Chapter 332 - 187 Ambush

Although these two had cultivation comparable to Shi Lezhi, their combat prowess far exceeded his, acting decisively and ruthlessly. Shi Lezhi’s face changed drastically as he hurriedly raised his hands and shouted, "Senior brothers, don’t attack! I’m here to find Lord Wu Xinyu!"

When they heard this, the two withdrew their attacks and sized up Shi Lezhi. One of them frowned slightly and said, "Our sect has been clashing intensely with the Holy Pill Sect lately. This kid seems like a spy sent by the enemy. Why not just kill him with a single stroke?"

Shi Lezhi nearly wet himself upon hearing this. At that moment, he regretted deeply. Had he known earlier, he would’ve asked Wu Xinyu for a token.

The other person pondered for a moment before shaking his head, "This guy’s strength is weak, and his guts are even weaker. Look at him—before we even made a move, he’s trembling all over like a coward. Since he says he’s here to see Senior Brother Wu, we might as well capture him and take him to Wu. If they do know each other, we’ll earn a bit of merit. If not, we’ll kill him later; it won’t be too late then."

Upon hearing this, Shi Lezhi felt like he’d grabbed onto a lifeline and eagerly nodded and bowed, agreeing, "Yes, yes, I’m a coward. I’m a coward."

"Alright! Let’s capture him first!"

The disciples of the Thousand Poison Sect approached Shi Lezhi, snatched the birdcage from his hands, and handed it to their companion. One of them then took out some ropes to tie Shi Lezhi up.

"Hey, you sure know how to have fun, bringing a bird to roam around the Red Cloud Mountain Range. Zhang Qing, I think his bird looks pretty good—how about we roast it later?"

Zhang Qing deftly tied Shi Lezhi’s hands behind his back and laughed, "Sounds good! This little thing doesn’t have much meat but is definitely a tasty treat!"

Shi Lezhi panicked upon hearing their conversation.

"Senior brothers, you mustn’t eat that bird!"

Zhang Qing slapped Shi Lezhi on the head and scolded, "We can’t eat it? Well, I’ll eat it today just to spite you!"

This bird had been purchased by Shi Lezhi at a steep price from the black market.

It was highly sensitive to the scent of a plant called Green Ghost Flower, capable of detecting its aroma from a great distance.

The last time Shi Lezhi sneaked into Gu Sheng’s room, the dried flowers he found there were Green Ghost Flowers.

Green Ghost Flowers release a unique smell—a smell that is almost undetectable to humans but can be discerned by the special birds kept in birdcages. Shi Lezhi still needed this bird to locate Gu Sheng later.

"This bird is of great use to Lord Wu Xinyu! If you eat it, how would you answer to Lord Wu Xinyu’s wrath?"

Wu Xinyu held an extraordinary position, and upon hearing this, Zhang Qing and the other disciple dismissed their idea for now.

Such matters were always fraught with risk; even a slight chance of grievously offending Wu Xinyu was not worth it, especially if this bird really turned out to be crucial for him. Wu wouldn’t hesitate to flay them alive.

Seeing that Shi Lezhi didn’t appear to be lying, the two didn’t dare to neglect further. They dragged Shi Lezhi toward the Thousand Poison Sect’s gates at full speed.

The Thousand Poison Sect had built tall and sturdy walls at the entrance to the Red Cloud Mountain Range.

Outside these walls stood a brand-new wooden cabin.

Inside the wooden cabin, there was singing and dancing, while Wu Xinyu lounged comfortably in a chair, sipping on wine.

"Senior Brother Wu, Zhang Qing reports that they captured a stranger in the Red Cloud Mountain Range wearing our sect’s uniform. The man claims to be looking for you. They weren’t sure what to do, so they brought him back to ask for your decision."

Wu Xinyu immediately guessed that the man was Shi Lezhi. He set down his wineglass and sat upright: "Bring him in."

Zhang Qing and his companion dragged Shi Lezhi into the wooden cabin. The two disciples smiled as they greeted Wu Xinyu with a salute, "Greetings, Senior Brother Wu."

Wu Xinyu didn’t even glance at Zhang Qing and the other disciple. Instead, he gazed at Shi Lezhi expectantly: "He entered the Red Cloud Mountain Range?"

Shi Lezhi nodded, "Yes! Gu Sheng not only entered the Red Cloud Mountain Range, but this time he’s all alone!"

Wu Xinyu burst into laughter upon hearing this, "Excellent! I thought he’d hide in the Holy Pill Sect for the rest of his miserable life. But who would’ve thought the man has such audacity, entering the Red Cloud Mountain Range and even going solo? He’s courting death!"

"Tell everyone! Issue my command—any disciple in the Red Cloud Mountain Range must carefully search for him. Whoever can provide information about Gu Sheng’s whereabouts will be handsomely rewarded!"

"Lord Wu, no need to go through all that trouble! I have a way to locate him directly!"

Wu Xinyu’s interest was piqued: "Oh? Really?"

Shi Lezhi eagerly nodded, "Really! Truly! I’ve long since marked him with a tracking method. I’ve been waiting for this day!" As he spoke, he gestured toward the birdcage in Zhang Qing’s hands with his mouth: "Lord Wu, this bird cost me one hundred thousand silver notes bought from the black market! The special scent I left on Gu Sheng can only be detected by this bird. All we need to do is follow it, and we’ll find Gu Sheng!"

Wu Xinyu, excited, stood up and walked to Shi Lezhi’s side, laughing as he repeatedly patted his arm: "Good! Good! Good! You’ve done an excellent job! Don’t worry, Shi Lezhi—anyone who assists Wu Xinyu will never be treated unfairly!"

Saying this, Wu Xinyu fished out over a dozen silver notes worth ten thousand each, tossing them carelessly into Shi Lezhi’s arms without so much as a glance.

Only now did Wu Xinyu notice that Shi Lezhi’s hands had been tied behind his back by Zhang Qing and the other disciple. He lifted his foot and kicked the two of them over: "Who gave you the audacity to treat my friend like this? Are you tired of living?" As he spoke, he personally untied Shi Lezhi’s bindings.

The word "friend" and Wu Xinyu’s gesture of untying him left Shi Lezhi utterly flattered, his face glowing red with excitement.

"Lord Wu! That kid could sneak away at any moment. We need to act quickly!"