“Good!” Qiao Mu sneered coldly, pulling the sword out of Mao Linye’s shoulder.

“Wait.” Mao Linye was panicking now. Forcing back the pain in his body, he raised a large hand, trying to stop him.

“What conditions can you name? I’m wealthy beyond measure — money is not something I lack.”

“Just send me to Xiang City, and I’ll give you the secret formula for free, completely free — how about it?”

“My apologies.” Feng Jiu’er waved a hand. “I don’t lack money either.”

“Right now, all I want is for you to disappear. Take that harmful formula of yours and vanish forever.”

Shua! Qiao Mu’s sword drew back and thrust forward, piercing straight into Mao Linye’s heart.

Even in death, Mao Linye couldn’t understand why anyone would turn their back on wealth.

Just as Song Shiniang had thought before she died — if they couldn’t obtain the secret formula for the hidden drug, they would surely try everything to get it. Yet the final outcome had turned out to be exactly this.

After eliminating Mao Linye, Feng Jiu’er led her troops further south. South Mountain Villa was located south of Pingyuan City, near Xiang City. There, a large stockpile of drugs still needed to be destroyed.

No formula — that’s good news for me, Feng Jiu’er thought. With Mao Linye dead, no one would be left to produce this hidden drug; all that remained was to burn what was left.

After the three great battles at Li City, Yongshan City, and Pingyuan City, the Black Pool territory had been thoroughly thrown into chaos — or rather, one could say Long Ying (Dragon Shadow) had truly gained a firm foothold in the Black Pool territory. Much reorganizing still remained to be done.

Feng Jiu’er didn’t know what her third brother was up to these days; her man had been left behind at Fenggang Town. She was in charge of leading the brothers in pursuit of Mao Linye, heading south to destroy the remaining hidden drugs.

Pingyuan City was vast, stretching farther east to west than north to south. The company traveled from the northern part to the southern part over roughly nine days.

Finally, on the morning of the tenth day after Mao Linye’s death, Feng Jiu’er’s company arrived at South Mountain Town.

South Mountain Town was the town closest to Xiang City, and within it lay the famous South Mountain Villa.

The brothers who had caught up numbered several dozen. Out of an army of five thousand, they had been split into several groups; apart from the first group, the rest were still on the road.

South Mountain Town was the southernmost town in Pingyuan City, and also the town least affected by the recent battles.

After ten days of travel, Feng Jiu’er led several dozen brothers straight to the town marketplace and took over an inn.

Feng Jiu’er bathed in her own room. By the time she came downstairs, the brothers were already eating.

“Jiu’er.” Gong Xinyue stood up and waved. “Over here.”

“Young Miss Jiu’er.”

“Young Miss Jiu’er.”

Many of the brothers looked over when they heard her name.

“Eat up, don’t be shy!” Feng Jiu’er waved to everyone and walked toward Gong Xinyue.

Qiao Mu was the fastest of the three to come downstairs. She had already eaten her fill and now sat with a cup of tea in hand, her gaze fixed on the map in front of her.

“Jiu’er, eat.” Gong Xinyue handed Feng Jiu’er a pair of chopsticks with both hands.

“Why so formal?” Feng Jiu’er glanced at her. “Just eat!”

“Okay!” Gong Xinyue nodded, delighted.

Feng Jiu’er ate a meat bun, drank some porridge, picked up two pieces of green vegetables, and was quickly full.

By the time she wiped her mouth, Gong Xinyue had also finished eating and was sipping tea. At the same table sat the ever-silent Jian Yi, and Long Shiyi, who spoke only occasionally.

“How does it look?” Feng Jiu’er wiped her mouth and looked at Qiao Mu, who was savoring her tea.

“Ask Xinyue.” Qiao Mu glanced at the two of them, set down her cup, and slid the map toward Feng Jiu’er.

“She’s been here before — she even ate a meal at this shop once.”

“Mm.” Gong Xinyue nodded. “Jiu’er, from here to the place we need to go, it’s only about a quarter hour’s ride by horse.”

Gong Xinyue pulled the map closer and pointed to a spot on it.

“We’re here right now.” Her fingertip moved. “And this — is South Mountain Villa.”

“South Mountain is the name of a mountain. South Mountain Villa sits at the foot of it, on the northwest side.”

“Right, this is the place.”

Gong Xinyue pointed at the map and drew a circle around an area.

“This whole area is South Mountain. If we can’t find what we’re looking for at South Mountain Villa, I’d suggest expanding the search to cover the entire mountain.”

“I studied it carefully just now — throughout the whole of South Mountain Town, the mountain itself is the easiest place to hide something.”

“Jiu’er, I sent word to the brothers. Those in town might arrive soon.”

“Mm.” Feng Jiu’er nodded. “What exactly is South Mountain Villa like?”

Gong Xinyue glanced at her and answered softly, “According to what the brothers have observed these past few days, South Mountain Villa hasn’t changed much in years.”

“On one hand it purchases medicinal herbs, and on the other, it also functions as an inn.”

“Inside there’s a place called South Mountain Quiet Convent. It’s not actually a temple — it’s just the name of a courtyard.”

“But the women living there dress in nun’s robes and shave their heads. Unlike real nuns though, they eat meat and drink wine.”

“In front of and to the right of South Mountain Quiet Convent, there are large courtyards mostly used for drying herbs.”

“To the left of South Mountain Quiet Convent, five inns have been built, each with its own character. Together, these inns bring in about half of the total revenue of all the inns in South Mountain Town.”

“Jiu’er.” Gong Xinyue leaned in a little closer.

“The brothers say South Mountain Villa is under the town head’s protection. I don’t know if that’s true, but the town head does visit often, and he’s also a regular at one of the inns.”

“That’s all the information I have, Jiu’er. I’m sorry, the brothers couldn’t help much more.”

The feud with Gong Xinyue’s father was also the feud of the entire stockade’s people. Now that Gong Xinyue had personally killed Mao Zhongcai and avenged her great enemy, everyone in her stockade was overjoyed.

The people of the stockade knew this was all thanks to the Dragon Shadow organization, and their admiration for it only continued to deepen.

“Tell them for me, they’ve worked hard.” Feng Jiu’er gently patted Gong Xinyue’s shoulder.

Gong Xinyue smiled but said nothing.

After breakfast, Feng Jiu’er gathered the brothers upstairs, gave her instructions, and after a bit of disguise, headed out the door.

The ones who left together were Feng Jiu’er, Qiao Mu, Gong Xinyue, and Jian Yi.

The three women changed into commoners’ clothing, pinned up their long hair, slightly adjusted their skin tone, and dressed like ordinary married women. Jian Yi’s disguise was even more understated — gray clothing, somewhat worn but very clean, looking exactly like a groom’s outfit.

But no matter how he dressed, he was still the most handsome, most refined, and most captivating of heroes.

The four of them rode in a carriage toward South Mountain Villa, with Long Shiyi leading a squad of brothers following not far behind.

In less than a quarter hour, the carriage entered a tree-lined path. The road wasn’t narrow, with tall trees lining both sides. Sunlight came down from above, filtering through the leaves and casting beams of light along the ground. The road stretched on for some length, and at a glance, it gave off a pleasant feeling.