Chapter 265 - 231: Tang Wen in the Carriage, Surrounded by Onlookers

Chapter 265: Chapter 231: Tang Wen in the Carriage, Surrounded by Onlookers

The Horse Gang members’ hearts were in their throats, but they were still puzzled.

All the major powers were just trying to get by in Ganshan City.

The number of Sixth-Grade Masters in the Inner and Outer Cities was limited, and everyone basically knew one another.

Fifth-Grade Powerhouses were even rarer; you could count them on two hands.

But none of them had ever seen this man before.

’Does the Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall run that deep?’

’A hidden Fifth-Grade Master?’

The Red Hummingbird flew into the courtyard, and after half a minute, it turned and flew off in another direction.

"Everyone, follow it!"

The people from the Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall rushed off.

They left behind only one Extraordinary and a few Martial Artists to guard the courtyard.

"You few stay here. The rest of us will follow, too."

The group arrived at the Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall’s territory.

They saw the traces Tang Wen had left in the courtyard.

The courtyard was paved with stone bricks, and there were signs on the ground of it having been washed with water.

The Red Hummingbird chirped incessantly.

"The scent of fruitwood." The Fifth-Grade man nodded slowly. "That person smoked their clothes here with fruitwood—applewood, to be specific."

Everyone’s expression turned grim.

Apple trees were far too common.

There were six hills outside Ganshan City covered in apple trees.

They were the common property of the Outer City’s five major powers, with their Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall owning the largest share.

Growing apple trees wasn’t as simple as just planting them in the ground and calling it a day.

The trees could wither, get sick, or die of old age.

The felled fruit trees were used as firewood for grilling meat.

It made the grilled meat even more flavorful.

The Red Hummingbird circled in the air, not knowing which direction to pursue.

The scent of fruitwood was everywhere.

’How are we supposed to track him?’

The Fifth-Grade Powerhouse ordered, "Bring the other three Red Kings as well. We’ll conduct a city-wide search."

"This...?"

"Is there a problem?"

"No, sir!"

「Meanwhile, in a secret underground chamber of the Zhao Family.」

The mysterious Sixth-Grade, his scarred, ferocious face pressed against the wall, drew near Tang Wen’s invisible position.

Tang Wen cursed silently, holding his breath and crouching down softly.

SLAP.

The bare-chested brute slapped the wall, making it tremble and the lights flicker.

He watched the shifting shadows, but saw no flaw in the illusion.

Only then did he confirm the space was empty. Seemingly finding his own actions inexplicable, he couldn’t help but curse under his breath, "Damn it! What the hell is that fool Zhao Zhe up to?"

Gold was scattered messily on the floor.

The room was filled with the sweet aroma of grilled meat.

The air temperature also seemed much higher than usual.

The secret chamber’s door was open.

’What a mess.’

As for whether someone had snuck in...

He thought it was impossible.

’Of course it’s impossible! It’s unthinkable!’

’Who would sneak into someone’s secret chamber, ignore the gold, and instead start a fire to have a barbecue?’

’Is there something seriously wrong with them?’

He sniffed. ’Hmm, the meat actually smells pretty good.’

It wasn’t ordinary Exotic Beast Meat.

He sniffed again. It seemed to be some kind of poultry.

He looked at the open door. He hadn’t heard it open.

But judging by the temperature in the room, whoever was here probably hadn’t been gone for long.

The bare-chested brute didn’t overthink it. He walked through the doorway Tang Wen had opened and headed towards the bedroom above.

With his exit blocked, Tang Wen wasn’t in a hurry to leave. ’A powerful Sixth-Grade is living in Zhao Zhe’s house. How am I supposed to make a move on him now?’

’But why is this Sixth-Grade master hiding out in Zhao Zhe’s home, living in a secret chamber day to day?’

’Could it be that his identity can’t be exposed to the light of day?’

An idea formed in Tang Wen’s mind. He went to the entrance of the secret passage the man had just emerged from and peered inside.

The passage was long and deep, with a faint current of air.

He couldn’t see the end, only the stone walls.

The secret passage wasn’t a straight line.

However, the breeze indicated there was an exit.

’It’s obvious. This Sixth-Grade master can’t possibly use the upstairs bedroom as his only entrance and exit, right?’

’Not unless Zhao Zhe enjoys being spied on or being cuckolded.’

As for where this other path in the room led...

Tang Wen didn’t plan to explore it right now.

With that thought, he leaped into the secret passage.

PLOP.

A drop of Purple Pearl Honey landed in the secret passage.

He crushed it with his Spiritual Power, spreading it evenly on the ground.

A second drop, a third...

In the space of just a few breaths, he rounded several corners.

The view before him suddenly opened up.

It was a spacious underground training ground.

Tang Wen didn’t linger. He found a staircase and quickly ascended.

The second floor was a bit of a mess.

There were signs of life everywhere.

Jars of fine wine were piled in a corner, their fragrance filling the air.

Without a second thought, Tang Wen used his Spiritual Power to move them one by one, took out a jar, emptied it, and then stuffed a handful of Purple Pearl Honey inside.

Once everything was done, he returned the wine jar to its original position.

He hadn’t touched anything with his hands, relying entirely on his Spiritual Power.

It was as if the wine jars had matured, learned to move themselves, and rolled back into place on their own.

Continuing upward, he reached an upward-facing courtyard well.

His spiritual senses scanned the outside; it was empty.

His intuition gave no warning either.

Tang Wen carefully opened the door above and crawled out from the grassy area by a pond.

Once he got his bearings, he didn’t say a word, crushed a Purple Pearl, and fled!

Indoors, he had been afraid of being exposed, but outdoors, there was no need for such fear.

Under the Stealth Technique, the faint breeze created by his rapid movement wouldn’t arouse suspicion even if it blew right past a Sixth-Grade master.

SCREECH!

After running for several miles, the sprinting Tang Wen slammed to a halt.

A red line streaked across the sky.

It was as fast as a beam of light.

He grew vigilant. ’Better not get too close to that thing.’

It looked like a bird.

As soon as the bird flew away, he immediately left, heading straight for his own courtyard.

"Young Master? You’re back!" Liang Yu, who had seen her fair share of intense situations, immediately rushed over.

Seeing the Giant Rock Gang frantically searching the city streets, and thinking about how Tang Wen had gone to catch a Hummingbird, she had been worried sick.

"Shh!"

Liang Yu threw her arms around Tang Wen, her soft, ample chest pressing against him, its curve perfect.

HISS!

’Things are fine as they are, why are you tempting me?’

"Let’s deal with the stuff first."

"Mm, okay!"

When she saw what Tang Wen took out, Liang Yu froze for a moment: a wooden box, and a cage of dazed, featherless birds.

"All this for just these things? No way! Young Master, is there something else you haven’t taken out yet?"

She stared intently at Tang Wen.

He pinched her pretty face and said sternly, "What do you mean by that?"

When Liang Yu told him about the Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall’s city-wide search, Tang Wen lost his composure.

"Quick! Seal this box first—no, get a barrel. Take the box and burn it."

"Burn it? What about these birds? They smell so fragrant. How should we cook them?"

"Cook your head!" Tang Wen rolled his eyes.

But to his surprise, Liang Yu immediately knelt down.

Tang Wen: "...I’ll reward you later!"

Liang Yu tilted her head up, revealing the deep expanse of her fair neck and collarbones.

They couldn’t afford to dally; the two of them split up to get to work.

A fire was lit in a metal barrel, and Liang Yu broke the wooden box into pieces, feeding them to the flames bit by bit.

In the secret chamber, Tang Wen moved the flock of small birds to a deserted courtyard nearby.

Hummingbirds were valuable, but if they were gone, he could always catch more.

He couldn’t keep them in his own courtyard.

The Purple Pearl Honey was probably far more precious than he had imagined. He had to hide it well.

Tang Wen poured the honey into a metal bucket. He nested it inside a larger bucket for a double seal, filling the space between them with insulating Extraordinary Beast Skins. Then he placed the entire contraption into a large vat and poured hot pot chili oil over it.

Only when the chili oil solidified was the sealing process complete.

All of this was done while he was in a state of concealment.

"Young Master..." Liang Yu came closer, sucking on her finger with a hazy look in her eyes.

Thinking about the dozen or so Sixth-Grade Powerhouses, and even Fifth-Grade Powerhouses, outside...

Tang Wen was deeply worried. Though his body was reacting honestly, his mind was preoccupied.

"Go prepare the carriage."

"In the carriage again?"

Tang Wen feigned anger and slapped her playfully, "Less talk!"

The carriage trembled and swayed. Following a familiar route, it traveled down a tree-lined path until it reached a small forest not far from the Black Water Gang’s Main Altar.

Tang Wen’s residence wasn’t far from here, so it didn’t take long to arrive.

The carriage stopped and began to test its "shock absorption."

Suddenly, a streak of red light appeared nearby.

Following it were people from the Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall, the Black Water Gang, the Horse Gang, the Boat Gang, the Association, as well as the Inner City Lord’s Mansion and the three major families.

’Yep, all of them are masters.’

A group of Sixth-Grades and several Fifth-Grades.

Bringing up the rear was a group of Extraordinaries.

"What is this?"

The Extraordinary Red Hummingbird landed on Tang Wen’s carriage, but it made no further moves.

Speaking of which, as powerful and keen-nosed as the Extraordinary Hummingbird was...

It wasn’t immune to exhaustion.

It was tired. It sensed the smell of Purple Honey here, but at the same time, it didn’t.

Unsure, it simply decided to land and take a rest.

Inside the carriage, Tang Wen noticed something was off, but he didn’t sense any danger.

So, he continued the "battle."

Meanwhile, with this large contingent of people arriving near the Black Water Gang’s Main Hall,

the Black Water Gang Leader naturally couldn’t sit still.

Shui Qianjun, along with Vice Gang Leader Zhao, the Sixth Young Master, and others, came outside.

One look at the scene, and he instantly lost his composure.

’Why is a whole crowd of people staring at Tang Wen’s... well, ’occupied’ carriage?’

Then he looked again, and his gaze deepened when he saw the Red Hummingbird on the carriage roof.