He appeared to be quite easygoing.

Situ Gu, however, wanted to ask him—handing over Zhener and taking the blame himself, were the two truly any different? Moreover, it was actually better to take the blame himself. At least with his own status and position, there would still be room for maneuver. But handing over Zhener and exposing the truth would bring trouble not only to him but also jeopardize Zhener's own safety.

He didn't agree and voiced his difficulty, "I possess the Secret Technique to find Divine Fire. If I don't give it to the Refining Heaven Sect and instead hand it to you, would that be acceptable?"

Shi Chun was indifferent to such concerns; those were Situ Gu's troubles, not his. Situ Gu knew better about the Refining Heaven Sect's internal situation, yet his words projected deference, "Then how does Senior propose we handle this? I will follow Senior's suggestion. However, I must warn you—my backbone is not that sturdy, and I fear I won't withstand their torturous interrogations."

His tone was submissive, his demeanor small and insignificant, showing not a hint of defiance, and ensuring not to trigger any discomfort from the other party.

Of course, if the other party started probing into how many people knew about this matter, then it would be a different story, and caution would be needed against any intent to silence witnesses.

But judging by all current signs, and by the information gathered about Situ Gu's character, it didn't seem that he had such plans for now.

Situ Gu stared at him, seeming a little exasperated. After a long while, he sighed softly and asked, "How do you intend to handle her?"

Shi Chun blinked, understanding that this meant Situ Gu had agreed. He was secretly delighted, as his plan was to throw the arrangement to Situ Gu.

Taking Zhener back with him was out of the question—he had loftier goals to pursue, including chasing after Xiang Laner. Taking Zhener back, a girl who clung to him and kissed him on a whim, was simply inappropriate.

He wasn't worried about whether Zhener could keep her mouth shut or whether she'd reveal anything to Situ Gu. As long as Situ Gu stepped into this matter and claimed ownership of the Divine Fire Secret Technique, there was no turning back or denial.

Outwardly, he continued to behave humbly, "I await Senior's advice."

Situ Gu indeed had a plan to guide him, "Word just came to me: once this conference wraps up, Mulan Jin intends to take your Mingshan Sect's people with her. Bringing Zhener along would likely be inconvenient."

"Mulan Jin? Take us? Which Mulan Jin?"

Shi Chun was momentarily dazed. Though the image of a figure in green robes flashed through his mind, he still asked stupidly, as he genuinely couldn't understand.

Situ Gu replied, "The Pavilion Master of Heavenly Star Pavilion, the Xuanji Token Master, Mulan Jin."

That clarified it, but Shi Chun truly couldn't comprehend. Suspiciously, he asked, "She wants to take our Mingshan Sect people? Why?"

Situ Gu countered with a question of his own, "Do you have any connections with the Demon Path?"

These words sent Shi Chun into a panic—not just a panic but a complete soul-shaking terror. He hastily defended himself, "Senior, you cannot say such things recklessly!"

Not only Shi Chun, but even Wu Jinliang, who had been eavesdropping outside, turned pale in an instant, trembling in fright.

Situ Gu mused aloud, "If not, then all the better. They say it's about asking your sect for clues regarding the Demon Path."

Shi Chun swallowed hard, dryly saying, "We don't know anything about Demon Path clues."

Situ Gu responded, "Given the nature of Demon Path matters, my Refining Heaven Sect has no place to intervene too much. What exactly is going on, you'll naturally find out once the Stargazing Pavilion approaches you."

Shi Chun felt a flicker of unease—could it be that the dealings he had with Xiang Laner and their crowd had leaked somehow?

Or perhaps the bastards led by Gong Shixi had managed to send messages to others before getting annihilated, and related individuals now leaked the news?

He could confidently guarantee that neither he nor Wu Jinliang had leaked any of the details.

Once he calmed down a bit, he caught onto a key detail and ventured to ask, "Senior mentioned earlier that only after the conference ends will they take us?"

Situ Gu nodded slightly, "They say it shouldn't interfere with the Artifact Refining World competition."

Shi Chun lowered his head, tilting his mind to deliberate. Something felt off. If they had truly uncovered connections between him and the Demon Path, there would be no need to wait; they could simply take him away immediately.

This very detail raised further doubts in him. Having interacted with the Demon Path long enough, Shi Chun had gleaned certain insights into the Heavenly Court's methods of capturing Demon Path individuals—they never casually leaked information before making a move. Since even the Refining Heaven Sect was informed, what were they playing at?

The more he thought about it, the stranger the situation seemed. Unable to make sense of it fully, he even began suspecting that the figure might be seeking revenge for their own child. Then again, that seemed unlikely—no one would go to such lengths or wait this long merely for personal vengeance.

The conundrum twisted Shi Chun's mind further. As for Zhener, he was no longer in the mood to deal with her specifics. Thus, he outright stated, "Senior's insights are valid; it would indeed be inconvenient for Zhener to travel with us. Why not let her go with you instead? I leave her arrangements to you, Senior."

Situ Gu didn't refuse; he seemingly had already made plans. "Publicly, I intend to take her in as my disciple and bring her back to the Refining Heaven Sect. I'll assign her an identity from among the deceased attendees, claiming she was a young man disguised by my arrangement. If the Refining Heaven Sect inquires, I'll simply state that I secretly accepted her as a disciple myself. Would such an arrangement work?"

A disciple? Was he stretching things this far? Shi Chun was shocked and couldn't tell whether such a plan was feasible or not. After all, he didn't know much about the Refining Heaven Sect. Tentatively, he responded, "If Senior can resolve matters with the Refining Heaven Sect, I think whether it works or not hardly matters at that point."

Situ Gu clarified, "What I mean is, I can give her an identity to join, but I need to confirm she won't inadvertently expose her real identity inside."

Shi Chun suddenly understood. As long as no one spilled the truth of Zhener's identity, other matters were manageable within the Artifact Refining World.

Come to think of it, with Situ Gu's standing and reputation in the Artifact Refining World, as long as he wasn't overly rigid and was willing to adapt flexibly, most challenges should pose little difficulty.

After some careful thought, Shi Chun finally nodded slowly, "We certainly won't create trouble on our part. As for others… we haven't disclosed her identity to anyone. We've always kept her secret safe."

From the very beginning, his intention was to leverage Zhener's relationship with Situ Gu, so naturally, confidentiality on this matter was upheld.

Situ Gu appeared relieved at that, "Alright. After we coordinate on this matter, you won't need to concern yourself further; I'll handle it."

"Hmm, hmm, hmm." Shi Chun nodded repeatedly, eagerly aligning himself with this esteemed figure to share a mutual secret.

Still, some foreseeable challenges came to mind. Using such methods to bring Zhener into the Refining Heaven Sect, no matter Situ Gu's status, he wasn't the sect's supreme authority. Situ Gu was bound to face considerable questioning, and the Artifact Refining World itself might demand explanations.

It seemed that this world-renowned master of artifact refining was risking quite a bit this time for Zhener. Situ Gu might even go so far as to leverage his years of achievements to withstand scrutiny.

This was purely Shi Chun's speculation. Whether the efforts were truly for Zhener or driven by ulterior motives like coveting Zhener's fire attribute, he couldn't know.

Whatever the case, as long as he could extricate himself from this situation successfully, it wouldn't matter to him even if Situ Gu ended up killing Zhener to absorb her powers.

In Shi Chun's view, handing over Zhener to Situ Gu was no different from delivering two Divine Fires to the Fengluo Sect—it was merely payment for a service.

Thus, the two coordinated their plans thoroughly.

Having thought through the matters and settled them in his mind, Situ Gu turned and walked away. But Shi Chun called out to stop him, "Senior, please wait. This junior has one more favor to ask."

Situ Gu frowned slightly, "What is it?"

Shi Chun said, "Help me send two people out of the valley."

Situ Gu hesitated for a moment before replying, "The Xuanji Token Master has decreed that all members of your Mingshan Sect are to be taken."

Shi Chun responded, "Senior, you may try anyway. If they get out, that's great. If not, it doesn't matter—I just want to test what the Xuanji Token Master is scheming here, to avoid implicating Zhener."

Indeed, Shi Chun wanted to test whether members of his party could leave the valley. If they were released, it would essentially eliminate connections to Demon Path.

If not a single member of the Mingshan Sect were allowed to leave, then he would have to truly strategize about his next moves—he couldn't just sit and wait for disaster.

Besides, even without this matter, Shi Chun had originally planned to send An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin out first, intending them to reconnect with their former sects. It would be best if this could happen before news of their absorption of Divine Fire spread.

Whether or not the meeting with their sects succeeded wasn't a critical concern; Situ Gu agreed readily, "Alright."

Shi Chun bowed deeply to express his gratitude, "Thank you, Senior, for granting this. No need for you to personally go anywhere; you can wait here, and I will convince Zhener."

Situ Gu nodded, watching Shi Chun leave the room. Surprisingly, he felt an inexplicable sense of nervousness.

But in his eyes, there was resolve—what he failed to protect all those years ago, he would ensure was safeguarded this time!

Shi Chun went outside, called on Zhener, and led her to another room, where he tried to persuade her.

In truth, persuasion might be an exaggeration—Zhener was quite obedient to him. It was mostly reminders about certain matters.

When he brought her back before Situ Gu, Zhener approached him proactively, clenched her fist slightly, and warned in a commanding tone, "Gu, I'm temporarily posing as your disciple."

"Uh..." Situ Gu responded awkwardly, "Okay."

Their way of communicating, along with that particular form of address, sounded entirely like one speaking to a subordinate. Shi Chun faintly suspected whether this was how they used to address each other.

Regardless of his suspicions, Shi Chun sternly warned, "Did you forget my instructions? From now on, call him 'Master' both in public and in private."

Zhener pouted slightly.

Situ Gu gestured with his hand, "I can't linger for long."

The implication was that tasks needed to be handled quickly.

Shi Chun bowed and excused himself, swiftly heading to find Zhu Xiangxin and An Wuzhi, asking them to reconnect with their former sects.

The two hesitated and fidgeted, ultimately unable to resist Shi Chun's urging and departed with Situ Gu.

Being sent off personally by Situ Gu was an immensely influential experience for Zhu Xiangxin and An Wuzhi.

And this was precisely what Shi Chun intended.

Seeing Zhener escorted away as well, Young Master Nan blinked repeatedly, his small mustache twitching incessantly.

Wu Jinliang, who had been watching the departure, gathered beside Shi Chun. Even though he knew Shi Chun was indifferent to Zhu and An's departure, he could still tell that the Master didn't actually want Zhu Xiangxin and An Wuzhi to leave.

At this moment, the disciples of the Lihuo Sect guarding the door immediately knocked as soon as Situ Gu left.

Shi Chun let the person in and asked what the matter was.

There wasn't really anything new—it was something Shi Chun already knew. The disciple came to announce a new set of rules to the Mingshan Sect and quickly left after delivering the message.

The members of Mingshan Sect weren't fools—Chu Jingtang immediately cursed, "Damn it, what kind of shitty new rules are these? This is clearly targeted at us!"

"If you can't play fair, don't play at all!"

"A bunch of shameless scoundrels."

One after another, the group began to lash out.

Young Master Nan stood to the side, sighing and shaking his head, when suddenly his gaze shifted. He noticed Tong Mingshan sneakily trying to tug Shi Chun aside for a private word.

Returning to the main hall, Shi Chun looked puzzled, "What is it?"

Tong Mingshan indeed seemed quite furtive, speaking in a hushed voice, "Master, this competition rule might not block me. I might be able to give it a shot."

"Hmm?" Shi Chun turned his head to look at him, full of confusion. What did he mean?

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