Plan

Xiao Hu hurriedly led the way ahead, with Qing Mo following behind. His gaze swept over the surroundings. The atmosphere in the camp was far more tense than during the day, and the number of patrolling mercenaries had doubled.

At the center of the camp stood a simple tent pieced together from several enormous beast hides.

"The meeting is inside. I won't be going in." Xiao Hu stopped at the entrance. His strength was insufficient, so he was not qualified to attend.

Qing Mo nodded and walked inside.

Several oil lamps brightly illuminated the interior of the tent.

There were around a dozen people inside, each with a formidable presence. Qing Mo recognized one of them—Black Face, who was seated in a corner and nodded at him.

"Little Brother Qing Mo, you're here too." Black Face greeted him in a rough voice.

Qing Mo was just about to respond when a burly man seated on the left, with a scar across his face, furrowed his brow and spoke disdainfully as he looked at Qing Mo and Qing Lin.

"Where did these little brats come from? Since when could even babies enter a place like this?"

"Exactly. Looks like our lot has really gone downhill. Even little brats like these can come here to fill the ranks now?" A thin man beside him, who looked seventy or eighty percent similar to him, immediately chimed in.

"Heh." Black Face sneered, glancing sideways at the two of them. "You two Five-Star Dou Practitioners together might not even be a match for Little Brother Qing Mo."

The scar-faced man slammed his palm onto the table. "Black Face! What do you mean by that?!"

The thin man snorted coldly as well. "What, you're protecting him that much? Don't tell me he's your illegitimate son from back when you were wandering around?"

Before his words had even faded, a flash of cold light suddenly streaked through the air!

Whoosh—pfft!

A throwing knife grazed past the thin man's cheek, cutting a bloody line across his face before burying itself deeply in the wall behind him.

The entire tent fell silent in an instant. Everyone was stunned by the sudden strike, and all eyes turned toward Qing Mo, filled with suspicion, surprise, and shock.

Qing Mo slowly lowered the hand he had used to throw the knife, his icy gaze fixed on the two men.

"If you can't speak like human beings, sew your mouths shut! Say another word of nonsense, and the next knife will nail your tongue to the wall."

"You...!" The thin man clutched his burning cheek, shocked and furious, yet he did not dare make another move.

"Enough!"

At that moment, a refined middle-aged man in a blue robe stood up to mediate.

"You have all come here for the same matter. Why harm the harmony between us?"

His gaze shifted to the pair of brothers who had provoked Qing Mo. "You were the ones who were rude first. Sit down already."

The brothers' faces turned pale and green, but under the pressure of both the refined man and Qing Mo, they could only snort resentfully and close their mouths.

The refined man turned around with a gentle smile and said to Qing Mo,

"Little Brother, attaining such cultivation at your age is truly rare. Those two brothers are from the Blood Knife Mercenary Group. They have always been loose-tongued and rash by nature. Please do not lower yourself to their level."

Qing Mo remained calm and merely replied, "I did not come here to argue in the first place."

"Haha, what magnanimity!" The refined man nodded with a smile. "Please take a seat and wait a moment, Little Brother."

Qing Mo nodded, without any visible change in expression.

"There's a seat over here."

Black Face waved to him. Qing Mo led Qing Lin over and sat beside him.

The tent was quiet for a while, and the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Perhaps bored from waiting, some people began talking in low voices, though their gazes kept drifting toward Qing Mo.

"Who is that kid? I've never seen him before."

"He looks only fifteen or sixteen. The childishness hasn't even left his face, yet he's already at least a Five-Star Dou Practitioner?"

"When he acted just now, I vaguely sensed the boy's Dou Qi fluctuations. Nine-Star Dou Practitioner! No, Seven-Star Dou Practitioner. It's just that his Dou Qi is terrifyingly dense. He must cultivate some extraordinary high-grade technique."

"A Seven-Star Dou Practitioner at such a young age would be exceedingly rare even in all of Stone Desert City. How have I never heard of him before?" An older, more experienced mercenary looked deeply shocked.

Amid the crowd's murmured discussion, the tent flap was lifted once more.

A man in his thirties strode inside. He stood straight as a pine, with resolute features, though an unshakable exhaustion hung between his brows. He was Master Mu's adopted son—Lu Sheng.

"Sorry to have kept everyone waiting." Lu Sheng's voice was low and slightly hoarse.

Seeing him in such a state, everyone in the tent was moved.

"Young Master Lu, our condolences... We are all saddened by what happened to Master Mu, but you must take care of yourself as well."

"That's right, Young Master Lu! With Master Mu gone, it feels as if there's a stone weighing on all our hearts. You mustn't collapse too!" A burly man carrying a giant axe on his back also tried to comfort him.

"Thank you all for your concern."

Young Master Lu took a deep breath, straightened his back, and raised his voice slightly. "Today, Lu Sheng thanks you all! Thank you for being willing to lend me a hand and seek justice for my adoptive father!"

With that, he gave everyone in the tent a deep bow.

Seeing this, everyone rose in unison and returned the gesture with cupped fists.

"Young Master Lu, you think too highly of us!"

"We're all brothers making a living in Stone Desert City. What happened to Master Mu is our business too!"

"That's right! Master Mu looked after us often while he was alive. Now that he has suffered such a vicious fate, how can we stand by and do nothing?"

"This blood debt must be repaid in blood!"

"Good!" Lu Sheng nodded heavily, his eyes slightly red. "With those words from all of you, Lu Sheng is endlessly grateful! Everyone, please sit."

After everyone had taken their seats, Lu Sheng surveyed the room, his eyes passing over every face. The exhaustion in his gaze instantly turned sharp as an eagle's, filled with solemnity. When he saw Qing Mo, he paused briefly in surprise, then smiled faintly and nodded in greeting.

"Brothers, there is only one purpose for gathering everyone here today—take back the oasis and avenge Master Mu!"

He slammed his palm onto the table. It let out a dull bang, drawing everyone's attention.

"Three days ago, those damned Snake-People launched a surprise attack on our settlement, killed Master Mu, and seized the oasis!" Lu Sheng's voice carried suppressed fury.

"This is a blatant provocation against us!"

"Now, according to our scouting results, those Snake-People have left thirty elite warriors to guard it. Their leader is a Three-Star Battle Master! He controls a Second-Order Hibiscus Snake, equivalent to a One-Star Battle Master."

The moment those words were spoken, it was as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over the tent. The atmosphere instantly froze. A Three-Star Battle Master was enough to make the Fighters present wary, not to mention a Second-Order Hibiscus Snake.

"However," Lu Sheng abruptly changed his tone, his voice growing more impassioned, "the reinforcements from our Mercenary Association have already set out! This time, the Association has sent two Battle Masters to lead the operation. Their leader is even a Five-Star Battle Master! They will arrive at the designated location tomorrow to join us and launch an attack on the oasis!"

"Good!"

The crowd immediately erupted into cheers. A Five-Star Battle Master was already considered one of Stone Desert City's foremost experts.

"Everyone, listen to me."

Lu Sheng raised a hand to signal for silence, then pointed at the simple map spread across the table and began explaining the operation plan.

"What we will do is—launch a night raid!"