Chapter 460: An Unexpected Location (4/10, Autumn Subscription)

"... Captain Wu, what do you mean by this? I heard Mo Cun is already gone, but even without Mo Cun, if you offend me, the Phoenix Organization can still take your life."

"I wish the whole Phoenix Organization would come!"

Captain Wu suddenly yanked Black Crow close, his bald head slamming into Black Crow's forehead with a crisp crack, leaving Black Crow dizzy, and said with a savage look.

"Now, I ask and you answer. Dare to speak a single lie, and your life ends here!"

In that instant, what Black Crow felt was a murderous aura rushing at his face!

That frenzied state was vastly different from the Captain Wu he knew.

If Captain Wu still had any rationality left, Black Crow would have thought Captain Wu had been struck by Possession.

How did that martial-arts-obsessed martial arts fanatic from Mo Cun become the violent madman he is now?

He would die!

He clearly felt that every subtle shift in Captain Wu's expression, every tiny movement of his joints, was an extreme effort to suppress the surging rage—the urge to tear him into a thousand pieces.

The other man was already straining so hard to hold back the urge to kill; if he still didn't know what was good for him, then dying would truly be a meaningless death!

After a silence, Black Crow said obediently, "... Ask."

"Where is the Phoenix Organization's hiding place?"

"I don't know... don't get worked up! I'm just a very peripheral member of the Phoenix Organization. At most I can only contact my superior—I have no way of knowing such secretive matters."

That's right, Black Crow had always been waving the Phoenix Organization's banner, making others deeply wary.

But in reality, he really was just a very peripheral member, unable to even reach the core members, with only one superior he could contact.

However, even so, if he were killed, once his superior made the routine monthly contact and discovered he'd gone dark, they would indeed send people to investigate and make those who had disrupted the Phoenix Organization's business pay the corresponding price.

So even a small screw like him had his use—he really could wave that big banner.

Only now, the bald man before him simply didn't care about the banner's intimidation.

"Where is your superior?"

"I don't know, his movements are erratic and unpredictable."

"Then how do you contact each other?"

"He seems to know my every movement. At the end of every month, he appears in the village I'm in, takes the things he needs, and gives me the next month's tasks."

"You've seen him? What does he look like? Where was the last place you met?" Captain Wu suddenly grew agitated.

"I've never seen his real face. Every time he met with me, he wore a horse-head mask. The last time we met was in 【Yingzhong Cun】."

Yingzhong Cun?

Fang Yue, who had been listening on the side, was stunned. He remembered this village—he had even sent the few dancers from Deyun Cun to Yingzhong Cun.

He never expected this village had also been the horse-head masked man's hiding place! He wondered how those dancers were doing now, especially that girl named Ming. Were they all right? Had anything happened to them...

Captain Wu turned his head at this moment and exchanged a glance with Fang Yue.

"The horse-head masked man! It's him! Miaofa went off with someone from the Phoenix Organization!"

He clenched his fists tight, his emotions barely containable.

This information was almost solid proof of Miaofa's betrayal!

Fang Yue hurriedly said a few soothing words, afraid he would lose control.

You Sisi, who was nearby, frowned and asked, "What mission did the Phoenix Organization give you?"

"Nothing with a clear standard, very trivial..."

Seeing the dangerous look in You Sisi's eyes, Black Crow hurriedly added, "But I did carefully notice some patterns. They collect very primitive materials, with the largest proportion being medicinal substances—most of them highly toxic or inedible. I suspect the Phoenix Organization is trying to develop poison, the especially potent kind."

"Poison?"

You Sisi frowned, lost in thought.

Captain Wu didn't care about the Phoenix Organization's face. He slammed both hands onto the iron cell's iron door with a bang, suppressing his fury as he asked, "Tell me, where did the horse-head masked man go last?"

"I don't know! I told you, I'm not qualified to know his movements. I really don't know..."

"What about the ox-head masked man? Do you have any intel on the ox-head masked man?"

"Huh? What ox-head masked man? The superior who met with me has always been only the horse-head masked man. I've never seen an ox-head masked man."

Black Crow shook his head and said sincerely.

"Useless trash!" Captain Wu cursed angrily, shoved his fingers into his mouth to gnaw at them impatiently, then suddenly looked up at Fang Yue.

"I'm going to make a trip to 【Yingzhong Cun】. The village where Miaofa and I parted was 【Ji Li Cun】. The horse-head masked man has already left 【Ji Li Cun】, so I suspect he'll return to 【Yingzhong Cun】. I want to go there and wait for him, then catch him, force out the ox-head masked man's whereabouts, and rescue An Dong'er!"

There was one more thing Captain Wu didn't mention: the matter of dealing with Miaofa. If they could find the horse-head masked man, they could naturally find Miaofa as well, and then... he would personally cleanse the household!

"It's useless! No one can track the horse-head masked man's movements! But if you spare my life and let me move freely, when the end of the month comes, he'll contact me again, have me hand over supplies and complete the mission. At that point, you can deal with him however you like!"

Hearing Black Crow's words, Fang Yue and the others couldn't help but laugh coldly.

Are you taking us for idiots? Letting you go would be generous—we haven't killed you on the spot, and that's already something!

Without intel value, what use are you?

But Captain Wu slapped his own forehead.

"Makes sense."

He reached out, grabbed the iron cell's iron door, and with a hard yank, the door went flying out with a bang, leaving the cell wide open.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

Black Crow stumbled back two steps in fright, fell to the ground, but was seized by the hair by Captain Wu and dragged outside.

"Lend me this man! I'll keep him with me and head to 【Yingzhong Cun】. If the horse-head masked man still cares about this pawn, he'll definitely come knocking!"

Reckless, but not brainless recklessness—Captain Wu's mind was unexpectedly sharp.

"Wait! Captain Wu!"

"What is it now?"

Because of self-blame, feeling that Miaofa's betrayal was what caused the tragedy, Captain Wu wished he could rush off to find Miaofa right now and demand a clear answer face to face!

"... There's no rush on this matter. If you stay in Qingsi County for a day, I'll have the two gentlemen in blue prepare supplies for you and provide a fast horse — far better than running on your own two legs. Don't forget, the Qingsi Horse of Qingsi County is the fastest horse in the entire Heiqing Shanmai region!"

Although in the Heiqing Shanmai, not every village has a specialty product.

But villages that have specialty products can always develop better than the others.

Back then, Qing Si Cun was able to develop into Qingsi County also because of one specialty product.

That was the Qingsi Horse they raised — the fastest steed in the Heiqing Shanmai!

(End of chapter)