Why did you provoke me?

Xiao Wen's team was still discussing tactics, but the ten people who would become the third batch of trainees were already standing at the guesthouse where Jing Er and the others had once eaten.

"This is their first rest stop on their return journey from the second battlefield. At a normal speed, it should be between 5 and 6 pm." A hoarse voice came from under the hood. If Yu Meng were here, she would definitely recognize this person as the one who went to her old family home to find her.

"The second group has a lot of people; they should be able to move everyone out quickly using their own vehicles." Another voice came over, "Who among you knows how to read tire tracks?"

"I looked around, and there were many messy marks, so it's hard to tell."

"Then walk 1000 meters along each road that is open to traffic, and then look for vehicle tracks."

"Will they use airplanes, like they did this time?"

"No. Our landing site is the only one around here, and I checked just now; there are no signs of broken grass or trees."

Ten people, each offering their own analysis of the current situation.

"I've found a road they might have taken," a man panting as he ran up from a distance. "The tire tracks stretch a long way."

"Let's go in and ask what's going on. With so many people, there must be some traces left behind," the person who had been standing on the far left said.

"We'll listen to our senior brother," everyone responded.

Ten people entered the guesthouse one by one. The guesthouse owner's heart tightened; three days ago, a group of people dressed similarly had come to eat and stay. And then…

He shuddered, thinking he was going to die too. Three days passed, and what was coming was finally about to happen.

The eldest brother, Jing San, sat down on the table. "I need to see your boss. Could someone please inform him?"

A waiter next to me was trembling. "Okay, please wait a moment, I'll go get the boss right away."

The ten people remained completely silent, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere in the room.

The boss walked out cautiously, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said, "My lords, feel free to ask me anything I know, and I will never hide anything from you."

Jing San glanced at him; he seemed to know what was good for him.

"Are you afraid of us?" It wasn't a question, but a statement of certainty.

"Three days ago, some people dressed like you stayed at my house. I vaguely remember them."

"What happened to them here?"

The boss gave a wry smile, "We've been taken into custody. Someone put something in their food."

How did you know?

"I don't want to know these things, but they didn't hide it from anyone at all, even the chefs here know."

"Was that so outrageous? What happened next?"

"Later, another group of people put something in the tea. They didn't hide it from the waiter who was boiling the water. That's how I found out about it."

"Are they a group?" Jing San's tone remained calm.

The boss frowned. "In my opinion, they're not in cahoots."

"How so?"

"The first group of people were laughing as they set it off, even whispering and joking with the people next to them. Do you think they would notice? They didn't seem to be doing anything wrong at all; it was like they were just joking with each other. The second group came after they had finished eating. They were masked, so you couldn't tell who they were. They just watched as the other people drank their tea and then quietly left."

Jing San looked around at the others, "Does anyone else have a question?"

"Where are their belongings?" one of them asked.

"If I tell you, will you kill me?" the boss asked cautiously.

"We have everything we need, no problem."

"That's good." The boss wiped the sweat from his brow and continued, "A lot of people came in the middle of the night and dragged everything down to the back warehouse. He said if anyone with this kind of tag came looking for us, I could give it to them." The boss pointed to the tag on Jing San's waist.

The group exchanged glances, all wondering if their appearance was also part of that person's scheme.

All fifty backpacks were present.

The boss had a fawning smile on his face. "They're all here, not one is missing."

Jing San and the others did not go out immediately. They opened their backpacks, and the contents were quite neat: the sect's sign, a communication bell, food, clothes, water, weapons, and even dry branches were all in the backpacks.

Jing San sneered inwardly. How could a sect want someone like this? He was far too incompetent. They probably wouldn't even have a hair left on their heads.

"Senior Brother, one of the backpacks is missing a dead branch; its owner must have been carrying it with him." Someone among the people rummaging through the bags suddenly spoke up.

The guesthouse owner watched Jing San and the others leave, then sat down on the ground, patting his chest, "Those bastards are finally gone. Quick, you there, help me up, my legs are weak."

At the same time, Nangong Tianshou also encountered trouble.

"What's going on with the fake fairy's car? How did he end up there?" Nangong Tianshou had a bad feeling.

He hurriedly went down the slope, but he hadn't gone far when the fake fairy was standing by the roadside waiting for him.

"You love-struck fool, I never expected to meet you here. What a coincidence!"

Nangong Tianshou narrowed his eyes. "Let me give you a piece of advice: there are some people you'd better stay away from."

"Didn't you touch it first? I just added a little something extra." Fake Fairy shrugged indifferently.

Nangong Tianshou squeezed his eyes shut. "Fake Fairy, our fight is between the two of us. For your own good, you'd better back off this time."

"Do you think I'm easily intimidated? Besides, I just invited them over for a visit and a chat. I meant no harm."

"Get out of the way!" Nangong Tianshou reached out and shoved the fake fairy aside. "If you're going to court death, don't drag me down with you."

The fake fairy didn't move. "Don't be in such a hurry. We haven't seen each other in a long time. Would you do me the honor of having a cup of tea?"

The fake fairy's behavior made Nangong Tianshou laugh in exasperation. "When can we sit down and have tea together? Have you changed your ways?"

"I know you're anxious, but don't worry. My men have already gone to fetch help. When they return, I'll be the hero who saved people, and you'll be the scheming villain behind their backs. We'll see who they believe then."

Nangong Tianshou sneered, "A hero who saves people? I just saw your men being wiped out by some unknown force."

"Don't say such things. Your tricks are too low-level. Those people are elites I trained. Who do you think could wipe them out?" Fake Fairy didn't believe Nangong Tianshou's words at all.

Nangong Tianshou was in a hurry to go over there to see what had happened; this wasn't how things were supposed to go.

He was very anxious because the fake fairy was blocking his way, but he couldn't show it. He knew all too well how difficult this person was to deal with.

He took a deep breath. "I know the key figures in their sect. If you'd like to talk to them, I can introduce you."

"Oh, they also have a sect with so many experts, yet not a single piece of information about them has been revealed. How did you come to know them?" Fake Fairy's curiosity was completely piqued.

He made a gesture, "I know your whereabouts inside and out, so you'd better make your story believable. Otherwise, I'll look down on you."

He looked at Nangong Tianshou and said, "You don't need to even think about going there. I've arranged people along all the roads here. Unless you want our two families to go to war, we're definitely going to have this cup of tea today."