Page 48

She flicked the stove with her finger. It rang out with a clear clang, and Ning Ning's lips curled in response. "Xu Ye said Rong Ci is the strongest of Niguang Island's younger generation. Naturally, he has plenty of influence and connections within the sect. Niguang Island moves in large groups, yet after he was injured, he didn't seek help from his sect. Instead, he arranged to 'bump into' us—"

"What's more, the place and timing of this 'chance encounter' were just too convenient. It happened right when I got the Heaven Heart Grass and had to go pick Zhuohuo Sunflowers."

He Zhizhou's eyes flew wide. "So he's a spy?"

"Of course. When Zou Wu asked me to refine the Zhuohuo Sunflowers, I sensed someone spying and listening from the shadows. He must have heard the whole story, which is why he was able to show up right on time in the Zhuohuo Sunflower field."

Ning Ning nodded. "When I brought Rong Ci back and searched his bundle for medicine, I secretly slipped a Zhuohuo Sunflower petal inside. If he had ulterior motives, he'd definitely rummage through the bundle for the Heaven Heart Grass after Zou Wu and I left the cave."

She yawned. "Later, I went back to check the bundle, and sure enough, the Zhuohuo Sunflower had turned a very pale red. If it had stayed in the bundle the whole time, it should have faded to pure white."

"So he opened the bundle while you were gone."

He Zhizhous couldn't help laughing. "Rong Ci never would've guessed you'd turn his own scheme against him. Not only did he fail to find the Heaven Heart Grass, he exposed himself as a turncoat from head to toe."

"Niguang Island and the Bagua Sect didn't come here with good intentions. They definitely won't let this go. Since they both think we're fat lambs waiting to be slaughtered, we might as well..."

As she spoke, her eyes narrowed. "Turn the tables and fleece them for everything they've got."

He Zhizhou immediately perked up. "How?"

"The Haoran Sect is good at fighting, but they're not the quickest thinkers. With people livestreaming from outside the secret realm, they definitely won't make a big show of openly robbing us. But in a one-on-one fight, they might not beat us either. So their best option is to wait patiently and look for an opening."

Ning Ning carefully arranged a small pebble on the ground. "Niguang Island is good at scheming, so they sent a spy. Their main goal is the Heaven Heart Grass, but if they can't figure out where it's hidden, and then they suddenly hear that we've discovered the location of another peerless treasure—"

He Zhizhou jumped in. "Then they'll definitely change targets and go straight there to rob it!"

"Exactly. As long as the treasure doesn't belong to us yet, Niguang Island has the right to take it, even if they outnumber us. To beat us, they'll surely send a large group to the destination: Youlan Slope."

Ning Ning picked up another pebble and lightly tapped it against the first. It made a crisp sound. "But there won't be any treasure there at all. Instead, they'll run straight into the furious Haoran Sect. What do you think will happen then?"

He Zhizhou applauded, clicking his tongue in amazement. "Hollywood would go silent, and Hengdian would weep. What a show!"

And so, the net gradually drew tight.

"Rong Ci isn't stupid. If we want him to believe completely that we've found traces of Tianhe Stone, we have to play hard to get."

Ning Ning said, "There's a trick the police use during interrogations: one plays the good cop, the other the bad cop. You have to act like you're completely against it. As for me, I'll play a naive girl blinded by good looks, a pure and innocent white lotus. That way, he'll be sure the information is real because you object so strongly, and my brainless act will give him a rough idea where the so-called 'Tianhe Stone' is."

He Zhizhou grinned from ear to ear. "And then?"

"Then we'll pretend to say, 'It's not that we don't trust you, but this thing is just too precious. We really can't feel safe keeping you with us, so you absolutely can't come along.' That'll make him trust the information as much as possible, and he'll tell Niguang Island right away."

Tired from talking, she picked up the water flask and took a sip, then pursed her lips. "Tianhe Stone only glows at seven in the evening. Niguang Island will never expect the people waiting for them there to be the Haoran Sect, not Tianhe Stone."

"The Haoran Sect?"

He Zhizhou suddenly understood. "You're using the stove as an excuse to get them to go there at seven?"

As they talked, a breeze swept through the treetops, setting the branches and leaves rustling.

Sunlight poured down like molten gold, resting quietly on the little girl's delicate, harmless face. Ning Ning's lips curled, and there was a hint of mystery in her voice. "I don't just want to trick them into going to Youlan Slope. I can also get a Rare Grade spirit plant from Zou Wu."

When He Zhizhou looked confused all over again, she adjusted her posture and smiled faintly, lips pursed. "Actually, from the very beginning, I knew Zou Wu would probably see through the stove's true nature, given his intelligence. The stove is only bait on the surface. The real big fish is Xu Ye."

He Zhizhou was completely baffled.

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

A turncoat betraying another turncoat. Who could've seen that coming?

"Whether or not Zou Wu realizes the stove is fake, as long as Xu Ye pretends to be outraged and tells him the Jinyu Furnace is actually a scam, then lays out our surface-level plan for him in full—"

Ning Ning held up six fingers. "Zou Wu will believe him about sixty percent."

"Sixty percent? What about the other forty?"

"To turn his doubts into complete trust, we need a little infighting."

She leaned lazily against the tree trunk, winding the end of her hair around her finger. "Once Zou Wu 'accidentally' discovers that Xu Ye and I don't get along, he'll think, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend,' and instinctively take a liking to him."

He Zhizhou finally caught on. "So you and Xu Ye pretended to quarrel over Rong Ci! That's brilliant. You made Rong Ci think you favored him, while letting Zou Wu know Xu Ye and you were at odds!"

"I'd already noticed Zou Wu following us ever since the Zhuohuo Sunflowers, so I sent Xu Ye a message, telling him to do his best to oppose Rong Ci joining us—and, ideally, to get into an argument with me."