Master of Strange Dao

But now, it's obvious that someone has already begun targeting him.

Moreover, the other party has dug up a lot; the covers he put in place, they haven't stayed covered.

Four-eyed Strange Face talked for several two-hour periods before he got through it all.

"As for the rest, the last bit of news I have about them, that's all I can know.

After all, as you know, the channels I have for getting information are very limited, and I usually have to rely on you Jinyi Wei.

I advise you not to see your youngest son anymore, the household in Dali where he is has gained some power and has been doing alright these past two years.

I barely managed to find any clues; I don't believe others can trace anything to him.

As for your only two daughters left, one is also in Dali, only seven years old this year, and has become a child bride in a wealthy family.

The other daughter had some troubles along the border of Kuihou Country a few years back; that woman, in order to save her life, taught qin skills in a brothel.

Later on, more troubles arose, and someone saved your daughter and escaped to the Wilderness, and you know what happened there later on; I thought they were all dead.

However, last year, I caught wind of some news in Kuihou Country, there's still a slim chance your daughter isn't dead.

But there's bad news; the person who took your daughter away that year has turned into a hungry ghost, and from what I deduce, it's likely your daughter did not survive either.

As for what you'll do next, it's better if I don't know.

If after your death, the next Commander finds me and asks the same questions, I won't be able to hide it.

All I can do to help you is not to record anything down; there will be no files to trace."

After Four-eyed Strange Face finished speaking, Song Chengyue once again expressed his gratitude.

He sighed deeply; he knew that his youngest son and daughter were still alive.

Only because he had hidden them well enough, erased the tracks and evidence cleanly, and throughout the process, had not let anyone he knew, including himself, get involved.

The earlier ones, due to various reasons, his lack of strength, inadequate power, or other reasons, still left some traces in the end.

The ones that survived in the end, he himself didn't even know where they were, or what they looked like.

Four-eyed Strange Face quietly retreated, and the table returned to its normal appearance, just like any ordinary table.

Sitting there, Song Chengyue remained silent for a long time, feeling an inevitable sadness welling up inside him.

He had wagered his life and death, his loyalty, yet that last bit of hope still could not be completely preserved.

Four-eyed Strange Face hadn't told him who was behind all these things.

But he understood that aside from the Jinyi Wei of Daqian, who else could have done this?

He hadn't stepped down yet, and someone was already preparing for succession.

And if that person didn't have full confidence, how would they dare to do such a thing?

If the current Commander found out, that person would definitely have no way out.

No matter who stood behind him, certain death awaited.

Song Chengyue glanced in the direction of the imperial palace and closed his eyes, masking the disappointment in them.

With his eyes closed, he patted the table.

After opening the drawer, he took out a document from inside, about Jinlan Mountain.

In that document, there was only one female hungry ghost.

He put the document back into the drawer, closed it, and sat there with his eyes closed for almost half the day.

In his Qi Sea, a ring faintly lit up.

...

Yu Ziqing's hand trembled, and the fine needle flying up and down wasn't caught, broke the thread once more, becoming a fleeting shadow flying out.

With power behind it, the fine needle pierced through several locust trees in a row, embedding into the last one.

Around his wooden house, within a thousand zhang radius, there were no more hungry ghosts in the locust trees, they had all moved away.

Keep in mind that locust trees near the edge of the inner circle were considered prime estate for those hungry ghosts. Only those without restored spiritual wisdom, without any skill, fools that didn't even have awareness, couldn't possibly live there.

Now, they've all moved away.

While practicing, Yu Ziqing sensed someone summoning him from the Seventh Floor ring.

Yu Ziqing thought it over for a moment, Commander Yang's No.3 could be ignored.

No.6 had been submerged for a long time, possibly because of the matter in the East Sea, which had a great influence on him; he had been busy fleeing.

No.5 also only dared to leave messages and dared not call out randomly.

No.2 had never contacted him.

That meant it was No.4, that scoundrel, who had again wandered off and gotten into some scrape, calling for help online.

But upon entering the Seventh Floor ring and arriving at the Seventh Floor, he saw someone sitting at No.1's spot.

Yu Ziqing was somewhat shocked.

That No.1, who had never shown up, whom he had almost forgotten about.

When No.1 saw him, he immediately stood up and gave a bow with hands clasped, very polite.

"Sorry to disturb you so abruptly," he said, "there's something I wish to consult you about, and I truly can't have peace of mind without asking."

"You're too kind. What information would you like to trade? However, I might not know it."

"Within Daqian's bounds, any information I know, you may ask at leisure, and we can use it for trade."

Hearing this, Yu Ziqing knew the other party was somewhat anxious and in a rush, and was convinced that he definitely knew the answer to the question.

After Yu Ziqing sat down, No.1 paused for a moment before posing his question.

"I wish to inquire about a child who was brought to a place by Cece of Jinlan Mountain. Is she... still alive?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Ziqing's heart jolted.

It wasn't surprising that people here guessed he came from Jinlan Mountain; everyone knew but simply did not speak of it outright.

But he never expected No.1 to ask about this.

Seeing that Yu Ziqing did not speak, No.1 went on to say.

"Back then, a woman of mine encountered tragedy, teaching qin skills in a brothel within Kuihou Country's Western Border, and then chaos ensued. My child was then rescued by Cece and taken to the Wilderness."

"I've just learned of this, and merely wish to confirm."

Yu Ziqing fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"She's gone."

This wasn't a secret, there was no need to keep silence.

"May I ask, how... did she leave?"

"Cece was pursued by a Cannibal, and before her death, not wanting the child to fall into the Cannibal's hands, used her last breath to throw the child off a cliff."

"Ah..." No.1 let out a long sigh, unable to utter any words of blame, even having to be grateful to Cece.

The moment No.1 took the initiative to contact him and asked that question, Yu Ziqing knew this fellow might not be lying.

This kind of question wasn't a secret in Jinlan Mountain and even to some outsiders who might have entered Despair Abyss before, it wasn't a secret either; that little theater never stopped.

Formerly, entering and leaving Despair Abyss had actually been very easy.

If the question had ended here, Yu Ziqing could be one hundred percent certain it was the truth.

However, right after that, he heard No.1 continue to say.

"I wish to make a trade with you, three hundred pieces of information within Daqian, within a year."

Hearing the stakes of the trade, Yu Ziqing immediately stood up and started walking down.

Such a huge cost, the content of the trade was not something he could finalize, nor could he afford it.

Seeing Yu Ziqing leave, No.1 hastily said.

"I'd like to ask Jinlan Mountain to take in two children, a boy and a girl, the boy is four, the girl seven, both are in Dali."

"That's all!"

"They don't know who I am, I've never contacted them directly, I haven't even met them."

"They're my last children."

"I just don't want them to be implicated, don't want them to die, that's all."