First Steps into the Ethereal Void 126. Extracting Secrets

Meng Biyu did not know that he was a lackey of Luo Mingyuan, and having no intention of beating a dog already in the water or taking advantage of a person in peril, she did not stab him to death. Instead, she stared at him in a daze, thinking to herself, "Who was it on the roof who secretly helped us?"

Girl Jie noticed a thick, acrid smell of burning wafting from the kitchen. Looking over, she saw the rice pot emitting heavy smoke, the contents scorched beyond consumption. Incensed, she grabbed the pot and hurled it at Zhan Di, chiding, "It is all because you people are unreasonable and make a scene that we cannot even eat our meal. Here, have your fill!"

When Zhan Di had tumbled down from above, his twin pens remained embedded in the ground. Before the hot pot arrived, he felt the searing heat. He raised both hands, pushing out against the flying pot. However, his head was still reeling from the impact, and he had not yet recovered; he could muster only twenty or thirty percent of his usual strength, which was, of course, insufficient to deflect the fast-moving pot.

As his palms touched the pot, the scalding heat made him yelp like a ghost! He quickly pulled his hands back, only for the pot to land on his legs, making him wail for his parents in agony!

Meng Biyu reached out and tugged at Girl Jie’s sleeve. "Let us go! We have truly run into a stroke of bad luck; after working for so long, we did not even get a bite to eat."

As Girl Jie and Meng Biyu turned to leave, they heard a delicate voice call out, "Oh, my! You kill someone and just walk away? Is there such an easy way out?"

Meng Biyu looked back and saw Yang Yifei, who was smiling and winking at her. Having changed her clothes and reverted to her original appearance, Meng Biyu suspected she had an ulterior motive and replied, "If you are not satisfied, let us meet tonight in the mountain forest behind us for a life-or-death battle."

Yang Yifei waved her hand. "It is a date. I will see you there."

Meng Biyu returned to the front hall and whispered to Gao Yunxiang, "The main figures of the Hundred Gates Sect have all arrived. How shall we deal with them? You must make proper arrangements."

"And what of Miss Yang?"

Meng Biyu replied, "I believe she will extract important information from the ruffians."

Gao Yunxiang said, "Let us wait until Miss Yang returns. We do not know the enemy's situation, so there is no point in making plans yet."

Miss Yang had entered the back of the shop, slipped out the back door, and climbed onto the kitchen roof to monitor the Zhan brothers. Seeing them flee, she thought, "If I let them escape, it will not be easy to track them down for information later."

Having made up her mind, she crouched on the eaves, eavesdropping on the fight below. Suddenly, the roof tiles clattered as a hole appeared. Assuming the Zhan brothers were breaking out, she grew tense, prying up a stack of tiles to prepare an ambush.

After the hole appeared, no one vaulted out. Peering through the gap, she saw a pair of large, masculine feet resting on the ceiling joists, soles facing upward. Without a moment's thought, she concluded it was one of the Zhan brothers. Yang Yifei picked up a heavy brick used to secure the tiles and slammed it down with all her might, not only piercing a vital point but crushing the man's big toe.

After the ruffian fell, she quickly descended, changed her clothes, and walked into the kitchen with a composed air.

Zhan Di looked up and saw that the person appearing before him was none other than the beloved granddaughter of the Grand Altar Master. He hurriedly greeted her, "Miss Yang, you have come just in time. If you had been a step later, my brother and I would have been done for!"

Yang Yifei feigned surprise. "Uncle Zhan, how could you two be bested by two young girls?"

Zhan Di shook his head. "Do not speak of it! Consider it our terrible luck."

Yang Yifei looked at the tightly shut eyes of Zhan Xiao and cried out in alarm, "Oh no! Uncle Zhan is severely injured!"

Zhan Di said, "Quickly, see if there is any saving my elder brother!"

Yang Yifei replied, "The masked person is in the front hall, and those two girls are their partners. I heard that even the Grand Altar Master suffered a great loss at the hands of the masked person. You two were far too reckless."

Zhan Di shook his head. "Do not bring it up! When one’s personality cannot be changed, what is to be done?"

Yang Yifei said, "Your brother’s injuries are grave and must be treated immediately, but we cannot stay here long. Second Uncle, carry him on your back. I will lead you to the mountain behind us, and we will find a way to save him."

Zhan Di nodded, gritting his teeth to endure the pain in his feet. He grabbed his brother’s hands, turned sideways, crouched slightly, hoisted his brother’s body onto his back, and hurried toward the rear.

Behind the shop lay a stretch of paddy fields. It took them about half a mile to reach the edge of the mountain. Normally, it would have taken only a moment, but with Zhan Di’s injuries, he arrived at the foot of the mountain drenched in blood.

Yang Yifei was already sitting under a large tree waiting. She quickly said, "Look! I brought this straw with me when I passed through the fields. It is already laid out; quickly, place your brother on it."

After Zhan Di set his brother down, he slumped to the side, panting heavily.

Yang Yifei examined Zhan Xiao’s injuries. "Your brother has internal injuries, as well as burns and severe scalding. The medicine I have is only for internal injuries and blade wounds—I have nothing for burns. What shall we do?"

Zhan Di shook his head. "Where would we find burn medicine at a time like this? We must leave it to fate."

Yang Yifei frowned. "I have heard that those suffering from burns and scalds have a fever attacking their hearts and need cooling agents to soothe them. I think the mud in the fields is cooling; applying it to his burns might reduce some of his pain."

Zhan Di said, "Treat a dead horse as a living one. You handle it, Miss; I am powerless to help."

Yang Yifei scooped up some mud and applied it to Zhan Xiao's wounds. She had originally intended to toy with them, but shortly after the mud was applied, Zhan Xiao woke up, gasping, "Water!"

Zhan Di jumped up and ran toward the fields. He threw himself into the mud, thrusting his scalded hands into the mire, and the excruciating pain eased significantly.

Yang Yifei looked up, spotted a ladle used for night soil left on the ridge, picked it up, and scooped a ladle of dirty field water. She brought it back and fed it to Zhan Xiao as if watering a plant.

Zhan Xiao gulped the entire ladle of dirty water down. Opening his eyes, he said weakly, "Niece, you saved me. Where is my brother?"

Yang Yifei replied, "Second Uncle is also burned, though slightly less than you. He will be back in a moment." She then asked, "How do you feel, Uncle?"

Zhan Xiao said, "To die of burns rather than by blade or sword—I cannot close my eyes in peace." With that, he rolled his eyes back and fainted again.

Yang Yifei pulled three medicine bottles from her person and held them in her palm, thinking, "If I give him two of these red pills, in less than an hour, there will be one less demon in the martial arts world. I might as well eliminate one while I can."

Zhan Xiao suddenly opened his glazed eyes again. "Miss, I have painkillers in my pocket. Please, take them out and give me two."

Yang Yifei reached into his pocket and felt it was bulging. Besides the medicine bottle, there was a cloth bundle. Unwrapping it, she found it to be a pouch of priceless jewelry. She tucked it away, then fed him two poison pills.

Not long after, Zhan Xiao let out a cry, stretched his legs, and breathed his last.

Hearing the scream, Zhan Di ran back, asking, "Is my brother dead?"

Yang Yifei replied, "Perhaps he just fainted from the pain?"

Zhan Di’s eyes were red. "Did my brother say anything to you, Miss?"

Yang Yifei handed him the pouch of jewelry. "Your brother wanted me to give this small cloth bundle to you."

Tears streaming down his face, Zhan Di took the bundle. "My brother actually left before me."

Yang Yifei said, "Second Uncle, do not grieve. With your brother’s deep martial arts cultivation, these external injuries should not be fatal. I fear he has merely fainted for the moment."

Zhan Di wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve. "Did my brother say anything else to you, Miss?"

Yang Yifei replied, "Your brother wanted you to tell me the important details of your journey from Sha City to this place, so that I may report them to the Grand Altar Master."

Zhan Di said, "The task the Grand Altar Master gave us—we have been tracking the target since Sha City. By water and then here, the owner of the goods has been heavily guarded. We never had a chance to strike."

Yang Yifei asked, "Is it the hidden shipment?"

Zhan Di nodded. "Yes."

Yang Yifei asked again, "Which escort agency is guarding the shipment?"

Zhan Di replied, "They are martial arts experts hired privately by the owner. My brother and I have crossed blades with them; their skills are very high."

Yang Yifei asked, "What kind of goods are they? Have you obtained reliable information?"

Zhan Di said, "It is a small box of ancient art treasures. Just one piece—a jade-carved flying horse—is worth a fortune, beyond estimation."

Yang Yifei asked, "Where is the owner taking these goods?"

Zhan Di said, "They are to be sent to the Western Regions and handed over to a foreign merchant. The price is ten million taels of gold."

Yang Yifei said, "How can national treasures be sold to a foreign merchant?"

Zhan Di said, "The Altar Master’s goal is not to stop the merchant from selling them, but to claim them for himself."

Yang Yifei nodded. "Where are the owners staying tonight?"

Zhan Di said, "There are people providing support all along the route. They do not stay at inns; the places they stay are prepared in advance—either temples or the homes of wealthy local families."

Yang Yifei asked, "Have you found out where they are staying tonight?"

Zhan Di replied, "To the southwest of this town, there is a secluded small valley with a fortress called the Twin Slope Fort. It used to be a prosperous farmhouse where a pair of twin boys were born. After they grew up, both entered the government as prefects, and it was later renamed the Twin Prefect Fort. We learned this from the locals."

Yang Yifei asked, "Have you made contact with the Grand Altar Master?"

Zhan Di said, "We received instructions from the Grand Altar Master. He had already arrived in advance to take care of a separate matter. Once that was finished, he was going to arrive a day or two early at Luo Family Ferry to lie in wait."

Yang Yifei thought to herself, "The 'separate matter' he spoke of was to ransack the Li and Guo families. Unfortunately, the main members of those families were not at home, and no one knew where the treasures were hidden. In his rage, he burned the Li residence to ashes."

It happened that rumors spread that the masked person who opposed the martial arts world was the ringleader. He had wanted her to pose as a maid to secretly poison the masked person. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Have you made contact with the Grand Altar Master in the last two days?"

Zhan Di shook his head. "Since last night, we have been unable to make contact via carrier pigeon. I do not know what urgent matter has befallen the Altar Master."

Yang Yifei said, "Do not worry, I can make contact with the Altar Master. You rest here for a while; I will go get you some food and, in the meantime, look for a pharmacy to see if I can buy some burn ointment."

Zhan Di said, "Thank you, Miss." Yang Yifei returned to the inn and relayed the important information to Gao Yunxiang.