Chapter 251: Chapter 251: Make Winter City an Empty City
The only useful piece of information Lu Yi mentioned was the mountain courtyard, so Yu An decided to go take a look.
She was worried that Ao Er and Ao Si would send news in the next few days, so it was best to resolve the matter in Winter City as soon as possible.
After telling Han Li, she slipped out alone that very night under the cover of darkness.
To conceal her movements, Yu An transformed into her beast form and flew. Her beast form hadn’t changed; she was still a small, pale yellow bird, completely inconspicuous.
There were several villas in the mountains near Winter City, used by the city’s wealthy as summer retreats. Following Lu Yi’s directions, Yu An flew directly to the courtyard at the summit.
The property belonged to the Beast God Hall. Lu Yi would occasionally stay there in the summer, so it should have been empty now. But as soon as Yu An arrived, she saw guards at the gate.
She faltered for a moment before blending in with a flock of other birds and flying into the courtyard.
Birds were common in the mountains, so the guards didn’t notice anything amiss. They yawned repeatedly, their faces filled with sullenness.
"Haven’t we already secured the Sub-Palace Master’s position? When are we going to make our move? I don’t want to be stuck in this backwater anymore."
"Who knows? It’s just our bad luck to be chosen for this mission. Everyone else is living it up on the Divine Mountain, while we’re stuck here feeding mosquitoes."
"Ah, forget it. The hardship is just temporary. Winter City has so many people. If we bring them all back, the Master is sure to reward us handsomely!"
"You have a point. Let’s just hang in there a little longer."
Seeing that they had fallen silent, Yu An spread her wings and flew deeper into the courtyard.
She could understand their words individually, but when she put them together, she couldn’t make any sense of them at all.
’What do they mean, bring all the people of Winter City back?’
’Where are they taking them? The Divine Mountain?’
’The Divine Mountain isn’t small, but it surely can’t hold that many people.’
She suppressed her confusion and flew deeper into the courtyard. As she passed a room, she heard two people talking.
"...Impossible! We agreed on twenty percent, not a single person more!"
"Sub-Palace Master Lu... No, you’re just an impostor. Do as I say. Afterward, you can go to Beast God City and play the victim. Perhaps you’ll win the Hall Master’s sympathy and land a decent position. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless."
Lifting a roof tile, Yu An saw two people inside. One was an unfamiliar man, and the other’s face was identical to Lu Yi’s. Combined with what the man had just said, this woman had to be Lu Yi’s sister.
Lu Min said angrily, "You yourself said ’perhaps’! If I’m left with nothing but an empty city, what’s the point of me having Winter City at all!"
The man shrugged. "That’s outside the scope of my concern. You’re on your own, Sub-Palace Master Lu."
Lu Min trembled with rage, but there was nothing she could do about the man in front of her.
She had been green with envy that her sister, Lu Yi, got to be a Sub-Palace Master while she was stuck running errands, ordered around and run ragged. When this man approached her, she had only hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
The original price had been just twenty percent of Winter City’s population. But now, the man wanted to turn it into an empty city!
"Sub-Palace Master Lu, if you please."
The man gestured for her to leave. Lu Min’s fists clenched tightly. After a long moment, they fell open, limp with powerlessness.
She refused to give up. "Half! Leave me half! If you take them all, it’s bound to alert the Main Hall. As powerful as you are, you’ll still have to pay some price."
"Besides, after I gather the citizens, they all just disappear. If the Main Hall investigates, what am I supposed to do?!"
"That will depend on your own abilities," the man said, shaking his head. "Besides, by then, you’ll be the only one left. When the Main Hall comes asking, won’t they just have to take your word for it?"
"Now, please leave."
There was no room for negotiation. Lu Min had no choice but to storm out in a rage.
After she left, Yu An was about to follow her, but the man inside waved a hand, and a shadowy figure emerged from behind a screen.
"It’s time to act."
The man’s words were brief and to the point. "Do it as soon as possible. Best to get them all in one go. Don’t leave a single one behind!"
The shadowy figure nodded. "Yes, sir!"
Yu An’s brow was deeply furrowed. Seeing there was nothing more to overhear, she carefully replaced the roof tile.
She didn’t make a sound, but the shadowy figure had ears like a hawk and called out sharply, "Who’s there?!"
The man was startled. "Someone’s there?!"
He rushed out of the room to check but found nothing.
After a long moment, a small yellow figure reappeared on the roof. Having just emerged from her space, Yu An spread her wings and quickly flew away.
By the time she returned, it was the middle of the night. Hearing the noise, Han Li came out of his room.
"An’an, you’re back. You should go get some rest."
Yu An waved her hand. "Not yet. There’s something I need to tell Lu Yi."
"I’ll go inside then," Han Li said, adding, "I’ll wait up for you. Don’t be too late."
The light in Lu Yi’s room was still on. Hearing the commotion outside, she scrambled out of bed.
Just as she finished draping a robe over her shoulders, Yu An entered.
Lu Yi’s wounds were healing exceptionally fast; they had already scabbed over. If she weren’t keenly aware of how deep they had been, Lu Yi might have thought she’d never been injured at all!
Knowing this was one of Yu An’s secrets, Lu Yi was tactful enough not to press the issue. Besides, she had no mind for idle questions; she only cared about what Yu An might have discovered.
"There are people staying there," Yu An said, not wasting any words and getting straight to the point. "I saw your sister. And..."
She briefly recounted what she had overheard to Lu Yi, whose face grew grave. "Hall Master, although I don’t understand what they’re planning, ’capturing all the citizens of Winter City in one go’... that doesn’t sound like anything good."
She pleaded, "Hall Master, I was incompetent. I lost my position as Sub-Palace Master and put the people of Winter City in danger. I implore you..."
Yu An raised a hand. "I will handle it. While I haven’t figured out their ultimate goal, I already have a plan."
’They’ll only make their move to take the people away after they’ve been gathered together. As for where and how they’ll be taken...’
They hadn’t revealed any of those details, but Yu An could make a preemptive strike.
Yu An didn’t explain her plan in detail to Lu Yi, only that if those people made a move, she would move the citizens of Winter City to a safe place before they could act.
Lu Yi only partially understood, but she knew that compared to those unidentified people, Yu An, the Hall Master, was trustworthy.
"Your injuries should be healed by tomorrow. I will keep an eye on Lu Min. If she calls for the citizens to assemble, I will have you appear."
"Your job will be to stall for as long as possible. Before they can act, I will get everyone away."
Before, Yu An had to make physical contact to bring someone into her space. That was no longer necessary. As long as they were within a certain range, she could send people or objects into her space without touching them.
The space was boundless. She had the Cloud Beast work through the night to section off an area and put up simple fences, preparing a place for the people of Winter City to stay temporarily.
This plan was merely a precaution. Unless it was a last resort, Yu An didn’t want to reveal her space.
’Alright, to be honest, a lot of people already know about my space. Most of them are allies. As for enemies... I guess it’s just the Beast God.’
’But even if he knows, he can’t take it away. After all, my superpower and the space were gifts from the Heaven and Earth Stone. No one can use them but me.’
