After Constantly Courting Death, I Became the White Moonlight - Chapter 15

Witnessing this scene—comparable to a zombie outbreak—was none other than the talisman cultivator Zou Wu from the Haoran Sect.

The moment He Zhizhou and Xu Ye saw his sect robes, both of them stiffened in shock, forgetting to paddle in their makeshift frog stroke. It was as if they suddenly regained clarity and immediately shifted into a guarded stance.

“Careful,” He Zhizhou warned through sound transmission. “That’s Zou Wu, the third senior brother of the Haoran Sect. Haoran Sect and Niguan Island are known as the two major plagues of the secret realm. The former seizes treasures on sight, and the latter schemes with cunning minds. No one knows how many valuables they’ve swindled from others—Xu Ye and I were ambushed by a few people from Haoran back in the forest. But it turns out all of it was orchestrated by this guy.”

Ning Ning blinked. “They bully others and steal their treasures—don’t the elders outside intervene?”

In the secret realm, there are two universally known rules:

1. Unless there’s a legitimate reason, disciples are forbidden from maliciously harming one another. Any disputes must be settled through proper duels.
2. To prevent hoarding, storage pouches aren’t allowed in Xiao Zhongshan. Everyone must use cloth sacks or bundles to carry things.

If someone steals another’s treasure using superior numbers, they’ll definitely be punished once they exit.

“They obviously exploit the loopholes,” He Zhizhou said bitterly. “Back then, we found a rare wild jade spirit mushroom and barely defeated the spirit beast guarding it. Just as we were about to harvest it, they swooped in and grabbed it first, claiming they got there before us.”

He’s face twisted like a bitter gourd. “We couldn’t do anything even though it was unfair. Because technically, they did pick it up first. If we’d tried to snatch it back, we’d be the ones in the wrong.”

Seeing that Ning Ning seemed to understand, he went on, “Xu Ye later told me they often hide near valuable items, waiting for others to deal with the difficult spirit beasts, and then swoop in to take the prize without lifting a finger.”

Ning Ning nodded.

So it seems as long as you don’t cross the line too blatantly, even underhanded tactics are allowed. Maybe that’s exactly what the spectators outside the realm enjoy—disciples scheming and clashing.

Zou Wu, with a dark look, had directly pointed out that she was carrying Tianxin Grass, clearly here to seize the rare treasure.

“I am Zou Wu of Haoran Sect.”

Zou Wu smiled with practiced ease. “To tell the truth, I discovered the Tianxin Grass earlier, but by the time I returned after informing my fellow disciples, it had vanished—surely, you understand how first come, first served works?”

Outside the mirror, Tian Xianzi let out a cold laugh.

Even a fool wouldn’t buy that line.

Ning Ning replied unhurriedly, “Where exactly did you see the Tianxin Grass growing?”

The man had no shame. He answered solemnly, “Regrettably, in my excitement, I… forgot.”

He even paused and put on a helpless expression. “The Tianxin Grass is formed by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth—extremely rare and precious. If you insist on claiming it, I’m afraid I’ll have no choice but to…”

He suddenly went silent.

——Because in that instant, the pretty and harmless-looking girl not far from him gave a faint smile. But in the blink of an eye, an overwhelming sword intent surged from her and crashed toward his spiritual sea!

“What do you think you’re doing! Junior Sister Ning Ning is under my protection!”

He Zhizhou stood in front of her, two large swords slung over his shoulders, swaying slightly as he moved. “You wretched thing, try anything funny again and I’ll personally send you down to the Animal Path at the Ascension Ceremony!”

Xu Ye rolled his eyes and sneered. “Are you dumb? Isn’t tomorrow the full-moon banquet for me and Senior Sister’s kid? Wait, where’s my daughter?”

He looked at his right arm, then gleefully hugged it and kissed his elbow. “There, there, let’s snuggle with Daddy~!”

Outside the mirror, a Wan Jian Sect elder spewed water from laughing.

Ning Ning.

Zou Wu had heard the name.

A sword genius born with the Sword Bone. Not only favored by the General Star Elder of Xuanxu Sword Sect, she’d also been personally accepted as a disciple by Tian Xianzi upon entering the sect. Her cultivation had progressed at an astonishing pace.

She looked gentle and meek, and earlier had suppressed her sword aura. That, paired with her appearance, made her seem like just another early-stage Golden Core cultivator. But now…

Zou Wu grit his teeth in secret.

He was currently at the third level of the Golden Core stage—probably about the same as her. But if they actually fought, he’d most likely come out the loser. And she wasn’t alone—there were two sword cultivators by her side.

——Even if those two might’ve only grown heads to look taller.

“Ah, so it’s Junior Sister Ning Ning.”

Zou Wu smiled wide, instantly switching expressions. If this were the modern world, he’d probably be a master of Sichuan Opera face-changing.

“I’ve long heard of your unparalleled talent. A pleasure, truly. Well then, fate is fate. If something’s not meant to be, forcing it is pointless. Although you’ve… taken the Tianxin Grass, I suppose it has found a good home.”

He even had the gall to use the word “taken.”

He Zhizhou’s temper flared instantly. Curling his lips coldly, he sneered, “Wow, still pretending to be a sweet little white lotus? How old are you again? Ever read a book? What pills are you on? Why’s your brain so foggy?”

Zou Wu: “You…!”

“You what.”

He Zhizhou gave him no chance to speak. Whether it was the poison mushrooms talking or just his personality, his mouth just wouldn’t stop flapping.

“Never seen anyone with skin thicker than a city wall. I was standing eight zhang away and your face still managed to bounce off mine. Honestly, it’s a waste you’re not a chef—with skills like yours in shifting blame, you’d be a star! Keep spouting nonsense and this Immortal Lord will let Green Mouth bash your fruit to mush!”
Not only was Zou Wu stunned, even Xu Ye standing beside him was dumbfounded.

The poisonous mushrooms were wreaking havoc in his brain, and before he knew it, he had raised both hands and shouted, “Peace to the Immortal Lord! Long live the Immortal Lord, long live, live ten thousand years!”

He Zhizhou waved his hand grandly.
“Eunuch Xu, no need to be so polite. Take your daughter and step down.”

Xu Ye: “Yes—sir!!”

Only after saying it did he realize something was off.

With a broken body like his… how did he have a daughter with Senior Sister?

Heavens above!

Xu Ye collapsed to his knees, raised his head to the sky, and let out a wail, hugging his own right arm and bawling.

“Senior Sister! Just how many more surprises are you hiding from me?!”

He Zhizhou let out a long sigh to mask his tears, and recited with a dramatic, newscaster-like tone.

“Like being electrocuted, unbelievable,
Like a miracle that passed through your life.
Unlike anything else in meaning—
It is the green light, the one and only.”

…At long last, these two clowns had finally entered the same scene.

While things were absolute chaos over there, what surprised Zou Wu was that Ning Ning, at the center of the incident, didn’t show much reaction. She even looked at him and smiled slightly.

“Hearing Senior Brother say that almost makes me feel guilty,” she said gently.

She seemed a bit shy and lowered her head, smiling as she bit her lip.
“Although I can’t give you the Heavenly Heart Herb… I did find a treasure in the cave earlier. It’s called the Golden Jade Cauldron. Have you heard of it, Senior Brother?”

Golden Jade Cauldron?

Zou Wu shook his head.

“The human-faced scorpion in the cave told me this cauldron balances yin and yang and has reached the peak of perfection. It was crafted by ancient immortals and can duplicate any spiritual plant below the ‘Precious’ grade. While it can’t copy the Heavenly Heart Herb, if you have any other rare spiritual plants, you’re welcome to bring them to me.”

Ning Ning spoke flawlessly, but Zou Wu didn’t quite believe her.
“Could there really be such a miraculous item in this world?”

“Duplicating spiritual plants takes time. For ‘Precious’ grade herbs, it’ll take one to two hours. But for ordinary flowers and grasses—”

As she spoke, she took out a golden cauldron the size of her palm from her bundle. She bent down and plucked a Sunray Flower, then gently chanted an incantation as she placed it inside the cauldron.

Zou Wu watched with bated breath, not daring to even breathe loudly. Before long, he saw Ning Ning reach into the cauldron—and really did pull out two Sunray Flowers.

Zou Wu was stunned.
“This…!”

“If I were lying to Senior Brother, what would I gain? I get no reward, and I’d have to give up my own spiritual plants for free. Doesn’t seem like a smart trade.”

Ning Ning hugged the cauldron tightly to her chest and dodged his attempt to touch it:
“Let me make it clear in advance, Senior Brother. Don’t even think about stealing this. The Golden Jade Cauldron requires a unique activation incantation that only I know.”

Zou Wu, greedy as he was, wasn’t a fool. If he gave her a rare spiritual plant and she ran off with the treasure, he wouldn’t even have a place to cry.

What she just demonstrated only cleared half his doubts. After thinking it over, he pulled a few Blazing Sun Petals from his pouch and said, “My valuable plants are all at the camp. This is all I have on me.”

Spiritual plants are categorized into: Mortal, Earth, Heaven, Precious, and Saint grades.
Heavenly Heart Herb is a Saint-grade, extremely rare.
Blazing Sun Petal is a Heaven-grade—mediocre, but ideal for testing.

“Heaven-grade herbs take longer to duplicate. Please be patient, Senior Brother.”
Ning Ning accepted them with one hand.
“I still need to look after my two friends here. Why don’t you return in an hour? How does that sound?”

That was clearly a polite dismissal. Though Zou Wu remained skeptical, even if this turned out to be a scam, losing a few Heaven-grade plants wasn’t the end of the world.

But if it was real…

Then he’d strike it rich.

“I know this! It’s an investment scam!”

Once the young man’s presence had completely disappeared, He Zhizhou finally couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“It’s that thing, right? Tempt him with small profits first to hook him in, then once he trusts you and invests big, you disappear with both the goods and the cash. Right?!”

“Weren’t you guys just swindled by Zou Wu for a Precious-grade herb?”

Ning Ning twirled the Blazing Sun Petal in her hand with a smile.
“So now we’ll let him personally hand over his Precious-grade herb. Then we say goodbye.”

He Zhizhou scratched his head, seemingly snapping out of a bout of madness and returning to sanity.
“But wait—how did you pull that trick with the extra Sunray Flower earlier? And what if we can’t find the same plant he gives us?”

“That flower was already in the cauldron. I thought it looked nice and tossed it in earlier. As for the plant he gives us—he said most of his stuff is back at camp, so what he carries must’ve been gathered nearby not long ago. How hard could it be to find it again?”

She patiently explained, “Also, about the cauldron—we’re going to be in this secret realm for two days and nights, remember? I brought it to cook food.”

“I’ve got a question too!”

Xu Ye had finished crying but still felt dazed.
“What if he never gives us a Precious-grade herb and keeps bringing Heaven-grade ones to mooch off us?”

“Hmm.”

Ning Ning smiled and nodded.
“There are plenty of ways to make him willingly bring it out.”

…

Ning Ning never imagined she’d see a familiar face on the slope where the Blazing Sun Petals were blooming.

Blazing Sun Petals look like sunflowers and have a unique property.

If the surroundings are pitch black and there’s no light, their petals gradually turn white.
Once exposed to light, they transform into a vibrant flame-like red.

This type of spiritual plant isn’t rare, and its bright color makes it easy to spot—
So she didn’t have much trouble finding a patch of them.

Not only was Zou Wu stunned—even Xu Ye standing beside him was dumbfounded.

The poisonous mushrooms were wreaking havoc in his brain, and before he knew it, he’d raised both hands and shouted.

“Peace to the Immortal Lord! Long live the Immortal Lord! Long live—ten thousand years!”

He Zhizhou waved his hand grandly.
“Eunuch Xu, no need to be so formal. Take your daughter and step down.”

Xu Ye: “Yes—sir!!”

Only after saying it did he realize something was off.

With a broken body like his… how on earth did he father a daughter with Senior Sister?

Heavens above!

Xu Ye collapsed to his knees, looked up at the sky, and howled, hugging his own right arm and bawling.

“Senior Sister! Just how many more surprises are you hiding from me?!”

He Zhizhou let out a long sigh to hide his tears and recited dramatically in a news-anchor tone:

“Like lightning through the soul, unbelievable.
Like a miracle that passed through your life.
Unlike anything else in meaning—
It is the green light, the one and only.”

…At long last, these two clowns had finally entered the same scene.

While chaos reigned over there, what surprised Zou Wu most was that Ning Ning—the person at the center of all this—barely reacted. She even looked at him and smiled faintly.

“Hearing Senior Brother say that almost makes me feel guilty,” she said gently.

She looked slightly shy as she lowered her head, smiling and biting her lip.
“Although I can’t give you the Heavenly Heart Herb… I did find a treasure in the cave earlier. It’s called the Golden Jade Cauldron. Have you heard of it, Senior Brother?”

Golden Jade Cauldron?

Zou Wu shook his head.

“The human-faced scorpion in the cave told me this cauldron balances yin and yang and has reached the peak of perfection. It was crafted by ancient immortals and can duplicate any spiritual plant below the ‘Precious’ grade. While it can’t copy the Heavenly Heart Herb, if you have other rare herbs, feel free to bring them to me.”

Ning Ning spoke with flawless conviction, but Zou Wu was still skeptical.
“Is there really such a miraculous item in the world?”

“Duplicating spiritual plants takes time. For ‘Precious’-grade herbs, it might take one to two hours. But for ordinary flowers and grasses—”

As she spoke, she took out a palm-sized golden cauldron from her bundle. She bent down, plucked a Sunray Flower, and gently chanted an incantation as she placed it inside the cauldron.

Zou Wu held his breath, not daring to breathe too loudly. Before long, he saw Ning Ning reach into the cauldron—
And really pull out two Sunray Flowers.

Zou Wu was stunned.
“This…!”

“If I were lying to Senior Brother, what would I gain? No reward, and I’d have to give away my own spiritual plants for free. Doesn’t sound like a smart trade, does it?”

Ning Ning hugged the cauldron tightly to her chest and dodged his hand as he tried to touch it.
“Let me be clear, Senior Brother. Don’t even think about stealing this. The Golden Jade Cauldron requires a unique activation incantation—only I know it.”

Zou Wu, greedy as he was, wasn’t stupid. If he gave her a rare herb and she ran off with the cauldron, he wouldn’t even have a place to cry.

Her demonstration only half-convinced him. After thinking it over, he pulled a few Blazing Sun Petals from his pouch and said, “My good stuff’s all back at camp. This is all I have on me right now.”

Spiritual plants are categorized into: Mortal, Earth, Heaven, Precious, and Saint grades.
The Heavenly Heart Herb is Saint-grade—exceptionally rare.
Blazing Sun Petal is Heaven-grade—mediocre, but perfect for testing.

“Heaven-grade herbs take longer to duplicate. Please be patient, Senior Brother.”
Ning Ning accepted the petals with one hand.
“I still need to look after my two friends here. Why don’t you return in an hour? Sound good?”

That was clearly a polite dismissal. Zou Wu remained wary, but even if it turned out to be a scam, losing a few Heaven-grade herbs wasn’t a big deal.

But if it was real…

Then he’d strike it rich.

“I know this! It’s an investment scam!”

Once the young man was fully out of sight, He Zhizhou finally couldn’t help himself and burst out laughing.

“It’s that thing, right? Tempt him with a small profit first to hook him in, then once he trusts you and invests big, you disappear with the goods and the cash. Right?!”

“Weren’t you guys just scammed by Zou Wu for a Precious-grade herb?”

Ning Ning twirled the Blazing Sun Petal in her hand and smiled.
“So now we’ll have him personally hand over a Precious-grade herb. Then we disappear.”

He Zhizhou scratched his head, as if coming out of a daze and regaining his sanity.
“But wait—how’d you pull off that trick with the extra Sunray Flower earlier? And what if we can’t find the same plant he gives us?”

“That flower was already in the cauldron. I thought it looked nice and tossed it in earlier. As for whatever he gives us—he said most of his herbs are back at camp, so the stuff he’s carrying must’ve been gathered nearby. It shouldn’t be too hard to find again.”

She patiently explained, “Also, about the cauldron—we’re going to be stuck in this secret realm for two days and nights, remember? I brought it to cook food.”

“I’ve got a question too!”

Xu Ye had stopped crying but was still dazed.
“What if he never gives us a Precious-grade herb and just keeps bringing Heaven-grade ones to mooch off us?”

“Hmm.”
Ning Ning smiled and nodded.
“There are plenty of ways to make him bring it out willingly.”

He just insisted on giving her those high-tier items, enjoying the thrill of his top-grade spiritual herbs multiplying endlessly.

Little girl, and you think you can outplay him?

As expected, when Ning Ning received another batch of top-tier goods, her expression dimmed a little. Still, she promised she would return them double in the near future.

The two quickly said their goodbyes, and just as Zou Wu was about to leave, he was caught off guard by the sound of footsteps behind him.

He turned abruptly—only to find it was Xu Ye, the one who had clashed with Ning Ning in the cave earlier.

“Junior Brother Xu,” Zou Wu studied the other’s grim expression, unable to guess why he had suddenly caught up. “Is there something you need?”

Xu Ye let out a cold chuckle, looking down at him from above. “You still don’t get it? They’re lying to you.”

Ah, right. That group all assumed he was just some gullible fool.

Zou Wu raised an eyebrow and sent a voice transmission, “So what?”

Seeing his reaction so calm, the youth before him finally showed a trace of panic. “You… don’t tell me you already knew?”

“Wasn’t hard to figure out.”

Zou Wu sneered proudly. “But you—suddenly telling me all this. I bet you’re hoping to gain something from me, aren’t you?”

“As expected of a senior from Haoran Sect.”

Xu Ye relaxed slightly, subconsciously clenching his fists. “I want to work with you. Let’s get our hands on the Heartgrass.”

Zou Wu looked a bit surprised. “Heartgrass?”

“Ning Ning won’t tell me where she hid it, not even under pressure. If we want to get it, we’ll have to use force.”

He was still poisoned, and his words came out a bit hazy, but the cold malice between his brows remained sharp as a blade. “The elders forbid ganging up on someone unfairly, but that’s under normal circumstances—if we have a justifiable reason to take her down, then it’s a different story.”

“Justifiable reason?”

“This furnace is just a trap. Her real plan is to run off with all the rare spirit herbs once you’ve delivered them. Xiaozhong Mountain is huge. Even if you searched day and night, you might never find her. But with me, it’s a whole different game.”

Xu Ye’s voice turned frosty. “I’ll send you her location via communication talisman. You and the rest of Haoran Sect can intercept her. Once she becomes the one who tricked you out of the herbs, you—being the ‘victim’—will have every reason to do whatever you want.”

This was the most convincing plan Zou Wu had heard so far.

If he didn’t team up with Xu Ye, he’d only end up with a handful of top-tier herbs—which, compared to the Heartgrass, were practically worthless junk.

“But…” he paused, a teasing and probing tone creeping into his voice, “why would you want to work with me?”

“Who doesn’t want the Heartgrass? Ning Ning only has two leaves. There’s no way I’d get any. But if I work with you and we split it fifty-fifty, I can get at least one leaf.”

Xu Ye shrugged. “And you saw for yourself—I’ve only known those two for less than a day. Yet she argued with me over some random seductress. She’s just a young girl, nothing going on in that head of hers.”

After a moment of silence, the sword cultivator youth suddenly lowered his gaze, a soft look briefly flashing across his face. “Most importantly, if I could give that to Senior Sister… she might finally see me in a new light.”

“Pah! See you in a new light, my ass!”

Outside the Mirror of Clarity, a group of people were holding back a woman who was fuming with rage.

“If Su Qinghan knew what you were up to, she’d beat you to death! How did I end up raising a disciple like you? Oh, my poor back!”

She turned to Tian Xianzi, who was sipping tea leisurely to the side. “Aren’t you even a little upset that your disciple is being scammed?”

Tian Xianzi took a bite of jade cake and grinned. “Let’s keep watching. The real drama hasn’t even started yet.”

=====

Rong Ci awoke from a foggy dream, vaguely seeing two figures not far off.

A blurry male voice drifted into his ears: “Tonight, then? No problem. That brat Xu Ye’s off who-knows-where. Just the two of us is better—less to worry about.”

Then came Ning Ning’s voice: “Xu Ye won’t get into trouble, right? I didn’t think he’d be that angry… If something happens to him, it’ll be awful.”

“Lucky you.”

He could hear He Zhizhou laughing. “Turns out this cave had a distribution map for Tianhe Stones, and one of them is nearby. I heard those stones are great for forging swords—a treasure once in a thousand years—”

Apparently startled to see him open his eyes, He Zhizhou swallowed the rest of his words in shock.

“You’re awake!”

Ning Ning responded much more naturally than He Zhizhou. Rong Ci could tell she was genuinely happy.

“The wound probably doesn’t hurt as much anymore, right? You’ve been sleeping a long time.”

Rong Ci curved his lips into a faint smile. “Sorry. Did I interrupt something?”

An awkward silence filled the cave.

“N-No! Not at all!”

He Zhizhou forced a laugh. “We were just… discussing postnatal care for spirit beasts, right, Ning Ning?”

Ning Ning rubbed her nose and nodded, head lowered.

It seemed lying didn’t come easily to her. She only did that nose-rub thing when she was nervous.

He Zhizhou, probably feeling a bit awkward, shuffled toward the cave entrance, muttering, “I’ll go look for Xu Ye. You two go ahead and chat.”

With that, he slipped out.

Rong Ci looked up at Ning Ning, who seemed just as flustered, and smiled with amusement in his eyes. “So, that sword cultivator who hates me is finally gone?”

Ning Ning’s ears turned red. She sat beside him slowly and said, “It’s not your fault. I don’t know what’s up with Xu Ye either—he’s been acting weird since noon today.”

The cave fell silent without the voices of He Zhizhou and Xu Ye. The dim, hazy light from outside seeped in, biting at the edges of the darkness. Even the faint whimpering of the wind could be heard.

The red-robed charm cultivator had delicate, picturesque features, bathed in a soft blush under the twilight. Even without saying a word, she could effortlessly steal one’s soul.

Rong Ci quietly watched her for a while, then suddenly said, “It’s my fault. Once I’ve recovered a bit, I’ll leave on my own tomorrow.”

He spoke calmly, even with a faint curve at the corners of his lips, but his expression was full of sorrow.

Charm cultivators were never accepted by the righteous sects. They were always the loneliest, the most misunderstood. Ning Ning frowned slightly after hearing him, thought for a while, then finally whispered, “Rong Ci… I’m sorry.”

The young man said nothing.

But deep inside, a small smile began to form.

The fish had taken the bait.

With his cultivation, there was no way he’d truly be seriously injured by a demonic bear. The only reason he got hurt on purpose… was to get close to the Heavenheart Herb.

He had sensed the sudden burst of spiritual energy when the Heavenheart Herb surfaced and rushed over, just in time to witness Ning Ning confronting Zou Wu. In a one-on-one fight, Rong Ci wouldn’t have stood a chance. The best way to steal the Heavenheart Herb from her side—was to gain her trust through a ruse.

First, he overheard that Ning Ning would be looking for the Scorching Fire Sunflower, so he deliberately let the bear scratch him and collapsed in the middle of the sunflower patch. She brought him back to the cave. Then, by acting pitiful, helpless, and lonely, he could wrap this innocent little girl around his finger.

And now… although he still didn’t know where the Heavenheart Herb was, this Tianhe Stone they mentioned sounded like an interesting treasure, too.

“I didn’t know people were so hostile to your kind. But to me, every cultivation path is equal—there’s no superior or inferior. You’re no different from anyone else.”

She spoke hesitantly, her voice soft, “I… I trust you.”

Rong Ci’s voice softened as if in a murmur, tinged with confusion and surprise: “You trust me?”

“Actually, just now… I was discussing the Tianhe Stone with He Zhizhou.”

Ning Ning clenched her sleeves, as if it took great courage to speak: “We found a distribution map of the Tianhe Stone in the cave. He didn’t want me to tell you, but… I believe you have no ill intentions toward us.”

The red-robed youth lowered his eyes, his voice like the finest aged wine, quietly laced with poison: “Tianhe Stone?”

“It’s a sacred-grade treasure, just like the Heavenheart Herb.”

She smiled guilelessly, her tone soft, none of the coldness or distance others showed to charm cultivators—just a friendly, casual heart-to-heart: “They say it emits light once every evening at the hour of Xu (around 7 PM). If you can catch that beam of light, you’ll find it.”

Rong Ci smiled again. “So you’re planning to go tonight?”

“Yeah, it’s not far from here—at Youlan Slope.”

Ning Ning propped her cheek with her hand and glanced at the darkening sky: “He Zhizhou didn’t want me to tell you, but you’re so badly hurt. There’s no way you could fight us over the Tianhe Stone. He just overthinks everything.”

She yawned as she spoke, looking sleepy, and asked drowsily, “Rong Ci, where do your people from Ni Guang Island usually stay? You always seem so mysterious.”

Yes, he wouldn’t fight for it.

The red-robed youth smiled quietly, still looking obedient and gentle. But a fleeting glint of ruthless intent flashed in his eyes.

He wouldn’t make a move…

But the others from Ni Guang Island, with whom he’d been secretly communicating—they wouldn’t be nearly as well-behaved.

…

Youlan Slope.

There weren’t many disciples from Ni Guang Island in Xiaozhong Mountain, but to block the Tianhe Stone, nearly all of them had been mobilized.

After nightfall, Youlan Slope became especially eerie and cold. Wild grass and untamed orchids swayed like shimmering bones in the wind. The shadows of trees veiled the moonlight—darkness thick as ink.

It was nearly the hour of Xu. Everyone was on edge. Amid the tense silence, sudden footsteps echoed—clear and distinct.

The blue-robed squad leader exchanged glances with others. Spiritual power surged up beside her, forming an invisible wave of force that rushed toward the approaching figure.

The figure let out an angry roar—but what stunned them was that the voice wasn’t a young man or woman’s, but rather a rough, deep male voice.

The squad leader immediately felt something was off and retracted her killing aura. She looked up.

In the growing moonlight, she finally saw the figure clearly.

It wasn’t Ning Ning. It wasn’t He Zhizhou either.

It was a man with fierce eyebrows and a muscular build, face full of fury—Zou Wu from Haoran Sect!

…

To truly understand what had happened, we have to rewind to earlier that afternoon—

When Rong Ci had just finished applying medicine and gone to sleep.

“I mean, Ning Ning, you actually just let that charm cultivator stay?”
He Zhizhou clutched the golden jade stove and whispered through sound transmission:
“Sure, he’s good-looking, but we don’t know anything about him. What if that guy’s a bad egg and has his eyes on the Heavenheart Herb?”

Unexpectedly, Ning Ning just smiled: “My friend, have a little more confidence. Drop the ‘what if’—he definitely is.”

He Zhizhou had already been poisoned by the mushroom, and his mind wasn’t clear. Hearing her blurt that out, he blinked in confusion: “Huh?”

“Have you seen Infernal Affairs or The Bourne Identity?”

She tapped the stove, which rang out with a metallic clang, and as the sound echoed, a smirk lifted on Ning Ning’s lips.
“Xu Ye once said, Rong Ci is the strongest among Ni Guang Island’s new generation. With his status and connections in the sect, there’s no way he’d be left alone. The fact that he didn’t seek help from his sect and instead ‘ran into’ us just by chance—”

“Besides, the time and place of our encounter were just too coincidental—it happened exactly when I obtained the Tianxin Grass and had no choice but to collect the Scorching Fire Sunflower.”

He Zhizhou’s eyes widened: “So he’s a spy?”

“Of course. When Zou Wu asked me to refine the Scorching Fire Sunflower, I already sensed someone secretly watching and eavesdropping. He must’ve overheard everything, which is how he managed to show up on time at the Scorching Fire Sunflower patch.”

Ningning nodded. “When I brought Rong Ci back and looked for medicine in the bundle, I secretly slipped in a petal from the Scorching Fire Sunflower. If he harbored ill intent, he’d definitely search the bundle for the Tianxin Grass after we left the cave with Zou Wu.”

She yawned. “Later, I went back to check the bundle, and sure enough, the sunflower had turned a faint red. If it had stayed untouched in the bundle, it should’ve faded to pure white.”

“So he opened the bundle while you were away.”

He Zhizhou couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Rong Ci would never have expected you to turn the tables like that. Not only did he fail to find the Tianxin Grass, but he also completely exposed himself as the traitor.”

“Niguang Island and the Bagua Sect didn’t come here with good intentions. They’re not going to let this go. Since they already see us as fat lambs waiting to be slaughtered, we might as well…”

She narrowed her eyes slightly. “…use them instead, and fleece every bit of wool off them.”

He Zhizhou was instantly intrigued. “How do we fleece them?”

“Haoran Sect excels in brute strength, but they’re not exactly brainy. With people watching the livestream outside the secret realm, they won’t make a big move openly. But fighting us one-on-one? They might not win either. So their best option is to wait patiently and look for an opening.”

Ningning neatly arranged a small stone on the ground. “Niguang Island is known for its cunning and sent a spy. Though their primary goal is the Tianxin Grass, if they can’t find where we’ve hidden it no matter how hard they try—then suddenly hear that we’ve discovered the location of another rare treasure…”

He Zhizhou cut in, “Then they’ll definitely shift their target and go raid that place directly!”

“Exactly. As long as the treasure hasn’t been claimed by us, Niguang Island has the right to seize it. They’re allowed to attack with superior numbers. To defeat us, they’ll definitely mobilize a large force to head straight for the new site, Youlan Slope.”

Ningning picked up another pebble and lightly tapped it against the first, making a crisp sound. “But in reality, there’s no treasure there at all. Instead, they’ll run straight into an enraged Haoran Sect—what do you think will happen then?”

He Zhizhou clapped with excitement, clicking his tongue in admiration. “Hollywood would be stunned, and Hengdian would weep. What a performance!”

Thus, a grand scheme began to unfold.

“Rong Ci isn’t stupid. To make him fully believe we’ve discovered the Tianhe Stone, we have to play hard to get.”

Ningning said, “There’s an interrogation tactic police use—one plays good cop, the other bad cop. When the time comes, you have to act like you’re totally against it. I’ll play the naive girl dazzled by his looks—a pure and simple white lotus. That way, he’ll be convinced of the intel through your opposition, and learn the approximate location of the so-called ‘Tianhe Stone’ through my ‘clueless’ slip-ups.”

He Zhizhou was grinning from ear to ear. “Then what?”

“Then, we pretend, ‘Oh no, it’s not that we don’t trust you, it’s just that this treasure is too important. We really can’t feel safe bringing you along, so you definitely can’t follow us.’ That’ll push his belief in the intel to the max, and he’ll immediately report everything to Niguang Island.”

She was getting tired of talking, so she took a sip of water and moistened her lips. “The Tianhe Stone only glows at 7 p.m. Niguang Island will never expect that what’s waiting for them there won’t be the Tianhe Stone—but the Haoran Sect.”

“Haoran Sect?”

He Zhizhou suddenly understood. “You’re going to use the furnace as an excuse to lure them there at 7 p.m.?”

A breeze rustled the treetops, making the branches and leaves rustle.

Sunlight poured down like molten gold, gently casting its glow over the girl’s delicate, harmless face. Ningning curled her lips into a smile, her voice carrying a touch of mystery: “I’m not just going to trick them into going to Youlan Slope—I’m also going to ask Zou Wu for a rare-grade spiritual plant.”

Seeing the confused look on He Zhizhou’s face, she adjusted her posture and smiled softly. “Actually, from the very beginning, I knew that with Zou Wu’s intelligence, he’d likely see through the furnace deception. The furnace was just bait. The real big fish… is Xu Ye.”

He Zhizhou was utterly baffled.

Zou Wu probably never imagined that Xu Ye—who seemed to have completely sold Ningning out—was actually the ultimate undercover agent.

A traitor betraying a traitor—who could’ve seen that coming?

“Whether or not Zou Wu realizes the furnace is fake, as long as Xu Ye pretends to be outraged and tells him that the Jin Yu Furnace is a scam—and even reveals the surface-level details of our plan…”

Ningning held up two fingers. “Zou Wu will believe him about sixty percent.”

“Sixty percent? What about the other forty?”

“To push him from semi-believing to fully convinced, we need an internal conflict.”

She leaned lazily against the tree trunk, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “Once Zou Wu ‘accidentally’ discovers that Xu Ye doesn’t get along with us at all—well, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? He’ll naturally start to trust Xu Ye.”

He Zhizhou finally pieced it together: “So that fight you had with Xu Ye over Rong Ci was staged on purpose! Brilliant. You made Rong Ci think you favored him, and also let Zou Wu see that Xu Ye is on bad terms with us!”

“I noticed long ago that Zou Wu had been tailing us ever since the Scorchfire Sunflower incident, so I sent Xu Ye a voice transmission telling him to strongly oppose Rong Ci joining us—best if we could even get into an argument.”

Ning Ning nodded, the curve of her eyes hinting at delight. “Zou Wu would definitely follow Xu Ye’s lead and give me a premium-grade spirit plant. After that, we just have to arrange for those two sects to meet in the same place, throw in a bit of fuel to the fire—and the Haoran Sect will be convinced that Glimmer Island is working with us.”

She paused, the smile on her lips deepening. “Besides, Zou Wu saw with his own eyes how close Rong Ci is with us. I’m just a lovestruck girl who’d even fall out with her friends over a man.”

Even Rong Ci would never expect that his meticulously crafted undercover identity would be used against him—becoming a tool to deceive the Haoran Sect into thinking Glimmer Island was closely tied to Ning Ning’s group.

He Zhi Zhou wanted to shout: Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

Both sects thought they had everything under control—one planning to extort them heavily, the other thrilled about seizing a peerless treasure—yet not one of them realized this was all a setup.

After this battle, both Glimmer Island and Haoran Sect would suffer severe losses.

Their overall strength wasn’t that high to begin with, and after fighting each other to the brink, they’d have no resources left to trouble Ning Ning’s group.

This operation? A complete spy thriller within a spy thriller. Counterintelligence, undercover agents, double agents, sowing discord—it had everything, and it was absolutely spectacular.

He Zhi Zhou clicked his tongue in admiration. “You’re like the modern-day little Tom Cruise!”

“Sorry,”

Ning Ning replied in perfect sync, “I’m the police.”

=====

Evening, Youlan Slope.

Two groups stood across from each other, exchanging wary glances. The small green-robed leader who had just blasted Zou Wu with spiritual energy looked pale.

—Weren’t we told no one else knew about the Tianhe Stone? Then what’s going on with this group from the Haoran Sect?!

Zou Wu, who had nearly gotten his head blown open, wore an equally grim expression and clenched his fists in silence.

Following Xu Ye’s advice, he’d gifted Ning Ning a premium-grade spirit plant an hour earlier and received news just before this meeting that she had fled and was supposedly heading toward Youlan Slope.

Yet when he arrived, Ning Ning was nowhere to be seen—and a familiar voice suddenly rang in his ears through a voice transmission.

It was He Zhi Zhou, smug and triumphant.
“Did Xu Ye tell you all the secrets? Too bad—we really couldn’t find a premium-grade one. Luckily, Glimmer Island said if we give them half of the spirit plant, they’ll help us handle the rest.”

The brat even sighed theatrically:
“Ah, half is fine. Wasn’t ours to begin with anyway. Brother, good luck!”

Zou Wu nearly exploded from rage.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the green-robed leader also stiffened.

He Zhi Zhou’s voice echoed in her ear as well, half-laughing, half-sighing—the embodiment of an infuriating troll:
“Planting an undercover agent on us? We caught on long ago. Those fools from Haoran Sect said if we give them the Jin-Yu Furnace, they’d help us take care of you lot. And since they’re fools, we agreed!”

So Haoran Sect got used as a disposable sword!

The green-robed leader clenched her fists and coldly snapped,
“That Jin-Yu Furnace is fake. I bet you didn’t even know that, did you?”

Zou Wu’s fury only grew stronger.

These people had clearly known they were being played all along, yet still colluded with the Xuanxu Sword Sect to screw him over. Now they had the nerve to rub salt in the wound?!

“You sons of—” Zou Wu cursed viciously, seething with murderous intent.
“I knew all along! My undercover agent already told me everything!”

The green-robed leader was horrified.

He already knew? If he knew and still joined forces with the Xuanxu Sword Sect to ambush them, that meant he wasn’t deceived—he intended to wipe them out from the start!

“By the way,” He Zhi Zhou’s voice added with an eerie chuckle,
“Didn’t Glimmer Island send out about 80% of their forces for this Tianhe Stone mission? Plus, there’s still Rong Ci staying with us…”

“Not sure how many of your people are left in your base. Oh, wait—no need to guess. Once Ning Ning gets back, she’ll tell me herself.”

In their desperation to snatch the Tianhe Stone, Glimmer Island had only left one person to guard everyone’s belongings.

The green-robed leader almost coughed up blood.

She had only just figured out this was a subtle counterintelligence plot—but never imagined that it was also a “lure the tiger from the mountain” tactic!

Damn it! They’d all been conned by con artists!

The green-robed leader couldn’t take it anymore. Trembling with rage, she roared:

“You bastards! I’ll f* your whole family!”

Only to meet the murderous gaze of the man across from her.

“You’ll f* my family?”

Zou Wu sneered.
“I’ll just kill you!”