Deep night blanketed the Heavenly Tiger Sect like a thick quilt.
Moonlight spilled like cold frost over the Jade Heart Plantation. Rows of spirit fields rested quietly while formation lights pulsed faintly beneath the soil like the slow breathing of a sleeping beast.
At the very heart of the plantation stood the core of its main defensive formation. A circular stone platform carved with dense formation runes. Spirit lines converged from every direction, flowing into the platform like rivers.
Two peak stage Qi Condensation disciples stood guard.
Lin Wei leaned against a stone pillar, arms crossed tightly across his chest. His eyes kept drifting toward the darkness beyond the fields. The longer he watched, the deeper the crease between his brows became.
"It's really strange," Lin Wei said quietly. "Senior Brother Wang still hasn't returned."
Chen Fu let out a lazy snort. He was sitting on the edge of the platform, one leg dangling casually.
"What now?" Chen Fu said, yawning. "You feel a chill in your balls or something."
Lin Wei shot him a glare. "Idiot. Whenever Senior Brother Wang leaves the plantation at night, he always arranges another Foundation Establishment senior to take over. Never once has he left the formation unattended like this time."
Chen Fu turned his head lazily, eyes half lidded. "You're thinking too much. This is Jade Heart Plantation, not your mother's herb field. Who would dare cause trouble here?"
He stomped the ground lightly. "We are sitting on top of the Azure Root Earth Lock Formation. A Black Rank mid grade formation. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would think twice before forcing entry."
He paused, then sneered. "Even if some idiot wanted to sneak in, he'd get crushed into meat paste before taking three steps. What are you worried about? That a ghost will crawl out of the ground and steal your spirit herbs? I didn't realize you were such a paper tiger. Hehe. Want me to call mommy for you?"
Lin Wei's face darkened. "Careful with your words. Being cautious doesn't mean I'm afraid. It means I still have a head on my shoulders. Unlike a certain drunken moron who thinks formations are excuses to sleep with open eyes."
Chen Fu's eyes glinted with amusement. He reached into his robe and pulled out a wine gourd. The scent of alcohol immediately spread through the air.
"Always so stiff," Chen Fu said casually. "No wonder your cultivation hasn't moved in years. A man who can't even drink a little booze, how can he face bottlenecks?"
"You dog bastard!" Veins started to pop on Lin Wei's forehead.
"Why? Did I hit a sore spot." Chen Fu smirked. "Face it. Your courage shrank along with your ambition. A man who lives with his tail tucked will never achieve anything significant."
Chen Fu lifted the gourd slightly. "For once, just once, prove to me you're a man. Break the rules and enjoy this wine with me. Do you dare?"
Lin Wei glared at him. "This is forbidden."
Chen Fu chuckled. "Forbidden. Everything worthwhile is forbidden to cowards. Hehe, Senior Brother Wang isn't here, and the next patrol shift is four hours away. Will you still refuse and drink and prove yourself a eunuch?"
Lin Wei's pride stung like a needle. His gaze flickered to the gourd, then back to Chen Fu's mocking smile.
"…Just one cup," Lin Wei said through clenched teeth, finally relenting.
Chen Fu's grin widened. "Now that's a man."
He uncorked the gourd and poured a generous stream into two small jade cups. The liquid shimmered with a deep amethyst hue.
"To the brave Lin Wei."
They drank.
As the wine slid down their throats, a cunning light flashed through Chen Fu's eyes, which he quickly concealed.
Moments later, the world spun.
Lin Wei swayed like a kite in the wind. His eyes widened in confusion before his legs gave out. His body collapsed onto the stone floor with a dull thud.
Chen Fu staggered as well, his head swimming, but fierce satisfaction burned through the haze.
"The drug worked," he laughed hoarsely.
He fumbled through his robes and pulled out a messaging jade slip, its surface glowing faintly. He crushed it in his hand.
"Now, to finish the job."
Chen Fu formed a hand seal and slammed his palm toward the formation core.
Spiritual power surged wildly. His intoxicated state betrayed him. The Qi moved erratically, and backlash struck immediately.
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
He coughed violently but forced himself to try again.
And again.
Each attempt worsened his condition.
Just before consciousness slipped away, his eyes flared with unnatural blue light.
Twin bolts of brilliant blue lightning erupted from his gaze, coalescing into a single three meter long spear of pure destructive force.
It descended like heavenly judgment.
The Azure Root Earth Lock Formation core shattered in a single strike.
Chen Fu crumpled to the ground. Though unconscious, a smile remained on his face.
....
At the boundary of the Jade Heart Plantation.
A silver devil mask was pressed tightly against Jiang Chen's face. Two curved horns rose from its surface, and a crimson grin stretched across it in a terrifying arc. Beneath the mask, his expression remained calm. A concealing talisman activated quietly, releasing layers of swirling dark clouds that wrapped around his body, swallowing his aura until not even a trace of spiritual fluctuation escaped.
He moved like a shadow and arrived at the gathering point, a small clearing ringed by ancient trees.
More than twenty figures were already gathered. Each was cloaked in similar obscuring mist, their auras indistinguishable.
Nineteen of them wore silver devil masks identical to Jiang Chen's, differing only in the numbers etched into the metal.
The masks with lower numbers indicated individuals with higher cultivation.
Jiang Chen's mask bore the number twenty.
He glanced around calmly.
Two figures stood apart from the rest. One wore a golden Buddha mask. The other wore a golden Demon mask.
Neither mask bore a number.
Both were fifteenth layer cultivators, the undisputed leaders of this operation.
The Buddha masked cultivator spoke coldly. "You're late, number 20. Do not complain when your merits are deducted."
A few snickers echoed from within the shadowed figures. But Jiang Chen remained indifferent, not bothering with words.
The Buddha masked cultivator seemed displeased by the lack of response and was about to speak again.
At that moment, a sharp cracking sound echoed. The jade slip in the Golden Demon masked cultivator's hand shattered.
He nodded once. "The formation is down."
Without another word, Golden Demon masked cultivator turned and departed, taking the odd numbered cultivators with him.
The remaining even numbered cultivators, including Jiang Chen, turned their attention back to the Buddha masked cultivator.
He said, "Each of you received a map earlier today. The red circled locations are your primary objectives. Each person has different priorities. And anything you achieve beyond that is bonus merit. Remember your merits directly determine the rewards Senior Brother Sun will grant you. So work your bones."
He paused, before saying, "I will now activate the Silent Heaven Veil Array. Sound and sight will be concealed for outsiders. You guys infiltrate first. I will follow."
His eyes hardened behind the mask. "You have at most seven hours. So before the talismans fail, you must withdraw."
He waved his hand. "Move."
The group dispersed like smoke.
....
Inside the Jade Heart Plantation, the scent of medicinal herbs assaulted Jiang Chen immediately.
Bitter, sweet, and earthy fragrances overlapped chaotically, making it difficult to isolate any single aroma. Dense spiritual Qi filled the air, making every breath feel rich with vitality. It was the kind of environment that could nourish a cultivator simply by existing within it.
The plantation stretched across roughly one thousand two hundred acres. Neatly arranged spirit fields spread outward in careful patterns, intersected by winding paths and irrigation channels.
Jiang Chen did not wander.
He followed the red mark on his map directly.
The journey took nearly half an hour, passing rows of lesser spirit plants and empty huts.
He arrived at a secluded area hidden behind a cluster of ancient monolith trees.
Before him lay seven large pools of greenish water.
Each pool teemed with hundreds of purple flowers, their stems submerged beneath the surface. They swayed gently in the night breeze, petals unfurling as they drew spiritual energy from the enriched herbal water.
'Purple Ghost Flowers.'
Jiang Chen stood atop a rock and observed in silence.
These flowers were commonly used as auxiliary herbs in refining spirit calming pills and soul nourishing medicines. Market demand for them was steady. From what Jiang Chen knew, their price ranged from seven to eleven spirit stones per flower, depending on market fluctuations.
Unfortunately, most of the flowers were immature, bearing only two or three petals.
Only the rearmost pool made Jiang Chen feel relief.
The flowers there had fully bloomed, each displaying seven perfect petals. A faint golden flame occasionally flickered within their centers.
'These are mine to harvest. The other six pools I can destroy for merit.'
However, upon closer inspection, he noticed that all seven pools were protected by a formation. A roughly Yellow Rank high grade array.
Jiang Chen stroked his chin.
'After toying with a few formations, I have some understanding. Not enough to dismantle one cleanly, but I could locate the nodes and destroy it with brute force in two hours.'
His eyes narrowed.
'But that's not the real problem. I don't know the proper harvesting method.'
A single mistake could ruin the flowers and destroy their value.
A faint smile formed beneath his mask.
'Good thing there is someone here who can help me.'
....
A thatched hut sat hidden among herb rows, its roof sagging slightly beneath years of wind and rain. Moonlight barely reached it, broken by tall stalks and dense leaves that swayed softly in the night breeze.
Soft sounds leaked through the thin wooden walls.
Inside, Zhou Mei lay tangled with another woman on the narrow bed, bodies pressed tightly beneath the blankets.
Yu Lan's lips peeled away from Zhou Mei's, a silver thread momentarily bridging the space between them before snapping.
Yu Lan leaned close, her breath brushing Zhou Mei's ear as she whispered softly, "Oh heavens, you truly are irresistible."
Her hips ground against Zhou Mei's. Her fingers kneaded Zhou Mei's breasts, teasing and tormenting the sensitive peaks, eliciting a soft gasp. Their mouths met again for a hungry, desperate kiss that devoured air.
Zhou Mei's breathing grew heavy, ragged gasps escaping her lips as Yu Lan's questing mouth descended, a warm, moist trail blazing a path downward toward her cherry valley.
BANG BANG BANG.
The sudden, jarring thud against the wooden door ripped through the hut like thunder.
Both women froze, their bodies instantly rigid. Pleasure was replaced by a cold spike of adrenaline.
"Who the hell is that?" Yu Lan spat, scrambling backward and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
Zhou Mei's face went pale. "No one comes here. Only my brother… he's the only one who might, but he would never arrive unannounced." A tremor ran through her body. "There is only one other person who would be so brazen. It has to be him."
Before Zhou Mei could utter the name, Yu Lan snatched her blade from the floor. She pulled her thin robe loosely over her chest, the fabric hanging open and exposing her dark, aroused nipples. Her eyes narrowed into slits of pure venom. "Manager Peng."
Panic seized Zhou Mei as she scrambled off the bed, nearly tripping over herself. "No, Yu Lan, please. Don't cause trouble. We cannot afford to offend him. You know this."
Yu Lan spun toward her, rage blazing openly across her face. "Offend him? You've said no a hundred times. He thinks he can just take whatever he wants. Tonight, I will teach him a lesson he will never forget. I will make it clear that you, Zhou Mei, belong to me."
Zhou Mei was deeply moved by those words, but fear still crushed her chest. Manager Peng was a man who oversaw most of the Jade Heart Plantation. "Please, Yu Lan. I beg you. Don't do this."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Yu Lan's jaw set. She strode toward the door, shouting as she went. "Get lost, you pig. Go find another hole to stick your rotten—"
She reached for the handle.
Behind her, Zhou Mei collapsed to her knees, a heart wrenching sob tearing from her throat. "Stop. Please. For the sake of the heavens, stop."
Yu Lan turned her head slightly, brief hesitation flashing across her face at the sound of her lover's despair.
A golden blur pierced the wood.
A powerful fist, cloaked in the phantom of a tiger, punched straight through the flimsy door and slammed into Yu Lan's skull.
The sound was sickening, like a wet, explosive pop. Blood, bone chips, and brain matter erupted outward, splattering across the room. Zhou Mei screamed as hot, sticky gore washed over her face, bathing her in thick crimson.
Yu Lan's headless body crumpled lifelessly onto the mat, her blade slipping from limp fingers and clattering uselessly beside her.
The golden light vanished. The intruding hand calmly twisted the broken doorknob and withdrew. The door slowly creaked open, revealing a silhouetted figure standing in the moonlight.
Fear so pure and absolute consumed Zhou Mei, that her body shook uncontrollably as she stared in horror.
A figure stepped into the hut. Tall, shrouded in shadows, wearing a silver devil mask marked with the numeral twenty.
Jiang Chen glanced once at the headless corpse. Then his eyes, dark and indifferent, rested on Zhou Mei, still caked in blood and frozen in dread.
"Mind if I come in?"