Chapter 269 – Gaining Trust, Deepening Chaos, and Relocating to Cloudpeak Province - Part 3
Life seemed to settle again into a calmer rhythm.
Li Yuan was called upon to assist with missions more and more often, and his freedom gradually returned. In time, he was even allowed to travel alone as far as the second gate, and then the first gate. Each time he came back safely, the watchers grew less suspicious.
He also started taking Ping’an with him more frequently. Their personalities were worlds apart; at best, they could avoid arguing. Li Yuan was calm enough, but Ping’an would explode at the slightest spark...like a keg of gunpowder with a short fuse.
Eventually, after one particularly intense battle, Li Yuan earned enough trust to take Ping’an outside the third gate—and then brought him back again under watchful eyes.
Not long after, the watchers, confronted by an indignant Li Yuan, vowed they’d stop following him. In truth, they merely reduced their numbers and tracked him from a distance. But for Li Yuan, that was more than enough.
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Time went by day after day, half a year slipping through his fingers in a flash.
Early winter arrived.
Li Yuan made his way beyond the first gate to a tavern called Famous Toast. It was an establishment secretly run by the Black Cloaks.
After stepping into a private suite, he tapped lightly on the floor. A hidden trapdoor slid aside, revealing a concealed passageway.
From below emerged a womanly figure in pale makeup—actually a man in disguise—who stayed in the private room to order drinks and dishes, creating the impression Li Yuan was still there.
Meanwhile, Li Yuan slipped down through the passageway into a secret chamber.