Star Trace Gate

Chapter 951 The Price Old Wang Offered, and Lu Zhao's Unusual Behavior

Inside the supply depot, seeing that Ren Ye had misunderstood, Master Chu explained with an extremely speechless expression, "It's the garrison headquarters. Wang Anquan just hung up the lantern. After I went to the Martial Monk Supervisor's Office to identify Lu Zhao, I happened to glance at the garrison headquarters on the way, and there was indeed an extra lantern outside the inner hall...!"

"hiss……!"

Ren Ye gasped upon hearing this, his expression puzzled. "I was about to give up on this old guy, so why did he suddenly hang the lantern again? Did something happen to him?"

"Could it be a trap?" Master Chu replied cautiously, "As soon as you finished talking to him, he immediately prepared in secret for two days to ensure that he could kill you without any mistakes, and only then did he hang the lantern?"

Little Bad King carefully considered this possibility and slowly shook his head, saying, "Judging from his attitude when he talked to me that day, he doesn't seem like that kind of person. Fine, I have a female corpse from another race, I can take the risk... I'll go see him now."

“Very well, I will protect you.” Master Chu nodded immediately.

The two acted immediately. After Ren summoned the alien female corpse, he immediately possessed her soul and used the earth-遁法 (earth-遁法, a technique that allows one to escape from the earth) to leave the supply depot silently.

……

At the beginning of Hai hour, in the backyard of the garrison headquarters.

A cool breeze wafted from the flowerbed, followed by a rustling sound of earth breaking through the soil.

Not far away, Wang Anquan, a fifth-grade cultivator who had been waiting for a long time, held his breath and stared intently at the scene behind the fence.

"Tap tap...!"

On a dark and windy night, amidst swaying willow branches and indistinct shadows, Ren Ye once again transformed into a woman in a gray robe, her jade-like feet treading on the damp earth as she came against the wind.

She stood inside the fence and asked in a cool, clear voice, "You're looking for me?"

“The guards in the courtyard are just changing shifts right now, and I guessed you would choose this time to come,” Wang Anquan whispered. “Come with me, let’s go into the inner hall for a talk.”

"Let's go inside for a chat?! Damn it, why is this old guy suddenly being so polite to me? Is he trying to open up to me, or is he preparing to pull out his gun? Oh well, anyway, I'm just a female corpse, I won't lose out no matter what I do..." After a moment's thought, Ren Ye quietly stepped out of the fence and followed Wang Anquan out of the backyard with light steps.

This garrison headquarters was not only Wang Anquan's private residence, but also the highest military and political institution in Beifeng Town before its fall. It covered a vast area and had all sorts of courtyards and offices. At its peak, more than 180 military and civil officials worked in the compound, which shows how spacious the compound was and how complex its layout was.

Wang Anquan led Ren Ye to sneak through the intricate narrow corridors, and ultimately did not go to the inner hall of the government office, but instead cautiously arrived at an empty house in the east side courtyard.

After entering, the two did not dare to light anything, but stood in the bright moonlight, gazing at each other in silence.

Ren felt a little uneasy under Wang Anquan's gaze, and immediately flicked his pinky finger, asking in a slightly affected manner, "Lord Wang, you didn't call me here so late just to go to sleep, did you?"

"I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you have to answer each one within three breaths." Wang Anquan was so worried that he was almost menopausal, and he had no lustful thoughts at all. He spoke first with a cold expression.

Ren blinked her bright eyes and replied very cautiously, "You can ask, or I can choose not to answer you."

Wang Anquan slowly lowered his head, walked half a circle around the window, and then suddenly turned around and asked, "Did the Divine Court only send your group to Beifeng Town? Were there any others?"

Before asking this question, he showed absolutely no emotional fluctuation. It was so sudden that Little Bad King was momentarily confused about his intentions. However, the Lord of the Park reacted quickly. He certainly wouldn't let the other party get information for nothing, so he gave an ambiguous reply: "In this Divine Court, there are many who want to save you, and many who want to kill you. I don't know which group you are asking about."

"Alright, let's be frank then. Are you the only ones who came to Beifeng Town on behalf of the Divine Court, whether they want to kill me or do something else?!" Wang Anquan emphasized, his tone becoming more forceful.

Little Bad King carefully observed the other party's micro-expressions, and after pondering for a long time, he replied, "As far as I know, besides my group, there should be another group of people who have also come."

"Whose people are they? How many are there in total? What is their purpose?" Wang Anquan immediately pressed for answers.

Seeing how preoccupied he was with the other group of people, Ren Ye vaguely guessed that someone else had approached Wang Anquan, and that he was unsure of the other person's identity, so he came to him to confirm it, and also to test himself to see if he could tell the truth.

This was an opportunity to build trust with Wang Anquan, so Ren Ye decided not to lie and simply said, "The Pavilion Master didn't say whose people they are, and I don't know either. But there should be eight of them, each carrying a conscription order, and they should be here for the important pass of Beifeng Town."

Eight people, holding conscription orders... Wang Anquan was slightly stunned, but the answer came to him instantly: In this Divine Court, only the Crown Prince's men would carry special conscription orders when they were on official business.

He was originally a disciple of the First Prince, so he naturally knew this not-so-secret information.

Wang Anquan stood at the window, his face bathed in moonlight, his mind racing.

First, after kidnapping his son, Yu Tiange made two demands. The first was to obtain the seven teleportation arrays and information on the city's defenses; the second was to disregard their current predicament and forcibly search for rare treasures capable of repairing the arrays…

Judging from these two requests, given Wang Anquan's intelligence, it wouldn't be difficult to guess that Yu Tiange was most likely a member of the Divine Court, and that his arrival in Beifeng Town was also intended to carry out a "rebellion." Now, this gray-robed woman has told him that the other group consists of eight members, all of whom possess the "Conscription Order," which essentially confirms his previous guess.

Yu Tiange is highly likely to be the Crown Prince's man, and the fact that he kidnapped his own son as soon as he arrived in Beifeng Town shows that the Crown Prince has not only completely lost trust in him, but also harbors hatred towards him. He doesn't even have the intention to turn him back to the Crown Prince, and directly uses his son as a threat to force him to work for the Divine Court.

After realizing this, Wang Anquan's mood plummeted, and he realized that his family's situation had become extremely dangerous.

However, his trust in Ren Ye had subtly increased considerably. The other man was unaware that anyone had contacted him, nor how many people were involved, yet he had frankly mentioned the "Conscription Order," naming eight people. This indicated that he was likely telling the truth without fear of being exposed, indirectly proving that he was indeed a spy for the Fulong Pavilion, not someone from another faction in disguise. Otherwise, he would have had little knowledge of the Conscription Order and would have been even less likely to answer the specific number.

He only asked two questions to further probe Ren Ye's identity, which shows that this old fox is not like other traitors and sellouts who are spineless but lack intelligence.

Wang Anquan remained silent for the duration of half an incense stick's burning before raising his head and speaking succinctly: "The day before yesterday, my eldest son, Wenping, was kidnapped, and then a young man in black, around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, came to me. He called himself Yu Tiange...!"

"Kidnapped?!" Ren was slightly taken aback, thinking to himself, "Damn, are these guys even more ruthless than me, the head of this park?"

He was slightly taken aback, then immediately pressed, "Only one person found you? What did he ask for? Tell me in detail...!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Anquan did not hide anything and recounted in detail his experiences over the past two days.

After listening patiently, Ren asked with a puzzled look, "Is everything you're telling me the truth?"

“What’s the point of me lying to you now? If I wanted to harm you, you would have been dead the moment you stepped into the garrison’s compound.” Wang Anquan suddenly felt that the woman in front of him was even more difficult to deal with, more slippery and cautious than himself.

Ren Ye didn't refute these words, but looked at him calmly and said, "I asked you to return to justice and to the embrace of the Divine Court, but you refused. Now look, someone is more ruthless and direct than me... They don't even talk to you, they just threaten you with your weaknesses. Things have already come to this point, what good is it for you to call me here?"

“Of course it will be useful.” Wang Anquan replied without hesitation: “You are a member of the Fulong Pavilion. If you are willing to meet with Yu Tiange and explain your identity, you can definitely help me get Wenping back. After all, although the First Prince and the Second Prince have different views on some political issues, they are brothers from the same mother. Even the First Prince himself will give the Fulong Token some face.”

Holy crap, there's an unexpected bonus? Ren Ye listened to the other party's words with extreme astonishment: "Damn it, this Dragon-Subduing Pavilion Master, Long Er, is actually the second son of the Divine Sect and the second prince of the Divine Court?! Damn it, I, a loyal lackey, didn't even know this before...!"

He had initially assumed Long Er was merely a close advisor and favorite of the Divine Court's ruler, but he never imagined that the other party was actually the Second Prince of the Divine Court. This identity was clearly far more powerful than that of a favored advisor, and would provide him with greater support in the future. It seemed… during his time in Tiandu, he had to cultivate a good relationship with the Second Prince, hoping to persuade him to buy several luxury apartments in the complex, thus forging a deep bond.

Although the Little Scoundrel was surprised by this information, he did not show it in front of Wang Anquan. From the other party's perspective, he was a top-level secret agent who could wield the Dragon Subduing Token, and must be a trusted confidant of Long Er. So, if he didn't know that Long Er was a prince... that would be somewhat unreasonable.

After all, he couldn't possibly explain to Wang Anquan how he had been gradually humiliated and demoted from the lowest level of the sandbag to become a top-level secret agent.

Seeing that Ren had not replied, Wang Anquan immediately added urgently, "If you are willing to help me get my son back, then I can also name a price."

"What's the price?" Ren asked in return.

“I can find a way to hand Jiuzhi over to you, so you can return to Tiandu and report back,” Wang Anquan made a promise with great decisiveness.

"What if your son gets back into your hands, and then you deny everything?" Ren Ye retorted.

Wang Anquan gritted his teeth and said, "You can have my son first, and then return him to me once you get Jiuzhi. Can you rest assured then?"

Ren fell silent again, his mind racing with thoughts, but he did not give a clear response.

"Alright, since things have come to this point, I'll be frank with you." Seeing that Ren still hadn't agreed, Wang Anquan made a decisive decision and said solemnly, "If you insist on retaking Beifeng Town, I can not object, and may even help you and cooperate with you! After all, you've all set your sights on me now, and even if I don't agree, I'm afraid I won't be able to stay out of it."

"But to retake Northwind Town, we need detailed planning and enough patience. If we try to act now, it will be absolutely impossible to succeed."

"With the city just fallen, all the civil and military officials in Beifeng Town are on high alert, dreaming of making merits and avoiding mistakes. They also don't know how many eyes are watching me. Under such circumstances, if even a little bit of information leaks out, we'll all be finished."

"The city can be retaken, but not now."

"You first get my son back for me, and then... I'll figure out a way to get Jiuzhi to slip away and bring him back to Tiandu to report to you, how about that?" Wang Anquan's voice was full of pleading, he was almost kneeling down to Ren Ye on the spot.

Ren Ye, though outwardly a glamorous woman hidden in the shadows of Beifeng Town, is in reality a top-tier undercover agent, holding the positions of Chief of the Supply Depot and disciple of the Yuyang Arhats. Therefore, he wholeheartedly agreed with what Wang Anquan had just said, knowing that Beifeng Town was currently in a state of turmoil, with numerous factions vying for power. There were likely at least four or five groups of player travelers alone, and a sudden counterattack at this time would be extremely risky, potentially leading to total annihilation.