Chapter 391: Not as good as you all

Wu Jinliang found these situations amusing. He naturally knew that Shi Chun was going there to "propose marriage," and he also understood why Shi Chun wanted Xu Anchang to test Grand Master Nine—it was simply a matter of others dying, not their own people.

Once he heard their words, he knew whether they had been sent by Shi Chun. So, despite his caution, he still needed to make the trip to confirm. He immediately said, "The Great Master has his own plans; it's not for us to question. Come on, gather the men, and let's go see."

After speaking, he directly rode his magic artifact back.

Xu and You exchanged glances, not expecting the other party to suddenly activate a protective magic artifact.

You Mu couldn't help but mutter, "He looks so big, but he's actually a coward."

The two had no other choice but to follow him back.

After gathering all his men, Wu Jinliang immediately set off. Instead of using the Wind Scale, he flew directly on the magic artifact in the form of three divine demon figures.

Xu Anchang, who was flying alongside him, called out, "Brother Wu, using this artifact like this will deplete its power. It's not as convenient as the Wind Scale."

Wu Jinliang replied, "It's better than being caught off guard by Li Hongjiu."

Xu Anchang gave a strained smile. After a slight pause, he called out again, "Brother Wu, your artifact is glowing brilliantly; it will probably attract more attention in the dark."

Little did he know, the more he tried to persuade Wu Jinliang to drop his guard, the more certain Wu Jinliang became that there was something wrong with these two.

Wu Jinliang refused, saying, "I keep feeling like someone is watching us."

In any case, he adamantly refused to lower his guard, knowing that the two wouldn't dare to be too obvious or force him.

This was indeed the case. Xu and You became exasperated, realizing that things had gone beyond their expectations, and all their prior planning was useless.

"Wait for an opportunity; there might still be a chance later," Xu Anchang whispered, advising You Mu.

The two shared a Wind Scale. With the sound of the Wind Scale turning, they weren't afraid of outsiders overhearing their low conversation.

In this way, the group successfully arrived at the lake island.

After landing, seeing no sign of Shi Chun, Wu Jinliang still refused to lower his magic artifact's defense. He asked, "Where's the Great Master?"

Xu Anchang pointed to the cave entrance. "He should be down there."

"Down there?" Wu Jinliang was suspicious. He worried that something might have happened and asked, "Can you call him out?"

Seeing his caution, the others didn't think much of it. In fact, the entire Mount Ming Sect group was very vigilant, or rather, very nervous, as that place below was not somewhere anyone dared to trespass lightly.

Xu and You, who had been there once and were somewhat informed, were relatively calm. Xu Anchang had had a conflict with Grand Master Nine, so he sent You Mu inside to call for him.

Before long, Shi Chun emerged from the cave. Seeing Wu Jinliang's formation with the protective magic artifact, Shi Chun was somewhat taken aback. He glanced at the others but found nothing unusual. More strangely, Wu Jinliang was scrutinizing him up and down, as if checking if he was an imposter.

As he approached, he saw that the weapons wielded by the three divine demon figures also clearly showed signs of caution towards him. He immediately demanded, "What are you doing? Are you overdoing it?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Jinliang immediately relaxed. He grinned, put away his magic artifact on the spot, grabbed Shi Chun's arm, and pulled him aside, looking playful.

After moving aside, Shi Chun slapped his hand away and asked, puzzled, "Something wrong?"

He knew the other person well; there had to be a reason for the situation just now.

Wu Jinliang cursed in a low voice, "Damn it, Chun, it's not me being paranoid, but I feel like those two surnamed Xu were trying to harm me. I had to be on guard."

Shi Chun looked at him with a hint of surprise. Still, knowing that Wu Jinliang's words weren't groundless, he asked, "What happened?"

"Those two guys came to find me, saying they had a message from you, but their 'private conversation' was a bit too much..." Wu Jinliang recounted how Xu and You had approached him. He believed Shi Chun would understand, and that Shi Chun would also have been wary in the same situation.

As expected, Shi Chun's gaze darkened after hearing this. He restrained the urge to look towards Xu Anchang and the others and remembered something. He asked, "Did You Mu go with Xu Anchang to find you?"

"Yes, they both came together," Wu Jinliang replied, feeling a bit confused, not understanding what difference it made if they came together or not.

Shi Chun, however, had his previous doubts resolved. He had wondered why Xu and You had suddenly become so proactive, with You Mu even volunteering to patrol around. Now he probably understood where You Mu had disappeared to earlier. Not knowing was one thing, but once he understood, and thought about their intention to lure Wu Jinliang away, a wave of lingering fear washed over him. So that's what it was.

He hadn't expected two conservative individuals to be so aggressively daring. Going alone and attempting to silence the entire Mount Ming Sect—even he wouldn't be so impulsive without considerable certainty and an escape route. He considered himself quite bold already.

The key was that the other party wasn't even certain if there were great benefits here. He, at least, had gotten confirmation from Zhen'er when he removed her treasured clothes and boots. To take such a risk for something unknown, to act like this after just a 'spar' with Grand Master Nine, was simply too reckless.

No, that wasn't right. Before the 'spar,' those two had already begun their actions. How did they dare? This truly exceeded his expectations.

It was fortunate that Wu Jinliang was highly vigilant, otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable. He realized that human nature truly couldn't be fathomed by those not directly involved.

As long as no harm was done, he didn't dwell on it too much. He was long accustomed to the rule that if you can kill others, others can also kill you.

However, he still reminded Wu Jinliang, "It seems that it's not just us who've realized this Hearth Tower is just for show; those two have figured it out too. Even if they fail, they might not give up. Be careful, and tell the others to be careful too."

Wu Jinliang asked, "What, are we still keeping them?"

Shi Chun replied, "I'm still not entirely at ease about this place. I want to test those Grand Masters again. What if they're hesitant to turn hostile because of the 'marriage proposal'? Although it's unlikely—even Zhen'er thinks those Grand Masters are abnormal—we still need to test them again. If we don't keep those two, who will test them? Since these two are convinced this place is easy to exploit, it's simple to let them do the testing."

He hadn't overheard the conversation between the two boys, so naturally, he needed to keep testing.

"Still testing?" Wu Jinliang was puzzled. "If you still need to test, why were you so eager to call us over?"

His implication was, how could he call them over before ruling out danger? If there really was danger, even all the Mount Ming Sect members combined would be useless.

Shi Chun wasn't in a hurry to explain; the other party would understand eventually. He turned back and waved to Xu and You, signaling them to come over.

The two pointed to themselves, and after receiving confirmation, immediately ran over.

Xu Anchang asked, "Brother Chun, what is it?"

Shi Chun asked, "Do you feel that the old monsters here are a bit unusual compared to how they're described in legends?"

Xu and You instinctively looked at each other. In such difficult-to-answer situations, You Mu would usually remain silent.

After a moment's consideration, Xu Anchang tentatively replied, "Now that you mention it, Brother Chun, it does seem so."

Shi Chun countered, "Brother Xu, you should understand now why I wanted you to 'spar' earlier, right?"

Xu Anchang paused, then feigned sudden realization. He looked back at the Mount Ming Sect group and whispered, "Brother Chun, did you call people here because you're ready to make a move?"

Shi Chun said, "I still need you two to test them further. Since the 'sparring' didn't yield a clear result, you might as well provoke them again. Both of you cultivate fire-attribute techniques, and there are many fire spirits in this Hearth Tower, as you've seen. You can catch one for the Mount Ming Sect members to absorb. If even this doesn't elicit the expected reaction, then we can act."

You Mu asked, surprised and doubtful, "Why do *we* have to do it? Since they're the ones absorbing, why can't they do it themselves? Let Zhu Xiangxin and An Wuzhi go."

They could understand not letting Tong Mingshan act, but they couldn't quite grasp why the other two weren't being made to take the risk.

Shi Chun had his own way of dealing with it. "We haven't told them anything about this place at all. If we suddenly ask them to do this, how would they dare to agree so easily? Besides, we don't plan on letting them know what's inside. Some things are better known by fewer people, to prevent malicious intent. I don't need to elaborate on what I mean, do I? Neither of us understands fire-attribute techniques, nor are we good at catching those divine fires. Otherwise, we wouldn't need to ask you to test them."

Wu Jinliang once again split his mouth into a silly grin.

Xu and You fell silent.

Unexpectedly, Shi Chun added bluntly, "Should anything unforeseen happen, all blame must fall on you two alone. It will have nothing to do with the rest of us; it will all be your own decision. You are not from our sect; I merely misjudged people."

The two immediately stared at him with wide eyes.

"Should something unexpected occur, since misfortune will strike either way, rather than everyone suffering, it's better if only you two do. We must choose the lesser of evils. After I leave, I will naturally give you an explanation, and those above will certainly not mistreat your families."

Before coming in, Shi Chun had heard a rumor from Feng Chi. He had asked whether the people meeting in the Divine Fire Domain were trustworthy, and Feng Chi had assured him, saying that those sent to handle such matters usually had hostages in the hands of their superiors.

Wu Jinliang chuckled out of place again, completely disregardful of the situation.

Xu and You's expressions were a bit complex. They hadn't expected him to be so direct, giving them no chance to refuse, not even allowing them any room for feigned excuses.

The two understood the situation and were indeed not afraid, so they eventually pretended to reluctantly agree.

Shi Chun immediately told Wu Jinliang to take his men and leave, instructing them to find a suitable place by the lakeside to absorb divine fire. He wanted it close by for easy transport of the divine fire, so that once the danger was confirmed to be eliminated, they could also arrive quickly to assist.

Wu Jinliang immediately led away all the Mount Ming Sect members. After finding a good spot by the lakeside as instructed, he sent Chu Jingtan and Fang Zicheng back to the lake island to await orders.

As soon as Chu and Fang arrived, Shi Chun immediately gestured to Xu and You with his chin, signaling that they could begin.