Chapter 69

Tian Ding City is a pivotal hub for waterways between the north and south, controlling the vital traffic routes from east to west. It is one of the most prosperous places in the world. At noon, the main street was bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder, creating a lively scene.

Cao Manzi, known as "the Informer," hummed an opera tune, guarding his money bag. He didn't think anything dangerous would happen in broad daylight with so many people around. Moreover, he had recently set up a gambling den and had two hired thugs following him.

As he walked, he suddenly felt a hard object press against his waist. A hoarse voice whispered in his ear, "Turn into the side alley."

The sun was bright, but cold sweat broke out on Cao Manzi's forehead. He didn't dare to risk testing whether the object pressing against his waist was a real weapon, nor did he dare to question whether the person had the courage to commit a crime in broad daylight. He could only slowly change direction and head towards a nearby alley.

During this process, he noticed that the "criminal" was of medium height, wearing a wide-brimmed hat that obscured most of his face.

At this moment, his two thugs also sensed something was wrong but didn't dare to act rashly. One cautiously followed, while the other quickly ran ahead to alert others and seek help.

After passing through two alleys, the area became less crowded, with white walls, black tiles, and green moss.

"Alright, make the one behind you retreat to the alley entrance," Meng Qi continued in a low voice, not releasing the fingers pressing against Cao Manzi's waist—when he fully activated the Golden Bell Shield, his hands were as formidable as weapons.

Cao Manzi had to tremble and tell the thugs to retreat, while pleading, "Brother, we all walk the same path, and harmony brings wealth. If you have any difficulties, Cao Manzi will definitely help."

"I've heard you are the Informer of Tian Ding City," Meng Qi said, not mentioning that he had been observing for two days.

Hearing this, Cao Manzi felt relieved and wanted to answer quickly to send this trouble away, "Thanks to everyone's support, I have many friends and thus know more."

"Very good. If I want to hire the Twelve Animal Deities, how do I contact them?" Meng Qi asked in a low voice.

The Twelve Animal Deities must have a way to accept tasks from the outside; otherwise, they would have "starved" long ago if they had to find their targets like Duan Xiangfei.

Of course, Meng Qi suspected that Duan Xiangfei had also tried to contact them and obtained information, which is why he encountered them so conveniently.

Cao Manzi shivered, but immediately felt the hard object press tighter against his waist. He licked his lips and said, "I don't know what you want the Twelve Animal Deities for, and I don't want to know. You can try going to Huai Tree Street to the 'Autumn Cicada Hall.' Ask the shopkeeper to buy seven taels and six qian of rootless flowers, then directly report the task and the reward you are willing to offer."

"If the Twelve Animal Deities agree to take the job, the 'Autumn Cicada Hall' will sell a medicine called 'Forget Worries' the next day. You can go in and talk to the shopkeeper directly. By the way, you need to pay part of the reward in advance."

"Good, quite honest," the hoarse voice echoed in Cao Manzi's ear. Then he heard a crisp sound, and several pieces of silver fell to the ground.

As he looked down at the silver, he saw a blur and realized the person who had just held him hostage had disappeared to the other side of the alley.

"This level of skill..." He stood there, slightly fearful. If he hadn't cooperated, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

He wasn't highly skilled in martial arts but had a wide network of contacts and good eyesight.

...

Although Meng Qi planned to lure out the Twelve Animal Deities by commissioning tasks, he didn't rush. Instead, he monitored the You family's residence every night and practiced martial arts and meditation during the day, gathering information. After all, the news of the grandmaster duel and the theft of the Buddha by Shen Hou had just spread, and the nearby Twelve Animal Deities might not have arrived yet. If he commissioned a task now, it would likely be accepted by "Shen Hou," which would be a waste of effort.

By the fourth day, martial artists from the surrounding areas had started to arrive, making Tian Ding City even more bustling. Many inns and taverns were full.

After a satisfying meal, Meng Qi returned to the temple where he was staying and saw four young people, two men and two women, all in their prime. The men wore conical hats and large-sleeved robes, with tall and straight figures. The two women, one in a light green dress with white boots, the other in a simple white outfit, both had graceful figures and were quite pleasant to look at.

They all carried swords, and Meng Qi muttered to himself, "I wonder if they can use them well..." The two men and two women all had long swords hanging from their waists.

Having been warned by Jiang Zhewei about the difficulty of learning and mastering sword techniques, Meng Qi always scrutinized those who used swords more closely.

Since he couldn't be too conspicuous while gathering information, Meng Qi didn't wear the white monk's robe he had bought. The four young people, seeing a gray-robed monk enter, assumed he was a temple monk and didn't pay much attention, continuing their conversation about the grandmaster duel between Cui Xu and Luo Qing and the theft of the Buddha by Shen Hou, showing great excitement.

"If we could witness the duel between the two great sword grandmasters of our time, our sword skills would surely improve dramatically," the girl in the light green dress said dreamily. She had regular features, fair skin, and a few faint freckles.

The taller man laughed, "Then the name of the 'Four Heroes of Jiangnan' will spread throughout the south and north, and the waterways east and west."

"But only the renowned elders who receive invitations can enter the city lord's residence to watch the duel. Sigh..." The girl in the simple white outfit had a round face and looked quite cute.

The shorter man looked at the others hopefully, "Brother Ning, you have a wide network of contacts. Is there any way?"

...

The discussion among the four was no different from what was happening in the taverns outside. Meng Qi had no interest and walked directly to his room.

A guest monk greeted him with a smile, hands clasped, "Venerable Zhen Ding, why are you back so early today?"

"Too many people outside, it's noisy and annoying. It's better to come back for some peace," Meng Qi said casually.

The guest monk pointed to the four young people in the courtyard, "Yes, many patrons can't find rooms, so they stay in the temple."

There are really a lot of martial artists coming here, even to this dilapidated temple... Meng Qi thought to himself, exchanged a few pleasantries, and entered his room.

Knock, knock, knock. Just as Meng Qi sat down, someone knocked on the door.

"Venerable?" Meng Qi opened the door and saw the taller of the two men standing outside with a smile.

He was dressed in a traditional style, with distinctive horizontal eyebrows, and smiled, "I am Ning Daogu, one of the 'Four Heroes of Jiangnan.' The other three are my sworn siblings, Ji Xin, Le Shishi, and Nie Yao. May I ask the venerable's name?"

I don't need to know your nicknames... Meng Qi muttered to himself and replied, "I am Venerable Zhen Ding. What brings you here, Brother Ning?"

Ning Daogu tried to appear graceful, "I mistook you for a monk from this temple earlier. May I ask which temple you are from? Are you here for the grandmaster duel and the theft of the Buddha by Shen Hou?"

"I am a wandering monk. I arrived in Tian Ding City a few days ago, not specifically for these events," Meng Qi said truthfully.

Ning Daogu said, "I see," and after a few more words, he left.

Closing the door, Meng Qi walked back to his bed and faintly heard Ning Daogu say to the others, "He's just an ordinary monk, nothing special."

"Looking at his appearance, I thought he was a fellow martial artist like us, a high-ranking monk from a prestigious school," the girl in the light green dress, Le Shishi, said with a laugh.

Ji Xin snorted, "There are plenty of people who look good but are full of nonsense. Do you think prestigious schools admit students based on appearance? I think he probably just knows a few basic moves."

"Never mind him. The theft of the Buddha by Shen Hou is happening the day after tomorrow. Should we go to the You family's residence to wait?" Nie Yao said excitedly.

Le Shishi quickly shifted her attention, "Yes, the day after tomorrow, all the righteous martial artists will gather. No matter how skilled Shen Hou is, he can't fight against so many. Once he's discovered, he won't be able to escape the net. At that time, we might have a chance to capture him."

"If we can capture Shen Hou, our names will truly spread throughout the south and north, and the waterways east and west," Ning Daogu also started to daydream.

Meng Qi pursed his lips and focused on his meditation. After an hour, he walked out and went directly to Huai Tree Street.

The "Autumn Cicada Hall" was an old-looking pharmacy. The shopkeeper had poor eyesight and hearing and didn't greet Meng Qi.

Meng Qi, dressed in a blue robe and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, approached the shopkeeper and said, "I want seven taels and six qian of rootless flowers."

Rootless flowers, a non-existent drug.

The shopkeeper was counting on an abacus and paused, then continued, "Seven taels and six qian of rootless flowers?"

"Yes, before the grandmaster duel, capture the young son of the You family, You Hongbo, for me. The reward is the 'Great Illusion Technique,'" Meng Qi said, altering his voice.

Although he didn't have the complete 'Great Illusion Technique,' it was enough to deceive people. He wasn't afraid of the Twelve Animal Deities' retaliation; they could chase him to the cycle space if they had the ability!

Hearing the 'Great Illusion Technique,' the shopkeeper's eyelids twitched, and he suddenly looked up, stunned for a moment, then sighed, "There are no rootless flowers today. Come back tomorrow."

Meng Qi smiled in satisfaction, left, and changed his route several times. In a secluded area, he removed his hat and put on his monk's robe.

Back at the temple, in addition to the "Four Heroes of Jiangnan," there were more martial artists in the courtyard, apparently their friends, chatting happily.

"Who is that monk?"

"Just an ordinary monk staying here."

"Oh, no wonder he's so young."

After a brief exchange, they quickly returned to their conversation, and Meng Qi focused on his meditation.

As they talked, they suddenly noticed a tall, imposing man in his early thirties enter, with thick eyebrows and a ruddy face, looking very heroic.

"Is Venerable Zhen Ding staying here?" the man asked politely, clasping his hands.

Ning Daogu instinctively felt this man was not ordinary and smiled, "We just arrived today. We don't know who Venerable Zhen Ding is. May I ask your name so we can call the guest monk?"

"Mu Hengtian," the man answered succinctly.

Le Shishi's face changed, and she said with surprise and joy, "Are you the young master of the Southern Eighteen Waterways, Mu Hengtian?"

What? Everyone present drew a sharp breath. The Southern Eighteen Waterways was one of the top forces in the world, and its leader, Mu Shan, was a top expert, a sworn brother of City Lord Cui.

Mu Hengtian, who had become famous at a young age, was rumored to have surpassed his master and was a potential grandmaster, far above the so-called Jiangnan heroes.

"There is no such title as 'young master' in the Southern Eighteen Waterways. We have a leader," Mu Hengtian said sternly.

"Yes, Master Mu is right," Ji Xin said flatteringly, and everyone agreed.

At this moment, Mu Hengtian saw the guest monk enter and quickly asked where Venerable Zhen Ding was.

The guest monk pointed to Meng Qi's room, "Venerable Zhen Ding just returned."

What? That ordinary young monk is the Venerable Zhen Ding that Young Master Mu is looking for? Ning Daogu, Nie Yao, and the others were stunned.

Mu Hengtian took a deep breath, walked to Meng Qi's room, and bowed, saying loudly, "Venerable Zhen Ding, I am Mu Hengtian, here to avenge my father's humiliation. I request a duel."