Chapter 755: The Elite of the White Peregrine Alliance

Ma Wu took away nine-tenths of the Joyfire from Fan Bi, leaving only one-tenth slowly burning on his back.

Qin Qin Xiaopang looked at Fan Bi, covered in ash, and laughed: "You're about seventy or eighty percent cooked. Normally, I'd eat you while hot—but I heard an elder is your friend. For the elder's sake, I'll let you live a little longer, and take you to meet him."

Fan Bi, having lived this long, knew instantly which elder Qin Qin Xiaopang meant. The moment he saw Ye Ye Jianhuang, he straightened his back and knelt on the ground, shouting: "Spare my life—I'll do anything you say!"

Ye Ye Jianhuang packed a pipe full of tobacco, pressed it lightly with his fingers, and said to Fan Bi: "First, get me a flame."

Fan Bi took a box of matches from beside the bed, struck one, and lit Ye Ye Jianhuang's pipe.

Ye Ye Jianhuang drew a puff of smoke; the smoke curled twice around Fan Bi's skull: "Speak. How do you want to die?"

Fan Bi lifted his head and answered loudly: "I don't want to die!"

"Then tell me—who sent you?"

"Mo Ruhei sent me."

"Mo Ruhei?" Ye Ye Jianhuang bit the pipe's bowl, slowly recalling the man. "The Shadow Cultivator Mo Ruhei—"

"Like you, he became a Land God over ten years ago. Have neither of you advanced since then?"

Fan Bi showed no fear: "The land is too remote. No one gathers here. My cultivation has barely progressed."

Ye Ye Jianhuang exhaled another puff of smoke: "Even if you haven't advanced, your lifespan should be long. Why serve the Inner State?"

"The Inner State?" Fan Bi shook his head vigorously. "This has nothing to do with the Inner State. Me and Mo Ruhei thought the land too remote. We saw He He Yuxiu had a proper plot and wanted to seize it."

"When we made our names, He He Yuxiu was still playing in mud. Now she's climbed onto Li Qi's coat-tails and gets a proper plot? We're jealous. So we decided to kill her—"

Pfft!

Ye Ye Jianhuang pressed the hot pipe against Fan Bi's face, tearing off a large chunk of skin and flesh.

Fan Bi endured the pain without a sound.

Ye Ye Jianhuang wiped the pipe and smiled: "Seize land? Who are you fooling? If you truly wanted to kill He He Yuxiu, you'd have to remove her from the land first—otherwise, you break the Peddler's rules. Do you really think you, of all people, can challenge a Peddler? Do you think I'm that easy to fool?"

Fan Bi said: "Elder Ye, I wouldn't dare lie to you. I came here with Chuituogu to remove He He Yuxiu from the land, then join forces with Mo Ruhei to trick her into handing over her deed, and then kill her."

Pfft!

Ye Ye Jianhuang burned off another large chunk of skin and flesh from Fan Bi's face. Fan Bi, already half-cooked by fire, was now nearly done.

"Is this the Chuituogu you mentioned?" Ye Ye Jianhuang dragged forward the female Wind Cultivator's head.

The corpse seemed light—as if a breeze could blow it away.

Fan Bi glanced and saw Chuituogu's eyes were utterly lifeless, hollow.

Upon closer inspection, they were truly hollow—no whites, no pupils, just two empty sockets.

Not only had her eyes vanished, but her brain, organs, and marrow had all turned to smoke, taken away by Ye Ye Jianhuang. What lay before Fan Bi was merely an empty shell.

Ye Ye Jianhuang asked again: "Her name is Chuituogu? What's her relation to the Blade Ancestor Chuiduanfa?"

Fan Bi lowered his head: "She's Chuiduanfa's descendant. The Wind Cultivator powder she used was given to her by Chuiduanfa. Elder Ye, we only coveted He He Yuxiu's new land. We have no ties to the Inner State!"

"Still lying?" Ye Ye Jianhuang held up Chuituogu's skin pouch, smiling. "You want to end up like her?"

At six-thirty in the morning, battered and wounded, Fan Bi arrived at a desolate spot, sat beneath a tree, and gasped for breath.

A dark shadow appeared beside Fan Bi and whispered: "Did it succeed?"

"What do you think?" Fan Bi sneered. "If it had succeeded, would I be like this?"

The shadow rose from the ground, urgently asking: "Where's Chuituogu? Didn't she come back with you?"

Fan Bi shook his head: "Chuituogu died in Ye Ye Jianhuang's hands. I tried to help her, but I was too late."

The shadow kicked: "She can't die! She's Year's Adopted Daughter! Why did you come back? You should've let her return!"

Fan Bi flew into rage: "Fuck your mother! Is that even human speech?"

The shadow sighed: "I just can't explain this to Year."

Fan Bi smiled: "I think you don't need to explain anymore."

The shadow froze: "What do you mean? How did you come back?"

Fan Bi said nothing. The shadow sensed something wrong, quickly retreated, and tried to vanish on the spot—but it was too late. Thick smoke surrounded him.

The shadow couldn't break free. His originally ethereal form solidified within the smoke.

Ye Ye Jianhuang smiled: "Mo Ruhei, how many years has it been?"

Mo Ruhei cried out: "Elder Ye, there's a misunderstanding! I wasn't targeting you—I was after He He Yuxiu!"

"So you were targeting me?" He He Yuxiu slowly emerged from the smoke and kicked the shadow.

The shadow fell to the ground and stayed there: "Miss He, we saw your proper land and grew greedy. We wanted to take it. We admit defeat. We beg Elder Ye and Miss He to spare our lives."

Ye Ye Jianhuang's voice came from within the smoke: "Another stubborn one. Fan Bi already told everything. Stop lying."

The shadow turned to look at Fan Bi. Fan Bi, ashamed, nodded.

He He Yuxiu asked: "The Year you mentioned—is that Year Nian Shangyou?"

Mo Ruhei lay on the ground, motionless, expressionless—his entire body was as black as a shadow.

This was his land. To say he had no power left was false. He waited for an opening.

Now was a good moment. Mo Ruhei's body trembled, releasing over a dozen shadows from the surrounding trees, preparing to surround He He Yuxiu and Ye Ye Jianhuang.

These shadows were long-prepared. In combat power, they couldn't compare to Li Banfeng Yi or Li Banfeng Zi.

But they had a special use: when clinging to the ground, their bodies became as rough and thick as soil.

Hard to injure—something the Shadow-Linked Technique couldn't achieve.

Mo Ruhei planned to use these shadows as cover to create an escape opportunity.

The shadows moved in a formation honed over years, darting around He He Yuxiu's feet.

He He Yuxiu didn't strike immediately. She watched their movements silently.

Mo Ruhei accelerated the shadows. As He He Yuxiu remained unguarded, two shadows slipped beneath her feet, aiming to cripple her legs.

But before Mo Ruhei could act, the soil beneath them suddenly lifted into the air, flying toward the heart of the smoke.

Mo Ruhei didn't understand—who had taken the soil?

The soil was gone, yet the shadows remained. This was pointless.

Mo Ruhei still intended to flee—then suddenly realized his own shadow was rising into the air along with the shattered earth.

What was happening?

Mo Ruhei had never seen this technique. Was this a new method Ye Ye Jianhuang had developed?

Ye Ye Jianhuang was a Smoke Cultivator above the Clouds. Those above the Clouds can create their own techniques—new methods are understandable.

But Smoke Cultivators usually fight through infiltration. No one has ever seen such a powerful technique.

Should he retrieve his shadows? Mo Ruhei was torn. If he recalled them now, he'd lose his chance to flee.

But if he didn't, each lost shadow meant losing part of his life—Shadow Cultivators' greatest weakness.

Losing part was better than harming his core body. Ye Ye Jianhuang could pull shadows from the ground, but Mo Ruhei bet he couldn't destroy them quickly. He chose to keep fleeing.

He hadn't run far when his speed slowed—all shadows pulled into the air were annihilated.

This inflicted severe damage on Mo Ruhei.

Was this Ye Ye Jianhuang's technique—or He He Yuxiu's doing?

He He Yuxiu hadn't moved.

Mo Ruhei gritted his teeth and slithered across the ground. Suddenly, he caught a faint whiff of smoke.

Damn it!

Smoke had seeped into the ground, surrounding Mo Ruhei's true body.

With no choice, Mo Ruhei burst from the earth, fleeing toward open ground. He He Yuxiu closed the distance in two steps and kicked him repeatedly until he was half-dead.

He He Yuxiu dragged Mo Ruhei to Ye Ye Jianhuang's side and threw him down. Mo Ruhei looked up and saw a burly man standing beside Ye Ye Jianhuang.

Mo Ruhei had investigated those close to He He Yuxiu. He knew this giant was Qin Qin Tianjiu, the Great Jin Yin of San Ying Gate.

Rumor said this boy had no talent at all—his rise was entirely due to Li Qi's protection. Why was he here?

Could Qin Qin Tianjiu have destroyed all the shadows just now?

How could he possibly have such power?

Not only Mo Ruhei was stunned—Ye Ye Jianhuang was puzzled too. He had watched Qin Qin Tianjiu swallow every shadow whole.

This technique, Ye Ye Jianhuang had seen once before: Wind Sweeping the Clouds—a Cloud-Level Food Cultivator technique.

Its principle: select a general target, swallow everything indiscriminately, then filter it.

Spit out the useless, keep the useful.

This technique is difficult. Most Cloud-Level Food Cultivators don't learn Wind Sweeping the Clouds. Ye Ye Jianhuang believed Qin Qin Tianjiu's cultivation hadn't reached Cloud Level—but he had just used a Cloud-Level technique. This made no sense.

Qin Qin Tianjiu was Li Qi's man, and the Great Jin Yin of San Ying Gate. Because of his status, Ye Ye Jianhuang couldn't directly question him about his cultivation.

Mo Ruhei crouched on the ground, glaring at Fan Bi: "You bastard—you sold me out like this?"

Fan Bi still sat beneath the tree: "If it were you, you'd have sold me too. Don't blame each other."

Mo Ruhei turned to Ye Ye Jianhuang: "Elder, don't believe Fan Bi. We came for He Miss—not you."

Ye Ye Jianhuang spat smoke into Mo Ruhei's face: "Think about the consequences before you speak."

Mo Ruhei lowered his head, hesitated, then spoke the truth: "I hold a position in the Inner State. Year Nian Shangyou is my superior. This land is mine, but I no longer manage it—I serve in the Inner State. This time, Year Nian Shangyou gave me a task: kill He He Yuxiu, seize her deed."

"If I succeed, Year Nian Shangyou will reward me with a large amount of Qi. So I recruited Fan Bi and Chuituogu, planning to complete the job and split half the Qi with them."

He He Yuxiu smiled: "That's a profitable deal—no effort on your part, yet you get half!"

Mo Ruhei whispered: "I found this deal—I deserve this share—"

He He Yuxiu kicked Mo Ruhei: "Don't talk about deals in front of me. This is my life and my land. You failed. How will you explain to Year Nian Shangyou? Either way, you're dead. Let me grant you mercy here!"

As she spoke, He He Yuxiu drew a dagger and pried open Mo Ruhei's skull. His brain could be faintly seen.

"You're still alive?" He He Yuxiu peered closely at the crack in his skull. "Your brain's different from others. I've brought a spoon—I'll take one spoonful and show you."

Qin Qin Tianjiu said: "Sister Xiu, Mo Ruhei is an elder—we can't treat him like this. Let me go find some dipping sauce."

Mo Ruhei hissed: "Miss He! Spare my life—I'll make it right with Nian Nian Shangyou. If the mission fails, I won't ask for a reward. I'm still useful—I'll return to Neizhou and become your inside man. Any news from Neizhou, I'll rush back to report it!"

He He Yuxiu rubbed the blade against Mo Ruhei's face: "You're just a lowly soldier. What kind of news could you possibly get?"

"I have news—important news!" Mo Ruhei clutched his skull, afraid it might be ripped open again. "I know where the Dangkou Camp is. I didn't hear it—I went there myself. When I served under Nian Nian Shangyou, I delivered letters to the camp. I saw the encampment. I saw the imperial officers inside. If the Dangkou Camp moves, I'll tell you immediately—you'll be ready, and you'll win every battle."

"If you kill me now, Nian Nian Shangyou will suspect something. He'll know the Dangkou Camp's location has been leaked. Then they'll relocate—and you'll lose this perfect chance!"

When I accompanied Nian Nian Shangyou on official business, I delivered letters to the Pacify-the-Devils Camp; I saw the encampment and the imperial clan soldiers inside—should the Pacify-the-Devils Camp stir again, I'll inform you all, and you'll be ready in time, surely winning every battle.

He He Yuxiu wasn't sure. He looked toward Ye Ye Jianhuang.

Ye Ye Jianhuang asked: "Where is the Dangkou Camp?"

Mo Ruhei answered immediately: "In Mei Yi."

Ye Ye Jianhuang knew a little about Shangguo. He thought Mo Ruhei's claim was absurd: "Nonsense! Mei Yi is a land of music and dance—how could it be a training ground?"

Mo Ruhei said: "I'm not lying. Precisely because no one would ever suspect this place, the operation is so secretive!"

Ye Ye Jianhuang fell silent for a long while, then pulled a contract paper from his robe, exhaled a puff of smoke onto it, and handed it to Mo Ruhei: "You know the rules of Pulu Province."

Mo Ruhei dared not refuse. He turned to Fan Bi: "I'll get the job done—but I'm afraid this man might leak the secret."

"Don't worry." Ye Ye Jianhuang looked at Qin Qin Tianjiu. "Brother, are you hungry?"

Qin Qin Tianjiu shook his head slightly.

Ye Ye Jianhuang waved his hand. Smoke began rising from Fan Bi's body, but he couldn't cry out.

Amid the smoke, a spider swayed on its web for a moment, then crawled up a branch and vanished.

Li Li Banfeng stood in the back garden of the Marquis's mansion, over thirty meters from Yucui Tower. He calmed his mind and sensed every movement of Jiang Linger.

Jiang Linger sat on the second floor of the pavilion and tapped the vase beside her bed with her finger—producing a crisp sound.

Outside, Li Li Banfeng's fingertip trembled. Using the Hong Lian Kuo Hong Lian Dongfang Technique, he moved the vase from inside the room to outside, where it landed precisely beside him.

Jiang Linger touched her silk handkerchief.

The silk handkerchief was soft and smooth—almost silent.

Li Li Banfeng sensed it for dozens of seconds, then used Hong Lian Hong Lian Dongfang to swap it out as well.

Jiang Linger opened the third drawer of the cabinet, unfolded a needlework box, and touched the fifth compartment's embroidery needle.

After over a minute, Li Li Banfeng called out from outside: "You're going too far!"

Jiang Linger smiled coldly, a hint of triumph in her eyes.

Li Li Banfeng was about to rest when Luo Luo Shaojun delivered a letter.

He opened it. It was written by He He Yuxiu, detailing their investigation into the Dangkou Camp—and specifically emphasizing they had planted an inside agent beside Nian Nian Shangyou.

Li Li Banfeng read it several times. Something felt off, but he couldn't pinpoint why.

His wife took the letter, read it once, and asked: "Have you ever heard of this man, Mo Ruhei?"

Li Li Banfeng shook his head. "No."

His wife reread the letter, traced the sequence of events, and shook her head: "This man knows too much."

Li Li Banfeng felt the same, but certain doubts lingered: "Wife, explain carefully."

"Killing He He Yuxiu and seizing the contract—Shangguo's motive remains unclear. Don't speculate on unclear things. Regardless of their goal, this is an external matter directed at Pulu Province. We call it an 'external affair.'" She brushed away surface dirt in the courtyard, drew a line, and slowly guided Li Li Banfeng's thoughts along it.

"Rebuilding the Dangkou Camp is Shangguo's top priority. Wherever the camp is, how many soldiers they train, how long they train—these are all internal matters. We call it an 'internal affair.'"

"Whether internal or external, someone handles the details. So it's not strange if a lowly soldier knows one of these things."

"But if a lowly soldier knows both? That's abnormal. Especially since Lan Qiao Yi is in charge—he wouldn't let someone like Mo Ruhei know so much. So I think we must treat this with caution."

As soon as she finished, Li Li Banfeng picked up his brush and wrote a letter ordering He He Yuxiu and the others to hold their position and wait for further news.

He stayed in Wubian City to continue refining his techniques.

But if a lowly follower knows both internal and external matters at once, that's unusual—especially since this matter is led by Lan Qiao Yi, who would never let someone like Mo Ruhei know too much; thus, this servant believes we must treat this matter with great caution.

Unlike other Shangguo cities, Mei Yi had no complex nine-layer city structure and few factories. Instead, it was filled with tea houses, taverns, inns, music halls, and dance pavilions.

Neizhou had no sunlight; Mei Yi burned with constant lantern light. Shops took turns opening. Songs, music, laughter—never ceased. Elegant and vulgar tastes coexisted, each finding its audience.

If scouts hadn't spotted soldiers in Mei Yi three separate times, Lady Zuo Anna would never have believed the Dangkou Camp was stationed here.

Under disguise and illusion, Lady Zuo Anna's form grew as tall as a Neizhou native. She gained two extra legs, walked on all fours, wore emerald-green robes, and looked like a praying mantis.

Behind her stood over a hundred women of similar height, heavily made-up, dressed thinly—clearly dancers.

In Chaoge, a hundred dancers walking the streets would raise suspicion. But in Mei Yi, it was ordinary. Last year, a high official celebrated his sixtieth birthday with six hundred dancers—and still thought the scene lacked grandeur.

Lady Zuo Anna led the group down a quiet street. The illusion gradually faded. The number of dancers dwindled. After three minutes, all had vanished.

Passersby occasionally sensed something odd, glancing toward where the dancers had been—but some force pulled their gaze away. Their attention was drawn by distant music, and the vanished dancers quickly faded from memory.

Invisible, Lady Zuo Anna led the group into a courtyard. No master or servants were visible—but soldiers stood guard.

Lady Zuo Anna intensified the illusion to ensure no one noticed. They entered a well in the back courtyard, descended dozens of meters, then surfaced into an underground training ground.

Soldiers trained there—each with three heads, proving their unusual bloodline.

Lady Zuo Anna removed a dangling hairpin from her head. A peach blossom scent spread—this was the signal to begin.

The hundred-plus dancers behind her grabbed their gear and, still invisible, surged into the military formation, ready for battle.

Their equipment was simple: each carried a magic staff. Planted in fixed positions, they instantly formed powerful arrays.

Under the control of these hundred-plus sorcerers, the arrays would unleash devastating power—annihilating every soldier in the Dangkou Camp.

All staffs were in place. Lady Zuo Anna reinserted the hairpin. The peach scent spread again. All sorcerers activated their spells.

The staffs emitted halos, transforming into invisible blades that sliced through the Dangkou soldiers—without harming the sorcerers.

These sorcerers were elite of the White Falcon Alliance.

One Dangkou soldier collapsed—his three heads severed.

From the wounds, bone and flesh were visible—but no blood.

One sorcerer stared, astonished.

These men had blood—but not the color they knew.

Another sorcerer faintly smelled grease. The soldiers' fluid was oil. "They're puppets!" one cried.

"All puppets! This isn't the Dangkou Camp—it's a trap!" another sorcerer realized after examining several corpses.

Lady Zuo Anna immediately ordered retreat. The sorcerers retracted their staffs and prepared to retrace their path—but the way was gone.

Corpses littered the training ground. No matter which direction they turned, they couldn't find the exit.

Lady Zuo Anna shouted: "Don't panic! This is Shangguo's Soul-Confusing Array. Find the way together!"

The disciplined sorcerers raised their staffs, preparing to break the illusion.

Flames erupted from the ground, engulfing every corner of the training ground through the soldiers' corpses.

Lady Zuo Anna immediately ordered a retreat; the shamans retracted their staves and prepared to retrace their steps, only to find the original path gone.

Lan Qiao Yi pulled out a document and handed it to Nian Nian Shangyou: "Mei Yi was attacked. Few knew the camp's location. The only person who recently visited Pulu Province is one."

Nian Nian Shangyou nodded, took the document, and left.

At a mansion in the third ring of the city, Nian Nian Shangyou summoned Mo Ruhei: "Lord Lan Qiao has urgent business to discuss with you alone."

Mo Ruhei froze. In his position, Lan Qiao Yi rarely gave him direct orders. This must be something major.

In the past, he'd have seen this as a chance to rise. Today, he felt uneasy. He hesitated—should he tell He He Yuxiu?

He didn't want to tell He He Yuxiu. He didn't want to ruin his bright future in Shangguo. But he hadn't yet found a way to bypass the contract.

At Lan Qiao Yi's official residence, Nian Nian Shangyou brought Mo Ruhei to a side room and had guards lock the door.

Nian Nian Shangyou asked: "Old Mo, were you captured?"

Mo Ruhei shook his head. "Absolutely not. I fought my way out."

Nian Nian Shangyou's face was blank. "Tell the truth now—there's still time."

"My lord, every word is true."

Nian Nian Shangyou slammed the table. Two nails shot from the floor, piercing Mo Ruhei's soles. These nails were weapons—capable of blocking his techniques.

Mo Ruhei didn't struggle, still pleading: "My lord, I wasn't captured. I truly broke through!"

Nian Nian Shangyou's fingers tapped the table. The nails rose higher, curved, and pierced Mo Ruhei's knees.

The agony was unbearable. In under ten minutes, Mo Ruhei changed his story: "My lord, I was captured—I was—"

Thick smoke poured from Mo Ruhei's mouth.

Nian Nian Shangyou called for a physician. When the doctor entered, the smoke had vanished. Mo Ruhei stood there—his body hollow, empty inside.

Mo Ruhei dared not struggle, continuing to explain: "Master Nian, I was not captured—I truly broke through and escaped."

Gratitude to the Alliance Master Shenwei Captain, and deep thanks for your steadfast support of the Lord of Pulu. Shen Nong Dao Jun, mighty!

Intense pain made Mo Ruhei unbearable; within minutes, Mo Ruhei changed his statement: "Young Master Nian, I was indeed captured alive—I was—"

A thick cloud of smoke drifted out of Mo Ruhei's mouth.

Nian Nian Shangyou ordered the physician to enter and rescue him, but by the time the physician entered the room, the smoke had already dissipated; Mo Ruhei stood in place, his body hollow within.

PS: What an incredible covenant scroll.

Thank you, Alliance Lord, Captain of Divine Might; thank you for your tremendous support of the Lord of the Commoners! Shen Nong Dao Jun is mighty!