Late at night, Wan Caimei ended the meeting and walked alone into her master’s room.
“Lord Demonic Venerable, we have a result.”
She knelt on one knee, utterly humble.
“Heh heh, I have not even become the Demonic Venerable yet, and you have already changed how you address me so quickly…”
Inside the room, a dark figure leaned back in a rocking chair, gazing up at the night sky.
After a moment, he continued:
“How did your discussion go?”
“Considering that the Longyin Sect might intervene, we decided to move the plan forward and act tomorrow night.”
“The Longyin Sect?”
“Mm…”
At Wan Caimei’s words, the dark figure pondered briefly, then suddenly clapped his hands, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
“Right, you have reminded me. According to the latest intelligence I just received, Uncle’s adopted daughter, that little Demon Girl Zi Menghan, is hiding in the Longyin Sect right now…”
“No wonder the assassins I sent later could not find her. She was hiding there all along.”
“Heh heh, truly worthy of our Demon Sect’s little Demon Girl. Her way of thinking is indeed bizarre.”
“She even dared to hide inside the Righteous Sects.”
“In that case, you do not need to wait for tomorrow night. Make your move tonight!”
“Tonight?”
Wan Caimei could not help but be somewhat surprised.
She had not expected her master to be even more impatient than that Young Master—one said tomorrow night, the other tonight.
The dark figure nodded and continued:
“That is right. You will immediately go act according to the original plan.”
“By tomorrow, if the Longyin Sect really sends people, that will actually be even better.”
“Find a way to drag things out longer, stall all the Longyin Sect people, and draw their attention…”
“Then, when the time comes, I will send someone to infiltrate the Longyin Sect, finish off that little Demon Girl Zi Menghan, and teach our great Demonic Venerable uncle a lesson~”
“Yes! This servant will go make arrangements now.”
“Heh heh heh~ It truly kills two birds with one stone, awoo.”
“I really look forward to seeing what despair Uncle will show when faced with the Empress’s displaced wrath and when he learns his daughter was assassinated.”
“Heh heh.”
Under the moonlight and stars, the dark figure smiled sinisterly, as if everything was within his plan.
After the Demon Sect meeting ended, He Qiu pretended to be calm the whole way and quickly left that Brothel.
Once outside, he ran headlong without looking back, found a desolate wilderness with no one around, and only then used Sword Flight toward the Longyin Mountain Range behind him.
He was so fast that Zhui Feng, a top Dark Division operative, almost could not keep up.
He Qiu had caused a huge disaster.
Although this trip down the mountain for an investigation mission had let him eavesdrop on a lot of the Demon Sect’s secret intelligence, he had also screwed over Tianxin City’s city lord, Bai Hong, terribly.
His daughter might very well be in mortal danger tomorrow night.
But the key problem was that He Qiu was not familiar with Tianxin City’s roads at all, and had no idea where the city lord’s home was.
Even if he found out the way, running to the city lord in the middle of the night to say a Demon Cultivator would kidnap his daughter tomorrow night would probably not be believed.
Instead, the city lord would likely arrest He Qiu as a lunatic…
Not to mention, those Demon Cultivators had all seen He Qiu’s clothes, and each was stronger than him.
He Qiu could no longer show himself freely in Tianxin City.
If he ran into them at the city lord’s gate, he might be suspected of being a government mole…
So He Qiu was now rushing back to the Sect to report to his Master, Nangong Elder, who had issued the mission.
Having the Longyin Sect’s Elder pass on this intelligence would be the most effective.
“What rotten luck. Why did they have to make me choose who to kidnap? What did I do wrong?”
He Qiu wore a pained expression and could not stop cursing.
At the time, there were only seven portraits on the table.
The Demon Sect’s big boss made him choose one. How would He Qiu dare refuse?
But no matter which one He Qiu chose, he would become the direct or indirect mastermind behind it.
That was utterly disgusting.
He Qiu’s conscience truly could not bear it. He had indeed fallen into a villain’s den and had no control over himself.
‘Sigh, the task Master gave me really is not simple…’
Thinking no more of it, He Qiu continued hurrying along with his head down.
And while He Qiu was using Sword Flight, hurrying back to the Longyin Sect to report the situation, Nangong Qiongxiao had already received Zhui Feng’s latest news.
On the second-floor balcony of the All-Books Pavilion, a dark figure was kneeling on one knee, reporting to the black-dressed Empress who was drinking alone under the moon.
“Your Majesty, the youth you ordered this subordinate to monitor disappeared after entering the Brothel…”
“Hmm? The Brothel?”
Halfway through, Nangong Qiongxiao opened her phoenix eyes and suspiciously scrutinized Zhui Feng of the Dark Division before her.
At the time, after seeing that He Qiu intended to return to the Sect, Zhui Feng decisively ended the surveillance mission and rushed back ahead of time to report to the Empress.
“Your Majesty, please do not be anxious. Let this subordinate explain in detail.”
“Say it all at once.”
“Yes, yes. He Qiu did go down the mountain and went straight to the Brothel…”
“But according to this subordinate’s follow-up investigation, that Brothel is no simple place.”
“It is very likely a secret lair of the Demon Sect!”
“A Demon Sect stronghold?”
After a brief hesitation, Nangong Qiongxiao suddenly became serious and asked in return:
“Wait, you mean He Qiu went to the Brothel not for pleasure, but to spy on the Demon Sect’s intelligence?”
“He went alone, infiltrated a Demon Sect stronghold by himself?”
“And came back unscathed?”
“This… the Brothel’s interior is chaotic.”
“After He Qiu entered, he vanished.”
“This subordinate is incompetent and could not follow up to learn the details.”
“Heh, it is good that you know you are incompetent.”
Nangong Qiongxiao stewed in silent anger alone, guessing at He Qiu’s whereabouts.
She had him go down the mountain for an investigation mission, but it was only a casually assigned beginner task.
She had never intended for He Qiu to actually gather any intelligence.
Her main goal was to find an excuse to issue him a reward, give her disciple a Cultivation Method, and let him taste some sweetness.
But the key problem was that after He Qiu went down the mountain, he not only went straight into the Brothel, but even more absurdly, that Brothel was very likely a Demon Sect stronghold.
And he had likely infiltrated the enemy’s ranks to do the mission…
Yet either possibility went against Nangong Qiongxiao’s original intention.
She had him do a mission, not run off to live it up in a Brothel, much less truly let He Qiu risk his life alone by infiltrating the danger-filled interior of the Demon Sect.
“This is too dangerous!”
That child—should she say he truly lives up to being a Child of Destiny?
Even a casual trip down the mountain for a mission could make one so uneasy…
As He Qiu’s Master and the architect of the protagonist cultivation plan, Nangong Qiongxiao truly worried herself sick over him.
And just then, out of the corner of her eye, Nangong Qiongxiao suddenly caught sight of a white-robed youth hurrying toward the All-Books Pavilion in the distance.
She knew He Qiu had returned—
“Speak of He Qiu and He Qiu arrives.”
“You may withdraw. I will go ask the child myself.”
“Yes.”
Zhui Feng nodded once, then vanished into the darkness and left without a sound.
“Knock, knock, knock—!”
“Come in.”
On the second floor, Nangong Qiongxiao sat up and softly spoke to the youth knocking downstairs.
Then she sighed and went downstairs in her high heels to greet him.
On the first floor of the All-Books Pavilion, at the same familiar window-side spot, the fairy in the black dress and the white-robed youth sat facing each other.
Only this time, outside the window was no longer bright and sunny.
Instead, a desk lamp Nangong Qiongxiao had casually lit provided the light, adding a subtle atmosphere of a late-night tryst.
After all, it was already 4 AM.
The night was deep and quiet, and dawn was about to break.
Actually, as He Qiu looked at the fairy in the black dress, as beautiful and elegant as she was during the day, he felt rather puzzled.
It was so late, yet Master Nangong had still not slept and was even dressed up exquisitely.
He had only just knocked, and a woman’s gentle voice had already sounded from upstairs.
That feeling was as strange as sending someone a message late at night and having it answered instantly at light speed, and he also felt a little secretly glad…
But for now, He Qiu still nervously brought up serious matters and did not dwell on other meaningless details.
“Master, I have gathered quite a lot of important intelligence, which is why I hurried to report to you.”
“What intelligence? Tell me.”