A Plan Without a Plan

Divine Crow Valley, reception hall.

The hall was magnificent, with carved beams and painted rafters, yet it could not conceal the solemn, ancient air of a deep-mountain sect.

Ye Li sat at the head of the guest seats. His gold-and-black Official Robe was especially conspicuous within the somewhat dim hall.

Li Yuyao and Chang Yun sat on either side. Chang Yun wore black armor, his aura deep and still as an abyss, while Li Yuyao had reined in the sharpness she displayed at the general's residence. She silently surveyed the furnishings of the hall, like the most ordinary of visitors.

The disciple who had led them inside had long since bowed and withdrawn. A soundproofing formation activated without a sound, shutting out the clamor beyond.

Uneasy, Chang Yun finally could not hold back any longer and quietly transmitted his voice to Ye Li.

"General Ye, what exactly is our plan for this trip? We ought to have some sort of arrangement, shouldn't we?"

He truly could not imagine how they were supposed to question the truth out of a behemoth like Divine Crow Valley without spilling blood.

Ye Li raised the warm spirit tea at his side without looking at him. His voice sounded directly beside Chang Yun's ear.

"No plan. We'll take it one step at a time."

"What?!" Chang Yun was dumbfounded, nearly crying out.

He abruptly turned his eyes toward Li Yuyao, his gaze filled with incomprehension and shock, as though saying, "Did you hear that? He said there was no plan!"

Li Yuyao met his gaze and shook her head with exceptional calm, signaling for him to remain patient.

Chang Yun took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, but the worry between his brows refused to disperse.

He had heard of