26: Chapter 26 Exposure and Pursuit

"Who is this 'mole'? This director wants to skin him alive!"

Upon learning that the plan to capture Tie Ruyun and the other five yang experts had failed due to a "mole," Liu Xi gritted his teeth in fury, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

He had put painstaking effort into setting this trap: first, he exhausted all resources to find the life pattern of Tie Ruyun and the other four; then, he used every means possible to gather ten experts; next, he used an Imperial Urgent Summons to lure Tie Ruyun's group; and to prevent patrols from ruining things, he personally went to the City Defense Bureau to plead for favors and stall for time.

This last point was also the reason why he hadn't participated in the ambush himself, aside from his naturally cautious personality.

Chang'an was the national capital, unlike other places.

Even though Liu Xi was in charge of the East Depot, he couldn't keep the City Defense Bureau's patrols quiet without personally intervening.

It was also for this reason that he didn't have the East Depot's men set the ambush.

Under the Emperor's nose, mobilizing troops without a legitimate reason was undoubtedly a taboo; once done, impeachment memorials would be flying everywhere the next day.

Another reason was that Liu Xi felt a ten-against-five situation was a guaranteed win.

Little did he expect that after all his effort and planning, he would fail at the final hurdle because of a "mole."

Faced with Liu Xi's question, Tan Tian and Say Earth, who were reporting the news, were filled with trepidation.

Finally, Tan Tian braced himself and said, "Those ten Martial Forest experts realized something was wrong and scattered in a panic, each fleeing in different directions. We haven't located everyone yet, so it's difficult for your subordinate to determine the specifics for the moment... Therefore, the identity of the 'mole' has not yet been discovered."

"Useless!"

Liu Xi was so angry he wanted to kill someone, but he held back, instead slamming a palm onto the table and smashing it to pieces.

Tan Tian and Say Earth's hearts skipped a beat, and cold sweat poured down their foreheads in fear.

Liu Xi glanced at them and ordered, "Immediately send people to conduct a search under the guise of catching assassins. You must find Tie Ruyun and the others before the city gates open! Also, find those Martial Forest experts who participated in the ambush."

"To be safe, deploy extra hidden sentries to keep watch near every city gate."

"Once you find any trace of Tie Ruyun and his group, report to this director immediately!"

"Yes."

Tan Tian and Say Earth took their orders and left.

Liu Xi stood where he was and began to ponder the identity of the "mole." After thinking it over, he locked onto a suspect—Murong Wudi!

Murong Wudi possessed his family's Raging Dragon Palm and was quite famous in the Martial Forest, yet he came from a noble family. Like Liu Xi, he was not a pure Martial Forest person. This half-court, half-Jianghu status gave Murong Wudi an eccentric personality, possessing the arrogance of a Jianghu man while also showing the hypocrisy of a courtier.

In short, he was someone who wanted to have his cake and eat it too.

Liu Xi felt some disdain for this, and he also knew that Murong Wudi disliked him.

But Murong Wudi's Martial Arts were not bad.

For the sake of his grand plan, Liu Xi had still sought out Murong Wudi, persuading him to participate in the ambush by playing on his rivalry for fame with Tie Ruyun.

If Murong Wudi really was the "mole," then this time Liu Xi had truly shot himself in the foot.

Thinking of this, Liu Xi's expression turned grim, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth. "Murong Wudi, that 'mole' better not be you. Otherwise, if you dare ruin this director's grand plan, even if you have become the Imperial Father-in-law, this director will make you pay the price!"

...

Not long after dawn, Tan Tian came to report.

"director, of the experts who participated in the ambush, only five have been found. As for the other five..."

"Lu Renjia of the Beggars Sect was killed by Raging Bull Li Gao at the Chang'an Street Inn. The situation for the other four is currently unclear."

"Unclear?" Liu Xi's face showed his dissatisfaction.

Tan Tian explained, "The scouts found traces of Corpse Dissolving Water in two corners near the Chang'an Street Inn, leading to the inference that two people were killed. However, since there are four missing experts and the bodies were destroyed, we cannot yet determine the identities or causes of death for the two deceased."

"There is no sign of the final two for now."

"And the identities of these four?" Liu Xi asked.

"After a process of elimination, the four are Long Tao of the Kongtong Sect, Wu Ming of Shaolin, Xiao Longtao of the Diancang Sect, and Wu Mingshi of the Qingcheng Sect."

"It seems the 'mole' is very likely among them."

To his surprise, Tan Tian said, "This is also a new discovery your subordinate needs to report. After repeated investigations, that 'mole' might not actually be a mole."

"What do you mean?" Liu Xi didn't understand for a moment.

Tan Tian replied, "Based on the recollections of the five experts we found, your subordinate has reconstructed the scene and infers that there was likely an eleventh masked person present."

Liu Xi was stunned for a second, then narrowed his eyes. "You mean someone else was fishing in troubled waters?"

Tan Tian nodded. "Exactly."

"Who was it?"

Tan Tian said helplessly, "The scene was chaotic at the time. That disruptor was masked, wearing black clothes and a headscarf, with no obvious physical characteristics. He hadn't even revealed his skills yet, so your subordinate has no way to make an inference."

"..."

He really wanted to shout "Useless," but in this situation, he truly couldn't blame the other man.

Thus, he could only swallow the words at the tip of his tongue and changed the subject, asking, "Then what do you think the purpose of this disruptor was?"

"It should have been to rescue Tie Ruyun and his group."

Liu Xi narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why do you say that?"

Tan Tian explained, "There were two parties present at the time: the experts performing the ambush and Tie Ruyun's group of five. The ten experts had complex backgrounds, and this mission was conducted in secret; they didn't even know who their own companions were. The probability of a disruptor specifically targeting them is almost zero."

"Excluding the attackers, that only leaves the ambushed group of Tie Ruyun's five."

"The disruptor's actions benefited Tie Ruyun's side, so he is most likely their ally."

Liu Xi thought this made sense and nodded slightly.

At that moment, Say Earth walked in and reported, "director, we've found Tie Ruyun and the others."

"Where are they?!"

"They just left through the East Gate in disguise. Our people are following them in secret."

"Good!"

"Immediately notify Murong Wudi and the others to follow this director out of the city to capture Tie Ruyun's group. Also, bring the Black-Clad Arrow Squad!"

"Yes!"

After Tan Tian and Say Earth left, Liu Xi lowered his eyes and pondered for a few seconds before turning to enter the secret room in his study.

"The Five Yang have appeared. Go on a trip for this director."

"Yes."

"To be safe, this director will give you a backup plan. Come closer."

...

Soon, all personnel were deployed.

"Liu Xi" led his men, following the marks left by the hidden sentries at a gallop. They caught up with Tie Ruyun's group in a dense forest about twenty li from Chang'an.

Seeing that dense forest, "Liu Xi" narrowed his eyes slightly.

The trees were thick, which would obstruct shooting. The Black-Clad Arrow Squad's effectiveness would be greatly diminished.

Was it a coincidence, or had the opponent done it on purpose?

As soon as this suspicion arose, he cast it aside without thinking further.

Because on this trip, he had brought the remaining five Martial Forest experts, including Murong Wudi, as well as the elites of the East Depot. Even if the Black-Clad Arrow Squad couldn't perform well, they still held the advantage over Tie Ruyun's group of five.

The important thing was that this was a rare opportunity. If they couldn't finish the job in one stroke this time, it would be difficult to catch the five yang experts again.

If these five found a remote mountain forest to hide in, it wouldn't be long before the Seven Stars Align passed, and that person's plan for the Remote Energy Absorption Skill would vanish into thin air.

Thinking of this, "Liu Xi" no longer hesitated. Once he confirmed Tie Ruyun's group was in the forest, he dismounted and led his men inside.

...