Just as the ceremony in the courtyard was in full swing, Shen Zhu finally broke through the second layer of protection in the treasure vault.

The Wushu soft armor was propped up by a wooden frame, prominently displayed on the second level. It was woven from fine metal threads, jet black throughout, with a dull soft luster. Even after traversing decades or even a century, there was still not a trace of rust.

Shen Zhu finally shed her usual composed demeanor, staring at it in a daze for a while.

Unfortunately, time was limited, and she didn't allow herself to relax for too long. Shen Zhu quickly collected herself and carefully pried open the glazed cover. She immediately changed out of the silk-steel soft armor she was wearing and put on the Wushu soft armor. The steel armor was painted black, much heavier than the Wushu soft armor. But when hung on the wooden frame, there wasn't much noticeable difference at a glance.

After doing all this, Shen Zhu tidied her hair and rushed to the ceremony courtyard.

She didn't really care about the fate of the Red Hook Sect, but the earlier she returned the better. Not to mention the longer she was away the more suspicious it would be, if she could help Shi Jingzhi early on, she might be able to use her "merit" to fool him.

The best case scenario was that Hua Jingchun's plan went smoothly and they subdued Wu Huai. The worst case was no more than the plan completely failing, with everyone scattering like a troop of monkeys from a fallen tree, turning into a mess.

Poor Shen Zhu arrived at the scene only to find it completely different from what she had imagined.

The Red Hook Sect disciples were kneeling neatly on the ground, Wu Huai was pinned to an ancient cauldron by a long sword, but not fatally wounded. A masked man in ceremonial robes stood in front of Wu Huai, as if he had stepped out of the portrait of Su Zhi.

Above the portrait, on the eaves of the roof, Shi Jingzhi, Su Si and Yan Qing were on one side, while Qu Duanyun and Xu Jingming were on the other, confronting each other. Hua Jingchun was in the least tense situation, she just led people to stand in the middle of the scene, ready to suppress anyone who wanted to assist Wu Huai at any time. On the Yueshui Bureau side, brushes and ink were flying as they had already fallen into a state of frenzied recording.

Shen Zhu: "......" It seemed she had missed the most exciting part.

Shi Jingzhi noticed Shen Zhu's return. He turned his head slightly, his gaze touching Shen Zhu for a moment before withdrawing. Then he adjusted his expression and looked at Qu Duanyun again, "Sect Master Qu was quite enthusiastic last time, how come you're ignoring me this time?"

Sect Leader Shi joked, but in his heart he was already more than ninety percent certain. With just a short sentence, he had grasped the other party's bottom line.

[This younger brother of mine has been in your care all the way, I'm much obliged.]

The Immortal Gathering was a loose organization that loved to make friends with capable people all over the world. The Qu family had a large business, so it wasn't strange for Qu Duanyun to be recruited. But ordinary members definitely didn't have the qualifications to know that Shi Jingzhi was a prince.

Shi Jingzhi had observed words and expressions in the palace for more than twenty years, and even if it was just a flash, he didn't miss any of Qu Duanyun's subtle expressions. Qu Duanyun wasn't surprised or nervous, obviously he had known about this for a long time.

[When you return to Yi City, please give my regards to the National Teacher.]

...This sentence was no longer just probing.

"As expected of Sect Leader Shi from the Ku Mountain Sect, even more cunning than the rumors." Qu Duanyun wasn't stupid, he knew that he had already revealed a flaw. He stopped acting and openly admitted it.

Xu Jingming's face flashed with a hint of confusion, "What are you talking about?"

As a result, before he could finish being confused, he suddenly felt a pain in the back of his neck and his eyes went dark. Qu Duanyun sighed, withdrew his sneak attack hand, and said without raising his head, "I underestimated you."

His tone was extremely calm, without any hint of guilt from his conspiracy being discovered.

Shi Jingzhi moved him with emotion and reason, "Sect Master Qu, why don't you come to our sect for a cup of tea and have a good chat. If Sect Master Qu is unwilling, we can only forcefully invite you."

Sect Leader Shi obviously didn't think three against one was embarrassing. If Yin Ci finished dealing with Wu Huai and came up, four against one would be fine too.

Qu Duanyun chuckled lightly, as if he had long expected this move, "I know what Sect Leader Shi wants to ask. There is no cure for your condition except the Shi Rou. But I won't hand over the Shi Rou so easily."

The smile on Shi Jingzhi's face flickered and gradually cooled.

Qu Duanyun simply sheathed his sword, and there was even a hint of pity in his eyes, "A wise man like Sect Leader Shi should be able to see. I didn't lie about your illness."

"Sect Master Qu...Brother Qu is so straightforward, why wait for another day, why not just tell me about that century-long undertaking now."

"Century-long undertaking?"

But who knew which heartstring this sentence struck, Qu Duanyun's face fell.

"Anyone should ask about this matter, but you shouldn't. Instead of worrying about these things, Sect Leader Shi should focus on living through this year first."

Shi Jingzhi was not easily fooled after all, he rubbed his chin, "Then I can only trouble Sect Master Qu to come with us."

Qu Duanyun laughed loudly for a moment, then stepped forward again, still with starry eyes and an upright air. Just looking at this scene, it seemed as if Shi Jingzhi was the one doing evil.

"Thanks to the Buddha bead treasure maps you sent, Taiheng is only one step away from that Shi Rou. I have already passed down the order that before announcing it to the world, it must have the approval of me, the Sect Master. If I am killed by villains because of this, it's better for the Shi Rou not to appear in this world."

Qu Duanyun's right palm faced up, clenching empty air.

"Sect Leader Shi, your life is in my hands. If you force your way, the area where the Shi Rou is located will be blown to ashes."

Upon hearing this, Yan Qing glanced at Shi Jingzhi, his eyes full of worry. Su Si then said in an affected tone, "What a great Taiheng Sect Master, you're even more suitable for Red Hook than that Wu Huai!"

Qu Duanyun snorted coldly, "My Taiheng Sect has been eliminating demons and guarding the Dao for hundreds of years, treating humans as humans should be treated, and treating demons as demons should be treated. I, Qu, have a clear conscience."

Su Si ground his teeth, and was about to make a move when he was blocked by the Cure All With Medicine Banner. He had just let the words "spineless" slip to his lips when he involuntarily swallowed them back.

There was no other reason, Sect Leader Shi's smile was a bit scary, as if it was laced with sticky honey and poisoned wine.

"Many thanks for Sect Master Qu's guidance." Shi Jingzhi bowed slightly, his tone extremely sincere.

Qu Duanyun was startled by that smile and almost took a step back. Seeing that Shi Jingzhi had dispersed his malice, he reached out to support the unconscious Xu Jingming, and was about to get off the roof.

"Sect Master, aren't we going to chase?" Su Si asked unusually obediently.

Yan Qing was still worried about Shi Jingzhi's physical condition, "Is your illness that serious? What if we can't get the Shi Rou, what will we do then?"

"No need to panic, it's just not time to turn hostile yet."

Shi Jingzhi paused, his tone certain.

"Qu Duanyun was indeed not lying. But he is not a True Immortal, so how could he know everything in the world - perhaps there are other solutions, he just doesn't know about them. The claim that 'only Shi Rou can save your life' is rather... peculiar."

Judging from his attitude, Qu Duanyun seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Shi Jingzhi, and there was no need to consider Shi Jingzhi's feelings. If the National Teacher wanted Shi Rou, Qu Duanyun's words should have been "Shi Rou has already fallen into the hands of the Immortal Gathering, you're finished."

There was even less need for him to openly state "only Shi Rou can save your life." Even if he directly threatened with Shi Rou, Shi Jingzhi would not act rashly.

In Qu Duanyun's words, he clearly believed that Shi Jingzhi still had a chance to obtain Shi Rou, and was even intentionally or unintentionally stimulating his competitive spirit. No matter how you look at it, Qu Duanyun had the upper hand. Facing the leader of a small sect like Shi Jingzhi, Sect Leader Qu's attitude was indeed overly cautious.

...As if he knew that Shi Jingzhi had a very high possibility of seizing Shi Rou.

Come to think of it, Yan Budu's Shi Rou was also "voluntarily bestowed by an immortal". Could this be a coincidence?

Interesting. Could it be that Shi Rou is also part of the century-long great undertaking? What's even more interesting is that when Qu Duanyun mentioned the century-long great undertaking, there was not a hint of guilt towards the "victim".

His tone even carried a trace of unfathomable envy.

In the past, Shi Jingzhi was obsessed with all kinds of desires in life, and would have selectively ignored such subtle oddities eight times out of ten. Now that his desires were satisfied, he was unprecedentedly calm. In the mysterious workings of fate, it seemed as if countless hands were pushing him towards Shi Rou.

The more this was the case, the more he had to be careful.

"Let's go, it's time to send 'Su Zhi' back to the underworld," Shi Jingzhi said with a smile.

Under the eaves.

Shen Zhu only saw the Yang fire shatter into a sky full of sparks, and the dead man's smoke was blown up by the wind again. In just a flash, the "person in the painting" disappeared without a trace. Silently, the ritual mask quietly returned to its original position.

The Red Hook disciples below were still shouting "Sect Leader Su," and the atmosphere of the ceremony had never been so lively. Although their own "young sect leader" was still nailed on the ancient cauldron, the disciples had already fallen into a frenzy of celebration.

The eight Protectors and Elders whispered to each other, who knew what they were discussing. Hua Jingchun picked up Wu Huai's Sweeping Bone Sword, directly dismantled the hilt, and showed the rough part inside the hilt to everyone.

"Non-believers can check the sect's records. The hilt should be engraved with the Red Hook emblem." Her voice was already hoarse, but she still raised it to the maximum. "This Sweeping Bone Sword is fake! Sect Leader Su protects our Divine Sect!"

"Sect Leader Su protects our Divine Sect!" The Red Hook members in the courtyard also shouted along. "The Red Hook Divine Sect will last for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations!"

Hua Jingchun held the fake sword and turned to Wu Huai. The latter's expression was unexpectedly calm: "You want to kill me?"

"Too lazy to dirty my hands, someone will naturally take care of you."

Wu Huai laughed, revealing teeth stained with blood. His voice was also not small: "How can a dead man possibly come back to life? Your little tricks can deceive people for a while, but not forever."

Then he turned his head towards the crowd below: "Since you all like magic tricks so much, I'll perform another one for you-"

He opened his mouth wide and vomited out a jade ball slightly smaller than a baby's head. The jade ball stretched his mouth corners until they cracked, and blood flowed everywhere. Wu Huai didn't care, and spat it out even more smoothly. The jade ball was followed by a thinner torso and limbs. It was unknown how he managed to spit it out whole with his physique.

That thing looked like a frighteningly thin child, its entire body emitting a jade-like green luster. Like a newborn fawn, it twitched a few times on the ground, stood up unsteadily, and slowly stretched its body under the sunlight.

Without any warning, it extended its extremely thin hands and lifted Wu Huai. The next moment, they disappeared on the spot in a flash, like lightning, leaving only a little dust stirred up.

Hua Jingchun never thought the duck she had cooked could still fly away, and was immediately stunned on the spot. Everything happened too fast, even Shi Jingzhi couldn't react in time.

Seeing this strange scene, the disciples who had just been cheering fell silent, radiating outward like still water. Before long, everyone in the courtyard was as quiet as cicadas in winter. Everyone was frozen in place, and the lively scene from before vanished without a trace.

Something was amiss. Shen Zhu had no mood to care about excuses anymore and just wanted to return to the team immediately. As a result, as soon as Shen Zhu walked within three steps of Sect Leader Shi, she was met head-on by a palm strike from Shi Jingzhi - the force was not great, but it was filled with internal energy.

If she had not been wearing the Wushu soft armor, her internal organs would have been half pulverized, and even if she didn't die, she would have lost half her life.

Shen Zhu's vision went black and she completely lost consciousness.

When she woke up again, it was already the night of the second day. Shi Jingzhi was standing in front of her bed, arms crossed, examining her. Yin Ci stood by his side, looking a bit helpless.

Shen Zhu moved her lips. Before she could speak, Shi Jingzhi expressionlessly pointed to the medicine bowl by the bed: "Enough, I know you're wearing Wushu armor. You didn't even break a bone. Hurry up and drink the medicine."

"...You know."

"Places that store many ancient artifacts always have the smell of anti-corrosion and anti-decay medicinal soups." Shi Jingzhi pointed to his own nose. "Your movements still look like you're wearing armor, but they're much lighter than before. I'm not stupid."

Shen Zhu obediently picked up the medicine bowl. The medicine was so bitter she wished she could curl up her tongue.

Seeing Shen Zhu drink half of it, Shi Jingzhi finally smiled slightly: "Before, I treated people like objects and didn't expect you to have any loyalty. The clues you were investigating still belong to the Immortal Gathering. This time I won't pursue it, but there won't be a next time... Ah Ci, let's go."

He walked a few steps and deliberately stopped: "I added a little something to that bowl of medicine. You'll know the effects in a bit. Now that I've attacked you in front of everyone, the line between us is clear. Remember to make good use of it."

Yin Ci did not leave with him: "You go first, I still have some things to do."

Shi Jingzhi didn't force him and walked out the door alone, his footsteps carrying a hint of joy. Yin Ci watched Shi Jingzhi leave, then almost flashed to the bedside. His gaze swept over Shen Zhu, and a layer of cold sweat immediately formed on her back.

"Defecting at a critical moment, acting as you please. If you were my subordinate, no matter how justified, you'd have to die." Yin Ci picked up the empty medicine bowl and said casually, as if making conversation.

Whether intentionally or not, Yin Ci's killing intent swept past, and Shen Zhu shrank back vigilantly.

Yin Ci glanced at her: "...Don't worry, this medicine isn't poisoned. It will just make you look sickly, as if you haven't recovered from serious injuries. But after today, if you use his life as a toy again, next time you won't wait for him to punish you."

"Rest assured, senior. I still want to live a few more days," Shen Zhu said weakly. "What about Wu Huai?"

"Haven't caught him yet." Yin Ci didn't look back and went straight out the door.

Having caught the big fish Qu Duanyun, they had already reaped a bountiful harvest. No matter how strange Wu Huai's abilities were, even if he was seriously injured, he would always reappear before people. With Red Hook's connections, catching Wu Huai was only a matter of time.

Knowing yourself and your enemy leads to victory in a hundred battles. The more bizarre abilities Wu Huai exposed, the more advantageous it was for the Ku Mountain Sect.

Therefore, when Wu Huai fled, Yin Ci's mood was actually quite good. However, his good mood ended the moment he stepped into Hua Jingchun's room—

As soon as Yin Ci entered the room, a round object rolled to his feet. It rolled across the stone slabs, making a dull clacking sound. Upon closer inspection, it was a stone ball polished into a perfect sphere. It was not a precious gem, just a semi-transparent stone commonly found in the Gobi Desert.

He had seen it before, in that darkest of delusions, Yin Ci had seen the exact same stone.

"Ah Ci, look at this clay figurine..."

"Sorry, sorry. This servant's hands are clumsy. Sect Leader Shi, are you alright after the fall?"

Everyone's voices seemed as if separated by water. Yin Ci picked up a stone, his fingertips trembling slightly. He finally raised his eyes. The clay figurine Madam Sun had made lay shattered on the ground, broken into several large pieces, its contents scattered all over.

A crumpled little booklet and a dozen beautifully polished round stones. They were scattered on the ground, like the entrails of an idol, full of a sense of decay and desolation.

[I collected so many pretty stones, Cuicui will definitely like them. Don't you think so, Great General Yin?]

The person from the illusion stood before his eyes, his armor filled with yellow sand.

Yin Ci's face was blank. He squeezed the stone ball in his hand, his bones making a soft cracking sound.

"...Sun Wang."