Hidden Moth-Chapter 376 - 212: Admiring Qian Among the Hundred Blossoms

Chapter 376: Chapter 212: Admiring Qian Among the Hundred Blossoms

Shengtian Gang is a Guest of Fate, presumably a distant cousin of Shi Yun Road, and one of those opportunists living off the big tree that is the Huiming Shi Family. Like Little Pingtou Li Weiping, he was also a henchman for Shi Haowu and others.

With Shi Haowu gone, Shengtian Gang quickly pivoted and latched onto Shi Yun Road, who had just returned to the country, becoming his errand boy.

You might call this path dependence; it’s the job he’s most skilled at, sudden changes to other work might be uncomfortable for him.

Why doesn’t he seek out others? Because others won’t take him in! The big shots from the Ancestral Hall are out of his league, while Shi Yun Road is the thickest leg he can currently cling to.

This noon, he went to a western restaurant that Shi Yun Road frequented to eat, even ordering dishes as per Shi Yun Road’s pre-set menu.

The restaurant staff knew him well, greeting him politely, and even the manager came especially to greet him. Shengtian Gang felt a bit elated, yet also uneasy, trying his best to feign calm.

Because today he was wearing Shi Yun Road’s face and clothes.

Lan Jiwan once crafted a very intricate mask, which when worn mirrored the appearance of Shang Yan, another cleaner under Bitter Tea, and Shang Yan’s identity documents could also be used on normal days.

Shi Yun Road also crafted such a mask, which looked like his own face, not because he was particularly smart or insightful, but because someone specifically taught him. After all, he is a Tier Three Sorcerer of the Huiming Shi Family.

The reason he chose Shengtian Gang to impersonate him was simply that Shengtian Gang’s height and weight were very similar to his, so dressing in his clothes required no additional makeup, only taking care not to leave fingerprints.

If, in the future, someone were to investigate, asking where he was at the time of the incident, then this restaurant’s manager, staff, including multiple surveillance inside and outside, could all provide him with an alibi.

Though it’s unlikely anyone would trace it back to him, he still considered it very thoroughly, better safe than sorry.

The food in Zhujiang Province is quite famous; the locals not only love food but are connoisseurs of it. Many inconspicuous small shops in alleys do very well, and there’s no shortage of high-end restaurants if you’re willing to spend.

The restaurant where Shengtian Gang ate was an exception, having western cuisine in Nanhua felt a bit like admiring elm money among a sea of flowers.

This restaurant doesn’t have many patrons, if you don’t request it, the staff will only provide knives and forks, not chopsticks, and the prices are quite steep. Who knows what mindset Shi Yun Road had to dine here often?

But Shi Yun Road not only provided him with a generous dining fee but also promised him a high-paying position in the company in the future, making the job seem quite easy.

After settling the bill and walking out, Shengtian Gang looked up at the sky, finally breathing a sigh of relief. Once he drove back to Shi Yun Road’s residence later, his task for the day would be complete.

As he was about to move forward, he didn’t notice the grass beside the roadside greenery seemed to suddenly come alive.

This description is inaccurate because grass is inherently alive, yet at this moment, a few slender blades of grass were moving without wind, slithering like snakes, slipping into his trouser leg...

By the time Shengtian Gang realized, he was bound by some unknown force; he couldn’t even shout, awkwardly lifting his feet and heading towards a van, moving like a marionette—that was not the car he came in.

It looked like he boarded the van himself, then the van drove him off to who knows where.

Shi Yun Road didn’t know that Shengtian Gang had been taken away; he was quietly ambushed in a forest alongside a highway, which connected Huiming to Nanhua. Shi Haotu and his wife were going to drive through here.

This was a hilly area; from Shi Yun Road’s vantage point, the highway swerved to the left along the contour at mid-slope, with a steep descent on the right side, the slope was very steep and high.

If a vehicle driving by suddenly lost control here, it would crash through the guardrail and roll down the hill.

The sealed Li Chun would certainly not react in time and would surely die, let alone Shi Haotu. Even if they miraculously survived, the lurking Shi Yun Road would use clever means to ensure they were critically injured beyond recovery.

This was Shi Yun Road’s plan, to use the simplest method to create the most common accident.

Shi Yun Road arrived a bit early, just sitting quietly in the woods waiting, he had plenty of patience. As a Tier Three Sorcerer, he could detect from afar whether Shi Haotu and his wife’s car had arrived.

Shi Yun Road was unaware that his supposedly hidden actions were being captured on camera.

He Kao hadn’t played with a drone in a long time, and today he got a chance to showcase his skills. This was his newly bought drone, which had considerable performance for a civilian product.

Even though it was a super silent model, it still made noise, so the drone kept a considerable distance from Shi Yun Road and didn’t fly above him, flying low at a diagonal at least two kilometers away, sprayed with camouflage and hidden among the treetops, only ensuring the camera was aimed at Shi Yun Road.

This camera was specially modified by He Kao, costing tens of times more than the drone, linked with software that could automatically track and lock on to the target, simply required to record Shi Yun Road’s movements.

Even with Shi Yun Road’s strong divine sense, it’s impossible for it to extend this far; plus, the noisy environment with wind blowing through grass and trees, birds and insects chirping, especially the highway’s vehicle noise, makes it very hard to notice the distant drone.

As a Tier Three Appraiser, Shi Yun Road excels at distinguishing various items. Whether a piece of grass or wood, even a stone that seems out of place, he can spot any anomalies with slight attention.

However, detecting a drone hidden beyond his divine sense in the treetops isn’t his forte, and his focus is entirely on the highway, watching the vehicles coming from the direction of Huiming.

After Shi Yun Road lingered in the roadside woods, He Kao retrieved the drone, which was mainly for providing a location, as no one knew beforehand exactly where Shi Yun Road would choose to act.

According to the prior intel Shi Yun Road had, the Shi Haotu couple would return to Nanhua after lunch, arriving here around 1:30 in the afternoon.

The timing was accurately estimated; to be precise, it was 1:28.

The Shi Haotu couple was riding in a seven-seat business car, both sitting in the middle seats, with Lan Jiwan driving in the front, not slowing down much on the curves, maintaining a speed of about seventy miles per hour.

Outside the guardrail lies a rubble, slightly larger than an adult’s fist, shaped somewhat like an irregular caltrop with distinctly protruding four sharp points. Its texture is quite hard, placed there quietly by Shi Yun Road.

As Shi Haotu’s car approached, this stone suddenly slid across the ground towards the roadway. Shi Yun Road aimed to send it under the car’s right front wheel, waiting to hear the loud bang of a tire blowout...

But he heard nothing; the stone was suddenly flung out by a force, flying into the grass in the steep slope below the guardrail, and while he was stunned, the car had gone far away.

Shi Yun Road could not afford to care about that car anymore, clearly someone was interfering with his actions, and his first reaction was to hurry and leave.

But as he turned around, he suddenly flung several pebbles, realizing that a person was standing not far in the woods, unclear whether they were originally there or had followed him stealthily.

These pebbles were about the size of quail eggs, appearing like agate pebbles, but they were actually leftover scraps from sacrificial refining of magical artifacts, having high "spiritual affinity," very suitable for control with object methods.

The pebbles drew an arc bypassing obstructive trees, with a whistling sound heading towards the person, then Shi Yun Road only saw flashes of golden light before the thrown stones seemed to be blown away, and his chest took a heavy blow.

The feeling was like being knocked down by a brick.

If it were truly a brick, his muscles and bones would likely have been broken, but his bones weren’t broken at that moment; it felt as if a tremendous force had beaten his whole body, instantly draining his strength, making him black out and faint.

It was a golden light that struck him, coming from the other’s hand holding a gold bar, and the "brick" hadn’t been thrown yet.

Qian Guran walked through the woods to approach, puffed out his chest and exhaled, frowned and pursed his lips, looking quite disappointed; he was all ready to show off his skills, yet Shi Yun Road was so easily defeated.

Although Qi Observation Sect sorcerers aren’t known for magical combat, Old Qian already has Tier Four cultivation, and more importantly, he has a magical treasure, the gold bar engraved with plum branch patterns in his hand.

He originally wanted to name this magical treasure "Heaven-Sealing Seal" in tribute to the "Heaven-Overturning Seal" of the Eastern Country’s myth and legend, but Yao Shaolan commented that this name not only sounded boastful but also too rustic, suggesting the name "Meihua Town."

Qian Guran however argued against this name because the current Sect Leader of the Alchemy Sect is hailed as the Meihua Immortal, what does it mean to make a magical treasure named Meihua Town? He eventually named it "Golden Branch Seal."

Old Qian feels unsatisfied, as the Golden Branch Seal has two marvelous uses left unused!

But actually, this is the best outcome, if he really had to exert all his means, the situation might turn perilous. The opponent is already down, but Qian Guran didn’t relax vigilance, still holding the Golden Branch Seal, intently guarding the surroundings.

After a while, another car from Huiming direction arrived, flashing double lights and stopped at the roadside emergency lane, Qian Guran quickly got in carrying the half-dead Shi Yun Road.

This was Shi Yun Road’s car, driven by He Kao. Qian Guran frowned and asked, "Any discoveries?"

He Kao didn’t turn around, just looked at the rearview mirror with a smile, "I didn’t find anyone else, still, President Qian is mighty!"

Qian Guran’s expression was slightly contemplative: "Just a small skirmish! Went through the trouble to call me from far away, if the opponent was some expert that’s fine, but to handle something like this?"

He Kao laughed along, "Consideration in estimating foes, who knew his capabilities before acting, or if there are hidden experts assisting him? I worried I couldn’t handle it, so invited you, the great expert, out; you also scored another major achievement!"

While speaking, he glanced upwards at the sky in front, the blue sky and white clouds brightly sunny, trying to discern if there’s anything unusual about the clouds, but unfortunately, saw nothing.

**