Chapter 290

An hour ago.

Someone carrying the will of that "my lord" arrived at the canal yamen's prison.

Stood before a prison door: "Ji Huaixuan."

The man inside scrambled up quickly: "I'm innocent! Everyone knows this isn't my fault…"

"Hmph! If not for that, do you think you'd be lounging comfortably in this cell? Your soul would've been ripped out long ago."

Ji Huaixuan spread his arms: "I'm wronged—"

"After all, the shipment vanished while under your watch. You claim you had a dream and woke up to find it gone—who could believe you?"

"But it really did happen exactly like that."

"Now, there's a chance to redeem oneself through merit…"

"I'll take it! Anything, just let me out!"

…

The "gurgle" of Pi Long entering the water startled Ji Huaixuan.

He instantly shrank into the shadow beneath an eave.

The banks of the canal mostly rose half a zhang above the water.

This wharf had been built with three-chi-long stone slabs, so Ji Huaixuan heard the sound but couldn't see what had happened in the river.

Nighttime rivers teemed with malevolent spirits—he had to tread carefully.

After waiting a while and hearing no further movement, he dared not investigate, and hurried toward his destination.

This movement startled Pi Long.

Pi Long lifted its head and saw the man sneaking toward the inn where it lived.

This inn's front courtyard was for guests; the back courtyard was a cargo station.

The cargo station was large, with two special warehouses for storing "materials."

Anyone who could run such a cargo station on the wharf had reliable connections within the Canal Zhancheng Yamen.

Otherwise, the Canal Zhancheng Yamen would periodically "requisition" your warehouse—no payment, and if the materials went missing, you'd be arrested and forced to compensate—who could bear it?

Xu Yuan immediately sensed something was wrong.

This man could not possibly be some petty thief.

Petty thieves dared not provoke establishments like this.

Pi Long slipped back into the water.

Xu Yuan stood by the window, quietly observing outside.

Ji Huaixuan reached the inn's exterior, circled around the wall, and arrived behind the cargo station.

He knocked rhythmically three times; the door opened from within.

Ji Huaixuan slipped through the crack and rushed straight toward the warehouse holding Xu Yuan's cargo.

The cargo station's staff never appeared.

If anything went wrong, the cargo station could easily distance itself from blame.

Xu Yuan let out a cold snort, quietly extended a hand, and two Longzhu Waidan shot forth.

Ji Huaixuan was just opening the warehouse door when suddenly he was swallowed by an abrupt darkness.

Then his neck tightened—he was hoisted into the air.

A dagger slid from his sleeve; he gripped it and pressed it against his neck, aiming to cut through whatever bound him.

This dagger was a Seventh-Rank Crafted Item.

Forged from special materials, it was not only razor-sharp but also specifically effective against malevolent spirits.

Even if haunted by vengeful ghosts, it could sever their grip.

But this time, when he slashed with all his strength, the thing around his neck didn't break—it snapped back with extreme resilience.

The dagger carved a wound into his own neck!

He yanked the dagger free—but the thing around him slithered like a snake, hissing sharply, and wrapped itself tightly around his entire body.

He forced his mouth open and spat out a thread of fire.

Seventh-Rank Dan Xiu!

He possessed a unique cultivation method; his internal fire was far stronger than ordinary Dan Xiu's, able to condense into a single thread with a temperature several times higher than a burst of abdominal fire.

He could even use this condensed fire thread to achieve the cutting effect of a "fire blade."

The Canal Zhancheng Yamen specifically chose him for this task because he had exceptional abilities.

That thread of fire struck the thing binding his limbs.

Yet it still failed to burn through.

The thing didn't even twitch from the searing heat of his abdominal fire.

He suddenly realized another problem: he had been swallowed by darkness.

But why, now that he had spat fire, was the surrounding area still pitch black? His vision remained utterly dark!

In that very instant, he felt something spread from within his eyes, swiftly enveloping his entire head!

Then it tightened further—he could no longer breathe through his nose, nor open his mouth.

His whole head felt gripped in a giant hand, slowly squeezing, as if about to crush his skull.

A deep terror seized his heart: "What kind of demon is this?!"

Soon he heard the grinding, creaking sound of his own skull being crushed.

"It's over…"

Then everything suddenly stopped.

The thing that had wrapped his entire head opened again.

A wavering voice came from the darkness: "Who sent you?"

Ji Huaixuan wanted to be defiant, but the other said: "Will you answer directly, or shall I rip out your soul and interrogate it?"

"I'll tell you…"

He was not a death knight; he bore no Thread-Linking Method.

Xu Yuan got the answer he wanted, but now had a suspicion: What secret was this man hiding?

Afraid of soul-interrogation.

"Go in, look around freely, then report truthfully."

The Pi Dan and He Dan quietly retracted.

Ji Huaixuan found himself still standing before the warehouse.

He hesitated—should he go in?

After a moment, he gritted his teeth and did as the voice instructed.

The warehouse held priceless materials.

But it did not contain what they were seeking.

Many of the "materials" were slowly writhing.

But suppressed by the warehouse's surrounding arrangements, they could not truly transform.

Ji Huaixuan emerged, not daring to pause, and flew out through the same door.

He walked another dozens of zhang away, carefully watching behind him, observing three times in succession—confirming nothing followed—then hurried toward the Canal Office's treasury.

Pi Long was lurking beneath the river outside the treasury.

This treasury had not been used since the theft.

Ji Huaixuan pushed open the door and entered; someone was waiting for him.

"How was it?"

"Miao Yu's expedition into the mountains yielded great gains; among those materials were even items from a Fifth-Rank Evil Entity."

"But we certainly did not find what we lost."

"Can Miao Yu slay a Fifth-Rank Evil Entity? Hehehe." The man laughed, not believing it: "These scions of great clans always put on such spectacles. Probably their families helped them, pinning the credit on him to build his reputation."

Great clans often did this.

Ji Huaixuan said nothing.

"Alright, your matter is settled. I'll return first; wait a while before leaving."

"Yes."

The vast warehouse was now empty except for Ji Huaixuan.

He walked uneasily for a few steps, then suddenly stepped out, looked around, confirmed no one was nearby, returned to the warehouse, and closed the door.

Pi Long quietly poked his upper body out of the water, peering through the door crack inside.

Ji Huaixuan opened his mouth and spat out a Longzhu Waidan.

Inside it was condensed a folded scroll.

Ji Huaixuan unfolded the scroll and wrote four characters on a blank page: I am out.

Then he waited in the room, tense yet expectant.

After two ke, a cold wind suddenly blew across the canal.

A beautiful figure, dressed in the attire of a Wang Fei from a certain dynasty of Southern Jiaozhi's history, stepped ashore from the river, one step at a time.

Pi Long had long since hidden beneath the water.

Xu Yuan in the inn suddenly understood: the three Dream Eaters had no inside agent—but the Wang Fei did!

Ji Huaixuan stole from his own post.

(End of Chapter)