Bait

"I think Brother Song's idea is quite good."

Just then, Wu Qingfeng spoke up.

Song Xuanji was slightly taken aback and turned to look at him.

"Oh? What insightful opinion do you have, Brother Wu?"

"Back in Shouyun City, wasn't it Lu Feng who lured Hu Xiaotian away? That's how Shouyun City was saved."

Wu Qingfeng leaned back in his chair, his tone calm, and continued,

"I had someone investigate this matter later. It turns out that the one who killed Hu Xiaofeng was not Zhao Changgeng, but Lu Feng."

Xiao Tianqi's eyelid twitched.

"I have found Hu Xiaofeng's body."

"At that time, all we need to do is have Lu Feng destroy the corpse bit by bit in front of Hu Xiaotian. Hu Xiaotian will definitely make a move."

"At that time, I will set up a grand formation in Canglan City. As long as Hu Xiaotian and those Fifth-Tier Demon Lord dare to come, I am confident that I can wipe them all out in one fell swoop."

He paused, his gaze falling on Xiao Tianqi:

"Using Lu Feng as bait is too dangerous. This matter requires the consent of both Brother Xiao and Lu Feng himself."

Xiao Tianqi did not speak immediately.

He understood the underlying meaning in Wu Qingfeng's words.

Wu Qingfeng did not directly say that Zhao Changgeng was killed by Lu Feng, but he pointed out that it was Lu Feng, not Zhao Changgeng, who killed Hu Xiaofeng.

This means he knew that Zhao Changgeng had died at Lu Feng's hands.

His choice to say this at this time was very clear: he wanted Lu Feng to come out as bait.

Song Xuanji sat to the side, his face expressionless, but in his heart he was also trying to figure out Wu Qingfeng's intentions.

If setting up an array could kill Hu Xiaotian, why didn't they use it in Shouyun City?

Why wait until now, and why use Lu Feng as bait?

He couldn't understand it. But whatever Wu Qingfeng's plan, this was an opportunity for him—a legitimate reason to get Lu Feng to show himself.

"Brother Wu is right. But according to my investigation, Lu Feng not only killed Hu Xiaofeng, but also Zhao Changgeng of my Demon-Slaying Bureau. Brother Xiao, are you aware of this?"

Song Xuanji spoke slowly, and the conference hall fell silent for a moment.

"What? Lu Feng killed Zhao Changgeng?"

"Zhao Changgeng is Great Grandmaster, how could Lu Feng, a Early Grandmaster, possibly kill him?"

Lu Qingshan, Qin Bailian, and the others showed just the right amount of shock on their faces.

They actually had some idea in their hearts, but at this moment they all put on an incredulous look.

All eyes turned to Xiao Tianqi.

Xiao Tianqi remained silent for two breaths.

He knew that there was no point in hiding it any longer.

"According to my investigation, Lu Feng encountered the fleeing Hu Xiaofeng on his way back and killed him. Zhao Changgeng then launched a sneak attack, intending to kill Lu Feng, but was instead killed by him."

Xiao Tianqi raised his head, meeting Song Xuanji's gaze, his voice a few decibels lower than usual.

This is completely different from his usual low-key and non-argumentative nature.

But he couldn't back down now. If he did, Lu Feng would be finished.

"Xiao Tianqi! What do you mean? Are you going to protect Lu Feng and become an enemy of my Headquarters Demon-Slaying Bureau?" Song Xuanji's voice turned cold.

"A Great Grandmaster was killed by a Early Grandmaster, and you still have the nerve to say that!"

Xiao Tianqi retorted directly.

"Xiao Tianqi, you..."

Song Xuanji's face suddenly turned furious, and his True Essence exploded as he slapped Xiao Tianqi with a palm.

Xiao Tianqi refused to yield an inch, also channeling his True Essence to meet the attack head-on.

"Boom!"

A loud bang.

The conference hall, which had only been built less than half a month ago, collapsed again after being hit by the two men.

Gravel and wooden beams rained down from overhead, raising clouds of dust.

Lu Qingshan, Qin Bailian, and the others quickly darted out of the hall and landed on the open ground.

After the smoke cleared, Xiao Tianqi and Song Xuanji each took a few steps back, neither of them injured.

A hint of surprise flashed in Song Xuanji's eyes.

Both were Great Grandmaster Perfection, but they had fought several times before, and Xiao Tianqi had never been his match.

This time, however, Xiao Tianqi received his palm strike without flinching, and even seemed to be evenly matched.

In the past six months, Xiao Tianqi's cultivation level seems to have improved again.

Just as Song Xuanji was about to make another move, Wu Qingfeng's voice came from the smoke and dust.

"Stop it, you two!"

Wu Qingfeng stood in front of the half-collapsed conference hall, covered in a layer of dust.

"We're all colleagues, why be like this?"

He stepped between the two of them.

"I have a suggestion. What do you two think?"

Neither Xiao Tianqi nor Song Xuanji spoke.

The meaning is clear: you say it, and if you're satisfied, listen; if not, pretend you didn't hear it.

Wu Qingfeng wasn't annoyed and spoke directly:

"Regardless of the facts, the problem of monsters in Yongzhou has not been completely resolved. Zhao Changgeng is already dead, so there's no point in pursuing it further."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the two faces.

"How about this? Let Lu Feng act as bait to lure Hu Xiaotian into Canglan City."

"As long as he can lure Hu Xiaotian to Canglan City, this matter can be considered closed. What do you two think?"

Xiao Tianqi did not respond immediately.

He pondered to himself that Lu Feng had already lured Hu Xiaotian away once before.

To bring it up again, while risky, is not impossible.

If this could wipe the slate clean of Zhao Changgeng's affair, it might not be a bad way out for Lu Feng.

Song Xuanji was also weighing her options.

If he were to act as bait himself, he would be somewhat confident that he could save his life.

However, Lu Feng was only Grandmaster.

If Lu Feng was able to return alive from Hu Xiaotian's clutches, it means he possesses at least the strength of Great Grandmaster Perfection.

Such a person is someone you absolutely cannot afford to offend if you can't kill them immediately.

Moreover, he never intended to kill Lu Feng in the first place.

He wanted to take Lu Feng back to headquarters and hand him over to the Si Zheng of the department for processing.

"I have no objection."

"I have no objection either."

Wu Qingfeng's face lit up with joy, and he then pulled the others to another room to discuss the details.

The location, time, formation setup, bait route, and retreat direction were confirmed one by one.

Meanwhile, deep within the underground passages of Canglan City, in a cave.

Lu Feng slowly opened his eyes.

Just now, the last acupoint in my body has been completely restored.

The True Essence began to flow freely through the meridians once again.

He flexed his wrist, feeling the strength he had regained, and let out a long breath.

"Much faster than expected."

He originally thought it would take a month, but to his surprise, it was all connected in just half a month.

It's probably because of the fourth level of the Hundred Beasts Body-Tempering Art.

The stronger the physical body, the stronger the self-healing ability of the acupoints.

For the past two weeks, he has spent most of his time studying that Bagua formation.

No matter how he deduced or probed, he couldn't figure it out.

He understood the arrangement of the array patterns, the connection of the nodes, and the flow of energy. He understood each line, but when put together, he still couldn't grasp the core.

He wasted no more time, stood up, and stretched his limbs.

"It's time."