Chapter 231: Plan

Zheng Fa knew well that Zhang Shijie usually kept a cold face when outside, but he had not seen Zhang Shijie with a cold face for a long time.

Seeing Zhang Shijie's cold look today—it was quite fresh.

"What is it?"

Such brief speech; she must truly have some emotion.

Zheng Fa was at a loss in his heart; had he offended Shijie recently?

Seeing him dazed and hesitant, Zhang Shijie lowered her brows slightly, her tone softening: "I just saw you looked quite happy; is it good news?"

"Good news!"

Zheng Fa nodded heavily and said to Zhang Shijie: "Shijie, I have gained something again within the Heavenly Stele Realm!"

He took out the newly acquired bronze seal and held it up.

"This is..."

"This is the Manifestation of the Canon of Deification; by my estimation, I am the first cultivator to obtain the bronze seal!"

Hearing this, a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Shijie's mouth: "You have worked hard, junior brother; this Heavenly Stele Realm is now the best retreat for our Jiushan Sect..."

Zheng Fa nodded and said: "Shijie, this bronze seal has another function!"

"Hmm?"

"It can bring people into the Heavenly Stele Realm!" Zheng Fa said with a smile, "As long as one merges their essence blood and soul spirit into it, I can take you, Shijie, through Lei Chi and into the Heavenly Stele Realm!"

Previously, although Zhang Shijie's cultivation was extraordinary,

entering the Heavenly Stele Realm was very difficult—she had not cultivated the Thunder Method, and the powerful Lei Ting near the Heavenly Stele was enough to block her.

But now it is different; with this bronze seal, when Zheng Fa enters the Heavenly Stele Realm, Zhang Shijie can follow within the bronze seal.

Zhang Shijie was stunned for a moment before seeming to understand Zheng Fa's meaning:

"You were so happy just now because of this?"

"Yes!" Zheng Fa nodded and said, "Shijie, in the past, you always protected me."

"Now I can protect you!"

Zhang Shijie opened her mouth, looked at Zheng Fa, her brows and eyes gradually softened again, and the corner of her mouth secretly curled up.

"Shijie, this bronze seal has two slots; I want Shijie Yuan to enter as well."

Zheng Fa had already considered this; the one closest to him in the Jiushan Sect was definitely Zhang Shijie.

Then came Shijie Yuan, the Sect Master, and Uncle Pang, in that order.

Although Shijie Yuan was silly and had always plotted against him, Zheng Fa had not forgotten the sight of her standing in front of him during her battle with the Old Man of the Bronze Coffin.

For the second slot of the Divine Attendant, the first person Zheng Fa thought of was Shijie Yuan.

"She is not worthy!"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Shijie snorted.

Eh?

Aren't the two Shijies on good terms?

Who is stirring up trouble between them!

Thinking of Zhang Shijie's foul face just now, Zheng Fa understood; it turned out that Shijie Yuan had offended Zhang Shijie.

Unexpectedly, after saying that, Zhang Shijie looked at Zheng Fa and furrowed her brows lightly again, as if hesitating about something.

"Shijie?"

Zhang Shijie looked at the bronze seal for a long time, then suddenly spoke again:

"Very well; since you like it, if you want to take her, then take her."

Looking at Zhang Shijie's face, Zheng Fa couldn't help but want to scratch his head—what do you mean "since you like it"?

Why is Zhang Shijie so strange today; her words are really hard to understand.

Xiao Yuying slowly walked into the Jiushan Sect disciples' encampment.

As she walked, she observed the layout of the encampment—most disciple courtyards were close to Lei Chi, seemingly relying on Lei Chi for defense.

Yet the disciples within the encampment showed no signs of tension on their faces; they probably did not know that the Demon Race was about to attack the Jiushan Sect.

Following a guide disciple to Zheng Fa's courtyard, she looked around and understood clearly: Zheng Fa is highly valued within the Jiushan Sect.

The courtyard to the left of this one had Nascent Soul qi; letting Zheng Fa live here was likely for protection.

That was one thing.

A bit further to the left, another courtyard actually had another Nascent Soul, also with an implicit intent to guard!

She knew that the Jiushan Sect currently had only two Nascent Souls at Lei Chi.

Yet both were guarding beside Zheng Fa?

Zheng Fa hurriedly came out, apologizing with his mouth: "I was just cultivating; I failed to welcome you from afar!"

Xiao Yuying nodded; before she could speak, she saw Zhang Wuyi come out from the courtyard on the left.

This Zhang Wuyi stared at her, with some emotion hidden in her gaze, which was far from friendly.

Xiao Yuying furrowed her brows lightly, said nothing, merely nodded at Zhang Wuyi, and followed behind Zheng Fa into the courtyard.

Yet her mind kept thinking about Zhang Wuyi's gaze, feeling quite puzzled.

After a while, she finally understood; this gaze was actually out of jealousy over love?

Looking at Zheng Fa's back, she couldn't help but shake her head and smile.

Unexpectedly, someone like Zhang Wuyi could also be blinded by such romantic feelings...

She greatly admired Zheng Fa's attainment in the Thunder Dao.

She even had high hopes for this person's talent.

But more than that, she wanted to cooperate with Zheng Fa.

As for the matter of romance… Zhang Wuyi was probably overthinking it.

Thinking of this, she could not help feeling a touch of emotion — Zhang Wuyi had once been so impossibly proud, yet now, for the sake of a man, she had grown so anxious and indecisive, losing all sense of measure.

Her vision had shrunk considerably.

And she had belittled herself even further.

The male cultivators under heaven numbered far more than a thousand thousand — why should she, Xiao Yuying, fight over him and suffer this petty jealousy?

Zheng Fa turned his head, as if catching the emotion in her gaze, and asked, "Xiao Xianzi?"

Xiao Yuying shook her head, set aside those thoughts from earlier, and said, "I helped you capture that demon. Does your promise from before still stand?"

"Of course!" Zheng Fa nodded. "As for exploring the secret realm, I will follow whatever Xiao Xianzi commands."

Before, Zheng Fa and Xiao Yuying had already agreed.

Xiao Yuying would help them set up the scheme.

Zheng Fa would help Xiao Yuying explore that secret realm that seemed connected to Tianhe Zunzhe.

Xiao Yuying smiled. "In that case, we shall set out tomorrow."

"This…" Zheng Fa was startled. "So soon?"

"Not soon — I have already waited a very long time."

Xiao Yuying added, "Besides, Taiyang Prefecture is full of eyes and ears right now. If we delay any longer, it would only invite unnecessary complications."

"Xiao Xianzi, you…"

"I'm not afraid of these troubles myself, but bringing you along means I have to be extra careful. If you don't come back, then…"

She glanced toward Zhang Wuyi's courtyard and said, "I'm afraid someone would fight me to the death."

"…"

Once she said this, a touch of gratitude appeared on Zheng Fa's face as well. He cupped his fists toward Xiao Yuying and asked, "May I know what exactly the situation is with this secret realm?"

Xiao Yuying thought for a moment, and a streak of flowing light flew from her hand — it was a pale cyan silk kerchief.

The kerchief rose with the wind, growing larger and larger, until it finally covered the sky above, shrouding Zheng Fa's small courtyard.

Zheng Fa asked, "This is?"

"It's a small magic treasure that can block others' divine sense and ears and eyes," Xiao Yuying said casually. "Let me tell you about the secret realm."

"Alright…"

Hearing this, Zheng Fa glanced at the kerchief, but in his hand he produced a small booklet.

The booklet was already densely covered with writing, and Xiao Yuying could not help feeling a bit curious at the sight of it.

"The secret realm is not near Lei Chi, but at the edge of the spiritual node here — over ten thousand li east of this place."

As he listened, Zheng Fa picked up a brush and carefully recorded Xiao Yuying's words.

Xiao Yuying's curiosity grew another three parts, but she simply continued, "The secret realm is somewhat dangerous, but I can handle it myself. There is only one place — a Bronze Hall — which should be where the realm's treasures are hidden."

Zheng Fa nodded, looking at Xiao Yuying as if knowing she had reached the key point.

"This Bronze Hall has a great lock. I tried it — opening the lock requires an extremely high attainment in thunder techniques."

"So… Xiao Xianzi is looking for me to open the lock?" Zheng Fa said thoughtfully.

"Yes, of course. There may well be other difficulties and mechanisms inside the hall."

Xiao Yuying said frankly.

After thinking for a while, she could not help adding, "I won't say much about the rest, but there is one thing I need to make clear to you."

"Please go ahead, Xiao Xianzi."

"Although your cultivation is not high, you seem to hold some status within Jiushan Sect. You must have been used to making decisions in the past, and probably have your own ideas about things."

"…"

Seeing that Zheng Fa's expression remained calm, with no sign of anger, Xiao Yuying continued, "But for this trip to the secret realm, I hope you won't act on your own initiative unless necessary. After all, that place is extremely dangerous for you, and I cannot guarantee I can protect you completely."

"Understood…"

Xiao Yuying thought for a moment, then still explained, "I've been to a great many secret realms… and have cooperated with people before. The ones who die most easily are those with the most ideas of their own…"

After all, she held Zheng Fa in some regard, and her words were earnest.

Zheng Fa seemed to sense her good intentions. Not only was he not angry, but a touch of gratitude appeared on his face. "Don't worry, Xiao Xianzi. I've taken it to heart."

After saying this, he glanced at the small booklet in his hand, smiled, and shook his head. "I did have some ideas before, but after all, I've never been to a secret realm, so naturally I'll follow your lead, Xiao Xianzi."

"Oh?" Seeing him so amenable to advice, Xiao Yuying laughed as well, and said with interest, "You have some ideas of your own? May I take a look?"

"It's just some wild thoughts of mine."

Zheng Fa handed his small booklet over.

Xiao Yuying flipped through it. On the very first page was a single line — Tomb Raiding (crossed out) Archaeological Plan.

Not understanding, she flipped further.

The header of the next page bore eight large characters: Data Collection, On-Site Investigation.

Below were several key points listed:

First, collect biographical information on Tianhe Zunzhe, with emphasis on records of Tianhe Sect's activities at the secret realm.

Second, survey the secret realm's terrain, focusing on the safety and convenience of the entrances and exits.

Third, gather information on the threatening cultivator forces in the surrounding area.

……

Xiao Yuying pressed her lips together and flipped further.

She discovered that Zheng Fa had divided this exploration of the secret realm into three parts: preliminary preparation, key points of exploration, and risk assessment, with additional contingency plans following.

For instance, in the key points of exploration, Zheng Fa had specifically written that, apart from collecting magic treasures and spiritual materials, it was equally important to gather information on the secret realm's prohibition logic, architectural structure, and historical records.

This was a direction Xiao Yuying had sensed but hadn't paid much attention to.

The most detailed risk assessment, written by Zheng Fa.

"The risks mainly come from three points—"

She read it aloud softly:

"First, consider people or things in the secret realm that could endanger an explorer's life, such as dangerous prohibitions, suppressed ancient demons… Solution: prepare magic treasures or spirit talismans for breaking prohibitions and escaping."

"Second, from competition among the surrounding cultivators…"

"Third, from others' coveting after obtaining the treasure… Solution: hide one's identity, following the old wisdom of the demon-catching jar."

"You this…"

Xiao Yuying gently closed the little booklet, not knowing what to say.

Some of the ideas inside were new, but most of them had been vaguely realized by others long ago; yet such a systematic summary and plan was something she had never heard of.

She had never seen someone like Zheng Fa, who wished he could think through every aspect before going to the secret realm, and had even made many contingency plans.

"What were you thinking?"

What was he thinking?

Copied…

"Xiao Xianzi, I'm the type who likes to let his imagination run wild…" Zheng Fa smiled a little sheepishly. "Of course, you're experienced; my booklet is probably laughably amateurish."

"No… you thought it through very well." To his surprise, Xiao Yuying said softly.

After a while, Zheng Fa heard Xiao Yuying sigh:

"No wonder… Zhang Wuyi's eye for people is really not bad!"

Huh?

What does this have to do with Zhang Shijie?

This Xiao Yuying is also acting strange and peculiar.