Chapter 158: Consultation

"You recognize him?" Pei Ye didn't speak, Yang Yan asked first.

"I've only seen him once," Pei Ye glanced at the figure in the distance and moved his gaze away, "He is your target?"

"I've been looking for him for eleven days," Yang Yan looked at the railing in front of him and said in a low voice.

"Looking for him for what? To kill him?"

"Ask who he is first, and why he is chasing me."

"..." Pei Ye had thought he knew something about the old man's background, but it turned out he knew nothing either.

"Can you tell me about your situation simply?"

Yang Yan was silent for a moment and said with some difficulty: "... I come from under the Tianshan Mountains. My sect was destroyed, and I escaped here along a secret path. But as soon as I got off the horse, someone was already lying in ambush at the place where I stayed. I killed my way out, entered the city, and hid in the place prepared by the sect, but I only stayed for one day... and was found by the pursuers again. I thought it was the enemies from my hometown chasing me, but after I killed one, I discovered that they were actually locals here."

"I neither know them nor have any grievances with them. Why do they want to kill me? Naturally, it has something to do with those enemies of mine," the youth's voice was heavy, and he seemed to have gritted his teeth, "If you were me, wouldn't you want to follow the vine to find the melon?"

Pei Ye looked at this youth who was a bit shorter. If he were in the martial arts hall, he would still have to call him a younger brother.

But at this moment, he was a young wolf that had already been stimulated to ferocity, still in a situation of escaping with injuries, yet he couldn't hold back from turning around and biting the hunting dog chasing him fiercely, and also wanting to find its master.

Perhaps the fire of hatred in his heart really couldn't be suppressed.

"Then this is the melon you found by following the vine?"

Yang Yan shook his head: "He is the vine I found."

"He is chasing you? But he doesn't seem to take this matter too much to heart, and still has leisure to drink. In these days, have you fought with him?"

"... No. You're right, these days, I haven't felt too much pressure from him," Yang Yan was silent for a moment and said, "Actually, the active party now is me. I think I already have a chance to escape, but I'm not reconciled."

He raised his head and looked in the direction of the old man: "I think he is one of those people."

"Which people?"

"... I don't know, they appeared in my sect, and that old dog of a martial uncle was servile in front of them," Yang Yan said indifferently, "They... seem to be collecting martial arts."

"Collecting martial arts?"

"Correct."

Pei Ye remembered the sparring that night at the inn—was it because 【Flying Copper Shadow】 couldn't compare to 【Marrying Branches to Attend the Banquet】, or because he hadn't learned the Cicada Sparrow Sword at that time?

"They, what method do they use to collect?" Pei Ye confirmed seriously.

"I don't know, but what they want doesn't seem to be books or secret manuals," Yang Yan locked his brows, "What they want might be people who have learned martial arts."

People who have learned martial arts.

This term flashed through Pei Ye's mind, sounding like "fruit that can be picked."

And was that soul-stealing magic tool the scissors?

The people who had formed a feud with Yang Yan thousands of miles away actually had dark seeds buried in Bowang Prefecture... Pei Ye felt that things were starting to rise.

He turned around: "How is this person's strength?"

"Don't know, I haven't fought with him."

"..." Pei Ye turned his head in disbelief, "You are already planning to kill him."

"... Yes, but I can't do so many things. Finding such a person, locking onto his whereabouts, I have already done my best," Yang Yan said, "I don't know who he is, what identity he has, what experience he has. Except for fighting, I have no way to determine his strength—this time being able to get this whereabouts is already the luckiest of the lucky. If I give up this opportunity today, I might never find him again."

"... I actually know a little about how thick this vine is," Pei Ye said, "He can easily kill a Tianshan Fourth Life disciple, at least he is a Sixth Life."

"I can win against Sixth Life," Yang Yan rubbed the saber hilt.

"Any Sixth Life?"

"... A part of them."

"Not enough, Sixth Life is only the lower limit of his strength," Pei Ye said, "You are gambling, if you lose, you die."

"... I can only gamble, and I have always been gambling," Yang Yan raised his eyes and glanced at him, "And I have survived until now."

What a hard mouth.

Pei Ye changed the topic: "Then how did you originally plan to deal with him?"

"... Lure him over, and then sneak attack."

Pei Ye frowned: "Speak clearly, how to lure, and how to sneak attack?"

"... I put medicine in the wine," Yang Yan's voice was lower, turning his head away, seeming not to want to say more, "After he drinks it, he will come over, and then I will hide here, trying to seriously injure him with one blow. It's quiet here, others won't be able to find out for a while, maybe there's time to ask questions."

Pei Ye still didn't understand, his brows furrowed tighter: "What medicine can make him come to us after drinking?"

Do you also have the Immortal Lord's Spirit Calling?

"Not us here," Yang Yan was silent for a while, and then his gaze looked toward the corridor he came out of: "It's, that place."

Pei Ye looked over blankly, that place... the place to relieve oneself?

He suddenly widened his eyes: "You put laxatives in his wine?!"

"..." Yang Yan kept his face stiff and said nothing.

Pei Ye seemed to see the flushed face of the fifteen-year-old youth under this disguise.

A person's rapid growth in a short period of time was clearly not comprehensive. He was already like a dangerous lone wolf, but peeling off this hard and sharp outer shell, underneath were still those street youth's tricks.

It was just like the chili powder that suddenly exploded in the casino that day.

Simply cute.

Pei Ye had nothing to say: "Laxatives... for Sixth Life, and even Seventh Life experts, can they be useful?"

"Yes," Yang Yan said in a low voice, "... My master is Eighth Life, and he also fell for it."

"..." Pei Ye really didn't have this experience, "After the medicine takes effect, he can also use true Qi to suppress it."

"Yes, but he doesn't need to suppress it," Yang Yan said, "Anyway, he will have to leak sooner or later."

"..." Pei Ye was really speechless. This plan was childish and ridiculous, but it seemed not entirely impossible to achieve. He frowned, "Then, the most important point, he feels uncomfortable in his abdomen, wouldn't he be vigilant?"

"This is also the part I can't grasp," Yang Yan lowered his head, "Theoretically speaking, Seventh Life and Eighth Life are not completely immune to illness. Having a stomach upset might also be normal."

Is it really normal?

Pei Ye looked at this youth.

"Anyway, laxatives definitely won't be detected," Yang Yan turned his head away, not looking at Pei Ye, "This medicine is divided into upper and lower parts. Taken separately, they are colorless and harmless. What he is drinking in this pot now only has the upper part, and the lower part is in this pot. After he drinks it, the two will merge in his abdomen, and only then will it take effect."

"... Good means," Pei Ye looked at the wine pot in front of him silently, the wine cup still in his hand.

"Drinking only the lower part is also harmless," Yang Yan said in a low voice.

"In a while, I'll find someone to serve the second pot, and we will... hide in," Yang Yan pointed to the corridor behind him and looked at Pei Ye.

Pei Ye shook his head.

"..."

"I have a better way," Pei Ye said.

"What?"

"Find help."

"... Find who?" Yang Yan frowned at him, "Does this person have other enemies?"

"Why need enemies? You have been running away, seeming to have fallen into a habit," Pei Ye looked at the youth in front of him, "He killed a candidate for the Bowang Golden Autumn Martial Competition, and the Prefecture Office is already hunting him. Bumping into him here today, isn't help everywhere?"

"..."

"If we are righteous, we can stand boldly under the light. We are not assassinating, we are eliminating evil," Pei Ye looked at the youth seriously, seeming not just to be talking about the matter at hand.

Yang Yan avoided his gaze: "So, what do you plan to do?"

"Report to the officials."

"... I am also a criminal," Yang Yan said coldly.

"..." Pei Ye was silent for a moment, "I still think that you have to take your grievances under the sun for them to be removed. Hiding here and there will only make misunderstandings more and more."

"I said, no," Yang Yan said coldly, and the atmosphere condensed again.

"Then I respect your decision," Pei Ye nodded, "I will report to the officials and won't reveal your news."

"But you have to see clearly, this person dares to come here to drink openly."

"He is also wearing a cloak and hiding his head and tail."

Yang Yan looked at him silently.

"I think this is a better way," Pei Ye continued, "If he is Sixth Life, it's fine, but if he is really Seventh Life, relying only on the two of us, the chance of winning is too slim. After he is arrested, I will find a way to help you find out the news from the interrogation of the Prefecture Office."

"... You stare at him."

Pei Ye nodded, "I will try my best."

Yang Yan stared at him.

"I know you are walking on thin ice now, but to get things done, you have to try to let go. A trust... okay?"

The youth was silent for a while, slowly raised his hand, and moved back and forth in the air.

Before this hand could retreat, Pei Ye grabbed it first.

"You stay here and watch him," Pei Ye said quickly, "I will go to the Prefecture Office to report, Commandant Zhao should be Sixth Life, I will ask him to contact experts, plus the heroes in Bowang Garden, it should be enough to take this person."

"Commandant Zhao, is he the person chasing me?"

"... Correct."

"Then no need to go to the Prefecture Office," Yang Yan said in a low voice, "He should be at the Lake Heart Gang."

Pei Ye glanced at him suspiciously.

"Because according to the order, I should kill that gang leader," Yang Yan said, "I deliberately revealed some traces, tricked him into lying in ambush there, otherwise it would be him waiting for me here today."

"..." Pei Ye deeply understood his sentence "But I can't do so many things" at this moment.

He had indeed done too much.

"But I will eventually kill that person," Yang Yan added coldly.

"... As you wish," Pei Ye glanced at the figure sitting and sipping again. He did show some unsettling leisure.

"You try your best to stare at his tracks," Pei Ye instructed again, "If there is any difficulty, help is under this building—Cuiyu Sword Gate Li Piaoqing, Xu Gu County Zhang Junxue, mention my name, both are trustworthy people."

"What is your name?"

Pei Ye was stunned: "Pei Ye."

"Good," Yang Yan nodded expressionlessly, "Before you come back, I will keep him here."

"A gentleman's word is his bond," he said.

——

Pei Ye first jumped downstairs, landed beside Zhang Junxue, and roughly told this woman about the matter, asking her to go find Li Piaoqing to notify her. Li Piaoqing had a higher status and more social connections, so she could notify the heroes in the garden to facilitate a response.

"This person is very dangerous, remember safety first," Pei Ye instructed the woman, fearing that her serious personality would be used here, "Even if he runs away, we can find another chance to catch him."

Then he ran to the place where the horses were tied, untied one at will, turned over, and ran out of the garden.

The Lake Heart Gang's station was closer than the Prefecture Office. Pei Ye had heard Li Piaoqing mention the location. At this time, galloping with a whip, he arrived in more than a quarter of an hour.

This was a fairly large courtyard in the city, with houses, stables, a small martial arts field, and two small buildings.

Pei Ye galloped directly into the gate, and the few people sitting and chatting in the courtyard were stunned for a moment before standing up angrily.

"Commandant Zhao!" Pei Ye pulled the reins hard, making the big horse stand upright in the courtyard.

Then he turned over and dismounted, ignoring the people scolding and chasing behind, and broke directly into the small building in the middle.

Pushing the door open, there were three or five people in the room. Lake Heart Gang leader Wang Shou stood aside. In front of the table, Commandant Zhao stood up upon hearing the movement.

Seeing this familiar dignified face, Pei Ye felt a sense of relief in his heart—if he had missed, he would have wasted more time.

Remembering that this Commandant seemed to value status and rules, the youth still didn't forget to cup his hands and bow in his emergency: "Commandant Zhao, the commoner reports a case! The suspect who killed Cheng Jiang Hong outside Anxin Town is now in the Catch-Moon Building. The opportunity is fleeting, I beg the lord to go and arrest him quickly!"

Commandant Zhao stood in place for a while, as if digesting this news, and suddenly said: "How do you know I am here?"

"..." Pei Ye felt a tightness in his heart. He really didn't have time to consider this matter just now. His brain turned rapidly: "By chance, I heard some gossip at the Singing Sale today."

Zhao Fu still stood motionless. Pei Ye couldn't help but raise his head: "My lord?"

Time really waited for no one. Going back and forth was nearly two quarters of an hour. What would happen at the Catch-Moon Building was unpredictable.

Just when Pei Ye was frowning and anxious, Zhao Fu looked at him deeply, picked up the horse whip, took his sword, and walked out the door with big strides.

Pei Ye straightened up immediately and followed.

Hope it's in time.

When Zhao Fu stepped out of the door, he reached out and pointed to a person at the table: "You take the things back to the Prefecture Office."

Pei Ye subconsciously looked back. That table was precisely where Zhao Fu had been sitting and working just now. At this moment, an attendant walked over and closed a booklet that was not thin or thick. The cover of the booklet was originally yellowish-brown, but at this moment, there was a black spot, which was an accidental dirty ink stain.

——

Catch-Moon Building.

Yang Yan stood quietly in the dark corridor like a real attendant, occasionally paying attention to that person with his peripheral vision.

He had an illusion, as if everything just now hadn't happened, he was still standing here alone, still secretly spying on this unpredictable opponent, and a bottle of wine had already been swallowed by this person.

This was his original plan, and it was proceeding smoothly at this moment.

As long as he served this pot of medicine-laced wine, he could face the last step, without waiting for any reporting to officials.

Yang Yan flashed this thought in his brain, without any intention to move.

A gentleman's word is his bond, he already had an agreement with that person named Pei Ye.

Under the heavy pressure of the surrounding situation, the youth was constantly abandoning some things. First was "decency," then was "friendliness," and later was "safety." Up to now, "not affecting the innocent" had been unloaded, but "promise" was still firmly carried on his shoulders, and it was very far back.

Perhaps it would eventually be thrown down one day, but at least not now.

This feeling of handing over trust made him a bit uneasy, but it also made him feel that the burden on his body was much lighter. Something that had been oppressing his heartstrings for a long time seemed to have been taken away quite a bit.

He wasn't unfamiliar with this feeling of having someone share the burden when facing a strong enemy, it was just that it had been a long time.

He thought in his heart, watching the old man pour a cup of wine, suddenly shaking the wine pot, and starting to straighten up and look around for the waiter.

Drinking so fast?!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 159 =====