This Time, I Will Destroy Your Stronghold

Wang Hao stood not far away, taking in every imperceptible little movement of Ye Chen, as well as the fleeting flash of disdain in his eyes, out of the corner of his eye.

On the surface, Wang Hao remained as gentle as jade, even carrying a hint of a spring breeze-like smile. He turned his head to chat with Wei Zhongxian, his voice neither loud nor soft, just enough for the people around them to hear:

"Zhongxian, look, this guild's business is indeed not bad. In the future, take on more escort missions for the royal mines and workshops. Those jobs are stable, and the money is paid promptly. When doing business, we value harmony to generate wealth."

What kind of shrewd person was Wei Zhongxian? Although he was muttering in his heart after his master's earlier phrase "don't rush to make a move," at this moment, he immediately cooperated and put on a mercenary, madam-like smiling face, nodding and bowing as he said:

"Young Master, you are absolutely right! This lowly one understands! This lowly one will go arrange it right away, guaranteeing to tightly grasp all those lucrative and good errands in our hands, absolutely not letting outsiders take advantage!"

Wang Hao smiled and nodded. His footsteps seemingly casually turned half a circle, but in reality, his peripheral vision was firmly glued to Ye Chen under the pillar. At the same time, his voice, wrapped in thick internal energy, was as light as a feather, yet carried an unquestionable imperial coercion as it drilled straight into the ears of the four people beside him:

"Hold steady for me. If anyone dares to blow our cover and alert the snake in the grass, I will execute their nine generations."

Sun Li's expression hardened.

The cold light in the depths of Yu Huatian's eyes instantly retracted. He tucked his hands into his sleeves, and under the cover of the wide robes, his slender fingers formed a secret hand sign at an extremely fast speed.

In an instant, the dozen or so Eastern Depot guards scattered throughout the hall, who were originally maintaining order, had a slight flash in their eyes. Not a single one of them turned their heads to look at Ye Chen, yet like a group of silent ghosts, under the cover of the crowd, they quietly adjusted their positions. An invisible, inescapable net had already enveloped Ye Chen and his four guards from afar. They didn't get close, but absolutely left no blind spots.

Pei Jingzhe was even more incredible. After hearing the command, not only did he retract the thumb that had pushed open his sword guard, but he even slowed his breathing rate down to a turtle-like state. The terrifying muscular power of his entire body was perfectly hidden beneath that ordinary martial outfit, like a cheetah completely blended into the darkness. Waiting only for a single look from Wang Hao, he could tear out the target's throat in half a second.

Although the mercenary smile on Wei Zhongxian's face did not change, from an angle unseen by others, those old eyes surged with chilling malice: [You blind little beast, being personally targeted by the Emperor himself, even if you grow wings today, you will still turn into a plate of roast meat!]

As Wang Hao fanned himself with his folding fan, his inner monologue spun rapidly like a precise machine:

[This idiot Ye Chen, his disguise techniques are quite clever, molding his face to look just like Passerby A. What a pity, the self-important arrogance in his eyes simply cannot be hidden. The internal energy of the four experts he brought with him is practically overflowing from the tops of their heads. Does he really think these imperial eunuchs by my side are just for show?]

[Last time his assassination attempt failed, I crippled a small half of his destiny. Now that he has just recovered, he dares to run back to the capital, and specifically sneaks into a place like the Mercenary Guild. What does he want to do? Recruit troops and buy horses? Rope in the outlaws of the martial world to assassinate me again?]

[What a top-tier fool who never learns his lesson.]

[So what if he is the Son of Destiny? So what if he is the Heavenly Dao's biological son? In my Great Zhou, right under my nose, if you dare to reach out your claws, I dare to smash your bones one by one!]

[However... making a move directly right now would be letting him off too easily. Killing him alone in this busy street would at most just eliminate a future trouble. Who exactly is behind him providing him with secret disguise medicines? Where has he been hiding to heal his wounds for the past half month? Just how much shady wealth has he hoarded in his hands? How many accomplices does he have? I know nothing of these things.]

[Since you want to cause trouble so badly, then I will condescend to play with you. I really want to see what kind of vault a big rat like you can lead me to. Catching them all in one net and pulling them up by the roots, that's what's truly satisfying!]

Having made up his mind, the smile on Wang Hao's face grew even thicker. He even raised his hand extremely naturally and patted Wei Zhongxian heavily on the shoulder twice, laughing heartily: "Let's go! Old Wei, lead the way, let's continue strolling. These newly built streets in the South City are full of a bustling market atmosphere, which is much more interesting than that strictly regulated Inner City!"

The relaxation in his tone and the naturalness of his demeanor made him look exactly like a hundred-percent brainless rich second-generation heir out to experience life.

After speaking, he took a step and slowly walked out the guild's main gate. The rhythm of every step was just right, neither lingering too long to arouse suspicion, nor failing to maintain a safe, moderate distance from Ye Chen through the reflections of the surrounding environment.

Not far away, Ye Chen glanced at the departing backs of Wang Hao and his group out of the corner of his eye, the corner of his mouth hooking up into a sneer of extreme disdain.

[A bunch of useless gluttons. With parasites like this who only know how to eat, drink, and play in the Great Zhou, how could it not perish? For scum like this, it is the righteous path for me to follow him and finish him off myself, so he can no longer harm people.]

He smugly picked up his teacup and drained it in one gulp, completely unaware that his current situation was like a mouse that thought it had cleverly bypassed the mousetrap, not knowing that right above its head, a Nine Heavens Giant Dragon from the Imperial City had already slowly opened its abyss-like giant mouth and firmly bitten onto his tail. Just waiting for him to smugly crawl into his lair, the giant dragon would snap its mouth shut, chewing him skin and bones until not even dregs remained!

...

Out the main gate of the Mercenary Guild, the crossroad avenue of the South City was still surging with crowds and bustling with traffic. Vendors on both sides were shouting at the top of their lungs to hawk their wares, and the flames spat out by juggling performers drew bursts of cheers from the crowd.

Wang Hao walked at the very front, his pace as leisurely as if he were on a spring outing. He occasionally stopped to look at the rouge and cosmetics stalls by the roadside, and occasionally picked up a bright red skewer of candied hawthorn. Biting off a hawthorn, the tartness of the fruit and the sweetness of the sugar coating exploded in his mouth. He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, his expression relaxed to the extreme.

Sun Li followed closely half a step behind Wang Hao: "Young Master, that person is tailing us not far behind, how long... how long are we going to walk him? Why not let Commander Pei Jingzhe just finish him off with one sword strike..."

Wang Hao leisurely chewed on the candied hawthorn while speaking indistinctly, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather: "What's the rush? The fish has bitten the hook, but hasn't been dragged into the net yet. If we catch him now, his accomplices will just stay hidden. That's no fun."

Ever since Wang Hao's system was able to strip away the destiny of the Son of Destiny, his killing intent towards Ye Chen wasn't as strong as before. His mindset had changed; now he only wanted to maximize his benefits.

Wei Zhongxian listened from the side, his eyes rolling around as he instantly realized his master's intentions. He immediately echoed flatteringly: "Young Master is wise! This servant understands, you are casting a long line to catch a big fish. By following him, we can go straight in and destroy his lair!"

Yu Huatian walked on the other side, his lips barely moving. "Rest assured, Young Master. Your subordinate has already arranged for two of our swiftest hidden scouts to change their attire and trail far behind them. They have undergone special training and will absolutely not be detected by that scoundrel."

Pei Jingzhe's hand never left the hilt of the blade at his waist. He said in a deep voice, "Young Master, since this person can gather first-rate experts, his lair must be a dragon's pool and tiger's den. We need to quickly mobilize the elite Brocade Guards and the Imperial Army to make foolproof preparations."

Wang Hao swallowed the candied hawthorn in his mouth and casually flicked the bare bamboo stick. With a precise swish, it landed perfectly into a bamboo basket by the roadside.

As he took out a handkerchief to wipe the sticky sugar from his fingertips, the last trace of leisure and laziness vanished instantly from his clear eyes. It was replaced by an extreme, heart-palpitating coldness.

"Pass down the order," Wang Hao said in a low voice. "From now on, everyone is to conceal their inner breath and become shadows. When he moves, we move; when he stops, we stop. Without my imperial decree, no one is allowed to act rashly."

"Yes!" the four responded in unison, their voices compressed into an extremely small radius by their inner qi.

Just as Wang Hao expected, an extremely paranoid Child of Destiny like Ye Chen would never stay long in a crowded place with mixed company.

He stayed in the guild for less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn. It seemed he had exchanged some intelligence with a hidden contact, then immediately took his four guards and slipped out of the hall like a loach, hurrying toward the south gate.

It had to be said, Ye Chen's vigilance was outrageously high.

He did not take the broad official roads. Instead, he led his men twisting and turning through the complex maze of shantytowns slated for demolition and narrow alleys in the southern part of the city. Not only did his pace alternate between fast and slow, but he also frequently stopped dead at alley corners, whirling around to glare at the empty streets behind him with falcon-like eyes, trying to root out any pursuers.

However, the people he encountered today were the Great Zhou Empire's top spymasters and its scheming emperor.

Whenever Ye Chen suddenly turned his head, Wang Hao's group could always react half a second earlier. One second Wang Hao was walking down the street, and the next he would naturally turn into a tavern, looking at the wine list on the wall with great interest. Pei Jingzhe would instantly blend into the shadows of a corner, as if he were a black brick himself. Meanwhile, Yu Huatian would casually pick up a piece of fabric from a street stall and haggle with the merchant.

Perfect disguise, perfect coordination, without revealing a single flaw.