Chapter 458: with translation of chapter title

Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi fought the opening clash.

Jin Ying followed after them, then Que'er and Zhui Yu, Zheng Mama mixed among Duan Rongshi's twenty-plus guards and Li Qingluo's twenty assassins.

From a distance, they looked like a string of black crows lined up.

Only Li Qingluo wore all white, becoming the crows' eye.

They lay prone on the cliff; even as the wind howled past, they didn't move a muscle.

Each one was as firmly fixed as if nailed to the rock wall.

However, only they themselves knew that Li Qingluo was lightly supporting Duan Rongshi's hand.

Que'er was being half-held by Zhui Yu.

Zheng Mama had guards on both sides, so she had nothing to worry about.

Below, they lay in wait in strict formation.

Meanwhile, Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi began to listen to the commotion.

Outside, it was already noisy to the point of being uncontrollable.

"This pile of broken stones is so hard to dig; when exactly are we supposed to finish digging?"

"Wasn't it said that Lingjun had already gone out? Why haven't we seen her trace yet? Could she be playing us?"

"Ha, you only just realized she's playing us? With this pile of broken stones, or else from last night's gathered intel, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"Lingjun is the sort who would betray her own master for personal gain; do you really think she's anything good?"

"Last night her people even killed one of our scouts from each sect; today I will certainly not let her off easy!"

"But wasn't it said that Lingjun and her group would come dig for treasure at dawn? Why is there still no sign of anyone?"

"Could we have been tricked?"

"Just dig it up and see, then we'll know."

"Dig what? Who knows whether what's underneath is a deception or not?"

"It would be great if we could capture a Witch Moon Sect member to ask for clarification."

Besides a few men from the Five Poisons Sect, all the other major sects sent only female shamans.

They ranged from old to young; usually adept at poisonous insects, but having them move stones soon left them all sore-waisted and collapsed.

Even though the major sects together had nearly a hundred people, facing the pit full of unknown-depth rubble, each one worried enough to furrow their brows.

At that moment, Lingjun's daughter A Zhi, accompanied by Ya Mei and the others, also returned here.

Upon running into the people from Cloud Valley and the other sects, A Zhi and her group turned and fled.

"Seize them!"

A Zhi and her group were quickly captured and brought back.

"What are you doing? You've already made our Witch Moon Sect miserable enough—let go!"

A Zhi shouted furiously until Cloud Valley Elder Si Fang slapped her, drawing blood.

"Shut up!"

"If you dare to shout again, I'll kill you together with them!"

"Where's your mother? Hurry up and get her out here to see us!"

"Since you've already found the treasure, why still hide it, trying to secretly swallow it all yourself?"

"When we major sects originally helped her clear out the Witch Moon Sect, she didn't promise it would be like this."

"Last night she even dared to kill someone. Now, is she afraid to come out?"

"Do you really think just you few can dig up the treasure?"

Cloud Valley Elder Si Fang looked to be nearly seventy years old.

But her methods were as vicious as her appearance, so the other major sects usually kept their distance from her.

Who would have thought that, at her age, instead of cultivating in Cloud Valley, she'd run out to show off her ferocity and kill—truly both old and vicious.

A Zhi's face instantly swelled up.

Hearing them say that, she only found it funny.

"Ha ha, ha ha..."

"You still want to see my mother? Dig up these stones and you'll see her."

Union Harmony Sect's sect leader Ji Jingxue secretly sensed something wrong: "What are you laughing at?"

"Does your mother perhaps still want to reap the rewards, waiting for us to dig up the treasure then seize it by force?"

"What other plots does your Witch Moon Sect have?"

Everyone had already vaguely sensed it; last night's scouts had fallen for Lingjun's tricks.

If we had known, we should have attacked the Witch Moon Sect again last night and wiped out Lingjun outright, then the sect would have behaved.

Everyone secretly harbored vicious thoughts about how to kill Lingjun too, not realizing they had actually fallen into Li Qingluo's trap.

A Zhi: "Pah!"

"We of MiaoJiang actually have people as shameless as you."

"My mother is bad. Because she betrayed her sect, she has now met with retribution."

"But if it weren't for you dragging her along, would we have lost our homes as well?"

"And yet you claim our Witch Moon Sect has some plot... In this world, is there anything more vicious than scheming to annihilate another sect?"

"Besides, even if there really is treasure, it belongs to our Witch Moon Sect! So who exactly is the one seizing it?!"

The major sects, after being scolded, all changed expression.

Cloud Valley Elder Si Fang was the harshest, directly ordering her subordinates to take off the poison‑avoiding sachets from A Zhi and her group.

Then she personally placed a poisonous insect into A Zhi's ear.

「This is the Obedience Gu. If you again harbor rebellious thoughts, this worm will gnaw your eardrum, then burrow into your brain. Finally it will eat your brain marrow clean, then crawl out alive from your seven apertures。」

「A Zhi, go ahead and try the might of our Cloud Valley gu worms。」

A Zhi fell flat on their buttocks on the ground, unable to even cry.

Union Harmony Sect excels at witchcraft.

Five Poisons Sect excels at using poison.

Only Cloud Valley is the sect most skilled in gu poison in the entire MiaoJiang.

The Witch Moon Sect used to have outstanding experts in every field, but in recent years it has declined, especially its witchcraft, which has gradually been completely wiped out among its new generation.

Otherwise, A Zhi would also have been captured so easily.

Ya mei and they also had gu worms placed on their bodies.

After pushing everyone onto the rubble pile, Si Fang then fiercely interrogated, saying: "Speak! Is there really any treasure beneath this pile of stones?"

A Zhi: "Of course there is. Otherwise why would my mother go to such trouble?"

Ji Jinxue: "Then where is your mother? At this point, why hasn't she come out yet?"

Li Qingluo, seeing the opportunity ripe, hurriedly poured the prepared hibiscus bloody water from before climbing the cliff, from the crack into the rubble pile.

A Zhi was infected with the Obedience Gu.

She cannot lie.

But she also does not want these people to have it easy.

So, thinking quickly, she changed her words and said: "My mother is down there. She is waiting for you."

Her story had no loopholes, so it naturally wasn't considered lying.

Que'er couldn't help laughing at this: "Miss, I said this A Zhi would be useful, and indeed she is a bit helpful. Yesterday we went through great trouble to fish them out; it wasn't for nothing that we wasted effort on them."

Li Qingluo had at least stayed a year in the Witch Moon Sect.

Although she usually interacted little with the sect's juniors, she also knew that this A Zhi was the most temperamental witch maiden in the entire Witch Moon Sect.

She considered herself highly talented, and being the biological daughter of Third Elder Lingjun, she existed in the sect like a young lady of high standing.

If Li Qingluo were not of higher seniority than her, upon meeting her face to face she would not even give a perfunctory greeting.

Moreover, A Zhi's temperament is also the most like her mother Lingjun's.

Although she herself is not exactly a good person, this does not prevent her from envying and hating her enemies.

A Zhi's pretense did not immediately let Si Fang and them lower their guard.

They even quickly realized: "So you mean, if we don't move the rubble, your mother can't come out?"

A Zhi could not answer.

How could she say that even if all the stones were moved, her mother would not return?

Thinking of her mother's gruesome death, A Zhi's face turned pale.

A Zhi's reaction made Si Fang, Ji Jinxue, and the others even more convinced that there indeed was treasure below.

Otherwise, how could Lingjun possibly prefer to risk death rather than come out?

"What are we waiting for? Get moving! Carry!"