236: Spy spying on the imperial city

In the secret chamber deep within Beyond Heaven, candlelight flickered, reflecting off Jun Xiaoyao's thin, lean profile.

He twirled a bronze token between his fingertips; the three characters 'Beyond Heaven' were deeply engraved, and the edges shimmered with the soft luster of years of handling.

A map of the Imperial City was spread out on the table. The several residences circled in cinnabar were particularly glaring—these were the strongholds of the 'Shadow Pavilion,' which had recently been competing with The Net for business, and they were the final barriers preventing Beyond Heaven from laying its hands on the Imperial City's black market.

'Young Lord,' Zhao Gao said, stepping in softly and placing a scroll of secret reports on the edge of the table. 'Marshal of the Unruly has sent back news. Last night at the Drunken Immortal Tower, the Shadow Pavilion Master, Wei Yong, hosted a banquet for the Imperial City Guard Commander. During the banquet, he mentioned 'cleaning up the wild dogs outside the city,' which most likely refers to the people of our The Net.'

Jun Xiaoyao raised his eyes, his gaze landing on the location of the Drunken Immortal Tower on the map, and a cold arc curled at the corner of his mouth.

'Wild dogs? Wei Yong is hardly qualified to say such things.' He pointed his fingertip toward the northeast corner of the map. 'This is the armory of the Shadow Pavilion. It is the most heavily guarded, yet it is also the only route for their cargo transport. Have Marshal of the Unruly set up three hidden stakes nearby. Do not make a move yet; first, record the number of vehicles and their routes.'

1. The summoning array Appears, Divine Marquis Enters the Game

As soon as he finished speaking, the summoning array in the center of the secret chamber suddenly lit up with a ghostly blue light. Runes swirled like flowing water, gradually condensing into a figure.

The person who arrived was dressed in crimson official robes with a jade belt around his waist. His face was gaunt and refined; it was none other than the Divine Marquis from 'The Four Great Constables'—Divine Marquis.

[Summoning Successful]

[Character: Divine Marquis]

[Origin: Wuxia World of Wen Ruian]

[Realm: Middle Celestial Realm]

[Martial Skill Cultivation Technique: 1. Air-Point Striking (Perfection)—Can seal an opponent's Meridians from a distance, with a hundred percent accuracy within three zhang. 2. Mysterious Heaven Finger (Major Achievement)—The finger force is rigid and fierce, capable of shattering stubborn stones, and can also soften an opponent's internal energy. 3. Martial Marquis Qimen (Perfection)—Proficient in Formation layouts, capable of seeing through an opponent's Formation eye in an instant.]

[Loyalty: 100%]

'Master Divine Marquis.' Jun Xiaoyao nodded slightly, his tone carrying respect. He had long known that the Divine Marquis possessed unparalleled wisdom and was even more skilled at layout; summoning him now was precisely to deal with the Shadow Pavilion's devious methods.

Divine Marquis returned the salute, his gaze sweeping across the map before his fingertip lightly tapped on Wei Yong's residence: 'Does the Young Lord intend to make a move against the Shadow Pavilion? This Wei Yong was originally from the Imperial City Guard, and his Shadow Guards are mostly retired veterans skilled in city defense. A direct assault would likely cost us many men.'

'What is your brilliant opinion, Master?'

'The Shadow Pavilion relies on the Imperial City Guard for support, which is why they dare to run rampant in the black market.' Divine Marquis took up a brush and ink, drawing a thin line on the map. 'This is the secret route for the Imperial City Guard's shift changes. On the third day of every month, Wei Yong sends a batch of 'tribute' to the Commander from here. We only need to intercept it once to make him offend both sides, and naturally, someone will deal with him for us.'

2. Setting Stakes, Probing the Shadow Pavilion

Three days later, in a dark alley on the west side of the Imperial City.

Luowang Assassin 'Shadow One' was dressed in a porter's coarse cloth short jacket, carrying a cargo box half a person tall on his shoulder, yet his eyes kept darting toward the alley entrance. According to Divine Marquis's plan, today was the day Wei Yong sent his tribute, and Shadow One's task was to record the number of Shadow Guards accompanying him and their weapons.

Just past the hour of Si, a team of carriages slowly drove up, led by Wei Yong's confidant, Zhang Meng.

He wore a curved blade at his waist, his eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly. Eight Shadow Guards followed behind him, each with bulging waists, clearly hiding short crossbows.

'Excuse me, let me pass.' Shadow One deliberately bumped into Zhang Meng, and the hemp rope on the cargo box 'accidentally' slipped, revealing the blue bricks inside—this was the signal agreed upon with the hidden stakes: the target had eight guards, all equipped with short crossbows.

In the tea stall at the end of the alley, Marshal of the Unruly took a sip of tea. Seeing the signal, he put down the tea money. As he stood up, he placed a copper coin on the table with the edge facing upward—this was to notify the subsequent hidden stakes: the target had passed, prepare for the next step of action.

Divine Marquis stood on the second floor of a tavern at the street corner, watching all this through the gap in the window, and said to Jun Xiaoyao beside him.

'Zhang Meng is Wei Yong's right-hand man, skilled in using the 'Wind-Breaking Blade,' with extremely high speed. But he has a weakness—he is greedy for wine, and he always speaks the truth after drinking.'

Jun Xiaoyao nodded: 'Master intends to...'

'Set a trap at the Drunken Immortal Tower tonight.' Divine Marquis's eyes flashed with brilliance. 'Have the 'Wine Immortal' of The Net disguise himself as a waiter and get Zhang Meng drunk; then we will know the shift change time for the Shadow Pavilion's armory.'

3. The Drunken Immortal Tower Scheme, Concealed Blades in Wine

Night fell, and the Drunken Immortal Tower was brightly lit. Luowang Assassin 'Wine Immortal,' wearing a gray cloth jacket, shuttled between the tables with a wine pot, his eyes firmly locked on the private room on the second floor.

Zhang Meng was indeed entertaining friends here. After three rounds of drinks, his face was red, and he was patting the table, boasting: '...Our Shadow Pavilion's armory is an impenetrable fortress! Except for me and the Pavilion Master, no one knows that the shift change is at the third quarter of the Zi hour...'

'Guest, would you like another pot of 'Burning Blade'?' Wine Immortal stepped forward at the right moment, placing a jar of strong liquor on the table.

Zhang Meng's eyes lit up. He snatched the wine jar and poured it into his bowl, not noticing that when Wine Immortal's fingertip brushed the rim of the bowl, he had quietly smeared some colorless and odorless 'Truth Powder' on it.

Half an hour later, Zhang Meng was already drunk and delirious, mumbling on the table: '...Who says the armory is unbreakable? The drainage channel in the northwest corner has been in disrepair for years, and it was even blocked last month... As long as you remove the third brick...'

Marshal of the Unruly, who was hiding in the next room, immediately recorded this and sent the news back to Beyond Heaven via carrier pigeon.

Divine Marquis looked at the secret letter and said to Jun Xiaoyao: 'Young Lord, we can make a move tonight. Let the Shadow Group infiltrate through the drainage channel, take the Imperial City Guard armory they have privately hoarded, and leave a letter to 'remind' Wei Yong—just say 'The Shadow Pavilion harbors filth, Beyond Heaven has cleaned it up on your behalf'.'

4. Night Raid on the Armory, The Net Closes

At the third watch, the moonlight was like frost.

The Shadow Group assassins crawled forward along the drainage channel. The sewage was above their knees, but no one made a sound.

According to Zhang Meng's drunken words, they felt for the third brick in the northwest corner of the armory. With a gentle push, it indeed revealed a hole only large enough for one person to pass through.

'There are three mechanisms inside.' Shadow Two, who was leading, made a gesture, signaling everyone to stop.

He took out the 'Formation Breaking Map' given by Divine Marquis, followed the map, first avoiding the flip plates on the ground, then using fine needles to cut the tripwires, and finally using stones to press down on the pedals that would trigger crossbow arrows. His movements were smooth and flowing; in less than the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, they had reached the depths of the armory.

The warehouse was full of standard long blades and crossbow arrows, and there were even three small catapults.

Shadow Two signaled his subordinates to move the ordnance marked with 'Imperial City Guard,' while he himself took paper and pen, wrote down the note prepared by Divine Marquis, and pasted it on the empty shelf.

When they withdrew, the horizon was already turning white. Marshal of the Unruly was waiting in the dense forest outside the city with his men to receive them. Seeing Shadow Two and the others appear with the ordnance, he immediately had people load the carriages: 'The Young Lord said these armaments are just right for the new recruits of The Net to practice with. As for the Shadow Pavilion... wait and see how Wei Yong explains it to the Imperial City Guard.'

5. Turmoil Arises, Beyond Heaven Becomes Famous

At noon the next day, the Imperial City Guard Commander received the news and angrily smashed his teacup: 'Wei Yong has such guts! Daring to privately hoard ordnance!'

He immediately ordered the sealing of all Shadow Pavilion strongholds. The news that Wei Yong was unable to defend himself and had been taken into custody quickly spread throughout the Imperial City.

In the black market, all forces heard that it was Beyond Heaven who had made the move, and all were secretly shocked—this organization, which had never appeared before, could topple the Shadow Pavilion overnight. Its methods were so clean, and its layout so ingenious, that no one dared to provoke them easily again.

In the secret chamber, Jun Xiaoyao looked at the power distribution map handed over by Divine Marquis. The location of the Shadow Pavilion had been circled out with a red pen, and 'Cleared' was marked next to it.

He tapped his fingertips on the table and said to Zhao Gao: 'Notify everyone down below, The Net will recruit fifty more assassins, to be trained personally by Master Divine Marquis.'

Divine Marquis bowed and accepted the order, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

He knew that this was only the first step for Beyond Heaven to lay its hands on the Imperial City, and the next game of chess would only be more exciting.