In her current state, Long Yan was simply a person with her own thoughts, yet completely controlled by an evil will.

Long Yan glanced around before her eyes landed on Tang Yun beside her. "Your surname is Tang?" she asked coolly.

Tang Yun immediately shivered. "Martial Uncle Long, there’s an old saying: feuds shouldn’t extend to the next generation. I had no choice in the matter. Please, be magnanimous..."

A Flower Spear materialized at Tang Yun’s throat.

Cold sweat streamed down Tang Yun’s face.

A smirk played on Long Yan’s lips. "If I didn’t still need you to hide my identity, I’d take your head right now. Remember this: if you help me take Shen Bai’s head and seize control as the Garden Master of the Peach Opera Garden, I might just spare your life."

Tang Yun nodded frantically, hastily wiping the cold sweat from his brow. "Martial Uncle Long, rest assured, I’ll definitely help you become the Garden Master of the Peach Opera Garden! Once this is all over, I’ll be your most loyal subordinate."

’I have no choice. This is the only way I can save my own skin right now.’

’Once this is over, I’ll have to find some other way to escape her grasp.’

The Female Daoist considered this for a moment, then said, "Landlord Long is a member of the Observatory. They will surely be searching everywhere, and Fenglin State will be on high alert for a while. We should use this time to find Shen Bai’s weakness."

"If we can kill him in one fell swoop, then your dream can finally be realized."

"But before that, you’ll need to stay hidden for a while."

Long Yan nodded. "With my Art of Portrayal, I could walk right under the Observatory’s nose and they might not even notice me. Don’t worry about me. It’s all of you who need to hide well to stay safe."

Hearing this, the others all nodded hastily.

The Female Daoist gazed at the Evil Thought Pearl in her hand, the corners of her mouth curling into a slight smile. It was as if she could already envision the scene of Shen Bai collapsing to the ground, just another corpse.

...

Recently, the atmosphere in Fenglin State had grown incredibly tense.

It wasn’t just the Observatory; even the number of constables from the Government Office had increased.

Constables and Observatory members patrolled up and down every street.

While trying not to alarm the populace, they conducted a dragnet search, combing through every corner of Fenglin State.

And though the common people weren’t directly disturbed, a search of this scale was impossible to miss.

Consequently, rumors about the incident began to spread through the streets and alleys, growing more and more outlandish with each telling. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Meanwhile, those in the Jianghu who understood what was happening quickly began to distance themselves from Fenglin State.

Aside from members of the major factions, unaffiliated wanderers were getting as far away as they could.

These wanderers knew very well how serious the situation was. A Landlord from the Observatory had suddenly vanished, and it was highly likely she had now become an enemy of Fenglin State.

It was a terrifying prospect.

Setting aside Landlord Long’s power for a moment, if the Observatory failed to unmask the mastermind behind this, it would be a major loss of face for them.

Precisely because of this, the wanderers still lingering in Fenglin State worried about getting caught in the crossfire and left without a moment’s hesitation.

No matter how good the security in Fenglin State was, or how upright the members of the Observatory were, mistakes could still happen.

If they were wrongfully accused, there would be nowhere for them to plead their case.

As a result, all of Fenglin State became eerily quiet. Even the number of people on the streets had dwindled significantly.

...

「The Observatory.」

Liu Wufeng stared at the report in his hand, his brow deeply furrowed. "It’s useless. Long Yan is using her Art of Portrayal to hide. Relying on Divisions A, B, C, and D alone, we can’t find any trace of her."

Shen Bai stroked his chin and set his tea aside. "What’s the situation with the Peach Opera Garden?"

That night, they had gone to Long Yan’s residence.

Unfortunately, they found no clues.

An expert of Long Yan’s caliber, especially with her Art of Portrayal, would leave no trail for them to follow by the time they arrived.

Ever since, the four divisions of the Observatory had been mobilized to find her, but they still had nothing to show for it.

Liu Wufeng shook his head. "There’s nothing overtly wrong with the Peach Opera Garden. I sent people to investigate. They’re just putting on shows."

Shen Bai asked, "Lord Liu, do you believe that?"

’At a critical time like this, with the Peach Opera Garden right here in Fenglin State and what happened to Long Yan... If these things aren’t connected, I absolutely refuse to believe it.’

The problem was, the Observatory couldn’t find any proof.

With no evidence, there wasn’t much Liu Wufeng could do.

After all, behind the Peach Opera Garden stood the recently restless Marquis Fengjiang.

Liu Wufeng shook his head. "Of course I know that. But for now, we can’t move against them directly without proof. Rest assured, I’ve already arranged for men to keep the Peach Opera Garden under tight surveillance. They won’t be able to stir up any trouble."

"It’s still better to be cautious," Shen Bai said.

Liu Wufeng nodded. "You should probably stay within the Observatory for the time being. We don’t know when Long Yan will make her move, and you aren’t safe."

Shen Bai shook his head. "That’s not necessary. Landlord Long won’t make a move within Fenglin State. She’s too shrewd for that."

Fenglin State is crawling with experts.

With masters like Liu Wufeng and Elder Mu here, Long Yan would never dare to act rashly.

That was why Shen Bai had continued to live his life as usual recently.

Liu Wufeng considered it carefully. "Very well. That will give you more freedom. If there’s any news, I’ll have someone inform you."

Shen Bai said no more. After bidding farewell to Liu Wufeng, he left the room.

As for why he wouldn’t stay in the Observatory, Shen Bai naturally had his own plans.