by Tinalynge
Chapter 300: Enemies
Cai Jie was walking through the mansion looking for Hui Yue. He left him earlier in the day to converse with his friends but it had been hours since then, and he had still not seen him.
“What am I doing?,” He mumbled to himself as he looked through one room after another. “I am Cai Jie, not someone who mindlessly follows behind someone like this. But he reminds me of home.” Hearing what he said to himself, he let out a sad chuckle, “I’ve been alone for far too long. How can anyone on this plane remind me of home.” He questioned himself as he finally opened a door behind which he found Hui Yue seated on a couch. As soon as Cai Jie saw him, he stopped in his tracks. There was nothing like his usual playfulness or positivity on his face; instead, it was replaced by a murderous grim smile and an underlying anger.
Seeing the young man seated in this dark room with his head resting on his hands and also feeling the killing intent which was roiling inside of him, surrounding him even Cai Jie was taken aback at the sight. The person in front of him seemed quite angry at something, and this anger could clearly be sensed from far away.
Hui Yue was so deep in thought that he did not notice Cai Jie. He was just seated on the sofa thinking about the situation he heard about from Deng Wu and Wang Ju Long. To see the tears in their eyes, to imagine the sadness they had to live with, and the feeling of guilt that they would never get rid of was enough to cause Hui Yue to feel enraged. This rage was nothing he had shown to his two friends, but now that he was alone the anger was eating him up from inside.
The culprit was the third prince! That was everything Hui Yue knew, as to whom this third prince was and information about him, he had none right now. Looking at Hui Yue for quite some time, Cai Jie finally sighed. He liked Hui Yue. He reminded him of home, and although he was aware that this feeling had to be fake, it was still something he valued highly since he had not been home for a great many years.
Walking into the room, he sat down next to Hui Yue. The white-haired man reacted as soon as he felt movement near him. He lifted his head, and as he did, his red eyes landed on Cai Jie. Looking at him for a moment, Hui Yue contemplated what to do. For some reason, Hui Yue had a feeling of familiarity whenever he looked at Cai Jie, but even he could not understand what the man truly wanted or wished for by following him.
“I have something I need to do while I am in the capital,” Hui Yue sighed as his eyes slowly returned to their clear blue color. His anger was slowly dissipating somewhere deep within. Deep within Hui Yue’s chest, in his middle datian, was a small flame of anger. This fire was usually contained by Hui Yue’s will and kept under control, but now after the devastating news, it proved hard to control. When it flared up, it would reach every corner of his body and cause for his blood to burn him from the inside out, forcing all his energies to go berserk and allows for his strength to greatly increase. This anger had been under control for the last many years but now, hearing what had happened to Wang Ju Long and Deng Wu families, and knowing how his friends had been treated this flame had finally broken free once more. Although it had withdrawn for now, it would not take much for it to once more flare up and force its way throughout his body. Forcing it back would require quite a bit of energy both physically and mentally, and Hui Yue understood that it was a problem.
Looking at Cai Jie by his side, he once more felt the turmoil within his body slowly calm down. There was a feeling of safety whenever he looked at this young but odd-looking man.
“Tell me what happened. It seems like we have something to deal with before we take on An He,” Cai Jie said with a smile on his face as he looked at Hui Yue and the other man could not help but feel grateful. Cai Jie definitely had many hidden skills, much like Hui Yue, and he was without a doubt very strong. Knowing that he had managed to deal with the Crusaders Hui Yue knew he could rely on him, so he slowly spoke. “Some years ago there were some problems in our old city. Because of this, the third prince used his personal power to destroy two families, the families belonging to my two good friends. They did not kill just the adults or the cultivators; they killed every single member of their families apart from the two of them. They are now full of guilt over it, and I only know of one way to help them, revenge!”
“I see,” Cai Jie said while contemplating for some time. “It seems as like we need to deal with this royal heir then. How troublesome.” He said while shaking his head. “We know nothing about this third prince, but we can get a lot of information two ways.” He continued and Hui Yue was grateful to hear how Cai Jie made his revenge a part of own agenda.
“We don’t need to rush” He said, and Hui Yue nodded slowly. “We can get some information from Gao Yan.” The white-haired man said slowly, “He claims to have the most up-to-date information about the different kingdoms. I could definitely use some of his information.” He said as he slowly stood up and stretched his tired body. “Don’t forget about the dinner appointment we have with the City Lord next week,” Cai Jie said, “We can also get some information there I am sure. Although it is only nobles and the City Lord who participate in the meal, none of the royal family’s supporters are there. There might be someone hidden though.”
Considering what Cai Jie said Hui Yue nodded his head for a bit. “I would prefer getting as much information from Gao Yan first, and then we can get some information from the dinner party later. Although they are from different factions, we don’t know if there are people we cannot trust. If anything I think we should gather information about everyone who attends the dinner party to see who we can trust and who we can’t.”
Cai Jie nodded his head and his gaze became distant. “Come on then,” Hui Yue said with a wry smile on his face. “Let’s go find Gao Yan and hear what his little birds have to say when it comes to the third prince and our friends from the City Lord’s mansion.”
Cai Jie stood up and together the two young men went to find Xu Piao. The older man, who now was spending all his time training, was working for Gao Yan after he returned to the surface. He had experiences with working a desk job before, and he welcomed any job that would keep his mind of off the loss he had suffered. All his time was used drowning in work. His tasks were to file and compile information, sort through sources, and to set up new sources for information gathering.
Moving through the house, they found Xu Piao in the same office he had been in before, but unlike last time, Xu Piao was now sitting on the ground. His legs were crossed, his arms resting in his lap and his eyes closed. He was clearly frowning, and Hui Yue could feel that although over a year had gone by, Xu Piao had not gained any strength whatsoever since the last time he had seen him. He was still King ranked, and now his strength was equal to Hui Yue’s.
Xu Piao slowly opened his eyes and as he saw Hui Yue and Cai Jie a smile formed on his lips. The older man was incredibly grateful for the information Hui Yue had given him, and he was willing to assist him any way he could. Seeing that Hui Yue sought him out, Xu Piao was aware that he was needed for something.
“What can I do you for?” He asked curiously while slowly stretching his body. Listening to the sounds his body was making it was easy to guess that he had been seated for many hours like this cultivating his inner energy.
“We need some help.” Hui Yue said smilingly, “We need information about the third prince of the Taiyang Kingdom, and we need info about every member the dinner parties the City Lord hosts. I need everything you have about them. Perhaps you can help us out?” He asked. Xu Piao was after all the one filing all the information, so Hui Yue hoped that perhaps he had the information already, but unfortunately, the older man shook his head apologetically.
“All the information is at Gao Yan’s office further in the city.” He explained, “You will have to go there to get the information.”
“His office is a room at an inn in the city. The inn is called the Black Lion. Head to the second floor door seven and kock, and tell them you need Gao Yan. They should let you through.”
Xu Piao explained, and Hui Yue nodded his head as he made a mental note to remember. Nodding his thanking Xu Piao, both Hui Yue and Cai Jie left the house and started to walk through the city. Muchuan City was filled with humans, but they still gave strange looks to the two odd looking young men walking through town.
At first, they were in the area belonging to the nobles and wealthy merchants. These streets were mainly traversed by guards and nobles in carriages. The roads were not very busy but the closer they got to the center of town the busier the streets became. Commoners crowded the streets, and the carriages were forced to move at a snail’s pace. Kids pushed their way through the hordes of people, sometimes snatching a purse.
Hui Yue and Cai Jie were moving with the current, and they soon reached one of the biggest marketplaces in the city. Here many carriages from outside the city were parked, and one person after another was yelling out the prices for their wares. As soon as they reached the marketplace, the crowd entered the area with the stalls, making it easier to get through the roads outside the marketplaces themselves. As Hui Yue and Cai Jie walked around the markets they kept an eye out for the Black Lion.
After walking through the massive marketplace for quite a while, Hui Yue finally let out a long sigh and grabbed a young thief who was running past them. Withdrawing a large gold coin from the storage stone around his neck, Hui Yue showed it to the young thief whose eyes were shining with greed and disbelief.
“This is yours if you show us where the Black Lion is,” Hui Yue said with a smile on his face. Moments after the young man led them through one alleyway after another until they had reached a torn down and dirty part of the markets. At the border to the poorest area of town was a large inn with a worn out sign hang by from one of its hinges. A drawing of a black lion with most of the paint falling off could be mostly made out on the sign. Seeing this, Hui Yue raised an eyebrow, but he quickly gave the gold coin to the kid. Together with Cai Jie, the two young men stepped inside ready to find Gao Yan.
Chapter 301 - The Black Lion
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Chapter 301: The Black Lion
Looking at the inn in front of them, both Hui Yue and Cai Jie were staring agape. The house seemed so run down that no one would think it was safe. Loud sounds of glasses clanging and people partying could be heard through the broken down door. The scent of beer and food wafted out through the shattered windows and the door. Glancing at each other Cai Jie finally shrugged as they opened the door and entered the shabby looking inn.
Entering both were astonished to see that although everything was worn, the room was not as destroyed as they had expected. As soon as they stepped inside, the room quieted down, and Hui Yue saw everyone turned to look at them. The man behind the counter looked suspiciously at the two men who had come in. Hui Yue sighed as he headed towards the man.
“I am here to visit a friend who is residing here right now. His room is on the second floor, door seven,” Hui Yue said with a low voice, but because the inn was so quiet, everyone heard him. Hearing the words, everyone suddenly turned hostile, and Hui Yue could not help but sigh. If he truly had to fight the experts within the inn, then he could easily massacre them, especially with Cai Jie by his side.
“Just go tell him that Hui Yue is here to speak with him,” He sighed once again, and the man behind the counter made a gesture with his hand after which a young child rushed up the stairs towards the second floor. Looking around the room, he found that there were commoners who had no cultivation base alongside cultivators with ranks all the way up to King. There were no emperors, nor were there any Saints around but every other rank was present. Everyone observed these two unknown men that had arrived at the inn making them all alert.
Saying nothing Hui Yue just waited for the young child to relay the information, and after a few moments, they suddenly heard a door slamming against the wall followed by feet rushing down the stairs. Moments after Gao Yan was seen on the stairs. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes searched for the person who had come to see him. The moment he saw Hui Yue a large smile was evident on his face and he rushed towards him, his arms outstretched ready to give his friend a hug.
“You should have told me that you were coming!” He exclaimed loudly as he dragged the white-haired young man into a hug. The sudden show of affection caused everyone within the room to stare slackjawed. Gao Yan was definitely not known as a person who was overly affectionate so for him to treat Hui Yue this way one could easily tell that he was a very special person.
“Hey, how are you doing? We are here for some information. We hoped you would be able to assist us,” Hui Yue said with a smile as the older man withdrew from the hug. The older man instantly nodded his head, and his expression turned serious. “I am doing good. It’s good to see you. Let’s head upstairs, and I will give you all the information you could need.” He said as he turned around and started to walk towards the stairs leading up towards the second story. This time, no one tried to block Hui Yue or glare at him and his companion; instead, they showed interested glances and great curiosity. It was incredible how quickly the general opinion of the two changed in such a short amount of time.
As soon as they had left the lower floor, the inn suddenly changed. It no longer looked shabby and rundown, and although it was not elaborately decorated, everything was made from sturdy good materials. The stairs did not creak; the walls were not filled with mold as one would have expected when looking at this inn from the outside. Looking at the room, it seemed both warm and sturdy completely different from the outside. Seeing Hui Yue’s clearly curious glance, Gao Yan smiled at him, “We don’t want people coming in here by mistake,” He explained. “This is our headquarters, and I work with the lower class citizens of all cities. The shop needs to look like a place that our clientele would visit.” Hearing the reason, Hui Yue had mostly guessed it, but he still nodded thankful to have it clarified.
On the second floor, there were seven doors on the left side of the hallway while the right side was filled with windows. Some were broken while others were painted over, completely fitting the style of a terrible, worn down inn.
“The floor upstairs has regular rooms,” Gao Yan said, “But on this floor, although there are seven doors only door seven leads into a room. If anyone tries to open the other six doors, an alarm will trigger, and it’ll be impossible to leave the building.” He said as a sinister expression flashed across his face, but it did not stay for long. It was so brief that Hui Yue almost questioned himself about whether or not he had truly seen it.
Moving to the seventh door, the older man opened it easily and went through. He was closely followed by Hui Yue and Cai Jie. Both were greatly curious about what it looked like inside, and they quickly looked around. Chests filled with memory stones were standing in front of the windows, and big bookshelves were placed on the walls. There were six desks and behind each of these desks was a person. These people seemed to have various strengths, professions, and amounts of wealth. Some were poor beggars, and others were maids from fine houses. Some were cultivators while others were merchants. The number of people within the room was quite astonishing. As soon as one left the room, the men behind the desks left the chamber through the entrance. A few moments later he would return with a person that Hui Yue recognized as one of the people sitting in the inn just moments before.
Nodding quietly, Hui Yue understood that this was the place where all the information was being gathered, collected, and filed. This was the core of Gao Yan’s intel business. The people downstairs brought information and got coins as rewards. One could tell that his business was definitely going well. All six tables were filled, but at the very back of the room was a desk larger than the others. On this desk were memory stones and scrolls alike, all of them dumped in random locations wherever they had managed to find a place. Heading towards this desk, Hui Yue instantly knew that it belonged to Gao Yan, and he could not help but chuckle silently.
Standing at the desk, Gao Yan
grumbled a little because of the look of the desk where many memory stones were scattered and in one of the drawers he found a storage stone in which he placed the many memory stones alongside the scrolls. Shrugging he looked at Hui Yue with a wry smile, “Usually, Xu Piao would be the one sorting and filtering the new information we gain, but unfortunately, he has been busy cultivating since yesterday for some reason, so I am stuck doing it myself.” He explained before he sat down. With a gesture of his hand, two servants appeared with a couple of chairs. As soon as they placed them in front of Gao Yan’s desk, the two servants instantly vanished from sight once more.
“I guess that one of the reasons you’re here is for information about the third prince,” Gao Yan sighed as he picked out a memory stone from his robes. “This one contains everything we know about the third prince. He is not often seen in public, so most of what we know comes from servants working at the palace. Most of it is from dubious sources so take it with a grain of salt,” He said as he handed the stone to Hui Yue who gratefully accepted it.
“Do you need any other information.?” Gao Yan asked while looking around and Hui Yue nodded his head, “I need all the information you can get me about the nobles invited to the City Lord’s dinner parties.” Hui Yue said, and Gao Yan nodded his head in return, but he did not move. “The City Lord’s dinners…,” He mumbled, and only after a few minutes did he stand up. He went to the bookshelf at the other end of the room and returned with four different books. Opening them, Hui Yue saw that these books did not contain pages, but they held memory stones. Taking a few memory stones from various books, Gao Yan finally laid down twelve stones. Sitting still, Gao Yan placed one memory stone after another to his forehead. A golden blue flash followed, and Gao Yan absorbed all the information, one stone at a time. As he stored it all in his memory, he picked up another twelve stones and placed these empty ones at his forehead like he had done with the previous stones. A silver blue light flashed once more, and the information he had stored in his mind was once more placed within a memory stone. Having made copies of the stones, Gao Yan gave a set to Hui Yue.
