Chapter 485: Clever

Chapter 485: Chapter 485: Clever

Liu Kuan was nervous. To be precise, he had been anxious from the very first moment he laid eyes on Shen Hao. This anxiety came with no obvious cause—not because he was guilty of anything or worried Shen Hao would discover his secrets. Quite the opposite, in fact. Recently, he’d done a good job, both internally and externally, no longer indulging in his old habits of idling through his duties.

But the moment he saw Shen Hao, his nerves unraveled. Perhaps a more fitting word would be: fear.

A wild boar does not fear a tiger simply because it stole some of the tiger’s food, but because the tiger could eat it at any moment.

Now, Liu Kuan felt like a pathetic and helpless boar, while the cold-faced Shen Hao beside him was the tiger, contemplating whether or not to devour him.

After checking the case files and reviewing the copper cabinet’s letter registry, Shen Hao finally made his way to the dungeon to inspect the perimeter defenses.

"Well done." Even with his cold face, Shen Hao had to admit this fellow, Liu Kuan, managed his affairs efficiently—at least under this sudden inspection, there was nothing he could seize upon as a "mistake."

"You flatter me, my lord. Your humble subordinate only adhered to your teachings—nothing more." Though he received praise, Liu Kuan dared not relax. He knew very well that Lord Shen before him was a master at setting traps. If Shen Hao praised you, he might mean it, but it could also be the opposite. And if you really believed it, you were truly foolish.

"What about Caiyuan Village? How is it progressing now?"

"Reporting to my lord: Caiyuan Village has now become routine. According to your previous instructions, we’ve established concealed buildings to isolate the area, along with both obvious and secret sentries and several layers of defense and concealment arrays. Usually, five men are stationed there at all times, rotating every three days. There’s also a permanent garrison checkpoint outside. The entire former Caiyuan Village is now marked as a restricted zone."

Liu Kuan had long anticipated being asked about this. After all, aside from routine affairs around Tu Kui City, the Sword Emperor’s Tomb—formerly Caiyuan Village—was the city’s most unique source of trouble and unrest.

Since the temporary sealing of the Sword Emperor’s Tomb, Shen Hao had frequently questioned Liu Kuan about it. Liu Kuan dared not be careless, enforcing Shen Hao’s requirements step by step, turning Caiyuan Village into a tightly guarded area, confident that there were no loopholes.

"Very well. But since I’m already here, I want to go over and take a look. Prepare yourself."

"My lord, dinner is already prepared—would you prefer to eat first before we go?" Liu Kuan had reserved a banquet at Tu Kui City’s finest Flower House and even invited girls said to rival Fengri City’s Hong’en Hall’s Lian Xiang Songstress in charm. He thought this a perfect opportunity to curry favor and was loath to let it slip by.

But Shen Hao had no such intentions. At this moment, his mind was preoccupied with weightier matters.

"Let’s inspect first. There will be time to eat later."

"As you command, my lord. I’ll arrange it at once."

Seeing Shen Hao’s frosty expression and no-nonsense tone, Liu Kuan did not dare persuade further. He bowed and saluted, then ordered the men below to ready horses and carts, and together they set off from Tu Kui City towards Caiyuan Village.

On the way, Shen Hao sat alone inside the carriage, summoning no one, until they arrived at the garrison outpost outside Caiyuan Village.

Shen Hao disembarked, choosing to walk around and personally experience the defenses in the vicinity. Overall, he thought it not especially strict, yet it certainly deserved to be called a "forbidden ground"—ordinary people would never get through. Cultivators, on the other hand, gained nothing by entering. Cultivators were never the focus of the initial defense. With the Sword Emperor’s Tomb sealed shut, what purpose would cultivators have in breaking in? The crucial thing was keeping out curious commoners.

Indeed, Shen Hao had specifically instructed the installation of those defensive and concealment arrays at the core entrance. To Liu Kuan, the arrangements seemed somewhat like "making a mountain out of a molehill."

After entering Caiyuan Village, Shen Hao felt as if it were only yesterday—all he’d endured here in the Cloud Sword Domain, tomb beasts, and bloody slaughter—each memory vivid and fresh.

The entrance to the tomb had once been a pond, but now was gone, the spot sealed by a large house seven or eight zhang across. The structure had only one door and lacked windows, clearly not meant for living in.

Even standing near the house, one could sense the obvious fluctuations of the arrays within.

"My lord, there are two arrays—one for outward defense, one for internal concealment. Once you pass the outer defense array and enter, you’re within the concealment array. Any possible reaction emanating from the entrance inside will be completely hidden by the array.

Additionally, there are always men on watch outside the house, standing guard every one of the twelve hours of the day without interruption."

Liu Kuan followed carefully at Shen Hao’s side, explaining each setup and defense of Caiyuan Village as they proceeded.

"Very good. Let’s go inside the array and have a look."

"Yes, my lord."

Since they were entering the house, which was different from being outside, Shen Hao’s guards all waited at the entrance. Even the three Commander’s Office experts disguised as guards saw nothing amiss, only dutifully standing post outside.

Liu Kuan sensed nothing strange either. He led the way, opened the array, and ushered Shen Hao in.

Inside, Liu Kuan lit a candle. There, ahead, reappeared the tomb entrance from Shen Hao’s memory—a doorway filled with dense, mist-like clouds.

Other than the entrance, the house was empty, its arrangement unchanged from before.

"My lord, as you can see, this place has been completely isolated from..."

"Liu Kuan." Shen Hao suddenly cut him off.

"Do you have any orders, my lord?"

Shen Hao extended his palm before Liu Kuan, revealing a pill—Liu Kuan could not guess his intent.

"This is a Dream Tying Pill. Take it, and you’ll sleep for two hours, unless given the antidote. It’s effective even on cultivators like you. Swallow it—I need you to sleep for two hours."

"Ah?" Liu Kuan certainly knew what a Dream Tying Pill was, but was baffled as to why Shen Hao suddenly wanted him to take one. And what did he mean by "need you to sleep for two hours"?

But Liu Kuan was quick to react. In that instant, he understood why Shen Hao made a sudden trip to Tu Kui City, declined a formal banquet, and hurried straight here. Superficially it was an inspection, but what was there to inspect? His eyes quickly flicked to the tomb entrance at the side.

In a flash, Liu Kuan seemed to understand everything.

"As you wish, my lord!"

Grinding his teeth, Liu Kuan took the Dream Tying Pill from Shen Hao’s hand, and without hesitation, threw his head back and swallowed, opening his mouth afterwards to show he had ingested it.

"Excellent! Liu Kuan, you truly are a clever man."

"Th-thank you, my lord, for your..." Before he could finish the sentence, Liu Kuan felt an overwhelming drowsiness rise within him, his eyelids growing impossibly heavy, speechless and powerless, his body slumping to the ground.

Shen Hao caught the already unconscious Liu Kuan and laid him flat on the floor. Just as he’d foreseen, this clever subordinate had made the best possible choice, finally granting Shen Hao the time he needed to attempt—once more—to enter the sealed Sword Emperor’s Tomb.