Xiao Xi Ingeniously Deploys the Chain of Stratagems, the Mohists Stumble into the Executioner's Block

“Xiaoxi.”

Deep in the primeval forest, after asking around tirelessly, Mo Xian had finally learned a little about Ye Xiaoxi. He had stopped calling her “little sister” and switched to the two-character nickname instead, making them seem much closer.

He glanced at the lush trees on either side of them and spoke.

“We’ve been walking for quite a while now. Are you sure you’ve seen the Snake-People Tribe? Why don’t you tell us where it is, and we’ll go look for it ourselves?”

“Mm-hmm!”

The moment she heard Mo Xian’s voice, Ye Xiaoxi felt sick to her stomach.

Suppressing the urge to vomit, she turned her head toward Mo Xian and put on an innocent, utterly guileless expression. In a childish tone, she said, “Mommy said children mustn’t lie! Otherwise, the Big Bad Wolf will eat them!”

“Xiaoxi has seen those big sisters.”

“It’s just… it’s just that Xiaoxi can’t say what the place is called, so I can only lead you there!”

“My memory is really good!”

Seeing how righteous she looked, the people around Mo Xian relaxed their guard a little. After all, what kind of evil thoughts could an eight- or nine-year-old child in a pink dress, smelling faintly of milk and speaking in a sweet, childish voice possibly have?

The smile on Mo Xian’s face deepened.

He nodded.

“Then we’ll listen to Xiaoxi. Let’s keep going.”

“Mm-hmm!”

Ye Xiaoxi gave him a sunny smile. “Xiaoxi will definitely lead the way properly!” Then she turned around and focused on guiding them.

“What a good child…”

As Mo Xian watched her petite back, his heart nearly melted.

Little did he know that the instant Ye Xiaoxi turned away, the expression on her face became gloomy and vicious. She cursed inwardly:

“Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you! This disgusting pedophile! Just talking to me makes me want to puke! I really want to kill this whole bunch right now! Damn it! Damn it!”

“…”

Danxia, who was inside the ring, was stunned when she heard that.

“Who taught you those words? A young lady should be more refined.” She rubbed her forehead with a headache, deeply worried about her daughter’s education and upbringing.

“Refined? I threw that sort of thing away the moment I was born!”

Ye Xiaoxi looked thoroughly displeased.

“It wasn’t you…”

Danxia was about to faint.

Why was her daughter so disobedient, with such a filthy mouth? Was this really an eight- or nine-year-old child?

Forget it. She would leave Medusa to deal with the headache.

Danxia decided not to torment herself any further and instead asked, “Xiaoxi, are you really planning to lead this bunch back?”

“Of course not!”

Ye Xiaoxi widened her eyes and denied it outright. “Just wait and see, Mommy. They’ll only be happy for a little while. Before long, they won’t be smiling anymore…”

At the thought of what she was about to do, Ye Xiaoxi felt like laughing. Even the disgust Mo Xian inspired in her faded considerably.

She quickened her pace and headed toward the place in her memory.

Danxia was left inside the ring, staring blankly.

Her daughter really was becoming more and more like her deadbeat father.

As expected of someone from the same bloodline.

The group continued forward. Before long, the smell of sand in the air grew stronger, while the atmosphere became drier and the temperature rose slightly.

When they pushed aside the grass ahead, the view suddenly opened up.

Before them stretched a barren, desolate desert. Golden sand piled up like hills, while the blazing sun hung high in the sky, pouring down scorching rays of light.

The members of the Mo Clan raised their hands slightly to shield their eyes from the dazzling sunlight.

“Come on, follow me!”

After leaving the forest, Ye Xiaoxi waved excitedly and reminded them, “The big sisters went this way before, but be careful. There’s quicksand everywhere in the desert. If you accidentally step into a sinkhole, it’ll swallow you up!”

Upon seeing the desert, Mo Xian and the others relaxed their vigilance even further.

“The intelligence said that the Snake-People Tribe lived in a desert in the Eastern Wasteland. After coming to the Central Province, they really are still hiding in a desert?”

“That makes sense. It does fit their nature.”

Mo Xian stared at the endless desert and muttered to himself. Then he waved a hand at the Mo Clan members behind him and shouted, “Everyone, keep up! Don’t fall behind!”

…

After walking through the wasteland for a while, they reached a rocky desert.

Ye Xiaoxi suddenly stopped in front of a cave at the edge of the stone-strewn ravine, where wind-carved rocks stood everywhere.

Mo Xian, who had been watching her back the entire time, stopped as well and asked, “What’s wrong, Xiaoxi? Is there some danger?”

“We’re here.”

Ye Xiaoxi turned around and pointed at the numerous crisscrossing caves scattered throughout the rocky wasteland.

“After the big sisters finished playing with Xiaoxi, they disappeared here!”

“Here?”

Mo Xian was slightly taken aback. He narrowed his eyes and carefully surveyed the rocky caves before him.

The caves varied in size. Some were so narrow that only one person could squeeze through sideways, while others were as spacious as halls. They looked like a natural maze carved out jointly by wind and time.

It was indeed an excellent place to hide people.

“Xiaoxi, are you sure they’re inside?”

Mo Xian asked again.

“Xiaoxi doesn’t know.” Ye Xiaoxi shook her head. “I only know that the big sisters went this way. After that, I couldn’t see them anymore.”

Although her words were a denial, they unexpectedly put people at ease.

Mo Xian’s heart stirred, and his vigilance dropped another notch. His gaze grew gentler as he looked at Ye Xiaoxi, and he thought to himself:

“What a good child. She tells the truth and doesn’t even know how to lie.”

He remained where he was, his eyes narrowing.

The divine sense of a Void Refining cultivator instantly spread out, sweeping toward the rocky wasteland before him. But the moment it entered the edge of the ravine, it encountered a powerful resistance and was completely unable to probe any farther.

“Right!”

Mo Xian’s expression brightened.

There really were people inside. Most likely, they were the Snake-People Tribe the Young Master was searching for.

At the same time, a faint white light flickered in Ye Xiaoxi’s eyes.

But it quickly returned to normal.

“Xiaoxi, you truly are our lucky star.” Mo Xian looked at Ye Xiaoxi, his eyes burning with excitement.

Soon, he would be promoted and receive a raise, returning to the clan’s main branch.

At that point, marrying this girl as his legal wife and asking the clan to bestow medicine upon her would no longer be a dream. With the medicine, he could rapidly raise Ye Xiaoxi’s cultivation and allow her to retain this mature, alluring appearance forever.

Just imagining it made him shudder with excitement.

But excitement was one thing. Mo Xian had not been so dazzled by the victory within reach that he had lost his head.

He looked at Ye Xiaoxi and said gently, “Xiaoxi, the discussion between Big Brother and the Snake-People Tribe probably isn’t suitable for children to watch. Why don’t you find somewhere to wait for a while?”

“When Big Brother comes out, I’ll give you some candy.”

“Okay!”

Ye Xiaoxi answered sweetly, then ran over to a shady spot beneath a stone wall and began playing with the sand.

Once she was gone, Mo Xian’s expression instantly turned solemn.

He looked at Mo Yan and ordered in a low voice, “Go in and investigate first. Don’t stay long. If anything happens, come out immediately. Don’t get entangled in a fight. The Snake-People Tribe is only a minor clan from the Eastern Wasteland, so it shouldn’t pose much of a threat to us.”

“Yes!”

Mo Yan nodded, then flew straight toward the rocky wasteland.

After entering, Mo Yan headed toward the cave nearest the edge of the gravel flats. He slipped sideways into it, and his figure was quickly swallowed by the shadows.

The others kept their eyes fixed firmly on the cave entrance from outside.

Before long, Mo Yan reappeared at the entrance. Looking toward the group in the distance, he signaled to them.

“They’re all inside. I can’t handle them alone—hurry over!”

Seeing this, Mo Xian did not hesitate in the slightest. He waved his hand.

“Everyone, move out!”

“Yes!”

Dozens of people charged across the gravel flats in a mighty rush. Following behind Mo Yan, they disappeared into the shadow-shrouded cave.

Just after they entered, Ye Xiaoxi lifted her head.

“Hehe… they finally fell for it!”

A sly smile curled her lips as she giggled.

“Then enjoy the grand gift I prepared for you. Hiahiahia!”

Meanwhile, inside the cave in the rock wall…

The moment Mo Xian and the others entered, they realized something was wrong.

Some strange noises seemed to be coming from deep within the cave.

They sounded like screams.

The group cautiously felt their way downward. What appeared before their eyes was a sight they would remember for the rest of their lives.

A vast chamber opened up below them. Dozens of yellow-haired, scraggly apes clung to the rock walls, making loud “hoo-ha” noises. Beneath them, on the rough stone floor, Mo Yan lay sprawled on all fours, his rear raised high. A thick beast bone covered in barbs had been thrust into him, and his body trembled faintly in an extremely indecent position. His expression was horribly twisted, and he let out miserable moans.

“Ohhh… hoo-hoo… hoo-hoo-hoo…”

“This…”

The sight sent chills through Mo Xian and the others.

If the man lying there was Mo Yan, then who was the person that had led them inside?

“Everyone, enjoy yourselves~”

Fake Mo Yan waved at them. Then his body scattered like a gust of wind, revealing behind him a group of red-eyed apes that looked as if they had just found a whole set of new toys.

“Y-you’ve got to be kidding me!”

The Mo family members inside the cave instantly went deathly pale.

“Don’t come any closer, please!!!!”

“No! No!”

“Ohohohohohohohoho!”