The Little Shit, the Big Dumbass, the Old Schemer, and the Cheater

"All right, we've said everything we came to say. Whether you seize this opportunity is up to you. We won't be getting involved."

Having finished spinning their lies, the four black-robed figures prepared to leave.

They had secretly dug a deep pit for the Misty Cloud Sect. With their work done, they brushed off their sleeves and departed, concealing both their deeds and their names.

Jia Lie Bi and the others naturally dared not stop them. They respectfully escorted the black-robed figures out through a hidden door, then huddled together and began excitedly plotting.

Yun Congxin did not spare even a glance at Jia Lie Bi and Oba Padun, whose faces had flushed red with excitement. A light breeze swept past, and he vanished silently from the ancient tree.

"Elder Jia, did we go to all the trouble of coming here just to do this?" the tallest black-robed figure asked in bewilderment.

The black-robed old man chuckled and said quietly, "Don't underestimate this little move of ours. My clan uncle specifically ordered it."

"That young fellow is no ordinary boy. He reached Da Dou Shi at such a young age, and he's a fourth-tier Alchemist too. Even Elder Hai's return had something to do with him. The force behind him is not to be taken lightly."

"Elder Jia sent us here as soon as he returned from the Misty Cloud Sect because he knew full well how lax their discipline has been these past years. Their disciples have grown used to throwing their weight around. Now some young fellow has suddenly appeared and defeated their young sect leader in public. There are plenty of people in the Misty Cloud Sect who won't swallow that insult and will come looking for trouble with the Xiao Clan."

"But I heard the Misty Cloud Sect's former sect leader came out of seclusion, gave Xiao Yan a Guest Elder token, and punished their Grand Elder. There isn't any deep-seated hatred between Xiao Yan and the Misty Cloud Sect, either. If their people are kept in check and nothing happens, won't our trip have been wasted?"

The black-robed old man said confidently, "That won't happen. The Misty Cloud Sect has been lax for so many years. Yun Shan can't tighten everything up with a few words after coming out of seclusion. Even if the inner disciples on Misty Cloud Mountain are held back, wouldn't there still be opportunistic outer-sect forces stirring up trouble?"

"Ultimately, the Xiao Clan is simply too weak. They can't withstand even a trace of malice from the Misty Cloud Sect. That Xiao boy is still young and hotheaded. He hasn't thought things through. He may be able to withstand the consequences of rashly slapping the Misty Cloud Sect in the face, but can the Xiao Clan?"

"But the Misty Cloud Sect's Outer Sect Stewards aren't fools, either. Everyone saw Xiao Yan's performance on Misty Cloud Mountain. Offending a genius like that just to climb the ranks would cost them more than they gained."

"That's precisely why we needed to come here. With those two local snakes, the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family, watching hungrily from the sidelines, even a token smashing of the Xiao Clan's marketplaces would spur those two snakes into lunging forward and taking a vicious bite."

"When Xiao Yan comes back, will he be able to tell what the Misty Cloud Sect did from what those families did? He'll have no choice but to dump all the blame on the Misty Cloud Sect!"

"Then the feud between Xiao Yan and the Misty Cloud Sect will be set, and the waters will be thoroughly muddied. Whether that Xiao boy brings in the teacher behind him and gathers a force to march on the Misty Cloud Sect, or swallows his anger and waits to settle accounts after the harvest, we can sit back and watch things unfold."

"If we're lucky, we might even be able to bring the young fellow into our camp."

The black-robed old man envisioned that wonderful future, his grin stretching almost to his ears. "Hehe, a fourth-tier Alchemist at his age! Who knows? His future achievements might even surpass Pill King Gu He's!"

As they spoke, the four arrived at their lodgings. After repeatedly making sure they had not been followed, they slipped inside, closed the door, and removed their voluminous black robes.

"So you've finally revealed your true faces..." Following behind them, Yun Congxin stepped down through the air. The space around him twisted slightly, concealing his figure.

The four black-robed figures were a dwarf who did not even reach the others' upper thighs, a beautiful woman in palace attire, a sinister-looking old man, and a tower of a burly man.

What a classic lineup!

"All right, it's getting late. Everyone should return to their rooms and rest," the black-robed old man said with a kindly smile. "We'll have to trouble you all to work hard over the next few days. Keep a close eye on what happens in Wutan City."

Yun Congxin rubbed his chin as he watched the black-robed figures head to their respective rooms. He was in an exceptionally good mood.

Oh, Jia Xingtian, Jia Xingtian, you old bastard. Bet you didn't expect me to come to Wutan City myself! Ha, I caught you red-handed just as you started pouring out that bellyful of dirty schemes. Aren't you practically begging to give me an excuse to squeeze you for money?

Now I'll have to make your Jia Ma Imperial Family bleed!

Yun Congxin headed toward the Xiao Clan as he pondered. Ever since transmigrating, he had been considering how to build a good relationship with Xiao Yan and replace Hai Bodong as the Dou Qi Continent's number one angel investor. Now his chance had arrived, personally delivered to his doorstep by that old fellow Jia Xingtian. Yun Congxin simply had to seize it!

There was no time to lose. Yun Congxin decided to turn their scheme against them and squeeze every last bit of value out of those four shit-stirrers!

"Uh..."

Yun Congxin descended from the sky, stepping through empty air, and landed in an open space within the Xiao Clan's grounds. Looking at the sprawling buildings before him, which resembled an entire residential complex, he immediately felt a headache coming on.

At that moment, he suddenly realized a problem. Although he knew Xiao Zhan's name, he had absolutely no idea which person was Xiao Zhan!

To be fair, although the Xiao Clan had fallen about as low as it could go, it still had several Da Dou Shi. Yun Congxin could not remember the book's description of Xiao Zhan's appearance at all. Surely he couldn't test them one by one and decide that whoever used Furious Lion Vajra was Xiao Zhan?

How about grabbing some random unlucky fellow and asking?

That wouldn't work, either. For one thing, it was the dead of night. If someone of unknown strength suddenly popped out, the Xiao Clan's people would already be showing remarkable composure if they didn't immediately panic.

Besides, secrecy brought plans to fruition, while loose tongues brought them to ruin. The fewer people who knew about this, the better—he couldn't just kill someone to silence them after asking...

...Maybe I should come back tomorrow?

Just as Yun Congxin found himself at a complete loss, a graceful figure suddenly appeared beneath the lights. She was a tall girl with a cool, aloof air, standing close to one hundred eighty centimeters.

She had a lovely face and beautiful curves. Her demeanor was cool without being sharp, making her truly a flower blooming on an unreachable peak.

But none of that was what caught Yun Congxin's eye. From the very start, his attention had been completely stolen by those outrageously long, jade-like legs.

"...Xiao Yu?"