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At noon the next day, the Force Alliance and the Balance Sect reached an agreement. The Balance Sect would continue to search for Fire Cult followers based on their abilities and clues, while the Force Alliance would provide unlimited assistance. Additionally, the Force Alliance would send personnel to accompany members of the Balance Sect. Having received such a significant "benefit," the Balance Sect agreed to participate in an assessment several months later to apply for membership in the Force Alliance and to abide by its rules and regulations.
"What? You won't join? Then why should our alliance help you, Balance Sect?" Indeed, Fire Cult practitioners were a threat, but if you wanted to be a hero, if you wanted to take the lead, we wouldn't stop you. Ashen was a person of integrity; as long as this heir of the Balance Sect was bound by the rules of the Force Alliance, the Balance Sect wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.
And so it was decided. Three and a half members of the Balance Sect would be led by Annie, a member of the alliance, to explore the Three Continents and see what the market had to offer. The other three members of the Balance Sect would split into three groups for their missions. Each group would consist of three people: Ye Xin, Eva, and Ashen in one group; Yellen, Raefus, and Akali in another; and Mi Xiaonan, Cui Ming, and Dina in the last group. Mi Xiaonan's team was tasked with going near Holy Mountain to use equipment to take photos and look for any suspicious individuals during the Pilgrimage.
Why didn't the alliance oppose the existence of the Four Great Families? Because when the alliance needed help, only these families would quickly provide assistance. Other practitioners were like loose sand; even calling them back for a meal could be a struggle. They also didn't like being volunteers. Thus, cohesion was extremely important.
These were Dina's thoughts as she drove toward the border: "If we compare the alliance to a city, then practitioners are like citizens while aristocratic families are like police officers. Unless someone targets practitioners for assassination and many people die, only then might practitioners unite."
"That's an inappropriate analogy," Cui Ming replied. "Police officers are responsible for maintaining order; citizens provide their salaries and rewards. Hiring police officers to maintain order means that if security worsens, more officers can be added. But your families are like bandits. How the alliance operates and how rules are set is determined by you. When you police officers need to gather people for something, everyone has to come even if they don't want to; otherwise, they violate the alliance's crisis principles. Whether there is a crisis is also determined by you. The increase or decrease of your police force is also up to you and has nothing to do with whether citizens agree or not. Therefore, I believe your comparison between police officers and my Dawn City police is completely different."
Dina looked at Cui Ming. "Cui Ming, you have a biased view of our families."
"Alright, it's true that families play an important role in responding to crises," Cui Ming said. "I remember that summons issued a century ago when that President was assassinated."
"Yes, that rule has always existed, but no one has used it in a hundred years. First, there hasn't been much of a crisis; second, Presidents have been reluctant to use it." The summons referred to when the Force Alliance faced significant threats and called upon practitioners across cities or continents for rapid assembly.
Above them, someone silently observed from above—a figure with large bat-like wings hidden among white clouds, following their car as it flew through the sky. The distance was too great for Cui Ming's Fate Card to sense anything, and with their view obstructed from inside the vehicle, none of them noticed they were being followed.
In the sky behind this large bat, a majestic eagle soared downwards before landing on a beautiful woman's shoulder in a grove of trees. The woman exchanged words with the eagle before picking up her backpack phone.
Dina's backpack phone rang. She answered it: "Hello." Since mobile phones were not yet widespread, there were no regulations against driving while on a call; however, it was still somewhat inconvenient. Cui Ming helped her hold the receiver from the passenger seat.
"I am Ye Ying, and you are being followed." A female voice came through.
Cui Ming and the others knew Ye Ying, a reclusive girl from the Ye Family who had a male eagle companion that possessed a certain level of Force. She did not live with the Ye Family but resided in the mountains. Yellen held Ye Ying in high regard, calling her the foremost scout of the Ye Family.
Cui Ming listened, feeling impressed. Indeed, these noble families should not be underestimated; they had hidden talents. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it, and there were also slingshots...
Dina hung up the phone and said, "Ye Ying will help us designate a suitable campsite for an ambush. Ye Wen will lead members of the Ye Family and several practitioners from Twilight City to lie in wait near the campsite."
Cui Ming replied, "I don't think the Fire Cult Practitioners will act against us. I believe what Ye Ying said—that there are Fire Cult Practitioners tracking us from the sky. We need to find out why. Why would the Fire Cultists be following us? It could be that news of our negotiations leaked, or perhaps they sensed something amiss. But why us three? Is it to kill the chicken to scare the monkey? If that's their strategy, I think the Fire Cultists are being foolish."
"What do you think?"
"There are two possibilities. The first is that they noticed something unusual and sent out their scouts to clarify the situation. Those who have been tracking us without being detected must belong to reconnaissance or sentinel types of practitioners. The second possibility is that they are preparing to strike, starting with us, igniting a war among practitioners. If that's the case, there's no need to waste an excellent scout on us when there are more important positions that require attention. So my conclusion is that it's the first possibility. The Fire Cult feels that recent events are not coincidental and has dispatched people for investigation. As it stands, we won't see any immediate results."
Dina pondered for a moment and asked with a smile, "So does that mean we should let Ye Wen and the others return?"
"Not necessarily; I'm just speculating. Who knows? The Fire Cult Practitioner might just be having a whim and want to ambush us," Cui Ming said, prioritizing his own safety—he wasn't foolish enough to go without bodyguards.
"You're so clever, Cui Ming," Mi Xiaonan remarked. "If you were the leader of the Fire Cult Practitioners, what would you do?" The Fire Cult viewed outsiders as heretics who needed to be eliminated according to their doctrine. Now that the Fire Cult Practitioners were growing stronger, theoretically speaking, if they could eliminate the Force Alliance, it would mean overcoming a significant obstacle. If the Fire Religion Nation launched a war next, practitioners would intervene in conflicts among ordinary people globally—there would be no way to fight back. However, overcoming the Force Alliance was not something that could be done easily.
"I don't know how strong or numerous the Fire Cult Practitioners are. If they had overwhelming superiority, I think they would launch a surprise attack on Hero City and then start hunting down scattered practitioners afterward. Once they had eliminated most practitioners, they would initiate the Fourth World War."
Dina asked, "What if their strength is about equal?"
"If their strength is similar, they would need to adopt tactics. There are many divisions within the alliance; there are various ways to gradually undermine it. To weaken the alliance, they would have to start with the Four Great Families first because they are the fastest-reacting and most powerful group within the alliance. If it were me, I would create a large trap—like Plague Land—and lure alliance members into investigating it, killing a few people to divert their attention toward Plague Land. Then how things unfold would depend on how the alliance reacts."
"If the Fire Cult Practitioner is weaker than the Alliance, but not by much, then conspiracies are afoot." There is a strategy in the Thirty-Six Stratagems called the Defeat Strategy, which includes the Beauty Trap, Empty City Stratagem, Escape Route, Self-Mutilation Strategy, Counter-espionage, and Chain Scheme. Relating this to what Wandering mentioned about upcoming events, Cui Ming pondered for a long time and said, "I believe the Fire Cult Practitioner is currently employing the Defeat Strategy." An important figure, Liu Meier of the Liu Family, cannot be confirmed as a Fire Cult Practitioner, but from a human perspective, Liu Meier's beauty surpasses that of ordinary humans. Moreover, Liu Meier is the adopted daughter of the Head of the Liu Family and is set to be married in Hero City in a few months.
Do not underestimate the Beauty Trap; it is one of the most vicious strategies among the Thirty-Six Stratagems. Decision-makers determine the life and death of warriors and the outcomes of battles. Most of these strategies are limited to games between generals. The Counter-espionage and Beauty Trap within the Defeat Strategy target decision-makers directly. Historically, the Beauty Trap has had the power to turn situations around.
With this thought in mind, Cui Ming retrieved a backpack from the back seat and took out a photo album—a collection of photographs featuring Liu Meier, known as the Dawn Empire Songstress. This album was priced at five hundred yuan and was Liu Meier's first photo collection; its price alone indicates how beautiful she is.
Cui Ming had not yet flipped through it; this album was purchased through a common steward from the Ye Family. After encountering Balance Sect, Cui Ming had been eager to gain a comprehensive understanding of Liu Meier. An ugly woman can become beautiful through makeup; a photo album can transform someone into a stunning beauty—what about someone who is already a great beauty like Liu Meier?
Dina found it strange that Cui Ming had started looking at a women's photo album halfway through his sentence and tilted her head to glance over. "Liu Meier? Are you also her fan?"
Cui Ming asked, "Have you seen her in person?"
"I have," Dina replied. "She’s one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. How should I put it? After spending just ten minutes chatting over tea with her, I even questioned my own sexual orientation. Do you know how Wandering commented on her?"
"Really?"
Dina laughed. "Wandering said, 'Xi Shi makes fish sink, Wang Zhaojun makes geese fall, Yang Guifei shames flowers, Diao Chan eclipses the moon.' Men are like gourmets; every man has his type but doesn’t dislike beautiful women outside his preference. Liu Meier is beautiful because she embodies various traits that men find appealing and understands their psychology well enough to showcase what they like most about her. That’s what makes her truly remarkable."
Cui Ming was astonished. "Is she really that impressive?" To put it bluntly, it's like knowing how to speak appropriately to different people—this skill isn't innate; at least for humans, it isn't natural. This indicates that Liu Meier is not only beautiful but also very intelligent.
Dina continued, "Yellen, I, and Wandering had tea with Liu Meier after her assessment. Yellen later remarked that it was hard to control the impulse to get closer to her. Yellen said it felt like being drunk; conversation flowed uncontrollably as he found himself wanting to attract Liu Meier's attention and express opinions he normally wouldn't share—there was this overwhelming urge to introduce all his strengths in just a few sentences." (To be continued.)
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