What exactly is he plotting

Su Ji lowered his eyes, not saying a word.

No emotion could be seen on his face.

But his mind was racing, dismantling and analyzing all the information Zhao Tianyang had just revealed.

What an intricate web of interlocking schemes.

The Zhao Family, the Wind Listening Pavilion, Zhao Tianyang, and himself—the "key."

Everyone had their own calculations, and everyone thought they were the smartest chess player on the board.

The head of the Zhao family, Zhao Wuji, wanted to borrow the prestige of the Wind Listening Pavilion's Pavilion Master to suppress all the petty thieves, ensuring he could securely devour the fat piece of meat that was the Immortal Venerable's legacy.

That Pavilion Master of the Wind Listening Pavilion appeared to be here as a bodyguard, but in reality, he was a vulture drawn by the scent of blood. Not only did he want a piece of the pie, but more importantly, he wanted this exclusive secret that could shake the entire Canghuang Realm to save his crumbling intelligence business.

And this old dog Zhao Tianyang, seemingly loyal, was secretly hiding the most crucial map. He was preparing to pull the rug out from under everyone once they were all in the trap, sweeping away the greatest benefits for himself.

As for himself...

In all of their eyes, he was nothing more than a tool who happened to be able to open the doors to the treasury.

"Senior Brother, these people's hearts are all dirty."

"It's better if they are dirty."

Su Ji replied in his mind.

"I'd only be afraid if they had no desires and were a united front. That would be truly difficult to handle."

The way things were now, everyone had their own ulterior motives, which meant there were flaws everywhere.

"This Zhao family really knows how to scheme."

Seeing Su Ji's silent demeanor, Zhao Tianyang thought he was frightened by the complex twists and turns, and couldn't help but sigh again.

"His Majesty the Immortal Emperor has always advocated peace and strictly forbidden True Immortal level experts from fighting privately, so as not to damage the foundations of the Canghuang Realm."

"As long as the Pavilion Master of the Wind Listening Pavilion gets his hands on the legacy and puts it into his spatial ring, it will be a done deal."

"Who would dare to snatch it? Who could even snatch it?"

"Below the True Immortal realm, who is a match for him? Above the True Immortal realm, who would dare risk offending the Immortal Emperor to break this rule?"

The more Zhao Tianyang spoke, the stronger the worldly, weathered look on his face became.

"Therefore, this move by the Zhao family is truly brilliant."

"It seems they paid a hefty price to invite a great figure, but in reality, they used the smallest cost to accomplish the most secure outcome."

Listening to this, Su Ji finally raised his eyelids.

He looked at Zhao Tianyang's wrinkled old face and suddenly asked an entirely unrelated question.

"Old man, does my identity as deputy manager still count right now?"

Zhao Tianyang froze for a moment, clearly not keeping up with Su Ji's train of thought.

"Naturally it counts!" he answered subconsciously. "In this Third Mining Area, you are now... under only one person and above ten thousand."

Towards the end, Zhao Tianyang's voice unconsciously lowered, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.

Because he was that "one person."

"Oh."

Su Ji nodded.

"Since it still counts, then things will be easy."

Su Ji's face once again put on that weak appearance.

"Elder Zhao, you can see my physical condition. I'm very weak."

"For this half a month, I need to rest and recuperate well."

"There are some things I'll have to trouble you to run errands for."

Zhao Tianyang's eyelids twitched violently.

Looking at Su Ji's bloodless face and his matter-of-fact tone, a nameless anger suddenly flared up within him.

Did this brat really think he was a big deal?

Was he pushing his luck?

But before he could lash out, that sense of restriction from the unseen world quietly emerged once again.

The Dao Heart Oath.

He had just sworn an oath to advance and retreat together, and share everything known.

The fire in Zhao Tianyang's heart was instantly extinguished completely.

The muscles on his face twitched twice, and finally, he squeezed out a few words through his gritted teeth.

"...What do you want to do?"

"It's not what I want to do," Su Ji corrected. "It's what we want to do."

He turned around and paced a couple of steps in the room. His footsteps were still weak, but his back exuded an indescribable certainty.

"First, I need a large amount of vicious beast flesh and blood that can replenish vital energy. The more the better, and the higher the grade the better."

Su Ji stopped and turned his head. Those eyes that should have been dim were now terrifyingly clear.

"Don't try to fool me with the garbage that the mine slaves outside eat. I need to recover my condition."

"The better my condition, the higher our chances of success. You should know this, right?"

"You wouldn't want me to fail at the crucial moment because of a laughable problem like a lack of vital energy, would you?"

Zhao Tianyang's brows furrowed.

"This... might be a bit difficult."

"The Family Head and the others are all here. If I frequently mobilize such supplies, I'm afraid it will arouse suspicion."

"That's your problem." Su Ji waved his hand, putting on a rogue-like appearance of someone who only makes demands, leaving the solutions to others.

"You are a veteran here. If you can't even handle this little matter, how can I believe you can lead me to the true legacy?"

Zhao Tianyang was choked up by his words and couldn't speak for a long time.

"Second." Su Ji didn't give him much time to think, extending a second finger.

"Go and bring me that newcomer named Qin Feng."

"Qin Feng?" A touch of disdain appeared on Zhao Tianyang's face. "What do you want with that piece of trash? Right now, he's probably still worrying about his daily quota."

"Trash also has its uses." Su Ji's face bore an unfathomable smile.

"Just bring him here. As for the rest, I have my own plans."

Zhao Tianyang was silent for a moment before finally nodding.

"Alright."

"Third." Su Ji extended his third finger. The smile on his face slowly faded, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.

"And this is the most important thing."

He looked at Zhao Tianyang, enunciating each word.

"Help me get a list of all the mine slaves in the Third Mining Area."

"I want every single one of their names, any special skills they have..."

"I want the most detailed information."

"Not a single one can be missed!"

As soon as these words came out, Zhao Tianyang was completely stunned.

He looked at Su Ji, his cloudy eyes filled with disbelief.

What is this brat... trying to do?

What does he want the information of these mine slaves for?

Could it be that he...

An incredibly absurd yet incredibly terrifying thought grew wildly in Zhao Tianyang's heart.

"You... Are you crazy?!" Zhao Tianyang's voice became a bit shrill due to extreme shock.

"You couldn't possibly be thinking of... releasing these mine slaves to create chaos, could you?!"

"They are all wearing Spirit-Locking Rings, and their cultivation bases are suppressed to less than a tenth. They are no different from cripples!"

"If you gather them, what use could they be other than cannon fodder?!"

Zhao Tianyang felt that Su Ji must have lost his mind.

This was simply a fantasy!

"I told you, don't ask. I have my own plans."

Su Ji put away his smile and looked straight at Zhao Tianyang.

"You just need to tell me, can you handle this matter, or not?"

Zhao Tianyang's lips moved a couple of times; he wanted to say he couldn't.

But meeting Su Ji's eyes, he swallowed his words back down.

He knew he had no choice.

From the moment he chose to betray the Zhao family and cooperate with Su Ji, he had already cut off any path of retreat.

"It's going to be hard... I'll try." After a long while, Zhao Tianyang finally squeezed these words out from between his teeth.

"However, I need time."

"Nobody cares what these mine slaves know how to do. With this sudden request of yours, I'll have to figure out a way to get my hands on the information."

"I'll give you ten days." Su Ji held up a single finger.

"Within ten days, I want to see the list sitting right in front of me."

"Ten days?!" Zhao Tianyang's voice spiked instantly. "Impossible! I need at least a month!"

"Fourteen days," Su Ji said, leaving no room for argument.

"That is my bottom line."

He looked at Zhao Tianyang's shifting, unpredictable old face and spoke slowly.

"Don't forget, we only have half a month."

"In half a month, we have to follow them into that Immortal Venerable's tomb."

Zhao Tianyang's face grew even more unsightly.

Eventually, he gave a defeated nod.

"...Fine."

"Then it's settled." The solemn expression on Su Ji's face vanished into thin air, instantly replaced by his usual amiable smile.

He took a step forward and patted Zhao Tianyang's shoulder once more.

"Elder Zhao, don't look so miserable."

"We are now allies fighting for a common ideal."

"Cheer up."

Looking at that grinning face, Zhao Tianyang felt his fists harden.

Right now, all he wanted to do was slap that highly punchable face into a pulp.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll be heading back." Su Ji stretched, let out a yawn, and ambled unsteadily toward the door.

"Remember what I tasked you with."

"Especially the first thing. I want to see meat by tonight."

Having said his piece, he pulled the door open and left without a backward glance.

Zhao Tianyang was left standing alone in the room, his expression so dark and stormy it looked as though it could drip water.

He stared at Su Ji's retreating back, his mind churning like a stormy sea.

What exactly was this kid trying to do?

What on earth was he plotting?