It's our people

Chu Xingchen glanced at his second disciple, whose expression showed slight hesitation, and immediately understood the situation.

This flood dragon, aside from lazing around, had a particular fondness for food.

Xie Lingyu often used meals as bait to lure the little flood dragon.

Seeing how naturally Qinghe walked over to Li Xingtian’s side, completely unfazed by Xie Lingyu’s threats, it was clear she had found herself a meal ticket—and that ticket was none other than his second disciple.

Though Qinghe often spoke without thinking, there was a certain charm to her carelessness.

Seizing the opportunity, Chu Xingchen smoothly suggested, “Xingtian, take Qinghe with you to handle the task I assigned earlier.”

Li Xingtian met his master’s gaze, catching the slight lift of his brow, and instantly grasped the underlying meaning.

“Understood. I’ll go now.”

Qinghe wasn’t foolish—she knew this was Chu Xingchen’s way of letting Li Xingtian treat her to a meal. She shot Chu Xingchen an approving look.

At least this kid knew how to show gratitude after all the work she’d done.

Still, how infuriating!

Even Xie Lingyu wasn’t as considerate as this brat.

But she’d deal with that after eating.

Chu Xingchen watched as Qinghe cheerfully trailed behind Li Xingtian toward the door.

This little flood dragon really was easy to please.

This time, Qinghe refrained from throwing any more taunts at Xie Lingyu—no point risking her meal over empty bravado.

Xie Lingyu, too, wasted no time getting to the point.

“Something’s off in Cangzhou. Someone disguised as a boatman is tampering with the river. I didn’t want to alert them, so I came to ask for your thoughts.”

Chu Xingchen wasn’t particularly concerned—after all, the snake had already been startled.

“No need to worry. I’ve got some leads recently. Let’s set aside the Cangzhou water veins for now and stay in Chizhou. Let’s see what tricks they’re planning.”

Xie Lingyu frowned. “Shouldn’t we send someone to monitor Cangzhou’s water veins?”

Chu Xingchen chuckled.

“No need. I’ll make sure they’re too busy to meddle in Cangzhou again.”

Chizhou.

Xuanwu Sect’s meeting hall was a simple wooden structure with sparse furnishings—just a large table and a few crude stools.

Far from the imposing aura expected of a secretive sect, it resembled nothing more than a makeshift camp.

But the old fox found this perfectly reasonable. After all, staying low-key was the key to longevity.

At least the Xuanwu Sect understood that much.

The old fox had been sitting silently in the chair for quite some time, waiting for someone—or something—to brief him.

Previously, he had served under Yu Zhu, offering counsel and managing logistical affairs—all part of his duties.

Everything had gone according to plan at first, but plans were just that: plans. Having one didn’t guarantee its success.

Now, the Xuanwu Kingdom’s scorched-earth tactics had pushed the Bingzhou Army to the brink.

Even cultivators couldn’t conjure food out of thin air. They could manipulate water, fire, earth, even the weather—but not fill empty stomachs.

Yu Zhu had already assessed the situation and prepared for the worst.

The old fox knew that a significant portion of the demon soldiers scattered after the demon kingdom’s collapse had been secretly hidden away by Yu Zhu.

As the logistics supervisor, the old fox had noticed discrepancies in the records—especially during the food shortages, where large quantities remained unaccounted for.

When confronted, Yu Zhu had merely acknowledged the issue without taking action.

This was unlike Yu Zhu’s usual discipline. The only plausible explanation? Those supplies were feeding hidden demon troops.

Now, it seemed Yu Zhu’s last resort was to unleash these hidden forces, catching the Xuanwu Kingdom off guard.

Seizing an opportunity required only a fleeting moment.

To Yu Zhu, the cost—whether in human or demon lives—likely meant nothing.

Sending the old fox to Cangzhou might’ve just been a way to rid himself of a nuisance.

After all, the old fox had once served under Hu Qi and still carried some influence among the demon troops.

In Yu Zhu’s eyes, that made him an unpredictable variable.

But none of that mattered anymore.

The old fox knew Chizhou would likely be his grave.

That day, he had witnessed firsthand how effortlessly those human cultivators had obliterated the demon kings with a mere flick of their swords.

Facing such enemies…

Yet even knowing it was suicide, he had come.

Because ever since that day, Hu Qi kept appearing in his dreams.

In those dreams, Hu Qi was still the same old friend, sharing drinks and meat with him.

But Hu Qi always urged him to let it go, to forget about revenge.

The old fox wondered if the terror of that day had seeped so deep into his psyche that his subconscious was making excuses for him.

Yet the more Hu Qi pleaded in his dreams, the more the old fox clung to his resolve.

Eventually, he accepted it—his life was already half-spent. If he could at least inconvenience those cultivators, it’d be worth it.

After a long silence, footsteps finally echoed outside the door.

The old fox looked up as two figures—no, three—entered.

A middle-aged man with an unremarkable face, the kind easily lost in a crowd.

A young man with a cold, fierce expression.

And a demon—a petite girl with deer antlers.

A deer spirit, perhaps? Her cultivation was profound; the old fox wouldn’t have sensed her presence if not for seeing her directly.

The middle-aged man stepped forward, momentarily surprised to see a fox, but quickly clasped his hands in greeting.

“You must be the strategist sent from above. I’m Li Zhong, head of this outpost.”

Outpost?!

The old fox froze before realizing—this wasn’t the Xuanwu Sect’s main stronghold.

They’d dumped him in some remote outpost to rot.

Disposable, just like that.

No wonder the place was so shabby.

“Just call me Old Fox,” he replied, shifting his gaze to the other two.

Li Zhong took the hint and explained,

“These two are allies from the Zhongzhou Malevolent Spirit Sect—Brother Li and… uh, Grandmother Zu.”

“They’re here to discuss materials they need. Since you’ve handled logistics before, we thought you could assist.”

The old fox nodded, eyeing the expressionless young man and the deer spirit, who seemed to be stifling a laugh.

Grandmother Zu?

He shot another glance at Li Zhong. Humans really had thick skin.

Li Xingtian studied the old fox briefly before handing him a slip of paper.

“No need for formalities. Just gather as much of these items as possible. I’ll collect them tomorrow.”

The old fox took the list and scanned it.

The demands were outrageous—even if the Bingzhou Army sold their pants, they couldn’t fulfill this.

Was this some kind of joke?

Without another word, Li Xingtian turned and left with Qinghe in tow.

Li Zhong made to escort them out but was waved off, leaving him alone in the room with the old fox.

The old fox glanced at the note in his hand and instinctively asked with suspicion:

"Have these two individuals been verified? The things he’s asking for are no small amount."

Li Zhong studied the fox with a hint of curiosity, surprised that the Xuanwu Sect was so desperate for followers they’d recruit just about anyone.

But despite his thoughts, Li Zhong still explained:

"We’ve confirmed with the Zhongzhou Heretic Sect—they’ve verified these two are indeed their people."

"Moreover, the Zhongzhou Heretic Sect has requested another batch of supplies from us, claiming they’ll send more people. Rumor has it we’ve already bled dry for this."

"At this point, we should give them whatever they ask for to avoid further trouble."

The old fox nodded lightly upon hearing this:

"Hmm… Understood."