Denghuangtai

"My lord..."

Wu Yong's rough voice rang out, but before he could finish speaking, Yuan Man kicked him back down the drain.

"Keep your voice down, don't let the people inside find out." Yuan Man lowered his voice and took out a face mask from his sleeve, handing it to Pei Qingyan. "My lord, use this to cover your face so you won't be recognized."

Pei Qingyan didn't take it and pushed it back, "Wearing a face mask in broad daylight will attract more attention. This is fine."

She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head. The hood was so wide that it was almost impossible for others to see her face clearly from the side. She simply lowered her head slightly and buried the lower half of her face in the fur collar, so that she wouldn't be recognized even if someone came towards her.

"You just said our people are outside, where are they?"

Pei Qingyan asked softly. When she was untying Yuan Man's ropes, the two of them had secretly exchanged information. It was only because she knew that there were their own people outside that she was not afraid of wasting time and losing Yun Zheng.

"My lord, please wait a moment." Yuan Man made a circle with his index finger and thumb, put it to his lips, and a clear whistle rang out.

As soon as the voice fell, a rustling sound came from the bushes beside the mountain gate, and two thin, ragged young men emerged from them, bowing and scraping to Pei Qingyan.

Pei Qingyan paused for a moment, realizing these two were clearly not among the troops she had sent to the capital. She turned to look at Yuan Man, her expression unmistakable though she didn't speak. "These are the people you meant to have sent as your own?"

Yuan Man chuckled, "Let me introduce you. This is my newly recruited underling. He's skilled in light-footed kung fu and can quickly escape and send messages in critical moments."

Pei Qingyan closed his eyes briefly, sighed, and said, "Ask your two underlings which direction that man in the red robe went."

It seems that Yuan Man had given prior instructions, because before Yuan Man could ask any questions, the two of them had already taken the initiative to answer: "Esteemed sir, the person you mentioned has gone east by carriage."

Pei Qingyan nodded his thanks to the two, then asked, "Did his carriage have any markings or other distinctive features?"

"It was an extremely magnificent carriage, with gold decorations on the body and two lanterns hanging in front of the door, with golden bells hanging from them."

Another added, "The horses pulling the carriage also looked extraordinary; they were tall and large, two white horses without a single blemish on their coats."

Upon hearing this, Pei Qingyan made up her mind. She reached out to Yuan Man and said, "Give me one Dragon Tiger Pill."

This Dragon-Tiger Pill is said to be made from tiger bones, century-old ginseng, astragalus, and other Chinese medicinal herbs. After taking it, one can unleash their potential when exhausted, and even if seriously injured, they can return to normal. It is a secret medicine carried by镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) traveling the northern lands, used to save their lives in times of crisis.

Later, Pei Qingyan discovered this item and found it very useful, so he had someone prepare some according to the prescription and distribute it to his subordinates.

Yuan Man took out a square brown paper packet, which Pei Qingyan took, opened, and put two pills into his mouth. The medicine worked extremely quickly; within a few breaths, Pei Qingyan felt his weak limbs regain their strength.

"Yuan Fox, you go back to the Zen temple and hold the fort for me. Wu Big Guy, come with me."

After saying that, she pushed off with her feet and darted up the tree in a few steps. Xuandu Temple is located in the suburbs of the capital. From Xuandu Temple to the east, apart from the winding paths in the forest, there is only one official road leading to Chang'an City. Yun Zheng could only travel by carriage along that official road.

Pei Qingyan took a shortcut through the woods and waited at the city gate, confident that he could catch Yun Zheng.

"My lord, wait for me!"

Wu Yong hurriedly chased after Pei Qingyan. Yuan Man stood in front of the mountain gate, watching the two figures gradually disappear, and shook his head helplessly, "They always leave the troublesome things to me."

He cursed, then turned to look at his two henchmen, who were staring at him excitedly.

"Big brother, that person... is he...?"

The two didn't dare to be too explicit, and only vaguely asked Yuan Man.

Yuan Man remained noncommittal. "You two hide well and wait for me to come out. If you see red fireworks, go back and deliver the message immediately."

After giving his instructions, he leaped over the wall of Xuandu Temple and jumped inside.

"My lord, have we missed it? Why haven't we seen the carriage that Hanzi and the others were talking about?"

Near the Anmen Gate of Chang'an City, due to the large number of officials and common people coming and going every day, some resourceful and daring individuals set up a tea stall there for people to rest. Later, others followed suit and set up food stalls such as soup noodles.

Pei Qingyan and Wu Yong were sitting at a stall selling soup dumplings, eating while keeping a close eye on the passing carriages.

After waiting for a while, Wu Yong lost his patience and whispered in Pei Qingyan's ear.

Pei Qingyan gestured for Wu Yong to be quiet, indicating that he should behave. Seeing this, Wu Yong rubbed his hands together, and his buttocks squirmed as if he were sitting on a nail. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but before he could finish speaking, Pei Qingyan gave him a glare.

This time, Wu Yong completely behaved himself, shrinking his neck and burying his head in his mouth to shovel soup dumplings into his mouth.

"Stop eating."

He was digging in with great enthusiasm when Pei Qingyan suddenly slapped him hard on the shoulder. The next moment, Pei Qingyan had already walked past him.

Wu Yong hurriedly got up, wiped his mouth haphazardly with his sleeve, and followed Pei Qingyan away.

Not far in front of them was a magnificent carriage with carved beams and painted rafters. The common people of Chang'an were well-traveled and experienced; upon seeing such a carriage, they would readily make way for it without needing anyone to clear the way.

The two followed the carriage quietly, heading north along Zhangtai Street, then east along Shangguanqian Street. After two intersections, the carriage turned into an alley.

Pei Qingyan watched as Yun Zheng got out of the carriage and entered the courtyard. Only then did she give Wu Yong a wink. The two of them pushed off with their feet and easily jumped over the wall. As soon as they stood still, they saw a servant who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old standing a few steps away. His eyes were wide open and his mouth was agape.

Pei Qingyan reacted swiftly, striking the servant unconscious with a chop to the neck, and then had Wu Yong drag him to the bushes nearby. This delay allowed Yun Zheng and his guards to almost disappear around the corner.

The two of them ran and walked, chasing after him. Strangely enough, no one knew what shocking thing Yun Zheng had done here, but all the servants and lackeys they encountered along the way looked at him with fear and wariness. Each of them held a wooden stick and followed behind Yun Zheng tremblingly.

As a result, Pei Qingyan and Wu Yong, who were following not far away, were able to enter an uninhabited area without worrying about being discovered by others.

Yun Zheng and the others entered the courtyard. Upon seeing this, Pei Qingyan and Wu Yong went around to the back of the courtyard, jumped onto the roof, and lay down on it.

Pei Qingyan skillfully lifted a few roof tiles, creating a hole through which he could clearly see the interior furnishings.

Pei Qingyan was secretly surprised. It seemed that this was the room where the owner of the house was staying. If Yun Zheng went there, no matter how angry he was, he would only wait in the main hall or flower hall, which are places for receiving guests, instead of barging into the room where the owner was sleeping.

This can be considered an extremely rude act.

Unexpectedly, over the years, Yun Zheng not only became ruthless in his methods, but also increasingly unscrupulous in his conduct.

"You never learn your lesson."

Inside the room, Yun Zheng's icy voice came from inside.

Pei Qingyan peeked inside and saw Yun Zheng sitting at the head of the main hall, with a man and a woman sitting next to him at the lower end. The two had their backs to her, so she couldn't immediately tell who they were.