Chapter 52

As dawn broke, Wu Kuang, who had been observing from behind a patch of thorns, heard a slight footstep behind him and turned around. Seeing Cui You, who had rested for the night, approaching, he immediately tried to get up but was held down by Cui You's hand on his shoulder.

Cui You crouched down beside him and, peering through the gaps in the thorns at the cave entrance covered by hanging vines, asked, "How is it?"

Wu Kuang replied, "It's the same as before, there's been no significant movement, but it seems smoke is rising from the cave entrance."

Cui You said, "You go rest, I'll keep watch."

Wu Kuang got up but then squatted down again, "Cui Chief, when are we going to make our move?"

Cui You replied, "We continue to wait! We'll act when the time is right. You go rest."

Wait? Wu Kuang pondered, it seems his judgment was correct; there must indeed be an informant in Miaqing Hall.

"It's fine, I can rest here as well."

...

Bang!

In the red, smoke-filled underground space, a shadow flashed like a meteor, plunging diagonally into the ground. A metal can was half-embedded in the ground, and a rapid clanging sound came from inside, causing the can to loosen and start to bounce.

A figure burst through the smoke, landing and stepping on the loosened can, his feet ablaze, and he quickly stomped on it with both feet.

After extinguishing the burning soles of his shoes, Yu Qing pulled out a cup lid from his waist belt, placed it on the ground, and with a slap, embedded it into the ground. He then slowly pulled the metal can out of the ground, aligning it with the lid, and began to rub it against the ground until it fit perfectly. He then twisted the can tightly and, using his strength, pulled it out completely.

Clang, clang, clang, clang...

The clanging inside the metal can was more intense than the previous two times, as it contained two fire crickets.

Yu Qing, holding the can, clicked his tongue in admiration, his face full of joy and surprise.

He hadn't expected to find two fire crickets, as he believed they were not social creatures. It seemed that the notion that fire crickets were not social could be overturned.

Of course, there could be other reasons.

The reason he managed to catch both at once was that the two fire crickets, one male and one female, were mating when he caught them, making them less responsive than usual, likely due to their intense passion.

There was no risk of them escaping during the process, and this pair was caught relatively easily. Yu Qing guessed that such an opportunity only arose during mating.

For him, this wasn't important. He leaped away, zigzagging across the island in the lava lake several times before returning to the exit. He walked to a pile of unused wood, threw the can on the ground, and piled wood on top of it.

Ignoring the clanging sounds from under the wood, he turned and walked toward the tunnel exit.

He walked at a steady pace, stopping just before the exit, where he sat cross-legged in meditation.

After about an hour and a half, the smoke had mostly cleared. Yu Qing pulled off the towel covering his mouth and face, took a breath, and, though the air was still not entirely clean, found it tolerable. He then stood up and continued forward.

He made no effort to conceal his movements. Outside the cave, Tie Miaqing and the others perked up their ears, exchanged glances, and then one by one got up and approached the cave entrance, parting the hanging vines to look inside. They saw Yu Qing walking in and then stopping.

Hearing no clanging from the can on Yu Qing's body, they immediately entered. Tie Miaqing hesitated, "Ashi Heng, is it... not there?"

Yu Qing sighed, "There is indeed one inside, but catching it might be a bit tricky. It might require everyone's help."

The others were unsure of the situation but were glad there was still a chance to catch it. They were willing to cooperate. Tie Miaqing immediately agreed, "Just tell us how to help."

Yu Qing gestured to Xu Fei and Chong'er, who were peeking from outside the vines, "Come in, the more people, the better."

Xu Fei and Chong'er had no objections, having no choice but to comply, and obediently entered.

"Follow me." Yu Qing gestured and turned to walk inside.

Tie Miaqing and the others followed. Zhu Shangbiao grabbed a few torches and lit them, while Cheng Shanping hesitated for a moment before looking outside.

Yu Qing, noticing his hesitation, added, "It's a simple task, it won't take long."

Hearing it wouldn't take long, Cheng Shanping had no more reservations and quickly followed.

The smoke had not completely cleared, and Xu Fei and Chong'er, without the aid of their cultivation, started coughing and quickly covered their mouths and noses with their sleeves...

"Cui Chief, look, there's movement, they've all gone in."

Wu Kuang, hiding behind the thorns, suddenly spoke up.

Cui You, who had been watching, nodded, "I see."

Wu Kuang asked, "Can we make our move now?"

Cui You frowned in confusion but still needed a definite signal. He shook his head, "We continue to wait."

...

Inside the tunnel, Yu Qing suddenly stopped and turned to face the group, smiling, "Everyone, please wait here for a moment." He took a torch from Sun Ping and said to Tie Miaqing, "Boss, let's go ahead and set up."

The others were puzzled, but Tie Miaqing cooperated and followed him.

Yu Qing's actions were a bit strange, and Sun Ping and the others were somewhat worried, but seeing Xu Fei and Chong'er there, they felt a bit more at ease.

Yu Qing didn't lead Tie Miaqing too far, but far enough that the others couldn't hear their conversation. Tie Miaqing, familiar with the place, recognized the eerie spot where incense sticks were stuck into the cave wall.

Just as Tie Miaqing was feeling uneasy, Yu Qing stopped and turned to face her, holding the torch.

Tie Miaqing sensed something was off and became cautious, probing, "Didn't you say you needed to set something up?"

"There's nothing to set up," Yu Qing denied, seeing her heightened alertness and immediately waving his hand, "Boss, don't misunderstand. I brought you here to tell you something that concerns our lives."

Tie Miaqing remained cautious, "What could be so serious?"

Yu Qing asked, "Boss, do you remember when I asked how many shops had taken the mission in Youya?"

Tie Miaqing thought for a moment, "I remember, what are you trying to say?"

Yu Qing continued, "If another shop's people try to take the three fire crickets you have, wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that they are stronger than your group? If they attack, you would have little chance of winning, and everyone would suffer. Am I right?"

Tie Miaqing didn't deny this but wasn't concerned about it, "You don't need to worry about that. We just need to fulfill our promises to each other."

Yu Qing said, "If I tell you that one of your people is a spy for another shop, would you believe me?"

Tie Miaqing frowned, "What are you talking about? My people are reliable, there's no problem."

Yu Qing said, "Do you remember the fight in the Ancient Xiang Forest? The forest is so vast, yet someone just happened to run into our path, leading to a conflict with the mountain monster. Your suspicions at the time were correct; someone was indeed following us."

Tie Miaqing didn't understand why he was bringing this up now, "I overthought it. They were right; if they were following us, they would have known we had awakened the 'Unicorn Mountain Xiang' and wouldn't have run into us. Even if someone was following us, you know the consequences of fighting in the Ancient Xiang Forest."

Yu Qing said, "That's what I need to verify. I can't risk my life. I want to know if those people managed to escape from the Ancient Xiang Forest."

Feeling insulted by his suspicion of her people, Tie Miaqing was angry, "Don't you think your behavior is like sowing discord? I said I would keep my promise. You don't need to worry about me breaking it. There's no point in your schemes here."

"I caught the third fire cricket," Yu Qing suddenly changed the subject, pointing to the end of the tunnel, "It's under that pile of wood. If you're not afraid to die, you can take it and leave. I..."

Caught off guard, Tie Miaqing's eyes widened, and she quickly struck Yu Qing, sealing his acupoints to prevent any tricks, then dashed away with the torch.

Yu Qing, stunned, couldn't believe she had attacked him before he could finish speaking. He cursed inwardly.

Fortunately, Tie Miaqing, eager to know the truth, returned quickly with the clanging metal can. Her face, illuminated by the torch, was filled with surprise, "Two? You caught two at once?"

Yu Qing remained motionless and silent.

Tie Miaqing, realizing his condition, quickly released his acupoints and asked, "How did you catch two?"

Yu Qing rubbed his chest, not wanting to get into a long discussion, and returned to the topic, "I now suspect that the spy has already led the other shop's people outside, where they might have set up an ambush. If that's the case, they are waiting for you to gather all three fire crickets. Do you understand the consequences of taking them out now?"

Tie Miaqing understood his meaning and why he had said he hadn't caught the fire cricket. She sighed, "You're overthinking it. They are my trusted subordinates, who have followed us for years. They wouldn't betray us."

Yu Qing coldly replied, "They are not my trusted subordinates!"

His tone was icy, and his meaning clear: I don't trust them!

Tie Miaqing asked, "I don't understand. Why do you suddenly have this suspicion?"

Yu Qing, not wanting to reveal the real reason, gave a grand excuse, "I divined it. I calculated that there is a spy among us."

Tie Miaqing was speechless. She was a beneficiary of his divination skills and the most trusting of the group. After a moment, she asked, "Who do you suspect is the spy?"

Yu Qing had his own plans and wouldn't reveal his suspicions yet, "If I could divine every detail, I wouldn't need to do this. I can only tell that there is a spy among you, but I don't know who it is. I didn't want to reveal this in front of everyone, fearing a mistake and causing misunderstandings. I made a mistake when I communicated with the spirits. I asked you to come here to discuss a way to verify it."