After three rounds of drinks, Sikong Yi covered his mouth and coughed several times, an unhealthy flush coloring his face. Seeing this, Nie Li set down his cup and took the opportunity to turn to business.
"Since you're unwell, Uncle, I shouldn't trouble you for too long. But on my way here, I saw a young man with black wings tied up in the corner of the hall. I heard he was a traitor to the family?"
Sikong Yi paused, then waved a dismissive hand, his tone tinged with contempt. "You mean that brat Duan Jian? He's nothing but a lowborn half-breed bastard. His parents committed an offense, and he's sharing their punishment. Why? Are you interested in him, my dear nephew?"
"Not interested, exactly."
Nie Li smiled and said unhurriedly, "I'll need to prepare medicine next, and I'll need someone to test it on. This will be my first time making it, after all, so I'll have to adjust the dosage and potency gradually. If I gave it directly to you and something went wrong, Uncle, I couldn't bear that responsibility. That fellow looks fairly sturdy, and he's already serving a sentence. He'd be perfect for testing the medicine. That way, we can assess its effects while letting him contribute something to the family. Surely that's better than keeping him tied up, wasting food."
He spoke casually, as though he were merely asking for some insignificant object.
Sikong Yi frowned, seemingly hesitant. Although Duan Jian was a traitor, he still possessed the black dragon bloodline, giving him far greater vitality than ordinary people. Sikong Yi had intended to keep him alive and torment him slowly to vent his anger.
Handing him over to Nie Li as a medicine tester seemed a bit of a waste. But on second thought, if Nie Li could truly cure his illness, what did one half-breed slave matter?
Besides, testing medicine was dangerous in itself. He might die after a few trials, saving Sikong Yi the trouble of killing him personally.
After considering it for a moment, he nodded. "You make a good point, my dear nephew. He's only a slave for testing medicine. If you want him, take him. His life belongs to the Silver Wing Family anyway. Being allowed to help test the medicine is a blessing for him."
"Then thank you, Uncle."
Nie Li cupped his hands in thanks, his smile unchanged, as though he really had only asked for an insignificant person.
Hearing this from the secondary table, Shen Fei understood at once. Nie Li had played this move steadily. By asking for the man under the pretext of testing medicine, he had given Sikong Yi no reason to refuse.
After all, in Sikong Yi's eyes, Duan Jian was a disposable slave. Trading him for Nie Li's goodwill was all profit and no loss.
By then, the banquet had more or less come to an end.
Sikong Yi had someone lead Nie Li and his companions to the Guest Courtyard to rest. He also gave the servants a few instructions, telling them to treat the guests well and not neglect them.
The group followed the servant through the covered corridors toward the Guest Courtyard at the rear.
The night was already deep. Lanterns hung in the courtyard, their warm yellow light falling across the flagstone path. Everything was quiet, with only their footsteps echoing through the corridors.
Walking at the back, Lu Piao glanced behind him and lowered his voice. "Two people are following us. They've been keeping a short distance behind the whole time. They're obviously watching us."
"That's normal," Shen Fei said without turning around. "We've only just arrived on their territory. It would be strange if they weren't watching us. Ignore them and do what you need to do. Just don't give anything away."
They soon reached the Guest Courtyard. It was not large, with three main rooms and two side rooms on either side, all clean and tidy.
The servant escorted them to the entrance, told them to call whenever they needed anything, then withdrew.
They entered the main room and shut the door.
Lu Piao immediately went to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked outside. Turning back, he said, "Two people are standing at the courtyard gate, and there's movement on top of the wall too. We really are being watched."
Nie Li sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of tea, his tone calm. "Let them watch. As long as we don't do anything out of line, they won't act. Sikong Yi is still counting on me to cure his illness. He won't turn against us lightly."
Xiao Ning'er sat down as well and asked with some concern, "Are you really going to cure Sikong Yi? He's the head of the Silver Wing Family, and he's suspicious and cruel. Curing him wouldn't do us any good, would it?"
"Of course I won't actually cure him."
Nie Li smiled, a calculating gleam in his eyes. "We'll give him a little taste of success first. Only when he thinks there's hope will he obediently hand over the Scarlet Blood Crystals. Once we have what we want, we'll activate the Teleportation Array and leave. What will his life or death have to do with us then?"
Shen Fei nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Right now, the most important things are keeping Sikong Yi appeased, getting enough Scarlet Blood Crystals, and finding the Teleportation Array. Everything else can wait. By the way, you asked for Duan Jian today. What do you plan to do with him next?"
At the mention of Duan Jian, Nie Li's expression grew more serious. "Duan Jian has the black dragon bloodline, but the Silver Wing Family has suppressed it, preventing it from awakening. With the right method, we can activate his bloodline, and his physical strength will far surpass others at his rank. He'll be a valuable fighter in the future. For now, we'll bring him over, keep him under our noses, and slowly restore his condition. We'll activate his bloodline when the time is right."
No one objected. Nie Li had always been a good judge of people. If he said someone would be useful, then he certainly would be.
Meanwhile, in the study of the main courtyard, Sikong Yi reclined on a cushioned couch, his complexion even worse than it had been at the banquet. Sikong Hongyue stood opposite him with her hands lowered, reporting on what had happened earlier.
"Father, I went to the secondary table earlier to sound them out. The one called Su Tian is their leader. He speaks very steadily, and his answers were watertight no matter what I asked. He said they all came from the same tribe, that Lei Zhuo belonged to the main branch, and that the rest were from collateral branches who had accompanied him to gain experience. It broadly matches what Lei Zhuo said earlier. I didn't find any obvious inconsistencies."
"He doesn't look very old, twenty at most. Reaching gold rank 2-star at that age shows considerable talent. Among his companions, some are at silver peak, while others are at gold rank 1-star. Their overall strength isn't weak."
"Gold rank 2-star..." Sikong Yi repeated. He opened his eyes, a cold gleam flashing through them. "Having that cultivation at such a young age is indeed rare. Unfortunately, no matter how great the talent, it's useless before it matures. Hongyue, if it really comes to a fight, can you subdue him?"
Sikong Hongyue raised her head, her tone utterly confident. "Rest assured, Father. However talented he is, he's only at gold rank 2-star. I'm already at the peak of gold rank 5-star, only one step away from black gold rank. If we actually fight, I can subdue him in three to five moves. Talent alone cannot bridge the gap between cultivation levels."
"Good."
Sikong Yi nodded, seemingly reassured. "That brat Lei Zhuo is slippery, with deep schemes I can't see through. He's still useful, so we can't touch him yet. But we can't leave ourselves unguarded either. Arrange for more men around the Guest Courtyard and have them take turns watching it around the clock. Whenever any of them goes out, record where they go and whom they meet, and report it to me. Especially Lei Zhuo. If he goes to the mines or the storehouse, I must hear of it immediately."
"I understand, Father."
Sikong Hongyue acknowledged the order, then asked, "What about Duan Jian? Are we really just handing him over to Lei Zhuo? That brat has bones of iron. Even after all these years of torture, he hasn't yielded. I'm afraid he might talk out of turn once he's with Nie Li."
"He wouldn't dare." Sikong Yi sneered, his tone vicious. "His life is in our hands. Lei Zhuo is only using him to test medicine. Could he possibly rescue him? Besides, who would believe anything a half-breed bastard said? By the time Lei Zhuo finishes testing his medicine, he'll be all but ruined anyway. We can simply dispose of him then. There's nothing to worry about."
Thinking it over, Sikong Hongyue agreed. Duan Jian had spent so many years in the Silver Wing Family. He could hardly stir up any waves.
"Also, keep an eye on the Scarlet Blood Crystals," Sikong Yi instructed. "Whatever amount Nie Li asks for, give him only a portion at first. Don't give him too much at once. Keep him dangling, and only increase the amount gradually once he produces an effective prescription. Scarlet Blood Crystals are our foundation. We can't let them flow into outsiders' hands carelessly."
"I'll remember, Father." Sikong Hongyue acknowledged each instruction. Seeing the fatigue on Sikong Yi's face, she said, "Get some rest early, Father. I'll go arrange the guards."
"Go." Sikong Yi waved his hand and closed his eyes.
Sikong Hongyue quietly withdrew from the study and closed the door behind her.
As the wind swept through the corridor, the deference on her face slowly faded, replaced by a trace of coldness. She looked toward the Guest Courtyard, her gaze appraising.
Su Tian, Lei Zhuo... Just where did these people come from? Doubts still lingered in her mind.
Still, it did not matter. On the Silver Wing Family's territory, whatever they were plotting, they could not overturn the heavens.
Inside the Guest Courtyard, Shen Fei stood by the window, looking out through a gap in the curtains. The guards at the courtyard gate had changed shifts, and the figures atop the wall had moved as well. Clearly, the surveillance had not slackened.
He turned to the others in the room. "They're watching us closely outside. Don't sleep too deeply tonight. We'll keep watch in pairs. Du Ze, you and I will take the first half of the night. Lu Piao and Xiao Xue will take the second half. Ning'er, get some proper rest. Something may come up tomorrow."
No one objected. Xiao Ning'er frowned, looking worried. "Do you think Sikong Yi might suddenly turn against us? What if he decides we're no longer useful and attacks us outright?"
"Not for now." Shen Fei shook his head and explained, "He's still depending on Nie Li to treat his illness. Scarlet Blood Crystals may be important to him, but they're nothing compared to his life. As long as Nie Li can keep him dangling, he won't act rashly. The time we really need to watch out for is when he thinks he's nearly cured. That's when he'll slaughter the donkey once the milling is done. We have to finish everything and leave before that happens."
Sitting nearby, Nie Li added, "Shen Fei is right. Over the next few days, I'll use preparing medicine as an excuse to visit the mines and the storehouse, find out how many Scarlet Blood Crystals they have, and locate the Teleportation Array. Stay in the courtyard. Don't wander around or get into conflicts with the Silver Wing Family. Once I've figured out the situation, we'll make our move."
"Understood," they answered in unison.
The night deepened, and the lights in the Guest Courtyard went out one after another, leaving only the lanterns at the gate burning. The guards patrolled back and forth, their footsteps especially distinct in the stillness of the night.
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