Scheming Behind the Lines

Pleasant Sea Villa.

It was one of the most luxurious seaside hotels in Vast Sea City.

The entire building was constructed from blue-green stone blocks in the shape of a rectangular prism. Inside the rooms, one could hear the soft rustle of waves brushing the shore; opening a window revealed the clear sea.

Though called a villa, it was more like a small island out at sea. Two strings of lights stretched from far to near, casting an orange-red glow over the wooden boardwalk below, like scattered stars upon the water.

Beneath the surface, an enormous blue-green crocodile swayed his tail leisurely. Every so often, he stretched out his great tongue to lap up some wine from a floating wooden tray beside him, sighing in contentment.

"Humans really know how to enjoy themselves. If I could drink wine like this every day, I'd want to be reborn as a human too!"

Dressed in a soft robe, Ren Tao studied a map beneath the lights, occasionally circling places and adding annotations.

Beside him, a sheet of white paper lay spread out, bearing a charcoal diagram of relationships between various figures.

Five names stood side by side in the first row:

Heaven Dou Empire, Star Luo Empire, Spirit Hall Empire, Qian Daoliu, Tang Chen.

Below them, more names and information crowded the page, connected by fine, intersecting lines.

This was a chart of the great empires' strongest combatants.

"We can take a few barrels of wine back for Sister Shui and the others to try!"

As Ren Tao spoke, he paused thoughtfully, then crossed out Qian Daoliu's name. "Add that old monster Qian Daoliu, and we'd have two Peerless Douluos. That's a little too risky! Still, Qian Renxue already has the Angel God's full equipment set. Surely she wouldn't wade into these muddy waters?"

"The Star Luo Empire... the Star Luo Emperor. To draw Xue Beng into the game, I first have to bring him over. Mark that as a priority!"

"Although the Star Luo Empire's strength is unclear, the Heaven Dou Empire is rather weak. Would they dare join a game like this?"

"At a time like this, what would I do if I were Xue Beng?"

After pondering for a long while, Ren Tao pinched the bridge of his nose and tapped the names in the second row again: Bone Douluo, Sword Douluo, Poison Douluo, Golden Triangle. "So there should be the Tang Sect too?"

"If Yu Xiaogang is ruthless enough, perhaps the Heaven Dou Empire still has a fighting chance? Heh, Yu Xiaogang, to think you're the key to this game!"

Having worked out the crucial point, Ren Tao felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He set down his pen and said calmly,

"Laosi, go open the gate and welcome our guests!"

E Laosi grunted in acknowledgment, quickly transformed back into human form, then picked up the wine cup from the wooden tray and drained it. "You've already kept him waiting an hour. What's a little longer? Big Brother, let me help you change!"

"Get lost!"

Ren Tao delivered the crude words in a gentle tone, his every movement carrying the inscrutable air of a secluded sage. "Remember, your name is Ask Heaven!"

"Yes, Master!"

E Laosi reined in his imposing aura, lowered his gaze, and became the very picture of humble obedience. Tucking his arms close to his sides, he scurried toward the wooden gate at the other end of the boardwalk.

"One, two, three, speed up!"

E Laosi became almost a gust of wind...

Ren Tao burst out laughing. For a hundred-thousand-year soul beast with a talent for acting, E Laosi certainly had professional standards!

As the gate creaked open, two voices carried over from afar.

"Dai Delong and Wei Xili have come to pay our respects to Mr. Ren!"

Their voices rang out, stirring the air and making the lanterns sway.

"Of course. I had important matters to attend to. Sorry to keep you both waiting. Please, come in!"

A continuous wave of air spread with Ren Tao's voice. The hazy lights along its path instantly blazed bright, flaring one after another until the glow reached the visitors, then stopped abruptly.

The water shivered, blossoming into rings of ripples. A school of dragonfish kept beneath the surface suddenly leaped up, circling and turning through the air like enormous peonies.

"Please, gentlemen!"

Head lowered, E Laosi paid no attention to anything around him as he led the two guests to the tea table outside Ren Tao's room.

In the first round of probing, Dai Delong and Wei Xili had suffered a complete defeat.

They exchanged glances, both profoundly shaken. When had a small place like Vast Sea City acquired such a formidable figure?

In that brief instant, the aura Ren Tao released had been enough to awaken their deepest fears, yet his control was flawless. Just before it touched their clothing, he withdrew it into the water, lifting the dragonfish to create the wondrous spectacle of Auspicious Dragonfish.

"Mr. Ren, you truly are extraordinary!"

Wei Xili cupped his hands and spoke first.

He wore gray, with white at his temples. His phoenix eyes shone with intelligence, his long brows swept toward his temples, and an appropriate smile seemed permanently fixed at the corners of his mouth. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, and his cultivation had already reached the Soul Saint level. Yet before Ren Tao, he still felt like duckweed struggling in the water, liable to be swallowed at any moment by a vortex the other man stirred up.

Beside him, Dai Delong wore black. Though similar in age to Wei Xili, he was well maintained, without a single white hair. His fair, plump face gleamed with health. His cultivation was only at the Soul Emperor level, but his bearing was steady, his manner composed, and he exuded nobility.

"You are both leading figures in Vast Sea City, so I'll speak plainly."

Ren Tao wasted no words and went straight to the point. "In half a month, I intend to hold an Appraisal Conference. I'll need your full assistance. As for your compensation..."

He opened his palm, revealing two black beads, each the size of a longan fruit. They radiated a deep, dark sheen, with something seemingly flowing within, though the outer glow obscured it, leaving only indistinct glimpses.

"These are..."

After a moment's hesitation, Dai Delong extended two fingers, carefully picked up a black bead, and held it before his eyes for a closer look.

Wei Xili did not move. Looking at the beads, he wore a puzzled expression. "The one you sent someone to deliver earlier was also a black bead like these. I had it appraised, but we couldn't send even a trace of soul power inside, nor examine it with divine sense. Could you tell us exactly what it is?"

"If they couldn't appraise it, you clearly went to the wrong people!"

Ren Tao laughed, casting him a meaningful sidelong glance. "Since you couldn't identify it, why did you bring Boss Dai here?"

"Although we couldn't identify it, one thing is clear: the bead contains a special kind of soul power beyond the capabilities of the appraisers available on the market. It is certainly no ordinary object!"

Wei Xili watched Ren Tao, hoping to find some clue in his expression.

But Ren Tao's face remained calm, without the slightest emotional flicker. He merely turned to Dai Delong. "What insights do you have, Boss Dai?"

"My eyes are inadequate!"

Dai Delong set down the bead and sighed softly. "You are a man of extraordinary ability, Mr. Ren. I truly admire you!"

Another old fox!

He was clearly curious about the bead too, or he wouldn't have stood outside waiting in the middle of the night. Yet he was so composed that he refused to ask, determined to wait until I explained it myself.

"Your surname is Dai, Boss Dai. Is that... the same Dai as Dai Mubai?"

A thought struck Ren Tao, and he suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Mubai... you know my nephew?"

Dai Delong's body trembled slightly at those words, but he immediately regained his composure.

"He's a good friend of mine. Back when he was at Shrek Academy... in that case, should I be addressing you as Imperial Uncle Dai?"

"You flatter me!"

The corners of Dai Delong's mouth twitched, and he smiled awkwardly. "A man loses his standing far from home. There's no need to mention the title of imperial uncle!"

"Then, Boss Wei, don't tell me you're also an agent of the Star Luo Empire?"

Ren Tao's eyes flickered. He already had some grasp of the situation, and before Wei Xili could answer, he continued, "Even if you are, it doesn't matter. But what I'm about to say must never reach uninvolved ears."

Wei Xili and Dai Delong perked up, both straightening their backs and assuming an attentive posture.

"In the Soul Master World, there are several supreme treasures. Naturally, the soul ring of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast ranks first. Second comes a soul bone, because absorbing one is entirely unrestricted by soul power or level. Even a level-one Soul Scholar can absorb the soul bone of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Am I right?"

"Precisely!"

Wei Xili hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"But if it were the soul bone of a million-year soul beast, how do you think its effects would compare with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring? And what would it be worth?"

"Well..."

Dai Delong and Wei Xili were no inexperienced youngsters: one was an imperial relative of the Star Luo Empire, the other the behind-the-scenes owner of a Heaven Dou Empire auction house. Although Ren Tao's words sounded mysterious, wasn't this a little too exaggerated?

A Million-Year Soul Bone? Never mind whether million-year soul beasts actually exist. Are we supposed to believe you have a soul bone just because you say so?

Thus, both reacted rather coolly, their earlier excitement completely gone.

"After all, no one has ever seen one. It's difficult to judge!"

After a few seconds of silence, Wei Xili spoke again, easing the awkward atmosphere. Ren Tao's cultivation was unfathomable; Titled Douluo was only the most conservative estimate. He did not want to offend him.

"Who says no one has seen one? Gentlemen... haven't you seen them right here?"

Ren Tao gestured with his mouth toward the black beads below and pointed. An almost invisible golden thread shot into a bead, instantly tearing apart its hazy glow and unleashing towering waves.

Layers of faint blue light, laden with moisture, abruptly spread out, filling the surrounding dozen or so meters and forming a pale blue domain.

The savage aura rushing toward them made Wei Xili and Dai Delong feel as though they had fallen into an abyss. They lost control of their bodies and soul power, as if boundless waves would swallow them the very next moment.

Sweat slid down their foreheads.

Both sensed it clearly: the pressure itself was not especially strong. The truly terrifying part was the aura of a ferocious beast, surpassing that of a Titled Douluo and striking terror into their very souls.

Was this truly the soul bone of a million-year soul beast?

"Soul bones can't be cut apart, so how could one be contained inside such a tiny black bead?"

"What soul beast is this from? Why have I never seen it before?"

The instant the pressure vanished, they both spoke, scrambling to ask their questions without hearing what the other said. Their eyes were fixed on Ren Tao, desperate for answers.

"Now, now~"

Ren Tao waved a hand. "We're all businessmen. Why spell certain things out so plainly? It's against the rules. I know you still have doubts, but as I said, find the right person and the relevant information will follow. One final thing: I'll remain in Vast Sea City for fifteen days. If no one can afford my price by then, I won't stay any longer!"

With that, Ren Tao rose gracefully and walked toward his bedroom.

"Ask Heaven, see our guests out!"

"Yes. This way, gentlemen~"

Having mastered the role without a teacher, E Laosi swiftly grasped his position as a "servant" and called out in a drawn-out, quavering voice.

The sound gave Ren Tao goosebumps.

Isn't that acting a little overdone? I never even told you there was such a profession as eunuch in history!

A few minutes later, E Laosi returned.

"Big Brother! They left in a hurry."

"Mm. Did you give Dai Delong the bead I told you to?"

"I did. I said you were giving him an extra one for Dai Mubai's sake. But why give him another?"

E Laosi's admiration for Ren Tao had now reached indescribable heights. There was no other reason: he simply could not understand this sequence of moves at all!

Was that what made someone seem so unfathomable?

I feel like I've learned something again!

"You'll find out shortly~ Let's head out too. I placed tracking marks on every bead. Within thirty li, none can escape my detection."

"Yes, Big Brother!"

Meanwhile, Wei Xili and Dai Delong parted in haste, without even exchanging polite farewells. Each immediately returned to his residence, activated a hidden mechanism in the wall, and entered a secret chamber.

Wei Xili then spread out writing paper and, after a little thought, swiftly put pen to paper, scratching out a letter.

A second letter followed immediately.

An almost identical scene was unfolding at Dai Delong's residence.

Two hours later, Ren Tao flew swiftly back through the night. After circling in the air for a while, he chose a direction and drifted slowly to the ground like a light feather.

Concealed by the night and deliberately suppressing his aura, he could not be detected by anyone except a Peerless Douluo like Bo Saixi, or a powerhouse like Tang San whose spiritual power had reached the vast expanse realm.

E Laosi stood beside the road, looking around.

"Big Brother, how did it go? Were things as you expected?"

"Yes and no!"

With his hands behind his back, Ren Tao walked slowly, a hint of worry between his brows. "Each of them dispatched two flying soul masters in two directions: one toward the Heaven Dou Empire and the other toward the Star Luo Empire. That part matched my expectations."

"But each also sent someone toward Spirit City."

Huh?

They both sent someone to tip off Spirit Hall?

E Laosi thought briefly, then understood. "That means while serving the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, they're also secretly communicating with the Spirit Hall Empire. In your words, Big Brother, they're... double agents?"

"Not double. Triple!"

Ren Tao said calmly, "They knew each other's identities and still maintained contact. That means they began cooperating long ago, each gathering intelligence from the other. With a foot in three boats, they'll have a way out no matter which side ultimately wins."

Oh, humans are so cunning!

E Laosi felt he had learned something again. Studying human society really was the right choice. Otherwise, soul beasts might not even know who their enemies were.

"What worries me now is whether one of those two messages heading to Spirit Hall will end up in Qian Daoliu's hands."

Ren Tao pinched the bridge of his nose, looking somewhat frustrated.

My abilities still aren't enough to devise strategies within the command tent and decide victory a thousand miles away!

The upcoming chapters are rather important. They will show the changing situation on the Douluo Continent, the contest between the three powers, and its influence on the future balance of power.

Some characters you dislike might be picking up their boxed lunches-look forward to it!