Chapter 93. A Flock of Sparrows.

The transformation is certain.

The face and neck of the middle-aged man.

The skin texture is uneven.

It was slightly rough. It has been continuously corrected using the technique of transformation. It is not the original face.

Transformation is a form of alteration.

It is on a different level from a human skin mask.

A human skin mask is merely a finely crafted leather mask.

However, transformation changes one's skin and bones to assume the desired appearance.

It can even alter one's physique.

Of course, altering one's physique is not preferred.

To maintain both transformation and physical alteration, one must continuously apply internal energy throughout the body, which increases the likelihood of being detected.

Tap tap.

Hou Gong tapped the table with his fingers.

What could it be?

He is certainly an interesting fellow...

Why did he think of infiltrating the Nan Gong family and the Heavenly Dragon Tournament using transformation? There are few non-experts here, and he is both interesting and bold.

From a different perspective, it means he has a strong sense of confidence in his own abilities.

Hou Gong acknowledged this. The fellow's transformation technique is excellent. If he hadn't carefully observed each person, he wouldn't have noticed.

How many people in this room could recognize it?

Probably not more than ten.

Of course, the number can increase depending on the environment.

If the distance is within ten yards, and if the opponent is aware and suspicious, more people could detect it.

But now, it's a bustling banquet hall. No one would pay close attention to a bent-over worker managing the flower beds and tidying up the surroundings.

What is his purpose?

Theft? Is he after the Colorful Phoenix?

Assassination? Who? Me? The Wuji Assassins?

Reconnaissance? For what?

Or is he meeting someone secretly?

Hou Gong shook off his thoughts.

The order has changed. Identifying the purpose is secondary.

The first thing to confirm is whether there is only one person or if there are accomplices.

It would be good if there is only one. But it's not a matter of just closing his eyes and hoping for the best. It's time to act.

He stood up and cast his gaze toward the front of the banquet hall.

After a quick glance at the heads of the Ten Great Families, including Nan Gong Xue, and their leaders, who were chatting peacefully, he moved.

He walked out of the grand martial hall where the banquet was held and strolled beyond it. He naturally brushed past the middle-aged worker, leaving a subtle scent on his clothing.

"You are now the third sparrow."

While leaving the scent, Hou Gong gained an additional insight.

The fellow is not a Wuji Assassin.

If his purpose was to assassinate the heir of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion, he would have been closely watching and would have glanced back when Hou Gong approached. However, there was no fluctuation in his energy, not even a slight one. The "Heavenly Flower Pavilion" is not a concern for him at all.

As he moved further, his hope that there was only one person was shattered like a dream.

He found a new sparrow.

A servant carrying dishes and bowls, who had to yield to each other, smiled awkwardly and passed by.

During this time, the scent was left.

He became the fourth sparrow.

The fifth sparrow was unexpected.

Hou Gong almost frowned in surprise.

Absurdly, this sparrow was a sword master of the Nan Gong family.

One of them was mixed in with the group of sword masters walking by.

Hou Gong stopped them and revealed his identity. Upon mentioning the Heavenly Flower Pavilion, they all became excited. He asked where he could see the meat, or rather the Colorful Phoenix, and received an answer. After expressing his gratitude, he moved on. During this time, the scent was left.

Hou Gong actually went to the enclosure where the Colorful Phoenix was and then returned. He even said, "I'll see the meat in the enclosure again later!" Despite the tingling at the back of his neck, he did not look back.

On his way back, he found two more.

Both were dressed as servants.

One was a maid, and the other was an old man.

So far, five.

To ensure he hadn't missed any sparrows, he circled the Nan Gong family estate again. No more sparrows were found. He left the scent on all of them, and five invisible threads were clearly connected.

When Hou Gong returned to the banquet hall, the Silver Vulture and the Heavenly Gang were already seated.

"Boss, where have you been wandering around?"

The Silver Vulture greeted him while continuously stuffing his mouth with food.

Hou Gong smiled and sat down.

"Silver Vulture."

"Uh?"

"Call your senior brother."

"Huh? ...Uh."

The Silver Vulture was momentarily puzzled but then moved. The boss's demeanor was subtly different from usual.

"Little Vulture."

"Uh, brother."

"You, Mong Mong."

"Uh, Mong Mong."

With the addition of Drunken Cloud and Mong Meng, there were now six people at the table. Drunken Cloud grumbled about his stomach being so full it might burst, and Mong Meng looked at him with a puzzled expression, wondering why he wanted to see him again so soon.

Hou Gong used secret speech.

He explained the five transformed individuals, cutting out the unnecessary details and summarizing the core.

As soon as the secret speech ended, the Silver Vulture loudly exclaimed.

"Really, it's not funny! I mean, I always thought the beef from the Heavenly Flower Pavilion was the best. But coming here, my thoughts changed completely. Isn't that right, senior brother?"

"Damn, what's the point of saying that. People don't call it the Nan Gong family for nothing."

The Gang did not take the Jianghu lightly.

Upon hearing the secret speech, they immediately set up a cover.

On the other hand, Miao Bingbing, who was startled, widened her eyes and only relaxed after hearing the loud conversation, understanding the cover. She immediately joined in naturally.

"What are you talking about? The medicinal king's beef was the best."

"I agree with you, sister! The medicinal king's pork was also delicious!"

Little Vulture also joined the conversation naturally.

Beneath this conversation, secret messages were rapidly exchanged.

- Damn, five of them?

- Can any of them be identified here?

Drunken Cloud and Mong Meng were astonished.

Transformed individuals infiltrating the Heavenly Dragon Tournament.

The fact that there were five of them was shocking, and the fact that they hadn't noticed at all made their spines chill.

There was no reaction about selling medicine.

The heir might enjoy jokes, but this wasn't a baseless one. Moreover, Drunken Cloud and Mong Meng both trusted the heir greatly.

Drunken Cloud had seen and experienced how the heir handled the Ximen family, which increased his trust, while Mong Meng had been impressed by the process of the Ximen family's downfall, which he had investigated and organized.

"..."

Hou Gong slightly frowned.

It was due to the reaction of the scent.

One sparrow was moving.

He was leaving.

The sixth sparrow was a worker carrying a tray, who was cleaning up. Once the situation was clear, Hou Gong felt better.

"Hehe, I'll go meet you soon."

Hou Gong smiled inwardly and pointed out two individuals to Drunken Cloud and Mong Meng. One was a distant landscape worker, and the other was a maid who had just entered the banquet hall.

"But where did the pretty lady go?"

"That's right. How come we can't see the flower-like fairy, Nan Gong Xiao? Has anyone seen her?"

"I saw her leave with a tall, handsome man just now."

"Ugh... Damn it."

Useless conversation flowed on the surface.

Beneath it, Drunken Cloud and Mong Meng used their secret techniques to investigate. Drunken Cloud used the Gang's secret technique, Wuji Eye, making the periphery of his pupils transparent, bringing the distant landscape worker's face closer.

"..."

Drunken Cloud was both annoyed and surprised.

He was annoyed because the distance made it hard to identify, and surprised because the distance was so far.

"Did the heir identify from this distance?"

Upon hearing from his seniors that the heir had destroyed the Nan Gong family's Seven Spirit Soul, and considering the improvement in his realm, this level of skill far exceeded expectations. The heir had also seen through the Gang's concealment during their first meeting. What kind of growth rate is this?

On the other hand, Mong Meng, who was looking at the not-so-distant maid,

- This is unbelievable... Transformation...

He hid his shocked expression and expressed his surprise through secret speech. However, when he looked at the landscape worker, he couldn't identify and slightly frowned.

By then, Drunken Cloud had already confirmed the maid's transformation.

- Heir, what's going on here?

- What's happening?

Tension was evident in their secret speech.

It was understandable, as the banquet hall was no longer a peaceful place.

With the situation changing, everything looked different. When the heart is clouded, even a sunny day seems dark. The previously bright banquet hall now seemed shrouded in thick fog.

Honestly, if the heir hadn't pointed out the maid's transformation, it would have been easy to overlook due to its precision, making it feel like a fog had settled over their eyes.

- Heir, shouldn't we capture them first?

- I don't think so.

Hou Gong smiled faintly.

- You don't think so? Is this the time to calmly say "I don't think so"?

Mong Meng's secret speech was almost aggressive, despite his calm expression.

Drunken Cloud interjected.

- I don't think so is correct. The fact that one of them is a sword master of the Nan Gong family is not a simple matter.

- What? You mean, could it be that the Nan Gong family...

- No, it's not necessarily so... The possibility is slim, but we don't know their purpose or who they are involved with in this Heavenly Dragon Tournament. We can't act rashly.

- ...

Mong Meng finally understood the heir's "I don't think so."

Upon reflection, there were many variables.

First, there might be more than five.

The heir hadn't checked every corner of the hall, had he?

He also recalled the recent revelations about the Ximen family's evil deeds.

Human affairs are unpredictable.

Renowned orthodox sects are recognized for their long-standing traditions, but they can also be old. Just because they seem fine doesn't mean they are. Therefore, any of the Nine Great Families could be involved or uninvolved.

Especially, the families are interconnected, and the Bai Li family was closely tied to the Ximen family. If there is a hidden grand plan in this Heavenly Dragon Tournament, they couldn't act rashly.

Hou Gong smiled.

- It might be nothing, so there's no need to be overly serious.

- It already seems incredible.

- Let's do this.

- How?

- One just left.

- Huh?

- Huh?

Mong Meng and Drunken Cloud expressed surprise.

The heir was facing away from the entrance and hadn't turned his head, yet he spoke as if he had seen it.

Regardless, Hou Gong continued his secret speech.

- We only need to capture one. I'll take care of it.

- ...

- ...

- We'll understand the overall situation through that one and then take appropriate action. The four remaining inside, each of you will watch them. Don't approach closely or reveal your presence. If any of them leave the family, don't chase them; just let them go.

- Understood.

They all nodded subtly.

No better ideas came to mind, and capturing one would be as good as capturing all, making this the best approach.

Only Mong Meng, who had never worked with Hou Gong before, was puzzled by how calm the heir remained in such a situation, without showing any panic.

Hou Gong assigned the sparrows.

One to Mong Meng, one to Drunken Cloud.

He also assigned one to the Silver Vulture and had the remaining sparrow watched by Miao Bingbing and Little Vulture.

- Can you handle it alone?

Mong Meng was concerned.

Hou Gong smiled and sent a secret message.

'Don't worry. I'm Hou Gong.'

- I can handle it.