The entry for cultivating immortality states that after dying a hundred times, I attained immortalit

"Stay up all night, staring at me..."

Jiang Bai hurried along the wall, muttering to himself.

He bypassed two young disciples at the second level of Qi Refining who were on patrol. The two men were so engrossed in their lanterns that they didn't notice Jiang Bai hiding behind them.

We soon arrived at the outer wall of the Discipline Hall.

A three-zhang-high stone wall is nothing to a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator, but there is a warning array on top of the wall.

Jiang Bai took out a small gray stone shard from his storage bag.

This is an "interference rune stone" that Jiang Lin just gave me yesterday. It can temporarily disrupt a low-level formation for three breaths.

Stick it on the wall to activate the stone tablet.

The array patterns on the wall trembled slightly, and the light dimmed in an instant.

Jiang Bai leaped into the air, grabbed the wall with both hands, and landed on his feet.

The entire movement was fluid and graceful; when he landed, not even a single leaf was disturbed.

The duration of the Cloak of Shadows is almost over.

The prison area was located at the deepest part of the Discipline Hall, consisting of a row of low stone houses with windows sealed shut with iron bars.

There were two guards at the entrance, who were currently dozing against the wall.

The malice came from inside the stone house.

Jiang Bai held his breath and crept along the shadows to the window.

The effect of the Shadow Cloak is becoming unstable, and the outline of the hem is already showing at the edges.

"The sect leader said it will happen in the next few days."

A deep male voice came from inside the room.

Jiang Bai remembered the voice; it belonged to Jiang Wei, a deacon in the Discipline Hall, who was responsible for the daily guarding of the prison area.

"Where is it?" another unfamiliar voice asked.

"Here it is."

A rustling sound.

Jiang Bai risked his life by peering closely into the hole in the window.

Two people were sitting at the table. On the left was Jiang Wei, who was around forty years old with a square face, but his eyes were sinister at the moment.

On the right is a masked man, completely wrapped in a black cloak, not even his fingers are visible.

Half a jade pendant was placed on the table.

The jade pendant is bluish-gray, but it is only half a piece, and it looks like it was broken in half by someone.

The cross-section is engraved with some kind of complex pattern.

Jiang Bai squinted and examined it closely; the patterns resembled entwined poisonous vines.

"The hall master instructed," Jiang Wei lowered his voice, "that on the day of the three-clan martial arts competition, the Li family will send people to cause trouble. At that time, the people from the Enforcement Hall will be transferred to maintain order, and only four guards will remain at the prison, all of whom are our people."

The masked man picked up half of the jade pendant and examined it carefully under the lamplight: "Where's the other half?"

"It will be given to you after the deed is done," Jiang Wei said. "The hall master said that as long as he is rescued, you can take 30% of the resources in the Jiang family's treasury."

30% of warehouse resources!

Jiang Bai felt a chill run down his spine.

Although the Jiang family's warehouse cannot compare to those of the major sects, it is still a considerable sum accumulated over a century.

"And that Jiang Bai." The masked man put away the jade pendant. "The leader wants him dead. He must be alive, or he must be dead—preferably a corpse."

"rest assured."

Jiang Wei sneered, "That kid's been too high-profile lately, he should have died long ago. When things get chaotic on the day of the competition, I'll personally take action. Then we'll say it was someone from Black Fiend Valley who infiltrated and killed him, and there will be no way to prove it."

The duration of the Cloak of Shadows ended precisely at this moment.

Jiang Bai's figure was revealed in the shadows outside the window.

Fortunately, it was dark enough that the two people inside had their backs to the window and did not notice each other at first.

However, the level of danger increases exponentially.

[Killing Intent Sensing] A frantic warning is coming not from inside the house, but from behind!

Jiang Bai suddenly turned his head.

A person was standing in the shadow of the pillars ten zhang away.

The man was dressed in the robes of an ordinary disciple of the Discipline Hall, with sharp, eagle-like eyes, and was looking at where Jiang Bai was.

It was discovered!

No! It's not fully exposed yet.

The person only sensed something was wrong and was slowly approaching.

Jiang Bai's brain was working at lightning speed.

Should we rush in and arrest them now? No, both of them are quite powerful.

He had no chance of winning against two opponents.

Calling for help? That won't work either.

If you alert the enemy, all clues will be lost.

The only option now is to withdraw.

He glanced at the room one last time. Jiang Wei was pulling a thin booklet from under the table and handing it to the masked man: "These are the addresses of several of the leader's secret warehouses outside. There are also..."

I hadn't heard the rest of the sentence.

The disciple under the pillars had approached within five zhang, his hand resting on the sword at his waist.

Without further hesitation, Jiang Bai turned and rushed towards the wall.

"Who's there?!" the disciple shouted in a low voice, drawing his sword and giving chase.

The footsteps startled those inside the house.

Jiang Wei pushed the door open abruptly, and the masked man instantly flipped and leaped onto the roof, his movements incredibly fast.

"Thief!" Jiang Wei roared.

The guards on both sides of the prison were awakened and gathered around with lanterns.

Jiang Bai had rushed to the wall.

Three figures were hot on their heels: Jiang Wei, the disciple, and a masked man who was flanking them from the rooftop.

Swift Step activated!

The green entry was activated, and spiritual energy erupted in the meridians of both legs, increasing speed by 30%.

Jiang Bai shot off like an arrow, taking three quick steps against the wall, grabbing the edge with one hand, and flung his entire body out.

"Stop him!"

Jiang Wei's shout came from behind.

A cold glint of light shot from the side; it was a dart thrown by the masked man.

Jiang Bai ducked, but the dart grazed his hair and embedded itself in the wall, penetrating three inches deep.

He flipped over the wall, but stumbled when he landed. The burst effect of [Swift Shadow Step] had just ended, and his legs felt a tingling numbness.

With a 30-breath cooldown, the only option left is to run away on foot.

From inside the wall came Jiang Wei's furious shout: "Search! He can't have gone far!"

The footsteps then split into three groups.

Jiang Bai rushed into the shadow of the nearest building without hesitation.

That was the kitchen and warehouse of the Gongfa Hall, filled with miscellaneous items.

He crawled behind a pile of abandoned wooden crates, held his breath, and pulled a small porcelain bottle from his storage bag.

The bottle contained "filth powder," which wasn't exactly poison, but its odor was extremely pungent and enough to interfere with tracking techniques.

He scattered half a bottle around him, then curled up and turned his Shadow Cloak inside out.

The cloak's lining was dark gray, almost blending into the environment in the shadows.

A moment later, two figures leaped over the wall and landed where Jiang Bai had just been.

It was Jiang Wei and his disciple.

"Their breathing becomes disordered here."

The disciple crouched down and touched the ground. "The other party used something to interfere with the scent."

Jiang Wei's face was ashen as he looked around. "He definitely hasn't gone far. You go east, I'll go west, search every inch of the place!"

The two then split up.

Jiang Wei walked towards the warehouse.

Jiang Bai gripped the poisoned dagger tightly; if he were discovered, he would have no choice but to fight for his life.

Jiang Wei walked to the warehouse door and stopped.

He squinted, scanning the messy pile of wooden crates.

Jiang Wei suddenly turned around and chased after it in another direction. Clearly, the scent of the foul gas had successfully misled him.

Jiang Bai waited for another quarter of an hour until his [Killing Intent Perception] confirmed that there were no more sources of malice within fifty feet before slowly crawling out from behind the wooden box.

He hugged the wall, circled around it, and climbed over the wall from the backyard back to his own courtyard.

Close the door and light the oil lamp.

My back was already soaked with cold sweat.

"That was close..."

Jiang Bai poured himself a glass of cold tea and gulped it down before his heartbeat slowly calmed down. "Jiang Wei, the masked man, half a jade pendant, the secret warehouse ledger, and that disciple who came to meet us... these are all remnants of the Grand Elder's forces."

He sat down at the table, took out paper and pen, and began to take notes.

1. Traitor: Jiang Wei, a deacon of the Discipline Hall (Qi Refining Level 4), and at least one disciple who is an accomplice (identity to be determined).

2. Plan: Create chaos during the three-race competition, and rescue the Grand Elder from prison.

3. Colluding with external forces: A masked man (suspected to be a contact person for the Chen or Li family), with half a jade pendant as a token.

4. Resource commitment: 30% of the warehouse's resources will be exchanged for relief.

5. Additional objective: Kill Jiang Bai.

Jiang Bai paused for a moment as he wrote this.

"They're quite persistent in wanting my life."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "How much is my head worth now? What percentage of the 30% of the warehouse resources could I get?"

Should we report it now?

No.

The evidence was insufficient; he had only overheard the conversation and had neither obtained the jade pendant nor seen the account book.

Jiang Wei could easily turn the tables and accuse him of framing someone.

Moreover, if the enemy is alerted, the Grand Elder's secret forces outside will definitely disappear completely, causing endless trouble in the future.

It takes a long-term approach.

Jiang Bai blew out the oil lamp and sat quietly in the darkness for a moment.

Before dawn, he changed into clean clothes and went out to Jiang Shan's residence.

Half an hour later, the six members of the Zhejing Society gathered again in Jiang Bai's quiet room, this time with Xiao Cui standing guard at the door.

"That's the situation." Jiang Bai briefly recounted what he had seen last night, omitting the details of almost being caught. "Jiang Wei is the traitor; they will make their move on the day of the martial arts competition."

Everyone's expressions were solemn.

"Should we tell the clan leader?" Jiang Yurou asked in a low voice.

"Not for now," Jiang Bai shook his head. "We don't have enough evidence. Besides, the clan leader is definitely investigating in secret. Reporting rashly might interfere with his plans."

"What do we do then?" Jiang Wu clenched his fists. "We can't just wait for them to make a move, can we?"

"Of course not." Jiang Bai looked at Jiang Hu and Jiang Ming. "Brother Hu, Brother Ming, starting today, you two will take turns keeping an eye on Jiang Wei. Don't get too close, and record everyone he comes into contact with and all the places he goes."

Jiang Hu nodded: "Understood."

Jiang Ming added, "I have good hearing, so I can stake out and eavesdrop on his residence."

"Brother Shan," Jiang Bai turned to Jiang Shan, "how are your injuries?"

"I'm all better now." Jiang Shan flexed his left arm. "I recovered in two days after the poison was completely cleared."

"Then spend the next few days loitering around the Discipline Hall, deliberately showing your face, and say you're investigating the attack from last time."

Jiang Baidao said, "Put some pressure on Jiang Wei and see if he will slip up."

"OK."

"Yu Rou, keep an eye on the rumors circulating in the market, especially those about the jade pendant's design. The pattern on that half of the jade pendant is very unusual; it's a vine-like pattern with intertwined branches. Perhaps it has some kind of history."

"it is good."

"Brother Wu, Brother Lin," Jiang Bai said, turning to the two of them one last time, "you two hurry up and prepare life-saving supplies. Talismans, pills, poison powder—prepare as many as you have. If you don't have enough money, I'll cover it for you first."

Jiang Lin hesitated for a moment: "The materials for the warning talisman..."

"Buy them." Jiang Bai took out fifty spirit stones from his storage bag and pushed them over. "Prioritize making warning talismans and communication talismans. Zhe Jing will provide each person with a set."

After the arrangements were made, everyone dispersed.

Jiang Bai sat alone in the quiet room, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table.

Half a jade pendant... Secret warehouse ledgers... Black Fiend Valley... The Li family... Chen Lei...

These clues are like a net, slowly tightening.

And he himself seemed to be right in the center of the net.

"That's true," he muttered to himself, gazing at the brightening sky outside the window. "The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease. No, it's that the tree hasn't grown tall enough yet, and people from all directions are trying to cut it down."

He got up and went into the courtyard to practice his Poison Mist Palm technique.

The palm strike brought forth a pale green poisonous mist, which churned in the morning light.

One slap after another.

There is less than a month left until the three-race tournament.

Before that, he needs to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, find out all the details about the traitor, and prepare for a life-or-death battle.

And most importantly, it's about surviving.

"The to-do list is getting longer and longer."

Jiang Baishou exhaled and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Fortunately, someone who has died once is best at crossing off items from a list one by one."