"Junior Brother, are you saying they're likely targeting our cultivators?" Mo Qi thought for a moment before understanding Mo Su's meaning.
"Yes. Either high-ranking cultivators' descendants or those holding important positions. Anyone they can control easily and who might influence the war in the future."
"That's only your speculation, Mo Su. There's no proof yet. We shouldn't overthink this."
Mo Yi raised his brows and said, "I'd say Jian Lu Zūnshàng's words have skewed your perspective."
"Didn't expect you to be this clear-headed." Mo Qi shot back immediately.
Mo Yi rubbed his nose and continued, "She painted the worst-case scenario, but her deductions are credible. She compiled intelligence from multiple sources, after all.
We're on Heavenly Sword Sect's territory. Since things have reached this point, why not go along with her plan? It's a way to repay her for saving us and ensures our safe return without alerting our Zhēnzūn. Plus, we can bring accurate intel back to our sect."
"Didn't think Junior Brother Mo Yi was this wise. You see everything clearly." Mo Qi smiled and poured him a cup of spirit tea.
"Mo Yi's assessment is correct." A smile tugged at Mo Su's lips as he agreed with Mo Qi's words.
The three exchanged knowing glances, their course of action now aligned.
But Mo Qi frowned slightly, murmuring as if to herself, yet loud enough for her junior brothers to hear, "Don't you think this Jian Lu Zūnshàng bears a resemblance to Mo Yue?"
"Mo Yue's far more flamboyant. Jian Lu Zūnshàng's temper is remarkably good. If she weren't, she'd have turned hostile when you suggested killing Bi Shu outright."
Mo Yi shot Mo Qi a pointed look.
"Exactly why I'm suspicious. There's no reason a cultivator of her level should have such a mild temperament. And yesterday, in the sect hall, the way she handled her storage ring... it looked familiar somehow." Mo Qi's brows knit together as she voiced her doubts.
"That's just a small gesture. It proves nothing." Mo Su dismissed her suspicion.
"Perhaps I'm overthinking it." Mo Qi finally dropped her theory, but a seed of doubt took root in her heart.
Every word of their conversation was relayed without omission to Jian Dan, who was already back at Tian Yue Peak.
Jian Dan wiped away a nervous sweat. Women truly had sharper instincts. Just one habitual movement with her storage ring was enough to raise suspicion.
"Tsk tsk, you better be careful or they'll tear off your disguise." Liu Chuan's timely reminder rang out.
"I know. I'll be more careful. I haven't used my fan since they arrived."
"Good."
With that matter settled, Jian Dan remained at Tianyue Peak, focusing on artifact refining and training her three disciples.
Law Enforcement Hall
When Jian Mao's towering figure stepped into the Law Enforcement Hall, Jian Li's usually stern expression softened. He rose to greet him, bowing politely.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Jian Mao. It's been a while."
Jian Mao returned the salute with a smile. "Ever since you took over Jian Jun's post as Hall Master, we haven't had much time to see each other. I didn't expect that despite your busy schedule, your cultivation hasn't fallen behind."
The two were longtime acquaintances, so Jian Li led Jian Mao straight to a side hall. Once seated, Jian Li finally vented, "The affairs of this hall are endless. I only realized the workload after taking over. It always looked easy when Senior Sister Jian Jun handled it, but I was in chaos for quite some time.
I wouldn't have advanced so quickly if it weren't for Senior Brother Jian Xu and Junior Sister Jian Lu pushing me along."
"I remember when you advanced, Jian Lu was acting Hall Master. She's not one to sit idle. During that time, she went out several times, eradicating evil cultivators hiding near Cloud Sea Sect. We returned to the sect together afterward."
Jian Li shook his head helplessly. "She handles these matters far better than me. But she hates being tied down. The very day I left seclusion, she handed back the hall's command token and returned to Tianyue Peak, saying she wanted to focus on teaching her disciples."
Jian Mao chuckled, gaining a deeper understanding of Jian Dan's character.
"Not long ago, Jian Jing went traveling with her. They returned with quite the harvest. She's been obsessed with artifact refining lately."
"Really? I also gave her a task. She's crafting a trial artifact that incorporates her unique dream realm trials. That's kept her busy. Otherwise, I wouldn't trouble you with this mission."
The conversation drifted naturally before turning to the task at hand.
Jian Li handed over a jade slip. "All the details are in this slip. If anything's unclear, you can ask Jian Lu."
"Alright."
Jian Mao scanned it with his divine sense, closed his eyes briefly in thought, then nodded.
"I'd heard from Jian Jing about capturing that blood insect, but I didn't expect the Heavenly Demon Palace to harbor such a half-human, half-insect creature. Now it's a valuable asset. Jian Lu reacted quickly. Since it's on our turf now, we might as well use it."
With Jian Mao taking the mission, everything else fell into place.
Jian Dan soon received Jian Li's message from Tianyue Peak:
Jian Mao had accepted the blue Zūnshàng mission token and would lead the team. The War Hall would assign a squad to accompany them, along with Jian Feng, and Tian Hong Zhēnzūn would guard them in secret. It was a first-class deployment.
Jian Dan knew her disciples' progress well. After the dream trial, many had advanced or were still recovering. The only intact teams were Tian Yue Squad and Tian Jian Squad.
She sent a transmission to Tianyue Squad's captain, summoning them for the mission.
"You'll follow Jian Mao Zūnshàng's orders. The reason I chose your squad is simple: if we uncover cultivators infested with blood insects, we can't let them escape and leave hidden dangers behind."
She handed the captain a jade slip. "This contains the mission intel. Share it with your teammates and make sure nothing goes wrong. I'll take you to meet Heavenly Demon Palace's people next."
"Yes, Hall Master."
The captain read through the slip first, then tucked it away. "Do we need to cooperate with Heavenly Demon Palace?"
Jian Dan arched a brow, catching the underlying worry in his question. "Use your judgment. Cooperate if it benefits our sect, but don't put yourselves at risk. Maintain basic harmony with them. We want them to feel comfortable conducting this investigation here."
"Yes, understood."
"Also, you'll follow Senior Brother Jian Mao's lead. If he's not around, act according to the situation. There's a Zhēnzūn watching from the shadows, so stay sharp. Don't botch this mission and embarrass the Battle Hall."
"We won't, Hall Master."
Satisfied, Jian Dan nodded, sent Jian Feng a talisman message, and headed to the guest hall with the captain.
But Jian Feng never received the message in time—he was already with Mo Su. When he finally saw it, he hurried to the guest hall to meet Jian Dan.
She arrived unhurriedly, unsurprised to see Jian Feng waiting. After briefing him, she let him escort Tianyue Squad's captain to meet Heavenly Demon Palace's delegation.