Over the past few days, the dog fiends under Chu Qiguang’s command had been roaming the streets non-stop, but their primary objective had been to track Hao Yongnian and several other figures of the Hao Clan.

They passed by restaurants, teahouses, and shops, eavesdropping on conversations between the servants of the Hao Clan. They stood outside brothels, listening in on the guards and servants under Hao Yongnian. Thanks to their help, Chu Qiguang quickly gathered information about Hao Yongnian.

At this moment, Chu Qiguang stood outside the Four Fortunes Pagoda, reflecting on all of the information that he had gathered on Hao Yongnian so far.

Hao Yongnian was twenty-six years old, and he was notorious in Azure Sun County for his cruel, impulsive, and brash nature. He was also a very lascivious man, and he frequently visited brothels. New virgin prostitutes were his favorites because, according to him, taking their purity allowed him to rid himself of negative energy. He was usually accompanied by about six or seven guards wherever he went. All of them were servants who had been brought up in the Hao Clan since they were children, and they were all first or second-state martial artists.

It’s a pity that the dog fiends can only gather information on the streets. If I had cat fiends capable of scaling walls and sneaking into the Hao Manor, I’d be able to learn even more.

Chu Qiguang glanced at the long line of sedan chairs outside the brothel, and he quickly identified the one that belonged to Hao Yongnian. Seated beside the sedan chair was one of Hao Yongnian’s personal servants.

According to the regulations of the Great Han Empire, only juren could travel on sedan chairs carried by two people, while only officials could travel on sedan chairs carried by four people. For someone like Hao Yongnian, who hadn’t even taken part in the imperial examination yet, using a sedan chair was technically strictly prohibited. However, given the Hao Clan’s status in Azure Sun County, no one would be foolish enough to confront or report Hao Yongnian over such a trivial matter.

At that moment, the servant stood up and walked to a nearby alley to relieve himself. Chu Qiguang immediately followed him. After looking around to confirm that there was no one else in the alley, he snuck over to the servant’s side before stuffing five taels of silver into the man's hand.

***

Shortly afterward, Chu Qiguang emerged from the other side of the alley.

Qiao Zhi, who had been keeping watch, asked, “What did you say to him?”

“I gave him five taels of silver and told him I had found a beautiful twelve-year-old virgin girl and arranged for her to stay on Jujube Orchard Street,” Chu Qiguang replied. “I told him that I wanted to apologize to Hao Yongnian, but I obviously couldn’t do that empty-handed, so I wanted to offer this virgin girl to him. I also told him that if he could convince Hao Yongnian to come to Jujube Orchard Street tomorrow, then I’d give him five more taels of silver.”

“That’s another ten taels of silver down the drain!” Qiao Zhi lamented. “That servant probably doesn’t earn ten taels of silver in an entire year. I reckon you could’ve easily gotten the job done with just three taels of silver.”

Chu Qiguang disagreed. He considered it a worthwhile investment. Only the most trusted servants were made personal servants, and in some cases, they even had homosexual entanglements with their masters. Despite their lowly status, they held considerable influence over their masters.

“Hao Yongnian is an extremely lecherous man who’s constantly looking for virgin girls to take advantage of. This is a perfect situation for the servant as he gets to earn ten taels of silver from me and can also win favor from his master, so he’ll surely do everything in his power to convince Hao Yongnian,” Chu Qiguang analyzed with a sly grin. “Even if Hao Yongnian doesn’t go there tonight, there’s a very good chance he’ll go tomorrow night.”

He continued, “As for the ten taels of silver that I promised the servant, it’s not like he’s going to get the second payment of five taels of silver anyway, and if I can get rid of him along with Hao Yongnian, then I can recover my first payment as well.”

***

The next morning, Old Tu and Little Tu were standing at the entrance to Jujube Orchard Street, seemingly waiting for something.

“Why isn’t he here yet?” Little Tu yawned, looking bored.

In contrast, Old Tu was very alert, keenly observing their surroundings as he snapped, “Keep your eyes peeled! This is a mission from our godfather, and we have to take it seriously!”

“Why do we have to wait here, while Big Head gets to play with our godfather? I want to be petted by our godfather too,” Little Tu complained.

Just then, Hao Yongnian’s sedan chair appeared in their field of vision. Thanks to their constant surveillance of Hao Yongnian over the past few days, they were able to recognize his sedan chair immediately.

“There he is!” Old Tu barked. “You go tell our godfather. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on him.”

***

Outside a courtyard on Jujube Orchard Street, Chu Qiguang sat in a secluded corner, stroking Qiao Zhi with one hand and Big Head with the other. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

“Is he still in there?” Chu Qiguang asked.

Big Head nodded, rubbing his head affectionately against Chu Qiguang’s hand. “Don’t worry, Godfather. I’ve told my brothers to keep an eye on him at all times, and he hasn’t gone anywhere since returning from an outing three days ago.”

Chu Qiguang continued petting Big Head. “Good job, Big Head. Keep it up, and I’ll make sure that you’re well-fed and have a roof over your head.”

Big Head wagged his tail as he licked the palm of Chu Qiguang’s hand in a fawning manner.

The courtyard before them was the one that Lin Nan was currently taking refuge in.

The dog fiends had quickly tracked him down using his scent, and they had been taking shifts watching the courtyard to ensure that Lin Nan hadn’t gone anywhere.

All of a sudden, a palpable aura of aggression rose from Chu Qiguang. It seemed his condition was flaring up again.

Even a fourth-state martial artist will be worn down and killed if there are enough people coming after him, right? he asked.

You’ve already asked me that question so many times! Qiao Zhi complained. This is the last time I’m going to say this. Anyone who has attained the Dao Comprehension state is still a mortal, and even a fifth-state martial artist can be overwhelmed by enough numbers. Otherwise, why would Lin Nan go into hiding?

Shortly afterward, Little Tu rushed onto the scene and reported, “Godfather! That sedan chair is here!”

Chu Qiguang’s eyes lit up, and he turned to Qiao Zhi and said, I’ll be counting on you then, Master Qiao.

Qiao Zhi rose to his paws, then stretched lazily before sneaking his way to Lin Nan’s courtyard.

Chen Gang stood behind Chu Qiguang with his head lowered. Chu Qiguang turned around to face him, patted him on the shoulder, and said, “From this point onward, I’m going to need you to do as I say.”

“Yes, Brother Chu,” Chen Gang replied with a respectful nod.

After witnessing the absolute obedience of the dog fiends toward Chu Qiguang, Chen Gang had become convinced that Zhou Ergou had been possessed by some powerful old fiend.