My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Setting the Plan

The two of them sprinted all the way, returning to Moyun Market in ten minutes.

Just as Moyun Market came into view, Shen Yunjiao suddenly stopped. She seemed to be pondering something, and soon, she came to a decision.

"What’s wrong?" Zhao Zuo asked, a little confused.

"Lei Zhen will definitely be able to figure out what happened from the traces of the fight left at the scene."

"Unlike the simple-minded Lei Ming, Lei Zhen is extremely meticulous, despite his rough and bold appearance," Shen Yunjiao said softly. "He’ll definitely send people to the Market to gather information. We should enter separately. I’ll set up a stall in the stall district, and you can wander around. If you see any Loose Cultivators who might be Lei Zhen’s men, memorize their faces. We’ll ambush and kill them on our way back this evening."

Lei Zhen’s men would need to ask people for information, so by observing carefully, they had a high chance of finding their targets. Separating temporarily was simply to lower the odds of being discovered.

"I get it." Zhao Zuo nodded, understanding her meaning. Since this was now a fight to the death, taking the initiative was far better than waiting to be slaughtered.

In truth, the simplest solution would have been for them to go their separate ways, return to Qingni Lane individually, and avoid contact for a while to distance themselves from Lei Ming’s death as much as possible. But that wasn’t a long-term solution. Shen Yunjiao’s fighting style was too distinct; she would easily become a prime suspect.

And when that happened, Zhao Zuo would naturally be implicated as well.

To eliminate the problem at its root, they had to deal with the source of the trouble itself.

"Since they’re our enemy, we have to eradicate them, root and stem. Don’t be soft-hearted," Shen Yunjiao warned him seriously.

"I understand." Zhao Zuo nodded.

"I’ll go on ahead, then."

Once Shen Yunjiao was a good distance away, Zhao Zuo activated his Hundred-Change Mask. With a series of sharp cracks from his adjusting bones and compressing muscles, his entire body shifted. In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a robust man of nearly six feet into a somewhat gaunt, middle-aged man of about five-foot-ten. His face was now lined with crow’s feet, his skin was sallow, and he looked utterly drained and listless.

Once he was ready, Zhao Zuo glanced down and noticed the wound on his right hand had already mostly scabbed over. After thoroughly cleaning the blood off his hand with snow, there was almost no sign he had been injured recently.

Zhao Zuo looked down at the dried bloodstains on his Taoist Robe. ’How stupid of me,’ he thought, silently cursing himself. He quickly pulled out two Cleaning Talismans and wiped his clothes clean before finally starting to walk slowly toward the Market.

After deliberately taking his time for about five minutes, Zhao Zuo finally reached the gate of Moyun Market. Two stone pillars stood proudly in the snow. They showed no signs of wear from the elements, as they had been forged from a material used in Artifact Refining to create Magical Treasures.

In that time, three groups of people had already overtaken him and entered the Market. Unsure if he had already missed his targets, Zhao Zuo couldn’t help but feel a surge of anxiety.

"Friend, a moment of your time."

Hearing the voice, Zhao Zuo froze. The hairs on his arms stood on end as he slowly turned around.

Three figures emerged from the swirling snow, all clad in Taoist Robes. The man in the center was tall, with short hair that couldn’t conceal his sharp, angular features. His eyes held a cunning glint. It was Liu Yunshan, Lei Zhen’s right-hand man.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?"

Zhao Zuo asked cautiously as he turned, inwardly reminding himself of the role he was playing. Even as he spoke, he was slowly inching his way toward the interior of Moyun Market.

"Don’t be scared. We just have a few questions for you," Liu Yunshan said, taking a few large strides to stand directly in front of Zhao Zuo.

"Have you seen two people? One of them is a Body Cultivator. Most importantly, one of them is injured," Liu Yunshan asked, looming over him with an oppressive presence.

"Uh... um..." Zhao Zuo averted his gaze and mumbled in a low voice, "Didn’t see... didn’t see anyone."

"Tch. Let’s go. We’ll ask around inside the Market." Without another word, Liu Yunshan shoved Zhao Zuo aside with his shoulder and strode past the two stone pillars into the stall district.

Zhao Zuo staggered, nearly falling over. Seeing this, Liu Yunshan let out a derisive laugh.

In truth, he was well aware that he was nothing more than a dog kept by Lei Zhen. Ever since abandoning his dignity just to survive, he had taken pleasure in bullying Loose Cultivators who were in an even worse state than him. It was as if he were killing his former self, over and over again.

Once the three were a good distance ahead, Zhao Zuo quickly followed. He was almost certain they were his targets, but he didn’t forget his role, making his legs tremble as if he were terrified.

Due to the snow, most of the vendors in the stall district had already packed up. Only a hundred or so people were scattered across the vast area, leaving large patches of ground covered in white snow.

After stepping into the stall district, Liu Yunshan cleared his throat and shouted.

"Just a short while ago, my second brother, Lei Ming, was murdered! Our boss is offering a three-hundred-Spirit-Stone bounty for the killers! One of them is a Body Cultivator, and the other is skilled in Fire Manipulation Swordsmanship. One of the two is injured."

"There’s also a Spirit Stone reward for anyone who provides a useful clue!"

A bounty like this was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack. What Lei Zhen really wanted to express was his determination to avenge his brother. It was highly unlikely anyone would actually be able to claim the Spirit Stones.

Private bounties like this had been posted a few times before, but they always came to nothing.

After shouting a few more times, Liu Yunshan began approaching people in the stall district to ask for clues.

Just as Shen Yunjiao had predicted, he failed to get any useful information. He was even berated by vendors several times and had to bow his head with an apologetic smile, making for a pathetic and comical sight.

Liu Yunshan even questioned Shen Yunjiao for a moment, only to be met with a contemptuous eye-roll.

His prolonged failure to find any useful information made Liu Yunshan anxious. Having followed Lei Zhen for five years, he knew all too well the towering rage his boss must be feeling right now. If he botched this assignment, he would surely be punished.

"Did they just vanish into thin air?" Liu Yunshan growled in frustration.

Meanwhile, Zhao Zuo meandered over to Shen Yunjiao’s stall, squatted down, and spoke softly.

"It’s me."

Shen Yunjiao froze for a moment, then a look of unconcealed surprise flashed across her face. She never expected Zhao Zuo to have so much hidden up his sleeve—two Middle Grade Magical Artifacts and such an exquisite Disguise and Bone Shrinking Technique.

"I’m going to set up an ambush a kilometer outside the Market. Be careful," Shen Yunjiao said. She stood up and began packing away her stall with a look of annoyance, as if frustrated by the poor business.

’Heh, what a couple of old pros,’ Zhao Zuo thought to himself.

Zhao Zuo’s own acting skills were actually quite poor, but the Hundred-Change Mask gave him the aura of a master thespian. He wandered the stall district a bit more, then went to a Spirit Rice Store and bought twenty pounds of Spirit Rice. If you’re going to put on an act, you might as well make it convincing. He then returned to the stall district with the sack on his back.

His gaze swept past the few people nearby, landing on Liu Yunshan, who had been repeatedly rebuffed. Finally, with the sack of Spirit Rice on his back, Zhao Zuo stepped out into the swirling snow and left the Market.

The frustrated Liu Yunshan happened to turn his head just in time to see Zhao Zuo’s departing figure. He immediately led his men to follow.

’Since I can’t find the clues the boss wants right now, I might as well score a little windfall for myself,’ Liu Yunshan thought. The image of that man’s timid, submissive eyes flashed in his mind. He looked like a perfect meal ticket, someone he could extort again and again.

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