Your and My Mission Are the Same

Lin Yu's words made the four of them want to retreat, but they still held their ground out of face.

Seeing Lin Yu's expression growing darker, Fang Huai spoke up:

"Daoist Lin, the four of us only want to peacefully take over Green Parasol City. These mortals provoked us first—were we supposed to just endure it?

Senior Brother Pu only wanted to teach them a lesson, not actually slaughter them."

Seeing Lin Yu's expression ease slightly, he continued: "The ceasefire between our sects, peace was hard-won!

Would Daoist Lin kill us over the mistakes of mortals, reigniting war between the two sects?

Is the so-called righteousness of the Mystic Sword Sect to sacrifice billions of lives for the sake of one city's people?"

Lin Yu finally put away his artifact and cupped his hands: "Fellow daoists, it was my fault!"

Pu Ren'an also took the chance to back down: "Our two sects have been neighbors for a thousand years; harmony should prevail. I was a bit impulsive too."

Lin Yu had given him an out, and if he didn't take it, he'd be ungrateful.

After all, the other's combat strength was right there—the four of them together might still struggle to match him.

Under Lin Yu's guidance, the four entered the city and arrived at a mansion called Spirit Dew Mansion.

This was where Mystic Sword Sect disciples were stationed, originally housing three disciples including Lin Yu.

But after Green Parasol City was ceded to the Corpse Sha Sect, the other two had already withdrawn, leaving only him to hold the post.

Lin Yu prepared spirit tea and spirit fruit to host the four, while they exchanged glances, none willing to be the first to bring up capturing mortals.

Since they didn't speak, Lin Yu didn't ask, and so they drank pot after pot of spirit tea, all the way until midnight.

Compared to the others' tension, Fang Huai was much more relaxed.

Most of Lin Yu's skills and status tags were white—if a fight actually broke out, he only needed to swap a few things to cripple most of Lin Yu's combat power.

What he needed to do now was not waste the spirit energy in the tea, silently absorbing it to increase his cultivation.

"Ahem!" Pu Ren'an's gaze flicked toward Fang Huai. "Junior Brother Fang, didn't you have something to discuss with Daoist Lin?"

Fang Huai cursed inwardly: Damn you, Pu Ren'an, might as well call you Pu Worldly—can't provoke Lin Yu, so you push me out as the spearhead.

Feeling everyone's eyes on him, he had no choice but to steel himself and speak:

"Daoist Lin, Fang understands your protective heart for the people of Green Parasol City. This sentiment is admirable, but Green Parasol City has now been placed under Corpse Sha Sect rule—that's an undeniable fact.

To be honest, our mission here is to bring the city's mortals back to the sect for resettlement."

"Ahem." Pu Ren'an coughed twice again, his gaze shifting to Cheng Zhaozhao.

Cheng Zhaozhao cursed inwardly too, but could only follow Fang Huai's lead:

"Daoist Lin need not worry. When the mortals arrive at the Corpse Sha Sect, even if they start as menial laborers, they still have a chance to become formal disciples..."

"How many formal disciples come out of ten thousand laborers?"

Lin Yu's tone was icy, his eyes sweeping over the group.

This time, no matter how much Pu Ren'an coughed or glanced at them, Fang Huai and Cheng Zhaozhao absolutely refused to say another word.

Since the other could ask such a question, he definitely knew the truth—lying would only enrage him.

Seeing the two wouldn't cooperate, Pu Ren'an said: "We'll do our best..."

Before he could finish, Lin Yu cut him off: "It's getting late. I've arranged lodging for you—rest first.

Tomorrow, take a walk around the city and feel its living atmosphere."

"We all came from mortal towns before joining the sect. No need to feel it."

"This place is different!"

Lin Yu's gaze burned: "Different from the mortal towns under your Corpse Sha Sect's rule!"

That night, Fang Huai couldn't sleep. He sat cross-legged, focusing on cultivation.

He had to admit, Mystic Sword Sect cultivators had far better training conditions than the Corpse Sha Sect.

Just a stationed post in a mortal city had more spiritual energy than the Corpse Sha Sect's outer sect.

More importantly, the spiritual energy here was pure, not filled with resentment and poison sha like the Corpse Sha Sect's.

He thought about borrowing Lin Yu's [Spirit Absorption] to cultivate, but hesitated and decided against it.

If a fight really broke out, those 10 system points might come in handy in unexpected ways.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Just as he was cultivating to the point of forgetting himself, a knock came at the door.

Fang Huai was puzzled. He was about to ask who it was when a voice spoke from outside first: "Junior Brother Fang, open the door."

It was Liu Ye's voice.

In the dead of night, why would this guy come looking for him instead of sleeping?

The moment the thought landed, Cheng Rui's face and tag flashed through his sea of consciousness. He couldn't help but shudder and quietly swallowed his saliva.

An absurd notion popped into his head:

Could Liu Ye, after spending so much time with Cheng Rui, have caught that same affliction?

At that thought, a certain part of his body tensed up. He hurriedly adjusted his breathing, letting out faint snores, pretending to be fast asleep.

But then Liu Ye spoke: "Stop pretending. I know you're awake. If you don't open the door, I'll break it down."

Fang Huai had no choice but to open it.

He deliberately rubbed his eyes, putting on a just-woken-up look: "Senior Brother Liu, it's so late. Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

Secretly, he braced his hand against the doorframe, leaving only a crack—if the other party made any wrong move, he'd slam the door shut at once.

Liu Ye, however, pushed his way in, lowering his voice: "Can't wait! It has to be tonight, it has to be done!"

Fang Huai stepped back a few paces: "No, no, no! Senior Brother Liu, I really can't do this!"

Liu Ye said, "What do you mean can't? You get all the way here and then say you can't? Aren't you afraid the Ascension Society will punish you?"

Fang Huai grew suspicious. Could it be that the other party had come with a special mission from the Ascension Society?

Did the Ascension Society also know about the Vegetation Sha here?

"Do you and I have the same mission?" Fang Huai probed.

"No shit. It's just the two of us, don't make it so mysterious."

Liu Ye produced a Sound-Isolation Talisman, enveloping them both: "I knew it. A mission this important—there's no way they'd really send just me.

Sure enough, they arranged for you to assist me in the shadows."

Fang Huai said nothing. If Jiang Miao had the ability to place him on this mission, then how had the Ascension Society managed to insert Liu Ye?

It could only mean that the Ascension Society had already infiltrated the upper echelons of the Corpse Sha Sect.

"Senior Brother, have you located that thing?"

Liu Ye nodded: "When I entered the city, I quietly released a Sha-Seeking Rat.

It just came back and reported the general location of the Vegetation Sha.

Tomorrow, we'll pretend to wander around this city, and when we get close to the Vegetation Sha, we'll seize the opportunity to take it."

The location Liu Ye described was more or less the same as what Jiang Miao had told him.

"Senior Brother Liu, the Vegetation Sha is an aberrant Sha that specifically drains mortal essence to nourish itself and spreads plague, wreaking havoc on the region. Why would the Mystic Sword Sect just let it be?"

Liu Ye couldn't figure it out either: "No idea. Either those hypocrites don't recognize its value, or they simply haven't discovered it."

Fang Huai naturally didn't agree with Liu Ye's assessment, but whether it was a trap or the Mystic Sword Sect truly didn't recognize its worth, he still had to obtain the Vegetation Sha and hand it over to Jiang Miao.

Otherwise, the next time he saw Jiang Miao, her Wind Blade would really be cutting his throat.