They Took the Bait

Only at this moment, after everyone else had left, did she fall into this deep thought alone.

What she just said about having a way to solve it was just an excuse.

If she really had a solution, she would have acted long ago. Now she's stuck in a stalemate. She could wear down the other side, but time doesn't allow it. There are new paths, but she doesn't have a method for the time being.

If we say it directly, it will cause people to lose confidence and damage morale. At such a critical moment, morale is extremely important and cannot be damaged in the slightest.

Ning Weiyue stood up and paced back and forth, the armor on her body clashing and rattling like weapons clashing together, producing a terrifying metallic clang.

This sea area is vast and boundless. The blue sky is like a curtain, giving it a somewhat unreal feel, while the white clouds embedded in the blue are like the seams on the curtain, appearing somewhat ethereal.

Standing between heaven and earth, she was small, but she possessed an aura that could cleave through the heavens and earth. Even the white clouds and blue sky could not obstruct her figure.

"What a wonderful world! If I could live again, I wouldn't give up the chance to be alive again," Ning Weiyue broke the void of silence, talking to herself.

"First, find out their true intentions. If it's fake, then think of other ways. If it's real, let them be my vanguard and charge into battle first."

Ning Weiyue made up her mind and sat back down in the recliner that her subordinates had specially made for her, placing her hands on the textured wooden table.

There was a pot of old wine on the wooden table. It was so strong that drinking it felt like a knife scraping against your throat, bringing a burning yet addictive pain.

Ning Weiyue picked up her wine cup, gently rubbed it with her fingers, and drank it all in one gulp.

The moment the strong liquor went down his throat, his face turned crimson, like blood spilled on snow.

"I can't beat you saints or Exiting Sainthood, but I can kill everyone else. When that happens, I will still get the credit."

She stopped talking, drinking sip by sip, pouring glass after glass.

This old wine, which even men shy away from, made her feel good.

In this extremely remote place, the terrain is desolate, and the howling winds whip up yellow dust and sand, so much so that even the most experienced horse will lose its way.

The temperature difference between day and night is extreme. The daytime is unbearably hot, while the nighttime is extremely cold, which even three layers of quilts cannot keep out.

Bai Zhong looked at the sky-covering yellow sand, squinted his eyes, and said with some emotion, "Fortunately, people in this line of work don't care about the environment. Otherwise, it would be really difficult to survive in this place you brought us to."

The yellow sand rolled in, but it didn't get close. Bai Zhong waved his hand slightly, and the yellow sand in the sky was dispersed. But even after it was dispersed, it came back like waves, one after another, relentlessly.

Liu Yue laughed and said, "When you do something, you have to do it completely. Only this barren land is the key for us to escape the Chu Emperor. This will also make them think that we have indeed rebelled."

Bai Zhong seemed to find dispersing the yellow sand boring, so he put his hands behind his back, took a few steps forward, and kicked the dry, wrinkled ground under his feet. "I've been thinking, even if they think we are real, how can we proceed with the second step of the plan? What if they hold back? We can't just waste our time here."

He didn't like to use his brain because he felt that a person's brain was limited and it was better to use it for military campaigns.

But that doesn't mean he's brainless. They can afford to wait it out, but the Chu Emperor might not.

The resources needed every day are too many; if this continues, it will be difficult to sustain.

Liu Yue, dressed in white, danced gently in the yellow sand. "If they remain inactive, we will give them an opportunity, or rather, a tremendous chance. If they can only endure this, then we will have to think of another way."

Bai Zhong curled his lips, his face full of disdain. "Wearing white clothes in this place, and what you just said was so vague and confusing. You scholars are really annoying, always making things that others can't understand and making others guess."

It's understandable that scholars care about maintaining a certain level of sophistication, but Bai Zhong couldn't understand why someone would still try to look so handsome at a time like this; it was simply unbelievable.

The yellow sand in the sky showed no signs of abating, and even seemed to be gradually increasing. The strong winds whipped up the sand, blocking out the sunlight. Under such intense sandstorms, the sand lashed against the skin with a crackling sound and even caused a stinging sensation.

Liu Yue glanced at Bai Zhong: "You brute, if I told you, could you hold back? If problems arise in the details, can you bear the consequences? You need to understand, right now you just need to be a cooperator."

Having worked together for so many years, Bai Zhong knew Liu Yue's personality and temperament. At times, he could be considered a bad-tempered scholar, with the common flaws of scholars, such as liking to provoke people.

Of course, based on his understanding of Liu Yue, when Liu Yue said these words, it proved that Liu Yue was very confident.

Neither of them spoke, and they looked up at the yellow sand swirling in the sky.

Even in this barren land, the yellow sand is quite a sight to behold.

Just then, hurried footsteps approached, and a soldier rushed over. The sound of his armor clanking against the frame, combined with the sound of the wind and sand hitting the ground, created a sense of metal clashing.

"Report!"

The soldier approached, took a step, and stopped abruptly. He clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "The person who came a while ago is here again. He says he's here with a cooperative attitude."

"Oh?" Liu Yue's gaze, which had been fixed on the yellow sand, turned away upon hearing the voice and smiled, "Bring him in."

The soldiers accepted the order, turned around and left, disappearing into the vast yellow sand.

Liu Yue said, "Don't say anything for a while."

Bai Zhong nodded, actually quite pleased with the peace and quiet he was enjoying.

Before long, the soldiers led the tall man through the endless yellow sand and came to Liu Yue.

"Gentlemen, it's been a long time. I visited you once before, and this time I've experienced firsthand the hardships you face here," the tall man said, offering a polite opening remark.

Liu Yue shook his finger, making an impatient gesture, and said, "Let's get straight to the point. I won't say anything more. You've come here because you've decided to cooperate with us."

The tall man laughed and said, "Of course we've decided to cooperate. We plan to send some people to join you and strengthen your forces. As for how we will cooperate in the future, we'll have to wait for instructions from above. After all, I'm just a small fry and can't make too many decisions."

This time when he came, his initial arrogant and disdainful attitude had changed a lot.

He finally understood that if this cooperation succeeded, everyone would be on the same path, and there would be no need to put on that act anymore.

"Smack!"

Just then, a crisp sound, amidst the swirling yellow sand, sounded particularly jarring.

The tall man's left cheek immediately swelled up, like a puffed-up bun, creating a stark contrast with his right cheek.

The fact that it's higher on one side and lower on the other looks quite comical.

He was stunned. After that, the pain surged like a tide, stinging his left cheek again and again, but he was filled with fear even more.

Liu Yue withdrew his hand, gently rubbing the back of his other hand, and said in an extremely slow tone, "Logically speaking, you were born earlier than me, so I should call you seniors. But I really don't like talking to a nobody. If you can't make decisions, then don't come back. I'm giving your superiors some face and don't want to kill you."

At this moment, the aura of a Saint-level expert, one of the nine highest beings in the world, was fully displayed.

The sky was filled with swirling yellow sand, but Liu Yue, dressed in white, seemed to freeze the sand in place. His scholarly air was elegant and otherworldly, yet it carried a terrifying pressure.

The tall man couldn't help but shudder, even knowing that he could be resurrected, even knowing that there was someone behind him.

At this moment, it was difficult to hide the fear within.

It felt like countless ants were crawling all over my body, and goosebumps kept popping up.

He finally remembered that the two people standing in front of him were the only remaining saints in the world.

Those who reach the level of sainthood have endured countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood, overcome all difficulties, and eliminated all contenders in the world before finally ascending to the throne.

Talent? That's a joke.

There are countless talented people in this world, but only with the right timing, location, and people, as well as countless opportunities, can they be created.

"I... I..." The tall man's words sounded unusually hesitant and stammered, like a broken blower.

Liu Yue said slowly, "Go back and tell your master that I have a big secret that can cause heavy losses to the Great Chu Kingdom. If you are willing to cooperate, then don't play these tricks."

The tall man nodded repeatedly, at an extremely rapid pace, as if afraid that if he hesitated even for a moment, his head would be severed from his body.

Liu Yue patted the tall man on the shoulder, causing the man to tremble slightly.

The tall man quickly bent over, afraid that Liu Yue would think he was too tall.

"I hope that next time you come, you won't come with a rejection attitude, but with a sincere desire to cooperate. Otherwise, you might not be able to go back," Liu Yue said with a smile.

The tall man was consumed by fear; in his dazed state, he didn't know how he left.

It wasn't until we traversed the endless yellow sand that I felt as if my back had been roasted by fire, covered in a dense layer of sweat, which even stuck to my clothes.

He didn't linger and headed straight in one direction.

Within the yellow sand.

Bai Zhong laughed and said, "You don't usually scare these small fry like this. Why are you showing off your power today?"

"It's like dating. Don't always try to please the other person. Sometimes, showing your dignity can actually make them value you more," Liu Yue said. "Even if our cooperation with them is fake, it still requires mutual effort."

Bai Zhong said, "You scholars are all so cunning and twisted; I really don't want to hang out with you."

Liu Yue ignored Bai Zhong's complaints and looked at the yellow sand in the sky.

This round of events will depend on how the other party responds. If they can really cooperate, then things will get very interesting.

The tall man rushed towards the lair at almost top speed.

He didn't stop at all along the way, and walked extremely fast at every step.

From the barren land covered in yellow sand to the mysterious sea, it didn't take long. When he hurriedly arrived in front of Ning Weiyue, he found that his sweat had not yet dried.

Ning Weiyue was still thinking when she saw the tall man rushing over and his pale face, and she frowned.

"You were quite a figure back then, why are you in such a panic?"

Upon hearing the voice, the tall man knew that the voice disliked him. He finally realized what was happening, took several deep breaths to calm his fear, and recounted everything that had happened to him and what Liu Yue had said.

The more Ning Weiyue listened, the more her brows furrowed.

After he had listened to everything, he finally came to his senses.

"I see."

"I know what they mean; they're trying to increase their own value."

"But that's fine too. If what they say is true, I'd like to see what their purpose is and whether what they have can be a condition for cooperation."

Ning Weiyue, being such a shrewd person, naturally saw through Liu Yue's thoughts.

She paced back and forth for a moment, quickly came to her answer, and then turned to look at the tall, trembling man in front of her.

"Sure, go tell them that we can cooperate with them. As long as what they offer is worthwhile, then there's no problem with the cooperation."

Upon hearing that he had to go himself again, the tall man quickly said, "General, he said that if we still can't cooperate this time, he'll take my head. Besides, I also feel that this is inappropriate. Running back and forth like this will waste a lot of time. Why don't we just go directly there..."

"You mean you want me to go there? I was just the number one person below the Saint level back then, not someone who could fight against Saints. I can't die, you know?" Ning Weiyue said.

The tall man didn't continue speaking; he already understood the implication: he would have to make the trip again.

Ning Weiyue smiled and said, "You're not afraid of death, and you can be resurrected... and it won't waste any time. Take this with you this time."

As she spoke, she took a round mirror from the table next to her and handed it to the tall man.

"This mirror allows me to communicate directly with them."

The tall man was stunned, somewhat puzzled.

Why make yourself run back and forth when there's a mirror right here? Ning Weiyue saw through the tall man's thoughts and said, "The time you spend running back and forth is actually beneficial. The best part is that it lets you see how anxious the other party is. It seems they're not in a hurry at all."

The tall man still didn't quite understand, but he knew it was the best solution. He quickly took the mirror, said no more, and turned to leave.

Ning Weiyue escorted the tall man away, then thought to herself, "If I don't do this, how can I have more time to think?"

"However... no matter what, you have to give me some immediate benefits first."