Chapter 3888: A Bait Planted Long Ago

Taegong rested the small cube upon the desk.

"When will they be ready?" His eagerness had become increasingly obvious.

The woman considered the matter. "Give me one hour."

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’One hour?’

That proved to be far quicker than he had anticipated. He originally expected several days. Perhaps enough time for paperwork if there was even any. Something like formal approvals, transfer papers and such.

Instead, everything would begin almost immediately.

Taegong appeared equally pleased. "Excellent. I can keep Shatter Peak occupied for that long."

His confidence never faltered. "Once that hour passes, nobody will realize what has happened."

The woman remained considerably more cautious. "You should prepare yourself." Her voice became serious once again. "The moment High Elder Shatter Peak escapes the situation will become complicated."

Taegong dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand. "I can handle myself."

Lin Mu quietly frowned. ’How?’

That confidence seemed almost irrational.

High Elder Shatter Peak had already begun smashing through dozens of reinforced treasury barriers. Peak Head Mountain Roar would eventually learn what happened. The remaining Elders certainly would as well.

Could Taegong truly believe remaining inside the treasury guaranteed his safety?

Lin Mu found the idea difficult to accept. ’Does he intend to hide here forever?’

The treasury formations certainly possessed tremendous strength. But eventually someone stronger would arrive. Even if Peak Head Mountain Roar respected the treasury’s authority...

Lin Mu struggled imagining the old giant calmly accepting one of his disciples being framed.

’The Wild Peak Elders might simply tear the mountain apart.’

Considering everything he had witnessed since arriving that possibility genuinely seemed realistic. Lin Mu briefly shifted his attention back toward the tiny cube resting upon the desk and his Spatial Perception quietly examined it from afar.

The treasure radiated pure Spatial Qi. Every rune connected with one another through astonishingly compact formations. He wished he could inspect the internal structure. But doing so from this distance remained impossible.

Still he reached several conclusions. ’A single use probably consumes one face.’

The six runes likely represented six independent activations. Three remained intact while three had already burned away. The treasure itself also appeared designed solely for teleportation.

But whether it was for long distance or instantaneous teleportation, its exact limitations remained unclear. He didn’t know about the maximum range, number of passengers, activation requirements or even destination restrictions.

None of those could be determined through observation alone.

Lin Mu reluctantly withdrew his attention. ’I don’t have enough time.’

Remaining inside the office much longer increased the risk of discovery. He still needed to return before Taegong visited the prison again. The conversation gradually approached its conclusion.

The woman gave several final instructions concerning communication procedures and Taegong acknowledged each one.

Finally, the communication formation dimmed and the woman’s silhouette disappeared. The office became quiet once more.

Taegong reached forward and deactivated the formation completely before slowly rising from his chair. He looked extraordinarily pleased as a broad smile spread across his face. The expression carried obvious satisfaction.

It was almost narcissistic.

He admired his own success for a few seconds, then believing himself completely alone he quietly muttered...

"To think the bait I planted all those years ago will finally bear fruit."

Lin Mu froze. ’Bait?’

Taegong slowly walked toward the enormous inventory display. His fingers lightly brushed several formation runes.

He smiled again.

"Even if the cost was considerable, modifying the array proved worthwhile."

Lin Mu’s pupils contracted as the meaning became immediately obvious.

’The entrance barrier...’ Everything suddenly connected.

The treasury entrance had never malfunctioned, and the disciple token had never accidentally opened the barrier. Instead, someone had deliberately altered the formation. Someone who happened to be standing only a few meters away.

’So it was Taegong.’ Lin Mu finally understood.

The treasury barrier had been modified years ago. It was a hidden flaw that had been carefully concealed. It had been waiting patiently until the right opportunity appeared.Little Bull simply happened to become the unfortunate individual who triggered it.

Lin Mu slowly pieced together the entire scheme and realized that the target had never specifically been Little Bull. Any disciple would have sufficed.

Someone wandering close enough, curious enough and unfortunate enough. That was all that was needed. The altered barrier would welcome them inside and the treasury records would immediately report unauthorized entry.

Taegong would then arrive, and the disciple would be accused. A valuable treasure would mysteriously disappear, and the unfortunate disciple would become the perfect culprit. Everything afterward would proceed exactly according to plan.

Little Bull’s only difference lay in his value. His reputation transformed an ordinary disciple into an especially useful bargaining piece.

Lin Mu quietly looked toward Taegong and for the first time, he almost felt sorry for whichever disciple might have triggered this trap years earlier had fate unfolded differently.

This conspiracy had existed long before Little Bull ever entered the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect. He had merely stumbled into a snare patiently waiting for its first victim.

Lin Mu waited until Taegong moved away from his desk. Only then did he slowly withdraw back into the stone ceiling.

Phase quietly released its hold over the surrounding rock, allowing his body to move naturally once again. He remained motionless for another few breaths, extending his Spatial Perception through the nearby passages one final time.

The office remained occupied.

Taegong had begun organizing several jade slips while occasionally glancing toward the inventory display. There was no sign that the man had noticed anything unusual. Satisfied, Lin Mu retreated.

Rather than walking openly through the corridor again, he alternated between Flicker and Phase whenever necessary, taking full advantage of the prison’s surprisingly simple internal layout.

The journey back proved considerably faster than before since he already knew the path.

A few minutes later, he arrived outside his cell. The prison remained exactly as he had left it. Lin Mu used Flicker once more and for the briefest instant, his body bypassed the prison barrier before appearing inside the cell.

The formations remained undisturbed and nothing reacted.

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