215: Misty Rain Tower

The morning mist in the core hall of Beyond Heaven had yet to fully dissipate, but Jun Xiaoyao was already seated before the water mirror, twirling a black jade chess piece between his fingers.

In the mirror, Zhan Zhao was a green shadow, trailing the Wang Family Eldest Son's carriage from a distance.

The carriage was luxuriously decorated, its wheels covered in copper, moving silently over the bluestone road, clearly a specially made shock-absorbing carriage.

"Young Lord, the Wang Family Eldest Son, Wang Lin, has three Grandmaster Realm guards with him. The one wearing a bamboo hat has a soft sword at his waist and an effeminate aura, like an assassin from the Misty Rain Tower."

Zhan Zhao's voice came through the water mirror, tinged with alert, "The Misty Rain Tower has always avoided interfering with transactions between aristocratic families and rebel armies. Their sudden appearance this time suggests this cargo is not simple."

Jun Xiaoyao lightly placed the chess piece on the 'Southern Chu Border' marker on the board: "Misty Rain Tower? Last year, they took a contract to move against my Beyond Heaven's medicine shops in the black market, and three of their Tower Lords were crippled by the Marshal of the Unruly."

He traced the mirror's surface with his fingertip, "Tell Zhan Zhao not to alert them. Observe their transaction location and contact person. If the Misty Rain Tower is truly involved, it's a good opportunity to settle both old and new scores."

The left water mirror lit up, showing the Marshal of the Unruly setting up an ambush in the mountain forest on the Southern Chu border. Twenty Unruly members, clad in camouflage combat attire, had their crossbow bolts wrapped in cloth to prevent reflection.

The Marshal of the Unruly crouched behind a boulder, drawing a topographical map on the ground with a branch: "The reed marsh ahead is the transaction point. Three rows of sharp spikes are buried underwater; Wang Lin's carriage will get stuck as soon as it enters.

Xiao San, take five men to guard the left flank, preventing them from escaping into the mountains. Xiao Si, take five men to guard the right flank; dip the arrowheads in Mafei Powder. Don't kill them, leave them alive for questioning."

An Unruly member with a scarred face whispered, "Marshal, what if people from the Misty Rain Tower intervene? Their Tower Lord is a Great Grandmaster Realm expert."

The Marshal of the Unruly pulled out the bronze whistle from his waist, its body gleaming with a cold light: "Blow three long whistles, and The Net's 'Shadow Group' at the border will come to support.

The Shadow Group leader is a Late Stage Great Grandmaster, more than enough to deal with a Misty Rain Tower Lord." He paused, his gaze as sharp as a blade, "But don't use them unless absolutely necessary—the Young Lord said this cargo must be brought back intact, don't let the Shadow Group snatch the credit."

The central water mirror switched to Zhao Gao's figure. He was sitting in a secret chamber of The Net's sub-branch, sifting through ledgers confiscated from the Qingzhou granary. The last few pages of the ledgers had strange symbols drawn in cinnabar, like some kind of mark.

Zhao Gao tapped a symbol with his fingertip and said to the decipherer beside him, "These symbols are consistent with the marks on the secret letters intercepted from the Misty Rain Tower last year. They are both 'blood jade' symbols."

The decipherer pushed up his glasses, carefully compared them, and nodded: "That's right, this is the secret mark for 'crimson blood jade.' crimson blood jade originates from the Western Regions' volcanoes and can nourish Internal Energy, but more importantly... it can be used to refine 'realm-breaking pill' to help Grandmaster Realm experts Break through to Great Grandmaster."

Jun Xiaoyao's eyebrows slightly raised. He knew about crimson blood jade; there was a piece in Beyond Heaven's treasury, but its quality was far inferior to the top-grade ones that could refine realm-breaking pills.

He looked at the right water mirror. Duan Yu was standing in a teahouse in a small town on the Southern Chu border, playing with a string of candied hawthorns. He seemed leisurely, but the corner of his eye was always fixed on the intersection.

【Name: Duan Yu

Origin: demi-gods and semi-devils World

Realm: Innate Late Stage

Martial Skill: Six Meridians Divine Sword (Shangyang Sword Initial Achievement), Subtle Steps of the Rippling Waves (Major Achievement)

Status: Disguised as a tourist, monitoring the town entrance to prevent the transaction team from taking a detour】

"These candied hawthorns aren't as good without Dali's plum juice," Duan Yu mumbled. Suddenly, he saw three Men in Black enter the teahouse, each with a red rope tied around their waist—the mark of Misty Rain Tower assassins.

He subtly moved to the window, pretending to admire the scenery, but in reality, he was circulating the Internal Energy of Subtle Steps of the Rippling Waves, ready to escape and report at any moment.

Jun Xiaoyao's gaze returned to the central water mirror. Zhan Zhao had already followed Wang Lin's carriage into Southern Chu territory. The boundary marker by the road was carved with the words "Chu Border," and next to it was a crooked character for "Yan," clearly a contact cipher for the Misty Rain Tower.

The carriage paused briefly before the boundary marker. A fisherman in a straw cape rowed a boat out of the reed marsh and handed a bamboo tube to the coachman.

"The contact person is 'Overlord River Dragon' Zhao San," Zhan Zhao's voice was even lower. "Zhao San is the Southern Chu Rebel Army's quartermaster. Last year, he intercepted three batches of our medicine and had a leg broken by The Net. I didn't expect him to still be active."

In the water mirror, the coachman took the bamboo tube, and the carriage continued deeper into the reed marsh.

The fisherman, meanwhile, rowed his boat back, and beneath the fishing net at the stern, a black box was vaguely visible.

"Marshal of the Unruly, prepare to act," Jun Xiaoyao's voice reached the Marshal of the Unruly through the water mirror.

The Marshal of the Unruly blew a short whistle, and The Unruly immediately nocked their crossbows and drew their blades, lying motionless in the reeds.

Sunlight filtered through the reed leaves, casting dappled shadows on their faces, with only the cold glint of crossbow bolts occasionally flashing.

The carriage drove into the center of the reed marsh. As the Marshal of the Unruly had expected, the wheels sank into the pre-set spike trap, tilting to the ground with a clang. Wang Lin poked his head out of the carriage, about to curse, when he was struck in the shoulder by a tranquilizer crossbow bolt, crying out in pain and falling back inside the carriage.

"An ambush!" The Misty Rain Tower assassin in the bamboo hat reacted fastest, his soft sword swishing out of its sheath, its blade cutting through the air like autumn water, deflecting the incoming crossbow bolts. The other two Grandmaster Realm guards also drew their weapons, forming a defensive circle back-to-back.

"Take them down!" The Marshal of the Unruly leaped from behind the boulder, his long blade unsheathed, its light cutting towards the assassin in the bamboo hat with a whistling sound. The assassin's soft sword coiled, intending to disarm the blade, but the Marshal of the Unruly suddenly changed his move, smashing the hilt heavily into his chest. The assassin grunted, retreated three steps, his bamboo hat falling to the ground, revealing a face covered in scars—it was none other than Ghost Shadow, the Third Tower Lord of the Misty Rain Tower.

"Marshal of the Unruly?" Ghost Shadow was both startled and enraged. "Why is Beyond Heaven interfering with my Misty Rain Tower's affairs?"

"You shouldn't have touched the Wang family's goods," the Marshal of the Unruly's blade continued. "Last year's accounts haven't been settled; today, we'll clear them all."

At this moment, dense footsteps suddenly came from outside the reed marsh. A dozen Men in Black rushed in, led by an old man with a goatee, whose aura was as steady as a mountain—it was Misty Rain Sword Liu Chengfeng, the Misty Rain Tower Lord, an Initial Stage Great Grandmaster.

"Marshal of the Unruly, harming my Misty Rain Tower's people, does your Beyond Heaven want to start a war?" Liu Chengfeng's voice was cold, and with a flick of his long sword, a faint mist gathered on the blade, clearly intending to kill.

The Marshal of the Unruly's eyes narrowed. Just as he was about to blow the whistle for the Shadow Group, he suddenly heard a clear, long whistle from outside the reed marsh. A green shadow streaked like a meteor, and the strong wind from the iron ruler instantly forced back Liu Chengfeng's sword momentum.

"Zhan Zhao is late; I hope Marshal will forgive me." Zhan Zhao landed beside the Marshal of the Unruly, his iron ruler pointing directly at Liu Chengfeng. "The Young Lord has ordered: if the Misty Rain Tower is sensible, hand over the goods and leave; otherwise, by sunrise tomorrow, the Misty Rain Tower will be erased from the Jianghu."

Liu Chengfeng looked at the suddenly appearing Zhan Zhao, then at The Unruly members ambushing around him, his face flickering between expressions.

He knew the power of Beyond Heaven; the crippling of three Tower Lords last year was still fresh in his memory. But if he retreated now, the Misty Rain Tower's reputation would be completely ruined.

"You refuse a toast and prefer a forfeit!" Liu Chengfeng gritted his teeth, his long sword swirling with a sky full of mist as he attacked Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao wielded his iron ruler with ease, its shadows forming a wall, blocking all the misty sword momentum. The two, one attacking and one defending, fought thirty rounds in an instant, yet neither could gain the upper hand.

At this moment, Duan Yu suddenly ran from the teahouse direction, his Subtle Steps of the Rippling Waves making him tread on the reeds as if on flat ground: "Not good, the Misty Rain Tower assassins from the small town are coming this way, at least five Grandmaster Realm experts!"

The Marshal of the Unruly frowned, about to order a retreat, when he suddenly heard Jun Xiaoyao's voice from the water mirror: "Let the Shadow Group act. Finish quickly, don't let the cargo be damaged."

The Marshal of the Unruly immediately blew three long whistles; the sound echoed through the reed marsh.

Moments later, five black shadows streaked out from the mountain forest. The leader was a masked Man in Black, whose aura had reached Late Stage Great Grandmaster—it was Shadow One, the leader of The Net's Shadow Group.

Shadow One struck directly at Liu Chengfeng, his palm wind carrying a sharp, tearing whistle through the air, forcing Liu Chengfeng to retreat repeatedly.

The other four Shadow Group members were like wolves entering a flock of sheep, quickly dealing with the rushing Misty Rain Tower assassins.

Seeing the unfavorable situation, Liu Chengfeng feigned a move to escape but was struck in the back by Shadow One's palm wind, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood and collapsing to the ground.

Shadow One stepped forward and struck his head with a palm, and Liu Chengfeng immediately died.

"Search the carriage!" the Marshal of the Unruly ordered.

The Unruly opened the tilted carriage, and inside were indeed twenty black boxes.

Opening one of them, neatly stacked inside were pieces of crimson blood jade the size of pigeon eggs. The jade was warm and lustrous, faintly glowing red—it was indeed the top-grade material capable of refining realm-breaking pills.

"Young Lord, the goods are secured," the Marshal of the Unruly bowed towards the water mirror.

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the crimson blood jade in the mirror, a faint smile playing on his lips.

These crimson blood jade were enough for Beyond Heaven to cultivate three more Great Grandmasters, greatly benefiting the strength of The Net and The Unruly. He tapped his fingertip on the chessboard, and the black jade chess piece landed on the 'Misty Rain Tower' marker, firmly pressing it down.

"Zhao Gao," Jun Xiaoyao said lightly, "send someone to the Misty Rain Tower's main headquarters. Tell them to hand over all their assets, and Beyond Heaven can spare their lives; otherwise, by sunrise tomorrow, the Misty Rain Tower will completely disappear."

"Yes, Young Lord," Zhao Gao's voice carried respect, and a hint of imperceptible excitement.

In the water mirror, The Unruly were moving the crimson blood jade boxes onto the waiting carriage. The Shadow Group had already left with Wang Lin and Ghost Shadow, and the other captives. Only the bodies of the Misty Rain Tower assassins and the carriage stuck in the mud remained in the reed marsh.

The morning mist gradually dispersed, and sunlight spilled onto the reed leaves, reflecting golden light, as if nothing had happened.

Jun Xiaoyao stood up and walked to the window, gazing at Beyond Heaven's continuous palace complex. With the crimson blood jade in hand and the Misty Rain Tower on the verge of destruction, Beyond Heaven's influence would grow even stronger.

He knew this was just the beginning. More of the resources on this continent would eventually fall into Beyond Heaven's hands, and he, the Young Lord behind the scenes, only needed to sit steadily before the water mirror, watching The Net and The Unruly weave their nets to even more distant places.