Formulating a Plan, Verifying Authenticity

A faint smile appeared on Fang Qingyu's face.

"He was once commended by the imperial court; the Six Gates tried to invite him in, but he refused."

"Why? The Six Gates is a fine place," Huang Tairen asked, somewhat puzzled.

"With those eyes of his, who knows how much utility he can bring to bear."

"Hmph, sometimes it is better to be muddled; knowing too much rarely leads to a good end."

Hearing this, Huang Tairen was suddenly enlightened.

"You are right about that."

"According to my uncle's investigation, several strangers have recently appeared in Fei Yangming's household."

"Once they went in, they never came out again."

"This man is a major suspect, and I have no idea how many people are still available in the Government Office."

Huang Tairen's expression turned slightly grim. "Can you trace the origins of the remaining few hundred?"

"I have found them; they are scattered across over a hundred locations."

"They are hidden in temples, merchant homes, inns, among the common folk, in brothels, and gambling dens."

"There are twenty or thirty in each place, disguised as all sorts of characters."

"With silver paving the way, no one pays them any mind."

"Even if someone notices, they don't dig deeper—what place doesn't have a few strangers?"

"I have already recorded the locations."

"It is time for your people from the Demon Extermination Hall to step in; the Government Office has fewer than a hundred men, and we cannot manage it all."

"There are six thousand elite troops in the Garrison, and now that the canal transport is also controlled by Wang Jie, there are another three hundred canal soldiers there."

"We are at an absolute disadvantage and can only rely on cultivators to turn the tide."

"But Wang Jie is a disciple of the Military School; he can condense the essence and spirit of his soldiers to manifest Military Baleful Intent."

"Although he is only at the peak of Foundation Establishment, with the power of that Military Baleful Intent, he can contend with a True Dharma cultivator without issue."

"Furthermore, as far as I know, that True Disciple of the Blood Demon Sect, Young Master Blood Spirit, is likely hiding in Wang Jie's military camp."

"When the time comes, we will be facing two True Disciples."

"I can hold off that True Disciple, but I cannot stop Wang Jie."

"Moreover, the Blood Demon Sect has many experts who have infiltrated the city, at least ten figures at the Human Tribulation level."

"This battle will not be easy to fight; if we act, Jade City will fall into chaos."

"If we do not act, the situation will become even more chaotic."

"Now, there are two choices."

"First, remain still and report to superiors for reinforcements."

"Second, outwit Wang Jie and lure him into a trap; if we fail, Jade City will immediately descend into chaos."

Huang Tairen's face was somber; their situation was perilous.

The combat power of two True Disciples and the many experts of the Blood Demon Sect was hardly inferior to the combined strength of the Demon Extermination Hall and the Prefect.

"Reinforcements will likely be too late."

"Our actions over the past few days have already alerted the enemy."

"The people Fei Yangming found are merely bait thrown out."

"The goal was to put our minds at ease."

"If I were Wang Jie, I would likely strike brazenly within these two days to seize Jade City."

Fang Qingyu frowned upon hearing this and let out a deep sigh.

"What do you want to do?"

"Tomorrow, you play the host and invite Wang Jie to a banquet at the Yellow Flower Pavilion."

"I will bring the experts of the Ten Shadow Division and lie in ambush within."

"The moment Wang Jie arrives, we will strike and capture him."

"If he dares to resist, kill him without mercy."

Fang Qingyu furrowed his brows. "That is too crude; he might not take the bait."

"That is why you must find a pretext—a reason he cannot refuse."

Fang Qingyu nodded. "Very well."

"If he truly refuses to take the bait, then it will be a case of the brave winning when two paths meet in a narrow space," a cold glint flashed in Huang Tairen's eyes.

Conspiracies surged, and Jade City seemed to be teetering on the brink.

At this moment, Li Qing quietly cast his Shadow Art and departed from there without a sound.

If you cannot find the book by its title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name has simply been changed!

He departed from underground, knowing that someone might be monitoring the outside.

For the past half-month, he had been observing quietly every day.

He discovered that the person monitoring him was always hiding in the shadows, using a technique that allowed them to merge with the darkness.

Whenever he cast the Shadow Art, he could detect the other party.

Every night, the person would stand guard outside his room.

They changed every day, appearing to take turns watching him.

Tonight, Li Qing intended to do something.

He quietly left his room, traveled from underground to the street outside, and headed into the distance.

He easily evaded the monitor.

When he appeared again, he had already arrived at Hundred Gates Alley.

At this moment, the place was open once more, and many cultivators had gathered there.

Li Qing went straight to a shop called Ten Thousand Treasures Hall.

Entering inside, the space was no more than ten square meters, with a few chairs in the open parlor.

At the far end sat a desk, where a man in a green robe was seated.

Seeing him enter, the man smiled and stood up.

"This guest, I am Tang Yiqiu, the proprietor of Ten Thousand Treasures Hall."

"I wonder what kind of treasure you are looking to purchase?"

Li Qing smiled slightly, sat down to the side, and pulled a box from his bosom.

Upon opening it, a black sphere was revealed.

"I wonder what price this item might fetch."

Seeing the object in the box, Tang Yiqiu hurried over.

He examined it from left to right, a look of surprise appearing on his face.

"This is a Thunderbolt Fire Bead from the Gongshu Clan; its power is quite astonishing."

"Once it explodes, it can cover an area of three zhang in radius, pulverizing everything."

"Even for a high-level cultivator, if they are struck while caught off guard, their physical body could be destroyed."

"The value of this item is decent; it would take at least five curse-grade Essence Stones to trade for it."

Hearing this, Li Qing felt a weight lift from his heart.

He had come this time specifically to verify whether this thing was real or fake.

Because the situation in Jade City was so treacherous and unpredictable, he could no longer trust anyone, not even Elder Huang.

He thought to himself, This thing is, after all, an external object.

Furthermore, it is a one-time use item; it is a matter of success or death.

He looked up at Tang Yiqiu, "If I wanted to trade this for century-old spiritual herbs, I wonder how many I could get?"

Tang Yiqiu pondered for a moment, "This item is indeed immensely powerful, but it has several flaws."

"You can only use it by throwing it, and it must strike something to detonate."

"If the opponent is prepared and casts some peculiar spell to dissipate the force, this thing becomes completely useless."

"It is mainly used for surprise attacks and is used more often by those at the Foundation Establishment realm."

"Against a True Method Realm cultivator, it will likely fail."

"Therefore, its value is not as high as one might imagine."

"It can be exchanged for two century-old spiritual herbs; that is the limit of its value."

Hearing this, Li Qing could not help but knit his brows.

Originally, he had hoped to trade this item for four spiritual herbs to complete the first step of Humanity's Overview Technique.

It seemed that would not be possible now.

He sighed slightly, "Very well, I shall come again another time."

As he spoke, he tucked the treasure back into his bosom, turned, and left Ten Thousand Treasures Hall.

Watching his retreating back, Tang Yiqiu suddenly realized what had happened and stomped his foot in frustration.

"Damn it, I've been played; this guy came here just to get a free appraisal from me."

"I spend my days hunting geese, only to have my eyes pecked by one."

Tang Yiqiu's expression shifted rapidly, and he waved his hand in indignation.

"Bad luck."

Li Qing, having left Ten Thousand Treasures Hall, wore a faint smile; he truly had just come for a free appraisal.

A look of contemplation appeared in his eyes, "I fear it will happen within these next few days."