Tang San Gets TrickedThe chilling killing intent made Horus tremble, and he asked shakily:
"My lord, what do the two you're looking for look like?"
Upon hearing this, Tang San was taken aback. The Asura Emperor always wore a mask, and no one knew his true appearance. Qian Renxue, on the other hand, resembled Xue Qinghe, and no one knew her true face either.
However, the only thing certain was that Qian Renxue was seriously injured. After a moment, Tang San said coldly:
"First, find all the new faces that have suddenly appeared in Winterfell these past few days, and then find all those who have been injured by blunt force and are too badly wounded to move. I want to examine them all personally."
Horus quickly gave his adjutant a wink and they got to work.
Winterfell City wasn't large; within a day, all the people Tang San needed to investigate were brought to the City Lord's Mansion.
"Lord Lan Hao, all those who match your description are here."
Horus bowed and approached Tang San, speaking in a somewhat obsequious manner.
Tang San nodded.
Horus turned around, coldly looking at the group of people standing in the cold wind, puffed out his chest, and arrogantly said:
"You all come here one by one, let the adults take a look. If there's nothing wrong, you can get out of here. If there's anything wrong, watch out, you might lose your heads!"
Horus's words immediately made the people in the square below tremble, looking at him with some fear. In front of Tang San, Horus was an obedient lapdog, but in front of ordinary people, Horus was a tiger that would devour people without spitting out the bones.
Tang San frowned. He didn't like Horus's behavior, but the man was working for him after all. Moreover, compared to the great good of eliminating the demons of the Spirit Hall, these minor evils could be ignored.
All around, the soldiers' spears looked particularly cold in the biting wind.
Under the soldiers' command, these people who had entered Winterfell after the city was sealed off passed by Tang San one by one.
With Tang San's keen eyesight, he believed he could recognize the Asura Emperor the moment he passed by. Even without a mask, the Asura Emperor's unique aura was impossible to conceal.
At first, Tang San was focused on carefully examining each person, but as one by one, people of different appearances passed by him, he couldn't help but feel a bit angry.
Who are these people?!
Not to mention the family of three, even vegetable vendors, beggars, and mistresses who were out having an affair were arrested!
Tang San angrily said:
"I'm not watching anymore!"
Horus was somewhat surprised and quickly stopped the next person who was about to come over. He then moved closer to Tang San and said obsequiously:
"Sir, is there something wrong with what you did?"
Tang San stared coldly at Horus. He suspected that Horus was one of the Asura Emperor's men, deliberately capturing these people to divert his attention. This would also explain why the Asura Emperor and Qian Renxue had come to this remote Winterfell City.
However, he couldn't be sure yet and needed to observe further. He said in a deep voice:
"Let's go check on the injured guys first."
Horus felt a chill run down his spine under Tang San's gaze. Upon hearing Tang San's instructions, he immediately led Tang San to the location of those who had been severely injured by blunt force.
In the open space, more than a dozen pale-faced people sat or lay down. Their expressions varied as Horus, bowing obsequiously, slowly approached with a cold-faced man. They didn't know what had happened; they had been brought here by their city lord. And that white-haired man was the one who would decide their fate.
Amidst the horrified gazes of everyone, Tang San examined each of the men who had been injured by blunt force.
With each additional patient he examined, his expression grew increasingly grim.
These people were indeed injured by blunt force, but none of them matched the characteristics of 'Qian Renxue's' injuries. Although he didn't know 'Qian Renxue's' true appearance, the injuries inside Qian Renxue's body were undeniable.
He turned his head, staring coldly at Horus, and said:
"Is this all the people you found? Are you sure you haven't missed anyone?"
Horus broke out in a cold sweat and said, "My lord, I swear on my life that there will be absolutely no one who escapes!"
You see, he's being so obsequious just to get close to Lan Hao Wang, so he'll definitely do his best to complete any of Tang San's orders. How could he possibly slip through the net?
Tang San sized Horus up from head to toe, confirming that the guy wasn't lying, and his heart sank. He hadn't found the Asura Emperor and Qian Renxue, which meant they weren't in Winterfell. But how could that be? All the evidence pointed to this place.
"How's the situation with the mistress?"
The Fifth Elder frowned and asked.
Tang San shook his head with a cold expression and said in a deep voice, "We didn't find any trace of those two guys in Winterfell City. It's strange. All the clues pointed to this place, so why didn't we find them here?"
After saying that, he began to regret it. If he hadn't been in such a hurry to inherit the throne of King Lan Hao, but had instead personally pursued the Asura Emperor, the situation would certainly not be as passive as it is today.
Not only did it allow the Serpent Spear and the Porcupine Douluo to escape, it also caused the Asura Emperor and Qian Renxue to disappear from their pursuit.
If we had known this would happen, we would have preferred to keep the two Title Douluos, Serpent Spear and Porcupine, alive to weaken the Spirit Hall's strength.
However, if he hadn't inherited the throne of King Lan Hao, he wouldn't have been able to control the regular forces of the Heaven Dou Empire, and therefore wouldn't have been able to seal off Heaven Dou City. It was precisely because he seized this opportunity that Dai Yao was able to escape Heaven Dou City.
"Is Horus someone from the Spirit Hall? Is he deliberately protecting Qian Renxue and the other woman?"
The Fifth Elder glanced at Horus and transmitted his voice.
Tang San pondered for a moment, then shook his head. After two days of interaction, he realized that Horus was just an ordinary, sycophantic nobleman. He understood Horus's intentions, and therefore, Horus would never dare to be perfunctory in his affairs.
In other words, either their pursuit was misdirected, or the Asura Emperor and Qian Renxue were hiding in Winterfell City, just undiscovered.
Tang San gritted his teeth, turned his head, and looked at Horus.
Horus trembled with fear at the Fifth Elder's glance. Noticing Tang San's gaze, he quickly said:
"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"
Tang San said in a deep voice, "I want you to search every inch of Winterfell, leaving no stone unturned! As soon as you find someone who meets the criteria, bring them to me immediately!"
Left with no other choice, Tang San had to resort to this cumbersome method. If they still couldn't find the Asura Emperor and Qian Renxue, it meant they were heading in the wrong direction. But if they couldn't find the Asura Emperor and Qian Renxue along this last route, then where were they?
Horus felt a chill run down his spine and, with his guards, began to search every inch of Winterfell.
Three days later.
Although Winterfell is not large, searching it inch by inch is still very laborious. Even after three days, they have only searched half of the area.
Three days later, there was still no progress, and even Tang San was getting a little anxious.
Outside the window, snowflakes began to fall again, covering the entire city of Winterfell in a layer of white.
boom--
Just then, a loud bang suddenly came from Winterfell, followed by a series of explosions. The shockwave from the explosions shattered countless snowflakes.
Immediately afterwards, the clatter of hooves echoed from all corners of Winterfell, galloping towards the city gates. In an instant, the urgent shouts of grooms, the cries of the people, the stern commands of soldiers, and the sounds of explosions in the streets all resounded simultaneously.
Tang San was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with wild joy! He exchanged a glance with the Fifth Elder, then immediately jumped onto the roof of the City Lord's Mansion. Amidst the swirling snow, he looked down at the fleeing carriages and sneered:
"Asura Emperor, you've truly run out of tricks! You used this tactic in Heavenly Dou City, and now you're using it again in Winterfell City. Do you really think I'll fall for it twice?!"
The Fifth Elder stroked his beard with satisfaction and smiled:
"It seems Horus's actions have worked. He must have found their trail. Qian Renxue and the others are desperate and are trying to escape from Tiandou City again."
Tang San stared at the carriages and said coldly:
"I'd like to see how they manage to escape this inescapable trap!"
······
Moments later, the riots in Winterfell subsided.
Horus dragged all the escaped carriages and their drivers to Tang San.
Kneel down!
Horus shouted at the grooms.
With a few thuds, the grooms all knelt on the snow, weeping bitterly:
"My lord, spare me! My lord, spare me! I was momentarily blinded by greed and coveted those few gold soul coins, so I followed that man's instructions and drove away."
"Spare us, sir! We'll never dare to do it again..."
Tang San glared angrily at the coachmen on the ground, his eyes blazing with fury. These coachmen weren't Soul Masters at all; they were just ordinary citizens of Winterfell City. The reason they had fled was simply because someone had given them a few gold soul coins and instructed them to follow orders.
There was no one in the carriage behind!
In other words, he was tricked! Shura Emperor and Qian Renxue had already left Winterfell City. The reason they staged this scene for him in Winterfell City was to mock him!
He could perfectly imagine the smug smiles on their faces when they learned he'd been tricked. The thought made him grit his teeth, his anger burning fiercely. All his efforts were nothing but a joke in those two's eyes!
The Fifth Elder slammed his fist into the wall next to him, and the terrifying aura of a Title Douluo instantly filled the entire area, causing a section of the building to collapse.
"That's outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! I've never seen anyone so arrogant even when trying to run away!"
The Fifth Elder said angrily.
It wasn't just Tang San who was humiliated, but also him and the entire Clear Sky Sect! Even if they won the battle in Heaven Dou City, so what? They failed because they didn't capture Qian Renxue and lost their leverage over Qian Daoliu!
The square fell silent for a moment.
After a long pause, a thought flashed through Tang San's mind. He remembered the unusual fading of the cart tracks when he arrived in Winterfell, and suddenly it dawned on him. His feeling back then was correct; those two people must have gotten off the carriage there and fled elsewhere!
A sudden urgency rose in his heart. A considerable amount of time had passed since he left Heaven Dou City. The Asura Emperor and Qian Renxue must have fled a long distance as well, but Tang San was certain that they were still within the Heaven Dou Empire!
He glanced coldly at the kneeling coachman. He wasn't one to kill indiscriminately, but he harbored an irreconcilable hatred for the Spirit Hall. These guys, though ordinary people, had been bribed with a few gold coins, greatly misleading him.
These guys are accomplices of the Spirit Hall! He never showed mercy to the Spirit Hall's lackeys, and ordered:
Horus.
"I am here."
Horus quickly stepped forward and said.
"Since these guys want to be the lackeys of those evil ones, then let them go first and wait for their masters on the road to hell!"
Tang San said coldly.
Upon hearing Tang San's words, the coachmen were shocked. They were all ordinary people who had accepted the mysterious man's mission in order to earn money to supplement their family income.
"Sir, we are definitely not accomplices! We don't even know who this evil fellow you're talking about is!"
"Sir, please give us a chance! We don't want these gold coins, please, spare us! I have an eighty-year-old mother and a three-year-old child to support, I can't die!"
The pitiful pleas for mercy continued to rise as the reward given to them by the mysterious man was thrown onto the snow. The golden coins stood out starkly against the white snow.
Moments later, with screams of agony, heads fell to the ground.
A bloodstain was smeared across the golden coin.
Dai Yao hadn't expected Tang San to take his anger out on the innocent. After all, these stable boys were just ordinary people, and he was Tang San's real enemy. In Dai Yao's view, these ordinary people were just doing their jobs for money and could be punished lightly.
However, Dai Yao forgot that in the original story, after Tang San returned from Seagod Island, he indiscriminately murdered hundreds of people from the Spirit Hall in Xilu City. These people from the Spirit Hall in Xilu City had not done anything evil; they were brutally murdered simply because they were members of the Spirit Hall.
"Fifth Elder, let's go. I think... I have a lead."
Tang San continued walking forward, speaking in a deep voice.
The Fifth Elder ignored the headless corpse lying on the ground, his expression remaining unchanged. In their eyes, Tang San's actions were perfectly normal.
Hearing Tang San's words, they were somewhat surprised, but they did not ask too many questions. They led the elite troops from the Heaven Dou Empire and followed Tang San.
Looking at the swirling snow, Tang San thought coldly:
"Asura Emperor, Qian Renxue, this game of chase has only just begun. You will not escape the Heavenly Dou Empire!"
······
On the Canglan River.
A small boat drifted downstream. Several days passed, and it had traveled hundreds of kilometers again.
Since Dai Yao fed Qian Renxue porridge a few days ago, he could clearly feel that Qian Renxue's attitude had gradually softened and she was no longer as hard as a rock as before.
A few days later, Qian Renxue's physical condition improved significantly, and she was able to speak again.
But having taken a solid hit from the Fifth Elder's ninth soul skill, it's a miracle he didn't die. He'll need a long period of rest before he can move again.
Therefore, Dai Yao still had to feed Qian Renxue porridge every day. However, every time he saw Qian Renxue in Xue Qinghe's form, Dai Yao felt uneasy and wanted to use the azure light of the Chaos Azure Lotus Martial Soul to heal her. But compared to the risks of exposing the Chaos Azure Lotus Martial Soul, he was well aware of which was more important.
She sighed softly, ladled the cooked rice porridge into a bowl, and went into the cabin to begin today's feeding.