Feng Chi asked him what was the matter, and he said he needed to confirm some things with a powerful insider before he could explain clearly. Otherwise, it was too complex to communicate through the mother-child talisman alone.

Feng Chi quickly made arrangements for him. About half an hour later, he received a response telling him to retrieve an item from beneath a stone table at a pavilion in Wu Kang Mountain. Half of the mother-child talisman was stuck underneath the stone table.

Shi Chun immediately sent Wu Jinliang on the errand.

Knowing that he had been exposed and that he was now skating on thin ice, Wu Jinliang was cautious. He took two disciples from Wu Kang Mountain with him for a casual stroll ending at the target location, where he quietly retrieved the item while chatting.

The mother-child talisman was brought back to Shi Chun, who immediately contacted the other party, first sending a dark signal to confirm identity.

He knew that using this method for communication was not secure. Once the Bian family made their move and controlled Xia Fuli, it was hard to guarantee that Xia Fuli wouldn't divulge anything.

But at this point, there was nothing much left to consider. If the Bian family did make their move, and Xia Fuli chose not to speak, he himself would also find it difficult to escape. Now, he could only bet on the control of the big picture by the Demon Path and that the promised five days would hold true.

After confirming there was no error, he sent a message to Xia Fuli asking, "If needed, can you take Bian Weikang out of prison and away from Wu Kang Mountain without alarming anyone?"

Xia Fuli asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Shi Chun replied, "Just tell me if you can do it."

Xia Fuli answered, "Probably."

Shi Chun pressed, "I need a definite answer, not a 'probably.'"

Annoyed and almost ready to burst, Xia Fuli, now aware of who he was dealing with and considering the tricky situation with the Demon Path discussing retreat then ceasing, responded under great pressure, "I cannot be certain. I might have already been exposed. If the Bian family is watching me secretly, how can I act? It's impossible to take someone out."

Shi Chun confidently returned, "The Bian family is calculating and cunning. The closer they are to striking, the less likely they are to show any signs or let us find out. They probably aren't obviously monitoring you right now."

After a brief consideration, Xia Fuli felt there was truth to these words and replied using mana, "If that's the case, I can take him out."

Shi Chun responded with two words: "Get back."

He then pulled out the talisman to contact Feng Chi and sent a message: "Send me two more pairs of mother-child talismans."

These magic artifacts were not cheap.

This time, Feng Chi did not even ask what he needed them for, sparing him from preparing a lengthy explanation; he simply asked him to wait and then designated a specific point on Wu Kang Mountain for him to collect them.

One thing led to another, and gradually, Shi Chun distinctly felt that Feng Chi was being overly accommodating, which was truly illogical and made him instinctively cautious.

For the retrieval of the talismans, Wu Jinliang made another trip; for such a minor task, Shi Chun knew that Wu Jinliang's capabilities meant he likely wouldn't raise any suspicions.

After receiving the pairs of mother-child talismans, Shi Chun revealed a smile, guessing whose handiwork it was. On Wu Kang Mountain, aside from Xia Fuli, probably no one else could readily provide such items.

He shared a pair with Wu Jinliang, and then he descended the mountain alone, not allowing Wu Jinliang to accompany him.

Once he entered the city, he went to a clothing shop and bought new clothes, changing out of his Wu Kang Mountain attire.

Leaving the shop, he sauntered through the streets and alleys, arriving at a crossroads within the city gate. Under a nearby roof, he noticed a pile of straw but saw no sign of the scruffy beggar.

From the way the straw was arranged, it was evident someone lived there and used it; otherwise, the merchants would have already cleaned it up.

He entered a tavern and inquired about the beggar outside.

The merchant chuckled, "Oh, him? You can tell at a glance he's no ordinary person, so we wouldn't presume to disturb his place. He comes by every now and then to catch a nap, but the exact times vary."

Shi Chun slightly smiled, ordered food and drinks by a window overlooking the street, and slowly enjoyed his meal overlooking the beggar's shelter…

The matter involving the establishment of Xun Gate had been settled, and the distinguished guests from the territory's government were finally sent off. Bian Jixiong directly went to the Forbidden Land to report this to Bian Que.

As it involved matters of a higher scale, he always needed to inform his father of everything, big or small.

After completing his report, he asked his father in a soft voice, "Father, has the Royal Court decided when to take action?"

The white-robed Bian Que responded calmly, "Soon. Some personnel have already arrived and lie in ambush nearby. They've made direct contact with me, ready for my command at any moment. The Royal Court's stance is clear: to refrain from acting until necessary, but once action begins, we must be prepared for a major confrontation with the Demon Path to prevent a hasty move that could disgrace the Royal Court. For secrecy, we need to secretly mobilize reliable personnel and give it a few more days."

Reassured to hear that the Royal Court forces were nearby to assist, Bian Jixiong nodded in relief; however, he hesitated for a moment, "Father, since Xun Gate was secured by Shi Chun and his group and with construction imminent, might revealing them as members of the Demon Path affect Xun Gate's establishment?"

The stakes were not small, and as the Wu Kang Mountain Sect Master, he couldn't help but consider this.

Bian Que replied, "The Royal Court said you're worrying too much. Being recognized for eliminating demons should be rewarded."

"Understood," Bian Jixiong nodded with a smile, truly reassured now.

Just then, the faint clear chirping of birds suddenly reached their ears from outside. Sitting cross-legged and discussing matters with lowered eyes, the white-robed Bian Que suddenly looked up as a wave of mana surged from him, crossing over his son and directly opening the heavy stone door.

A gray-feathered small bird fluttered in and perched on his shoulder, its tail cocked, chirping as if begging for food.

Bian Que, tilting his head and contemplating…

At the window, Shi Chun took out the mother-child talisman, and he saw a message from Feng Chi: "The items are given, but what about the plan? I'm not the one asking."

Indeed, it wasn't her asking the question, she was standing next to a gaunt man dressed in green, under the eaves of a small courtyard house. It was the man in green who was asking.

The reason he was asking at that moment was that they had discovered where Shi Chun had eaten and drunk.

It wasn't that they were deliberately targeting Shi Chun, but when Feng Chi left Zhaotian City, they had grown wary after he was injured by the slovenly old man. Later, they learned that the slovenly old man had also come to Lankang City, and knowing he had issues with the Demon Path, they naturally had to be cautious.

Knowing that the old man often stayed under the eaves of a certain merchant's house, they secretly sent someone to keep watch.

This time, they discovered Shi Chun.

Upon reading the message, Shi Chun's eyebrows twitched slightly. He glanced across the street to a shop opposite the window, didn't notice anything unusual, but still swept the room with his gaze. Then he casually responded, "I have some leads, allow me to ponder over a drink."

Feng Chi showed the contents of the paired charms to the man in green, who after reading them, slowly said, "Let's hope it's a coincidence."

Feng Chi, "Isn't that slovenly old man supposed to be notable? Have we still not found out his background?"

The man in green, "We've done all sorts of comparisons about his actions and appearance, to no avail. He has settled here, and it's not wise to provoke him for tests. He doesn't trouble us, and we don't trouble him."

As they spoke, a disheveled figure appeared at the window where Shi Chun was eating and drinking. A hand reached in through the window, knocking on the table — it was the slovenly old man with a red nose.

Shi Chun turned his head to see him, his lips first curling into a knowing smile before he suddenly got up and exclaimed, "Senior!"

Pointing at him, the slovenly old man said, "You boy, daring to hog the feast right under my nose, utterly forgetting that I once saved your life."

Shi Chun bowed repeatedly and then gestured with his hand inviting, "Not at all, not at all, Senior, please do come in."

Thus, the slovenly old man swaggered in through the front door and sat down at Shi Chun's table, rambling, "Haven't seen you for a while, thought you'd left. Forgot even what you were called, what was it again?"

"Junior Shi Chun."

"Oh oh oh, yes, I remember now, Little Chun."

Shi Chun turned and called a waiter over to bring bowls and chopsticks and ordered a few more dishes, then poured the old man a drink.

After some pleasantries and food, the slovenly old man asked, "Coming here to eat and drink under my watch, were you perhaps intentionally looking for me?"

Shi Chun spoke softly, "Didn't Senior say that if I ever ran into trouble, I could seek your help? I'm not sure if that offer still stands?"

The slovenly old man chuckled, "It seems I did say that. Well, it depends on how sincere you are."

Shi Chun then poured him another drink, "There's plenty of good food and drink."

The slovenly old man raised his cup and downed the drink in one gulp, smacking his lips, "What kind of trouble could you have?"

Shi Chun said while looking around slyly, "Just a small favor, helping a junior receive someone later, no obligation, it depends if you're free at that time." Taking the opportunity while people weren't paying attention, he took out half of a paired charm from his sleeve and pushed it towards him, casually picking up the wine jug to pour more wine as a distraction.

The slovenly old man seized the paired charm and played with it in his hand, "Receive whom, when and where?"

Shi Chun, "To tell the truth, I'm not sure yet myself. I'm just helping a friend. If you find it inappropriate, we can forget about it." Saying this, he stretched out his hand in a gesture suggesting return the charm if you wish.

Smack, the slovenly old man hit his hand with the chopsticks he was holding and kept the paired charm, saying, "Several more meals then."

"Heh heh, of course." Shi Chun quickly raised his cup to toast.

After that, they began chatting idly, Shi Chun footing the bill for good food and drink.

After having their fill, one went to nap on a grass pile outside the window, and the other, filled with alcohol, headed back to the mountains outside the city.

On the way, Shi Chun took out the paired charm to message Feng Chi, asking: That slovenly old man we encountered when leaving Zhaotian City, have we found out who he is yet?

Feng Chi quickly replied: Still unclear, why do you ask?

Shi Chun, "He's still in Lankang City, just ran into him—be careful."

Feng Chi, "Will do. It's just five days, waiting here for your plan."

Shi Chun didn't delay this time, and directly informed them of his plan, which was quite simple, just about twenty words: "Reliable insiders to take Bian Weikang out of prison, lure the Bian family into pursuit, experts outside to eliminate them."

After reading, Feng Chi finally understood why Shi Chun had to confirm things with the insiders in the mountains before making a decision.

Taking advantage of the ink not yet faded, Feng Chi quickly showed it to the man in green under the tree who was staring blankly.

After reading, the man in green frowned and pondered for a while, then also took out his paired charm, moved away from Feng Chi, and contacted someone unknown.

Shortly after, the man in green put away his paired charm and came back to discuss, "First, we need to confirm if Bian Weikang can be taken out. Once Bian Weikang flees, it will alert many people, and we need to determine that."

Feng Chi hesitated, "How many people will search isn't important, right? As long as the Bian family is eliminated, with your capabilities, once Bian Que is taken down, can anyone from Bian Jixiong's rank still stand against you? Wukang Mountain won't come out in full force. Anyone who sees you can simply be silenced."

The man in green, "Higher-ups don't allow indiscriminate killing; detailed planning is required."

What the hell? Feng Chi's face filled with confusion.

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