Chapter 75: Delaying Tactic
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Who was Flying Centipede? The vice hall master who betrayed Green Wood Hall six years ago.
Eight Fingers Wang hadn’t been lying. Six years later, Green Wood Hall still displayed a bounty notice for capturing the traitor Liao Jiuming, and despite six years of wind and rain, it remained as good as new.
It wasn’t that the wanted poster was made of good material that wouldn’t deteriorate in six years, but that whenever the writing became blurred, it would immediately be replaced with a new one. As long as someone could provide Liao Jiuming’s hiding place, the reward was ten thousand taels of silver—a rule that had remained unchanged in Green Wood Hall for six years.
Yue Chengfeng, who had jumped out the window, was not only shocked to hear someone casually mention having heard of Flying Centipede, but also felt immense joy rising in his heart as he stared deadly at the youth before him.
Why Flying Centipede had betrayed Green Wood Hall was almost common knowledge within Ghost King Gate.
Six years ago, Liao Jiuming had taken advantage of an opportunity to steal a Foundation Establishment Pill from Ghost King Gate, then vanished without a trace. To hunt down Flying Centipede, Ghost King Gate’s thirty-six halls mobilized tens of thousands of people, nearly turning half of Qi Nation upside down, but still failed to find Liao Jiuming. Thus, Flying Centipede’s wanted poster hung not only in Green Wood Hall, but in all other thirty-five halls as well.
Liao Jiuming had originally been Green Wood Hall’s vice hall master, while Yue Chengfeng was the hall master. When the sect lost a Foundation Establishment Pill, Yue Chengfeng nearly had his skin peeled off too. If not for his decent relationship with one of the protectors, who spoke for him before the sect master, Yue Chengfeng would have suffered along with Liao Jiuming.
For these six years, Yue Chengfeng had constantly thought about capturing Liao Jiuming. Revenge was one thing, but the Foundation Establishment Pill in Liao Jiuming’s hands was the real treasure. If Yue Chengfeng could get it, he definitely wouldn’t return it to the sect—he would immediately consume it himself.
Yue Chengfeng was already a three-meridian innate martial artist. Breaking through the fourth meridian was extremely difficult for him, let alone opening all six meridians. Thus, a Foundation Establishment Pill that could directly break through the last three meridians became something that martial artists like Yue Chengfeng, stuck at the three-meridian innate realm, dreamed of obtaining.
Swallowing one Foundation Establishment Pill would make him a true Foundation Establishment cultivator!
All his ambitions and hopes rested on the Foundation Establishment Pill. Unfortunately, Yue Chengfeng hadn’t even found Liao Jiuming’s shadow in all these years. Today, hearing the name Flying Centipede emerge from this youth Xu Yan’s mouth, the hope that had been buried for years immediately rekindled.
His cold eyes flashed with icy light as Yue Chengfeng stared deadly at the youth before him. His hands unconsciously clenched, producing crisp cracking sounds from his knuckles.
“I’ve… I’ve heard of him.” Xu Yan seemed frightened, speaking timidly.
“Where did you hear about Flying Centipede, boy? Tell me honestly.” Yue Chengfeng realized his behavior was somewhat too eager, so he steadied his mind and became more amiable: “Don’t worry, as long as you tell me where Flying Centipede is, this old man naturally won’t treat you poorly.”
Only two people were outside the window. At Yue Chengfeng’s gesture, his subordinates kept everyone else at a distance, including Mei Sanniang and Eight Fingers Wang, who could only watch from afar and couldn’t hear what the two were saying.
“At… at…”
Xu Yan scratched his head as if recalling something. Yue Chengfeng wasn’t in a hurry either, smiling as he waited, though the corner of his eye kept twitching slightly.
“I remember now—in Pu Nation!”
“Pu Nation?” Yue Chengfeng unconsciously repeated, thinking no wonder they couldn’t find Liao Jiuming all these years—that traitor had fled to Pu Nation and wasn’t within Qi Nation’s borders at all.
“Where in Pu Nation is he? Do you know?” Yue Chengfeng was extremely anxious and hurriedly pressed for more.
“At Linyuan Mountain in Pu Nation.” Xu Yan blinked his eyes with a foolish expression: “My hometown is near Linyuan Mountain. I heard there’s a stronghold called Yuan Mountain Stronghold on Linyuan Mountain, full of skilled martial artists. The head chieftain’s nickname is Flying Centipede.”
Changing Qiyuan Mountain to Linyuan Mountain and Yuan Mountain Stronghold to Yuan Mountain Stronghold, Xu Yan intended only to confuse Yue Chengfeng. After all, the two mountains were separated by just one canyon—it wasn’t strange for a half-grown child to be unable to distinguish them clearly.
“Linyuan Mountain, Yuan Mountain Stronghold…”
Yue Chengfeng muttered to himself, then suddenly looked at Xu Yan. After staring for a long time and finding that the youth still maintained his bewildered, foolish expression, he determined the other party wasn’t lying.
“Have you told anyone else about this information?” Yue Chengfeng asked with a forced smile. Xu Yan hurriedly shook his head.
“Good child.” Yue Chengfeng praised him, casually pulling out a hundred-tael silver note from his chest and tossing it to Xu Yan: “Don’t mention Flying Centipede in front of others anymore. He’s a scourge with many enemies. If others hear about it, you’ll bring trouble upon yourself.”
Whether he understood the warning or was just happy to receive the silver, Xu Yan kept nodding and grinning foolishly, making Yue Chengfeng feel utterly contemptuous.
“Boy, someone like you is most suited to being an idiot, hahaha!”
Though his eyes showed disdain, Yue Chengfeng didn’t display it, patting Xu Yan’s shoulder and praising him—though his praise sounded no different from an insult.
Yue Chengfeng often came to Plum Fragrance Tower and had naturally seen Xu Yan before. He’d always thought Xu Yan was just a servant at Plum Fragrance Tower, and in his eyes, this type of youth who grinned foolishly at everyone was most suitable to be a brothel manager. Once he obtained Plum Fragrance Tower’s deed and Mei Sanniang, he felt he should promote this foolish boy before him.
Walking to the front entrance with his hands behind his back, Yue Chengfeng didn’t even enter the main hall this time, nor did he spare Mei Sanniang another glance. Calling to his group of subordinates, he hurriedly left Plum Fragrance Tower as if he’d forgotten all about taking a concubine.
It wasn’t that Yue Chengfeng had forgotten, but that one beautiful concubine plus one Plum Fragrance Tower really couldn’t compare to one Foundation Establishment Pill.
Never mind one Plum Fragrance Tower—if he could capture Liao Jiuming and seize the Foundation Establishment Pill, he wouldn’t even glance at ten Plum Fragrance Towers.
That was a Foundation Establishment Pill—a miraculous elixir that could break through three meridians!
Watching the Green Wood Hall group leave in a rush, Mei Sanniang looked completely puzzled. When she turned to see Xu Yan still grinning foolishly outside the window, she immediately smiled bitterly.
She knew it was that troublesome boy who had tricked Yue Chengfeng into leaving, because whenever Xu Yan grinned foolishly, it was when he was up to mischief.
“What did you tell him?” When no one was around, Mei Sanniang grabbed Xu Yan and questioned him.
“Nothing much, just told him Flying Centipede’s whereabouts.” Xu Yan looked relaxed and unconcerned.
“Liao Jiuming died long ago!” Mei Sanniang was startled.
“Yue Chengfeng doesn’t know that.” Xu Yan chuckled: “I told him Flying Centipede is at Linyuan Mountain. Without a month, Yue Chengfeng won’t be back.”
“They have a grudge?” Mei Sanniang was somewhat puzzled, so Xu Yan explained about Green Wood Hall’s ongoing hunt for Liao Jiuming.
This was merely a delaying tactic. Although Mei Sanniang had temporarily shaken off trouble, when Yue Chengfeng returned empty-handed, he would definitely target Plum Fragrance Tower again.
Xu Yan had wanted to take this opportunity to persuade Mei Sanniang to leave. The few Green Wood Hall disciples monitoring Plum Fragrance Tower outside wouldn’t be hard to deal with. But seeing Mei Sanniang’s reluctant expression as she looked at Plum Fragrance Tower, Xu Yan didn’t say more.
That was the business she had worked so hard to obtain—anyone would probably be reluctant to give it up.
Xu Yan had already tried to persuade her several times, but Mei Sanniang still had no intention of leaving. Once someone got stuck in a rut, eight oxen couldn’t pull them back.
Sighing, Xu Yan stopped trying to persuade Third Sister. He planned to travel to Horse King Town with Eight Fingers Wang and the others tomorrow—at least he needed to prepare two good horses for emergencies.
