Yan Hui Valley.
At the Red Stone Fort ruins, a pile of unusable odds and ends had been cleared into one corner. The usable lumber and bricks had all been gathered and sorted into separate stacks for later use.
As the once-chaotic site gradually took shape, the sun began to sink in the west.
At dusk, the afterglow streamed through the reeds and fell across the bustling construction site, casting long shadows.
A row of chest-high wooden fences now surrounded the entire camp. Beyond them were various traps and mechanisms that had been hastily dug and set up.
In the southeast corner, a small, sunny hillside was the site of a temple to Great Immortal Dangqing, now under hurried construction.
The pond by the entrance and the tree pit behind the building had already begun to take shape.
The foundations for the temple's main hall had also been laid out.
Not far away, in a newly erected tent, the three bosses had just returned from a round of patrol and were meeting to discuss their plans.
A rough sheet of white paper lay before the First Boss, covered in crude lines and circles drawn with charcoal. He gazed at it and said, "This shows where the various fellow cultivators in Yan Hui Valley are based."
"We're here."
He pointed to one of the circles, then moved his finger to another circle nearby. "And here is Luhua Village, one of the largest powers in Yan Hui Valley."
"Luhua Village's First Boss cares a great deal about face."
"When we managed to secure the Red Stone Fort territory, it was thanks not only to the strength of my Dangqing Village, but also to our catering to his tastes. We flattered him a little and won his support."
"Now that we've just arrived