"Junior Sister, do you have a plan?"
Jian Jing asked directly. Jian Dan did not answer her Senior Sister at once. Instead, she spoke to Kong Xingkun, who trailed behind with his head down. "Go wait at the Xianlai Inn. Do not wander the city. If you get lost and cannot find your way back, that would be troublesome."
The threat was obvious. Kong Xingkun could only obey. His thick brows knotted into a dead tangle as he cupped his hands weakly and turned toward the inn.
Jian Dan raised a sound barrier with a casual flick, then answered Jian Jing's question. "The disciples chosen this time will shoulder the sect's legacy. We should be cautious. Let them rest for a day. I want to use the chance to test them first."
Jian Jing nodded. Matters of sect inheritance demanded caution. "But they have just come from the mortal realm. They are only children. How will you judge?"
"In a dream. I will let them grow up and face the same dilemma, then see what choices they make. It will not be perfect, but I can screen eight or nine out of ten. It is worth trying."
"Good. Do it. I will assist from the side."
Jian Dan smiled and, using her War Hall master's token, sent a message to Senior Brother Jian Li explaining her plan. Jian Li's reply came swiftly, a single word: "Approved."
With business settled, Jian Jing asked, "And that fool from the Kong clan, how do you plan to handle him?"
"Hmph. He wanted to take us as his concubines. The only reason I did not kill him was for the sect's sake. This time I will visit the Kong clan openly and summon him to my peak to serve as a little attendant."
Jian Jing burst into laughter. "Junior Sister, that is just like you. I think the Kong clan might agree."
"All the better. It will make training him easier."
Jian Dan did not mind in the least. She wanted to see whether the Kong clan would abandon Kong Xingkun as they had abandoned Kong Qiankun.
"Hehe. I will watch with interest."
When the Heavenly Sword Sect's fleet of flying boats was still a hundred li from Tianquan City, Jian Po's transmission reached them.
Wu Siyuan read the message on his sword token. Learning that Jian Lu Zūnshàng was in Tianquan City, he understood there must be a new arrangement. With a flash, he moved to the lead boat.
"Greetings, Warden Wu."
The sect cultivators bowed as one.
"Hmm. I just received an order from the Law Enforcement Hall. We will take the recruited disciples to Tianquan City to rest for a day."
"Yes."
The lead boat adjusted its heading and sped toward Tianquan City.
Meanwhile, the dejected Kong Xingkun finally greeted his supposed savior at the Xianlai Inn.
Kong Hui had traveled unhurriedly to Tianquan City with a single attendant. At the inn he found only a maid who had been left behind to pass messages.
Learning that Kong Xingkun had gone to hide at the Yao residence, Kong Hui felt a stab of contempt and was about to fetch the young master when Kong Xingkun returned on his own, face ashen.
"Second Uncle."
Seeing Kong Hui, Kong Xingkun's composure cracked. He clutched his uncle and poured out the entire story like beans spilling from a bamboo tube, finishing with a pitiful question. "Second Uncle, what should I do?"
Kong Hui's first impulse was to slap him dead. His thoughts went further. Would Jian Lu Zūnshàng use this chance to come after the Kong clan?
He knew a little of the grudges between Jian Lu Zūnshàng and the Kong clan.
There were the cases of the Hua clan and the Fu clan. The Hua clan had been eliminated by the Law Enforcement Hall, and the Fu clan had ties to evil cultivators. Yet in both matters, Jian Lu's shadow lingered. He feared most that she would take this as a pretext to make the Kong clan the third cultivation family to be erased.
His instincts were sharp. Had he known the Hua clan's Divine Soul Ancestor had been slain by Jian Dan under the identity of Mo Yue, and that the trail had then been led to the Hua clan's hidden cultivators in Huanle City, he would have been even more certain.
The more he thought, the worse it seemed. Kong Hui swung his hand and slapped Kong Xingkun to the floor. Pointing down, he snarled, "You horny bastard! If you implicate the clan, ten deaths will not be enough."
"Second Uncle…"
"Silence. Even if you called for the Ancestor, it would be useless. You will stay here quietly. Let me be clear. Since Jian Lu Zūnshàng intends to personally escort you back to the clan, I cannot take you away. I am returning to the clan now to inform the Ancestor of everything and see if there is any way to save you." Kong Hui flung his sleeve and left the Xianlai Inn, heading straight for the teleportation hall. He dared not dawdle. He needed the fastest route home.
News of Kong Hui's movements reached Jian Dan and Jian Jing as they returned to the inn.
"Junior Sister, stop that Kong clansman. If he warns their Ancestor, it will be less entertaining." Jian Jing's smile turned sly. She looked entirely ready for a show.
"Very well, Senior Sister." Jian Dan sent a swift command to Jian Po.
Jian Po was on her way to the city gate with Liuli and Jin Ai when she received it. She told the two to go on ahead, then turned toward the teleportation hall.
If it were her, she would choose the fastest way out of Tianquan City. A teleportation array was the obvious choice.
She presented her Law Enforcement Hall black token. After a few concise words, she turned to leave.
Moments later, Kong Hui stepped into the teleportation hall. By coincidence, every array was occupied and humming except for one.
"I want to teleport to Tianshu City."
"You can, but we need ten people to start this array."
The array keeper spoke evenly.
Kong Hui frowned. He could not afford any delay. He tried a pleading tone. "There is an urgent matter at home. Could you activate it now?"
The keeper remained unhurried. "It is not impossible. But the cost will be higher. Ten travelers split the price. If you go alone, you pay it all."
Kong Hui understood the man was not making trouble. It was reasonable. Willingness to activate the array for a single traveler was already a kindness.
"Very well. How many spirit stones?"
"Ten superior-grade spirit stones."
The price made Kong Hui's heart ache, but this was no time to haggle. The clan would reimburse him. He briskly produced ten superior-grade spirit stones.
The keeper accepted the ten stones, pocketed one in front of Kong Hui, then set the remaining nine into the array's inlaid slots.
The formation flared. Golden lines lit up. The keeper gestured invitingly. Kong Hui stepped into the array with his attendant.
As they settled into place, the keeper smiled and said, "Safe travels to you both. Visit Tianquan City again."
He waved. The formation engaged.
Watching that smile and hearing those words, Kong Hui realized something was wrong. Too late. The array thrummed to full power, light swept up, and in the blink of an eye, both men dissolved into radiance and vanished.
The array keeper lowered his head, sent a brief message through his sword token, then opened the formation for the next group of travelers.
===
Chapter 600 has arrived!!! ＼(≧▽≦)／✨
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