The Mystery of the Shadow
Faced with Di Renjie's questioning, Ming Shiyin remained unmoved, merely glancing indifferently at the dark blue pillar of light: "Why does Lord Di feign ignorance? Isn't this pillar of light the work of 'Night Ink'? As for the explanation..." He turned his gaze to the unconscious Bai Ya on the ground, "This is the 'explanation' that our spies risked their lives to bring back."
Di Renjie looked at the heavily injured Bai Ya, his brows furrowed: "Who is he?"
“Thief Master, White Crow,” Yi Xing replied, his voice weak but clear, relaying the information White Crow had brought back—the underground altar, the ongoing ritual, and Mo Heng’s betrayal—in a concise manner.
"Mo Heng... he's actually a traitor?!" Li Yuanfang exclaimed in shock, his face filled with disbelief. He had personally witnessed Mo Heng's focused and serious demeanor when drawing.
Di Renjie's face was extremely grim. He had trusted the "expert" brought by Ming Shiyin, only to have it lead to such serious consequences. This was nothing short of a resounding slap in the face.
"So, what do you plan to do now?" Di Renjie suppressed his anger, knowing that pursuing the matter at this moment was pointless.
“The energy pillar has risen, indicating that the ‘energy gathering’ is nearing completion, and may even have entered the ‘pulse shaping’ stage.” Yi Xing calmly analyzed, pointing to several areas around the pillar where the energy fluctuations seemed slightly weaker. “Based on the energy dissipation pattern and some key points of the orthodox mechanism layout that Mo Heng inadvertently revealed before, I deduce that these locations may be the real energy nodes, and also the relatively weak links.”
He quickly marked several points on the map: "We must act immediately to destroy these nodes before they are fully solidified, delaying or even interrupting the 'pulse-forming' process to buy us time!"
Di Renjie looked at the points marked by Yi Xing on the map, which vaguely matched some of the energy anomalies reported by his spies, and he was largely convinced. "I have already mobilized the Imperial Guards to seal off the area around Wanghai Villa. However, the underground situation is unclear, and a direct assault would result in too many losses..."
“We don’t need to launch a full-scale attack,” Ming Shiyin said. “We just need to organize an elite squad to break into the node and destroy it, following the path predicted by Yi Xing. Yao Tian is willing to send three people.”
"Two people from the Dali Temple will come," Di Renjie immediately interjected, this was the best solution at the moment. "Li Yuanfang, you will come with me..."
"My lord!" Li Yuanfang exclaimed urgently, "You are a high-ranking official of the court, how can you personally risk your life? Let your subordinates..."
"No need for further words." Di Renjie waved his hand, his gaze resolute. "This battle concerns the survival of Chang'an. How can I remain in the rear?"
Just as the two sides were about to finalize the details of the operation, a disciple of Yaotian rushed over with a strange expression: "Report! There's a strange man outside... outside, saying he's here to collect a debt?"
"Collecting debts?" Pei Qinhu was taken aback. "What debts are you collecting at this critical juncture?"
Before the words were finished, a gray shadow, like a ghost, silently slid past the disciples who were trying to stop him, slipped in like an eel, and landed steadily on the stone lampshade in the center of the courtyard.
The newcomer was a thin, wiry man dressed in an inconspicuous gray outfit. His face was covered with a mask, revealing only a pair of darting, cunning eyes. He crouched on the lampshade, his body swaying slightly with the lamppost, as if weightless.
"Tsk tsk tsk, how lively." His voice was high-pitched, with a hint of cynicism. "A beam of light and soldiers, it seems I've come at just the right time."
"Who are you?!" Pei Qinhu clenched his fists warily.
The man in gray chuckled, revealing a set of white teeth: "A nobody, but my fellow martial arts friends are giving me face by calling me 'Kongkong'er. I heard that your Yaotian owes that kid Baiya a 'viewing fee'?" He glanced at the unconscious Baiya, then looked at Ming Shiyin and Yixing, "Looks like that kid isn't lucky enough to collect it. Shouldn't I, as his brother, collect this debt for him?"
Kong Kong'er! Kong Kong'er, the master thief!
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. This man was both righteous and wicked, possessing unparalleled lightness skills, appearing and disappearing without a trace. He had a penchant for stealing rare treasures and was a headache for all the major powers. They never expected him to be Bai Ya's brother, and to come knocking at this crucial moment!
A profound glint flashed in Ming Shiyin's eyes: "So it's Mr. Kongkong'er. Mr. Baiya was seriously injured for our sake, so the reward will naturally be substantial. However..."
“You just don’t have time to pay right now, right?” Kongkong interrupted him, jumping down from the lampshade and clapping his hands. “I’m not an unreasonable person. How about this, aren’t you going down that rat hole?” He pointed in the direction of Wanghai Villa. “Take me with you. I’ll help you figure out the mechanisms and keys inside, and while I’m at it… see if there are any ‘worthless’ trinkets to settle the debt, how about that?”
He said it casually, but everyone knew that he was eyeing the treasures or secrets that might exist underground, belonging to the "Ink of the Night"!
Di Renjie frowned, clearly distrusting this notorious thief.
Yi Xing's heart skipped a beat. Although Kong Kong'er's motives were impure, her skills and ability to pick locks and break mechanisms were probably even superior to Bai Ya's. This was precisely the time when he needed someone...
"Water lilies can bloom even in sewage; the key lies in how to guide the water flow. In extraordinary times, we may need extraordinary measures."
Yi Xing spoke softly to Di Renjie and Ming Shiyin. This statement acknowledged the complexity of the situation and proposed a pragmatic strategy of flexibly utilizing various resources (even seemingly unreliable ones) during a crisis.
Ming Shiyin and Di Renjie exchanged a glance, both seeing the weighing of options in each other's eyes.
“Alright.” Ming Shiyin finally nodded. “Mr. Kongkong’er may accompany you. But if he has other ideas along the way…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but the threat was obvious.
Kongkong chuckled, completely unconcerned: "Don't worry, although I, Kongkong, love money, I also know what things can burn your hands if you touch them. Shall we go? If we dawdle any longer, those guys downstairs will probably be finished with their 'ritual'!"
His eyes gleamed with eager anticipation, as if he were heading not into a dangerous abyss, but into a treasure trove waiting to be explored.
Various forces, each with their own agenda, were forced to temporarily unite due to a common threat. An elite squad, composed of Yao Tian (commanded remotely by Ming Shiyin, Pei Qinhu, and Yi Xing), the Dali Temple (Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang), and the unexpectedly joined master thief Kong Kong'er, resolutely headed towards the eye of the storm at Wanghai Villa, braving the ever-growing beam of eerie blue light.
Deep underground, atop the altar, Mo Heng seemed to sense something, a cold and eerie smile playing on his lips. Beneath his feet, intricate runes were being illuminated one by one by a ghostly blue energy, like the awakening eyes of a demon. The true battle had only just begun.
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