Chapter 596: A Bit Too Coincidental

The woman who had remained silent, who looked to be in her thirties, was dressed in a black shirt and pants. She stood with her arms crossed in front of her tent, watching Ye Yue Taidou and Shengchuan Gong argue with an air of indifference.

Clearly, this woman had no intention of getting involved in the dispute between the two families.

Thanks to the intervention of the man with the neatly trimmed mustache, Ye Yue Taidou and Shengchuan Gong stopped their fight. However, it was clear neither was willing to concede. At the man’s urging, they shot each other a vicious glare before returning to their respective tents.

The man with the neatly trimmed mustache wiped the sweat from his brow, then turned to the woman and said with an anxious smile, "Miss Qian Ying, it’s getting late. You should go back to your tent and rest. I’m terribly sorry for disturbing your peace at this hour."

The man with the neatly trimmed mustache even gave the woman a respectful bow to show his sincerity, causing Su Qing to raise an eyebrow. ’It looks like this woman has a significant background,’ she thought, ’but she doesn’t seem to have any connection to those two Yin Yang Master Families.’

Su Qing’s expression darkened. She was now certain that these people had gathered on Putai Mountain for the express purpose of moving against Hua Country. ’But what methods are they planning to use?’

’Could it be... some kind of Array?’

’Shengchuan Gong just said he had laid down a Maze in the area. It seems this Elder of the Shengchuan Family is an expert in Arrays.’

’Arrays...’ Su Qing’s brow furrowed. ’I don’t know the first thing about them. What do I do?!’

Just as she was thinking, she heard the woman named Qian Ying say in a cold voice, "Elder Shengchuan intends to set up a Transportation Array in these mountains, and Elder Ye Yue wants to place a talisman within it to strike at Hua Country’s fortune. For a grand Array like this to be effective, it needs a corresponding one to resonate with. Has a location been chosen to set up the Array on the Hua Country side?"

Su Qing blinked. ’What a coincidence. I was just wondering how they planned to move against Hua Country, and this woman spelled it all out. But isn’t this a little too convenient?’

A sense of alarm immediately rose in Su Qing. She had a gut feeling this woman was speaking for her to hear. What her motive was, however, remained a mystery. ’After all, she’s one of the Japanese,’ Su Qing thought. ’I highly doubt she’d be kind enough to just brazenly lay out their plan like that.’

The man with the neatly trimmed mustache seemed very wary of the woman. He quickly replied with a nervous laugh, "Miss Qian Ying, a location for the Array on the Hua Country side has already been chosen. Someone is already on their way there. Once the Arrays on both sides are set, activation will surely bring great success."

"So someone has already gone to Hua Country," Miss Qian Ying said with a nod. "It seems I worried for nothing."

Miss Qian Ying had barely finished speaking when Ye Yue Taidou emerged from his tent. Frowning at her, he said, "Watch your tongue. The walls have ears. Our plan must be carried out in secret. If word gets back to Hua Country and something goes wrong, can you bear that responsibility?"

Miss Qian Ying let out a cold laugh. "Aren’t you being a bit alarmist, Elder Ye Yue? This whole area is covered by the Maze Elder Shengchuan laid down. Or could it be that you take issue with the Shengchuan Family’s deep knowledge of Arrays? Or perhaps, you just have a problem with Elder Shengchuan himself?"

"You—!" Ye Yue Taidou started to retort, but Shengchuan Gong stormed out of his own tent, pointing a finger at him. "You old bastard, you just don’t quit, do you?!" he raged. "What, you still not convinced by the Shengchuan Family? You want to fight? Let’s see if an old bastard like you can take me!"

The man with the neatly trimmed mustache felt like dropping to his knees. He had just managed to calm the two elders down, and now, after just a few words from Miss Qian Ying, they were at each other’s throats again. ’What am I supposed to do? I can’t afford to offend any of these three. If anything goes wrong because of this, I’ll be the one who pays the price.’

Not daring to hesitate, the man with the neatly trimmed mustache rushed forward to intervene once more. It took a Herculean effort, but he finally managed to get Ye Yue Taidou and Shengchuan Gong to back down. Wiping the cold sweat from his brow again, he said, "It’s late. All three of you, please return to your tents and get some rest."

Miss Qian Ying shot the man with the neatly trimmed mustache a cold glance, then turned and went back into her tent without a word. Ye Yue Taidou and Shengchuan Gong snorted at each other indignantly and also prepared to leave. Just before entering his tent, Ye Yue Taidou added an instruction for the man: "Go get a few men to patrol the perimeter. If you find anyone suspicious, you don’t need to report to us. Just kill them."

"Yes, right away, Elder Ye Yue." The man with the neatly trimmed mustache nodded hurriedly and went to gather the men.

Su Qing remained perfectly still. ’It’s obvious this Ye Yue Taidou is far more powerful than Ye Yuefeng. If I get any closer, he’ll be able to sense my presence even if he can’t find me.’ Then there was that woman, Qian Ying. ’I can’t shake the feeling she said all that for me to hear.’

’What is her goal?’

After a moment’s thought, Su Qing quietly retreated from the valley. She found a cave where she could rest for the night. ’Since they’re going to set up an Array here, they’re bound to be active tomorrow. I’ll observe their movements first before I make my move.’

「Early the next morning」 The valley was already bustling with activity. The commotion from several hundred people was a considerable stir in the quiet valley.

"Lord Shan Tian," a man suddenly stepped forward to report to the man with the neatly trimmed mustache, "the eight men who were patrolling the perimeter last night are all missing."

"What!" The man with the neatly trimmed mustache was stunned. "All of them?"

"Yes, sir. They didn’t return this morning. I sent people to get them, but they came back and said they couldn’t find any of the eight men."

"Are you sure? You’ve searched the entire area?" the man with the neatly trimmed mustache asked, frowning.

"We’ve searched everywhere but found no trace of them. That’s why I rushed to report to you, my lord."

"Quickly, get more people to search the perimeter again! Also, look for any signs of an intruder. Remember, search meticulously. Don’t miss a single detail," the man with the neatly trimmed mustache instructed urgently.

"Yes, sir."

Hidden in her cave, Su Qing had a crystal-clear view of the goings-on in the valley. She kept her distance from the four main tents, but she saw the man with the neatly trimmed mustache enter Ye Yue Taidou’s tent. Not long after, angry shouts erupted from within.

Su Qing’s eyes narrowed in amusement. ’Of course Ye Yue Taidou is furious. After all, four of those eight missing men were disciples of his Ye Yue Family.’

The incident sparked another dispute between Ye Yue Taidou and Shengchuan Gong. They were on the verge of coming to blows before the man with the neatly trimmed mustache managed to talk them down. Su Qing felt a twinge of disappointment. ’It would have been so much better if they’d actually fought!’

"So, are we spending today searching for the missing men, or are we continuing with our work?" Miss Qian Ying asked dispassionately from the side once Ye Yue Taidou and Shengchuan Gong had settled down.

"Someone has definitely infiltrated our ranks, and we don’t even know who it is," Ye Yue Taidou fumed. "We must screen everyone today to make sure no one of unknown origin has slipped in. I told you last night I sensed an unfamiliar presence, but you wouldn’t believe me, Shengchuan Gong! Your pathetic Array couldn’t even stop an ordinary person, let alone an enemy who came prepared!"

"Ye Yue Taidou, I dare you to insult my Shengchuan Family’s Arrays one more time," Shengchuan Gong roared.