Bai Shixiong believed he was blessed by the heavens. Otherwise, he would not have obtained that treasure.
“My lord, please don’t worry. I’ve already had the Green-robed Soldiers conceal themselves within the city. I will certainly uncover the individual pulling the strings from behind!”
Qing spoke with a solemn demeanor. The Green-robed Soldiers were the highly trained covert operatives of the Bai family, skilled in information gathering, assassination, and other covert operations.
“Hmph, the one who claims the white jade dragon statue will rule the world? I’m curious if they have the audacity!”
Bai Shixiong’s expression was solemn. When he thought of the white jade dragon statue, he could not help but feel a little afraid. That statue was too strange.
In a matter of days, all the descendants of the Great Song royal family inexplicably perished as if they had encountered a malevolent spirit.
Until now, Bai Shixiong did not dare to touch the white jade dragon statue.
However, he came to realize that not everyone had been affected by the curse of the statue. For instance, his subordinate Qing had touched it before, yet he remained alive and in good health without any sudden demise.
“My lord, there are undercurrents in Lin’an City at the moment. Should we continue with the original plan?”
Qing looked at Bai Shixiong and asked.
Originally, with the Bai family’s power, it was not an impossible feat. However, the inclusion of martial artists introduced a significant unknown factor.
This time, not only did their actions attract people who wanted to fight for that position but they also attracted the so-called heroes in the martial arts world.
In Bai Shixiong’s opinion, those so-called heroes could not resist the temptation of immortality and longevity.
“We will proceed as initially planned. We’ve been preparing for this for a considerable time. It’s time for the Bai family to make their presence felt.”
Bai Shixiong’s eyes revealed a ferocious glint and ambition. In order to fight for that position, the Bai family had been preparing for nearly a year.
Over the past year, everything had been executed meticulously, be it overtly or covertly, involving suppression, subjugation, or expansion of the army. Now, it was the pivotal moment.
The arrow had no option but to be set loose.
It was not easy to build a stage. It was impossible to obtain such an opportunity next time.
“My lord, I’ll make the arrangements now.”
Qing looked serious. He also knew that if they didn’t continue releasing information, those people from the martial arts world would probably take desperate measures.
After all, the news had already spread, and there were numerous investigations underway in Lin’an City. There was a substantial presence of martial artists in the city.
The Bai family had been infiltrated by martial artists on several occasions, but these individuals had been eliminated by the Green-robed Soldiers.
“Okay, go ahead.”
Bai Shixiong nodded. He still like Qing very much. Other than the Green-robed Soldiers, there was still a huge army under the Bai residence. He had long hidden these troops in the cities near Lin’an City. In half a day, it was enough to surround the entire Lin’an City.
After Bai Shixiong watched Qing depart, he turned and made his way to the mansion’s backyard. There, he looked at the artificial rockery and turned to gaze at a dry well.
With a single leap, Bai Shixiong descended into the well.
Of course, he was not seeking death. Instead, this dry well was an entrance to a different world.
The dry well was covered in moss, but as Bai Shixiong descended to the bottom, he found himself in a pristine environment. It was clear that someone had cleaned it recently.
In front of him was a simple door. Bai Shixiong did not hesitate and walked in.
This was the secret hiding place of his Bai family. Not even Qing, his most trusted companion, was aware of its existence.
“I wonder how many ambitious individuals will be drawn out by these treasures!”
Bai Shixiong smiled and looked around. Flames rose and instantly illuminated the appearance of the dry well.
The space wasn’t large, approximately a little over 30 square feet, but it was filled with a multitude of stacked items.
There were over 10 treasure chests present, along with what appeared to be a bookshelf containing peculiar objects.
There were jade slips, strange building models, jade bottles, and so on.
The most eye-catching thing was one of the blueprints placed on a table.
Two words were written on it.
Green-robed Soldiers!
“What a shame. Despite the establishment of the Green-robed Soldiers, they possess nothing more than a name and lack a solid foundation.”
Bai Shixiong picked up the blueprint, his eyes reflecting a sense of helplessness. This blueprint had come into his possession by chance, but unfortunately, it held no practical value for him.
If Mei Changge were aware of Bai Shixiong’s thoughts, he might consider it wishful thinking. After all, constructing a soldier pool was no simple task.
It was mainly because of the existence of the Blessed Land that the soldier pool could be easily constructed.
“The Green-robed Soldiers have an undeserved reputation. Fortunately, I have this!”
Bai Shixiong casually set the blueprint for the Green-robed Soldiers aside and retrieved a bead the size of a marble. It emitted a shimmering white light and exuded a chilling sensation.
When one saw this bead at first glance, one would feel as if one were looking at a cold moon.
Bai Shixiong did not know the true ability of this bead, but he had successfully advanced to the Grandmaster realm with it and grasped a strange ability.
The ability was called the Cold Moon Domain.
“With this divine bead, the Great Song will soon fall into my hands. As for those martial artists, I don’t believe they can withstand my 100,000-strong army!”
Bai Shixiong gripped the bead tightly in his hand and smiled.
It was as though he had reached out and seized the entire world, envisioning himself ascending to the loftiest throne.
Mei Changge was unaware of all of this. At that moment, he had already arrived at a restaurant in Lin’an City.
However, it was just him and Xu Chu. As for Guo Jing, he had gone to contact Yue Fei, who had arrived in Lin’an City.
“My lord, Yubai should be here soon.”
Xu Chu and Mei Changge sat together, scanning the place. They saw the Golden Crow Guards and Red Lotus soldiers hiding nearby.
Although they resembled martial artists, Xu Chu discovered their existence immediately.
“My lord!”
A moment later, Song Yubai arrived at the restaurant.
“My lord, do you want to go somewhere else?”
Song Yubai asked with a respectful expression. Right now, in Lin’an City, the restaurant was a place where martial artists often gathered. Sometimes, it was easy for disputes to arise.
“No need. We might come across some intriguing information here. Have a seat and brief me on the situation in Lin’an City.”
Mei Changge waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to change locations.
“Yes, my lord!”
Song Yubai nodded and sat beside Xu Chu.
“My lord, I’ve deployed the Red Lotus soldiers throughout all of Lin’an City. As of now, I’ve received three crucial pieces of information.”
“What are they?”
Mei Changge nodded slightly and asked.
“Lin’an City is comprised of three prominent families and a general from the Great Song.”
“And the family responsible for disseminating information about the dragon-shaped white jade statue is the Wang family! However, this information was conveyed subtly, and I have my doubts about its authenticity.”
“But I’m sure that the dragon-shaped white jade statue definitely comes from one of the three families.”
Song Yubai’s expression turned serious. After learning of this news, he paid special attention to it. However, he had a lingering sense that there were hidden hands at play, leaving Song Yubai somewhat uncertain.
“What about the other two?”
“There is a secret force in Lin’an City. While it may not match our soldiers in terms of numbers, it excels in assassination, intelligence gathering, and similar activities.”
“The situation surrounding ‘The Great Song is dead, and a new emperor will be enthroned’ has transformed Lin’an City into a battleground for ambitious individuals.”
After Song Yubai concluded his statement, his expression remained serious. This information was gathered in the past few days, and he had only recently arrived in the city. Given a bit more time, he believed he could determine the owner of the dragon-shaped white jade statue.
This would prevent him from relying solely on incomplete information.
“Well done.”
Mei Changge nodded in satisfaction. He was satisfied that Song Yubai could find out this information. After all, he was a Red Lotus soldier and not a spy.
“Zhong Kang, I assume the Golden Crow Guards have provided you with information too?”
Mei Changge looked at Xu Chu and asked with a smile.
Since his arrival in Lin’an City, Mei Changge had noticed a scroll that had been handed to Xu Chu by the Golden Crow Guards. The scroll was still in Xu Chu’s possession.
“Hehe, my lord, I simply wish to review the information that Yubai has gathered. I’m curious to see if it differs from what the Golden Crow Guards have uncovered.”
Xu Chu chuckled and handed the scroll to Mei Changge with both hands.
“My lord, the Golden Crow Guards’ discoveries align with Yubai’s. However, since the Golden Crow Guards arrived in Lin’an earlier, they possess some information that Yubai is not aware of.”
Xu Chu said with a silly smile.
“Oh? Let me see.”
Upon hearing Xu Chu’s words, Mei Changge unrolled the scroll and realized it was indeed about the same as what Song Yubai had said, but in more detail.
“Lin’an City’s Bai family? Bai Shixiong?”
“A special unit called the Green-robed Soldiers?”
“Old Heretic Huang, Wang Chongyang, and the other Grandmasters are here? They’re already gathered in Lin’an City?”
Mei Changge looked at the scroll with a strange expression. It seemed that the bone book he had asked Guo Jing to release had attracted many Grandmasters.
On the scroll that Xu Chu handed him, there were no less than 10 Grandmasters. Some were famous, and some were not.
Furthermore, the Golden Crow Guards and the Red Lotus soldiers had already fanned out across Lin’an City, conducting ongoing investigations. Moreover, Mei Changge even found a special item on the scroll.
“Zhong Kang, tell me more about this!”
Mei Changge pointed at the bottom of the scroll and asked Xu Chu expressionlessly.
“This… Mr. Guo asked me to do it.”
Xu Chu took a glance and wore an expression that was unrelated to him. Yet, discerning the look in Mei Changge’s eyes, he realized that Mei Changge was not upset..