Chapter 99

For two consecutive days, Feng Jueyu was busy without a moment's rest. He would get up before dawn to go to the Jishi Fang in the southern part of the city and arrange for Xiao Yuanshan and others to prepare for the opening.

This opening could only be considered a trial run for the Jishi Fang, so the preparations were relatively simple. They just needed to prepare some red silk with promotional slogans, buy some firecrackers, and create a festive atmosphere. According to Feng Jue's idea, if they wanted to make the Jishi Fang a success, they would have to wait and see the results before involving the Shangguan family.

After the morning, Feng Jueyu would go to Ruyu Pavilion to teach Sima Ruyu painting, while also observing the terrain and feng shui layout of the Miaoshan Hall's backyard. He was truly busy, with everything proceeding in a tight and orderly manner.

After two days of investigation, Feng Jueyu had a clear understanding of the terrain of the Miaoshan Hall's backyard. The Jishi Fang was also fully prepared. The time finally reached the evening before the opening day, and Feng Jueyu finally received the long-awaited good news.

"Master Feng, this is the sketch of the Miaoshan Hall. Please take a look..."

In the small courtyard of the Jishi Fang, Xiao Yuanshan, with an excited expression, laid out a large, densely drawn rough paper on the table in the courtyard.

Feng Jueyu and Gongyang Yu gathered around, with Tong'er serving tea nearby. The four of them studied the sketch together.

The sketch depicted the entire structure and layout of the Miaoshan Hall, barely clear enough to make out. There was a large red dot in the upper central part, marked with a cinnabar pen, indicating the location of the century-old Tianxue Lotus...

"I know this place. It's the solitary building in the backyard of the Miaoshan Hall, with two floors. The second floor has a wooden corridor directly connecting to the second floor of the front shop. The backyard is quite large, but there is only this one solitary building. The wooden corridor is guarded by warriors who take turns, and within fifty meters around the solitary building are several rooms where nearly twenty experts live. Apart from that, the courtyard is empty during the day."

Feng Jueyu immediately recognized the location of the red dot on the sketch. This was thanks to his two days of observation from Sima Ruyu's pavilion, which allowed him to identify the location of the century-old Tianxue Lotus and describe the layout of the Miaoshan Hall in detail.

"You've done a thorough job of investigation," Gongyang Yu said, giving Feng Jueyu a meaningful look. "The century-old Tianxue Lotus is the treasure of the Miaoshan Hall. During the day, it is displayed in the most prominent position in the main hall, guarded by experts so that everyone can see it clearly. At night, it is taken away. I wonder why Xu Liefeng does this?"

Feng Jueyu smiled crookedly, inwardly admiring Xu Liefeng. Wasn't this the same approach used by some museums in his previous life? Displaying it during the day to increase its fame and putting it in a safe at night. Xu Lao's thinking was quite forward-looking...

Feng Jueyu didn't explain, but analyzed meticulously, "It seems that the Miaoshan Hall uses this wooden corridor to transport the century-old Tianxue Lotus into the building every day..."

"How do you know that?" Xiao Yuanshan and Gongyang Yu asked in confusion.

Feng Jueyu pointed to a circle on the sketch and asked, "Old Gongyang, how were you discovered a few years ago?"

Gongyang Yu had once planned to steal the century-old Tianxue Lotus. He recalled, "It was very strange. As soon as I entered the courtyard of the Miaoshan Hall, I was discovered and had to retreat."

"Was it this courtyard?" Feng Jueyu, who had already guessed something, pointed to the courtyard on the sketch and asked.

"Yes."

Feng Jueyu smiled, "That's right. Think about it. This courtyard is empty during the day, and Xu Liefeng has the guards' quarters arranged several dozen meters away. The second-floor shop and this solitary building are nearly a hundred meters apart, connected only by a wooden corridor. Why?"

"This..." Gongyang Yu was puzzled and didn't understand Feng Jueyu's point.

At this moment, Tong'er noticed something subtle, "Big Brother Feng, do you mean that no one can enter this courtyard?"

"Exactly." Feng Jueyu laughed, habitually placing his hand on Tong'er's fragrant shoulder, praising her, "Our Tong'er is the smartest."

Feeling the faint warmth from her shoulder, Tong'er's face turned red, and she lowered her head shyly, "I just guessed."

"You guessed right." Feng Jueyu took his hand away and pointed to the courtyard, "I observed for two days, and no one has been in this courtyard. Does that seem normal to you?"

All three shook their heads. In a large household, there would always be servants. The backyard of the Miaoshan Hall was several acres in size, and the fact that no one was seen there every day clearly indicated that someone had deliberately arranged for no one to enter the backyard.

Why?

Feng Jueyu already understood, "Why? There's only one possibility: Mogude has set up something like a mystical array. As soon as someone enters, the entire courtyard will change, and this change can be clearly detected by a warrior's spiritual sense, serving as a warning."

"So amazing?" Xiao Yuanshan, an ordinary person, had never heard of such a mysterious concept.

As for Gongyang Yu, he was more knowledgeable. He stroked his chin and pondered, "That's indeed possible. Some noble families on the continent do have experts who can set up arrays. I didn't expect Mogude to have this skill. It seems that stealing the century-old Tianxue Lotus is a pipe dream."

Gongyang Yu thought for a while, feeling helpless and losing confidence, "Kid, I think we should give up."

"How can we? I still need to..." Feng Jueyu almost revealed his true intentions in his haste but quickly stopped himself. He then said, "Old man, don't boost others' morale and undermine your own. How do you know it won't work unless we try?"

In fact, Gongyang Yu also wanted to get the century-old Tianxue Lotus to see if the legendary elixir that could cleanse the body and strengthen the spirit was as powerful as rumored. However, stealing the Tianxue Lotus was extremely difficult. Although he knew Feng Jueyu had many clever ideas, he didn't believe he had the ability to steal the Tianxue Lotus. Gongyang Yu frowned, "Do you have a plan?"

Feng Jueyu said, "Don't rush. Look, since no one is in the courtyard during the day, I think no one will be there at night either. This means that as long as we break the array, we can move freely. Now, look at this small building. The first floor is connected to the front shop, and the Tianxue Lotus is brought in through the wooden corridor every day. So, the chances of it being hidden on the second floor are almost zero."

Gongyang Yu nodded, agreeing with Feng Jueyu. If the Tianxue Lotus was only hidden on the second floor, there would be no need to set up a mystical array. Anyone planning to steal the Tianxue Lotus could simply enter through the wooden corridor on the second floor, which would be too easy.

Feng Jueyu continued, "So, I think the Tianxue Lotus is on the first floor. But look, the small building is surrounded by open space. If the Tianxue Lotus were placed on the first floor, an expert could easily break in and steal it. This is clearly impossible. Therefore, I deduce that there is a secret room in the building."

"Underground?" Gongyang Yu finally understood Feng Jueyu's point.

Feng Jueyu nodded, "Definitely. I observed that no one is in the building, so the first floor is likely just a cover. There must be a secret room on the first floor. This means that the courtyard and the first floor of the building are two necessary paths. Xu Liefeng has heavily guarded the wooden corridor on the second floor, making it impossible for anyone to approach. Instead, he doesn't set up guards in the courtyard, fearing that someone might trigger the array. If we solve the array problem, we can walk through the courtyard's main gate without being noticed."

Gongyang Yu sneered, "You make it sound easy. According to your theory, the courtyard is the most secure place for Xu Liefeng. It's probably the hardest path to take. How do you plan to enter? By climbing over the wall boldly?"

Feng Jueyu chuckled, "Others might not be able to, but it's not difficult for me. We'll go through the courtyard. He has three Xuanwu Realm guards, right? You just need to distract them, and I'll handle the theft."

"What? You're going?"

Gongyang Yu, Xiao Yuanshan, and Tong'er had always thought Feng Jueyu wanted Gongyang Yu to steal the Tianxue Lotus alone, but they were surprised to find out that he planned to do it himself.

The Miaoshan Hall was undoubtedly a dragon's lair and a tiger's den. Gongyang Yu could come and go, though not freely, but he had the ability to retreat safely. Feng Jueyu was different; his skills were far inferior to Gongyang Yu's.

Tong'er was worried about Feng Jueyu's safety and said, "Big Brother Feng, are you really going? It's too dangerous. I'm worried..."

Before Tong'er could finish, Feng Jueyu suddenly took her hand and said softly, "Tong'er, don't worry. Big Brother Feng has a plan. I still need to earn your dowry, remember?"

Such reassurance made Li Tong'er's heart flutter. She let her hand be held by Feng Jueyu, feeling a sense of happiness that filled her heart, making her want to jump into his arms.

But the journey was too dangerous. Li Tong'er knew Feng Jueyu's stubborn personality and couldn't persuade him. She tightly held his hand and said, "Big Brother Feng, you must promise me that you won't get hurt. Otherwise... otherwise... I won't live either..."

"Don't say such things," Feng Jueyu was surprised. Seeing Tong'er about to cry, his heart softened, and he gently stroked her face, saying, "Silly girl, don't you trust me? Don't worry, nothing will happen."

Gongyang Yu, hearing this, felt his teeth grind. He stood up and said, "Enough, enough. You two are so mushy. I see you have feelings for each other. Why not just get married? We can have the wedding before we go, so this kid won't die without leaving an heir."

Xiao Yuanshan immediately burst into laughter, teasing, "Haha, I agree. Boss, why don't we worship the heavens and earth tonight?"

Tong'er, a young girl, couldn't bear such teasing. Her face turned red to the roots of her neck, and she secretly glanced at Feng Jueyu, who indeed seemed to be the one she would marry. However, she knew Feng Jueyu's identity and felt inferior. She knew that in the Shangguan family, Feng Jueyu had a fiancée, a noble lady named Shangguan Ruomeng. How could she compare to her?

Thinking of this, Tong'er felt a wave of disappointment and委屈, and she suddenly pulled her hand away from Feng Jueyu's, ran into the inner room, and burst into tears.

Seeing this, Feng Jueyu wanted to beat Gongyang Yu. He pointed at him and shouted, "Damn it, you can't control your mouth, can you? What kind of joke is that?"

After saying this, Feng Jueyu followed Tong'er into the room...

Gongyang Yu, frowning and glaring, watched Feng Jueyu's back and cursed, "Damn, I'm trying to find you a wife, and you talk to me like this? Damn, good intentions wasted."

To the readers:

PS: I was too tired last night and fell asleep. I lacked inspiration, so the second chapter was delayed. I apologize.