Although the Thousand Rocks Sect and Forgetting Passion Valley had suspended their search for divine fire, some of their actions before stopping had still drawn the Heavenforging Sect's attention.
The Heavenforging Sect's watchers around the Exit discovered that the two sects were playing a trick to lure the tiger away from its mountain.
They recognized the trick because of Yan Ketao. He had told the Heavenforging Sect about it.
Zuo Zisheng mistakenly thought it had something to do with Shi Chun's group, so he reinforced the men stationed there, preparing to capture them or follow the vine to the melon. Instead, the Thousand Rocks Sect and Forgetting Passion Valley stopped their operations, leaving him guarding an empty trap.
Many things in this world were like that: human calculations could not outmatch Heaven's. An unexpected turn of events led to just such a result.
Yet this allowed Zuo Zisheng's group to work out the general route by which Shi Chun and his companions had obtained their divine fire leads. So that was where Jin Guiqi's leads had come from.
Completing the chain of evidence was a major gain in itself. It meant they had nailed down their leverage, and Zuo Zisheng was still quite pleased. Once they found Shi Chun's group, he doubted they would dare refuse to comply!
His eagerness to find Shi Chun's group grew all the more intense.
"I heard the Bright Mountain Sect and Summer Path Mountain have joined forces. They're splitting whatever divine fire they find equally."
"Huh? Why would Summer Path Mountain join forces with the Bright Mountain Sect? With Summer Path Mountain's strength, why would they split the divine fire equally with them?"
"If they're willing to lower themselves and join forces, there must be something to gain. And what counts as profit in