Upon hearing those words, Lu Dongchun hesitated no longer and left the grass, following the silk threads.
...
Ma Wu, accompanied by Ah Qin and Huoling, searched the grass for a long time but did not find the woman Yanzi had described. When he returned to the village and was listening to Yanzi recount the woman’s features, he spotted Shui Yongquan drinking in a small tavern.
He hurried over to greet him, "Brother Shui, Yanzi saw a woman at the village entrance who looks like a cloth doll. Has Master Shui noticed her?"
Shui Yongquan silently created a curtain of water around them, blocking all sound without leaving a single trace. "You’re talking about Lu Dongchun, right?"
Ma Wu nodded. "She has a grudge against us. Do you know her?"
"I don’t know her. Old Qi told me about her. She’s a Garment Cultivation practitioner. Her scent is very faint, and she doesn’t leave footprints, making her difficult to track.
"There are also sixteen people scattered in the small woods on the eastern side of the village. They are well-hidden and truly hard to find. Last night, they ambushed a few hunters and stole their dry food.
"I found the hunters’ corpses and used that clue to find these sixteen bastards. Old Qi plans to make a move tonight and take care of them all, including Lu Dongchun."
Ma Wu exclaimed excitedly, "Old Qi is in the village?"
"Don’t rush, don’t go looking for him just yet. We’ll talk after tonight."
...
Lu Dongliang walked into the woods on the east side of Zhengjing Village and lit a cigarette.
Halfway through his smoke, a man in his thirties approached Lu Dongliang and respectfully bowed, "Grandmaster!"
Lu Dongliang waved his hand. "Gather everyone."
The man didn’t ask any further questions and left to summon the others.
Before long, all sixteen of Lu Dongliang’s subordinates had arrived, but Lu Dongchun was nowhere to be seen.
Shui Yongquan frowned and gestured for Li Qi to first deal with these people in the woods, while he himself went to find Lu Dongchun.
Li Qi nodded. Once Shui Yongquan was far enough away, he quietly opened the door to his Portable Residence.
Affected by the Golden House Hidden Beauty Skill, the cabbage Lu Dongliang walked towards the Portable Residence.
His group of subordinates didn’t know where Lu Dongliang was going and could only follow behind, heads bowed.
They followed him all the way into the Portable Residence.
Li Banfeng shut the door of the Portable Residence from the outside.
The sixteen men didn’t understand why they had left the woods to enter such a cramped room.
They looked toward Lu Dongliang, only to find him standing respectfully against the wall.
Opposite Lu Dongliang, there was a Phonograph.
Next to the Phonograph, a woman in red with long, silky black hair was grooming herself, her back to everyone.
The room was very dim, and with the mists obscuring their view, they couldn’t clearly see the mirror in front of Hong Ying, nor discern her features. All they could tell was that the woman’s figure was stunningly beautiful.
To be honest, these dozen or so subordinates were really pent up. Since setting off for New Land, they hadn’t touched a woman.
The Phonograph emitted mist, the record spinning rapidly on the platter, and from the speaker came a woman’s voice, "Ying Ying, our man brought back a snack. I’ll share some with you."
Hong Ying slowly stood up from the corner and said softly, "Xiaowan, I knew you cared about me."
After speaking, Hong Ying turned her face toward the crowd.
The crowd saw the chilling gleam of a Long Spear’s tip, draped with heavy black hair, protruding from between her shoulders.
Most of the sixteen men shivered; some felt dizzy, and others wanted to shout.
Feeling dizzy and trembling was fine, but they couldn’t shout. It was very late, and the Old Man was already asleep.
Those who tried to shout had their throats cut by Hong Ying. Those who didn’t shout got to see how this family ate their supper.
...
Ten miles away, the detective Da Boyins pressed his hand against a spider silk thread, quietly sensing its every vibration.
Lu Dongchun asked, "How’s the situation?"
Da Boyins replied, "Someone appeared in the woods, and sixteen people surrounded him."
"It’s Dongliang! He brought a total of sixteen subordinates." Lu Dongchun was excited. She knew all of Dongliang’s subordinates were in the woods. The only one who could mobilize all of them was Dongliang himself.
She was about to head into the woods but was stopped again by Da Boyins.
"That man has disappeared, and so have the others."
Lu Dongchun asked anxiously, "What happened?"
Da Boyins shook his head. "My spider friends can only give a simple description. They can’t understand or clearly explain the specifics of the process."
"I’ll go have a look!"
"Don’t be impulsive. Wait a bit longer..." After a few minutes, Da Boyins felt the spider silk tremble. "That man has reappeared, but the others haven’t."
Lu Dongchun didn’t understand the reasoning behind this.
Da Boyins retracted the spider silk and said to Lu Dongchun, "I have been a private detective for decades, and I can responsibly tell you that the person who appeared in the woods is not Lu Dongliang."
Lu Dongchun shook her head. "Impossible. His subordinates only follow his orders."
Da Boyins replied, "It must be someone who looks very much like Lu Dongliang, or someone impersonating him in some other way."
"How do you know?" Lu Dongchun didn’t believe Da Boyins. "Didn’t you say those spiders couldn’t understand the specifics?"
"Madam, this is my deduction. Lu Dongliang going to the small woods in the dead of night to gather all his subordinates is an extremely dangerous act; it makes exposing his whereabouts far too easy.
"If he absolutely had to gather everyone, it would imply Lu Dongliang intended to lead them in some critical action, one that could not be accomplished without them.
"But then, he supposedly led them away, only to return alone. Such behavior is pointless and would only endanger himself.
"Therefore, my logical deduction is that he has already delivered those sixteen subordinates into enemy hands. He then returned to his original position to continue acting as bait, hoping to lure you out as well."
Lu Dongchun said emotionlessly, "Dongliang would not betray me."
Da Boyins nodded. "I believe he wouldn’t betray you. That’s why I’m saying this person is not Lu Dongliang. This is a trap set by someone.
"If you go to the woods now, you’ll fall into the trap just like the others. At that point, if you still want to leave alive, it will be exceedingly difficult."
Lu Dongchun hesitated.
Da Boyins said, "If you want to go to your death, I won’t stop you. If you choose to trust us, we can help you find Lu Dongliang."
"You?" Lu Dongchun looked at Da Boyins. His sparkling eyes, like glass beads, shone with a bright yet vacant light. "Who are you?"
"We are members of the Flying General Camp, all subordinates of the Flying General."
"Who is the Flying General?"
Da Boyins answered solemnly, "Everyone in Puluo State has heard her name: Zhao Xiaowan, the Flying General. Her long spear secured the nation."
Lu Dongchun was not quite convinced; Zhao Xiaowan was a legendary figure.
DRIP!
There was a sound from the grass.
The two of them looked towards the sound and saw dewdrops sliding off the grass blades.
"The humidity is very heavy!" Da Boyins said gravely. "Shui Yongquan is coming. Miss Lu Dongchun, this is your last chance. If you’re willing to join us, let’s set off together. If not, we’ll go our separate ways."
Lu Dongchun nodded; she agreed.
A spider silk thread descended from above, and Da Boyins, along with Lu Dongchun, vanished into the night.
CRICKLE-CRACKLE.
The blade of grass from which the dewdrops had fallen uprooted itself and ran wildly away on its roots.
It reached a man and quickly climbed up his back. When it reached the back of the man’s head, the grass first bit through his skin, then curled itself into a vibrant green ball and burrowed into his skull.
The man’s cheeks twitched; this time, it seemed rather painful.
The green ball moved back and forth on the back of the man’s head as if it were a vibrant green eyeball.
Peeping Cultivation, Kui Bafang.
A capable lieutenant provided to Li Banfeng by Qiu Luoye.
Many parts of his body could detach and operate independently; the eye on the back of his head was one of them.
This eye was rather lucky. Stationed far from the village, it hadn’t held out much hope, yet it had unexpectedly stumbled upon crucial information.
Kui Bafang immediately conveyed the information to Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng was somewhat surprised after receiving the news. Da Boyins was still alive.
"They have an organization called the Flying General Camp. Lu Dongchun went with him to join the Flying General Zhao Xiaowan," Kui Bafang reported.
Upon hearing this, Li Banfeng’s wife chuckled.
"Hey, my dear, let them know, if they want to join me, they have to discuss it with me in person!"