All Parties in Motion

Sunset at dusk.

After rushing back from his old friend's house, Bingxuanzi wandered around the city for a long time but didn't see Ye Shu, who had gone out to gather information.

Just when he thought Ye Shu had already returned.

He suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure beneath a street performing troupe.

There was a theatrical troupe there.

The troupe had set up a large stage.

Many women were dancing on the stage, wearing revealing clothes, with long sleeves fluttering in song and dance; some were breathtakingly beautiful.

Below the stage was a dense crowd.

They looked at the dancers on stage whose skirt slits reached their thighs, their eyes burning with passion, occasionally whistling frivolously.

Bingxuanzi finally managed to squeeze his way in.

Only to see Ye Shu standing with his hands behind his back, looking up from the best possible angle.

As for why no one was crowding him.

Because he was standing on a table.

"You brat..." Bingxuanzi took a deep breath, strode forward, grabbed Ye Shu's hem, and said through gritted teeth, "I asked you to gather intelligence, and you ran off here to look at girls and listen to music???"

"I've already finished gathering it."

Ye Shu stood on the table, speaking calmly.

"Huh?" Bingxuanzi was so angry he laughed. "Then tell me, what intelligence did you gather?"

"Two months from now, the Snakeman Tribe will hold a Strange Fire Festival in the Holy City to celebrate their Queen's rebirth. The Snakeman Tribe is heavily guarded these days; not even a fly can get in."

"If we want to snatch the Strange Fire, the best time is during the festival."

"I have a premonition that besides us, many others are getting restless. They won't just sit back and watch the Snakeman Tribe grow stronger and threaten human territories."

"So the scene will be very chaotic."

"The more chaotic it is, the more advantageous it is for us."

"How... how did you know?" Bingxuanzi's eyes widened in disbelief.

This information was exactly the same as what he had found out.

Even more comprehensive.

Ye Shu didn't answer this question.

The Wordless Pavilion was a very extensive organization spread throughout the world. Intelligence and public opinion were its strengths. The world never lacked down-and-out or nosy people, but it was also an extremely fragile organization. Maintaining its secrecy was incredibly important.

He wouldn't ruin Qian Jiang's painstaking efforts just to show off.

Ye Shu raised his head and suddenly spoke.

"These dancers... are not human."

Hearing this, Bingxuanzi was stunned.

He subconsciously looked up and observed carefully, only to realize that these dancers had slender and enchanting figures, breathtakingly beautiful, but faint scales shimmered in the firelight on their ears, shoulders, and necks. Moreover, some of them were extremely young, their faces still retaining a childlike appearance. Upon closer observation, one could see that although they were smiling, their smiles were stiff, and their bodies clearly trembled during certain large movements.

"Who are these people?" Ye Shu suddenly asked.

"Half-snakemen."

"Half-snakemen?"

"That's right," Bingxuanzi nodded.

"The offspring born from intermarriage between humans and the Snakeman Tribe are half-snakemen. They don't have snake tails and their body shape is the same as humans, but their bodies still retain characteristics of the Snakeman Tribe."

"Most half-snakemen are incredibly beautiful."

"They are mostly born to snakemen who have left their tribe and humans. A very small number are left behind when nobles toy with snakeman slaves. Because their human bloodline is impure and they have snakeman scales on their skin, they are discriminated against by humans."

"In the end..."

"Most end up with their parents beaten to death, reduced to slaves to entertain others."

Bingxuanzi sighed but said nothing more.

"So that's how it is..."

Ye Shu frowned deeply.

His gaze fell on a position in the back row of the dancers. There was a girl there, about 1.4 meters tall, much shorter than the others, with a thin figure and pale complexion, but her eyes were very lively. Her large eyes frequently observed the movements of others. Although hidden very well, Ye Shu could tell that this child was always half a beat slower, merely imitating the movements of the others. Her skin was very white and delicate, smoother than the finest suet jade, but it was covered by a thin layer of foundation, beneath which were dark red bruises.

The crowd below was still clamoring.

The people above were still forcing smiles, still singing.

Ye Shu watched, speechless for a moment.

"Shu'er..." Danxia seemed to see that he was in a bad mood and called out with some heartache.

"I'm fine," Ye Shu shook his head.

The two just stood below the stage, silently watching the performance.

Before long, the dance ended.

A pot-bellied middle-aged man walked out from backstage and announced that today's performance was over. The watching crowd felt unsatisfied, their eyes constantly looking behind the curtain.

The little girl had already timidly hidden in the back.

She seemed to see Ye Shu, who had been observing her, froze for a moment, then quickly retracted her gaze.

Ye Shu only smiled.

Always smiling.

Until the crowd in the square dispersed, he and Bingxuanzi still stood below the stage.

"Guests, we are closing up."

The middle-aged man thought they hadn't seen enough, so he came over and said, "I'm sorry, guests, our dance troupe recently received a large order and needs to rehearse quietly for the next two months. We won't be open to the public. If you want to watch, come back in two months."

Two months?

Bingxuanzi's heart skipped a beat.

Before he could speak, he saw Ye Shu maintaining his smile, staring straight into the middle-aged man's eyes, his voice eerily terrifying.

"It is indeed time to close the coffin..."

Meanwhile, at the Taiwu Imperial City, Yunxiao Sect.

"For the next few days, stay in the sect and don't go anywhere. As your master, I heard that a Strange Fire has appeared in the Dangur Desert. I will go fetch it for the Pill King to refine, helping him take a step further from the very pinnacle."

Feng Wuwang instructed Feng Mengli softly.

Feng Mengli nodded obediently.

After her master completely left, her gaze changed, becoming cold. She gazed in the direction of the Dangur Desert and muttered in a low voice.

"In the previous life, you lived because of me."

"In this life, with my master taking action, who can save you?"

At the same time, in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Qingxuan Sect, Zixiao Peak.

[Ding! Please head to the Dangur Desert to complete the plot mission: Obstruct the Child of Destiny from obtaining the Green Lotus Heavenly Fire. Host, please note, you must try your utmost to stop him. If your role-playing degree does not meet the standard, you will not be able to return to Earth and claim the ten-billion cash reward.]

Su Xiao, whose body was covered in bandages, laughed out of sheer anger.

He had finally managed to survive the beast tide, and now he had to go complete some damn mission.

What a bitter life, what a bitter life!

As bitter as wild grass crushed under a wheel.

As bitter as goldthread growing in the cracks of rocks.

Just then, a few excited female voices rang out from outside the door.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother! Let's go to the Dangur Desert!"

"Yeah!"

"The sect is organizing an expedition there, and our master is leading the team!"

Su Xiao: ".........."

Well, he was just thinking about how to get there, and now he didn't even have to think.

Meanwhile.

Halfway up the mountain, a small hut.

Lin Qingxue sat on the roof, resting her chin on one hand, looking at her senior brothers and sisters leaving together again, her eyes dim.

"Nannan, what are you doing sitting up here?"

Suddenly, an old voice rang out.

Looking back, she found that her grandfather had silently reappeared by her side, gazing at her with a gentle smile.

"If you want to go, then go."

"But I am all alone, and my Master won't let me go," Lin Qingxue lowered her head, a faint hint of grievance in her voice.

Lin Heming smiled and rubbed her head, saying softly, "Silly child, since when are you ever alone? You still have your grandfather. I will go with you."

"As for that little girl you call Master..."

A cold glint flashed across Lin Heming's eyes.

"I, Lin Heming, did not entrust my granddaughter to her care just for her to suffer grievances here."

"Let's go."

Lin Heming reached out his hand to her.

Lin Qingxue hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in her grandfather's palm.

The old man and the young girl took to the skies, flying on a sword.

................

Meanwhile, in the Dangul Desert.

The Snake-People Tribe.

The Holy City.

In a certain bedroom, a glamorous and beautiful woman lay on a bed, holding a small booklet in her right hand as a sharp gleam flashed in her eyes.

"Ye Shu? Interesting."