The Empress's No.1 Lackey

However, the Zhao thief dares to come here, which means he must have confidence. I'm afraid Lu Zhengchun is going to lose... Is this too much of a pity? This old man's cultivation is profound, and if he fully wields his flying sword, I'm afraid no one in the society can match him..."

The man in the black robe blew into the night wind and calmly said:

"A wavering, endlessly greedy dog, no matter how sharp its fangs, is not worthy of using. Now is the perfect time to remove him through Zhao Douan's hands; it's also a good thing."

Zhuang Xiaocheng, whose hair and beard were all white and whose face was covered in wrinkles, nodded silently, sighed, and said:

"It's just a pity that for killing Zhao thief this time, whether we succeed or fail, the society will suffer a significant loss in strength."

The man in the black robe drained his wine bowl and said:

"For victory, what can't be sacrificed? Someone is coming."

After saying this, the person's body rippled like waves and slowly disappeared, even the wine bowl in his hand vanished.

A short while later.

Two figures came running, one was Qi Yuchun with a blue-black stubble, carrying a large spear on his back.

The other was Ren Kun, an Earth God Mage with broad shoulders, skin the color of earth, wearing a robe of the same color, and having a square face with a flattened nose.

Both of them looked grim and spoke hastily:

"Received news that Zixiao Palace has been leveled by that Zhao kid, and Lu Zhengchun was captured alive!"

Zhuang Xiaocheng was "greatly shocked", abruptly standing up and staring at them: "Speak in detail!"

Once he understood the specifics, the former Grand Tutor knitted his brows tightly, expressing his disappointment:

"If Lu Zhengchun had escaped in time, how could the court hold him?"

Qi Yuchun urgently said:

"Lu Zhengchun was never completely aligned with us, I don't care about his life or death, but since he's caught, I'm afraid the location of our main base will be exposed!"

Zhuang Xiaocheng, however, shook his head and calmly said:

"He won't say. Because Lu Zhengchun knows that if he reveals the location of the main base, he will certainly die, but if he doesn't, there's still a chance to be rescued."

Ren Kun watched coldly from the sidelines and said: "Even if it's as you say, now that we've lost his fighting power, what do we do next?"

"We wait." Zhuang Xiaocheng stood with his hands behind his back, looking calmly at the two, his gaze deep as the sea:

"Leveling Zixiao Palace is Zhao thief's return gift to us, I have a premonition that with this thief's methods, by at least tomorrow, there will surely be more tricks to come, and we'll meet whatever comes, ready to respond."

...

...

Golden Fortune Inn.

Night deepened, Vice General Yuan Ji led a group of cavalry to the resting place arranged by the county government in Feng City.

The inn returned to quiet as well, after the main doors were closed, the kitchen brought out dinner that had been reheated several times, and everyone gathered in the lobby to begin gobbling it down.

Candle flames burned quietly.

After they were satisfied with food and drink, Gongshu Tianyuan, rubbing his round belly, leaned back in his chair, and with a sleight of hand, tossed toothpicks to everyone.

While he picked his teeth with one, he bragged to Hong Ye and the scholar about his bravery in battle:

"...So, how wise am I? I had already crafted a fake substitute to avoid the flying sword... Only because I engaged Lu Zhengchun head-on did Jin have the opportunity to attack from behind."

Jin Jian, full and comfortable like a cat, squinted his eyes lazily, not bothering to fight for credit.

Ah yes, yes... You're the Heavenly Master's disciple, whatever you say is right... Zhang Han and Haitang silently grumbled.

However, the two also admitted that in this battle, indeed, the two magicians from the Heavenly Master Mansion had significant merit.

Jin Jian's final strike was astonishing, but without Gongshu Tianyuan, and the frontal distraction by Lang Shiba and Ji Yue, defeating Lu Zhengchun would quite difficult.

As a result, the two Master Hai detectives, who didn't exert much impact at all, felt defeated, realizing the real gap between them and the truly talented cultivators.

"What are you thinking?"

Haitang looked at Zhao Douan beside him, silently picking his teeth, and suddenly asked.

Zhao Douan came back to his senses, smiled, and suddenly asked Gongshu Tianyuan out of the blue:

"Speaking of which, your substitute, is it also a Suppressing Object?"

"It is," Gongshu Tianyuan thought that Brother Zhao appreciates him, and eagerly pulled a lump of white clay from his sleeve as a confidant, enthusiastically saying:

"This is called Spring Mud, it can be shaped into anything I imagine, almost lifelike, but it's just a toy, requiring my control within a certain range."

Zhao Douan rubbed his chin, listened to his explanation, and stared at this lump of Spring Mud thoughtfully.

Haitang, being sharp, asked:

"Now that we've filled our bellies, shouldn't you reveal the next step of your plan? Lu Zhengchun remains tight-lipped, and you're going to stage a dramatic public execution while deliberately leaving seven days for Magistrate Luan to post announcements all over the city, is this for Zhuang Xiaocheng to see?"

The female detective, who prided herself on being an Imperial Decree Department investigator, analyzed:

"Just like before when you widely publicized the prisoner exchange, forcing Zhuang Xiaocheng to accept it... Are you thinking similarly this time?

As Lu Zhengchun is a member of the Kuangfu Society, as long as you create a sensation and let the members of the Kuangfu Society in Feng City and even the entire prefecture know that hundreds of their allies are about to be executed, they will undoubtedly become restless.

Zhuang Xiaocheng must face public pressure, and even if it's just to appease his subordinates and maintain the cohesion of the Kuangfu Society, he cannot sit idly by...

So, do you intend to use this move to force Zhuang Xiaocheng to send people to rescue the site, thereby capturing him?"

This was the conclusion she deduced.

Zhao Douan smiled and nodded:

"Smart!"

Haitang's mouth immediately curled up in satisfaction, but she failed to notice the hint of amusement in Zhao Douan's eyes.

Zhao Douan glanced around at everyone at the table and said flatly:

"Mr. Hai is right, once the news of the execution spreads, Zhuang Xiaocheng will be forced to act.

Moreover, Lu Zhengchun's stubborn silence is likely because he wants to use the information he possesses to compel Zhuang Xiaocheng to rescue him... Even for this reason, Zhuang Xiaocheng will act."

The group looked enlightened and glanced at each other, thinking that he was truly cunning...

Zhao Douan ignored their thoughts and continued:

"But just fishing isn't enough, Zhuang Xiaocheng won't stupidly walk into the trap. Even if he plans to rescue the execution site, he will certainly have a tactical plan. While we seem to hold the advantage here, the Kuangfu Society has been hidden in Feng City for years; this is effectively their territory."

After pausing for a moment, he said: "So, it's time for the spies we planted within the Kuangfu Society to take action."

The Gold Shadow Guard Scholar and Hong Ye straightened up:

"What do you want us to do, sir?"

Zhao Douan calmly said:

"I need you to use your channels to contact each spy separately and provide them with an action plan. I will return to my room shortly and write it down for you."

"Understood." The two Shadow Guards agreed readily.

"That's it then, everyone's tired, go back and rest."

Zhao Douan patted his backside and stood up, climbing the wooden stairs to go upstairs, back to his room.

...

After closing the door, he sat by the inn table, but instead of rushing to write the task, he twisted his wrist and took out the bronze small mirror "Fengyue Treasure Mirror."

He fell into thought.

According to the information, the old dog Zhuang Xiaocheng, for safety, still detains Yun Xi and other rescued captives individually on a vineyard within the territory of Feng City.

This was also the reason Zhao Douan hadn't tried using the Fengyue Treasure Mirror to locate spies to determine the position of the Kuangfu Society's main base—because they weren't in the same place at all.

"Zhuang Xiaocheng, oh Zhuang Xiaocheng... You must know I've planted spies among the captives. If I were you, I wouldn't rashly remove those spies but instead, try to turn them, and play a hand of spy among spies..."

"Think about it, if I completely trust this batch of spies, and among them, someone is pretending to side with the court while still being loyal to you, wouldn't that ruin things?"

Zhao Douan mumbled to himself, setting the small mirror aside, picking up a pen, and laying out paper to write tasks for the spies, including Yun Xi, Qing Niao, and Wu Ling.

Most of these tasks were fake, designed to prevent the presence of "spy among spies."

Even if someone genuinely betrayed him, playing an unbreakable game and leaked these false tasks to Zhuang Xiaocheng, it wouldn't matter, and could even mislead Zhuang Xiaocheng.

Additionally, over the next seven days, he would occasionally observe these spies using the Fengyue Treasure Mirror.

Of course, there were also a few tasks that were relatively special.

"Scratch, scratch, scratch..." Zhao Douan quickly wrote a few lines on a piece of paper, then folded the paper and solemnly wrote the recipient's name on the blank space on the back:

Yun Xi.

——

Incorrect words will be corrected and updated later.