Li Dao Xuan sat casually with a bowl of dry-fried beef ho fun in his hands, slurping up the noodles like he had no care in the world.
At the same time, his attention, or more precisely his "follow mode," was locked firmly onto Bai Yuan as he went on what could only be called a business trip.
Bai Yuan was dressed in a clean white robe, carrying a large, elongated box on his back.
With a group of loyal retainers and guards, he passed through Quangou Village and followed the official road eastward, stepping straight into the territory of Heyang County.
At this moment, Li Dao Xuan still had vision coverage in this region.
Because Gao Family Village sat right on the border between Cheng County and Heyang County, his perception network was expanding into both counties at the same time.
He could already see large stretches of Heyang County, even some villages and small towns clearly.
But since he had not even fully stabilized Cheng County yet, he was in no hurry to stretch his hand too far into Heyang.
Now that Bai Yuan had gone there personally for "work," it felt like a perfect entry point.
So Li Dao Xuan decided without hesitation.
Fine. Let's start reaching into Heyang County.
Not long after Bai Yuan officially stepped into Heyang territory, a group of people came to greet him.
Leading them was the county magistrate of Heyang, Feng Jun.
He looked young, probably in his early thirties, slightly younger than Liang Shixian.
The moment he saw Bai Yuan, he immediately cupped his hands and greeted him.
"So you are Mister Bai Yuan?"
Bai Yuan quickly returned the courtesy.
"Yes, that would be me. You must be Magistrate Feng Jun, correct?"
Feng Jun nodded and sighed heavily.
"Yes, I am Feng Jun. Ah… lately that bastard Fan Shan Yue has been causing chaos here. I really feel like my head is splitting into two."
"Originally I heard that General Wang Cheng'en of Shaanxi was going to deal with him, but then the Jianzhou cavalry invaded the pass, and all five regional commanders were summoned to the capital for imperial defense."
"Things here have become absolutely unmanageable."
He paused, then continued.
"I heard from Brother Liang that Mister Bai had formed a very capable civilian militia in Cheng County, and even managed to resist Fan Shan Yue's attack before."
"It seems you have a method to deal with him."
Bai Yuan smiled confidently.
"Yes. I do have a method to deal with him."
Feng Jun's face immediately lit up.
"Excellent. Excellent indeed."
Then Bai Yuan tilted his head slightly.
"Hmm? Magistrate Feng, you are having a nosebleed."
Feng Jun froze for a second.
"Ah?"
He immediately felt something warm under his nose.
He wiped it casually, and a streak of blood smeared across his face like someone had drawn a bold red line.
He chuckled awkwardly.
"Oh, it is nothing. I have had this condition since I was young."
"Whenever I feel even a little happy, sad, or excited, I will get a nosebleed."
"Nothing serious. It will stop soon."
Bai Yuan went silent.
"…."
Feng Jun quickly returned to the topic.
"So, Mister Bai, how do you plan to deal with Fan Shan Yue?"
"Are you bringing the Cheng County militia over?"
Bai Yuan smiled faintly.
"That will not be necessary."
"Magistrate Feng only needs to tell me his movements."
"When he goes out to plunder innocent villagers, I can take his life in the midst of thousands of troops."
Feng Jun was shocked.
"Wait, how is that even possible?"
Bai Yuan smiled proudly, but deliberately said nothing further.
That was his bad habit.
He liked to keep people guessing, like he was performing some kind of expert Jianghu mystery act.
Feng Jun, having no choice, could only swallow his curiosity and endure the suspense.
Still, as someone who needed Bai Yuan's help, he reminded him carefully.
"Mister Bai, I must remind you that although Fan Shan Yue is a bandit, he was once given an official position during a prior surrender and now holds the title of Heyang garrison commander."
"In a sense, he is still a government officer."
"If you act against him, you must ensure it is done quietly."
"Otherwise, it will bring trouble to you as well."
Bai Yuan nodded casually.
"Do not worry, Magistrate Feng."
"If you are truly concerned, you can come watch as well."
Feng Jun immediately thought to himself.
Watch an assassination of a government officer?
Am I trying to get myself buried alive afterward?
If I show up at the scene, everything will explode afterward.
But…
He could not deny that he really wanted to see it.
If there was a chance, he absolutely wanted to witness it with his own eyes.
He lowered his voice.
"Understood."
"Fan Shan Yue is currently stationed at Xi Niu Village in the north of Heyang County."
"He has already raided several nearby villages, and the people are suffering terribly."
"I will send guides to lead you there."
"You should be able to find an opportunity near Xi Niu Village."
Bai Yuan nodded.
"Good. Then I will wait for your good news."
Feng Jun immediately sent two trusted aides to guide Bai Yuan toward Xi Niu Village.
He stood there watching their figures disappear into the distance, still feeling uneasy.
After thinking for a moment, he clenched his teeth and turned to his personal guards.
"Bring me spare clothes. I will disguise myself and follow them."
The guards were stunned.
"My lord?"
Feng Jun continued.
"There are two thousand bandits under Fan Shan Yue."
"It is not something easily handled."
"Mister Bai only brought less than thirty people."
"I am worried whether this will succeed."
Soon, he changed into plain clothes.
While changing, his mind kept spinning with thoughts of how peaceful Heyang County would become if Fan Shan Yue were eliminated.
The more he thought, the more excited he became.
And then.
His nosebleed started again.
Blood streamed out like a fountain.
A nearby guard panicked.
"My lord, your blood is staining your clothes!"
Feng Jun wiped his face again.
This time the blood drew two symmetrical red lines across his face.
One on each side.
Strangely artistic.
Like some kind of accidental abstract painting.
"Bring another set of clothes… I think I am losing too much blood… my head is spinning…"
Meanwhile, at Huanglong Mountain.
Inside the temporary camp of the Gao Family Village militia.
Cheng Xu opened a bamboo tube and pulled out a piece of paper.
After smoothing it out, his expression immediately darkened.
Gao Chuwu asked curiously.
"What is it?"
Cheng Xu replied solemnly.
"A message from Gao Family Village."
"The Jianzhou cavalry has entered the passes."
"The five regional commanders have been summoned to defend the capital."
"A large number of troops have been withdrawn."
"The bandit forces in Shaanxi and Yansui will become even more chaotic."
He paused, then continued.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun has ordered that before the situation in Shaanxi fully collapses, we must accelerate operations and eliminate Wang Zuogua as soon as possible."
"We must avenge our four fallen brothers."
Gao Chuwu immediately nodded.
"Oh! So that is the case."
"Then we must definitely work harder."
"Right, Da Niu?"
Zheng Daniu replied absentmindedly.
"Ah, Eight Treasure Rice is sweet."
Everyone went silent.
"…."
Cheng Xu threw the paper into the fire.
Then he stood up and spread out the map.
They had already been wandering Huanglong Mountain for quite some time, and the terrain was now completely familiar to them.
More importantly, they had basically located Wang Zuogua's hidden valley.
He pointed at a spot on the map.
"Prepare to attack Wang Zuogua's lair."
"We will crush him in one decisive strike and not fail the will of Dao Xuan Tianzun."
Everyone responded loudly.
"OHHH!"
Suddenly Cheng Xu frowned.
"Wait. Why are we missing one of the Three Idiots?"
Gao Chuwu immediately raised his hand.
"I am here!"
Zheng Daniu also raised his hand.
"Me too!"
Cheng Xu rolled his eyes.
"I know you two are here."
"I am asking about the third one."
A guard stepped forward.
"Sir, Flat Rabbit followed Scout Team Shi Jian early this morning."
"He said he is the elite among elites and that scouting is his destiny."
"He even claimed he is number one in the world and that even Shi Jian should call him 'grandfather.'"
Cheng Xu was speechless.
"So after successfully performing scouting once, he got addicted to it?"
He sighed.
"Forget it. Let him be."
"We still need reconnaissance before attacking Wang Zuogua anyway."
"Honestly, I am even a little worried if we only rely on Shi Jian."
"Having an extra rabbit with long ears listening ahead… actually makes me feel safer."