Chapter 2000: Bold Plan

Zu'an looked at Wang Cong. His expression was calm now, a stark contrast to his initial furious demeanor. Pan Qiaoqiao wore a half-smile, her eyes fixed on him. Li Feiqing leaned against the window, twirling a jade flute in his hand. He appeared nonchalant, but was secretly observing whether anyone outside was eavesdropping, while subtly locking his vital energy onto Zu'an. The three of them subtly encircled Zu'an.

Zu'an's mind was sharp; he immediately realized that both Wang Cong and Li Feiqing, who had openly targeted him and acted as if their relationship was extremely hostile, were merely putting on a pretense. These individuals must have been secretly discussing a confidential plan. Now, under the guise of seeking justice for the Heaven & Earth Sect, the three of them were actually waiting for Fang Biao's answer. It was clear that if Fang Biao's answer didn't satisfy them, they would undoubtedly erupt in an attack to ensure the secret remained undisclosed.

But what exactly had Fang Biao been discussing with these people?! Zu'an thought to himself that his luck was truly terrible; he just picked a random person and stumbled into something like this. He remained outwardly calm, but his mind began to race. These people belonged to different factions and seemed to have no connection. What kind of matter would require them to seek out Fang Biao? Fang Biao's strength and reputation were significantly inferior to theirs. Why would these people seek his cooperation? Especially Li Feiqing. According to Fatty Hu, he was an artist, always proud and arrogant, considering himself dashing and refined. He should despise someone like Fang Biao, who relied on drugs to deal with women.

"Well, speak up!" Wang Cong, seeing his silence, grew a little impatient.

A thought flashed through Zu'an's mind, and he had an idea: "With all due respect, I, Fang Biao, know my place. My cultivation and everything else fall far short of yours. What if you betray me? I'd have no way to resist." He seemed to say a lot, but in reality, he said nothing. He needed to use such ambiguous words to extract more information from them and deduce what they were discussing.

The other three couldn't help but laugh upon hearing him. "Everyone says Fang Biao is the most arrogant, but it seems that's not entirely true today." Zu'an snorted, feigning displeasure.

At this point, Wang Cong said, "You can rest assured about that. Once this is done, we'll all be in the same boat. You are, after all, the son of the Yin-Yang Venerable. Why would we risk doing anything to you? If the matter comes to light, we'd be ruined."

Zu'an's brow furrowed slightly. He still couldn't tell what they were planning. "Hmph, you can't be sure about that."

Li Feiqing grew impatient. He genuinely disliked people like Fang Biao. "You're beating around the bush. Are you planning to refuse?" Seeing that they seemed eager to act, Zu'an wasn't afraid. However, he had become interested in their plan, wondering what could be so mysterious about it.

"Why are you in such a hurry? If you want me to join, I'll need more benefits." From their recent conversation, Zu'an had at least gathered that the other three had formed an alliance and now seemed to want Fang Biao to join as well.

"We've already explained the benefits you'd gain, Young Master Biao. Are you still not satisfied?" Pan Qiaoqiao chuckled charmingly as she moved closer to him, seemingly intending to lean her body onto his shoulder.

Zu'an, however, lightly tapped his foot, making the bench slide backward. Holding Zhang Zitong, he evaded her touch. "Not enough." Pan Qiaoqiao was surprised that her charm technique had failed, and a flicker of astonishment appeared in her eyes. "It seems we underestimated Young Master Biao before." Zu'an calmly picked up his teacup and took a sip, as if he had everything under control.

Then Li Feiqing snorted, "You've been bullied quite a bit by those two brothers of yours over the years, haven't you? Even your concubines are often taken by them. Anything good in the Yin-Yang Dao is what they leave behind. To put it nicely, you're the Third Young Master of the Yin-Yang Dao. To put it bluntly, what's the difference between your status and that of a servant?"

"Enough!" Although Zu'an was unmoved, he needed to appropriately display Fang Biao's expected anger.

"Feiqing, that's a bit too much," Pan Qiaoqiao said, casting a chiding glance at Li Feiqing before quickly interjecting to smooth things over.

At this moment, Wang Cong also spoke: "Although Brother Li's words are blunt, they're not entirely without merit. If things continue like this, when will you ever get ahead, Brother Fang? If I'm not mistaken, your second brother probably just came to demand that Silver-Plated Brocade Robe from you."

Zu'an remained silent, but his grim expression said it all. Wang Cong continued, "Once we pull off this job, outside, you'll have us, your friends, to watch out for each other. To boast a little, we all have some influence within our respective sects. Inside, with Qiaoqiao, your sister-in-law, to help you, your life will certainly be much better than it is now."

Pan Qiaoqiao laughed, scolding playfully, "Oh, you're annoying! Nothing's set in stone yet, don't talk about sister-in-law this and sister-in-law that."

Zu'an's heart stirred. Sister-in-law? He already had a faint guess in his mind.

"These are all vague promises. I need something tangible," Zu'an said deeply.

"What tangible things do you want?" Wang Cong frowned.

Zu'an smiled slightly. "As someone from the Yin-Yang Dao, I naturally need top-quality 'furnace cauldrons'. Your Heaven & Earth Sect and Carefree Dao have many highly talented junior sisters; if you could part with some and give them to me, I'd be immensely grateful. And Senior Sister Pan, it would be even better if you could personally guide me in the ways of Yin-Yang."

"Outrageous!" Li Feiqing fumed. "My Carefree Dao is already sparsely populated, and female disciples of excellent talent are like stars admired by all. How could we possibly give them to you!"

Wang Cong also sneered, "Brother Fang, your request is a bit too demanding."

Rage points from Li Feiqing: 388, 388, 388...Rage points from Wang Cong: 388, 388, 388...

Pan Qiaoqiao leaned closer to Zu'an. Though a smile played on her lips, her eyes were filled with coldness. "Young Master Biao wants to cultivate with me? You've got quite the nerve, knowing full well I might become your sister-in-law. Aren't you afraid your eldest brother will flay you alive?"

Zu'an smiled slightly. "I'm not asking you to be with me on your wedding night. It can be afterward. How would he find out then?"

"Alright, just look in a mirror. Do you think that's possible?" Li Feiqing grew even more impatient. "Why don't you propose something more realistic?"

"In that case, how about dozens of boxes of Immortal-grade spirit stones? And give me some cultivation techniques from your respective sects so I can choose," Zu'an said casually.

Pan Qiaoqiao laughed then. "This is probably your true objective, isn't it? It seems everyone underestimated you." Li Feiqing and Wang Cong narrowed their eyes, only then realizing their emotions had been led by this young man the entire time.

"Flattery won't work now. No bargaining," Zu'an snorted.

Pan Qiaoqiao, however, wasn't annoyed. "Immortal-grade spirit stones aren't very realistic. How about this: each of us will give you ten boxes of Heaven-grade spirit stones, and teach you one of our unique secret techniques. How does that sound?" Seeing Zu'an about to say something, she quickly added, "Young Master Biao, you should know when to quit while you're ahead. This is our greatest concession."

Observing the subtle glint of danger in their eyes, Zu'an knew it was enough. "Very well, but I need the items first."

Wang Cong chuckled. "What if you take the items and then back out? So, at most, we can give you the spirit stones first. As for the secret techniques, we'll teach you those after the deed is done."

Zu'an feigned displeasure, but ultimately agreed. "Alright." He had been lacking these resources for alchemy and artifact refining lately, so this was an unexpected windfall. As for the so-called secret techniques these people mentioned, he didn't care about them at all.

At this, the three exchanged glances, then each took out ten boxes of Heaven-grade spirit stones from their storage bags and placed them in the room. Zu'an's heart stirred. It seemed these people had prepared in advance; otherwise, how could they carry so many spirit stones with them?

"Are you sure it's alright to leave them here? Don't let your two brothers snatch them later, because we won't compensate you," Li Feiqing said with a cold laugh, holding his jade flute.

Zu'an replied calmly, "No need for you to worry."

Wang Cong then stepped in to ease the tension between them. "Now that Young Master Biao has agreed, it's a joyous occasion for all. Let's discuss the specifics of the operation."

Zu'an nodded. "Very well, tell me your plan." He even admired himself; up until now, he had no idea what plan these people were discussing, yet he had managed to converse smoothly with them and even take the lead in the conversation.

As expected, the others didn't suspect anything. Li Feiqing said, "Fang Long's wedding is the day after tomorrow. The bride will be sent from the Demonic Heaven Sect to the Yin-Yang Dao. Fang Long will be thanking guests at the banquet, and at that time, the bride will be alone. That will be our chance to act." Zu'an's heart stirred; it was indeed close to what he had guessed. Also, he hadn't expected the wedding to be the day after tomorrow. Fortunately, he had arrived in time. He absolutely believed that Qiu Honglei would not agree to this marriage. However, now everyone was saying Fang Long was marrying the Saintess the day after tomorrow, which clearly indicated that something had happened to force Honglei to agree or to be coerced into it. But now that he was here, he would naturally be able to protect Honglei.

At this point, Wang Cong said, "At the banquet, I'll find a way to get Fang Long so drunk he won't know up from down. Young Master Biao, you'll figure out how to divert the Yin-Yang Dao guards, and Brother Li will seize the opportunity to take the Saintess away. Then, you'll bring Senior Sister Pan into the bridal chamber to take her place. Any questions, everyone?"

"No problem," the others replied in unison, excitement on their faces.

Zu'an's mind raced. Li Feiqing was infatuated with Qiu Honglei, so it was understandable that he'd take such a huge risk to save his goddess. Pan Qiaoqiao liked Fang Long and was jealous of Qiu Honglei; she not only wanted to marry her beloved but also desired to replace Qiu Honglei's status in the Demonic Heaven Sect, so her risk-taking was also understandable. But what was Wang Cong doing this for? Such a matter would be exposed the day after the wedding. When all parties came to settle accounts, how could he escape unscathed?