Li Muzhan waited for ten days, yet no one from the Qinghe Sword Sect arrived. As evening approached, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, he strolled down the main street of Dongyang City, hands clasped behind his back, deep in thought.

He had seen the burly middle-aged man personally dispatch the message; the Qinghe people should have been here long ago. Something must have gone wrong—perhaps the message hawk failed to reach them, or perhaps the man surnamed Duan simply chose not to come.

Li Muzhan looked up at the vast expanse of colored clouds and sighed, shaking his head. There was one other possibility: that Duan was truly a master of arcane foresight, having calculated that he would be waiting here, thus choosing to avoid him entirely.

If that were the case, this Duan was formidable; his uncanny ability to predict the future allowed him both to avert disaster and to seek advantage by exploiting the opponent’s weaknesses. If he had truly reached that level, he would be exceedingly difficult to deal with—a state Li Muzhan himself aspired to achieve upon mastering the Celestial Mechanism Art to the Great Perfection stage.

Duan was older, but that did not preclude him from possessing such skill. A contemplative expression settled upon him, and his pace slowed even further, though even at this moment, his Eye of the Void continued to scan the Mu family mansion, watching for any movement in or out.

“Junior Brother!” A delicate call echoed from behind him. Li Muzhan turned his head, piercing the dense throng of people until his gaze found Bai Mingqiu standing ten zhang away.

She was clad in white like fresh snow, her lips thick, soft, and alluring, her eyes shimmering with reflected light. “Senior Sister?” Li Muzhan took a single step, instantly appearing before Bai Mingqiu.

“How did you come?” Bai Mingqiu offered a slight smile. “The Master was worried, so I came to check on things.” As the two drew nearer, a faint, subtle fragrance wafted over him.

Li Muzhan’s heart skipped a beat, and he smiled faintly. “We’ve worried the Master again; what a shame!

… Come to my place!” Bai Mingqiu asked, “Do you have a place to stay settled now?” Li Muzhan nodded with a smile. “I bought a small courtyard.

Let’s go!” They appeared to move leisurely, yet their speed was extraordinary. They soon arrived at a small residence in the south—a place of quiet tranquility and refined taste, which Bai Mingqiu instantly loved.

She surveyed the surroundings before sitting on a stone stool before the courtyard flowerbed, her expression growing serious. “Junior Brother, you killed six secret disciples of the Qinghe Sword Sect?” Li Muzhan nodded.

“Has the Master found out?” He suspected that the Qinghe Sword Sect also had informants within the Heavenly Abyss Pavilion; such secret news would be difficult to keep contained. “Yes.” Bai Mingqiu fixed her gaze on him, intent on discerning his true thoughts.

She truly could not fathom his mindset. The secret disciples of the Qinghe Sword Sect were their true pillars, the very essence of the sect; future sect masters were chosen from among them.

Losing even one was a monumental event, yet he had eradicated six, plus an Elder. She felt a pang of panic—the Qinghe Sword Sect would now undoubtedly seek unending retribution against the Heavenly Abyss Pavilion.

Furthermore, she was deeply curious about how Li Muzhan had managed it. Any single secret disciple was Li Muzhan’s equal.

Even with his Soul Transformation Palm, they possessed supreme secret arts. There was no way he could have won a straight fight against six of them, especially with an Elder present.

Li Muzhan placed a teacup before Bai Mingqiu and slowly sat down, smiling gently. “Is the Master afraid?” “What do you think?!” Bai Mingqiu shot him an exasperated look.

“You’ve kicked over a hornet’s nest!” “I kicked it over long ago; this is just one more sting.” Li Muzhan picked up the white porcelain cup and took a small sip, his face maintaining a pleasant smile. Seeing his composure only fueled Bai Mingqiu’s irritation.

Her bright eyes widened. “Aren’t you worried in the slightest?” Li Muzhan laughed, setting the white cup down and shaking his head.

“The Master worries because she cares. I heard the Qinghe Sword Sect has ten secret disciples, right?

If I killed six, do you think the rest would dare to show up?” “You killed eight,” Bai Mingqiu countered, shaking her head. Li Muzhan paused, then chuckled.

“Oh, Zheng Haiya and the one surnamed Ding are gone too?” “Yes.” Bai Mingqiu sighed. “The Master said the Qinghe Sword Sect has several old monsters who have lived for over a century.

If they emerge, our Grandmaster and the others won't be able to hold them back.” “Is that so…” Li Muzhan pondered. “Can the array formations within the Pavilion hold them off?” Bai Mingqiu nodded.

“They cannot break them.” Li Muzhan took another delicate sip of tea. “Therein lies the solution!” Bai Mingqiu shook her head.

“They can’t break in, but if they stand guard outside, none of us can get out either.” Li Muzhan smiled. “I doubt they’d dare try that tactic.

Don’t they know what happened to the Divine Fist Sect?” “Leaving two behind to anchor the sect would suffice,” Bai Mingqiu argued. Li Muzhan countered, “They’ve made plenty of enemies over the years.

Wouldn’t they take advantage of the situation?” “There’s also the Bright Mirror Sect,” Bai Mingqiu admitted with a shake of her head. Li Muzhan frowned, falling silent.

That was a tricky problem. He set his teacup down, rose, and began to pace slowly, hands behind his back, circling the flowerbed once before stopping in front of Bai Mingqiu.

“Senior Sister, the Qinghe Sword Sect has backers. Do we?” Bai Mingqiu hesitated, and Li Muzhan quickly pressed.

“We do have some?” “You could say that,” Bai Mingqiu conceded. “The Huaqing Sect has some ties with us.” “There really is a connection!” Li Muzhan exclaimed with genuine surprise and a laugh.

“What kind of connection?” Bai Mingqiu explained, “The Grandmaster was married once. Her husband was a disciple of the Huaqing Sect.” “Where is he now?” Li Muzhan asked.

Bai Mingqiu replied, “The two had a falling out and refuse to see each other.” Li Muzhan shook his head. “Will the Grandmaster ask him for help?” “The Grandmaster never would,” Bai Mingqiu confirmed, shaking her head again.

“She would rather die than ask for help. But we can!” … “The Master sent me here precisely to deliver a letter to the Huaqing Sect.” Li Muzhan immediately deduced, “The Master wants me to go with you?” “Yes.” Bai Mingqiu nodded.

Li Muzhan accepted easily. “Fine, going to the Huaqing Sect is acceptable!” “You don’t object?” Bai Mingqiu tilted her head, studying him with a knowing half-smile.

Li Muzhan laughed. “What did Senior Sister expect?

That I would refuse aid from the Huaqing Sect?” Bai Mingqiu clarified, “I feared your pride was so great you wouldn’t tolerate protection from the Huaqing Sect!” Li Muzhan sighed and shook his head. “I am not alone; I have you and the other senior brothers.

How could I allow myself to act recklessly?” “It’s good that you think that way!” Bai Mingqiu let out a breath of relief, her tension finally easing. That her Junior Brother understood the bigger picture and wasn't refusing saved her immense effort in persuasion.

“When do we leave?” Li Muzhan inquired. “The sooner, the better!” Bai Mingqiu stated.

Li Muzhan nodded. “Very well, we depart tonight!

… With the Huaqing Sect involved, do you think the Bright Mirror Sect will hold back?” Bai Mingqiu shook her head. “They won’t openly assist, but they will inevitably resort to covert tactics.” Li Muzhan followed up, “Then the Huaqing Sect will also need to dispatch forces?” “Yes,” Bai Mingqiu confirmed.

“We can only ask them to take action to intimidate the Bright Mirror Sect.” Li Muzhan frowned deeply. “Can the Huaqing Sect truly help?

… This is no small matter. Surely the Huaqing Sect doesn't want to openly offend the Bright Mirror Sect?” “The two sects have always been rivals,” Bai Mingqiu noted.

Li Muzhan shook his head. “I don’t think it will be that straightforward.” Bai Mingqiu offered, “The Master personally wrote a letter to the Grandmaster’s husband.” Li Muzhan furrowed his brow.

“Is there anything else?” “That’s all,” Bai Mingqiu replied. Li Muzhan sighed heavily.

“Isn’t the Master being too naive? … Asking the Huaqing Sect to mobilize forces against the Bright Mirror Sect based on a single letter—Senior Sister, do you really think that’s possible?” “It might not be impossible,” Bai Mingqiu suggested.

Li Muzhan shook his head repeatedly. “Fine, let’s go try!” “The status of the Grandmaster’s husband is pivotal,” Bai Mingqiu insisted.

“If he speaks, it will certainly be effective!” “Let’s hope so…” Li Muzhan muttered, shaking his head again, saying nothing more. Li Muzhan and Bai Mingqiu left Dongyang City immediately, heading north.

The Huaqing Sect was at least a thousand li away from Dongyang City.