Chapter 683: Secret Stronghold

Dong Rui was just about to reach out and pat it when Xi Yunhe stepped forward: "I'll go first." This fellow was indeed guarding against him. Dong Rui felt a slight tremor, but his face remained indifferent.

Just then, a sudden, deafening boom erupted from the side! The storage room of the carriage station had exploded.

It was less than two zhang away from the group, and the powerful shockwave sent everyone stumbling.

Thick white smoke rose, and shadows seemed to be flickering within.

Three guards immediately stepped forward. Xi Yunhe flashed in front of Dong Rui and said in a deep voice, "Fire arrows!"

Whoever it was, shoot them down first.

He had no certainty in his heart either; if the Qingyang State Preceptor dared to frame Dong Rui, it meant she likely knew the latter's whereabouts.

Pursuers could arrive at any moment; he couldn't be blamed for being overly suspicious.

Caught off guard, no one noticed the Snail Toad behind them lower its massive head and lean in close to Dong Rui.

Just then, a monster jumped out of the carriage station. Obscured by the white smoke, the guards initially thought it was a monkey.

However, it was not.

It was actually a giant bat. Its face wasn't as ugly as other varieties; instead, it looked a bit like a monkey, or perhaps a small bear, and even looked somewhat cute when its mouth was closed.

Yet, the moment it opened its mouth, it revealed a mouthful of interlocking canine teeth.

Aside from its head, it had no fur on its body. Its skin was like a lizard's, covered in fine wrinkles.

Each joint of its wing bones bore long, sharp spikes.

What kind of monster was this?

With all of Xi Yunhe's extensive experience, he had never seen such a monster; it was filled with a sense of eeriness and discordance.

Speaking of discordance, his heart stirred—this thing looked exactly like a demon puppet!

Terrible.

"Grab..." Xi Yunhe turned his head abruptly, just in time to see the Snail Toad open its massive mouth and swallow Dong Rui in one gulp! It dove downward, like a fish diving into water, and plunged directly into the ground! It didn't give Xi Yunhe and the others the slightest chance to intercept.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Dong Rui and the Snail Toad vanished, and the carriage station's backyard returned to being an empty, muddy patch of land.

"..." They couldn't catch up. Xi Yunhe punched the wall.

At this moment, the guard who had gone into the room to retrieve the box also jumped over the wall, looking uncertain: "My lord, what do we do now..."

"Retreat!"

An explosion in a busy market would surely attract onlookers. This place could not be stayed in for long.

Before leaving, Xi Yunhe looked back one last time. He saw that demon puppet flap its wings and fly up to a nearby corner tower.

Even such a thing knew how to hide itself; the title of "Master of Escape" for that fellow Dong Rui really wasn't just for show. He had been careless and actually fallen for his trick.

However, as long as Dong Rui didn't appear again and didn't implicate the Frost Leaf State Preceptor, his mission could be considered complete.

Just after Xi Yunhe and his men left, He Lingchuan put down his large bowl and stood up: "Check out."

The sound of the explosion startled the neighbors, and everyone came to the front of the carriage station to peek around.

He Lingchuan walked over and stretched his neck just like them, but in reality, a tiny spider had jumped down from the wall and landed in his lapel.

Retrieving the eyeball spider, He Lingchuan turned and left.

The government office would send people over soon; for him, this place was also not a good place to linger.

Re-entering the soup noodle shop, He Lingchuan led the rock sheep out from the back and strolled back along the street.

"This is a disaster!" the mirror in his chest chattered incessantly, "The Qingyang State Preceptor actually accused Dong Rui; what about Nian Zanli then?"

He Lingchuan didn't make a sound.

The mirror continued: "If Nian Zanli really borrows those tens of thousands of troops, your Yuan Nation will be in big trouble. Master, you will be the sinner of the Yuan Nation!"

He Lingchuan frowned deeply and patted his chest: "Shut up."

He originally had a series of plans, and an important part of it was to use the divine blood to frame Nian Zanli, causing him to be thrown into prison or suffer under the scrutiny of the Heavenly Palace, which would prevent him from taking the Frost Leaf State Preceptor's token to borrow troops to attack Yuan.

But now, the Qingyang State Preceptor had identified Dong Rui as his source of divine blood.

Although Dong Rui did indeed have divine blood on him, this move had disrupted He Lingchuan's plan.

What to do? Should he sit by and watch Nian Zanli escape his trap? That would be an endless disaster.

A flash of ruthlessness suddenly crossed He Lingchuan's eyes: "Screw it, might as well go all the way!"

The mirror didn't hear clearly: "What did you say?"

"Isn't the Heavenly God determined to track down the source of the divine blood?" The busy street was very noisy, and He Lingchuan lowered his voice; no one noticed or cared what he said, except for the Soul-Stealing Mirror, "Then bind Nian Zanli and Dong Rui together!"

"Huh?" Bind? Is it the meaning I understand?

He Lingchuan kept his mouth shut, pondering a new plan along the way.

Accomplishing great things is not easy; with complications arising midway, he had to adapt to circumstances.

Suddenly, his face felt cool.

He Lingchuan looked up and saw silver threads descending from the sky.

It was raining.

The rain grew heavier, and by the time He Lingchuan returned to the Pianxiang Shanzhuang, his clothes were already soaked through.

Fu Shanyue was out and would not return to the villa today.

He Lingchuan walked brazenly toward the back mountain—after losing him several times, the Heart-Unity Guards were no longer surprised by his sudden appearances.

He boarded the painted boat and rowed himself to the center of the lake.

The lake behind Mount Qilin was very quiet, and several small islands were situated in the middle, like pearls dotted about.

Although it was late autumn, the trees on the islands were still dense—previously, the trees on these islands were all specially planted evergreen species, and they could even change color and bloom in autumn and winter, such as the kapok tree.

People on the shore could only see a circle of lush green on the lake island, knowing nothing of the details inside.

There were even two giant banyan trees on this island, their canopies like umbrellas, shading half the island.

He Lingchuan landed on the island and walked through the dense outer forest.

The island was not large, only about three hundred square meters, but there were two refined houses under the giant banyan trees, with their layout, doors, and windows intact.

Originally, this island was a private retreat for the previous owner, and later, along with the entire Pianxiang Shanzhuang, it was abandoned for ten years. After the villa was bestowed upon Fu Shanyue, the servants worked hard to clean all the buildings and gardens, but they missed these lake islands—

First, there were no boats, and second, people tended to be lazy in places rarely visited.

In short, this was now an exceptionally hidden place, with even few birds, because there were too many snakes. He Lingchuan brushed through the grass and actually encountered four snakes; the large ones were as thick as a wrist, and the small ones were not even as thick as chopsticks.

Clearly, the lake island, undisturbed for ten years, had become a paradise for snakes.

He Lingchuan walked to the open space in front of the refined house. This place was under the shade of the giant banyan trees all year round, and the ground was covered with thick humus and leaves, becoming even more humid after the rain, which was just right for reptiles to inhabit.

The heavy rain suddenly stopped, and the surroundings were filled with the scent of soil and grass.

He Lingchuan took out several round beads from his bosom, crushed them, and smeared them on the ground.

These were the eggs of the Snail Toad.

To be safe, he climbed up the giant banyan tree, keeping some distance from the ground.

How did Zhong Sunmou die? He didn't trust the Snail Toad enough; he couldn't repeat the same mistake.

The surroundings were filled with the chirping of insects and birds, a scene of tranquility.

He also took off his wet shirt and changed into a clean set of clothes.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the ground under the giant banyan tree suddenly sank slightly.

Then, the giant shell of the Snail Toad slowly rose from the ground and stopped steadily at the base of the tree.

Dong Rui jumped out of the snail shell, looked left and right, and seeing He Lingchuan jump down from the top of the tree, he spat on the ground: "Hiding so far away, afraid I'd ambush you?"

"I have one hundred and twenty percent trust in you." He Lingchuan didn't even blink when he lied, "But I've bombed the Snail Toad before, and I'm afraid it holds a grudge."

To put it plainly, he still didn't trust his control over the Snail Toad, right? Dong Rui rolled his eyes, looked around, and said with disdain: "You found me this kind of place?"

In the highly sophisticated Lingxu City, there was still this kind of wild jungle? Could it be some mountain manor?

And the two houses in front looked quite grand, but in reality, they were covered in countless dust and leaves. He even saw two earthworms crawling out from the window.

"We are in Fu Shanyue's Pianxiang Shanzhuang. This is an island, surrounded by water; idlers can't get up here, and the humid soil is good for the Snail Toad." He Lingchuan laughed, "You are a fugitive; what you need is a hiding place. Don't tell me you still want wine and song?"

He saw Dong Rui as a shut-in; he could stay indoors to study demon puppets, so this island should be a perfect match for him.

Dong Rui scratched his head and accepted it.

With the Snail Toad in hand, it didn't matter where he lived; what was the difference between inside and outside Lingxu City?

He patted the Snail Toad, and the giant creature's size shrank rapidly, until it was only as big as a hand drum.

He Lingchuan felt his horizons broadened.

No wonder the Snail Toad wasn't easily discovered in the suburbs; it turned out this thing could change its size.

But thinking about it, every one of Dong Rui's demon puppets seemed to be able to change size. It was said that this was the ability of the Heavenly God, and demon puppets crafted with divine blood might also possess some of these abilities.

No wonder he dared to stay in Lingxu City. As long as the Snail Toad's bulk wasn't so conspicuous, the probability of Dong Rui being discovered was reduced by at least half.

Dong Rui carried the Snail Toad to the base of the giant tree, where the humidity was high, and mollusks liked it. "Later, you dig a pit here and fill it with water; the Snail Toad also likes water."

"Fine."

"I also need to make a concealment array." Dong Rui looked up at the sky, "Birds often pass overhead."

This was the Kingdom of Demons; who knew in which corner a pair of small eyes might be silently watching you? Caution is never a mistake.

He Lingchuan helped him set up the array.

This array was harmless to humans and animals; it was just a blinding technique + a ghost-hitting-wall. Whether approaching from the ground or looking down from high altitude, this place still looked like the original overgrown vegetation. As long as one didn't use spiritual power to see through it, others wouldn't discover Dong Rui; walking around on the island, one wouldn't be able to reach the house either.

He couldn't tell that this fellow Dong Rui was so multi-talented. "A wanted criminal with a bounty on the Beijia Ranking is indeed different. By the way, it seems Zhu Xiuer is ranked higher than you."

Dong Rui sneered: "So what? Why don't you wait until Lingxu City issues a wanted order this time and see?"

After saying that, he felt it wasn't right; what was there to compare? The array was simple, and it was set up in a few moments. He Lingchuan took out an oil-paper package from his storage ring and handed it to him.

Dong Rui opened it and saw several beautiful golden silk cakes, still warm.

"Yilan Soup Noodle House?"

"Anyway, it's that soup noodle shop outside the carriage station." He Lingchuan handed him another storage pouch, which contained several buckets of clean water, "Don't go to the water's edge; it's easy to be exposed. If absolutely necessary, ride the Snail Toad in and out from underground. If you have something to find me—"

The words had just fallen when a bat fell from mid-air and landed on Dong Rui's shoulder with a plop.

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(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 684 =====