Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

"Oh? Tell me more." Zhao Kuo leaned forward slightly, showing interest.

"First, openly, our City Lord's Mansion will dispatch an enforcement team under the pretext of investigating the monster incident and appeasing the people, to conduct a high-profile patrol of the western part of the city, especially the area near the Li family's southwest manor! This move is intended to intimidate and pressure the Li family, forcing them to panic!"

"Secondly," Zhao Yuanming continued in a low voice, "please have Elder Kuo dispatch the family's elite forces to secretly monitor the Li family manor's every move, especially at night!"

"If the Li family truly has a guilty conscience, they will definitely take action, either by moving evidence, or... by resorting to desperate measures!"

"As long as we catch them in the act, we can launch an immediate attack, joining forces with the Wang family to seize them with overwhelming force!"

He glanced at the photographic stone on the table: "As for the rogue cultivators who brought the evidence... I think they might not be enemies."

"Perhaps we could try making contact? If we could get their help, working together from the inside and outside, our chances of winning would be much greater!"

Silence fell again in the quiet room as the elders weighed the pros and cons. Zhao Kuo's fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest. After a long while, he finally spoke slowly:

"Yuanming, you've grown. This plan... though risky, has the potential to succeed."

His gaze swept over the crowd, and he said in a deep voice, "Do as Yuanming said! Zhao Fu, you are responsible for contacting that old fox from the Wang family. You don't need to spell it out, just point out the pros and cons and see what he chooses."

"Zhao Li, select the best men from your clan and have them personally lead a team to secretly keep a close watch on the Li family manor. Without my orders, they are not to make any rash moves!"

"Yes, Elder Kuo!" Zhao Fu and Zhao Li replied in unison.

"Yuanming," Zhao Kuo said, turning to Zhao Yuanming one last time, "I'm leaving the City Lord's Mansion to you. Make a big fuss; let the whole city know that the City Lord's Mansion is investigating the demon beast incident with all its might!"

"As for that pair of rogue cultivators... let's avoid contact for now, lest we alert them. But we must keep a close eye on their movements. I have a feeling... those two are not simple."

"Nephew understands!" Zhao Yuanming felt a great weight lifted from his heart and bowed to accept the order.

As night deepened, several hidden figures silently disappeared into the darkness within the Zhao family mansion, dispersing in different directions. A vast net targeting the Li family was being cast without a sound.

Meanwhile, on the roof of the Yuelai Inn, Wang Hu, hidden in the shadows, slightly narrowed his pupils.

He clearly saw several extremely dim streaks of light in the distant night sky, almost blending into the darkness, rushing towards the west of the city at an extremely fast speed. Judging from their aura and route, they were definitely not ordinary cultivators!

"Something's happening..." Wang Hu thought to himself, his body tensing as he vigilantly surveyed his surroundings. A storm was brewing. The night in Black Mountain City was destined to be anything but peaceful.

Meanwhile, in the underground secret room of the Li family's southwest manor.

Li Maocai's face darkened as he listened to his trusted steward's report.

"The City Lord's Mansion has dispatched an enforcement team? Conducting extensive patrols in the west of the city? And there's unusual activity at the Zhao family residence?"

Li Maocai smashed the teacup in his hand to pieces. "That good-for-nothing Zhao Yuanming, how dare he! And that old man Zhao Kuo, what are they trying to do?!"

The steward stammered, "Master...Master, it seems they really have some leverage over us! Should we...should we temporarily avoid confrontation and move 'that beast'...?"

"Relocate? Where to?!" Li Maocai roared, his eyes bloodshot. "Relocating now would be an admission of guilt! The Zhao family and the City Lord's Mansion are definitely watching us! The moment we move, they'll gather evidence against us!"

He paced anxiously in the secluded room, like a trapped beast.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die! Absolutely not!"

He abruptly stopped, a glint of madness flashing across his face: "Since they want to investigate, want to force me! Then I'll give them a big one! Let them investigate to their heart's content!"

He grabbed the steward by the collar and ordered menacingly, "Go! Activate the 'Blood Sacrifice' array immediately! Feed the 'Tarantula' 'Blood Frenzy Pills'!"

"Midnight! Right at midnight! Place it in the largest warehouse in the west of the city, near the City Lord's mansion! I want the whole city to see the consequences of opposing the Li family!"

"Master! No!" The steward was terrified. "The 'Bloodlust Pill' is too potent. The 'Tarantula' is already wild and untamed. Once it takes it, it will probably go completely out of control and won't be able to distinguish friend from foe! Moreover, the blood sacrifice array is too noisy. What if..."

"Shut up!" Li Maocai slapped the steward away, roaring like a madman, "Out of control? Unable to distinguish friend from foe? That's better! The more chaotic the better! I want Black Mountain City to be in chaos! So chaotic that no one can investigate! Go now! If you dare say another word, I'll kill you!"

The steward scrambled out of the secret room to carry out the insane order.

Li Maocai stood alone in the center of the secret chamber, staring at the blood-red beast-controlling array diagram on the wall, and let out a piercing laugh like that of a night owl: "Come on! Come on all of you! Let's see who has the last laugh!"

At midnight, Black Mountain City was completely plunged into the deepest silence of the day.

Even the sound of the night watchman's clapper seemed to be swallowed up by the thick darkness, leaving only the howling night wind sweeping across the empty streets, swirling up fallen leaves and scraps of paper, making a mournful sound.

A chilling oppressive atmosphere hung in the air, like the suffocating stillness before a storm.

Inside Room A of the Yuelai Inn, the oil lamp had long been extinguished. Su Xiao lay fully clothed on the couch, but was wide awake. Her bright eyes gleamed in the darkness, and her ears caught any unusual sounds outside the window.

In the next room, Shi Tie sat cross-legged, holding a heavy iron rod. His breathing was deep and even, but his blood and qi were surging like a river, and he was in a critical state that could explode at any moment.

On the rooftop, Wang Hu's figure blended seamlessly with the shadows, his sharp gaze like that of an eagle, scanning the desolate street below and the blurry outlines of distant buildings.

suddenly!

A very subtle yet sharp and piercing friction sound came from the far west of the city, as if something huge and hard was scraping against the rocks!

Immediately following was a suppressed roar, filled with pain and violence! This roar was unlike that of an ordinary wild beast; instead, it carried a strange, metallic quality, piercing the night sky and striking deep into the soul!

"They're here!" Su Xiao suddenly sat up on the couch, her heart pounding.

Almost simultaneously, the communication jade talisman in her arms became scalding hot! Shen Mo's urgent and solemn voice, which spanned a hundred miles, exploded in her mind like thunder:

"Su Xiao! Southwest! An extremely strong demonic aura erupted! Mixed with violent bloodthirsty energy! It's that mutated wolf spider! It has been completely enraged by the drug and has gone out of control! Its target... the energy fluctuations are pointing towards the western warehouse district of the city!"

"Its weaknesses lie in the ventral ganglion and the connection to the mouthparts; it is vulnerable to strong sound waves and pure yang energy! Be extremely careful; do not attempt a direct confrontation. Seek an opportunity to exploit its weaknesses! If the situation becomes untenable, retreat immediately!"

Before the words were even finished, a series of piercing screams, the rumble of collapsing buildings, and... a teeth-grinding, dense "crunching" chewing sound came from further away!