Chapter 310: Mutual Scheming

"The Dragon-Coiling Desert, when it's not the season of wild sands, still has many creatures roaming."

"I heard that a deity once descended there." Dong Rui seemed to believe it. "Did the Jin Du Holy Mother send her offspring to investigate?"

"Who knows," He Lingchuan mumbled. He thought Dong Rui's use of the word "investigate" was quite apt. Those demon imps were indeed probing everywhere, as if trying to uncover some secret. "Even Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu rushed to the Dragon-Coiling Desert with such eagerness; can you really say there's nothing mysterious there?"

At this point, he suddenly remembered something:

The deity who possessed Nian Songyu had once accused the Black Dragon of setting traps and deliberately luring them to descend with their avatars. It had then demanded an answer from the Black Dragon, saying, "You must know what I want to ask. Since I'm dying, where is the answer?"

The Black Dragon replied that there was no answer.

At the time, He Lingchuan was completely confused, having too little information, so he didn't dwell on it. Only now, as he encountered more and more deeds of the deities, did he realize the profound meaning behind that conversation.

The Dragon-Coiling Ruins must still hide secrets that the deities wish to uncover. That's why they hit it off immediately with humans like Sun Fuping.

So, were they after the Grand Square Pot, or did they have another objective?

That deity avatar had said they wanted an answser.

What question's answer could it be that even deities were unaware of, and had to seek within the ruins?

He found himself lost in thought for quite a while. Dong Rui also stared at him for a moment before suddenly waving a hand in front of his face.

He Lingchuan's eyes shifted. "What?"

"I thought you were sleeping with your eyes open," he said, looking at He Lingchuan. "By the way, where did the Rock Wolf pack take my Twenty-Nine? It wasn't their tundra homeland, was it?"

Twenty-Nine. He Lingchuan was momentarily stunned before realizing Dong Rui was referring to the werewolf.

He shrugged. "If my Rock Wolf were here, I'd let it answer that question."

A flicker of anger crossed Dong Rui's eyes.

The werewolf and the demon ape were both powerful, and their combat strengths complemented each other. Losing this elite fighter meant his power decline was not as simple as four minus one.

He Lingchuan then asked, "Why are you working for the Beijia Kingdom? Did they lift your wanted warrant?"

"More than that." This time, Dong Rui replied quickly. "The Beijia Kingdom has seen reason; they're not going to pursue old scores... and they can provide all the materials I need."

This fellow was obsessed with research; who knew how many strange materials he required. "Just so you'd assist Hong Chenglue?"

"You really think highly of yourselves, don't you?" Dong Rui couldn't help but chuckle. "Is a tiny place like Yuan Country worth Beijia going to such great lengths for?"

His expression and words tried to convey disdain: "If you ever get the chance to visit Beijia, you'd see what a true great nation is, with tributaries from all four directions."

He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow. "So, in your opinion, the long standoff between the Prefect of Xunzhou and General Zhao Pan was because Beijia dismissed the war here?"

"Of course."

He Lingchuan chuckled. "Nonsense. The factors that determine the ultimate victory or defeat in war aren't decided by superficial strength or weakness." He believed that Beijia's reluctance to fully aid the Xunzhou people must stem from more realistic considerations. It could only be said that Dong Rui had an inexplicable faith in Beijia, viewing everything through rose-tinted glasses.

"Seeing is believing," Dong Rui said languidly. "You frogs at the bottom of a well won't believe me no matter what I say. It's best if you go see for yourselves. Ha, though I highly doubt you'll survive long enough to reach Beijia."

"Don't worry, my chances of survival are definitely higher than yours," He Lingchuan smiled at him. "You don't have a single Hydra Puppet by your side; what will you use to protect yourself?"

Dong Rui's cheek twitched, unsure if it was from the pain of his wounds or if He Lingchuan's words had struck a nerve.

Since becoming a renowned Hydra Puppet Master, he had never been so utterly alone. Three of his four Hydra Puppets had disappeared, and all their disappearances were linked to He Lingchuan, standing right before him! The thought made his teeth itch with hatred.

However, with both of them trapped inside the jellyfish, there was nothing they could do.

He Lingchuan was still concerned about the front line, but this was not something he could discuss with Dong Rui.

Their positions were different; Dong Rui would only gloat.

Nian Zanli must have used some incredible spell to flood General Zhao Pan's main camp. Hong Chenglue's threats still rang in his ears; could this villain have been behind it?

But it was too late now to say anything; Yuan Country was destined to lose this battle.

He wondered if He Chunhua had escaped the battlefield.

He Lingchuan thought of his subordinates, Shan Youjun and the Medicine Ape; both were cleverer than the other and should be able to escape.

Since Zhao Pan failed to hold the natural stronghold of Hanhe River, the battle line would continue to move south into Xiazhou territory, putting immense pressure on He Chunhua as the Governor of Xiazhou.

He wondered how he would cope.

Of course, these weren't problems for He Lingchuan to worry about.

He just needed to save his own life.

Seeing the rapid current around them unabated, Dong Rui yawned widely.

He Lingchuan, as if infected, yawned too.

Neither spoke, and with nothing else to do, drowsiness surged over them.

Dong Rui half-closed his eyes, secretly observing He Lingchuan opposite him. As soon as that kid fell asleep, he would make his move! He had at least thirty to forty types of drugs that could kill an opponent. He Lingchuan might refuse to stay with a corpse for long, but Dong Rui had no problem with it; he often did. *Sleep quickly*, he thought.

As if fulfilling his wish, He Lingchuan yawned twice more, indeed looking exhausted, and his eyes slowly closed.

Just as Dong Rui waited eagerly, the young man suddenly opened his eyes with a sound of surprise. "Oh, almost forgot."

Forgot what?

The next second, He Lingchuan struck like lightning, and with two sharp cracks, dislocated both of Dong Rui's wrists! The two who had seemed to be chatting pleasantly a moment ago were now confronting each other with force.

His movements were so swift that Dong Rui only managed to let out a shriek. "What are you doing, what are you doing!"

At close quarters, a sorcerer was no match for a warrior. Moreover, with his Hydra Puppets gone, this Hydra Puppet Master was like a defenseless woman encountering a thug...

He Lingchuan then slowly said, "I almost forgot, you're covered in poison." Dong Rui had been half-closing his eyes earlier, but his eyelids were constantly twitching, clearly indicating ulterior motives. Could He Lingchuan just let him be? Now that Dong Rui's hands were useless and he'd be difficult to deal with, He Lingchuan could finally sleep peacefully.

Dong Rui was on the verge of tears.

How could he be a step too slow again, and lose to this cunning boy with a fake smile?

He Lingchuan smiled. "If you try any more tricks, I'll chop off both your hands." This clearly told Dong Rui that all his little schemes had been seen through.

Thanks to the jellyfish's powerful shock-absorbing function, they felt as if they were in a cradle even amidst the turbulent current. Swaying gently, He Lingchuan soon fell asleep.

Before closing his eyes, he took one last look at Dong Rui, who was pale with pain, as if he had lost a parent.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

He Lingchuan was woken by urgent knocking. He opened his eyes to see the ceiling beam, his body lying steadily, not drifting with the current.

Hmm, he had entered a dream again.

Outside, he heard his teammate Menban's voice: "Broken Blade, emergency mission."

"Coming!" He Lingchuan flipped over, sat up, changed into his light armor, put on his shoes, grabbed his Floating Life Blade, and went to open the door. The entire process took less than fifteen breaths, and he even had time to splash some icy water on his face.

Outside the door, his teammates were mostly present, with only squad leader Liu Tong missing.

"Urgent report," Menban said hurriedly. "The Chifeng Mine in the northwest of the Chipa Plateau has been hit by an avalanche, and there might be monsters present. Captain Liu has had diarrhea these past few days, with severe vomiting and purging, so he said you should temporarily take his place as squad leader."

A squad originally had ten people, but their team was not at full strength; they had only recently been replenished to seven members. With Liu Tong absent, only six remained.

He Lingchuan wasn't surprised by Liu Tong's delegation. They had been on missions together for so long that they knew each other's capabilities. He was generally recognized within the team as having the most potential to be a captain, and sometimes when they split into groups, he was the one leading. Therefore, the other team members had no objections to Liu Tong's arrangement.

"Let's go." He Lingchuan closed the door behind him and glanced to the side. Sun Fuling's courtyard gate was closed as usual; he wondered if she was home.

The team rushed to get their horses and then collect five days' worth of dry rations. Dragon-Coiling City's logistics system had always run smoothly; the patrol guards' horses had dedicated stables, and the supply distribution point was right next door, where items could be collected with a badge, allowing teams heading out on missions to save time.

While there were no restrictions on riding horses within Dragon-Coiling City, slow travel was generally required, and exceeding the prescribed speed limit would incur a fine. However, teams assigned to missions could gallop quickly through the city. The residents of Dragon-Coiling City were accustomed to the comings and goings of soldiers and would instinctively keep to the right, yielding the main road.

Soon after, the team left the city. He Lingchuan looked back, and the tall city gates seemed softened by the sunlight.

They followed the official road northwest, with white snow piled high on both sides.

"Any further intelligence?" He Lingchuan asked Menban. "How many teams are going?"

"The message I received says this mission involves three teams," Menban replied. "Someone was sent from there to report to the city that monsters appeared in the mine."

"Demons?"

"Unclear. The mine was too dark, and the monsters were too fast. Out of fourteen or fifteen people in the mine, only two escaped. They had just returned to the town, and the very next morning, an avalanche occurred on the mountain, completely blocking the path to the mine."

The biting cold wind felt like knives. He Lingchuan wiped his face, found a thick scarf to cover it, leaving only his eyes exposed, which offered some comfort. After a long while of recollection, he finally remembered that before falling asleep, he had been trapped inside the giant jellyfish, drifting with the current, his future uncertain, and with his sworn enemy, Dong Rui.

Why did the Grand Square Pot still pull him into a dream at such a critical moment? Honestly, after the thrilling ordeal on the banks of the Hanhe River, he was mentally weary of fighting and desperately needed a deep, dreamless sleep.

But this divine artifact was quite willful, and he still hadn't figured out its ways.

"There's something else," Skinny suddenly interjected. "About six days ago, a woman snuck into the inn outside Xikou Village and stole a pot of stew. She accidentally made a noise and was caught. The innkeeper saw her ragged clothes, swollen belly, and shifty eyes that avoided direct gaze, and remembering the city's announcement, decided to hand her over to the authorities."