Lin Mu woke up to an aching stomach in the morning and instinctively withdrew the cooked meat from the Ring before devouring it. This time he was able to maintain his sanity and did not make a mess like the last time.

~Phew~

"Seems like I need to wait a bit more before I can see any change in the nameless technique. For now, the hunger seems the same although I haven't lost control over myself." Lin Mu spoke.

"This does seem like the better way. From the pace you are cultivating, you should be able to reach the peak of the late stage of the qi refining realm much earlier than expected. Maybe, you would even have some success with the nameless technique." Xukong replied.

Lin Mu hummed in response before starting his routine again.

***

While Lin Mu was cultivating in seclusion, something else was happening in Wu Lim City.

Hei Wan had arrived in the Wu Lim city a while back and had been staying at her lord's mansion. Not only was she keeping up with all the reports that the Hei corps got from all over the Shuang Qian kingdom, but she was also managing the Northern town.

The investigations about the culprits had slowed to a turtle's pace, and no progress had been made for days now. This only made Hei Wan furrow her brows more, as she read the report in her hand.

'No more disappearances have been reported in the Northern town and the area around it. Neither have there been any more incidences in the entire county. Some of the mercenaries that had gone out to the northern forest finally returned and were expertly shocked after learning of all that had happened.

Apparently, they had also sensed some of the strange changes that had happened in the forest with the beasts and had sent some messengers to their respective camps. But due to the distance being rather large and the winter being in full swing, it was taking them much longer to communicate.

The beast corpses that were hunted by the mercenaries have also been steadily arriving at the Wu Lim city and were being taken by the Mayor's people regularly. Still, we are in the dark about what the beast corpses were being used for. All of our attempts at finding out more about it had been stalled by the lord as he did not want to rouse the Mayor's suspicion.' 

Hei Wan rolled the report and tied it back before storing it on a shelf.

~Sigh~

She sighed and rubbed her forehead in frustration and fatigue.

'What more can we do, all our attempts seem to be failing. And even the investigation into the abandoned warehouse turned out to be useless.' Hei Wan thought.

~Knock~Knock~

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, someone knocked on the door of the room.

"It's me, leader." The voice behind the door called out.

"Come in." Hei Wan replied.

The door of the room opened and in walked a man whose face was hidden behind a featureless mask and was dressed in dark blue robes. The man came to stand in front of Hei Wan before cupping his hands in greeting.

"Speak," ordered Hei wan.

"The Lord had asked for your presence at this moment. We also have some news about the disciples of the Tri cauldron peony sect." The masked man spoke.

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute." Hei Wan spoke before letting out another sigh.

The masked man went away, and Hei Wan corrected her clothes before leaving the room as well. She walked to another room, which was the study of her lord. 

The Lord was currently standing against a window and was staring out of it. He was tapping on the windowsill with his left hand while he had a cup of tea in the other. Hei Wan gently opened the door of the study and walked to stand behind the lord in silence.

She did not speak and patiently waited for her lord to be done with his thoughts.

Her wait did not last long, as it seemed like the Lord was in a hurry today.

"Something is wrong with the disciples of the Tri cauldron peony sect." The Lord spoke in a monotone voice.

Hei Wan's eyes were raised behind her veil as she took these words in.

"Is it something to do with the mayor, or perhaps is it because of their task?" Hei Wan speculated.

Wu Hei did not respond immediately and thought for a few seconds before responding.

"I am thinking both. I want you to investigate into them more, perhaps even… a banquet. Yes… Yes… A banquet will be good." Wu Hei spoke in a strange tone.

"I'll prepare the invitations right away. Should I set it up at the Qing Bao Restaurant? Or perhaps somewhere else?" Hei Wan immediately replied.

"Hmm…" Wu Hei hummed as he sipped his tea and rubbed his chin. 

He thought for a minute before responding.

"What was that place that the disciples of the Tri cauldron peony sect took a fancy to? Set the banquet there. Hire some courtesans to entertain them." Wu Hei spoke with a slight smile on his face.

"Fang Yin pavilion would indeed be a good choice, my lord, I'll get to it right away. But should we invite a few more people, just us and them being there would seem strange?" Hei Wan answered.

"Do as you seem fit, I just want it ready as soon as possible." Wu Hei replied as he turned around.

"It will be done." Hei Wan replied before swiftly leaving the room.

Once Hei Wan was gone from the room, Wu Hei went to sit at his desk. He put the cup down and poured himself another serving before drinking it all in a single gulp.

~Sigh~

"It has gone cold… What a waste of good tea." He muttered before flipping his palm a making a jade slip appear in his hand.

This jade slip was light yellow in color and was about the length of a palm. Wu Hei firmly grasped it in his palm before speaking.

"How are you, Elder brother…" 

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