"Shou Ye, Fugui is thinking like this—please take a look and see if it's feasible.”
Li Fugui wasn't absolutely optimistic. After calming down, he still maintained his serious demeanor.
He returned to the sand table.
One person, one cat, and one weasel all gazed at the small circle inside the large one, which Li Fugui had marked with a branch to create an opening.
“At this point, the situation in Yujing Cheng is broken. We'll rescue Xiang Yi from the city first and rendezvous with Zhu Yike, who's waiting outside.”
“Zhu Yike?” Jin Ren almost didn't recognize the name at first, but glancing at the Water Crystal Palace, he suddenly realized. “Oh, the Jinmen theft technique.”
“Exactly, he's here too. He originally came into the city to see you, Shou Ye, but Fugui sent him away to provide backup outside.”
“That's perfect.” Jin Ren nodded in satisfaction. With Zhu Yike's skill in swapping things under heaven's nose, stealing Xiang Yi away from the water ghosts would be absolutely possible.
Li Fugui continued smoothly:
“Of course, Dao Dianzhu won't just stand by and watch.”
“So, as soon as we rescue her and leave the city, Xiang Yi will summon Shen Yi Daren.”
“But Fugui thought, if I were Dao Dianzhu...”
“To be safe, I've already placed a martial prohibition on Xiang Yi, so she can't use her Ling Yuan. Shen Yi Daren probably won't be able to come out.”
Jin Ren was stunned and glanced at Li Fugui, who was answering his own question. “You're right.”
Li Fugui kept extending the lines on the sand table as he spoke:
“Since Xiang Yi can't make a move, it's just Fugui and Zhu Yike trying to escape together. We definitely won't get out of Dao Dianzhu's grasp.”
“So, either we need a lot of space teleportation jade talismans, or we have to get help from Ye Bansheng.”
“Ye... oh, you mean the dean.” Jin Ren almost didn't connect with the title. The dean had actually become a Bansheng—it felt like a lifetime ago.
Li Fugui waited a moment.
Sure enough, Shou Ye started rummaging through the pile of treasures, flipping boxes as he said:
“I'm not sure about the dean's situation. If he's tied up, he probably won't help us... He's not part of the Sheng Nu anyway.”
“We need to prepare for both possibilities!”
Soon, Jin Ren pulled out a large pile of space teleportation array disks and jade talismans, from both the Ling Array and Tianji paths.
These were made during idle fishing time, though Tan Shen had tried to learn, but he didn't have much talent in this area.
It was destined to remain just a pill-refining cat.
Jin Ren carefully divided the teleportation jade talismans and array disks into two spatial rings and tossed them over.
“There are about a hundred space teleportation array disks and jade talismans in there—fixed-point and random ones.”
“Once you meet Zhu Yike, split them between you two. Run separately to buy more time.”
“But I can't guarantee that Sheng Shen Diantang won't track you through spatial fluctuations to your landing points. From what I know...”
Jin Ren vaguely remembered that Bai Yi had something called “Ji Jian Pan,” which could locate spatial nodes from battlefield traces.
And for those without spatial attributes, it's nearly impossible to erase the traces left behind during teleportation.
“Ji Jian Pan—Fugui is aware of it.” Li Fugui solemnly put away the spatial ring—this was a matter of life and death.
“Thank you, Shou Ye.”
“Ah, no need. If it weren't for me being unable to act, you wouldn't need these little gadgets.” Jin Ren waved it off casually.
The items in those two rings were priceless to others, but worthless in his eyes now.
If he weren't in the Ran Ming site, he could just open a spatial gateway himself.
With all his passive skills for endurance, even Dao Qiong Cang would have to chase him to the ends of the earth.
If he activated a world-isolation barrier, the old daoist would be left dumbfounded.
“Take this too.”
Jin Ren said, tossing over a freshly recorded sound-recording pearl. “Inside is one of my voice recordings. In a critical moment, if the spatial jade talismans are blocked, it might save your life.”
“Good.”
Li Fugui took the sound-recording pearl again...
Wait!
A sound-recording pearl?
He suddenly looked up, stunned, and stared at Shou Ye. “Shou Ye, didn't you say there were no sound-recording pearls here?”
“Uh...” Jin Ren paused, pointing to the miscellaneous pile behind him, then subconsciously started to explain, but ended up laughing.
He spread his hands and chuckled. “There weren't any before, but now there are.”
“...” Li Fugui took a deep breath, shuddering slightly.
When Shou Ye backstabbed Ba Zun An Daren earlier, he probably hadn't recorded that, right? He couldn't be that devious, could he?
One cat and one weasel sat obediently by the sand table, paws stacked, blankly watching the two humans walk away and return.
Li Fugui returned to the sand table and drew a small circle outside Yujing Cheng, within the large one, connecting it to the line extending from the city.
“Shou Ye said our ultimate goal is Qingyuan Shan...” Li Fugui asked curiously, “Is there deeper meaning to this?”
“If it's absolutely necessary, then go to Qingyuan Shan.” Jin Ren corrected.
The absolute genius hadn't been confirmed yet, and they weren't even sure who it was.
Though Ba Zun An had guaranteed it, and with Jin Ren showing up, they should get help from Kui Lei Han.
But what if not?
After all, in the original plan, there was enough time to visit Qingyuan Shan before the Sixiang Secret Realm opened.
That showy old daoist had caught them off guard, leaving them stretched thin.
“If even Qingyuan Shan doesn't work, then the Zhanshen Guan site is our last chance.” Jin Ren said.
“The Song Ming?” Li Fugui hesitated. “But Fugui was thinking, if we enter the site and exit, we'll be back in the same place, and we might face the armies of Sheng Shen Diantang!”
“Your idea is correct, but you've overlooked one thing...” Jin Ren had already thought this through and smiled smugly, glancing toward the Water Crystal Palace:
“As long as we drag it out long enough, I'll naturally wake up.”
“By then, all problems will be solved.”
Watching Shou Ye flourish his sleeve with such confidence, Li Fugui was completely convinced.
Recalling a few months ago, intelligence reports said Shou Ye would tremble at the sight of the Six Department Leaders.
Then he stopped fearing Taixu or Bansheng, and now even a Sheng Di could be challenged.
Through various battles honing his skills, he had mastered Refining Spirit, Ancient Sword Arts, Ancient Martial Arts, and even Shen Hun techniques.
Now, if Shou Ye really wanted to escape, even with three burdens, what could Dao Dianzhu do to him?
“Shou Ye, with your supreme wisdom and prowess, Fugui is in complete admiration.” Li Fugui said with deep reverence, then refocused on the sand table.
His face still showed little joy.
After all, the large circle Shou Ye had drawn to represent the “situation” covered both Yujing Cheng and Qingyuan Shan.
Their opponent this time was the enigmatic Dao Qiong Cang!
“Shou Ye, all our plans are based on an ideal scenario where everything goes smoothly, but what if...”
Li Fugui pointed his branch at the circle for Yujing Cheng. “Here, the breaking array disk fails, and Dao Dianzhu has unknown methods to counter it, so we can't escape at all? How do we handle that?”
Jin Ren fell silent.
Li Fugui's words made sense.
If they could rescue Xiang Yi from Dao Qiong Cang so easily, what was the point of the old daoist getting personally involved?
Was it just to be toyed with?
But theoretical planning had reached its end.
Jin Ren had considered everything he could think of and even things he couldn't.
He'd brought out everything that should or shouldn't be used—the textile technique had even appeared right under Dao Qiong Cang's nose. If that wasn't enough, what else could be done?
“So, as I said from the beginning, theoretical planning isn't enough—we have to adapt on the spot.” Jin Ren sighed.
Li Fugui had no response.
He thought Shou Ye might have a better idea.
But “adapting on the spot” was basically admitting helplessness. How could Dao Dianzhu give them any openings?
“Shou Ye, there's something Fugui isn't sure if I should say...”
“Go ahead.”
“Uh... This might sound pessimistic, but Fugui thinks we won't even make it out of Yujing Cheng.”
“Why?”
“Instinct.”
“Why do you have that instinct?”
“Because our opponent is Dao Dianzhu...”
Li Fugui carefully looked up, glancing at Shou Ye's face, seeing no sign of displeasure.
As an intelligence operative, he'd spent decades at Huacao Ge and knew full well how powerful Dao Dianzhu was.
Ideals might be full of hope, but reality could be harsh.
He'd even considered the possibility that as soon as he left Xing Jie, Dao Dianzhu would catch him.
“For example, Shou Ye's breaking array disk is indeed powerful, but the Hundred Realms Spirit-Separating Array is personally controlled by Dao Dianzhu. What if he suppresses any anomalies in time?” Li Fugui hesitated before voicing his inner concern.
Are you questioning me?
Jin Ren's expression wasn't great.
A Sheng Di Lv.0 in textile mastery, and this minor Ling Array master dares to question it?
But thinking about Dao Qiong Cang's Tianji Shu level, which might exceed Sheng Di Lv.0, he thought, good point!
Textile technique could break Tianji Shu like a virus, but Tianji Shu might have ways to purge it quickly...
Moreover, the current setup was an “unmanned array disk” against a “Saint-level Tianji Array controlled by a Tianji master”—it was already ambitious to think of the small overcoming the large.
Li Fugui wasn't just worrying unnecessarily; his thinking was thorough!
“Alright, I'll split off a wisp of my Ling Nian to go with you. If he changes the array, we can change ours too.”
Jin Ren went back, removed an old arm from the defective Tianji puppet, and handed it to Li Fugui:
“My Ling Nian is too weak—you'll need to hold this.”
“If the old daoist's array changes, I'll act through this arm to counter him, and you can seize the chance to escape.”
Li Fugui took the arm, wanting to say more.
“Go ahead.”
“Shou Ye, if your Ling Nian follows me, we might alert Dao Dianzhu as soon as we communicate...”
Damn it!
How could that showy old daoist be so annoying?
Jin Ren thought for a moment and said to Li Fugui, “Give me a drop of your blood.”
Li Fugui asked why, then quickly pricked his fingertip with Ling Yuan, squeezing out a drop.
Jin Ren infused his Ling Nian into the Tianji arm and began weaving Dao patterns on the blood with textile technique.
Soon, the drop of blood hummed and emitted a mysterious light.
“What is this?” Li Fugui finally asked in confusion.
“Swallow it.” Jin Ren didn't answer, just handed back the blood, chuckling dismissively:
“My textile technique surpasses Tianji Shu by a level—it can weave into the human body.”
“Then I'll embed my Ling Nian in this drop of blood, merging it with your Qi Hai Ling Yuan, and integrating it into your muscles, bones, and veins.”
“Ghost beast possession—it's based on this concept. Once we're one, we won't need Ling Nian communication; we can use thought transmission.”
It was a small trick.
It combined “bone conduction,” “sound transmission,” and “ghost beast possession” concepts—complicated to explain, but simple in practice.
So, even weaving the Ling Array didn't take much effort, and it didn't need to be sealed into the Ling Que.
But the result...
Jin Ren wasn't sure if it would work, but it was worth trying.
“Textile technique...” Li Fugui wasn't hearing this special term for the first time, but this time he hesitated, since it involved his own body.
Shou Ye had even brought up ghost beast possession, which was a bit chilling.
“Relax, it won't affect you at all.”
Jin Ren knew what Li Fugui was thinking and smiled. “And remember, when you activate your Ling Yuan, don't damage the textile Dao patterns on that drop of blood... Also, if you bleed, hold back so you don't lose me.”
Oh, in that case... Li Fugui felt relieved, integrated the blood into his body, then furrowed his brow as another thought struck him, about to ask.
Jin Ren added, “Don't worry, the memory reading I did before won't leave any aftereffects. It won't impact your cultivation, spirit, or soul.”
Soul reading was just an awakening skill of “perception,” with no harm itself—the pain was a control effect from using the skill and wouldn't leave major wounds. Without pills, a Taixu could recover with some rest.
Oh, in that case... Li Fugui fully relaxed, but felt a bit odd.
Was this mind reading?
He hadn't even asked his questions yet.
Still, no hidden issues was the best outcome.
Though just an intelligence agent, Li Fugui had reached Taixu through caution and care, without any Dao foundation damage.
His path of Refining Spirit was quite complete.
Of course, no insights—but that was normal for Refining Spirit masters. Water ghosts and Ye's little genius were the anomalies!
At this stage, who wouldn't want to become a saint? Especially working for Shou Ye... Li Fugui had dreams too.
“Any more questions?” Jin Ren finally asked this detail-oriented person.
“None, Shou Ye. You've thought of everything more thoroughly than Fugui, with solutions for each—truly amazing... really!” Li Fugui said with genuine admiration, even looking forward to the confrontation with Dao Dianzhu.
Once, I toiled away at Huacao Ge, unnoticed.
After joining Tian Shang First Tower, Shou Ye strategized for me, and Ba Zun An Daren pushed from behind to get full support from Huacao Ge.
And my first major opponent is Dao Qiong Cang!
The lord of Sheng Shen Diantang's main hall, the enigmatic Dao Qiong Cang!
“I, Li Fugui, what virtue or ability do I have...”
Li Fugui thought of this, and his body felt lighter. He chuckled foolishly.
Of course, he was prepared for failure.
But if the opponent was the best in the world... then dying wouldn't be so bad?
To hear the Dao at dawn is to die content in the evening!
“You're grinning like a fool...”
Jin Ren had no idea what Li Fugui was laughing about and waved it off:
“If that's all, then leave Xing Jie!”
“Xiang Yi should still be safe. The old daoist won't touch her; he's just waiting in ambush.”
“What he's waiting for is probably just us... Don't resist.”
With that, the portrait avatar shattered.
Li Fugui felt a discordant Ling Nian enter his body—very weak, very fragile, something that could die with a single thought from him.
Of course, he didn't do that. Instead, he carefully accepted Shou Ye's wisp of Ling Nian and nurtured it gently.
“Humm...”
Internally, his Qi Hai vibrated slightly, and a tiny bit of Ling Yuan was drawn away.
The drop of blood glowed faintly and merged with him completely, the so-called “textile Dao patterns” vanishing.
The discordant feeling disappeared.
Li Fugui panicked—he couldn't find that drop of blood anymore!
“Hey, hey, one-two-three, three-two-one, Fugui is really something else... Can you hear me, Li Fugui?”
It was like in his mind, or like an internal dialogue, and out of nowhere, Li Fugui received this message.
He tensed up and replied in his thoughts: “I can hear you. Can you hear Fugui's voice, Shou Ye?”
“Yes.”
“Can this thing hear my thoughts?”
“Not yet... Hmm, good idea. I'll note that for next time and research in that direction.”
“...How do I undo it?”
“Seal your Qi Hai and cut off the Ling Yuan supply. Without energy, my Ling Nian will dissipate quickly.”
“Oh, okay, Fugui understands.”
“You don't need to be so tense—why are your fists clenched? Just treat it like normal thought dialogue... How about I tell you a story?”
“Ah? A story?”
“Yes, it's a story and an incident... When I was at the Ran Ming site entrance, I dealt with Bansheng Wei Feng before the fight. In our conversation, he touched his chest three times. As soon as the fight started, I pulled a jade slip from his robes called 'Excuses Compendium'...”
Li Fugui quietly listened to the story of the “Excuses Compendium,” feeling both shocked and awkward, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Were Tianji masters' insights that sharp?
He knew exactly what Shou Ye was implying—if his odd behavior tipped off Dao Qiong Cang about the “possession,” the consequences would be huge!
“Fugui has learned from this.”
Li Fugui calmed down, composed himself, and looked up. His gaze swept over the cat and weasel, the two white skeletons, bidding them farewell, then toward the Shen Nong Medicine Garden.
“Long Xing Qianbei, Fugui is leaving now.” Li Fugui bowed.
“Good.”
The Shen Nong Medicine Garden rippled.
A spatial passage appeared before Li Fugui.
Heaven and earth spiritual energy, along with life spiritual energy, surged toward it, drawn into the vortex, but stopped at the passage's edge, unable to go further.
Li Fugui bathed in this spiritual energy nourishment, feeling so refreshed that his body tingled slightly, almost wanting to laze about and cultivate, forgetting everything.
What a blessed paradise...
Who knows when I'll return, or if I even will... Bah!
Shou Ye, protect me—Fugui will succeed!
Li Fugui took one last look at this small world, suppressed from birth by various treasures, and stepped toward the spatial passage—but hesitated.
He glanced at the treasure pile.
More precisely, at that Bansheng position for Rao Yao Yao.
“Oh right, Shou Ye, Fugui forgot to mention something.” Li Fugui transmitted in his thoughts.
“What is it?”
“Ba Zun An Daren asked me to tell you not to use the Bansheng position to seal as a saint, even for Sword Dao sealing.”
“Oh? Why?”
“Fugui doesn't know. Ba Zun An Daren just said... mortals can, but you don't need to.”
[5 seconds ago] Chapter 1469: Xu Lang's Wonderful Plan Pacifies the Apricot Realm, Placing Himself in a Desperate Situation for Rebirth
[5 minutes ago] Chapter 1468: Bloodless Victory with the Beauty Scheme, Life in Imminent Peril with Disaster Beast Xu
[5 minutes ago] Chapter 16: Shang Family
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