Chapter 218: Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an, The Iron Triangle Is Back in Action!

Li Guanqi handed the oilcloth booklet to Lu Yuan and explained in a low voice:

"Fifteen days is far too rushed."

"Beyond the Great Wall is vast territory. The Liu Family has operated for centuries, their agents spread everywhere, utterly covert."

"Although our two families have deployed all available forces, this first batch only covers the thirty-seven locations that are largest in scale, clearest in leads, and most urgently dangerous."

Fu Yuanshan added from the side, his voice hoarse but carrying a cold certainty:

"The remaining sites are either buried deep in remote, complex terrain, or concealed by multiple formations, which will require us more time to verify and investigate."

"However, these first thirty-seven locations are already enough for you to act on."

Lu Yuan took the booklet; it felt heavy in his hands.

He opened the first page and saw not only precise map coordinates, but also red-ink annotations labeling the nature, scale, and suspected types of each site.

"Thirty-seven locations...."

Lu Yuan frowned, his fingertip tracing the shocking records page by page.

"This is only the first batch?"

Li Guanqi immediately nodded:

"Yes, so we suggest you need not wait for every piece of intelligence to arrive."

"We will continue digging deeper while you move, striving to have the second and third batches ready by the time you clear the first."

Celestial Master He Xun stood with his hands behind his back, expression calm as if all this were within his expectations.

He said lightly:

"Li Guanqi speaks sensibly. Speed is paramount in warfare."

"If we wait for all intelligence to arrive, those sites will likely have already spawned new disasters."

Shen Shulan listened quietly, her cool gaze sweeping the booklet's records as she slightly bowed her head:

"Thirty-seven sites spread widely. To clear them simultaneously will require dividing forces along several routes."

"Personnel distribution must be carefully considered."

Lu Yuan closed the booklet, inhaled deeply, and a hard edge flashed in his eyes:

"Very well!"

He Xun’s gaze swept the group, his voice steady and strong, conveying an unchallengeable decision:

"Then we will follow Li Guanqi's plan."

"Thirty-seven sites should be divided into three routes to balance efficiency and safety."

He paused, his sharp eyes falling on Lu Yuan and Shen Shulan in turn:

"Although Tianlong Temple only brought just over a hundred disciples, they are elite."

"Among this first batch, the most troublesome and threatening are the Malevolent Deity altars. I will personally lead the team to eradicate them."

Neither Lu Yuan nor Shen Shulan objected.

Tianlong Temple was the most powerful, and it was only natural that Celestial Master He Xun personally take on the most dangerous Malevolent Deity altars.

"The remaining sites fall into two categories: yin-gathering pools and corpse-nurturing households."

He Xun continued:

"Shen Celestial Master, your Wuqing Temple specializes in Thunder Techniques. Assign the seven yin-gathering pools with the heaviest yin and the potential to give rise to high-rank household heads to Wuqing Temple."

After speaking, He Xun looked toward Lu Yuan:

"As for the remaining corpse-nurturing households, have Zhenlong Temple handle them."

Lu Yuan understood in his heart that this was a reasonable arrangement from He Xun given Zhenlong Temple's current condition, not a slight.

Although there were many corpse-nurturing households, their threats were generally lower than yin-gathering pools and Malevolent Deity altars.

Now that Lu Yuan carried the flag for Zhenlong Temple and the old man remained unconscious, the other disciples within the temple were far behind those of Wuqing Temple and Tianlong Temple in capability.

This cleanup of the Liu Family's lingering poison was intended for the people beyond the Great Wall, not for showmanship. There was no need to compete for the hardest tasks to boost one’s temple’s reputation, so this arrangement was best and most sensible.

Lu Yuan immediately bowed:

"The disciple accepts the order."

Shen Shulan also slightly bowed:

"I will follow the Celestial Master's decree."

Once He Xun set the tone, everyone wasted no more time and gathered around the oilcloth booklet to plan detailed routes.

Li Guanqi spread the booklet on the stone table, tapping each red-circled location with his fingertip as he said in a low voice:

"Celestial Master He Xun, these three Malevolent Deity altars: one is in an abandoned mine deep within Old Black Mountain."

"One is hidden in the ten-thousand-person pit of Bei Tianhuang."

"The final one is at the mass grave on Wildman Ditch."

"All three places are notoriously evil, and they are far apart, so we must split into three routes."

"Although Tianlong Temple's disciples are elite, their numbers are limited and they cannot handle all three simultaneously."

Lu Yuan's glance flashed like light across the map; he thought for a moment and said:

"I propose this: Senior Uncle He Xun take one; Sister Shulan and I each take one."

Since the Malevolent Deity altars were the most vicious, there was no need for He Xun to take them all alone.

Delay breeds change; if He Xun tackled them one by one, it might be too slow.

It was better to split them, letting the three of them tackle the three most vicious altars simultaneously.

Each temple's disciples would follow He Xun's prior assignments: those for yin-gathering pools go to yin-gathering pools, those for corpse-nurturing households go to those.

That way, nothing is delayed and all proceed together.

Given the present situation, speed was essential.

Liu Xuanyin was already dead and the Commanding Ghosts Liu Family was gone, but who could predict what lingering poisons might explode at any moment?

If an outbreak occurred, the surrounding commoners would suffer.

So a swift, decisive strike was necessary.

He Xun thought briefly about Lu Yuan's suggestion and immediately agreed.

As the one who currently needed prestige to keep Tianlong Temple in line, he naturally hoped to take on the most difficult Malevolent Deity sites himself — the greatest credit after all.

But as Lu Yuan's master uncle, He Xun could not, in good conscience, hog all of Zhenlong Temple’s achievements or its fame.

Besides, this matter was not for glory; it was for the greater cause of guarding the common people.

If He Xun took all the Malevolent Deity sites yet could not clear them quickly, and an altar suddenly erupted while he was clearing them one by one, countless civilians might be harmed.

He Xun could not allow that.

Lu Yuan's plan was best: each of the three would lead a team against one most vicious Malevolent Deity site, while their respective temple disciples handled the rest.

Next came the tense route planning.

Lu Yuan and Shen Shulan huddled by the stone table as Li Guanqi pointed things out from time to time.

He noted which places had special feng shui formations to watch for.

Fu Yuanshan kept silent, grinding a specially prepared ink while occasionally marking a few eerie signs on the map to indicate danger.

Lu Yuan looked over the dense cluster of corpse-nurturing household marks and calculated how to reasonably allocate Zhenlong Temple’s uneven roster of disciples.

He had to ensure each route had sufficient combat strength without any weak links.

Time slipped by without notice. Night had already fallen; the lights on Zhenlong Temple's back mountain glowed especially bright in the dusk.

"All right."

He Xun stood, stretched, and his voice boomed:

"Routes are set. Depart immediately."

He Xun was heading to Old Black Mountain!

After saying this, he rushed down the mountain path like a whirlwind and vanished into the deep night.

His swift, decisive style impressed both Lu Yuan and Shen Shulan.

Watching He Xun’s departing figure, Shen Shulan turned slightly toward Lu Yuan:

"Master Uncle, the disciples of Wuqing Temple have been traveling nonstop these days; they are rather exhausted."

"I plan to let them rest thoroughly at the temple tonight and depart at dawn."

Lu Yuan had no objection and nodded earnestly:

"Sister is right."

"Wuqing Temple's disciples are elite; resting and recuperating will let them unleash a thunderous force upon departure."

From Wuqing Temple to Zhenlong Temple they had not had proper rest.

Sharpening the blade does not delay the work of chopping firewood; in any case, let them get a proper sleep and a warm meal tonight.

As for Lu Yuan's own arrangements...

He planned to discuss them with Zhou Shouzuo shortly and make some deployments.

After all, Lu Yuan did not recognize everyone in Zhenlong Temple now.

Zhou Shouzuo managed these people; how to arrange them rested on Zhou Shouzuo.

Once arrangements were set, Lu Yuan planned to depart overnight.

Lu Yuan was to go to the mass grave at Wildman Ditch.

After He Xun disappeared into the night, Lu Yuan, Shen Shulan, Li Guanqi, and Fu Yuanshan discussed the allocation details for Zhenlong Temple’s new disciples with Zhou Shouzuo for a short while.

By the time everything was settled, the moon rode high.

No one said more; each turned and descended the mountain.

Li Guanqi and Fu Yuanshan split off toward the guest quarters in the front yard of Zhenlong Temple.

Lu Yuan led Shen Shulan along a secluded path on the back mountain toward the mountain gate.

Just past the grassland where Tianlong Temple's tents were pitched and before reaching Zhenlong Temple's back gate, Lu Yuan paused and raised an eyebrow.

At the two weathered red lacquered doors of the back gate, several people were already waiting for him.

Lu Yuan immediately saw the two small figures at the front of the group.

They were two little girls of about seven or eight, wearing identical horned braids and brand-new indigo Daoist robes.

Though their sleeves were slightly long, it could not hide the lively vigor in them.

They were the twin daughters of Hu Huxu, head of the Hu Family branch of Continuing the Lamp — Hu Yangyang and Hu Tutu.

When the sisters saw Lu Yuan descend, Tutu immediately stood on tiptoe, trying hard to get her little face seen by Lu Yuan.

Then clumsily but earnestly she clasped her fists in the customary salute.

It seemed she had just learned it from the temple seniors.

Hu Yangyang's eyes were calm as an ancient well as she watched Lu Yuan, a faint trace of dependence barely visible in her large eyes.

Behind the twins, two other figures stood out.

On the left was a chubby boy of seventeen or so, round-faced with small eyes and a simple smile — Xu Erxiao.

He waved both plump arms at Lu Yuan so hard they flapped like fans.

On the right was sixteen-year-old Wang Cheng'an, tall and slim, his skin fair and looking younger than his age, now gazing at Lu Yuan with eager anticipation.

"Brother Lu!"

Xu Erxiao's voice was loud. Seeing Lu Yuan approach, he couldn't help shouting first, his chubby face full of excitement.

"You're finally down!"

"We've been waiting ages!"

Wang Cheng'an hurried forward as well, his thin face carrying nervous hope:

"Brother Lu, I heard we're clearing corpse-nurturing households. Take us along?"

"We've been running errands at the foot of the mountain several times these days; our legs are steady. We won't embarrass you!"

Xu Erxiao immediately nodded in excitement:

"Exactly! We're much better now!"

"Take us with you!!"

Lu Yuan looked at those two familiar faces and felt a pang of emotion.

Counting from when he left Zhenlong Temple to handle the Liu Family, it had been only about twenty days.

Yet these two boys, Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an, felt completely different from before.

Previously they had trailed behind him like kids — clever, but clearly immature, rash in actions and simple-hearted in speech.

Now, though the same faces remained, Xu Erxiao's babyish chubbiness seemed somewhat reined in.

Wang Cheng'an's fair skin had tanned, and more importantly, both of their eyes had changed.

They carried a steadiness that comes from exposure to wind and sun and from handling thorny affairs.

Their faces were darker and rougher than before.

The mischievous street-kid energy had quieted, replaced by a nascent competence and maturity.

Lu Yuan stepped forward and patted each of their sturdy shoulders, feeling the muscle under his hands had grown firm.

"Looks like you haven't been slacking down at the foot of the mountain. You've grown into young men."

Xu Erxiao chuckled and scratched the back of his head; his goofiness now showed streaks of responsibility:

"Brother Lu, we've each led teams down the mountain for jobs many times. We aren't like before."

"These days checking feng shui, driving away little ghosts, our faces are darker from the sun, but our skills have truly improved!"

Wang Cheng'an unusually didn't interrupt; he nodded solemnly in agreement:

"Yes, Brother Lu."

"We now know representing Zhenlong Temple means we cannot be careless."

Lu Yuan nodded inwardly. Growth from leading teams himself on the road wasn't comparable to merely tagging along behind him.

Before Lu Yuan could reply, Xu Erxiao looked up at him and hurriedly pleaded:

"Brother Lu!"

"How about it!"

"Bring Cheng'an and me along this time too!!"

To be honest, Lu Yuan hadn't set his mind on exactly whom to bring to the Malevolent Deity altars.

He intended to let Zhou Shouzuo allocate a few people; as long as they cooperated with him, that was fine.

However, seeing Wang Cheng'an and Xu Erxiao's familiar faces now, there was no need to debate.

For teammates who knew him and could cooperate instinctively, Zhenlong Temple had no better picks.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Lu Yuan looked at the eager faces of Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an and grinned broadly:

"What are you waiting for?"

"Pack your things. We leave later tonight!"

Got it!

The Iron Triangle is back in action!