Chapter 149 The First Move

Chapter 149: The First Move

The lamplight inside the tent flickered restlessly, casting dancing shadows over the grim expressions of everyone present.

Zhang He laughed even more heartily. "I guarantee my intelligence is reliable—not only reliable, but also completely free."

Hanxiao Banbutudian offered a sinister, eerie chuckle as well. "I've always been rather fond of free things."

Zhang He replied, "However, whether something is free depends entirely on who is asking."

Hanxiao Banbutudian smiled. "I wonder if an elder of the Cloud-Mist Hall has enough standing for this?"

Zhang He glanced at him and spat out two words with a smile: "No."

Hanxiao Banbutudian’s expression shifted instantly, but Zhang He immediately turned his gaze toward Lin Ruoli: "If someone from the Golden Palace asks, this Wu will gladly provide it for free."

With that single remark, he managed to offend almost everyone in the tent except Lin Ruoli, especially Invincible and the Blue-Robed Young Noble, who cursed him thoroughly in their hearts.

Lin Ruoli smiled charmingly. "Brother Wu is truly righteous, and this young lady deeply admires it. However, since we are all people of the underworld and have the fate to gather here today, if Brother Wu offers valuable information to everyone for free, I am certain that with Brother Wu's magnanimity, you wouldn't mind sharing it with all of us, right?"

As expected, this woman was a formidable adversary. With just a few words, she deflected the volatile situation right back onto Zhang He.

Zhang He thought to himself that his preliminary estimation had not missed the mark; these underworld figures were hardly benevolent souls. Every single one of them was an old fox with a silver tongue. Compared to the previous dispute between the two nameless manors, this mission was easily ten times more difficult.

Zhang He smiled. "Of course I wouldn't mind. But as the saying goes: free is free, and the cut of the profits is the cut of the profits. Those two matters cannot be lumped together."

Lin Ruoli smiled again. No matter what, this fellow simply refused to suffer a loss.

At that moment, everyone turned their attention to the male and female protectors seated upon the dais. It was clear that the two of them held the ultimate decision-making power.

The two protectors seemed to exchange a glance. When the female protector nodded slightly toward the male protector, the latter finally spoke up: "Serve this Brother Wu a cup of tea. As long as his information proves correct, he may come and go freely within this encampment from now on."

This statement was undoubtedly an official endorsement. From this very moment onward, Zhang He had formally joined the faction of the underworld forces.

It was not until the tea was served that Hanxiao Banbutudian blinked and said, "Brother Wu, since we are all on the same front line now, there is no need to keep anything hidden, is there?"

Zhang He leisurely picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his expression turned serious. "Two men from the Baili Escort Agency, two from the Emei Sword Sect, and two from the Mount Shu Sword Sect have already set out from the foot of Gaoshen Peak."

This heavy bombshell was finally dropped, and an immediate uproar erupted inside the large tent.

The opposition had finally begun to make their move. This meant that the Baili Escort Agency could no longer hold back and had taken their first step.

Hanxiao Banbutudian sneered. "Is this your intelligence?"

Zhang He ignored him and continued dropping bombshells: "Around 9:00 PM tonight, they will arrive at the Wuyou Trail, which is ten li away from here, and then detour around it to leave."

Hanxiao Banbutudian could no longer smile. The timing was given with such precision; this hardly looked like false information.

Hui Guangjing demanded, "What are the identities and positions of these six people?"

Zhang He smiled. "If my intelligence could be precise down to that level, I wouldn't have bothered coming here."

Hui Guangjing shut his mouth once again.

Lin Ruoli finally stopped smiling as well, her face settling into a thoughtful expression. "The terrain of the Wuyou Trail is flat and covered by a dense bamboo grove. It happens to be a blind spot in our surveillance network. They certainly know how to choose a route."

It was not that they knew how to choose; rather, it was Zhang He who knew. Before Zhang He and his party set out from Zhou Village toward Gaoshen Peak, they had consulted the village chief in detail and had passed right through that very bamboo grove.

The path they had taken was precisely the blind spot in the scouting ranges of the four major factions.

Hanxiao Banbutudian muttered thoughtfully, "This could very well be a trap."

Hui Guangjing could not help asking, "Why?"

Even as the words left his mouth, he realized it was a foolish question. The enemy had been lying low for so many days; any action they took now must carry a deep significance.

However, Hanxiao Banbutudian still voiced everyone's doubts: "From what I understand, Chang Tianfan has undertaken more than ninety escorted missions of varying sizes since he first entered the pugilistic world. Out of those ninety-odd missions, he has only failed twice. Both times, the heists were pulled off by renowned martial arts experts of the era—one was He Ri Jun Zailai from beyond the frontier, and the other was rumored to be Dao Zhongdao, a protector of the Five Poisons Cult."

Everyone understood the implication behind these words. Having gone through over ninety battles with only two failures, Chang Tianfan was clearly an extremely cautious and meticulous individual who would never act rashly without absolute certainty.

Hui Guangjing couldn't help sneering, "He probably thinks his little trick of drawing the snake out of its hole is brilliant and wants to test our reaction. What if we simply stand our ground and do nothing?"

Lin Ruoli immediately retorted, "And what if that batch of contraband is actually among those six people? What if they succeed in crossing the sea by a trick?"

Hui Guangjing instantly froze. This was indeed a agonizingly difficult problem to resolve. He had thought his own considerations were comprehensive, but in reality, his thinking had been naive and simplistic.

At that moment, everyone present shared the exact same feeling: Chang Tianfan's first move was brilliantly executed, leaving them completely unable to read his intentions.

If you stood your ground, he would slip right past you under your nose; yet if you threw all your forces into an assault, your frontline interception strength would be weakened. His strategy forced you into a position where neither making a move nor staying still was a good option.

In truth, the most fatal piece of information in Zhang He's intelligence was the mention of "the two people from Mount Shu." When had the Mount Shu Sword Sect been dragged into this muddy water? If the Mount Shu sect was truly here to provide backup, the situation would not only become far more complex, but the balance of power between the orthodox and unrighteous factions would shift dramatically. On the other hand, what if the Mount Shu people were not here to offer reinforcement? What if they were here for entirely unrelated matters? How should one respond then?

The large tent suddenly fell into a dead silence, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

After a long while, Lin Ruoli spoke in a deep voice, "Regardless of whether Chang Tianfan's move is a trap or not, we have to go and investigate. We must clarify at least three things: First, what are the people from Mount Shu doing here? Second, are they truly making a feint to the east while secretly attacking the west? And third, if that is the case, how many items from this batch of contraband are actually being transported this time?"

A thought stirred within Zhang He. As expected, not only was this batch of contraband not limited to a single item, but they were also priceless treasures. Otherwise, how could an incident like this have kicked up such a massive storm?

However, he also noticed something else: this Lin Ruoli was far more meticulous than he had imagined. A woman's intuition was sometimes exceptionally delicate, and she belonged to the rare breed of people who could cut straight to the core of an issue. All three of the questions she raised hit the crucial and critical pain points.

He had always harbored a strong sense of male chauvinism and looked down on most women, but this time was different. This woman had forced him to look at her in a completely new light.

Indeed, Lin Ruoli continued, "However, we cannot commit our entire force. Our strength is limited and extremely precious. Because, as far as I know, the Six Constables have already deployed massive numbers of men at four vital locations: Fengling Crossing, Fireworks Port, March City, and Starfall Town. If any of our brothers or sisters with high evil scores kill those righteous faction members, and unfortunately acquire a red name before falling in battle, it will be impossible for them to return here. Every time one of us dies, our strength diminishes by a fraction. But they are different; if one of them dies, there is a very high probability they will resurrect at one of those four locations. By then, they will weave a massive net around the periphery and trap us all inside."

Zhang He looked at her in astonishment. Lin Ruoli was truly formidable—she had even thought of this.

In truth, this was the real reason behind the stalemate between the two factions. Not only could neither side afford to strike carelessly, but they also had to account for the secondary consequences of any action.

At this juncture, the male protector finally spoke slowly, "Miss Lin's assessment is entirely correct, and I completely agree with it. Therefore, since they have dispatched six people, we can likewise send a corresponding six people to investigate. If their men die, it's their own fault; and if our brothers perish, the overall impact on us will not be too severe. Fellow friends, it is already 8:00 PM, and our time is running short. Who among you is willing to step forward for this mission?"

The moment his voice faded, Lin Ruoli called out, "Xiao Si."

The Blue-Robed Young Noble immediately stepped forward, standing up as straight as a ramrod. "Miss Lin, I am here."

Lin Ruoli asked, "Any problem?"

In front of Miss Lin, even if Xiao Si had a problem, it would instantly cease to be a problem. "Miss Lin, rest assured, I will not let you down."

Lin Ruoli smiled at him, and Xiao Si's soul promptly flew away on the wind.

However, his heart turned cold the very next second when Lin Ruoli added with a smile, "Going by yourself won't be enough."

As she spoke, her gaze shifted toward Hanxiao Banbutudian and Hui Guangjing on the western side. Her meaning was glaringly obvious: I cannot let my Golden Palace family be the only one to play the fool and take the risk. Since I've made my stance clear first, shouldn't you other two families show some sincerity as well?

Hanxiao Banbutudian stated in a deep voice, "Machine Gun, Grenade, Anti-Aircraft Gun."

Three figures dressed like esoteric martial artists immediately stepped out from behind him in response. Then, Hanxiao Banbutudian cast his gaze toward Hui Guangjing. The implication was even more blatant: I've put forward three people on my end, so you have nothing more to say, right?

Hui Guangjing truly had nothing to say. Xiao Si was Lin Ruoli's inseparable personal attendant, showing that he was by no means an ordinary pushover, while Machine Gun, Grenade, and Anti-Aircraft Gun were Hanxiao Banbutudian's capable aides. If he arbitrarily picked two random subordinates now, it would be unjustifiable both reasonably and emotionally.

"Bai Gan, Goudan, the two of you go along with Brother Xiao Si. Follow Brother Xiao Si's arrangements in everything. Whatever Brother Xiao Si can resolve, you must assist him; whatever Brother Xiao Si cannot resolve, you must figure out a way to resolve it regardless."

Hui Guangjing's order brought an inward chuckle to Zhang He. Hui Guangjing evidently belonged to the category of people who refused to suffer a loss.

What did phrases like "whatever Brother Xiao Si cannot resolve, you must figure out a way to resolve it" actually mean? They meant that while Xiao Si's words were commands on the surface, when a critical moment arrived, Bai Gan and Goudan would still ultimately make their own decisions.

Sometimes people were utterly ridiculous in this manner. As the saying goes: a single man is a dragon, but three men together become worms. Countless heroes and fine men had fallen flat on their faces precisely because of this flaw.