They hadn’t even settled on a plan, but he had basically made up his mind.
Yao Jingzhi’s gaze swept over the crowd. He first pointed to an Eighth Realm disciple and said, "Senior Brother Zhao, your Cultivation is the highest here, aside from Senior Sister Jiang’s. Junior Brother Zhang Tong will go with you."
Next, he paired another Eighth Realm senior sister with a Sixth Realm senior brother. Soon, it was his own turn. However, instead of pointing to Chen Qingyang, he changed his tune. "Senior Sister Liu, I’ll have to trouble you to team up with me. Our Cultivation levels happen to complement each other."
This Senior Sister Liu was the other Eighth Realm disciple in the group. With that, the only person left for Chen Qingyang was Jiang Muzhou.
’The man truly was cautious. With a Ninth Realm cultivator plotting against a Second Realm one, there was no way anything could go wrong. Besides, Chen Qingyang had no backing, no powerful family.’
’A guy like that was dirt poor, without even a single decent Magical Treasure to his name. He’d be easy to kill.’
"Senior Sister Jiang, I know you’ve used up a lot of your strength, but this Junior Brother Chen just had his breakthrough. His Cultivation is the lowest, so I’ll need you to take good care of him. That’s the only way to be absolutely certain of success."
The two acted as if they hadn’t planned this in advance. Jiang Muzhou looked at him, feigning a slight surprise, before nodding. "Alright, I have no problem with that."
Seeing her agree, the others couldn’t object. Even if Chen Qingyang had wanted to argue, he was given no opportunity.
However, just as the group was about to set off, Jiang Muzhou spoke up. "Everyone, we don’t need to rush. Why don’t we just wait here until dawn? It’ll be easier to search for our targets, and we’ll be safer."
They had already discussed using delaying tactics, so everyone agreed. They each chose a spot and began to meditate.
Chen Qingyang was bored, but he couldn’t risk using any of his techniques. The others would surely gauge his true strength. He had no choice but to sit still.
When the night had deepened, Jiang Muzhou walked over to Yao Jingzhi and called softly, "Junior Brother Yao, come here a moment!"
Yao Jingzhi got the message. The two of them walked a great distance away and hid behind a tree. Chen Qingyang, assuming they were off to cultivate, hurried after them.
"Junior Brother... I don’t understand why you arranged things this way. Are you trying to make me kill Chen Qingyang?" There was a hint of resentment in her voice.
Yao Jingzhi nodded. "This is the best and safest method I can think of right now. If you’re the one to act, his death is certain."
"You should understand, Senior Sister. In this situation, if he were paired with me, it would surely raise suspicion. Having him with you is the most logical choice."
Jiang Muzhou said again, "Then why didn’t you tell me beforehand so I could prepare? I always thought you were going to do it yourself."
"It makes no difference. You have to dispose of that brat within three days. Afterward, I’ll slip away from my partner and find you. We can just make up a lie then. It’s not difficult."
After hearing his explanation, Jiang Muzhou stopped complaining about his lack of consultation. "Fine. But don’t do this again."
Yao Jingzhi nodded lightly. "Senior Sister, what exactly did you sense earlier?"
"I only sensed six auras. There are six of them at most, and their Cultivation is very high. Three of them are just a little weaker than I am."
Hearing this, Yao Jingzhi narrowed his eyes and tapped his arm, deep in thought. ’Where on earth did this group come from? Don’t tell me the Yu Xiao Demon Sect traveled thousands of miles and took a roundabout route just to get here. But what could they possibly be after?’
Jiang Muzhou couldn’t make sense of it and asked again, "Junior Brother, what exactly is their goal?"
After another moment of thought, Yao Jingzhi finally waved his hand. "Let’s not worry about it for now. Our plan remains unchanged. In three days, I’ll send you a message, and we’ll rendezvous in the mountains. After we come out, we’ll hide nearby and wait patiently."
"If by dusk on the fifth day, no one has come out, they’ve most likely fallen to the Demon Sect. There’s no need for us to take that risk. We can just send a message to Senior Brother Yin Zhu and let him handle the rest."
Jiang Muzhou was very pleased with this plan. "Yes, we’ll do exactly as you say, Junior Brother. That way, if Chen Qingyang dies, it will seem completely normal and have nothing to do with us."
As she spoke, she seemed extremely dependent on her junior brother, burying her head in his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
Gazing at his beautiful and compliant senior sister, Yao Jingzhi felt a surge of desire, his hands stroking down her back.
His senior sister gave him a seductive look, glancing around furtively. "Mmm... Junior Brother, how about... we do it here?"
Hearing this, Yao Jingzhi could only take his hands away. "Have you forgotten? Neither of our injuries have healed. You still want to?"
Jiang Muzhou lowered her head, her face red. "Then what exactly is the problem? Could it be that the environment in that room was bad? Maybe if we change the setting, everything will be different!"
And he had to admit, the scenery wasn’t bad at all.
Yao Jingzhi was silent, deep in thought. "Junior Brother Mo Qiu, hurry up... Can’t we just try one more time? This time, let’s concentrate and figure out this problem together, okay?"
With the sky for a blanket and the earth for a bed, they performed the great harmony of Yin and Yang, the act of a passionate man and a desirous woman...
Just when the two thought they were safe, disaster struck again. This time, it was injury piled upon injury as they tumbled into the dry leaves, a pathetic sight.
Yao Jingzhi’s expression was one of utter fury. "You... What in the world is wrong with you!"
...
Chen Qingyang didn’t know what happened after that, as he had already returned to his spot.
’This time, I harvested Immortal Seedling 4399, which was more than the previous two times. The mission hasn’t even started, and those two are already badly injured. Can this possibly go on?’
’They just don’t learn their lesson. This has happened twice in a row, yet they just had to insist on a third try.’
’Men and women alike, all fall prey to lust!’
Chen Qingyang snapped out of his thoughts and was once again overcome with boredom.
At this moment, Zhang Tong poked him. "Senior Brother Chen, I see you’re not cultivating. What are you thinking about?"
"Sigh. I can’t quiet my mind, so there’s no way to practice. I suppose I’ll just have to sit here until dawn."
Zhang Tong said, "Oh, so that’s why. I thought you were like me, out on your first trip away from the Sect, completely unaware that you can hardly take a step without Spirit Stones. What a relief!"
’Chen Qingyang looked at him. This guy was really something else. He had no idea how someone like that had managed to get through the Qi Refining Stage.’
"You haven’t told me where you’re from."
Zhang Tong whispered, "The Myriad Phenomena Talisman Institute."
This was the Tai Xu Sect’s holy hall for the practice of Talismans. On par with the Separation Dragon Pill Institute of the Alchemy Dao, it was incredibly prestigious. It was so renowned that even many disciples who wished to study the Alchemy Dao would consider it an honor to be part of the Myriad Phenomena Talisman Institute.
’The ’Myriad Phenomena’ in its name referred to the ever-changing, all-encompassing nature of Talismans. This guy really was a hidden expert.’
"Did your master and fellow disciples never tell you any of this?"
Zhang Tong looked a bit embarrassed again. "Maybe they did. I probably just don’t remember."
Chen Qingyang thought for a moment, then took out a handful of Spirit Stones and gave them to him—a few hundred pieces at least. "This should last you for a while. Next time you go out, remember to bring your own."
Zhang Tong was extremely grateful. "Thank you, Senior Brother! I... I don’t really have anything to give you in return... How about I give you a Jade Talisman I refined myself?"
As he spoke, he pulled an object from his sleeve. It was pure white, about two inches long, and covered in carved inscriptions. A Qi Mechanism was hidden within it.
"This thing can’t kill enemies or harm people. It can only be used for self-defense. Senior Brother, we’re about to part ways, so just take it as a small blessing for your safety."
Other than sensing that the Qi Mechanism inside it was quite strong, Chen Qingyang couldn’t grasp its profound purpose, as he was a complete novice in this field.
He tucked it into his robes. "That’s very thoughtful of you, Junior Brother."
Feeling that he hadn’t given him enough Spirit Stones, he handed over five more Top Grade ones.