Chương 215: Meeting the Blood-Robed Again

The exit of Eagle's Sorrow Ravine. Guarding this place for an entire night, Du Ruhui also felt a bit fatigued. It was now approaching noon, yet there was still no sign of Thief Song, causing him to grow anxious.

"Are you certain that brat arranged to travel with the Yun family this morning?"

"Reporting to the Gang Leader, absolutely certain. The brothers in the city just reported that Young Miss Yun Xi and the people from the Sea of Clouds Pavilion already have their carriages prepared. They are just waiting for him to arrive to immediately set off. Furthermore, Elder Chu from the other side also sent word that Song Que's entire household moved into the city, so he must pass through here today without a doubt. Perhaps he is currently on the road and will arrive shortly.

Please rest assured, Gang Leader, and do not be impatient."

"Alright then. I will go in there and rest for a while. If there is any news, report to This Chief immediately." Old Du had also lost his patience and decided to find a place to take a nap and catch up on some sleep....... Lingjiang City, Sea of Clouds Pavilion. Yun Xi knitted her brows tightly, looking towards the distant West Gate.

"Uncle Shan, did you specify that the appointment was exactly for today?"

"Young Miss, there is absolutely no room for confusion. I carefully instructed Young Master Song that we would depart one day in advance, which is the morning of the 14th of August. He must have been delayed by some matter."

"Sigh, perhaps. Aunt Wu, I'm sorry to trouble you to wait a little longer." Yun Xi sighed, nodded, and then turned to smile apologetically at a young woman in palace attire beside her. The other party didn't take offense, smiling and nodding in return:"It's no matter, I am not in a hurry either.".... Half an hour later.

"Young Miss, he should be here momentarily. After all, it is almost noon."

"Fine, we'll wait for him for another quarter of an hour." Having already boarded the carriage to wait, Yun Xi's tone was beginning to sound rather unfriendly...... Another half an hour later.

"This... Young Miss, he must be... must be..." By now, Old Yun didn't even know what excuse to find to explain the situation.

"Enough, we are not waiting anymore. We depart immediately. Aunt Wu, I've made you watch a joke." A soft chuckle came from beside the carriage. Yun Xi was so angry right now that she was gnashing her teeth. This was the first time she had been stood up by a man. This feeling was truly unpleasant; this Young Miss would firmly remember this grudge! Qingzhu, the maid, remembered how that black-faced guy had even pocketed their travel expenses before.

Now, with old grudges and new hatred combined, she was equally furious:"Young Miss, that guy is just too wicked! You worried about him for nothing!"

"Nonsense, who was worrying?!" Hearing this girl speak without a filter, Yun Xi immediately glared at her and scolded in exasperation. Another silver-bell-like laugh echoed from beside the carriage. The Yun family's convoy slowly began to roll forward, setting off towards Yangnan Prefecture...... Yangnan City. Setting foot in this place for the first time, Song Que couldn't help but be overwhelmed by its prosperity.

This world hadn't gone through an industrial revolution like his past life, but it possessed thousands of years of historical accumulation. The imprint of civilization in major cities like this was profoundly deep. As the capital of the Yangnan Circuit, and furthermore, the location of the headquarters of the Nine Rivers Alliance—the behemoth of the Southern Region's water transport—this place could be described as blooming with prosperity.

Its level of development was not much inferior to the major metropolises of his previous life. The streets were clean and tidy, wide enough for twelve carriages to run side by side. On both sides, shops and grand mansions stood closely packed together. Approaching the Mid-Autumn Festival, every house had lanterns hung in front of their doors.

The most bizarre thing was that there were even promotional banners for the Yaochi Tea Party erected along the streets, almost making Master Song think he had transmigrated back to the modern era. Seeing these sights, Song Que finally remembered that he still had an appointment to attend the banquet with the beauty Yun Xi. Now that he had stood her up without leaving a single word, that little lady must be hating his guts right now. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent.

Report any sightings. Thinking of this, Old Master Song couldn't help but tilt his head back and sigh. Last night, after escaping Old Du's ambush, he had run to the outside of Lingjiang City's East Gate to set up camp and rest for the night. Early this morning, seeing a merchant convoy leaving the city for Yangnan, he spent some silver to hitch a ride here.

If he had remembered back then, he should have waited outside for the Yun family's carriage to pass by so they could travel together, or at the very least, sent someone a message so they wouldn't be left waiting. But remembering it now meant it was too late to say anything. He would just find an opportunity to apologize to her later. Besides, he wasn't going to attend the banquet anyway, so not meeting her like this saved him the trouble of explaining.

No longer caring about this issue, Old Master Song began to sightsee and enjoy the scenery of Yangnan like a pilgrim. Literati and scholars joyfully drank wine and engaged in poetry battles; young misses from wealthy families strolled the streets surrounded by flocks of maids; Jianghu wanderers carrying swords and sabers greeted each other everywhere. Added to this was the festive Mid-Autumn atmosphere permeating the streets—it was truly bustling and lively.

Going to the docks to book a ticket for Jiangdong that evening, he had half a day left to freely roam and enjoy the sights. Looking at the majestic, monolithic mountain gates of the Heavenly River Sword Sect, tasting the unique culinary delicacies of Yangnan, and admiring the flocks of beauties on the streets weaving through the crowd like butterflies, each with her own charm... Master Song could be said to be lingering, forgetting to return. Tomorrow was the Yaochi Tea Party.

Heroes and chivalrous women from all over were eagerly gathering here, allowing him to feast his eyes to his heart's content. It wasn't until late at night that Song Que regretfully left the place. Number one beauty of Yangnan, what a pity you still won't get to lay eyes upon Master Song's peerless elegance. At the same time, the resentment in his heart towards that old thief, the Blood-Robed Venerable, deepened by another layer. ……. Jiangdong.

After more than a day of exhausting travel by boat and carriage, Master Song finally arrived at his destination. Duling Commandery, one of the nine great commandery cities of Jiangdong. By the time Song Que arrived, it was already noon, two days later. He was half a day early compared to the agreed time. Casually grabbing a meal and resting briefly in the city, he rode out of the city without stopping. He found a hidden spot in a wild forest by the road to pitch a tent and rest.

After all, getting involved with a terrorist organization like the Blood Demon Cult required utmost caution. Master Song didn't want to leave a single trace of himself in this area. With nothing else to do, he let Lightning scout the terrain first while he rested and recovered his energy in the tent. …. Nighttime. A rocky wasteland a few miles outside Duling City. Master Song arrived at this location on time, exactly as the letter instructed.

He didn't have to wait long before several figures wearing identical black cloaks ran over from the distance. Like Song Que, each person wore a mask to conceal their identity. The auras radiating from them were equally extraordinary, making him shudder with vigilance.

"Kid, you arrived right on time. This Venerable is very satisfied." The leader spoke, his voice raspy and breathless, sounding exactly as if someone were strangling him. It was undoubtedly that guy, the Blood-Robed Venerable.

"Greetings, Venerable! Hearing your summons, this humble one did not dare to delay, traveling day and night to arrive on time. This is Impermanence, paying respects to you all!" Seeing Song Que cup his hands, the four people accompanying Blood-Robed merely gave faint nods of acknowledgment. Old Blood then turned to introduce everyone:"This is my newly recruited subordinate, Impermanence. This is our Cult's Venerable Nine Nethers, and these three are his subordinates: White Night, Black God, and Shadow Demon.

We will be acting together for the upcoming task." Originally, Old Master Song was still thinking of a way to secretly pit Old Blood to death. But seeing how many people he brought today, he could only give up. He simply nodded in greeting to the others once more and obediently followed the old thief, waiting to see if he could find an opportunity. The most important thing was that he could engrave this guy's aura into his heart this time.

Later, when he returned to Lingjiang, there would be plenty of opportunities; there was no need to rush it now.

"Alright, Brother Nine Nethers, let us head to the Black Market first."

"Mm!" Nine Nethers's personality matched his name—cold and reticent. He merely nodded and led the group, darting away. Naturally, Old Master Song had no objections, pushing off the ground to quickly follow them. Before long, their group of six arrived at a manor nestled against a cliff. Signaling for everyone to stop, Nine Nethers stepped forward and called out:"I am Nine Nethers. Bringing underworld currency, wishing to take a trip down to the netherworld. I request the ghost envoys to lead the way."

Immediately, two people with equally extraordinary auras emerged from their hiding spots nearby.

"So it is Venerable Nine Nethers. May I ask who these guests are?"

"This is my friend, the Blood-Robed Venerable. These are our subordinates: White Night, Black God, Shadow Demon, and Impermanence. I must trouble you two to register them."

"Hehe, no problem." Following the two men to register and receiving their entry tokens, the six of them had black hoods placed over their heads before being led inside. Whether he was blindfolded or not had little impact on Old Master Song. His Domain now had a radius of 25 meters. He could sense the entire path they walked with absolute clarity. It turned out the entrance to this black market was in a woodshed not far away. Behind a wall lay an extremely well-hidden cave entrance.

After the group entered, the organizers finally removed the hoods from their heads.

"Wishing you all a pleasant night!" The guide smiled, cupped his hands, and immediately retreated. The six of them were now standing in a massive stone hall. Ahead of them was a gigantic set of gates guarded by two squads of guards. From their auras, Song Que could distinguish that these twenty men were all uniformly Second-Tier martial artists. Moreover, the captain walking towards them was a First-Tier expert! This level of strength was simply terrifying.

"So it's Brother Nine Nethers. I thought you were only arriving tomorrow." Hearing the man opposite him greet them, Nine Nethers didn't dare to be slow and hurriedly cupped his hands:"Brother Ghost Fire. Today, a few friends arrived. I took the opportunity to bring them over to familiarize themselves with the route, so they won't be caught off guard when attending the auction tomorrow."

"Haha, so Brother Nine Nethers is bringing us business! Truly worth celebrating. I am Ghost Fire, paying respects to you all!"

"Brother Ghost Fire!"...

"Greetings, Senior Ghost Fire!" Song Que and the others didn't dare to lack manners, quickly cupping their hands in greeting.

"Since Brother Nine Nethers is accompanying you, I won't waste time explaining the rules. I wish you all a pleasant night, and may you find what you desire." Ghost Fire nodded, then turned and waved his hand. Two burly guards immediately flexed their muscles and pushed open the massive doors. Only then did the group officially witness the true spectacle of the Black Market behind them. It was truly incredibly bustling. Whoever managed to create all this must have paid a massive price.