288: Chapter 288 The Sword Sharpening Manor, a Place Filled with Danger

Ye Tian sped through the jungle, not daring to approach any populated settlements. He fixed his sights on the general direction of Lijian Villa and moved in a straight line.

The Dragon Ape remained unconscious, but its breathing had stabilized significantly; it was merely extremely weak, having suffered a massive loss of its Origin.

Time slipped away during his rapid advance—one hour, two hours...

As the night gradually receded, Ye Tian didn't know exactly how far he had run. More than half of the True Yuan in his body had been consumed by the high-speed travel, and his Meridians throbbed with a swelling pain, a sign of overexertion.

But he couldn't stop. There were less than three hours left until noon!

He calculated rapidly in his mind even as he sped along.

Judging from the intelligence provided by Old Abacus, he should be nearing the northeastern edge of Zhelong Hill. Further ahead, the terrain would gradually level out, approaching the main trade routes leading from Yunni City to other counties, where people and eyes would increase.

Lijian Villa was built on a steep cliff over there; it was easy to defend and hard to attack, and it would certainly be crawling with sentries.

"I can't just barge in."

"Inside the villa, there is not only Ling Juexiao but also the insidious Qiu Qianchuan and their subordinates."

"I must find a way to sneak in, locate exactly where Xiao Jie is being held, and then wait for an opportunity to rescue him."

Ye Tian knew that directly attacking the front gate was the most foolish thing he could do.

He needed intelligence to understand the villa's internal defenses, especially the location of the Execution Ground and the strength of the guards.

However, he was alone, and the Dragon Ape could not help. How was he to obtain intelligence?

Just then, the faint sound of horses and carriages came from the edge of the forest ahead.

Ye Tian immediately suppressed his aura and leaped onto a large tree, hiding in the canopy and looking down through the gaps.

A caravan of about twenty people was moving slowly forward.

The caravan was not large; the guards wore matching brown leather armor with a small shield emblem embroidered on their chests, looking like a team from some small escort agency or trading firm.

In the middle of the procession were several carriages loaded with goods. Looking at their direction, they were heading exactly toward the northeast where Lijian Villa was located.

What caught Ye Tian's attention was not the caravan itself, but two plainly dressed men at the end of the line who looked like traveling merchants. They were talking in low, excited voices as they walked.

"...Did you hear? There's going to be quite a spectacle at Lijian Villa at noon today!"

"Of course I heard! Pavilion Master Ling of the Wanren Sword Pavilion is personally overseeing the public execution of a young man named... Hou Xiaojie. They say he's the fellow Junior Brother of that little Devil Head Ye Tian, who is wanted by both the Shadow Calamity Tower and the Sword Pavilion!"

"Tsk tsk, Lingchi! I haven't seen that kind of torture in years. The Wanren Sword Pavilion is dead set on forcing that Ye Tian to show himself this time."

"You can say that again! I heard Ye Tian caused quite a stir in Zhelong Hill; even a deacon from the Shadow Calamity Tower's Blade Division suffered a major loss, escaping with one arm cut off. He's fuming!"

"They've laid an inescapable net this time, just waiting for Ye Tian to walk right into it."

"I think it's unlikely. Ye Tian isn't stupid. Why would he come when he knows it's a death trap?"

"Heh, you don't understand. The Jianghu values 'Righteousness.' If Ye Tian doesn't show up, his reputation will be ruined, and he'll have a hard time surviving in both the Righteous Path and the Demonic Path."

"Besides, I heard that Junior Brother of his is very close to him... I reckon there's an eighty percent chance he'll come!"

"That's why we're rushing to 'watch the show.' If we're late, we won't get a good spot. There's definitely a crowd gathered outside the villa already."

"True... but we've got to be careful. Don't get too close. If a fight breaks out, it would be a shame to get caught in the crossfire."

Their voices faded, but the information they revealed caused Ye Tian's heart to sink.

The news of the public execution had spread completely. Qiu Qianchuan and Ling Juexiao were trying to force him to appear while simultaneously destroying his reputation, making him out to be a shameless coward who would abandon his fellow Disciple to die!

Furthermore, from the sounds of it, many Jianghu travelers had already gathered around the villa. This undoubtedly increased the difficulty of sneaking in, though it might also provide an opportunity to create chaos!

A cold light flickered in Ye Tian's eyes as he quietly slid down from the tree canopy and trailed behind the caravan, maintaining a safe distance.

He would follow these people to find the exact location of Lijian Villa and observe the situation on the outskirts.

After traveling for another half hour, the terrain rose, and a cliff appeared ahead. Continuous watchtowers were faintly visible at the top—it was Lijian Villa!

The villa was built against the mountain, with only a single winding stone staircase leading to the gate, making it easy to defend and hard to attack.

At this moment, on the open ground at the foot of the mountain, hundreds of people had indeed gathered. They were from all walks of life, mostly Jianghu Loose Cultivators and heads of small factions who had come to watch the spectacle, and even some vendors selling snacks and tea.

The crowd was pointing at the villa and discussing it fervently.

Between the crowd and the villa's gate was a clearing of about a hundred yards. In the center of this clearing, an execution platform over ten feet high had been constructed using wooden stakes and planks!

Surrounding the execution platform were dozens of Wanren Sword Pavilion Disciples dressed in blue martial robes, holding long swords.

Behind the platform, the villa gates were wide open, and figures could be seen moving inside.

Ye Tian blended into the edge of the crowd, pulling down the Bamboo Hat he had prepared in advance, and quickly scanned the area.

The execution platform was empty; there was no sign of Hou Xiaojie.

The villa's defenses were tight, with over a hundred Sword Pavilion Disciples visible on the surface and an unknown number in the shadows.

Moreover, he sensed at least a dozen auras in the crowd that were no weaker than the Late Stage of the True Martial Realm. They were filled with Evil Qi, likely assassins from the Shadow Calamity Tower's Blade Division hidden among the people!

Further away, he also faintly detected two pulses of spiritual sense that made his heart tremble as they swept through the crowd—it was Ling Juexiao and Qiu Qianchuan!

They were indeed monitoring the entire scene from the shadows!

"The guards are tighter than I imagined, with numerous scouts and experts surrounding the place... Rescuing him directly will be as difficult as reaching the heavens."

Ye Tian's brow furrowed as he carefully observed the villa's terrain.

The villa was backed by a cliff, with steep mountain walls on both sides and only one road at the front.

It was almost impossible to sneak in without alerting the guards, unless one went up from the back of the cliff!

But the cliff was smooth and hundreds of feet high; ordinary people couldn't climb it, and there were bound to be guards at the back as well.

Just as Ye Tian was struggling to think of a plan, the Guest Elder token in his robe vibrated again!

This time, it wasn't Old Abacus's voice, but a short mental message!

Ye Tian's heart stirred. Using the crowd as cover, he quietly retreated behind a tree, activated the token, and carefully deciphered the message.

The content of the message made his pupils shrink: "Northeast corner of the villa, kitchen servant yard. There is a Secret Conduit leading to a dry well on the back mountain. You can sneak in there."

"Under the third blue stone slab at the entrance of the Secret Conduit, there is a simple defense map of the villa and the guard rotation times."

"Burn after reading."

"Left by 'Grey Rat'."

"Grey Rat"?

Another sleeper agent?

Was it a partner of Old Abacus, or another pawn placed by Zhao Qing of the Governors Mansion?

It was hard to tell if the information was true or false, but at this moment, Ye Tian had no other choice but to take the risk!

He didn't act immediately but waited patiently.

There was still over an hour until noon; he needed to observe the guard rotation patterns.

He pretended to be a casual onlooker, moving slowly through the crowd while his sharp gaze swept across the northeast corner of the villa.

There was indeed a cluster of low buildings there with smoke rising from the chimneys; it should be where the kitchen and servant yard were located.

The location was relatively remote, and there were fewer guards.

About fifteen minutes later, a clapper sounded inside the villa, and a patrol of Sword Pavilion Disciples exchanged shifts with another team.

Ye Tian silently noted the time.

He observed for a few more moments, confirming that the guards in the northeast corner were indeed more lax than in other directions and that there was a brief gap during the rotation.

He couldn't wait any longer!

Using the crowd as cover, Ye Tian took a long detour and quietly arrived in the woods outside the northeast corner of the villa.

It was about thirty yards from the villa wall, with open ground in between.

He observed carefully. The wall was about twenty feet high, topped with thorns and warning Talismans.

But just as the intelligence said, there were only two guards here, pacing back and forth under the wall, looking somewhat negligent.

Ye Tian timed it. The moment the two guards reached the other end and turned their backs, he covered the thirty-yard distance in the blink of an eye!

Before the guards could turn around, he had already vaulted over the wall and landed inside, quickly hiding behind a woodpile. The entire process took less than three breaths and made no sound.

Outside the wall, the two guards noticed nothing and continued their pacing.

Ye Tian held his breath and sensed his surroundings.

This was a yard for storing miscellaneous items and firewood, with the kitchen not far away.

Following the instructions in the message, he quickly found the well covered with a stone slab in the corner of the yard. Prying up the third blue stone slab from the well's edge, he found a waterproof oilcloth bag underneath.

Opening the oilcloth bag, he found a clearly marked defense map of the villa, as well as a slip of paper with the guard rotation times and the route through the Secret Conduit.

The map even used red dots to mark several Dungeon locations where important prisoners might be held. One location on the west side of the villa was particularly well-guarded and had been specifically circled.

"The information is very detailed... it doesn't seem fake."

Ye Tian felt slightly more at ease. He quickly memorized the map and route, then used his True Yuan to vibrate the oilcloth bag and paper into powder, which he scattered into the well.

He went to the edge of the well and looked down.

According to the route, the Secret Conduit entrance was on the side of the well wall, about a foot below the water's surface.

With a light flip, he quietly slid into the well.

The well water instantly submerged his head. He used his True Yuan to hold his breath while feeling along the well wall as the route indicated, soon finding a recessed brick which he pushed hard.

"Click."

The well wall slid to the side, revealing a gap. Inside was a passage filled with a damp, musty smell, with water slowly flowing out of it.

This was the Secret Conduit leading into the villa!

Ye Tian shrank his body, crawled into the Secret Conduit, and reached back to restore the Mechanism.

The Secret Conduit was narrow and low, requiring him to hunch over as he moved. The water came up to his calves, and the smell was foul.

He followed the Secret Conduit, moving toward the Dungeon on the west side of the villa that had been specially marked, following the route in his memory.

The Dragon Ape stirred slightly but did not wake.

Time passed minute by minute. There was less than an hour left until noon...