The so-called darkness and light is simply the matter of sunrise and sunset.
As the sky was faintly illuminated, a ssage ca from a certain point, claiming to have discovered people entering the Moon Sea.
Similar ssages had arrived more than once and from various locations. Yan Ji had exercised restraint and not acted until he saw the break of dawn. He then stood up and began to strategically deploy his troops, assigning them to the relevant locations for support.
The fifty or so people left by Guan Wen were all designated to the sa place.
Just as this group was about to set out, and as Shi Chun was about to look for an excuse to speak with Yan Ji to stay by his side, Yan Ji suddenly said, "Wang Sheng, Gao Qiang, I still have sothing to ask you, you two stay with ."
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were initially startled, then exchanged a knowing glance, their eyebrows raising in unison as they realized sothing.
The fifty or so companions were also surprised, and all looked at the two who were asked to stay behind.
Soon, soone ca over to them, slung an arm around their shoulders, and whispered a warning, "You two, be careful with your words."
Knowing what they were worried about, Shi Chun said, "Don't worry, I know what can and cannot be said."
His assurance only made the others more anxious; they realized this guy didn't understand why the reminder was necessary. He was the very person who didn't know what could and couldn't be said, and his speaking always made others nervous.
But that was all they could do in the way of a warning - what else could be done?
Regardless of what they thought, Shi Chun reached out and said, "Brother Chu, pass a mother-child charm, it'll be easier to contact you later."
Chu Jingtang hesitated for a mont but eventually had a fellow disciple give Shi Chun the mother-child charm he had on him.
Urged by Yan Ji, the group then left.
Afterward, Yan Ji also used the sa excuse to send away the twenty people he had brought with him.
Only three people remained on the scene. Wu Jinliang looked around and couldn't help but give Shi Chun a aningful glance. He touched the Magical Treasure in his pocket, suggesting that the opportunity for each to take action had co; perhaps they should just strike now.
Shi Chun shook his head slightly, refusing. Without absolute confidence and a significant distraction for Yan Ji, it would not be wise for them with low cultivation to rashly attack one with high cultivation, especially since it was the famous disciple of the Su Yuan Sect. Besides, other factors were involved, and should they fail, it would all have been for nothing.
Most importantly, it would be far too easy a death for Yan Ji, hardly leveraging his greatest value.
After suppressing Wu Jinliang's eagerness, Shi Chun approached Yan Ji and probed, "Brother Yan, what are we staying here for?"
Yan Ji, who had taken out a mother-child charm, stared into his eyes and slowly said, "I've decided to adopt Brother Wang's thod from yesterday; therefore, I've sent away those who know too much, you understand."
"Oh, oh, oh," Shi Chun feigned sudden realization, nodding repeatedly, "I understand, I get it."
Wu Jinliang, however, looked utterly confused, "What thod, senior brother, what's going on?"
Seeing his reaction, Yan Ji was puzzled. Had "Wang Sheng" not inford him? Had he known this, he would have only kept "Wang Sheng."
He had thought that "Gao Qiang" was also in the know after seeing the two whispering conspiratorially.
Ignoring him, Yan Ji walked away with the mother-child charm and sent a ssage to Mulan Qingqing. After receiving a reply, he ca back and said, "The reinforcents will soon arrive, but we still need soone to lead the way. Guan Wen disappeared around here, and you two were witnesses, so it will be up to you to guide us."
To him, this was the last bit of utility that the two had.
"What?" exclaid Wu Jinliang in shock.
Yan Ji raised an eyebrow, "What, you don't want to be friends with my Su Yuan Sect?"
This tactic was usually very effective on those who wanted to curry favor with the Su Yuan Sect.
Shi Chun also appeared to be no exception. After hesitating for a while, he asked, "Brother Yan, are you going in?"
Yan Ji answered calmly, "I still need to stay outside to manage communications with various parties."
Shi Chun shook his head decisively, "If Brother Yan isn't going in, then we aren't either."
Yan Ji's expression darkened slightly, "Why not?"
Shi Chun: "To avoid suspicion."
Yan Ji was puzzled, "Avoid suspicion of what?"
Shi Chun: "In case we face danger inside. If I were to harbor resentnt, aren't you afraid we might reveal the truth to others? I think it's better to stay by Brother Yan's side to clear any doubts. Moreover, with Brother Yan's protection, we would feel more at ease inside.
Most importantly, if Brother Yan isn't going in, how can others be reassured to do so? So things might not sound nice when said out loud. You don't think people value the Su Yuan Sect's interests over their own lives, do you? There are things they have refrained from saying, but the truth is, if Guan Wen doesn't lead the way, the others would never go. I expect the newcors will feel the sa. It might be wise for Brother Yan to put himself in their shoes; otherwise, it could result in an awkward situation for you later."
Yan Ji was left speechlessly weighing his words.
Shi Chun continued softly, "We've been in before. As long as we don't run around recklessly in the safe areas, there's actually little danger. God knows what Guan Wen was up to inside."
Suddenly, the three of them turned their heads to look as more than a hundred people swiftly approached, flying through the air. Clearly, the reinforcents had arrived.
Indeed, the group landed and imdiately greeted Yan Ji, "Brother Yan, Mr. Guan has sent us to be at your disposal. What are your orders?"
Yan Ji slowly turned to look at the Moon Sea, shrouded in a light fog, remaining silent as he continued to ponder the recent words.
This act of surveying had already tipped others off to sothing. Among the newcors, soone ventured, "You're not thinking about entering the Moon Sea, are you?"
Yan Ji gave a slight nod and took off the Insect Extre Crystal he had collected from various factions last night, shaking it as he spoke, "There are plenty of Insect Extre Crystals inside. I just went in and randomly searched to find these. Guan Wen has already taken a group of people inside."
"..." Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, their faces unanimously reluctant.
Shi Chun spoke up, "Actually, it's not as dangerous inside as everyone thinks. As long as you don't go to the central area, it's fine. Brother Yan is leading the team himself, and since he's going in too, what do you all have to be afraid of?"
Everyone's gaze turned to Yan Ji in unison.
Caught by Shi Chun's words, Yan Ji paused only a mont, "Yes, I'll lead the team."
Even so, nobody was thrilled, and although no one refused, none expressed a direct willingness to go either.
It was a reluctant acceptance.
Yan Ji didn't say much more, knowing that there was really no point in pressing the issue further. Considering they had silently accepted, that was good enough. He tilted his head to signal to Shi Chun that it was ti to leave.
"Let's go, let's go, follow us," Shi Chun called out enthusiastically, waving his hand as if there were truly no danger.
He and Wu Jinliang walked up to the cliffside and leapt off, one after the other, flying away.
Yan Ji also ca up to the edge of the cliff and called out, "Let's go!"
And so, a party of reluctant individuals followed, forcing themselves to jump into the misty forest.
After landing, it was the sa old place. Shi Chun glanced back at the peak where they had dealt with Guan Wen then waited for Yan Ji to land. He pointed to the footprints on the ground, indicating that this was where they had been before, gesturing in a fan shape toward the front and whispered, "It's just around this area."
Yan Ji, vigilant of his surroundings, nodded slightly. Once everyone had landed, he began dividing up the search areas and told the group to call Guan Wen over if they saw him.
With the party cautiously dispersing into the woods, Yan Ji cast a sidelong glance at Shi Chun, his eyes already harboring a murderous intent. Now that they were inside, he had no intention of letting them leave alive.
He glanced at the searching figures in the woods, waiting for them to go far enough away.
As for whether they would find Guan Wen, that didn't really matter to him—it was just important to look like they were searching.
anwhile, Shi Chun turned and pointed towards the peak behind them, "Brother Yan, that mountain top is where Guan Wen disappeared last night."
As Yan Ji turned to look, Shi Chun threw a knowing glance at Wu Jinliang.
Wu Jinliang imdiately said, "The light was bad at night; we should see more clearly in the dayti." With that, he flashed up the slope.
Shi Chun asked Yan Ji, "Do you want to go up and take a look?"
Yan Ji responded with action, flashing up after him, and Shi Chun quickly followed suit with a swift leap.
Upon reaching the mountain top, they saw a conspicuous ssage carved into a tree: Returned to shore to regroup, return imdiately!
Yan Ji scrutinized the ssage.
Shi Chun, who landed shortly after, explained, "This is a ssage we left for Guan Wen when he failed to show up after a long wait."
Yan Ji didn't say anything, and began taking in the environnt around him, when Wu Jinliang suddenly exclaid, "What's this?"
Turning around, Yan Ji saw Wu Jinliang by a large tree, poking at a muddy tallic lump with the toe of his boot, looking ignorant.
To Yan Ji, the object was shockingly familiar. He recognized it instantly, even covered in mud—it was none other than the Magical Treasure Wind Scale. He flashed towards it, grabbing it from the air to examine, his eyes wide with disbelief.
As he focused intently, Shi Chun swiftly drew a short blade from his sleeve with practiced ease, and with an air of nonchalance completely devoid of brutality, he slipped the cold gleam of the blade into Yan Ji's back, delivering a precise and deadly thrust while his guard was down.
Yan Ji, with Wind Scale in hand, convulsed and stared wide-eyed as Wu Jinliang swiftly made another swift cut at his throat. He stopped the blow with his cleaver in front of the other man, prepared for any surprises. If he wasn't worried about leaving bloodstains, he would have split the man in two.
A clatter, and the Wind Scale fell to the ground.
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang got to work quickly, following the exact sa procedure as they had with Guan Wen, a practiced and efficient act without any emotion at the death and destruction.
They picked up the Wind Scale and grabbed Yan Ji, making a hasty getaway towards the old location.
Soon, they reached the sa ravine where they had buried Guan Wen, intending to set up a joint burial for the sect brothers.
But the pair that slipped into the burial point froze as if struck by an immobilization charm.
A purple light illuminated the ravine that was not too dark during the day. To get a clearer view, Shi Chun took out a Sandalwood Gold orb only to see that the earth where they had buried Guan Wen was overturned, and the body was gone. What was happening?
The pair felt a chill creeping up.
"We didn't go to the wrong place, did we?" Wu Jinliang asked a redundant question.
With a whoosh, Shi Chun, who had dropped the body, drew his blade and began circling the ravine while holding the Sandalwood Gold, searching.
Wu Jinliang, also on guard with his knife, posed another question, "Was it dragged away by wild animals?"
Shi Chun coldly replied, "There are no wild animals in the Moon Sea."
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