Chapter 1574

For the past month or so, Qingyang had rarely confronted the King of Yao, nor was she as confrontational as when she first arrived. The King of Yao figured she couldn't stir up any trouble anymore, so his surveillance of her was greatly relaxed, at most sending people to watch from afar. This shop had a small facade, but it was a time-honored brand in Tianshui City, with exquisite engraving skills and a hereditary craft. Whenever there were weddings or funerals, nearby residents liked to find it to make a few pieces of jewelry.

Qingyang walked into the jewelry shop, the guards stayed outside, and the shop was empty.

She walked to the back of the shop, lifted the curtain, and entered the compartment inside.

The compartment, less than five square meters in size, also had no clerk, but one person was sitting there.

Qingyang entered, and this person didn't get up, just nodded to her as a greeting: "National Master Qingyang, have you been well?"

"I am not a National Master." This person had a strange temper, and Qingyang didn't mind, "You are more than a month late! Isn't the famous Master of Red Hut renowned for his credibility?"

By the time this person arrived, the opportunity would have long passed!

"My research had a major breakthrough, and I couldn't get away for a while." The Master of Red Hut stretched, "I finished half of the work on hand, and I rushed over. Hmm, I heard the target moved to the Rising Spring Villa in the eastern suburbs of Tianshui City?"

It seemed this guy had already gone to scout the location. Qingyang picked up an unfinished piece of jewelry on the table to play with: "Since you are so late, there is no need to rush to strike now."

Whoa, not in a rush to strike? Then why send a message to urge him a few days ago? The Master of Red Hut frowned: "It's just killing one or two people, it won't take much effort."

"Did you do your homework beforehand? This person is not so easy to kill."

"I just arrived, and I haven't taken many orders in Tianshui City before." The Master of Red Hut shrugged, "Will this target be harder to deal with than Boss Situ He?"

"I think even more so." Qingyang was realistic, "Boss Situ He didn't know anyone was plotting against his life, but He Xiao has always been wary of me, and the King of Yao even sent him a guard team of nine hundred men, protecting him closely almost twelve hours a day."

The King of Yao's move to send guards was itself a warning to Qingyang.

"Protecting closely?" The Master of Red Hut chuckled, "Do they stick close even when he's using the latrine?"

Qingyang looked at him, knowing he had plenty of strange methods: "He Xiao himself has impressive combat power; a few months ago, the Xuanlu Ghost King ambushed him but was instead eliminated by him; when he served as a special envoy in the Beijia Chi Yan Nation, he defeated the second-in-command of the Lingxu City Concentric Guard, which is the second brother of the Pan family."

The Master of Red Hut still had a look of disdain: "Defeating a ghost and adding a straw bag that just puts on a show, this resume is just average, not even as good as defeating the head of the Green Guard under the Regent."

It was one thing for him to look down on the Xuanlu Ghost King, who could stop children from crying at night, after all, he carried the arrogance of the Beijia people; but he didn't even put Pan Sheng in his eyes. The three Pan brothers being able to manage the Concentric Guard in Lingxu City showed they were deeply trusted by the Demon Emperor.

This guy didn't even think about what kind of status he had, and there was a reason he was exiled to the Flash Gold Plain—his mouth was foul! Qingyang raised an eyebrow: "If you, Cao Wendao, could have arrived on time and completed the task, how would He Yang have been harmed by He Xiao?"

This hit the bullseye, after all, the Master of Red Hut was truly late. He rubbed his nose: "Since you changed your mind, why let me rush over?"

"Your task is just postponed, not canceled!" Qingyang said slowly, "Wait patiently, you will soon have a chance to act."

Her plan was already in motion, and it could only succeed, not fail. At this moment, everything else had to give way to this plan! Having endured for so long, she didn't mind letting the King of Yao and He Xiao be proud for another half a month.

"Not moving against He Xiao for now?" The Master of Red Hut stroked his chin, "What about the people around him?"

Qingyang sighed inwardly, a little regretful that she had asked the Master of Red Hut to act at the time. Almost the entire upper echelon of Lingxu City knew that this guy was a real troublemaker, the type who looked for trouble where there was none and created complications, and now he was starting to bargain with her. "Which person around him?"

"Seems to be a guy who keeps to himself, surnamed Wei, raising a monkey." The Master of Red Hut had always remembered this matter, "I heard that in the battle where He Xiao fought the Xuanlu Ghost King, this monkey turned into a giant ape with two heads and four arms, and a strange bird appeared in the sky. He Xiao jumped down from the strange bird to assault the Ghost King."

"So?" Qingyang asked casually, then remembered this guy's identity and research, after all, his focus was on the monkey and the strange bird, "Do you think this Wei fellow, like you, is a Demon Puppet Master?"

"I wasn't at the scene, didn't see it personally, so I can't judge. After all, there are too many types of demon apes in this world, and too many divine abilities; but there are very few flying birds that can carry people, and I heard that the bird's appearance was also particularly strange." These strange and absurd creatures were the easiest to pique his interest, "Anyway, there is still time, let's observe carefully first."

Qingyang said "Mm": "Don't give yourself away."

The Master of Red Hut stood up with a flick of his sleeves: "Rest assured, I am just a law-abiding businessman here."

Seeing him turn to leave, Qingyang called him back: "Your research, has there been a breakthrough?"

"Of course!" The Master of Red Hut said confidently, "Several demon puppets I manufactured have forms closer to humans, and one of them successfully survived for more than half a year! Before rushing to Tianshui City, I made another demon puppet with a smaller and more stable form."

"Is the humanoid demon puppet with the longest lifespan you mentioned still alive?"

"No." The Master of Red Hut restrained his smile, "It died seven days ago, at the age of 183 days!"

"If we only talk about lifespan, the demon puppets made by Qiandu Workshop could have lived for more than seven and a half months long ago." Qingyang squinted at him, "If you want to rely on this achievement to return to Lingxu City, I'm afraid it will be a bit difficult."

The Master of Red Hut's expression changed: "When did Qiandu Workshop come out with this result?"

"Last winter. The Tiangong was overjoyed and even allocated an additional seven million taels. You didn't know?" Qingyang was composed, "Oh right, you have been in the Flash Gold Plain."

News and progress were lagging behind.

The Master of Red Hut said angrily: "I lost a very important experimental subject here, otherwise the progress could have been faster."

Qingyang shrugged.

What was the use of telling her? The superiors only looked at results, and as long as they wanted results, any reason given by the Master of Red Hut was just an excuse.

The words that needed to be said had been said, and this meeting ended.

Watching the Master of Red Hut's back disappear outside the back door, Qingyang casually picked out a peach blossom hairpin, went outside to pay for it, and then took a carriage back to the Quiet Lake Cottage.

"Demon Puppet Master?" She was thoughtful all the way.

The Master of Red Hut inferred that there was a Demon Puppet Master around He Xiao.

It couldn't be ruled out that he misjudged, but if that unremarkable Wei Yishan was really a Demon Puppet Master, when did he follow He Xiao?

From a chronological perspective, He Xiao did away with the Xuanlu Ghost King not long after arriving at the Flash Gold Plain. So it was possible that this Wei Yishan was brought over by him from the Yangshan Archipelago.

He Xiao, a Demon Puppet Master? Hmm...

On the way back, the carriage was always covered with curtains, and Qingyang was too lazy to lift them.

Outside was either desolate mountains and wild ridges or muddy yellow clay, with a main road running from beginning to end, and the clanging sounds on both sides never ceased.

People in the city found this road novel when riding in a carriage, clinging to the carriage windows and pointing fingers;

Qingyang walked it every day, but only found it noisy and dusty.

Endure for another half a month, and it would be about enough.

Returning to the Quiet Lake Cottage, she had just changed her clothes when Yuan Xuan came in a hurry to report: "Palace Master, Lingxu City has replied, regarding He Xiao."

"Oh?" She pinned the newly bought hairpin into her bun, "What does it say?"

"He Xiao first appeared in the Chi Yan Nation, but our people went to check, and he was already by the side of Crown Prince Yue the moment he appeared. When the officials saw him, he had already been appointed as the Crown Prince's special envoy." Yuan Xuan then added, "Now Crown Prince Yue is staying in the Yangshan Archipelago, and we can't ask him either."

"What about before that? What did this person do before, and under what identity did he enter Beijia?" Qingyang frowned, "When he entered Lingxu City with Bai Ziqi, didn't he say he came from the Fu Nation?"

He Xiao and Bai Ziqi investigated the case in relay, and as the mastermind behind the scenes, she would naturally conduct the most basic background investigation on He Xiao. But after He Xiao arrived in Lingxu City, he stopped investigating cases, and Fu Shanyue also entered the capital together, finding the Demon Emperor every few days to demand an explanation. Qingyang's attention was entirely on Fu Shanyue and Bai Ziqi, and she didn't pay too much attention to a small character like He Xiao.

Now she knew how much of a miscalculation she had made at the time.

"We also sent manpower to the Fu Nation, but there was no such person."

Qingyang frowned: "In such a large Beijia, can't find a single person who knows his origin?"

"His past seems to have been erased by some force, basically blank."

"Erased?" Qingyang nodded, "Not impossible."

As long as it was a living person who breathed and lived in this world, they would leave traces. Like He Xiao, whose past was blank as if he had fallen from the sky, he likely concealed an unbearable past.

"But we also have another discovery." Yuan Xuan said, "The fluorescent spores that were spread all over the main street of Lingxu City for lighting came from the Demon Nest Swamp next to the Fu Nation, and were produced by the giant spider queen Zhu Xiuer!"

Why was this intelligence only fed back to Regent Qingyang now? Because it was time-consuming and laborious; to dig deep into He Xiao's background like this, they had to send people to run to the Fu Nation personally for on-site investigation.

Only after various fragmented clues were collected could they be submitted to Qingyang.

Hearing this intelligence, Qingyang's face changed: "What! You said Zhu Xiuer?"

Who was Zhu Xiuer, no, what spider? It was the giant spider queen Qingyang chased on Xushan Mountain!

Qingyang was originally imprisoned in the Xushan rear prison, and only released her to mobilize Yuan power and pursue the intruder when the situation was urgent.

At that time, it was this spider queen who went to meet the masked man who caused havoc in the Tiangong, and ran wildly all the way, shaking off the pursuit of Qingyang and Baizhantian.

Although fluorescent spores were common in Lingxu City, Qingyang was a very busy person at that time, so how could she have the heart to pay attention to where they came from? She had no interest in inquiring about such trivial matters.

But hearing it today, she immediately felt something was wrong.