Chapter 181: The Plan for Interception

Fan Yuanhai was almost choked by the wine he had just poured down his throat.

"The Evil Doctor Shen Ping?" Fan Yuanhai asked. "The one who created the Corpse Rot Poison?"

"Yes."

Fan Yuanhai's mind raced, and he said, "Didn't you say this person was living in seclusion in the wilderness and could not be tracked?"

"There have been clues recently." Xie Daohan's expression was somber as he said, "However, this person's martial arts cultivation is at the True Qi Realm First Stage, and he is also proficient in poisons. I am worried that if I fail to capture him and he escapes, once he vanishes like a mud ox into the sea, it will be difficult to find him again."

Fan Yuanhai's gaze shifted; the Evil Doctor Shen Ping was almost the only remaining clue to track in the Xu Ruhu Case, so how could he sit idly by?

"When shall we act?" Fan Yuanhai asked.

"Tonight."

"Let's go!"

The two of them then prepared to leave Lianhualuo.

As Fan Yuanhai was about to leave, Lian Ying immediately stopped dancing. Her fair neck and forehead were covered in fine sweat, and she called out in a delicate voice, "Young Master Fan!"

Fan Yuanhai looked back and said, "I have an urgent matter. I have been rude to you, Miss; I will make amends another day!"

After Fan Yuanhai finished speaking, he and Xie Daohan left without looking back.

Lian Ying watched Fan Yuanhai's retreating back, her expression resentful and dim...

Although Fan Yuanhai and Xie Daohan had lowered their voices and were amidst the dense sound of drums and the pipa, Duan Rong heard everything.

"The Evil Doctor Shen Ping?" Duan Rong sat before the small table, his eyes flickering.

Only now did he know what kind of poison was smeared on his Plum Blossom Needle. "Corpse Rot Poison?"

Duan Rong had a strong impulse to follow behind Fan Yuanhai and Xie Daohan.

His Divine Sense Projection could probe everything within a hundred meters, so tracking them was not impossible.

However, Duan Rong ultimately abandoned this idea.

They were both experts of the True Qi Realm, and even if they found Shen Ping, it was impossible for them to trace it back to him through Shen Ping.

Because he had no connection with Shen Ping at all, and the Corpse Rot Poison in his hand did not come from Shen Ping either.

Since Fan Yuanhai and Xie Daohan had not locked onto him, why should he take this risk? If things went wrong and he was exposed, wouldn't he be walking right into a trap?

The moment Fan Yuanhai and Xie Daohan left Huaying Pavilion, Duan Rong prepared to retract his Divine Sense. Several rooms were staging holographic blockbusters; that Duan Rong could persist until now without having a nosebleed was already a testament to his Dao Heart being as firm as iron.

But just as Duan Rong was about to retract his Divine Sense, an unusual event occurred in the room next to the one where Fan Yuanhai had stayed in Lianhualuo.

In that room, the scene had originally been very ordinary: two burly men were holding two young women while drinking flower wine, their hands acting somewhat dishonestly as they took liberties with the women while drinking.

But just a moment ago, when Fan Yuanhai and Xie Daohan left, the watchman's clapper could be heard faintly from the street outside.

The moment the watchman's signal sounded, the two men suddenly looked at each other, then simultaneously raised their hand-blades and knocked the women in their arms unconscious.

Then, the two of them carried the limp, unconscious women and threw them onto the bed behind them.

Seeing this strange event, Duan Rong's curiosity was piqued, and he shrouded them with his Divine Sense, focusing on the two men.

The moment his Divine Sense focused on them, Duan Rong was startled by their appearances.

One of them had a burly build, with thick eyebrows that met in the middle, almost forming a single line. Furthermore, there was a shallow scar on his right eyelid, and the eyeball inside his right eye was clearly not a normal human eyeball, but a pale, fake one made of unknown material. Paired with his hawk nose and square face, it immediately gave one a sense of ferocity and malice.

The other person beside him was fat and round, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. Beside his bulbous nose was a large scar extending from behind his ear to his lips, and his upper lip was split, revealing two yellow teeth in the gap.

The burly man was the First Chief of Black Tiger Stronghold, Li Yiying.

The broad-shouldered man was the Second Chief of Black Tiger Stronghold, Wang Zhaoxuan.

Just as Duan Rong was wondering what the two were going to do, a black shadow suddenly flipped through the window of the room, flashing in like a ghost.

Duan Rong, who was investigating in secret, was given a start, because the range of his Divine Sense envelopment reached exactly to the edge of the window, and he could not see the scene outside.

Although Duan Rong was startled, the two men in the room looked at the person who had drifted into the room like a ghost and stood before them with normal expressions.

Duan Rong saw the person clearly, and his gaze tightened further.

This figure who had flashed in through the window was actually the expert stationed at Huaying Pavilion, Huang Gaozu.

"Brother Gaozu, it has been many years; I hope you have been well!" As soon as Li Yiying saw Huang Gaozu, he immediately cupped his hands and said in a deep voice.

Huang Gaozu's gloomy gaze swept over the two unconscious women on the bed, then he looked up at Li Yiying and said, "Thanks to the great fortune of Chief Li, this brother has lived quite peacefully these past few years."

"Brother Gaozu, let's sit down and talk!" Li Yiying gestured with a large hand, his expression steady and flickering.

Huang Gaozu walked over slowly and sat down at the table; Li Yiying and Wang Zhaoxuan also sat down.

Li Yiying personally picked up the pot to pour a cup of wine for Huang Gaozu, but Huang Gaozu did not drink it.

He glanced at the wine cup in front of him and said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "There is no need for such formalities between us. Chief Li, if you have something to say, you might as well speak plainly."

"Brother Gaozu is indeed straightforward." Li Yiying's eyes flashed as he said, "I have a path to wealth, but this matter requires Brother Gaozu to lend me a hand. I wonder if you are interested?"

Huang Gaozu sneered and said, "Chief Li, let's hear it."

Li Yiying said, "Brother Gaozu, do you know who the owner of the Raw Medicine Shop in Xiangu County is?"

"Who in Xiangu County doesn't know? The owner of the Raw Medicine Shop is Master Ximen, Ximen Yong."

Hearing them mention Ximen Yong, Duan Rong subconsciously glanced at Ximen Kankan, who was beside him guessing finger-games with Jiang Qingyu, his face flushed with wine.

Li Yiying continued, "Then Brother Gaozu, do you know that Ximen Yong made a connection with Yuanyang Prefecture over a month ago? In this past month, he has already sent three shipments of rare medicinal herbs produced in the deep mountains of our Xiangu County to Yuanyang Prefecture."

"And the payment for these three shipments was settled all at once a few days ago after he sent the last batch, totaling more than one hundred thousand taels."

Upon hearing the mention of over one hundred thousand taels, Huang Gaozu's gloomy face finally moved, but he looked at Li Yiying with suspicious eyes and said, "How do you know so clearly?"

"I have my own sources of information. A servant from Yuanyang Prefecture is an acquaintance of Third Chief Li Meng in the stronghold, and the news leaked out from his side." Fearing that Huang Gaozu would not believe him if he did not explain clearly, Li Yiying roughly stated the source of the information.

Upon hearing this, the suspicion in Huang Gaozu's eyes indeed dissipated a great deal. Li Yiying continued, "According to the intelligence and the calculation of the route, Ximen Yong's party will definitely pass by Heihu Gang tomorrow night. When that time comes, we will intercept and kill their party, and the hundred thousand plus in silver will be ours!"

As Li Yiying spoke, he grabbed with his large hand, his eyes flashing like lightning.

(End of chapter)