214: North Suburb Granary

Jun Xiaoyao leaned back in his sandalwood chair, his fingertips tapping lightly against the armrest as his gaze fell upon the five water mirrors before him.

The central water mirror displayed Zhao Gao at The Net's headquarters. Having just hung up the message talisman with Jun Xiaoyao, he turned to the twenty assassins in the hall and said, "The Young Lord has ordered that since Lu Zhishen has already gone to the granary in the east of Qingzhou City, you are to accompany me to the northern suburb granary. Move quickly; we must obtain the ledgers before dawn."

The assassins responded in unison. One assassin with a scar on his face stepped forward, "Manager Zhao, the head of the guards at the northern suburb granary is the 'Iron-Armed Arhat.' It is said he has trained his hard-body techniques to the point where he is impervious to blades and spears. He is much harder to deal with than the Innate Realm expert at the east granary. Should we ask Guard Zhan to come over?"

Zhao Gao glanced at him, pulled a small porcelain bottle from his bosom, and tossed it over. "Inside is 'bone melting powder.' Dab a little on your weapons, and no matter what Iron-Armed Arhat he is, he will be as soft as mud within half an hour. Zhan Zhao is wrapping things up at the Cangzhou docks and has no time to be distracted. We will handle this ourselves."

The scarred assassin caught the bottle, weighed it in his hand, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. "Got it! With this treasure, I guarantee it will be done!"

In the first water mirror on the left, Lu Zhishen had already arrived outside the granary in the east of Qingzhou City. The granary walls were towering, and two wind-proof lanterns hung at the entrance. Four guards were gathered around a bonfire to keep warm. Among them, a middle-aged man with a "Granary Official" tag hanging from his waist was spitting as he boasted about how much money he had won yesterday.

Lu Zhishen carried his water-polished Zen staff, chuckled, and suddenly strode forward. The Zen staff weighed a full sixty-two jin, and when it slammed into the ground with a "thud," it sent sparks from the bonfire flying everywhere. The guards were startled. Just as they were about to draw their blades, three of them were swept down by Lu Zhishen's Zen staff. The remaining granary official was so terrified he collapsed to the ground, trembling like a sieve. "Great Master, spare me! The ledgers... the ledgers are in the cabinet in the back room!"

Lu Zhishen ignored him and walked straight into the granary. He slammed his Zen staff onto the ground, causing several roof tiles to clatter down. He looked at the mountain of grain and frowned. "Damn it, with so much grain, half of it is actually moldy!" He raised his Zen staff and smashed it heavily onto the grain pile. The moldy grain scattered, revealing a secret door behind it.

Behind the secret door was a secret room, and inside was indeed an iron cabinet. Lu Zhishen split the cabinet door open with his Zen staff, revealing more than a dozen ledgers neatly stacked inside. He picked up the one on top and flipped through it; it detailed the quantity and timing of the monthly grain shipments to the Southern Chu Rebel Army. A smile spread across his lips. "This trip wasn't in vain."

In the second water mirror on the right, the fierce battle at the Cangzhou docks was nearing its end. Zhan Zhao's iron ruler collided with the black-armored guard's long blade, sending sparks flying. The guard's blade techniques were fierce and vicious, but he could never touch even a corner of Zhan Zhao's clothes. Zhan Zhao's iron ruler seemed effortless, yet it always blocked the blade's momentum at the most critical moment, occasionally counterattacking to strike directly at the guard's flaws.

"Clang!" The iron ruler tapped the guard's wrist, causing him to drop his long blade. The guard retreated a few steps, clutching his numb wrist. Zhan Zhao closed in, holding his iron ruler to the guard's neck. "Speak, what else did the Wang family and the Southern Chu Rebel Army trade besides grain?"

The guard stiffened his neck and remained silent. Zhan Zhao's eyes turned cold, and he applied slight pressure with the iron ruler, causing a trace of blood to appear. The guard's face turned pale, and he finally relented. "There... there are also twenty crates of crossbow bolts hidden in Cargo Hold Number 3, to be shipped out tomorrow morning..."

By this time, the Marshal of the Unruly had returned to the shore with the ledgers, and Xiao Si was steering a small boat over to meet him. He waved at Zhan Zhao to signal that the mission was complete, then disappeared into the night with the ledgers.

In the central water mirror, Zhao Gao and the assassins crept to the northern suburb granary. The guards outside the granary were twice as numerous as those in the east, and each held a spear, showing high vigilance. Zhao Gao made a gesture, and the assassins immediately dispersed. A few who were skilled in stealth circled to the back of the granary, used specialized hooks to climb over the wall, and quickly opened the side door.

"Move!" Zhao Gao whispered, charging in first. The short blade in his hand gleamed with cold light as he went straight for the guard nearest the door. The assassins followed closely, and the flash of blades and swords instantly lit up the granary. The guard leader known as the "Iron-Armed Arhat" was indeed formidable; his fists were as hard as iron and stone. He took three slashes from the assassins head-on without a single injury, and instead punched one assassin away.

"Use the powder!" Zhao Gao shouted. The scarred assassin immediately threw a dart coated with bone melting powder. The Iron-Armed Arhat didn't think much of it and reached out to catch it; the dart landed in his palm. But just a moment later, he felt his arm go limp and his fist lose its strength. He looked at his palm in horror. "What kind of devilry is this?"

Zhao Gao seized the opportunity to rush forward, holding his short blade to the man's neck. "Where are the ledgers?" The Iron-Armed Arhat collapsed to the ground, pointed to a wooden crate in the corner of the granary, and was unable to speak.

In the first water mirror on the right, Duan Yu was on his way back to Beyond Heaven. Passing by a teahouse, he sat by the window drinking tea. He watched the light, drizzling rain outside while fiddling with the jade pendant he had "swiped" from the Wang family's boat; a "Wang" character was carved into the pendant. Suddenly, an argument broke out outside the teahouse. A Young Master in brocade robes was bullying a flower girl. Duan Yu frowned, initially not wanting to get involved, but the Young Master kicked over the flower girl's basket, scattering flowers all over the ground. One of them happened to fall right at Duan Yu's feet.

He recognized it as a "Drunken Spring Breeze," his mother's favorite flower. Duan Yu set down his teacup, walked out, used Subtle Steps of the Rippling Waves to circle behind the Young Master, and gently tapped his waist acupoint. The Young Master was instantly immobilized and could only stand there cursing. Duan Yu picked up the flower from the ground, handed it to the flower girl, and smiled. "Don't be sad, I will buy these flowers."

The flower girl thanked him gratefully. Duan Yu waved his hand, turned, and continued on his way. He knew this went against Jun Xiaoyao's instruction to "not meddle in idle affairs," but seeing the "Drunken Spring Breeze" being trampled, he really couldn't help it—this flower had special meaning to him, so it could be considered involving his own "small interests."

In the central water mirror, just before dawn, Zhao Gao returned to The Net's headquarters with the ledgers from the northern suburb granary. Placing them alongside the ledgers Lu Zhishen had delivered from the east granary, they had just enough to complete the record of three months of transactions between the Wang family and the Southern Chu Rebel Army. After careful verification, Zhao Gao discovered one transaction marked "Special Cargo, to be escorted personally by the Wang family's eldest son," scheduled for three days later.

He immediately reported to Jun Xiaoyao via a message talisman: "Young Lord, a suspicious transaction has been found. The Wang family's third son is going to personally escort a batch of 'special cargo' to Southern Chu. It doesn't specify what it is, only that it 'concerns the outcome of the war.'"

At the Tianwaitian Headquarters, where Jun Xiaoyao resided, clouds and mist swirled as if in a fairyland. After hearing Zhao Gao's report, he drew circles on the tabletop with his fingertips and said indifferently, "Special cargo? Let Zhan Zhao investigate. Follow the Wang family's eldest son in three days to see what it is. In addition, have the Marshal of the Unruly take some people to lie in ambush near the transaction location. If that cargo is useful to us, then 'intercept' it."

"Understood!" Zhao Gao replied.

In the third water mirror on the right, when Zhan Zhao received the order, he had just returned from the Cangzhou docks and was wiping the blood off his iron ruler. Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "Please rest assured, Young Lord, your subordinate will definitely investigate it clearly." With that, his figure flashed and disappeared from the room.

In the second water mirror on the left, after the Marshal of the Unruly received the order, he immediately assembled twenty elite members of The Unruly and prepared their gear—fire arrows, grappling hooks, and a few barrels of "ignite-on-water." A thin, tall member of The Unruly asked, "Marshal, are we going for the kill this time?"

The Marshal of the Unruly inspected his bow and arrows without looking up. "The Young Lord said 'intercept,' not kill. Try to keep them alive, but the cargo must be obtained. If the other side resists, do not be polite."

The sky gradually brightened, and the first ray of sunlight shone through the clouds into the Tianwaitian Headquarters. Jun Xiaoyao stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at The Net's headquarters amidst the clouds and his busy subordinates, a faint smile curling on his lips. From initially summoning only the Marshal of the Unruly to establish The Net, to now having capable subordinates like Zhan Zhao, Lu Zhishen, and Duan Yu, the power of Beyond Heaven was quietly growing.

He picked up a ledger and flipped to the page where the Wang family and the Southern Chu Rebel Army traded crossbow bolts, his eyes turning cold. If these crossbow bolts were really delivered to the rebel army, who knows how many common people would suffer—although he had always only cared about his own interests, he could not sit idly by regarding matters that might affect the stability of the surroundings of Beyond Heaven. After all, Beyond Heaven needed a stable environment to develop.

"Send a message to Zhan Zhao," Jun Xiaoyao said to the air, "If that 'special cargo' is weaponry, there is no need to show mercy. Detain both the people and the cargo."

The message talisman turned into a wisp of blue smoke in the air and flew away. Jun Xiaoyao returned to his chair and continued watching the water mirrors. In the mirrors, Lu Zhishen was carrying the ledgers and hurrying back, humming a little tune; Duan Yu was fiddling with the jade pendant and walking leisurely; Zhan Zhao had changed into commoner's clothes and was following behind the Wang family's eldest son's carriage; the Marshal of the Unruly was leading his men in an ambush in the forest near the transaction location, adjusting their bows and arrows...

Everything was proceeding according to plan. Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertips lightly, and the five water mirrors gradually merged into one, reflecting the three golden characters "Beyond Heaven," shining brilliantly in the morning light. He knew that as The Net continued to close, the name of Beyond Heaven would sooner or later make the Imperial Dynasties, noble families, and Holy Lands on this continent sit up and take notice.