Chapter 116: Two-faced Person, Songyang Prefecture
Dragon Steed Mansion.
Within the vast mansion.
Hong Yuan clasped his hands behind his back, his demeanor calm and composed, strolling leisurely among the various pavilions and towers, with Earth Vein Listening Force spreading out beneath his feet like a dense spider web.
Within a hundred steps around, even the faint sounds of flowers and trees swaying or withered leaves brushing down were all “heard” by him.
As for the guards patrolling inside the mansion, it was even more impossible for them to catch his tracks; with a flicker of his figure, he passed through like a ghostly figure.
In just a moment, Hong Yuan’s footsteps had covered the entire vast courtyard, and he slightly furrowed his brows.
What was going on with Lao Song?
A friend came to see him, and not only did he not provide good wine and meat, he was not even home?
Did such a person even qualify to claim the title of “righteousness reaching the clouds”?
Could it be that he was afraid of Hong Yuan smashing through the main gate again, so he deliberately hid from him?
But that was just a joke expressing friendship between friends; Song Yinglong was a man in his dozens, surely he wouldn’t be unable to take even that much of a joke?
Hong Yuan let out a light sigh; he was an upright gentleman who always treated others with sincerity, so he wouldn’t cool his earnest heart over this, though he inevitably felt a bit disappointed.
However, Song Yinglong’s subordinates were a mixed bag, gathering a bunch of ghouls and monsters; with him not in the mansion at the moment, what if these scoundrels stole the mansion’s valuables?
The more Hong Yuan thought, the more uneasy he felt; as Song Yinglong’s close friend, he had to check it out to prevent thieves from profiting from inside.
With a flash of thought, Net of Other Forces unfolded, and Hong Yuan’s figure rose with the wind, searching for the location of the secret vault in the mansion.
“Hm?”
Soon, Hong Yuan raised his brows, light flashing in his eyes as he landed in a courtyard on the west side, looking toward a brightly lit hall ahead.
There were no patrolling guards around, and the hall door was not closed; inside, a person was sitting at the desk, head bowed working, quite busy.
Hong Yuan stepped inside.
Tap tap tap!
His fingers lightly knocked on the hall door; without waiting for a response from the person inside, he already smiled and strolled in, praising: “Manor Lord Song is truly handling affairs day and night; no wonder he built such a great family business.”
Song Yinglong’s body shook, slightly startled, then his gaze turned toward Hong Yuan who had stepped into the hall and was looking around; as he stood up tall, a voice like clanging metal rang out: “So it’s Brother Hong; however, Brother Hong always comes without announcement and barges in on his own—is that not somewhat rude?”
“With the friendship between me and Manor Lord Song, what need is there for such formalities?” Hong Yuan smiled faintly.
Song Yinglong also laughed, cupping his hands in salute: “Brother Hong is right; it is I, Song, who was at fault. I wonder what instruction Brother Hong has for visiting this time?”
“If it’s a martial arts contest, then forget it; I, Song, willingly yield.”
Hong Yuan said: “It’s nothing too important; I just need to leave Linjiang Prefecture for a while recently, and I’m afraid my Town Sea Alliance might be unstable, so before leaving, I came specifically to inform Manor Lord Song, so you can look after it a bit.”
Song Yinglong’s expression immediately turned serious, and he said gravely: “I am honored by Brother Hong’s trust; I, Song, will certainly take good care of it…”
“Then I’m relieved.” Hong Yuan let out a breath, then suddenly changed the subject: “But Manor Lord Song won’t secretly make a move against my Town Sea Alliance, will you?”
“What do you take me, Song Yinglong, for? You trust me so much, and if I still play dirty tricks, wouldn’t I be neither man nor ghost, a beast worse than pigs and dogs?” Song Yinglong’s face changed, and he snorted coldly.
“Manor Lord Song, look at you getting angry again; I was just saying it casually—how could I not trust you?”
Hong Yuan walked straight up to Song Yinglong, reached out and patted his shoulder, sighing: “Working with documents wears on the mind; Manor Lord Song, you still need to take care of your health. If something happened and you were gone, leaving behind this vast family business—wouldn’t it just benefit others? Even under the nine springs, you’d be filled with resentment.”
Song Yinglong said: “Thank you for your concern, Brother Hong.”
“In that case, I’ll be off!”
As soon as the words fell, Song Yinglong only saw a blur before his eyes, and the figure shot out instantly, disappearing.
Song Yinglong’s face flickered uncertainly; after pacing in the hall for a moment, he sat back down at the desk to handle official business.
But his mind was elsewhere; the brush in his hand sometimes scratched, sometimes lifted, and finally he set it down, muttering to himself: “Could that kid surnamed Hong have discovered something?”
“Of course he discovered it!”
A cold, eerie voice suddenly rang out behind Song Yinglong.
Though the voice was low, to Song Yinglong it was like the murmur of a malevolent ghost.
Earlier he had only been startled; now his back exploded with chill, all his hairs standing on end, and with a fierce flash, he darted out from the chair, landing and standing firm in the hall.
He turned back in shock, his expression changing: “You didn’t leave? What did you discover?”
Hong Yuan stared at Song Yinglong, chuckling lightly: “Naturally, I discovered that you, Manor Lord Song, are too hypocritical, too fake! Calling me Brother Hong to my face, but kid behind my back—you’re practically two-faced. Manor Lord Song, behaving like this will leave you without friends.”
Song Yinglong’s eyes flickered, his hands gathered in his wide sleeve.
“Hm? Manor Lord Song, looking at you like this—could it be you’re angry from embarrassment and want to make a move on me?” Hong Yuan slowly walked down from the head seat, brushing past Song Yinglong, his light words entering the other’s ears.
“Don’t move, or die.”
Song Yinglong felt ice-cold all over, his mouth and tongue dry, not daring to move a muscle.
Hong Yuan slowly stepped out of the hall, a clear breeze blowing in, his figure instantly merging into the wind.
After a good while, Song Yinglong finally gasped heavily; after confirming that Hong Yuan had truly left this time, he immediately shut the hall door tight.
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye it was dusk; over a dozen figures quietly left Dragon Steed Mansion.
Another two hours passed, nightfall covered the land, and a man with an ordinary face left Dragon Steed Mansion, blending into the darkness and swiftly fleeing.
‘He really can hold his patience; if I’d known, I should’ve just directly forced a confession…’
Hong Yuan sighed inwardly, hanging behind that ordinary-looking man like a ghostly figure.
This person was precisely the ‘Song Yinglong’ he had seen during the day.
Though his appearance and build were identical to Song Yinglong’s, Hong Yuan perceived with spiritual sense and saw through it at a glance—this was Mr. Wuchen in disguise.
Previously, when Black Iron Town came seeking help, Hong Yuan had barged into Dragon Steed Mansion and clashed with Song Yinglong, where he had crossed paths with this Mr. Wuchen; but before the other could introduce his name, Hong Yuan sensed his sinister methods and immediately warned him ‘Don’t move, or die’!
Though he didn’t know his name at the time, as an opponent on par with Town Sea Alliance on the surface, Xie Yansheng would naturally collect lists of Song Yinglong’s civil and military subordinates.
Hong Yuan had glanced through them and memorized this person.
Mr. Wuchen, a strange figure in the jianghu, renowned in the martial world for disguise and illusionary poison techniques; it was unknown why he had come to serve under Song Yinglong.
Now he had even directly impersonated Song Yinglong.
If it was on Song Yinglong’s orders, that would be one thing; otherwise, it was interesting!
Mr. Wuchen twisted and turned, and after about the time it takes to burn one incense stick, he finally entered a hidden small courtyard.
The courtyard was not large, with only three houses; soon, a short and fat old man came out to meet him.
“Why have you come?” Doubt lingered in the short and fat old man’s eyes as he led Mr. Wuchen into the house.
“My identity has been exposed!”
Mr. Wuchen immediately spoke up.
“What happened?” The short and fat old man frowned, his gaze instantly sharpening; his originally amiable round face suddenly turned somewhat sinister.
Mr. Wuchen then recounted the events in detail, finally saying: “That Hong Yuan came suddenly; I was completely unprepared, and the last words he left were exactly the same as that day.”
“Fool!” The short and fat old man scolded, saying: “Since that surnamed Hong didn’t make a move, why did you go to the trouble of coming to find me? Get back immediately and complete your task.”
“Where is Manor Lord Song?”
“That’s not for you to worry about; you just need to impersonate him well before Song Yinglong returns and hold down Dragon Steed Army.”
Soon, Mr. Wuchen walked out of the house with a gloomy face, gradually vanishing into the darkness.
The short and fat old man stood in the small courtyard, watching the other leave with cold, grim eyes, then snorted coldly; as he turned to go back inside, his body suddenly froze.
Three zhang behind him, a person stood with hands behind his back, gazing at him calmly.
A quarter of an hour later, Hong Yuan walked out of the courtyard; the house behind him was dead silent—he had already obtained quite a bit of information.
This short and fat old man was one of the twelve Incense Masters of Red Lotus Sect.
Red Lotus Sect’s original contact with Song Yinglong was Hong Lian, but recently both had left, so this short and fat old man had taken over the role.
And Song Yinglong, the place Hong Lian had gone to, was precisely Songyang Prefecture!
Which was also Hong Yuan’s upcoming destination, where Vajra Temple was located.
Leaving the courtyard, Hong Yuan closed the door properly, swept his gaze around, and said indifferently: “Come out!”
From the darkness, a faint sound of footsteps came; Mr. Wuchen slowly walked out and bowed deeply to Hong Yuan: “Greetings, Alliance Leader Hong.”
Hong Yuan looked at him with great interest, smiling: “Mr. Wuchen, said to be one of the most mysterious people in the jianghu, a generation’s strange man—how could you be so foolish? You deliberately led me here; what do you want to say to me?”
