White Tiger City.
When Zhao Ya and Shen Yunshen arrived here with their group, it was already late, and even the city gates were closed.
An elder who accompanied them asked Shen Yunshen, "Senior brother, what do we do now? Should we stay outside the city for a night, or knock and have the people from White Tiger Hall open the gate for us?"
Shen Yunshen shook his head, "We can’t knock. Who knows if White Tiger Hall and Separation Tower are in cahoots? If we alert them, it could be troublesome."
"So, should we just settle for a night outside?" the elder asked again.
Shen Yunshen glanced at him, full of helplessness, and said, "Can’t you use your brain? If we can’t knock, does it mean we have to settle outside? Or did you learn Lightweight Skill just for show?"
Despite Shen Yunshen speaking politely to Zhao Ya, he was notoriously hot-tempered.
Particularly, his words were extremely sharp, without sparing any feelings when mocking others.
Like now, the elder was left red-faced by Shen Yunshen’s words, not knowing how to respond.
Zhao Ya finally understood why Shen Yunshen usually drank alone at the Sect Contribution Department. Speaking like this, it’s easy to lose friends.
If the order for this mission hadn’t come from the Great Elder, probably no one would want to team up with Shen Yunshen.
Zhao Ya quickly mediated, "Where is the Separation Tower’s stronghold in the city? Should we enter together or in batches? Is there a detailed plan?"
Upon hearing Zhao Ya’s question, Shen Yunshen finally smiled.
"According to the intelligence, the stronghold of the Separation Tower is located in the entertainment district of White Tiger City. As for the plan..."
Shen Yunshen thought for a moment, "Let’s enter together first, and once we find the stronghold, surround it to ensure not a single thief escapes. How about that?"
Zhao Ya nodded, "Okay, but there’s one issue. White Tiger City isn’t without defenses; especially, the city gates are well-guarded. While one or two people entering might go unnoticed, a large group like us could easily get exposed."
Hearing this, Shen Yunshen frowned, "That’s indeed a problem. Do you have any solutions?"
Shen Yunshen believed that since Zhao Ya could identify and raise the issue, he might have a solution.
However, Zhao Ya asked back, "What’s Elder Shen’s view on White Tiger Hall? Do we avoid interfering, or what?"
"Avoid interfering? Ha ha." Shen Yunshen sneered.
"Do you think with so many of us coming to their turf to kill, we could avoid interfering? So do what you need to do boldly; don’t worry too much."
Zhao Ya nodded, "I understand. In that case, wait here, leave the guards at the gate to me."
With that, Zhao Ya disappeared into the night.
After he left, an elder worriedly said, "Senior brother, Zhao Ya, shouldn’t go killing all the gate guards. That would make things too big."
"Don’t worry, he knows his limits," Shen Yunshen said calmly.
Actually, they didn’t wait long; within just as long as it takes an incense stick to burn, Zhao Ya was back.
"All done?" Even Shen Yunshen was slightly surprised.
"Yes, done. They’ll sleep till daylight, not waking up even by thunder," Zhao Ya smiled.
It turned out that Zhao Ya had used his Lightweight Body Technique to silently sneak to the bottom of the city wall and then used the wind to spread poison.
Even though after Meridian Opening, Poison Dao wasn’t so important to Zhao Ya,
he never let it go and studied it whenever he had time.
During this time, Zhao Ya discovered a treasure: the internal pharmacy of Azure Dragon Temple.
The Azure Dragon Pharmacy was established early, almost dating back to the temple’s inception.
Through the ages, it accumulated deep foundations, countless rare prescriptions.
But Zhao Ya valued the herbs collected there the most.
Many of these herbs were unique, already extinct outside and extremely precious.
There were also many strange herbs Zhao Ya couldn’t even name.
This included poisons naturally.
The key point was most of these could be exchanged for with Sect Contribution Points.
Realizing this, Zhao Ya felt like discovering a new continent.
Coincidentally, he earned a full three thousand contribution points from a mission in Nandian Town.
With so many points, if only used for reading in the Library, it’d probably last a year.
But if used for exchanging herbs, it wouldn’t be wasted at all.
So afterward, Zhao Ya often exchanged herbs from the pharmacy and experimented himself.
With the help of these assorted herbs, Zhao Ya quickly developed a few very effective Poisonous Powders.
For instance, the Sleep Powder used on the White Tiger City guards just now was extracted from a rare beetle, with great effect.
Just a fingernail-sized amount could incapacitate seven or eight Martial Dao experts.
The key was this poisonous powder left no residual toxicity. After waking up, aside from not remembering what happened, it felt just like a good sleep.
That’s why Zhao Ya could so easily handle the guards at the city gate.
At this point, Shen Yunshen couldn’t help but smile.
"Well done."
Even the elders were quite impressed.
They’d seen many who used poison, but few were as straightforward as Zhao Ya.
"You flatter me," Zhao Ya smiled.
"Let’s go, enter the city," Shen Yunshen waved his hand majestically.
The group immediately performed their Lightweight Body Technique, leaping over the city walls and entering White Tiger City.
Shen Yunshen was evidently familiar with White Tiger City, having been here before, so after quickly determining the direction, he led the group forward.
Zhao Ya and the others followed closely behind, soon arriving at the bustling, lively area of the city.
In any city, these are the places that are most lively at night.
Even from afar, you could hear the sounds of men and women enjoying themselves.
Zhao Ya and the others chose a secluded spot to stop.
"According to the intelligence, Separation Tower’s stronghold is set up inside Mici Pavilion here."
Shen Yunshen said in a deep voice, then raised his hand to point at a tall building in the center of the lively area.
"It’s right there."
Zhao Ya followed the direction Shen Yunshen pointed and looked over, then frowned immediately.
Because he saw a large number of revelers going in and out of Mici Pavilion, indicating that business was booming.
In this situation, attempting to remove this stronghold without alerting others was incredibly difficult.
Shen Yunshen naturally guessed what Zhao Ya was thinking, so he patted his shoulder.
"Don’t worry too much about it. Since the Grand Elder decided to make a show of force, it’s normal for us to create a little noise."
Zhao Ya shook his head, "It’s not that I’m afraid of making too much noise, but I’m worried that once we act, the people of Separation Tower might use these innocent people as cover, then we’ll be too cautious to act."
"Don’t worry, I’ve already made arrangements."
With that, Shen Yunshen ordered his subordinates to split into several teams, quietly surrounding Mici Pavilion.
Once everyone was in position, Shen Yunshen directly pulled out a few fire bombs, lit them, and threw them into Mici Pavilion in the distance.
Boom.
The fire bombs exploded on impact with the walls, immediately bursting into flames.
In these times, building technology was very underdeveloped, and most buildings were wooden structures, catching fire easily.
Combined with the kerosene contained in these bombs, the fire quickly spread, creating a terrifying momentum.
"Fire!" Someone cried out in alarm.
In an instant, the originally lively area became restless and anxious.
The revelers were even more terrified, running for their lives in panic.
Especially the guests in Mici Pavilion, who wished they had more legs to escape even faster than anyone else.
The ladies were also pale with fright, fleeing in all directions.
Shen Yunshen and the other elders watched intently at the people escaping from Mici Pavilion.
If there was anything unusual, they were ready to act immediately.
But after waiting for a while, they didn’t notice anything unusual.
Soon, all the revelers and ladies had escaped, leaving only Mici Pavilion, engulfed in flames.
The flames crackled, but there was no sound from inside.
Shen Yunshen’s expression changed.
"What’s going on? Could the intelligence be wrong, or is there a hidden passage under Mici Pavilion?"
Zhao Ya, however, did not give up easily, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, ready to notice any unusual sign on the nearby streets.
According to Zhao Ya’s deductions, even if there was a hidden passage under Mici Pavilion, it wouldn’t be far.
At most, it would be a matter of tens of meters.
So the most likely scenario was that the people from Separation Tower were hiding in the passage, trying to wait it out until the danger had passed.
But they couldn’t hold out for long, because as the fire increased, the entire area might be consumed by flames. If they didn’t come out before then, they’d become roast chicken.
Indeed.
When the fire rapidly intensified and spread to the adjacent buildings, a group of people quietly emerged from an alley a hundred meters away from Mici Pavilion.
Outside, the flames soared into the sky, heating up the air even from a distance.
"Move quickly." Someone said in a deep voice.
But just then, a figure suddenly appeared at the alley’s entrance.
"Trying to leave? Do you think you can still escape?" Zhao Ya said coldly.
As soon as these people showed their heads, Zhao Ya had noticed them.
Even though the alley was quite hidden, it couldn’t escape Zhao Ya’s sharp eyes.
So he hurried over immediately.
The group didn’t waste any words; seeing only Zhao Ya alone, they immediately attacked.
But it didn’t take Zhao Ya to deal with them. Shen Yunshen, who followed closely, punched one of the leading attackers, turning him into a mist of blood in the air.
Then Shen Yunshen and the other elders landed on the ground.
Shen Yunshen wore a cold smile.
"You scum of the Separation Tower, daring to lay hands on our disciples of Azure Dragon Temple, you can’t blame us for being ruthless."
"Kill, until only one remains."