Chapter 530: Leveraging Power

After leaving the government office area and reaching a mountain hollow, Shi Chun stopped Wu Jinliang, who was about to go underground, and took out a communication talisman.

Wu Jinliang, unsure why Shi Chun urgently needed to contact someone at that moment, asked, "What's wrong?"

Shi Chun replied, "Given how the Fiery Sect is monitoring Huang Yingying, they must know our identities in Dazhi City. They might send people to investigate, and Chu Jingting and the others are still there. I'm worried the Fiery Sect members will recognize them. The situation here is already extremely unfavorable for us. We have the Soul-Reversing Tree and the refining method. We can't stay in Juku Continent any longer; we need to call Chu Jingting and the others to withdraw with us."

As for rescuing the Golden-furred Rat clan, there was no immediate rush. They had endured for countless years, so a few more years wouldn't matter. It would be safer to return when they had greater strength and confidence, or when conditions and timing were more favorable.

Wu Jinliang agreed; it was better to withdraw quickly, just in case. The most difficult materials to find had already been acquired, and the refining of the Death-Defying Incense could be done slowly after they returned. There was no need to take further risks while under scrutiny. Thinking of this, he felt a surge of excitement. Their long efforts hadn't been in vain; they had found such rare items. Once those magic artifacts were repaired, it would mean a dramatic increase in their power, and even selling them would bring immense wealth.

Inside Dazhi City's Treasure Hunt Pavilion, aside from the lanterns at the entrance, the interior was completely dark. In a dark room, a faint light suddenly flickered. Chu Jingting, having taken out his communication talisman and seen the message from Shi Chun, quickly rose from his cot. He produced a sandalwood-gold aura for illumination, then swiftly left the room, knocking on the adjacent door and startling Xiao Sheng, who was meditating cross-legged inside. Chu Jingting quickly showed Xiao Sheng the message before the writing on the talisman disappeared.

Anticipating potential danger, neither dared to delay. They immediately sent a message to Lao Changtai, urging him to withdraw quickly. At this time, Lao Changtai was secretly monitoring the Bai Clan Rice Shop, which was also Shi Chun's instruction.

In Yaoshan City, Shi Chun had discovered members of the Bai Clan monitoring him. He didn't understand their intentions, unaware that Granny Qi, the Bai Clan's matriarch, had already ascended the mountain. He merely assumed the monitors were sent by Bai Qiru. Monitoring their work wasn't the issue; the problem was that Bai Qiru, having been expelled from the clan, could still mobilize the Bai Clan's experts, which greatly puzzled Shi Chun. Therefore, he had Lao Changtai and the others secretly watch the Bai Clan Rice Shop, hoping to observe any coordinated movements. In any case, Lao Changtai and his two companions were idle. So, the three of them rented a room near the Bai Clan Rice Shop and took turns on watch.

After reading the message on the communication talisman, Lao Changtai, who was currently on duty, dared not be careless. He swiftly withdrew from the partially open window and left the area under the cover of night. On an adjacent street, from an upper story window, someone departed, saying to Yin Tianlu, who was meditating cross-legged, "Senior Brother, he's out."

Indeed, the Fiery Sect had already targeted Lao Changtai and his two companions. Their surveillance was a result of both coincidence and certain inevitability. After learning about Shi Chun's presence in Dazhi City from Po Yuan, the Fiery Sect immediately dispatched personnel to investigate. In fact, the Fiery Sect had been secretly monitoring Shi Chun's group for a long time, ever since the Sacred Fire Alliance Assembly concluded. Although they hadn't found an opportunity to act against Shi Chun's group, they were well aware of their personnel. They knew that Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang weren't the only ones who hadn't appeared for a long time, raising the question of where the others were. Sensing that Dazhi City held some secret, when deliberating on deploying personnel, they specifically sent Yin Tianlu, who had just been repatriated to the Fiery Sect. The reason was simply that Yin Tianlu recognized Shi Chun's group.

The Bai Clan Rice Shop naturally became one of the Fiery Sect's targets, and they sought the optimal surveillance position. However, when the Fiery Sect attempted to rent a desirable property, they discovered it was already leased. Upon inquiring, they learned it had only been rented recently. Such a coincidence immediately aroused the suspicion of the Fiery Sect personnel. Upon observation, it indeed turned out to be a coincidence: although Lao Changtai and his companions had simply disguised themselves, Yin Tianlu and his group still recognized them. Not only were they recognized, but their hideout, the Treasure Hunt Pavilion where the three resided, was also uncovered and now under the Fiery Sect's surveillance. Of course, they hadn't been under surveillance for long.

At this moment, Yin Tianlu, opening his eyes and becoming alert, immediately asked, "Is there anything unusual?" In a situation where Heavenly Immortal experts had been deployed, he, once a leader of the Sacred Fire Alliance, was now merely a low-ranking operative responsible for surveillance.

His junior brother replied, "There is indeed something unusual. No one came to relieve him this time, and it doesn't seem to be the time for a shift change, yet he returned early."

Yin Tianlu immediately pressed, "Is there anything unusual at the Bai Clan Rice Shop?"

His junior brother responded, "It's very quiet late at night; nothing unusual at all."

As a former leader dispatched to the Sacred Fire Region, Yin Tianlu possessed ample vigilance. He immediately rose, took out a communication talisman, and requested reports from the surveillance personnel stationed along the route. Shi Chun's vigilance was also not weak.

Back at the Treasure Hunt Pavilion, Lao Changtai met with Chu Jingting and Xiao Sheng. After confirming their withdrawal plan, they immediately conducted a test before evacuating. This was a specific instruction from Shi Chun's message: to test if they were being watched. Before leaving, the three cleared out all the merchandise from the shop. These were goods acquired from Young Master Nan, worth a considerable amount; if they couldn't be sold, they should at least be returned to their owner, rather than simply abandoned for others. Afterwards, the three quickly left the premises.

After wandering through the streets and alleys, with each other's cooperation, they indeed discovered they were being watched. They found a street food stall, ordered some food, and used the opportunity for Chu Jingting to send a message to Shi Chun: "Boss, we're being watched, but we don't know by whom." After secretly putting away the communication talisman in his sleeve, he slowly ate, waiting for a reply.

Just as they feared, they were indeed being watched. Shi Chun, who had already left the Sacred Mountain and was traveling underground with Wu Jinliang, saw the talisman message. He patted Wu Jinliang's shoulder, signaling to surface. The two soon emerged from a grove of heart-wrapping grass. "Chu Jingting and the others are being watched," Shi Chun stated curtly, then walked towards a rocky slope ahead and swiftly jumped onto it.

The night wind was cool. Looking up at the myriad stars, Shi Chun, with his hands clasped behind his back, made a quick calculation of when dawn would break in Dazhi City, estimating it to be about an hour away. Wu Jinliang followed him onto the rocky slope, glanced at the surrounding grassland immersed in the chirping of insects, and quietly asked, "Who's watching them?" Shi Chun countered, "Who else could recognize them and be watching them right now?"

Wu Jinliang immediately made a judgment and cursed under his breath. "It must be the Fiery Sect. Someone who's been to the Sacred Fire Region must be there. What do we do? Their strength makes it hard to shake off pursuers. If they make an evasive move, the Fiery Sect will surely know they've been exposed and might directly move to apprehend them. Should we go ourselves to rendezvous with them?"

Shi Chun looked down at his toes and murmured, "I'm afraid it's already too late. Their unusual movements have likely already alerted the Fiery Sect. Whether or not to act against them is probably already at the Fiery Sect's discretion. Once the Fiery Sect determines they've been exposed..."

Wu Jinliang quickly took out a communication talisman and said, "Bai Qiru. In Dazhi City, only Bai Qiru's strength can help them."

Shi Chun turned to look at him. "You need to think this through. If we run now, we might still have time to escape Juku Continent, as all parties still believe we are in Zhu Lang Pavilion. Once we rescue them, it means we'll have alerted the enemy. After the Fiery Sect realizes they've been exposed, the current delicate balance of passive observation among various factions will immediately break. At that point, it won't be just the Fiery Sect trying to track us down and figure things out."

Wu Jinliang immediately understood his meaning: if they rescued them, passing through the Xun Gate to enter or leave Juku Continent would likely become very difficult. He hesitated, then said, "Not rescuing them isn't an option either. It's fine if we can't leave for a while; at worst, we can just stay a few more years. If we hide in the Sacred Mountain, who could find us? And if all else fails, we can ask Xiang Lan'er and her demonic sect to rescue us." Seeing that he had decided to face the risk, Shi Chun stopped wasting words. He immediately picked up his communication talisman and sent a message to Chu Jingting, stating that they might have already alerted their pursuers and, for safety, should immediately go to the Bai Clan Rice Shop for help.

Wu Jinliang was about to use his communication talisman to contact Bai Qiru first, but Shi Chun reached out and stopped him, gesturing to wait. At the stall, Chu Jingting relayed the message to his two companions, then quickly finished the food in his bowl before leaving unhurriedly. Outwardly, the three remained calm, but inwardly, they felt some tension. Living days with constant, sudden excitement was a feeling they sometimes couldn't quite describe.

On the Sacred Mountain, Qiu Ben, who was meditating in a quiet chamber, also took out a communication talisman. He frowned as he read the message from Dazhi City, which reported that the three from the Treasure Hunt Pavilion might have detected they were being watched, and their behavior was somewhat unusual, asking if they should be directly apprehended. Qiu Ben considered the arrangements made in the yamen district on the Sacred Mountain and replied, "Keep watching them. Once you confirm they intend to flee, arrest them immediately." After sending the message, he couldn't sit still. He paced back and forth in the room, occasionally mumbling to himself, "Treasure Hunt Pavilion, Death-Defying Incense, Sacred Mountain's Soul-Reversing Tree..." Knowing about the Treasure Hunt Pavilion, he had naturally heard of their previous activities concerning the Death-Defying Incense. He couldn't help but make a connection to the Sacred Mountain's Soul-Reversing Tree, vaguely suspecting that Shi Chun's current trip might be related to it.

Inside Dazhi City, Chu Jingting and his two companions arrived at the entrance of the Bai Clan Rice Shop and knocked directly on the shop door. From a nearby window, Yin Tianlu was personally observing, wondering what the three were up to. An annoyed voice from inside the shop called out, "Who is it? Stop making noise; the rice shop doesn't open until dawn."

Chu Jingting replied, "Gao He sent us to see the proprietress."

Then, silence fell inside the shop.

Bai Qiru, who was in the inner quarters, was quickly informed. Wu Jinliang then received an inquiry message from Bai Qiru: "Three people have come to the door, claiming to be sent by you." Wu Jinliang, who had already discussed this with Shi Chun, immediately replied that they were assistants sent to help and were very important. He explained that they were being watched by the Fiery Sect and requested that Bai Qiru secretly send them out of the city after dawn, simply to Zhelan Slope.

Bai Qiru did not refuse. She asked about the progress of the matter, and Wu Jinliang replied, "It's almost done; we're just waiting for these three to arrive." Soon, the news that Chu Jingting and his two companions had entered the Bai Clan Rice Shop and had not come out was relayed to Qiu Ben on the Sacred Mountain.

As Qiu Ben was pacing back and forth, pondering, there was suddenly a knock at the door, followed by the voice of his eldest disciple, Huang Lang: "Master."

"Enter," Qiu Ben replied.

Huang Lang pushed the door open, quickly approached him, bowed, and reported, "The disciple monitoring the Bai Clan sent word that a group of people have descended the mountain there."

Qiu Ben froze, "Why would they descend the mountain in the middle of the night?"

Huang Lang shook his head; how could he know that?

Qiu Ben immediately said, "Go ask Po Yuan."