Chaotic World Book
Chapter 377 - 369 Wanzhuang Arrives

Chapter 377: Chapter 369 Wanzhuang Arrives

Barely surviving until the following evening, Tang Wanzhuang did not come.

Zhao Changhe let out a huge sigh of relief, changed into simple linen clothes, wiped off the scar on his face, and honestly carried a basket of ducks to the back door of the City Lord Mansion.

The gatekeeper, upon seeing a new face, didn’t raise any suspicions but casually asked, "A replacement?"

Zhao Changhe forced a smile, "Yes, several have enlisted."

Unimpressed by his answer, the guard sighed indifferently, "Hmm, there’s a shortage of hands everywhere... Do you know your way around? If not, just ask someone inside to guide you. Keep the rules in mind, don’t wander or be nosy, just deliver the goods to the kitchen and return the way you came."

Zhao Changhe obediently agreed and genuinely asked a servant for directions, then was led directly to the back kitchen to unload the ducks.

Along the way, he carefully surveyed his surroundings and listened intently, though he noticed nothing specific, just an unusually tight security that seemed almost ridiculous.

Just on this short walk, he had encountered several patrols, occasionally hearing the faint, sustained breathing of skilled martial artists, not just household guards trained in some basic moves.

From a glance at these details, the strength in this courtyard alone was enough to establish a sect for ordinary factions.

Although it was understandable that the security in a City Lord’s backyard would be tight, the intensity of having a sentry every three steps and a watch every five was unnaturally high, especially since Lv Shiheng was not even in residence at the moment. What, or who, were they guarding?

Upon reaching the kitchen, a steward complained, "Why are the ducks so late today? Oh, a new face..."

Zhao Changhe offered an apologetic smile, "Not familiar with the route, so it took me longer..."

"Put them here," the steward said. "Go back and tell Great Zhou to double the delivery tomorrow. The guests really love his ducks, and Great Zhou is really making us look good."

Scratching his head in a simple-minded manner, Zhao Changhe said, "Our boss’s ducks, who in Xiangyang doesn’t love them?"

"Not just Xiangyang. It’s the guests from the north; this is called appealing to both north and south," the steward said briefly before waving him off, "Go back, you know the way now, right? Don’t stray, or you might get chopped up with no one to save you."

Guests from the north...

Leaving the kitchen at a leisurely pace, Zhao Changhe quickened his steps once out of sight of the guards, speeding in the direction of the guest quarters.

Who said anything about returning the same way? Carrying ducks was precisely the excuse needed in case something went wrong and he found himself "lost"...

Even if Wanzhuang hadn’t arrived today, she would surely come tomorrow... It didn’t matter if he couldn’t find out what was happening; his priority was to rescue Li Si’an. With a hostage in enemy hands, acting recklessly was problematic.

Finding Li Si’an’s quarters was easy because, by listening to the servants, there were frequent mentions of Mr. Li who was confined yesterday.

"They say the City Lord ordered that Mr. Li can play with the maids as he likes... How thrilling that must be."

"But he didn’t touch any of them, drove all the maids away... Forget about maids, didn’t they often exchange concubines amongst those scholars, those romantics? They say they sent Auntie Eighteen to entertain Mr. Li. I wonder if she’s been dismissed yet."

"Ugh... If Auntie Eighteen even glanced at me, I would lose eighteen years of my life. I don’t believe Mr. Li would be willing to drive her away; he must be dying to have her!"

"You think everyone is like you? He’s the big boss of brothels spread all across Jing Chu, what beautiful girl hasn’t he seen?"

"I don’t believe there’s someone prettier than Auntie Eighteen!"

Amidst this chatter, Zhao Changhe swiftly arrived at the entrance of Li Si’an’s quarters and, under the vigilant gazes of the guards, swiftly passed by the dead angle of the courtyard wall and quietly hid behind a flowering bush to observe.

Sure enough, seductive whispers emanated from the room, "Mr. Li, why resist? The City Lord doesn’t mind sending a concubine over..."

Li Si’an’s voice came through, "I care."

"But you’ve played with so many ownerless women; isn’t it more fun to play with one who has an owner?"

"...I’ve never played with ownerless women either."

"You own a brothel..."

"Yes, but I don’t like women, madam. Please leave."

The door opened, and a ravishing woman was thrown out, stumbling a few steps before regaining her balance.

The door slammed shut, and the woman, enraged, her face flushed red, cursed, "Damned deathly rabbit!"

Zhao Changhe held his breath, his heart pounding fiercely.

He might not recognize other sects’ magic, but he could sense the distinct characteristics of those he had practiced, like the Evil Qi of the Blood God Sect, and... the dispersing Qi field of Ultimate Bliss. These were distinctive from other forms of cultivation.

Maitreya Sect’s Heavenly Girl!

No wonder Lv Shiheng was so generous, truly using his own concubine to entertain guests – it turns out there was a purpose... Being in bed with a Maitreya Sect’s Heavenly Girl, one could be controlled without even knowing how.

But wasn’t Lv Shiheng’s attitude highly resistant to Maitreya’s influence? In Xiangyang, one might curse the Emperor, but mentioning welcoming Maitreya was taboo.

More incredibly, Zhao Changhe had definite news that the Maitreya Sect and the Blood God Sect had united to attack Xiangyang City from both sides! He had personally seen the envoy from the Maitreya Sect enter the Blood God Sect, there could be no mistake.

What exactly was going on?

Zhao Changhe looked up, the sun had completely set.

The Heavenly Girl of Maitreya was instructing her maidservants, "Someone go and inform Lv Shiheng that he cannot continue to hesitate. We need to take stronger actions now, or it might be too late."

...

Not long after Zhao Changhe had entered the City Lord Mansion, Tang Wanju arrived in Xiangyang as the sun set, covered in dust from her journey.

She wouldn’t use the city gate; she lightly floated over the towering walls and went straight to the Immortal Palace Garden.

Actually, even Lv Shiheng hadn’t expected Tang Wanju to arrive so soon. Ideally, he wanted to control or convert Li Si’an so that he would entrap Tang Wanzhuang on his own, ensuring a foolproof plan.

This was also why Lv Shiheng had not directly attacked Li Si’an; he needed Li Si’an to act.

But Li Si’an was unyielding, and by the end of the day, no progress had been made, yet Tang Wanju had already arrived.

Fortunately, people in the Immortal Palace Garden had been switched long ago. They were well prepared, and Tang Wanju couldn’t possibly recognize every subordinate in Xiangyang, so they could still deceive her temporarily.

Sweating, the steward arranged by Lv Shiheng greeted Tang Wanju, "Chief, why have you come?"

Tang Wanju looked around, slightly frowning, "Why are all these faces unfamiliar? Where is Si’an?"

"The Fourth Brother is out on some business; he should be back tonight. Would you like to rest for a while, Chief, and have a meal?"

Tang Wanzhuang narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, then suddenly flashed a bright smile, "Sure, something light will do."

This smile literally made everyone around her feel weak in the knees.

Some said that if there were an election for the most beautiful woman in the world, Chief Tang would likely top the list. Those who hadn’t seen her thought it was an exaggeration, but upon seeing her in person, it became apparent that it was true—what coarseness or vulgarity could stand beside her? Including those Heavenly Girls from the Maitreya Sect secretly replaced by Lv Shiheng, who were known to be captivating, they paled in comparison to Chief Tang.

The steward arranged for a light meal and dared not drug it. Tang Wanju was, after all, the third-ranked chief of the Demon Suppression Department in Great Xia, not someone who could be dealt with by ordinary drugs and could potentially detect something amiss.

Unfortunately, Tang Wanju had arrived too swiftly, and many arrangements could not be put in place in time.

Everything proceeded as normal, with the steward gingerly attending to her, "Chief, do you have any instructions? Would you like to meet City Lord Lv?"

Tang Wanju leisurely sipped her congee, smiling, "Yes, please inform City Lord Lv to meet here..."

The steward saw no problem with her request, smiled, and withdrew to report to Lv Shiheng...but there was no need for his report, as the moment Tang Wanju arrived, someone had already alerted Lv Shiheng.

Tang Wanju watched his retreating figure, a hint of darkness flashing in her eyes.

There was trouble here...

True operatives of the Demon Suppression Department would certainly be shocked by a request to "discuss matters with the City Lord at our secret outpost," wasn’t that exposing our years of secret operations to the City Lord?

But this steward hadn’t thought of that at all...

It could only mean that this place was already exposed, and they all knew and had betrayed... or this person was simply Lv Shiheng’s man, not Li Si’an’s.

Tang Wanju maintained her composure, calmly drinking her congee, inwardly lamenting that her arrival was still a step too late. If Li Si’an had been captured, her actions would be constrained, complicating things.

Regrettably, in the current situation, no one was available to help rescue Li Si’an... even if they could secretly inform Great Zhou, Zhou was not powerful enough, and it would only expose them unnecessarily.

Never mind, she would take it step by step, first meeting Lv Shiheng to see exactly what he was up to.

A knock on the door sounded outside, and Lv Shiheng entered with a hearty laugh, "Chief Tang graces Xiangyang with her presence, why did you not visit the City Lord’s Mansion and instead come to a brothel? It might not sound good if word gets out."

Tang Wanju smiled faintly, "Nothing special, just visiting an old friend of the Tang family, Mr. Si’an. Governor, please have a seat."

Governor—that was the real office; Great Xia did not have the position of "City Lord."

But Lv Shiheng intentionally or unintentionally let people call him City Lord, and over time, people even forgot he was the Governor of Great Xia’s Xiangyang, as if he truly owned the city.

With Tang Wanju’s first words, the atmosphere in the room seemed to come to a halt.

However, Lv Shiheng appeared unfazed, bowing with a smile, "Chief Tang, you defeated the Maitreya yesterday at Tai Lake, and yet you have already arrived in Xiangyang today. Is there some urgent military matter?"

"Indeed." Tang Wanju replied lightly, "If I had arrived a day later, I fear the great Xiangyang might no longer belong to Great Xia."

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