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墨書 Inktalez
Is Liu Meier a Fire Cult Practitioner? There’s no evidence to say for sure. Even if Cui Ming were to meet with her, the chances would be at most fifty-fifty. It might be better to just kill her… After all, that’s what Cui Ming thinks, but this dilemma belongs to Wandering, and he wouldn’t take it on himself. Why should he become a villain for someone else’s business?
If he were the leader of the Fire Cult and Liu Meier was a spy, then he could orchestrate a beautiful Chain Scheme. First, he would flirt with Ye Wen, then throw himself at Cao Yi or Ding Nuo… Never mind, that’s overthinking.
As Cui Ming had anticipated, no Fire Cultists showed up that night, and the Ye Family wasted an entire night waiting in vain. Cui Ming believed it was also possible they discovered the Ye Family's ambush and chose not to act, waiting for everyone to let their guard down before making a move. For this reason, although the Ye Family dispersed, Ye Ying was still gathered with three others as scouts.
At the border of Twilight City, there is a place called Tianshan, which is at a high altitude. From the mountain peak, one can use binoculars or even professional photography equipment to clearly see the Holy Mountain three hundred meters below. Due to the sensitive period of Pilgrimage, Twilight City not only evacuated its fungal teams fifty miles away but also left some soldiers to prevent civilians from entering Tianshan. In earlier years during Pilgrimage, watching the spectacular scenery from Tianshan had always been a tradition for nearby residents. Sharon City protested against this behavior, feeling as if a crowd was merely watching a monkey show.
Cui Ming and his companions naturally had no trouble accessing the area with their photography equipment and binoculars at the mountain top. The altitude was high, and the most common plant there was Rhododendron, which grew very low to the ground like shrubs.
Setting up the tripod, Cui Ming looked out over the vast expanse. The most spectacular sight was still the people; at the foot of Holy Mountain lay a highway leading to Sharon City’s capital. Currently, this highway had no cars—only people dressed in white robes as required during Pilgrimage. At first glance, it resembled an endless white dragon.
“Devoutly taking one step and bowing. Very devoutly taking one step and bowing three times; extremely devoutly maintaining each bow for at least three seconds,” Dina remarked from afar. “You know, Cult of the Gods has the most followers but very few can adhere strictly to its doctrines—no lying, not sharing a room before marriage, etc. On the other hand, Fire Cult followers are almost all very strict with themselves.”
Cui Ming replied, “Having faith isn’t a bad thing… Damn it. How am I supposed to film this? Everyone is in white robes and white hats. Even if I tossed my senior brother in there, I wouldn’t find him for three years or five.” Force’s eyes scanned everyone; looking for trouble in this game was futile.
Descending from Holy Mountain's peak was a large area of buildings; at its highest point stood an ancient-looking grand temple. Outside the temple was a large square with three lanes connecting down to the foot of the mountain and two stairways leading down as well. Pilgrimage participants would never take the flat road; they would only choose the stairs. Although it was Ramadan now, Pilgrimage officially began tomorrow morning, so there were hardly any people on the mountain at present. Those few present were members of The Holy See who filmed around without noticing anything unusual.
The Pope had not yet arrived at Holy Mountain; he would also walk here but wouldn’t bow his way up while having a security team clearing his path. This was Cui Ming’s only opportunity—to wait for the Pope and his entourage to appear and watch them walk up the mountain before filming them. However, according to regulations, on the last day of Pilgrimage after seven days, only then would the Pope make an appearance.
Li Qing said, “We can see them; they can see us too.”
Cui Ming turned to Ye Ying, who hadn’t spoken a word along the way: “Sister Ye, can that eagle fly continuously in the sky for eight days?”
Ye Ying answered seriously: “No.”
“We need not only one team for surveillance and capturing shots but also another team for reconnaissance.”
"Dina asked, 'Do you think they will ambush us?'
'It's too far away. They aren't sure if we are Force Practitioners; perhaps they just find that group on the hill too arrogant and believe we have desecrated the spirits,' Cui Ming replied. 'So this time, we not only need to wait for them to come but also lure them in. Remove the eagles, then set up ordinary people to bring in a large amount of equipment, disguising it as the Twilight City television station filming a Pilgrimage. We will hide in the shadows.'
'How can ordinary people be enough for them to kill?' Li Qing questioned.
'But they might not all die. The survival rate in Dawn City on Atonement Day is 40%, so this deal is definitely better than 40%,' Cui Ming said. 'What do you think, Dina? I remember there's a prison about eighty kilometers away. Can you gather some Death Row Inmates and lifers? If we move quickly, we can set everything up by the day after tomorrow.'
Mi Xiaonan added, 'We can provide plenty of food, let them feast and dance joyfully to stimulate their killing intent.'
Dina thought for a moment and said, 'I need to contact them first.'
Inviting someone into a trap, closing the door to catch thieves, and luring snakes out of their holes share many common strategies: tricking the enemy out and then using superior forces to eliminate their weaker ones.
However, the enemies this time were beyond everyone's expectations.
...
On the night of the second day of Pilgrimage, a bonfire party was taking place at the top of Tianshan Mountain. A group of Atonement Day prisoners sang and danced, feasting on meat and drinking wine, unaware that death was drawing near. The first to die was someone who had gone to urinate by the nearby Rhododendron bushes; he was silently stabbed through the heart with a dagger.
At the halfway checkpoint, several soldiers were stationed to prevent ordinary people from ascending Tianshan. They were fine; today there were more soldiers than usual. Cui Ming and his group quietly waited in the basement of the checkpoint. Besides the soldiers, there was also Ye Ying, a scout.
At two in the early morning, Cui Ming came up, feeling indifferent as he held a Fate Card. He walked over to Ye Ying and asked, 'How's it going?'
Ye Ying looked outside and replied, 'No signs detected, but...'
Cui Ming waited for a moment and asked, 'But what?'"
"However, my partner seems a bit restless, as if sensing something has happened, but there are no signs of it," Ye Ying said.
Due to the height of Tianshan, the most basic vegetation at the halfway point consists of Rhododendron shrubs; there are no tall trees or small trees. Eagles soar in the sky, making the view quite clear, and the distance is considerable. Among the Force Practitioners that Cui Ming knows, none could remain hidden all the way to the summit.
Cui Ming picked up the walkie-talkie. "Editor calling."
The prisoner in charge responded, "Number One received."
"Is there any situation?"
"No," Number One replied, clearly intoxicated.
Cui Ming listened to the voice on the walkie-talkie and asked, "It doesn't seem very lively."
"Editor, everyone has had too much to drink."
"Oh."
Cui Ming placed the walkie-talkie on the table, thought for a moment, and leaned down towards the basement. "Brothers, we need to go take a look."
Ye Ying looked at Cui Ming.
Cui Ming said, "Even though there's some noise on the walkie-talkie, it's too quiet. I've been in prison before; I know how they are. Given an opportunity like this to eat and drink, if they get drunk, they'll start cursing, arguing, or even fighting. Twenty prisoners can't possibly make just that little noise."
The five had no objections. After patrolling around and returning, they considered it a successful night.
Following their researched formation, Dina and Li Qing led the way while Mi Xiaonan, Cui Ming, and Ye Ying acted as midfielders. The five spread out slightly as they ascended. They found nothing along the way and reached the summit. Cui Ming took out the Fate Card but sensed no practitioners nearby.
By the campfire on the mountain peak, four people lay sprawled in various positions. The leader, Number One, leaned against one side, half-asleep. Cui Ming checked and confirmed that these individuals were all drunk. He asked Number One, "Where are the others?"
"Uh..." Number One opened his eyes groggily, pushed Cui Ming away, and continued to sleep.
Dina leaned closer, holding a camera she had taken off a tripod. Cui Ming took it from her and noticed a large dent at the bottom of the camera. Dina whispered, "It looks like someone damaged the camera with a dagger."
"Right." Cui Ming walked toward another camera on a tripod at the edge of the mountain when suddenly a skull emblem appeared. Without hesitation, Cui Ming rolled to the side, feeling a rush of wind pass by him. "Senior Brother, True Sight Guardian."
Li Qing wasted no time; three True Sight Guardians flew out, forming a triangular formation toward the mountain top. He suddenly shouted, "Mi Xiaonan, fifteen meters behind you."
"What?" Mi Xiaonan was clearly a beat slow.
Li Qing leaped into action, stepping on a large rock to propel himself toward Mi Xiaonan. His True Sight Guardian revealed a figure. No, to be precise, it wasn't entirely human; its nose resembled that of a lion, its face covered in features, bending its body with a dagger in each hand. As Li Qing kicked out, the enemy jumped to evade the strike and lunged silently toward Mi Xiaonan. Li Qing acted without hesitation, kicking a nearby stone toward Mi Xiaonan, worried he might miss due to the enemy's speed. Mi Xiaonan sensed something was off and transformed into lightning but was unsure of his next move. When he saw the stone flying toward him, he froze for a moment and was knocked back ten meters as the stone split in mid-air as if cleaved.
Others quickly gathered around but couldn't find their target. Li Qing fought alone against the opponent who was very cunning, always using quick jumps to evade Li Qing's attacks while searching for his first prey with confidence in his stealth and agility.
As Li Qing pursued, he muttered, "Moving around me... how can this guy remain invisible for so long?"
Cui Ming suddenly said, "Those pigs from Fire Cult are so sneaky..." He then launched into a venomous tirade against the Fire Cult while suddenly producing a deck of cards in his left hand. With a flick of his right hand, fifty-four cards fanned out and exploded in mid-air, revealing a person who landed cautiously and scanned their surroundings.
Mi Xiaonan recognized it immediately and said, "Lion Dog." It was one of the three leads he had been tracking.
Lion Dog charged at Mi Xiaonan. He stepped back as Dina and Ye Ying flanked him from both sides. Seeing an opening, Lion Dog dashed forward and leapt off the cliff. Everyone exchanged glances; this cliff was high and difficult to navigate—any cultivator jumping down would face certain death. (To be continued.)
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