Chapter 420: The Monitoring Division Attacks En Masse

My god! What have I done?

Zhao De's face was ashen. He'd faced many powerful enemies and ambushes, but he'd never been this terrified. Damn it, was this necessary? He just wanted to see a beautiful woman, sneak in for a peek, how could he have run into the two legendary saints, Tian Sheng and Di Sheng, who had vanished for nearly a decade?

Others might not recognize the two saints, but Zhao De, as a professional flower thief, had to memorize the legendary figures of the Jianghu. He needed to know who to avoid. If he ever encountered them without knowing their true identities, his death would be justified.

"Who are you?" Di Sheng asked.

Tian Sheng said, "The red powder is a knockout drug. A despicable tactic."

Thud!

Zhao De immediately knelt down, kowtowing. "Please spare my life! I won't dare do it again!"

See? This was their power. Tian Sheng and Di Sheng hadn't even done anything, yet Zhao De felt his end was near. Pleading for mercy was perhaps his only way to survive.

Di Sheng frowned, his voice filled with anger. "I asked you, who are you?"

Zhao De felt as if something was stuck in his throat, making it difficult to swallow. "Venerable Di Sheng, I'm a servant here, I serve dishes. I used to be a thief. My hands itched just now. Seeing that you looked like wealthy people, I became greedy and wanted to steal your silver. I really didn't intend to do anything else!"

He didn't dare reveal his identity as a flower thief.

That identity was too shameful.

And it attracted a lot of hatred. Any normal person would never tolerate it.

"Hmph, you're not being honest. This red knockout powder not only incapacitates people, but it also has a special property. You're probably not just a thief." Tian Sheng saw through him at a glance. Although Zhao De was infamous, he was just a small ant in the eyes of the two saints, not worthy of their attention before.

Zhao De panicked. A veteran was indeed a veteran, able to see through his lies so easily.

"Venerable Tian Sheng, please spare my life! I really am a thief!"

He had to insist that he was a thief now. He absolutely couldn't admit to any other crimes.

Tian Sheng and Di Sheng exchanged glances.

Their eyes communicated.

The meaning was clear.

Kill this person. Don't let him leave. He had barged in while they were dining, seen their faces, and recognized them. If they let him go, he would definitely report them.

Di Sheng stood up, put on his mask, and dragged Zhao De out.

"Come with me."

Zhao De's heart trembled violently. He knew Di Sheng was going to silence him. As a qualified flower thief, his mind raced.

The two saints had disappeared for a long time.

The imperial court was searching for them.

Now he had bumped into them, and they were with a group of strangers. It meant the two saints weren't dead, they were still active in the Jianghu. But they hadn't returned to the imperial court, which meant they had a huge secret.

Now that he had stumbled upon it, could he still survive?

Out of the private room, Zhao De kept looking for an opportunity. But having fallen into the hands of the two saints, was there really a chance?

Downstairs.

"Where's the food?"

A booming voice echoed.

Zhao De was very familiar with this kind of voice. Only government officials could speak with such a tone. Perhaps they didn't have money, but even without it, their official positions gave them arrogance wherever they went.

This was a group of government officials' sons, with swords at their waists, sitting around a table, waiting for their delicious meal.

Hope appeared.

As they passed these officials' sons, Zhao De dropped to his knees. "Your Honors, I surrender! I am a wanted criminal!"

He would rather be caught by the government than fall into Di Sheng's hands. There was truly no hope with the latter.

Di Sheng frowned as he saw Zhao De seeking help from the officials. He hadn't expected him to be so cunning. He clearly knew what he was about to face, so he'd rather go to the authorities than fall into his hands.

Di Sheng struck Zhao De with a fist, then retreated.

The movement was subtle, attracting no attention.

The officials' sons looked at Zhao De in surprise. "Who are you?"

In their view, strange things happened every year, but they had never seen a fugitive surrender voluntarily. Of course, they welcomed such situations, and wished they happened every day.

"I am... cough!" Just as Zhao De was about to speak, he spurted out a mouthful of blood. His eyes widened. He knew Di Sheng had just struck him. He grabbed the hand of one of the officials' sons. "Tian... Di... Sheng..."

After these words, he died instantly.

The officials' sons were stunned, completely clueless about what had happened. He had just said he wanted to surrender, then vomited blood. The situation was bizarre, leaving them bewildered.

Di Sheng returned to the private room.

Whether or not there was chaos downstairs had nothing to do with him.

All he had to do was deal with Zhao De.

These officials' sons brought Zhao De's body back to the government office. After investigation, they discovered that this Zhao De was the infamous flower thief of the Jianghu.

Several days later.

Liang City, Imperial Palace.

The Emperor's study.

A man wearing a black iron mask, an official uniform, and a sword at his waist knelt on the floor.

"Your Majesty, I have investigated the matter in Mountain City. The deceased was the infamous flower thief of the Jianghu. He surrendered to local officials at a restaurant and was later killed by a fist strike. Before dying, he mentioned Tian Sheng and Di Sheng."

"According to my investigation, an exceptionally beautiful woman appeared in the city that day. People rumored she was a celestial fairy."

This man was Wang Zhong, the leader of the imperial court's Monitoring Division, specializing in gathering information for the Emperor. During the period when Tian Sheng and Di Sheng disappeared, the Monitoring Division had been using its resources to search for them, but to no avail.

The man didn't dare raise his head, but his eyes glanced upwards, trying to see the Emperor's expression so he could act accordingly.

The Emperor, sitting on his throne, exuded a calm yet profound aura, like a deep abyss. To the naked eye, it was like a vortex, absorbing all light.

"The two saints have been missing for nearly ten years. Since they have appeared, why haven't they returned to the imperial court? Who is near Mountain City?" the Emperor asked calmly.

Wang Zhong replied, "Your Majesty, the Lin family is closest to Mountain City."

"Oh, is that the former dynasty's Lin family of Purple Mountain?" the Emperor asked.

"Yes," Wang Zhong replied.

The Emperor chuckled darkly. "The allure of the former dynasty's treasure is truly great, even the two saints can't resist it. It seems the Lin family of Purple Mountain has likely obtained the treasure. Given the status of the two saints in the Jianghu, the various sects may not give face to the imperial court. Take the Monitoring Division and surround the Lin family's estate on Purple Mountain. Whether or not the two saints are there, eradicate them."

"Yes," Wang Zhong responded and then quietly retreated.

Purple Mountain, Lin Family Estate.

Han Xiaoxiao was in a good mood after playing outside. For her, being able to go out with Brother Lin made her happy no matter where they went.

For Tian Sheng and Di Sheng, things might be a bit troublesome.

Not leaving Purple Mountain was fine, but leaving exposed them. With the imperial court's capabilities, if they found any clues, they would definitely investigate.

And Zhao De was the clue.

"They shouldn't find out, right?"

Tian Sheng still held a sliver of hope.

Di Sheng glanced at him and said, "Do you think the people in the imperial court are all fools, or do you think we were careful enough not to attract any attention?"

Tian Sheng felt that Di Sheng's words were always a bit prickly lately. But he could tolerate it. The strong had the final say. He would just watch and not say anything else.

"I hope things aren't as you think," Tian Sheng said, pretending to be somber. Inwardly, he thought, What else can I say? You've already said so much. I can't keep arguing with you. There's no choice but to pretend to be a wise man and say something that sounds somewhat constructive.

Han Yan had been feeling anxious lately, as if something was about to happen.

It had been like this ever since they returned from Mountain City.

Sometimes, things had omens.

Some time later.

Mountain City.

The weather was gloomy, with dark clouds covering the sky and a light rain falling.

A group of people in Monitoring Division uniforms rode on horseback, their faces stern, as they moved through the city streets. The commoners avoided them, whispering amongst themselves, unsure of what was happening.

This was the first time they had seen such a scene.

They thought to themselves that something big must have happened.

"Keep moving."

Wang Zhong personally led the team. He understood the Emperor's intentions. The Lin family of Purple Mountain could not exist. Regardless of whether the two saints were there or not, the Lin family had to be eradicated.

After another period of time.

Purple Mountain, Lin Family Estate.

"It's not good! Something big has happened! Many strangers are coming up the mountain!" Zhang Si, who had once fallen into the outhouse, shouted in panic, scrambling to find the master.

Han Yan's heart trembled when she heard the sound.

Had they finally come?

She had been hoping for peace, but now it seemed she had been thinking too much.

Tian Sheng and Di Sheng sighed silently when they learned of this. Why did it have to be this way? But they knew these were the Emperor's orders. It seemed their outing that day had ultimately brought about this disaster.

The Monitoring Division dispatched thousands of men. The army approached with great fanfare. Everyone was a first-class expert. The missions they usually carried out were very dangerous, and without sufficient strength, it would be very difficult to complete them.

The reason Wang Zhong brought so many people was because of the importance he placed on Tian Sheng and Di Sheng. If those two were truly present, ordinary people wouldn't be able to contend with them. Even with thousands of men, he still wasn't entirely confident.

Lin Family Estate, front courtyard.

Wang Zhong, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, stood there, waiting quietly. His trusted aides stood behind him in a line, their gazes like hawks, fixed on everyone in the Lin family estate.

Other members of the Monitoring Division stood on the rooftops, effectively sealing off all escape routes from the Lin estate, ensuring that not even a mosquito could fly out.

Some of the servants gripped their brooms, fearfully watching these people.

They sensed a strong killing intent from these individuals.

These guys were really going to kill people.

"The master is here."

A servant shouted.

Lin Fan was the pillar of support in the hearts of all the servants. As long as the master was there, nothing was a problem. But for some reason, seeing the attire and appearance of the Monitoring Division members, these sheltered servants were still very afraid.