94: Set a trap and lure out the snake

Since the “eventful but ultimately safe” mission to West Mountain, Li Dong's days in the Hidden Dragon Guard seemed to be much more leisurely on the surface.

Wei Yan still had his usual smiling demeanor, occasionally calling him over to “chat about Cultivation experiences,” but his words always came back to the same old routine, trying to pry information out of him.

“Mu Feng, that shimmering golden hand seal of yours, and the lightning you summoned out of nowhere, the more I think about them, the more miraculous they seem. Lord He also often says you’re an unpolished gem,” Wei Yan poured him a cup of tea, steam rising softly.

Li Dong gave a simple, honest smile, scratching his head: “Captain Wei, you’re making fun of me again. I really don’t know what happened; maybe the old well in our village is especially nourishing?”

“Haha, I’ll have to try the well water from your village another day,” Wei Yan chuckled, his eyes, however, lingering on Li Dong’s face.

The attitudes of the other Hidden Dragon Guard members towards Li Dong also shifted from initial scrutiny to a subtle, almost imperceptible “respectful distance.” After all, a “country bumpkin” who could achieve a Breakthrough in battle, summon lightning spells, and yet couldn't explain any of it, seemed strange no matter how one looked at him.

Li Dong was happy with the quiet. Most of his time was spent in the private room the Hidden Dragon Guard arranged for him, supposedly “diligently Cultivating.” In reality, he immersed his consciousness in the System, constantly analyzing the “items” he had collected from Black Wind Gulch and the West Mountain altar.

“System: Based on existing ‘flesh Puppets’ and ‘bone guards’ samples, combined with core data analysis of ‘Soul-Devouring Demon Flower’ byproducts, an energy field model for the Capital City Suburbs experimental base has been preliminarily constructed.”

“System: ‘core experimental data chip’ has been activated and can assist in parsing Advanced encrypted information and simulating partial Restrictions fluctuations.”

“Data chip? When did I get this thing?” Li Dong muttered to himself, then realized that this was probably a special functional module formed by the System after integrating all previous clues and sample analyses. Whatever, as long as it was useful.

Opportunities always arise unexpectedly.

One day, Wei Yan assigned Li Dong a task: to organize a batch of old Formation Materials in a disused storeroom behind the Hidden Dragon Guard’s outpost. Calling it a storeroom was a stretch; it was more like a junk heap, covered in cobwebs and three feet of dust.

“Mu Feng, this is a leisurely job; take your time, no rush,” Wei Yan patted his shoulder, his smile unchanged.

Li Dong acknowledged, but his mind was calculating. This place was indeed very remote.

He pretended to rummage through the storeroom for a long time. When the sun began to set, and he estimated that the people outside were somewhat relaxed, he quietly pulled out his Aura Concealing Jade Pendant, suppressing his aura to the lowest level. At the same time, on the System interface, the “core experimental data chip” glowed faintly.

“System: Environmental analysis in progress... Detecting faint energy flow... An abnormal energy barrier exists thirty-seven feet underground in the southeast corner.”

“Underground?” Li Dong’s eyes lit up.

He walked to the southeast corner, where a pile of tattered banners lay. He “accidentally” knocked over the banners, revealing an inconspicuous stone slab beneath. The slab was carved with some faint patterns, almost imperceptible to the naked eye without the System’s prompt.

“System: Detecting Advanced composite Restriction, consistent with He Tianzheng’s usual methods. ‘core experimental data chip’ can attempt to simulate decryption; success rate is seventy-three percent.”

“Over seventy percent? That’s enough!”

Li Dong didn’t hesitate. Following the System’s guidance, he lightly tapped a few specific nodes on the stone slab with his fingertip. A faint energy fluctuation seeped in from his fingertip, and the stone slab silently slid aside, revealing a dark, gaping hole.

A chill, even more intense than at the West Mountain altar, rushed out.

“Good heavens, there really is something fishy going on!” Li Dong didn’t go down immediately but first scanned the area with the System.

“System: The area below is a secret stronghold, protected by multiple Restrictions. Detecting ‘Soul-Devouring Demon Flower’ cultivation-related energy fluctuations; intensity: high.”

He took a deep breath, flashed into the opening, and the stone slab automatically closed behind him.

The tunnel wound downwards, its stone walls covered with even more complex Restriction runes. Relying on his Aura Concealing Jade Pendant and the System’s precise analysis of the Restrictions, Li Dong proceeded smoothly and without incident, feeling hardly more nervous than if he were strolling in his own backyard.

“Old fox He, your lair’s security measures aren’t that great, are they?” Li Dong grumbled inwardly.

Soon, he arrived at a spacious stone chamber. In the center of the chamber, several huge glazed containers were conspicuously placed, immersing various forms of... “flowers”? These flowers displayed an eerie dark purple, their petal edges shimmering with a faint red glow—they were indeed “Soul-Devouring Demon Flowers”!

On one side of the stone chamber was a row of Jade Slip shelves, filled with various Jade Slips and crystals.

“System: Large quantities of experimental logs and data records found.”

Li Dong’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stepped forward. He first picked up a Jade Slip closest to him and probed it with his Divine Sense.

“...‘Soul-Devouring Demon Flower’ cultivation bed number three, ‘spirituality fragment’ injection increased by five percent, activity significantly enhanced...”

“...Secretly transported three hundred portions of ‘nourishment’ from Vice Minister Zhao’s mansion in the Capital City; superior quality...”

“...Officer Sun from the Ministry of Revenue secretly contacted, seeking ‘Longevity Pills,’ can utilize his authority to obtain more ‘sacrifices’...”

Each record was shocking, clearly revealing the cultivation process of the “Soul-Devouring Demon Flower” and the direct involvement of certain high-ranking officials in the Capital City.

“Vice Minister Zhao? Officer Sun? Good heavens, a lot of people are involved!” Li Dong grew more alarmed the more he read.

He then picked up another Jade Slip, darker in color.

“...Dragon Vein exploration preliminarily completed, thirty-six Dragon Qi nodes in the Capital City Suburbs, can serve as the foundation for ‘Soul-Devouring Demon Flower’ spiritual essence guidance...”

“...If the Empire’s Dragon Vein can be reversed and transformed by the essence of the ‘Soul-Devouring Demon Flower’s’ myriad spirits’ resentment, then it can...” The subsequent handwriting was somewhat blurry, but the sense of madness already permeated the paper.

“...Sacrifice a million living beings, gather their ‘Spirituality,’ use the demon flower as a medium, seize the creation of heaven and earth, control the Dragon Vein, and the Empire’s Luck will all fall into my hands...”

“Control the Dragon Vein?!” Li Dong felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. These madmen actually intended to meddle with the Empire’s Dragon Vein! This was no longer just a simple evil experiment; this was an attempt to shake the foundations of the nation and overthrow the entire Great Yan Dynasty!

He suppressed the anger and horror in his heart and continued to read. Finally, in a black Jade Slip heavily wrapped in Restrictions, he found the final experimental report on the “Perfect Dao Body.”

“...The ‘Artificial Dao Body’ project, spanning over seventy years, screening thousands of ‘primordial bodies,’ finally yielded the prototype of the ‘Perfect Dao Body’...”

“...This Dao Body is naturally abundant in Spirituality, compatible with all Dao, and can further bear the immense Luck and endless resentment generated after the ‘Soul-Devouring Demon Flower’ reverses the Dragon Vein...”

“...If the plan succeeds, the ‘Perfect Dao Body’ will become the master of the new Dragon Vein, forever guarding the mountains and rivers...”

Upon reading this, Li Dong’s fingers cracked. So, he, Li Dong—no, “Mu Feng”—was just such a thing in He Tianzheng’s eyes! A tool to carry the contaminated Dragon Vein! A living “container”!

An uncontrollable rage burned fiercely in his chest.

“He Tianzheng! You’re truly something!”

He quickly calmed down, knowing this was not the time for anger. He immediately had the System copy and backup all these core experimental logs, data charts, and the “Artificial Dao Body” report onto several blank Jade Slips, setting multiple encryptions.

After doing all this, he rolled his eyes. From the copied Jade Slips, he picked one that recorded some early “Soul-Devouring Demon Flower” cultivation data but did not involve the core conspiracy or the list of high-ranking officials. Then, he deliberately left a faint but traceable Divine Sense imprint on this Jade Slip, and in an inconspicuous corner of the stone chamber, he created a slight trace of “accidentally knocking things over in a panic.”

“Old fox, here’s a small gift for you, don’t mention it,” Li Dong chuckled, casually tossing this “bait” Jade Slip under a dusty shelf, making it look like it was accidentally dropped.

Afterward, he silently returned the way he came, leaving the secret stronghold as if he had never been there.

Back in the abandoned storeroom on the surface, he continued to “organize” the junk until Wei Yan sent someone to call him.

“Mu Feng, how’s it going?” Wei Yan asked.

“Reporting, Captain Wei, it’s mostly done. It’s just too dusty; it’s choking me,” Li Dong said with a simple, honest look, even coughing twice.

The next two days passed peacefully. Li Dong was still the somewhat “special” Mu Feng in the Hidden Dragon Guard.

It wasn’t until the evening of the third day that he “accidentally” overheard two Hidden Dragon Guard members conversing in low voices.

“Did you hear? Head Liu found a suspicious Jade Slip in the back mountain storeroom yesterday!”

“Oh? What Jade Slip?”

“It’s said to be records of some Forbidden Experiment that Lord He is investigating. It seems some clueless fellow stole something and dropped it there in a panic.”

“Hiss... That person has too much guts! What happened next? What did Lord He say?”

“Lord He personally inspected it and said it was just some superficial, unimportant stuff, of no value. However, he did increase security in all areas of the General Headquarters because of it.”

Li Dong lowered his head, a subtle smile playing on his lips. It worked! He Tianzheng, that old fox, had indeed taken the bait. An insignificant Jade Slip, it allowed him to discover the “theft,” increase his guard, and also made him relax his vigilance against the “petty thief” because the content wasn’t important.

However, just as he thought he could finally breathe a sigh of relief, the System’s alert sounded again.

“System Warning: Detecting signs of a high-risk plan activation. He Tianzheng is mobilizing covert resources; the target is suspected to be you. Warning! You have entered the ‘Vortex Trap Zone’ predetermined trajectory.”

“System Analysis: The ‘Vortex Trap Zone’ may involve internal factions of the Capital City imperial family, as well as certain ancient forces that have been dormant for a long time. Danger Rank: extremely high!”

Li Dong’s heart tightened. Good heavens, he just played a trick on him, and now He Tianzheng was preparing an even bigger trap for him? And it involved the imperial family and ancient forces? This water was even deeper and more unfathomable than he had imagined.

He understood that although he had successfully obtained core evidence of the crime, he had also completely exposed himself to the true mastermind behind the scenes. He Tianzheng might just be a more prominent link in this chain.

“It seems I can’t wait any longer,” Li Dong’s eyes were calm.

That night, he contacted Inspector Zhou, who was far away in Qingzhou Prefecture, through an extremely secretive method.

“Brother Zhou, it’s me.”

Inspector Zhou’s slightly tired but steady voice came from the Jade Talisman: “Mu Feng? How are things on your side? I heard you joined the Hidden Dragon Guard; that place is not simple.”

“I’m fine,” Li Dong paused, “Brother Zhou, I’ve gotten some very important things. About He Tianzheng, about those transformed demons, and... some even more terrifying conspiracies.”

He didn’t reveal the matter of the Dragon Vein; it was too shocking. If it were leaked, the commotion it would cause would likely crush him instantly. He only encrypted and transmitted to Inspector Zhou a portion of the evidence of the “Soul-Devouring Demon Flower” cultivation and the involvement of some Capital City officials in the experiments.

“These pieces of evidence, try to get some rumors out in the Capital City through your trustworthy secret channels. Remember, do it without leaving a trace; let them start panicking among themselves first,” Li Dong instructed.

Inspector Zhou listened, then remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, “Mu Feng, you... you are playing with fire. He Tianzheng’s influence is beyond your imagination.”

“I know,” Li Dong’s voice was calm, “but some fires have to be played with. Brother Zhou, you also need to be careful on your side. I’m worried He Tianzheng might vent his anger on you and Brother Zhang because of the Qingzhou Prefecture matter.”

“Don’t worry, we know our limits. I will handle what you sent me.”

Cutting off the communication, Li Dong stood by the window, gazing at the prosperity of the Capital City, enveloped by the night.

He knew this was just the first step. Throwing out this evidence was merely tossing a stone into a calm lake; how big a ripple it would create depended on subsequent actions.

He Tianzheng wanted to lead him into the “Vortex Trap Zone”?

“Old fox, do you think I’m a lamb waiting to be slaughtered?” Li Dong murmured to himself, “Who will win is yet unknown.”

He now held leverage capable of making certain people restless. Perhaps, he should also set some of the rules for this game.

He not only wanted to escape this chessboard of the Capital City but also wanted to overturn it!

He wanted to see who this vortex would ultimately swallow.

He even felt a certain anticipation for the wonderful expressions on the faces of those high-and-mighty figures when they discovered their long-held secrets being gradually unveiled.

This storm had only just begun.