Everyone has their own plans

  Bai Luli grasped the horizontal beam under the eaves, her back tightly pressed against the icy wall, gazing down at the black-clad man standing right below her eyes, her gaze sharp and piercing. While paying attention to the black-clad man's every move, she slid the small dagger hidden in her sleeve into the palm of her hand.

  Who was following her and what was the purpose of following her? Bai Liuli's eyes narrowed, just about to make a sudden move to grab the black-clothed person, when she suddenly heard the sound of clashing swords from the front. She paused for a moment, then heard footsteps coming from the corner where they had just turned, and the urgent footsteps didn't seem like just a few people. The black-clothed person glanced back over his shoulder, but before he could look up at the rooftop, he suddenly disappeared into the darkness of another corner.

  The people from the champion's mansion are coming? Yu Shiyan discovered that Chi Yu was stolen? Heh - wanting to retrieve Chi Yu, it's not that simple.

  When the noisy footsteps accompanied by the bright red flames appeared at the corner, the sound of clashing swords not far away also stopped. The white crystal-like eyes sank deeply, and suddenly she bit the small dagger between her teeth, then took out the scabbard, aimed at the blurry figure not far away, and threw it out with force!

  It has come to this, and there's nothing else to be done. The physical strength of this body is exhausted, she can't stay under the eaves any longer, and must leave immediately.

  "Ding——" Only a sharp clanging sound of blades colliding was heard in the dark night, a blinding white light flashed, and the dagger that had been flung out by Bai Liuli was deflected by that instantaneously blinding white light. It then suddenly plunged into the green stone floor in front of the Shangyuan Fu guards who were holding torches!

  Then, without a doubt, the guards of the Mansion of the First Prize Winner would rush towards the place where the sound came from!

  When she was sure no one noticed this quiet corner, Bai Luli quickly jumped down and immediately turned her back to the corner, making herself completely disappear from the sight of that group of people.

  Just then, as Bai Liuli leaped down from the eaves of her house, she distinctly felt a chill like a knife's edge coming from the direction where she had thrown away the scabbard of her dagger.

  Found out? However, how does that matter, she has already left the place of trouble safely, her purpose was achieved. Yu Shi Ran had just become the champion of martial arts, he shouldn't dare to kill innocent people recklessly, so the person surrounded should not be in danger of losing their life. What a pity about the scabbard she threw out, after all it was specially made for this small dagger, can only think of ways to see if it's possible to get it back.

  The autumn night was cool as water, still carrying the damp chill after the rain, pouring into the nape of the neck, making the deep autumn even colder. Under the dark and gloomy sky, no one noticed a pure black swallow flying high and low, only leaving after White Jade had gone, spreading its wings to fly east towards the city, finally entering the courtyard of a lantern with a green glass shade swaying gently in the wind.

  Only in this courtyard, there are large rocks and stones standing upright, some of which have been carved into strange shapes, such as the four great evil beasts from ancient myths. Some are carved in a sitting or lying position, while others appear to be sleeping or fighting fiercely. All of them seem lifelike, especially under the eerie light cast by the only green glass lantern in the courtyard.

  However, these four ferocious beasts are arranged in an orderly manner, whether they are sitting or fighting, and they all face the same direction - the center of the courtyard. And what is placed in the center of the courtyard is not something else, but also a stone carving, which is several times larger than the surrounding ferocious beast carvings, facing south and standing upright, it's actually a Xi Wang!

  That solitary wind lamp hung on the sharp fangs of the Xi Wang, swaying in the night wind, illuminating the pair of piercing eyes that seemed cold and stern, as if gazing down at the world below with a chilly gaze.

  At this moment, a man in black robe and boots with a tall figure sat on the head of a stone carved Xiezhi, leaning against the single horn on the Xiezhi's head, his left arm stretched forward, and the pure black Ha Dongqing flapped its wings several times in the courtyard full of stone carvings before landing on the man's arm.

  "Mò Yǔ, has returned." The man's voice was cold and bland, the green forest lamp swayed, the man's face with a pale and fierce mask flickered in the light, only to see the man slightly retract his left arm, his right hand gently stroked the glossy black feathers on Hǎi Dōng Qīng's back. Only to hear Hǎi Dōng Qīng make a low humming sound from her throat, the man's voice was calm and cool, as if talking to himself: "She went to the Zhuàng Yuàn Fǔ, the Zhuàng Yuàn Fǔ has mobilized all of its guards."

  The man gently scratched the soft down on the black bird's neck, and the black bird lowered its head to peck at the man's hand, making a low "gurgling" sound in its throat, as if it were talking to the man. The mask covered the man's face, and it seemed that the mask was his true face. The man nodded slightly, and the black bird made two more sounds, then the man stroked its head, raised his left arm with a bit of force, and said in a gentle voice: "You've worked hard tonight, you're a good kid, go now."

  A black bird flapped its wings and flew away, circling twice above a man's head before flying off.

  The man adjusted the mask on his face, stood up, jumped down from the stone carving, and left this strange and abnormal courtyard.

  Another place in the city.

  "Slap——" A sharp slapping sound, a clear palm print suddenly appeared on the face of a man in black, but he didn't raise his hand to cover his face, nor was there any anger on his face. Instead, with a humble and respectful expression, he immediately knelt down on both knees, bowed his head deeply towards the brocade-clad young master in front of him, and said humbly, "Your subordinate has failed in his duties, willing to accept your punishment!"

  Only saw the young master in brocade clothes, handsome and elegant, wearing a jade crown, with silver embroidery on his clothes, exuding an air of nobility. At this moment, he was coldly staring at the black-clad man kneeling in front of him.

  "With your skills, you can't even catch a woman?" A pair of beautiful eyes were filled with coldness at this moment, as if they could tear the black-clad man in front of them to pieces at any time. The tone was icy to the extreme, revealing his anger.

  The man in black lowered his head even further, "I am incompetent."

  Yu Shiyuan's big wedding didn't enter the bridal chamber, and the entire Shuangyuan Fu's guards were dispatched. What are they going to do? Did Bai Liuli really make a scene at Shuangyuan Fu? The brocade-clad young master did not rush to investigate his subordinate's mistakes, but instead frowned in displeasure.

  "Reporting back to Your Highness, I have already sent Qingzi to investigate, but for the time being, I do not know the cause and effect of this matter." The black-clad man replied truthfully.

  "Has anyone seen who it is amidst all that slaughter?" The young master in brocade frowned even more intensely.

  "Your Highness, I... didn't see clearly." Even in the deep autumn, the black-clad man's shirt on his back was still slowly soaked with cold sweat.

  "Get out!" The young master in brocade suddenly flew into a rage, and with one foot, he kicked the black-clad man's right shoulder, sending him tumbling to the ground. Blood immediately flowed from the corner of his mouth. Only the young master's furious voice echoed through the quiet room: "If you can't find out what happened by tomorrow at noon, come see me with your head in hand!"

  "Yes! I will withdraw." The man in black hastily replied, not even daring to wipe away the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth. He quickly left, and by the time he departed, the back of his shirt was already soaked through.

  The young noble's face still had a lingering anger, and his eyes were even colder. He must get that thing!

  Digression

  Note:

  China's four great evil creatures of ancient times: Taotie, Hundun, Qiongqi and Taowu.

  Xièzhì (also known as Rénfǎ Shòu), is an ancient mythical creature, said to resemble a goat with black fur and a single horn on its head. It is able to distinguish right from wrong and will touch the guilty party with its horn when it encounters people fighting.

  Haidongqing: Legend has it that only one "Haidongqing" is born out of 100,000 divine eagles, with the meaning of "God of Ten Thousand Eagles". According to the "Liu Bian Ji Lue", it is recorded: "Haidongqing is the most precious and valuable among eagle species. Pure black is the top grade, pure white is the high-grade, white with miscellaneous feathers is the next, and gray is again the next."