Chapter 368: Mist over Xiangyang

Chapter 368: The Mist of Xiangyang

With the words laid bare, Si’an calmed down, the earlier fright fading away.

Instead, he sat back at the table, lifted the wine pot, took an empty cup, and poured himself a drink, saying, “Since the city lord has come, why not have a cup? If you want me to do something, we can certainly discuss it.”

Lü Shiheng, who had been ready to strike at any moment, was taken aback by this remark and let out a wry laugh. “Master Si’an, the wealthiest man in Jingchu, truly is no ordinary figure.”

He casually sat across from him, took the cup, and took a sip, then added, “A man of your caliber—why would you willingly stoop to being a mere spy?”

“What talk is this? What spy? Just because I’m close to the Tang family?” Si’an relaxed, sipping his wine. “I have many business dealings with the Tangs; close ties are nothing strange… Speaking of which, the city lord and Chief Tang are colleagues, yet your question doesn’t feel very collegial to me.”

Lü Shiheng let out a cold “ha,” his smile not reaching his eyes. “Nothing much. Ask any official in the court—who likes being spied on by secret agents? The previous dynasty had such factory and guard systems, but weren’t they abolished? His Majesty is magnanimous and never resorts to such things. Chief Tang must not defy the world’s will; a carriage cannot go backward.”

Si’an smiled, holding back a retort: How do you know I’m a spy unless you have spies of your own? Who’s going backward? Chief Tang’s measures are for wartime; she doesn’t use them lightly, nor does she oversee officials.

He didn’t say that, only asking, “The city lord mentioned earlier that you wanted Li to cooperate with Xiangyang on something. What might that be?”

So this man’s surname was Li, full name Li Si’an. The nickname “Fourth Brother” coincidentally echoed Ying Wu’s circle but was unrelated. Zhao Changhe had actually heard of Li Si’an—rumored to be immensely wealthy, with the saying, “Small wealth brings ease, great wealth brings Si’an.”

His wealth came mainly from a chain of brothels… Now it seemed likely that behind it all was Tang Wanzhuang’s support, forming a secret spy network for the Demon Suppression Bureau. No wonder Tang Wanzhuang had stayed in the backyard of a brothel back in Sword Lake City.

Who on earth came up with the idea of using brothels as an intelligence network?

Lü Shiheng asked, “Is the gentleman willing?”

Li Si’an laughed. “City lord, how could a subject of Great Xia refuse to cooperate with Xiangyang’s affairs?”

Lü Shiheng nodded. “In that case, please stay comfortably in my city lord’s mansion for the next few days. Let my men manage this Fairy Palace Pavilion for a while, shall we?”

His words were polite, but the coldness in his eyes brooked no refusal, sending a chill through Li Si’an’s heart.

House arrest, seizing the Fairy Palace Pavilion—what was Lü Shiheng planning?

He said slowly, “Does the city lord know what he’s doing?”

“I do.” Lü Shiheng smiled. “You have considerable connections in the court and throughout Jingchu. If something happens, it would be troublesome. Rest assured, in my mansion, you’ll be treated as an honored guest; I won’t slight you in the slightest.”

Li Si’an was silent for a moment, then said slowly, “I hope the city lord remembers his own words.”

Zhao Changhe, eavesdropping, relaxed his hand, which had been on his ring ready to draw his blade.

Since there was no immediate danger, he could wait a bit longer—at least figure out what Lü Shiheng intended to do with this place.

His guess was that it was a trap for Tang Wanzhuang… But even Li Si’an and Da Zhou had only just learned that Tang Wanzhuang was coming; everyone was still guessing why she would come alone. How did Lü Shiheng seem to know in advance?

And even if she came, what did he plan to do? Killing her would only bring the Tang family’s furious revenge. Tang Buqi would abandon even the Maitreya Sect and go mad attacking Xiangyang. A small commandery, surrounded by enemies—how could he afford such a move?

Something was wrong… Zhao Changhe had a bad feeling, but decided to watch further.

Li Si’an didn’t resist. Calmly, he followed Lü Shiheng’s subordinates to the city lord’s mansion. Lü Shiheng even instructed, “Treat the gentleman well; do not be rude. If he fancies any maid in the rear courtyard, he may enjoy her.”

Zhao Changhe wondered if Li Si’an would quip, “I confess, don’t set me free.”

But a man who ran a brothel chain probably wouldn’t; he’d even said earlier he didn’t like women…

After Li Si’an was taken away, Lü Shiheng called a subordinate over. “Proceed as planned.”

“Yes.”

Zhao Changhe watched stealthily for a while, only seeing them replace personnel to take control of the place. Nothing else was clear for now.

He wished he had Yuxu’s ability to see through a person’s cultivation at a glance. If he had that, he might analyze these men’s martial arts. But though his secret treasury had broken through and his senses sharpened, he was still far from that level.

He thought about grabbing someone for interrogation but feared alerting the enemy. He memorized some faces and quietly withdrew.

Staying longer would yield nothing; better to find Da Zhou and hope he was safe.

By the time Lü Shiheng arrived at the brothel, Da Zhou had already left. Logically, Lü Shiheng shouldn’t know both the brothel and the braised duck lines, so Da Zhou might be safe. Sure enough, at the braised duck alley, everything was still running, seemingly undisturbed.

Da Zhou was in his room packing valuables, clearly ready to flee.

Zhao Changhe observed for a long time, confirmed it was safe, then suddenly appeared beside Da Zhou.

“Whoosh!” Da Zhou sensed something and turned to strike with his sword, swift and decisive.

Zhao Changhe sidestepped and held up a token before Da Zhou.

A Demon Suppression Bureau spy token—the highest rank.

Da Zhou broke out in a cold sweat, both startled and delighted. “An honored superior visits… What is your name, sir?”

Zhao Changhe hesitated, then said helplessly, “Zhao Wangtang.”

Da Zhou didn’t ponder the name’s meaning, lowering his voice. “The situation in Xiangyang is bizarre. It was fine before, but this evening it’s turned into a fog of confusion. The chief told us to lie low temporarily, but I’ve built my life here…”

Zhao Changhe said, “You left the Fairy Palace Pavilion just in time and avoided trouble. You’re fine now—you can keep selling duck.”

Da Zhou: “?”

This superior talked like those usual jokers…

Wait, the Fairy Palace Pavilion was in trouble?

Zhao Changhe continued, “Just act like nothing happened. Don’t panic—that’ll only raise suspicion. I need to investigate the city lord’s mansion. Do you have any connections?”

Da Zhou asked, “Is the sir afraid of the risks of sneaking in?”

“Mainly afraid of alarming the enemy. The city lord’s mansion must have traps, alarms, and such. If I trigger something and get caught, I can escape, but many things will be hidden, and I won’t get firsthand information.”

That was the truth. Why hadn’t he gone straight to the mansion? Instead, he went to the tavern, met Da Zhou, hung out at the brothel—all this trouble. His long experience in the martial world taught him caution pays off.

“The sir is thorough.” Da Zhou thought for a moment, then clapped his hands. “Every evening, we deliver braised duck to the city lord’s mansion. If you’re willing to pose as one of my men delivering duck, you can get into the rear courtyard. But that’s just the kitchen area—you won’t reach the key places.”

Zhao Changhe was delighted. “That’s enough. Once I’m in the kitchen, I’ll find a way.”

Having someone to help was indeed better than going solo… Zhao Changhe suddenly remembered someone once said he seemed like a lone wolf but actually preferred having an organization. Recent events proved that right.

But unfortunately, Da Zhou had already made today’s delivery. They’d have to wait until tomorrow.

He wondered if Tang Wanzhuang would arrive by then. At her speed, she could make it within a day. For the first time, Zhao Changhe hoped she wouldn’t be so swift—that she’d come a little slower.