Page 48

She flicked the stove with her finger, producing a crisp metallic ring. Ning Ning's lips curled up in tandem with the sound. "Xu Ye said that Rong Ci is the strongest of the new generation on Niguang Island; his status and connections within the sect naturally wouldn't be low. Niguang Island disciples always move in groups, yet after he was injured, he didn't seek help from his sect. Instead, he had a 'chance encounter' with us—"

"What's more, the location and timing of this encounter were far too convenient. It happened exactly when I had obtained the Heaven Heart Grass and was forced to go harvest the Zhuohuo Sunflower."

He Zhizhou's eyes widened abruptly. "So he's a spy?"

"Of course. When Zou Wu asked me to refine the Zhuohuo Sunflower, I sensed someone lurking and eavesdropping in the shadows. He must have heard the whole story, which is why he was able to appear at the Zhuohuo Sunflower patch right on time."

Ning Ning nodded. "When I brought Rong Ci back and was looking for medicine in my pack for him, I secretly slipped a Zhuohuo Sunflower petal inside. If he had ill intentions, he would definitely search the pack for the Heaven Heart Grass once we and Zou Wu left the cave."

She yawned. "Later, when I went back to check the pack, the Zhuohuo Sunflower petal had indeed turned a very pale red. If it had stayed inside the bundle the whole time, it should have faded to pure white."

"So he opened the pack while you were away."

He Zhizhou couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Rong Ci would never imagine that you'd use his own tactics against him. Not only did he fail to find the Heaven Heart Grass, but he also exposed his identity as a double agent completely."

"Niguang Island and the Bagua Sect have come with ill intent; they certainly won't give up easily. Since they view us as fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered, we might as well..."

She squinted as she spoke. "We'll turn the tables and use them instead, shearing every bit of wool off their backs."

He Zhizhou was immediately intrigued. "How do we shear them?"

"The Haoran Sect excels in martial combat but isn't very sharp. Because there are people watching the live stream outside the secret realm, they certainly won't make a big scene and rob us openly. But in a one-on-one fight, they aren't necessarily guaranteed to beat us. So, for them, the best approach is to wait patiently and look for an opening."

Ning Ning placed a small pebble on the ground in a precise manner. "Niguang Island is good at schemes and sent a mole. Although their main goal is the Heaven Heart Grass, if they can't find where it's hidden, and then they suddenly 'overhear' that we've discovered the burial site of another peerless treasure—"

He Zhizhou chimed in, "Then they'll definitely shift their target and go straight to that place to snatch it!"

"Right. As long as the treasure hasn't officially fallen into our hands, Niguang Island has the right to compete for it, and they are allowed to use numbers to their advantage. To defeat us, they will definitely mobilize a large force and head collectively to the destination: Youlan Slope."

Ning Ning picked up another pebble and tapped it gently against the first one, creating a sharp click. "But there isn't a shadow of a treasure there. Instead, they'll run straight into the furious Haoran Sect—what will happen then?"

He Zhizhou clapped repeatedly, clicking his tongue in amazement. "Hollywood would be silenced, and Hengdian would weep with envy. What a show!"

And so, a net began to slowly tighten.

"Rong Ci isn't stupid. To make him fully believe that we've found traces of the Tianhe Stone, we have to play hard to get."

Ning Ning said, "There's a trick used in police interrogations: one plays the bad cop, and the other plays the good cop. You must act extremely repulsed, while I play the role of an ignorant girl blinded by his good looks—a pure, artless 'white lotus.' This will make him certain the information is real because of your opposition, while also letting him learn the approximate location of the so-called 'Tianhe Stone' through my dim-witted behavior."

He Zhizhou's grin stretched from ear to ear. "And then?"

"And then, we pretend, 'Oh, it's not that we don't trust you, it's just that this item is far too precious. We really don't feel safe keeping you with us, so you absolutely cannot follow us.' This will maximize his trust in the news, and he'll immediately report it to Niguang Island."

Tired from talking, she picked up her water flask for a sip and pursed her lips. "The Tianhe Stone only glows at seven o'clock in the evening. Niguang Island will never expect that waiting for them there won't be the Tianhe Stone, but the people from the Haoran Sect."

"The Haoran Sect?"

He Zhizhou had a sudden epiphany. "You're planning to use the stove as an excuse to make them go there at seven?"

As they spoke, a gust of wind swept through the treetops, causing the leaves to rustle and sway.

Sunlight poured down like molten gold, falling quietly upon the young girl's delicate, harmless-looking cheeks. Ning Ning curled the corners of her lips, her voice carrying a hint of mystery: "It's not just about tricking them into going to Youlan Slope; I can even get Rare Grade spirit plants out of Zou Wu's hands."

Seeing He Zhizhou's face filled with confusion, she adjusted her posture and smiled faintly. "Actually, from the very beginning, I knew that with Zou Wu's intelligence, there was a high probability he would see through the truth about the furnace. The furnace was just a superficial lure; the real big fish is Xu Ye."

He Zhizhou was completely bewildered.

Zou Wu probably never dreamed that Xu Ye, who appeared to have sold Ning Ning out completely, was actually the ultimate double agent.

To be double-crossed by a double agent—who could have imagined it?

"Regardless of whether Zou Wu realizes the furnace is fake, as long as Xu Ye can feign indignation and tell him that the Jinyu Furnace is actually a scam, and then reveal our surface-level plan to him in detail—"

Ning Ning held up a hand and gestured with her fingers: "Zou Wu will believe him at least sixty percent."

"Sixty percent? What about the other forty?"

"To take him from half-doubting to completely convinced, we need to have a falling out."

She leaned leisurely against the tree trunk, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "Once Zou Wu 'accidentally' discovers that the relationship between Xu Ye and us is poor, well, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Subconsciously, he will develop a sense of goodwill toward him."

He Zhizhou finally understood: "So when you and Xu Ye were bickering over Rong Ci, it was intentional! That's brilliant—it made Rong Ci think you were favoring him, while also letting Zou Wu know that Xu Ye is at odds with us!"

"I had long sensed that Zou Wu had been following us since the Zhuohuo Sunflower, so I sent a voice transmission to Xu Ye, telling him to do his best to show his opposition to Rong Ci joining us, and it would be best if he could get into an argument with me."