"You let him infiltrate the Spirit-Taming Sect alone?"

"And you had him bring Yan Peng over to talk to you?"

"I don't believe it!"

"That guy must be dead by now."

Enforcement Hall Master Dai Xiu of the Floating Cloud Sect crouched beside Qi Qingshan, his head hanging in defeat. He thought Qi Qingshan was not telling the truth but indulging in a fantasy. Imagining someone who could save the Floating Cloud Sect! But there could not possibly be such a formidable person!

"Brother Dai, can't you say something reassuring?" Qi Qingshan, despite his words to Dai Xiu, had no real confidence himself. He pursed his lips and said, "This is the only plan we have now. If he doesn't succeed, neither of us can return to the Floating Cloud Sect, and Li'er won't survive either. Sigh."

"Brother Sect Leader, I really don't mean to dishearten you!" Dai Xiu said with a mournful face. "It's obviously an impossible task. That kid is dead for sure!"

WHOOSH! The downpour suddenly intensified, and large raindrops hammered against the old mansion's mottled stone ground.

"He's the man Li'er has her eye on…" Qi Qingshan muttered, watching the rain outside the door. "If he dies, I won't know how to face Li'er. But I was out of options; I could only take a desperate gamble."

"Don't you have any other desperate measures?" Dai Xiu lifted his head. "Like using your connections to ask for some outside help?"

"No." Qi Qingshan glanced at his own battered body. "It's a miracle I managed to escape to this place. Handling you with young Su's help was a miracle within a miracle. How could I possibly ask for more outside help? Believe it or not, the moment I leave Luoyue Village, even more people will be out to kill me!"

Dai Xiu lowered his head again, saying nothing. The air became deathly still, with only the sound of rushing water outside.

Qi Qingshan and Dai Xiu grew increasingly restless as time passed slowly, like sand through an hourglass.

TAP! TAP!

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps pierced through the curtain of rain and reached their ears.

"Who is it?"

Both men raised their heads warily, their gazes following the sound. Then, their jaws dropped in astonishment.

Three people calmly strode through the wind and rain into the old courtyard, heading straight for the hall where they waited. The man in the lead was none other than the Sect Master of the Spirit-Taming Sect, Yan Peng! With a blade in his right hand, Yan Peng's face was ferocious, as if he would kill anyone who dared to block his path. Another was Yan Peng's wife, Lady Yan, who was holding an umbrella to shield the third person from the rain. Perhaps the third person's status was so high that Lady Yan, terrified that a single drop might fall on him, held the umbrella entirely over his head, allowing the rain to drench her completely.

"Su… Young Su!" Qi Qingshan stammered, staring at the third person.

It was Su Xuan!

He succeeded? Su Xuan succeeded? He successfully brought Yan Peng here? No, not just Yan Peng—he even brought Yan Peng's wife! This was far beyond his expectations! But how did he do it? It's completely incomprehensible!

Dai Xiu was even more baffled. Fearing a trap, he had already begun to secretly gather his power, preparing for a fight.

"Don't be nervous." Su Xuan spoke calmly as he drew closer. "The trip went smoothly. Mission accomplished."

As he spoke, Su Xuan entered the hall. Without any instruction from him, Yan Peng found a wooden chair caked in dust and cobwebs, wiped it clean with his sleeve, and placed it behind Su Xuan, who sat down with an air of complete authority. Meanwhile, Lady Yan set her umbrella aside and stood behind him, extending her slender hands to massage his shoulders. She even asked, "Master, is this pressure enough?"

"A little harder," Su Xuan said.

"Of course." Lady Yan immediately applied more force. Although the journey through the rain had been arduous, and her forehead was beaded with sweat or rain, she showed no hint of complaint. Yan Peng, for his part, simply watched his wife massage Su Xuan's shoulders without the slightest trace of anger.

HISS!

Qi Qingshan sucked in a sharp breath when he saw this, and Dai Xiu did the same.

"Did you use the Mind Control Technique on them?!" they both blurted out in unison.

"And you've already learned the Mind Control Technique?" Qi Qingshan added. It hasn't been that long since I told him the incantation, has it? He's learned it already? And he must have mastered it to a deep level; otherwise, it would be impossible to control Yan Peng, a cultivator in the Heaven Severing Realm! How did he do it? How is that even possible?

"Let's get down to business," Su Xuan said with a wave of his hand. "We can't afford to waste time. Qi Li is still waiting for you to save her."

"Right, right." Qi Qingshan gave Su Xuan a long, deep look. Guessing that Su Xuan wouldn't reveal his secrets, he suppressed the countless questions in his mind. He said nothing more, merely looking at Su Xuan for guidance. In his mind, Su Xuan's stature had just risen to an entirely new level. He was eager to hear Su Xuan's suggestions for a good plan.

"Two options," Su Xuan said, glancing at Yan Peng and his wife. "First, we don't release them from the Mind Control Technique. We use them to manipulate the Spirit-Taming Sect and use its power to suppress Elder Liu."

"And the second option?" Qi Qingshan and Dai Xiu asked at the same time. Both of them felt the first option was highly inappropriate.

"The second option is…" Su Xuan narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "a coordinated attack from the inside and out!"

"What kind of coordinated attack?" the two asked.

"Simple." Su Xuan glanced at Dai Xiu. "Hall Master Dai, you'll pretend to have completed Elder Liu's mission and go to report back to him. You'll set a trap to subdue him. If any of Elder Liu's accomplices dare to make a move, Yan Peng can provide the force to suppress them." Pointing at Yan Peng, Su Xuan continued, "Now that Yan Peng is our man, the entire Spirit-Taming Sect is at our disposal!"

"That's a good plan!"

"That's the most reliable option!"

The eyes of Qi Qingshan and Dai Xiu lit up, but then a hint of doubt returned to their gazes. How do we set a trap to subdue Elder Liu?

"Brother, Elder Liu is at the Mid Heaven Severing Stage. When I go to see him, I won't stand a chance, not even with a surprise attack," Dai Xiu said to Su Xuan.

"Use this." Su Xuan flipped his hand, revealing a small vial. It was his last vial of anesthetic.

"What is this?" Qi Qingshan and Dai Xiu asked in unison.

"A marvel of technology from the world below the mountains…" Su Xuan patiently explained the anesthetic's effects. "I've already tested it on Yan Peng. The Heaven Severing Realm can't resist it."

"Incredible!" Their eyes lit up again as they stared at the vial in Su Xuan's hand.

"Then how do we use it?" Dai Xiu asked. "How can we successfully administer it to Elder Liu?"

"Do you remember…" Su Xuan looked at Dai Xiu, "...what order Elder Liu gave you after he took control of you?"

"I remember!" Dai Xiu said through gritted teeth. "He ordered me to bring him Sect Leader Qi's head!"

"That makes it easy." Su Xuan's gaze suddenly fell upon Qi Qingshan's head. He shook the vial in his hand and said, "We hide the vial inside his head."

Qi Qingshan's jaw dropped in shock.

"You want to sacrifice me?!"

"I'm Li'er's father!"

"I want to hold our grandchild someday!"

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