Sun Shulin’s intel piqued Wang Ping’s interest. He studied Sun Shulin carefully for a moment before turning his gaze to Shang Ge, who seemed to be weighing something in his mind.

A thought from Yu Lian flashed through Wang Ping’s Spirit Sea. ’Shang Ge’s emotions fluctuated wildly for a moment. I suspect he’s weighing the pros and cons. He’s very likely to switch sides on the battlefield, depending on the difference in strength between us and the enemy.’

Similar thoughts surfaced in Wang Ping’s own mind. As he looked at Shang Ge, he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of Curse Talisman he would need to use to gain the upper hand if the man turned traitor.

Then, without betraying any emotion, he turned back to Sun Shulin, who continued, "When a transaction involves personal favors, the situation is bound to be complicated. The Upper Dan Sect has no information on this front, so who knows what’s really going on behind the scenes."

At this, Shang Ge cleverly interjected, "From the sound of it, Fellow Daoist, are you planning to switch sides?"

Sun Shulin shot Shang Ge a surprised look before turning to Wang Ping and stating firmly, "I’m not an idiot. Why would I even consider that? The Upper Dan Sect has made it clear that even if they don’t get the Holy Heart Grass, they intend to prove to the world that they are the second most powerful sect in Hu Mountain Country."

He paused, staring at Shang Ge and deliberately looking him up and down before continuing, "Besides, our mission might seem complex, but there are no specific stipulations. In other words... we’ll be rewarded even if we fail. It’s practically a freebie. As long as we trust each other, getting out of this in one piece shouldn’t be a problem."

His words were quite persuasive.

Wang Ping glanced at Shang Ge, who looked as if he was being won over. Yu Lian’s voice echoed in his mind again. ’This man’s mentality is so strange. It’s shifting again. He has no convictions of his own.’

’You’re wrong,’ Wang Ping thought. ’He probably hasn’t changed at all. He’s an opportunist by nature.’

Shang Ge’s maneuvering made it clear he was prepared to switch sides at a moment’s notice. The fact that he was so obvious about it, without any fear of Wang Ping and Sun Shulin seeing through him, suggested he had some kind of ace up his sleeve.

"Fellow Daoist, do you have any intel?" Sun Shulin asked, his eyes lingering on Shang Ge for another moment before turning back to Wang Ping.

"I only started making arrangements for today’s events a year ago, so gathering intelligence has been difficult. All I know for now is that there are two Gold Cultivators and one half-crazed Star God standing guard at the Celestial Water Sect’s camp."

"That’s no different from the Upper Dan Sect’s intel!"

Sun Shulin sounded displeased, perhaps thinking Wang Ping was holding back information.

Wang Ping met his gaze and added, "This information is only an hour old."

Only then did Sun Shulin’s expression soften.

At this moment, Wang Ping took out a pair of divination blocks. "You don’t mind if I cast a reading, do you?" he asked the other two.

"Of course not."

Sun Shulin nodded nonchalantly, but Shang Ge’s eyes lit up. He seemed to place great faith in divination.

Wang Ping gave Shang Ge another look before tossing the divination blocks to the ground.

A Holy Trigram.

"Well?" Shang Ge asked impatiently.

"A Holy Trigram..."

As Wang Ping moved to pick up the blocks, Shang Ge shot up, retrieving them for him. "How about another reading?"

CLATTER.

He cast the blocks again.

"Well?" Shang Ge’s tone was even more urgent this time. He was truly obsessed with divination, likely due to his upbringing.

"Still a Holy Trigram."

Wang Ping met Shang Ge’s eyes and replied with a faint smile. Beside them, Sun Shulin’s eyebrow twitched. He knew a little about divination himself and could tell the second reading was clearly invalid, but he didn’t expose Wang Ping’s lie.

Just as an excited look spread across Shang Ge’s face, a multicolored stream of light shot into the sky from the direction of Biyou Mountain, where it exploded three times in quick succession.

It was a signal from some unknown sect.

Wang Ping watched Shang Ge walk to the window. He picked up the divination blocks from the floor, then took out two Copper Coins and cast another reading. This time, it was a genuine Holy Trigram. He looked up just in time to meet Sun Shulin’s gaze, and they shared a knowing smile.

They each had their own schemes, but for now, they shared a tacit understanding to set them aside.

Hearing the clink of Copper Coins on the table, Shang Ge turned. "Judging by your expressions, was it another good omen?"

"Yes!"

This time, it was Sun Shulin who answered. As he spoke, he extended a hand and flicked a stream of Spiritual Qi, pushing open a window on the shaded side of the room. A blue-gray Spirit Bird flew in and landed on his hand.

"Things are getting lively over at Biyou Mountain," Sun Shulin said, stroking his Spirit Bird.

Sun Shulin played with his Spirit Bird for a moment, and then the bird spoke in a human voice, "The Holy Heart Grass is not yet fully mature, but fighting has already broken out on the outskirts of Biyou Mountain. It’s just a bunch of small-time nobodies, though."

The Holy Heart Grass was the kind of treasure that had a price but was never on the market. Many coveted it, from common peddlers and desperate gamblers to speculators hoping to strike it rich and hardened warriors who lived by the sword. Every time it neared maturity, the river outside Yingfeng Pass would be dyed red with blood.

This time was no different.

By the time they had finished a pot of tea in their private room, the wide river upstream had been stained crimson. The crowd gathered at the ferry crossing continued to wade through the blood-tinted water, rushing to the other side with ever-increasing speed.

"How adorable."

Shang Ge patted the collar of his blue Cultivator Robe with his left hand, his fingers toying with a wisp of Spiritual Qi. A murderous aura flared around him for an instant. He was clearly a bloodthirsty man, which was likely why he was after the Holy Heart Grass in the first place.

「An hour passed...」

Corpses had begun to float down the river, and the crowd at Yingfeng Pass continued to swell. The few boats at the ferry hadn’t stopped running for a moment. During this time, both Wang Ping and Sun Shulin had each stepped out for a quarter of an hour to get the latest intel from their respective informants.

Before they knew it, night had fallen.

After nightfall, Wang Ping and Sun Shulin took turns going out every Half an Hour. Then, about thirty minutes past Midnight, Shang Ge also left, and he was gone for thirty minutes as well.

"Something strange is going on," Shang Ge announced upon his return. "In the camps supposedly guarded by the six sects, I only saw temporarily hired Cultivators. There wasn’t a single Cultivator from the sects themselves."

Wang Ping instantly reviewed the intelligence he had gathered all day. ’It’s true, there was no mention of any Cultivators from the six sects. That’s very strange. Setting aside the Yuqing Sect, shouldn’t the other five at least send one or two Second Realm Cultivators to hold the fort?’

’Is there some other scheme at play here?’

CLATTER.

Wang Ping cast another divination. Just as he was about to interpret the result, a streak of purple and red light flared across the dark sky outside.

It was the signal to attack the Celestial Water Sect’s camp. That signal meant the Sect’s Second Realm Cultivators were already making their move elsewhere. Just then, Sun Shulin’s Spirit Bird flew in and announced, "The Holy Heart Grass in the core area is now fully mature!"

Shang Ge asked urgently, "What did the reading say?"

"A reading of intertwined fortune and disaster..."

Wang Ping put away his divination tools and met their gazes. "Since the signal has been given, it’s time for us to move."