from a play. Yes, Guan Cheng Tianzun!”
Guan Cheng Tianzun? Oh my, like a flood drowning the Dragon King Temple, family not recognizing family… Meng Qi wiped non-existent cold sweat: “Changqing, I’ll find you a place to stay first. Don’t show yourself for now.”
“Alright.” Gu Changqing didn’t refuse.
After the two left the alley, a shadow in a hidden spot stretched out, stepping forth a man.
He wore a golden eye emblem at his waist, slightly frowning, muttering to himself:
“He indeed carries no consignment…”
Shortly after this man disappeared, ripples stirred in the void, and someone murmured in puzzlement: “‘He’ actually sent me personally—wasn’t the Six Bureaus sufficient…”
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