54. The Chamber Pot Lad

In fact, Xie An shared the same doubt.

It was simply that he and Lin Yun were not yet well-acquainted, and blurting out such a question might easily be interpreted as showing disrespect toward Incense Master Wei.

Zhang Lin had known Lin Yun for many years, so it was naturally much more appropriate for him to ask.

Lin Yun glanced at both Xie An and Zhang Lin. "Although Incense Master Wei has not yet fully recovered from his injuries, he cannot simply stand by and watch the Plum Blossom Monster meddle in our black market business. He will personally oversee the operation tonight. You can both rest easy."

Zhang Lin breathed a huge sigh of relief and said, "With Incense Master Wei holding down the fort, nothing can possibly go wrong. If the Plum Blossom Monster dares to show his face tonight, we will make sure he never returns."

After offering some words of encouragement, Lin Yun left by himself, leaving Xie An behind to continue the surveillance.

Zhang Lin had originally intended to leave with Lin Yun, but after taking two steps, he turned back. He looked at Xie An with a face full of apology and said, "Brother, please forgive me for being so impatient this morning. Once the matter with the Plum Blossom Monster is settled, I will invite you to a small gathering at the Cuihua Tower in Water Lantern Town to apologize in person."

"A small gathering is fine, but an apology is quite unnecessary," Xie An agreed readily.

Seeing that Xie An did not appear overly upset, Zhang Lin left with a tranquil mind.

"Boss, why don't you go rest and let me handle the surveillance? If there is the slightest movement, I will have Wang Xiang notify you," Liang Zhi volunteered, stepping forward to show goodwill.

Previously, although Liang Zhi obeyed Xie An's orders, it was driven more by fear, and he still harbored a bit of resentment in his heart.

Now, seeing that this newly appointed deacon not only looked after his cousin's business but also did not hesitate to take credit for him in front of Senior Deacon Lin Yun, he truly felt a sense of admiration and willingness to follow him.

After all, when he used to serve under Zhang Biao, no matter how well he performed his tasks, all the credit always went to Zhang Biao.

Compared to the present, the contrast was simply too stark.

Xie An keenly perceived the change in Liang Zhi's attitude and immediately nodded. "Very well. I suppose I should head back to make some preparations."

"Safe travels, Lord Deacon."

"Hmm."

Returning to his private courtyard, Xie An began to mentally simulate the possible scenarios that might unfold next:

First, even with Wei Dian personally overseeing the operation... Xie An did not believe they could easily capture the Plum Blossom Monster.

Wei Dian at the peak of his strength had been severely wounded by the Plum Blossom Monster, let alone now while he was still recovering from his injuries?

Furthermore, Xie An suspected that the Plum Blossom Monster might have already infiltrated the black market and learned about everyone keeping watch on those two vendors. He might not even strike tonight, or he might choose an entirely different target.

"Since both Incense Master Wei and the Senior Deacon are here, the success or failure of what follows has nothing to do with me anymore. I have already shown whatever needed to be shown. All I need to do now is... stay out of danger during tonight's crackdown on the Plum Blossom Monster."

Rush forward and risk his life fighting the Plum Blossom Monster?

How could that possibly happen...

Xie An would never do anything so dangerous.

The black market wasn't his... and even if it were, it could never compare to the preciousness of his own life.

Asking Xie An to do some analysis and tactical layout, or shout orders from behind, was fine. But actually charging forward to battle the Plum Blossom Monster... that was entirely out of the question.

With this thought in mind, Xie An retrieved the newly purchased four-stone heavy bow and armor-piercing arrows, and began practicing in the courtyard.

After more than a year of diligent cultivation, Xie An's archery skills had become quite exquisite.

Within a couple of hundred meters, while not claiming a hundred percent accuracy, hitting the target over ninety percent of the time was not a problem.

However, since he had changed to a new bow, he still needed some time to properly adapt to it. Only by becoming completely familiar with it could he draw and shoot with greater fluidity when the moment came.

Swish, swish, swish.

Arrow after arrow tore through the air, piercing squarely into the core of the archery target a hundred meters away. Nor did it end there; the immense force generated by the heavy bow, combined with the formidable penetrating power of the armor-piercing arrow, caused the projectile to punch straight through the leather target, continue forward, and pierce through a bowl-thick osmanthus tree before finally dropping to the ground.

"A heavy bow paired with armor-piercing arrows truly possesses remarkable penetrating power. If the Plum Blossom Monster takes an arrow from me, even if he doesn't die, he'll be crippled."

After an hour of supplementary training, Xie An had grown fully accustomed to the new heavy bow and finally put it down. He heated some water, poured it into the bathing barrel, added the tiger-hide medicinal broth, and began tempering his skin and flesh.

Compared to the bloody violence outside, Xie An actually preferred quiet cultivation, constantly experiencing that intoxicating sensation of growth.

Late in the *shen* hour the following day, a hurried knocking at the door startled Xie An out of his cultivation of embryonic breathing.

Xie An hurriedly stepped out of the bath barrel, changed into his official uniform robes, shouldered his quiver, strapped on his waist saber and heavy bow, and went out the door.

Liang Zhi was standing outside. "Boss, the market is about to close. Those two vendors are getting ready to pack up their stalls."

"Understood, continue your surveillance." Xie An waved Liang Zhi away and hurried to Zhang Lin's neighboring courtyard, where he found Zhang Lin, Lin Yun... and Wei Dian.

Today, Wei Dian was dressed in black armor with a broad saber hanging at his waist, but he wore a bamboo conical hat that concealed his face. Nevertheless, he was full of vitality and vigor, looking nothing like someone who had recently been injured.

Though filled with curiosity, Xie An did not neglect proper etiquette, cupping his fists and saying, "Incense Master Wei!"

Wei Dian replied calmly, "Hmm. I am aware of the situation. As the market is about to close, I will spare you the lengthy speech. Shortly, we will split into two teams to monitor those two vendors separately. Lin Yun will track one, while Zhang Lin and you will track the other. I will tail you covertly and hold down the fort."

"Understood, Incense Master."

Xie An agreed without a second thought, though inwardly he felt utterly speechless.

Another person tailing covertly to hold down the fort?

Wasn't this precisely what he had done yesterday?

It was clear that this Incense Master Wei was also terrified of death, wishing to send everyone else to charge forward while he watched how the situation developed.

What an old fox!

Yet, because the man was an Incense Master, he could not offer any rebuttal—just as Zhang Lin could not argue with him yesterday.

To stand firm within the Fierce Tiger Gate, one simply had to hold a high position.

Next, Wei Dian made more detailed arrangements, such as immediately firing a signal arrow to report back the moment the Plum Blossom Monster was spotted.

"Move out."

At Lin Yun's command, the group split up to carry out their respective tasks.

Lin Yun went to trail the plump medicine peddler, while Zhang Lin and Xie An kept their eyes on the bearded hunter.

The plump medicine peddler packed up his stall earlier; as soon as he stepped out of the canyon, Lin Yun followed him.

The bearded hunter was still selling his last few animal pelts, so Xie An and Zhang Lin observed from a distance, remaining ready to give chase at any moment.

At that very moment, Xie An noticed that the chamber pot peddler, who had vanished for a long time, had actually come to the black market to set up a stall.

This greatly excited Xie An, as this person was practically his hidden god of wealth. However, keeping in mind that major events were afoot tonight, Xie An had to forcefully suppress the urge to go scavenging for bargains.

"Brother, that bearded hunter has packed up his stall. Let's follow him."

Zhang Lin's reminder pulled Xie An's gaze away from the chamber pot peddler, and he immediately followed the bearded hunter out of the black market.

At that moment, the sky was growing faintly bright. The market closure had passed some time ago, and the mountain path was sparsely populated, leaving only the bearded hunter walking along the trail. It was clear the bearded hunter was in high spirits with a profitable haul, but he remained cautious, frequently scanning his surroundings for any movement.

Hiding in the shadows, Zhang Lin couldn't help muttering, "This fellow is certainly cautious."

Xie An did not answer, keeping his gaze locked on the mountain path instead. Suddenly, he noticed that the chamber pot peddler had also emerged, walking several dozen paces behind the bearded hunter, similarly scanning his surroundings with vigilance.

The two men walked one after the other along the same road for five or six *li*.

Zhang Lin looked on with great surprise and suddenly muttered, "Why has this kid been trailing right behind the bearded hunter the whole time? Could it be... that this kid is actually the Plum Blossom Monster in disguise?"