CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER 71: DIVERSIONARY TACTICS, SAVING THE DAY IS URGENT

Several members of the Black Water Gang left the gambling house and headed straight out of the city gates.

It was already night, and you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Having lost money, they naturally found everything displeasing, cursing the heavens and the earth, full of malice.

Seeing the road enveloped in darkness, they lit a Fire Stick while grumbling.

Li Xian followed behind them, secretly pleased, knowing he wouldn’t lose them easily in such darkness.

"It seems Xiaofan is not in the city."

After walking over ten miles, they saw the group take a turn and pass through a mountain pass.

In the mountain forest stood a large manor, its lights flickering, quite impressive in scale. Li Xian frowned, guessing that Xiaofan was there.

The group approached the house, knocked, and shortly after, a servant came to open the door.

"Oh, it’s the grand men of the Black Water Gang, you’re back. Did you make a fortune?"

"Bad luck, bad luck, lost quite a bit."

"Please come inside."

"By the way, did the young master give any orders?"

"No, no orders."

...

There were numerous members in the Black Water Gang. These few were on leave today, still had money on hand, and feeling itchy, they soaked in the gambling house all day, returning only at night.

After chatting briefly in front of the house, they closed the door and silence resumed.

"It turns out that the Black Water Gang’s Zheng Caiqi and Liu Yuanwai of Huangyu County colluded to imprison my brother here."

"In such a case, it becomes easier. The Black Water Gang members and Liu Yuanwai’s housekeepers certainly aren’t familiar with each other. I can blend in and investigate the situation."

Li Xian moved stealthily, sticking close to the wall.

He scraped some dust off the wall and smeared it on his face, making his skin look dark and filthy.

He looked around.

Then he saw a large tree, its leaves lush and branches thick. He jumped onto the tree, placing his bow and long knife among the branches, covering them with leaves.

Having done this, he quietly awaited the right moment.

"Though this manor’s scale is far less than Yihetang Manor, its operations likely share similarities."

"At night, there are usually Nursing Home patrols. Although called patrols, they are often tired and unenergetic, making it easiest to slip in then."

Li Xian lay in the grass waiting.

In the dead of night, a Nursing Home emerged from the manor, glancing around and patrolling various spots.

There were enough on patrol to form two groups.

One group was Liu Yuanwai’s Nursing Home, the other was from the Black Water Gang.

Suddenly, one member urgently ran into the woods to relieve himself, and Li Xian seized the opportunity to follow quietly.

"Ah, that feels good..."

A stream thence flowed.

At the Nursing Home’s most relaxed moment, Li Xian used the "Clear Wind Leg" technique, lightly kicking his lower back.

"Oh..."

In an instant, the Vortex Force permeated his body, rendering him completely immobile, about to collapse.

Li Xian reached out to support him, quickly changing clothes and knocking him completely unconscious, hiding him behind a bush.

Thus successfully infiltrating the Liu Mansion.

Li Xian was overjoyed as the mission progressed smoothly.

Taking advantage of the patrol, he sought his brother’s whereabouts, which was indeed optimal.

The Liu Mansion was truly large, a grand four-in-four-out compound, with artificial mountains and flowing waters inside, picturesque gardens. However, compared to Yihetang Manor, it still fell far short.

He arrived at a lit room, hearing faint conversations inside.

Li Xian slowed down, focused, and listened carefully:

"Seventh Young Master, isn’t this a bit risky? With your skills, you’re certainly capable of clearing the exams next winter, why take such a dangerous route?"

"Hmph, you weren’t part of the entrance exam, how would you know of its difficulty? This year it’s thirty-seven, next year it could be forty-five, or even seventy-seven, who knows."

"But..."

"Enough. This is the closest I’ve been to clearing it, father instructed you to follow my orders, just obey."

"That wretched boy can’t even afford books, how can he rank ahead of me? If he goes to the Prefecture City, enters the Academy, and ascends further to seize that mysterious fortune, even father would need to respect him a bit."

"Does he deserve that? I can’t wait to kill him, it’d be best if he never existed in this world, so I could rightfully claim the title as the thirty-sixth-ranked and become a plucking flower master!"

...

Inside the room, there was an older and a younger voice.

It seemed to be the Seventh Young Master Zheng Caiqi, and his close attendant.

Li Xian squinted his eyes, feeling a tinge of anger yet didn’t stop, and continued to search elsewhere.

"Hey."

A sudden shout came from behind.

A member of the Black Water Gang, with a large knife at his waist, called out to Li Xian.

"Hey, why is your face so dark and dirty?" that member asked.

"Ugh." Li Xian shook his head, "Don’t mention it, while patrolling, I suddenly had to pee urgently, damn it, that place was so slippery, I fell face-first."

"Hahaha." The member laughed, slapping his thigh, "You, no wonder you reek of urine."

"Can you cover for me and patrol near the west courtyard? I need a break."

Li Xian, who was just heading to investigate the west courtyard, readily agreed, "Sure."

Arriving at the west courtyard, he indeed found the patrol strictly guarded, mostly Black Water Gang members.

Before one of the rooms stood two Black Water Gang members, standing firmly on either side, guarding the door tightly.

"It’s here!"

Li Xian’s heart skipped a beat, discreetly examining the place.

"Hey, you, did you lose your way?"

One of the Black Water Gang members blocked Li Xian, "This isn’t your patrolling area."

"Oh, it’s like this, earlier one of your gang members said he needed a break and asked me to cover his patrol for a bit," Li Xian explained.

"It must be that Lazybones Wang, he’s always needing breaks."

"Alright, you’re responsible for this area."

The member pointed towards the southwestern direction.

"Okay."

Li Xian surveyed the place, counting about a dozen people, heavily guarded, knowing that with his current strength, charging in head-on was suicide.

Moreover, he noted how most of the gang members seemed tired and lazy, with few truly alert, making a direct attack impracticable, but perhaps a clever plan could succeed.

"Perhaps, I should try Diversionary Tactics later."

Li Xian steadied himself, revealing no flaws, secretly memorizing the courtyard’s layout.

After half an hour or so, the previous Lazybones Wang found him, patting Li Xian’s shoulder, and laughed, "Thanks, brother, I’ve got it from here."

"My pleasure."

Li Xian laughed easily.

After the handover, Li Xian left the west courtyard, gathering some snow from the rooftops, applying it to his face, using the cold to wake himself up.

Once the plan is executed.

Even the slightest carelessness could cost him his life here.

"Diversionary Tactics, best to stir up a fire!"

Such a manor typically has a dedicated stable.

Dry fodder catches fire easily, and Jianghu people treasure their horses dearly. If there’s a stable fire, they can’t ignore it.

Immediately finding the stable.

The stable housed dozens of horses, belonging to the Black Water Gang and Liu Yuanwai.

Among them were a few exceptionally majestic ones, one in particular, with snow-like fur and deep red eyes, carefully groomed and meticulously maintained, arguably more so than a person.

This is the Snow Jade White Horse.

"What a fine horse."

"Pity it has the wrong master."

"I never thought the gunpowder I bought offhand would come in handy."

Li Xian used the gunpowder as an accelerant, ensuring that once the fire started, it would spread rapidly.

He then made up his mind, lit a Fire Stick, and tossed it into the dry straw. Sparks soon spread, and black smoke wafted up.

With the addition of gunpowder, the fire spread quickly. The entire stable became engulfed in flames, and not just there, the fire began to reach the surrounding buildings.

Bright as day.

Waves of heat surged forth.

Li Xian feigned panic, shouting, "Fire! Fire! Come quick, put it out!"

As he ran, he yelled, waking the servants and housekeepers, and with their joining, the place descended into chaos.

In the midst of the commotion.

Li Xian dashed to the west courtyard and saw the Black Water Gang patrol, yelling, "Quick, quick, the young master wants you to extinguish the fire, hurry!"

"This..."

"What do you mean this, the fire’s in the stable, if the master’s prized horses get burnt, can you bear the responsibility?!"

"But the kid..."

"Thin arms, thin legs, he can’t escape."

"Alright, alright, we’re going now."

...

In no time, the Black Water Gang members were mobilized, all rushing towards the stable area.

Li Xian, seizing the moment when no one was watching, kicked open the door.