At night, it started to rain in the mountains.
Outside the cave, the damp air, mingled with a touch of disarray, created a clamorous atmosphere, a tumultuous symphony of nature's power.
Zheng Fan sat silently, chewing on a grass stem. Opposite him, A Ming reclined, his waterskin casually at hand.
In A Ming's own words, sotis one drank blood for survival; other tis, for the sheer pleasure of living.
Helian Baozhu slept soundly inside the cave, wrapped tightly in a military bedroll.
Although they intended to use her, neither Zheng Fan nor the Demon Lords were so base as to tornt a young girl.
Only these three were inside the cave.
Xue Three prowled the periter. As an assassin, he was confident in his ability to scout for the team.
The blind man sat in a tree outside the cave, draped in an animal hide blanket. The signal inside the cave was weak; it was stronger outside, much like a ho Wi-Fi router.
Fanli waited in silence in a pond below, only his head exposed for air, camouflaged with a covering of dead leaves.
In this world, two organizations were most renowned for their intelligence gathering prowess.
One was the Yan State's Spy Bureau, the other, the Silver Armored Guard.
Truthfully, in Zheng Fan's opinion, Yan State's Spy Bureau was still sowhat crude. Perhaps because Yan State hadn't been a truly unified nation for a long ti, its Spy Bureau wasn't particularly well-developed or powerful. Furthermore, organizations of Qi cultivators and alchemists had also been incorporated into the Spy Bureau, making it more of a hodgepodge.
It was only in Yinlang County, under Lord Jingnan's control, that the Yan State Spy Bureau's effectiveness had been maximized, largely due to the "husband-and-wife team" dynamic, achieving comndable results.
Comparatively, the Silver Armored Guard felt more professional than Yan State's Spy Bureau. Their operational capabilities, resource mobilization, and organizational structure were all a tier above.
Even when the war between Yan and Qian States began, Qian State's Silver Armored Guard remained active in the shadows, playing a crucial role. They were impossible to suppress completely, impossible to eradicate entirely.
However, due to the Qian military's collapse on the battlefield, the Silver Armored Guard, as a governnt office, suddenly appeared far inferior to Yan State's Spy Bureau in the eyes of the world. It was an unavoidable consequence.
But Zheng Fan believed that when it ca to espionage and concealnt, his own band of Demon Lords were truly the elite of the elite.
His only disadvantage is his current lack of formidable strength and a prominent reputation, he mused. If our side can truly rise in the future, we'll show the world a truly different kind of 'intelligence organization.'
Then he would have Siniang design a new set of Flying Fish Suits.
Heh heh.
「Just then」
The blind man's voice began to resonate in everyone's mind.
This "psychic link," or "private channel" as they called it, naturally couldn't be maintained indefinitely; the "battery" wouldn't last. Thus, it was only established at critical junctures.
Moreover, the blind man, having learned his lesson after a few previous blunders where he'd inadvertently picked up on others' private thoughts and earned angry glares from Zheng Fan and the other Demon Lords, had grown cautious. Each ti he established the "psychic link," he would preface it like a sound technician at a rural funeral, testing the ancient PA system: "Testing, testing... one, two... can you hear ?"
This served as a reminder for everyone to stop any distracting ntal chatter.
Of course, the primary reason for this precaution was Fanli's presence. Heaven knew what that simpleton was thinking.
For instance, he might be thinking: My Lord actually made hide in a puddle? I should just chop off his head with my axe!
"San'er has signaled. Soone's approaching. Everyone get ready. Level one combat alert."
Zheng Fan and A Ming exchanged a glance, each donning the clothes laid beside them. These were the uniforms of Helian Baozhu's guards, sowhat damaged, but serviceable.
After dressing, Zheng Fan lay down, facing the inner part of the cave. A Ming curled up against the wall, feigning exhaustion and dozing off.
The blind man in the tree used his ntal force to draw the nearby branches closer, concealing himself more thoroughly.
Fanli, in the pond, subrged himself completely.
Zheng Fan waited.
Honestly, this kind of lure-the-enemy-into-a-trap gambit is incredibly difficult to pull off, and the chances of it backfiring are high, he thought. But it's indeed the most effective thod available right now.
"Don't panic. The closest one is still thirty ters out. Three of them are coming," the blind man's voice, like a broadcaster's, echoed continuously in their minds.
Zheng Fan regulated his breathing, his saber pressed beneath him.
A Seventh Rank martial artist was already considered a minor grandmaster in the secular world. Whether serving a noble family as an Imperial Censorate Officer or joining the army, they could secure a good position.
However, perhaps because he had witnessed too many large-scale battlefields and grown accustod to that kind of atmosphere, suddenly switching back to a lone-operative mode felt sowhat unfamiliar.
"Ten ters."
"Five ters."
"My Lord, two have reached the cave entrance. Another is by the pond. All three are quite skilled and very cautious."
"There are likely others in the periphery; San'er is watching them. These three here, we need to deal with them quickly and quietly. Ah Li, wait for my signal, then take out the one by the pond—kill him instantly. My Lord, one will co to the cave entrance on your left; strike him with your saber imdiately. A Ming, the one at the cave entrance on your right—keep him alive!"
In combat, life and death hung by a thread; there was no room for error. To deliberately take soone alive, either one's martial prowess far exceeded theirs, or they couldn't kill you with a single strike.
"They're here, they've arrived. They're being really careful. Watch out, they'll be peering in in about five seconds." The blind man's callouts at this mont felt like having a teammate in a squad-based battle royale ga who was using an observer hack.
Blind man, shut up, A Ming grumbled internally. They're already this close, do you still need to give a play-by-play? Talking in our minds right now will just slow down my reaction ti.
The blind man indeed fell silent.
Zheng Fan too sensed that soone was cautiously peering in.
My Lord, you move first, A Ming ntally urged.
Zheng Fan tensed, then suddenly shot up. His right hand drew the long saber from beneath him. In a single motion, like a carp leaping from the water, he lunged forward, the saber slicing out horizontally.
The opponent reacted swiftly, raising his own blade to block. But with the power of a Seventh Rank martial artist, all of Zheng Fan's vital energy and blood surged into the long saber. The opponent's block shattered instantly, his weapon flying from his grasp.
Zheng Fan pushed off the ground with his left hand, thrusting the saber forward once more with his right.
SHLICK!
The blade plunged directly into the opponent's chest.
In truth, with Zheng Fan's strength, he could have defeated this opponent even in a fair duel, let alone in a well-laid ambush. Within two exchanges, Zheng Fan had slain him.
anwhile, almost simultaneously with Zheng Fan's move, A Ming shed his outer robe like a snake molting its skin. The opponent only saw the empty garnt before an icy chill spread across his back.
As a well-trained operative, he reacted instantly, thrusting his sword under his own armpit without hesitation.
SHLICK!
The sword pierced A Ming's body, but A Ming remained unfazed.
A Ming's left hand clamped around the man's throat, instantly applying pressure. With his right hand, his fingernails pried open the man's jaw, and in a flash, he extracted a small poison pill hidden beneath the man's teeth.
Finally, A Ming spun around to face the man, his left hand still gripping his throat, while his right fist hamred into the man's abdon.
THUMP!
The opponent crumpled to his knees.
At this mont, Zheng Fan, having dealt with his target, quickly stepped forward, kicked away the sword lying near the captive, and then produced a rope, helping A Ming to bind the man.
"My Lord, gag him first," A Ming advised.
Zheng Fan nodded and shoved the file A Ming usually used for his nails into the captive's mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue to commit suicide.
With matters here concluded, the situation elsewhere had also resolved.
The man standing by the pond had never imagined that a massive creature had been lurking beneath the water's surface for so long. Fanli's hands shot out, grabbed the man's ankles, and dragged him into the pond. Another punch, and bloody bubbles started rising to the surface.
Honestly, if either the Sword Saint of Jin State or Baili Sword were caught off-guard by Fanli like that, they'd probably be done for.
The blind man used his ntal force to float down from the tree, already peeling an orange he held in his hand.
Next was his task. When it ca to Helian Baozhu, after all, she was just a little girl. Directly performing a soul-search on her didn't quite align with their group's aesthetic or style.
But now that they had captured an adult, there was no need for such courtesies.
"My Lord's saber strike just now was truly swift and precise. Watching from the tree, this subordinate found it exceptionally pleasing to the eye," the blind man said as he approached, offering rather perfunctory flattery. He was purely thinking that perhaps, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, his flattery might just lead to an unexpected advancent. A man has to have dreams, after all.
Zheng Fan ignored the blind man and began searching the live captive.
The blind man walked over and nodded to A Ming, who then tightened his hold, further subduing the captive.
The captive was an adult male, his face rather fair. He was currently glaring at those before him, his eyes burning with imnse anger and indignation.
"Aiyoyo, tsk, tsk. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Just relax and enjoy it; it'll be over in a mont," the blind man cooed, a mock-sympathetic tone in his voice, as he placed his hands on the captive's head, preparing to perform a soul-search.
"No need for a soul-search," Zheng Fan suddenly said.
"Hmm? What is it, My Lord?" the blind man asked, sowhat surprised, but he obediently halted his actions.
Zheng Fan sighed. He felt a mix of helplessness, sorrow, and an urge to laugh at the absurdity of it all.
He held up a token he had just retrieved from the captive.
On the token, three large characters were strikingly carved:
Spy Bureau!
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