"Oh, right this way!"
Ji Du raised his hand, pointing in a direction, then smiled as he said,
"They're used to sparring all the time, so when they meet someone strong, they can't help but get a bit carried away. Please excuse them!"
"That's fine, our Fairy Jian Jing is the same, she's been so focused on body refining lately she's almost obsessive."
Both laughed, brushing off the earlier scuffle as nothing more than a friendly spar.
Ji Du led Jian Dan and the others through another archway, arriving at a vacant courtyard beside it. The only building left had collapsed, with just half a window frame standing there, looking rather desolate.
Kuang Dao, along with Lady Di's team and a member of the Purple Sky Sect, tidied up the debris scattered around the courtyard. They checked the surroundings carefully, ensuring there were no hidden threats, then returned and gestured to Jian Mao.
Jian Mao nodded. Jian Dan took out the array disk, placed it carefully, and entered the formation with the rest, leaving three on patrol outside.
"Boss Ji Du, we've traveled for several days. We'll rest today and sort out the things we want to trade. Tomorrow, we can discuss in detail, how does that sound?"
"Good, I'll be waiting."
Ji Du didn't waste words. After bidding farewell to Jian Mao, he returned to their own courtyard.
"Boss, where did these people come from? What's their background?"
"I didn't get much. They said they're a small squad from the outskirts. From what I saw, their team's made up of three different groups." Ji Du sat down, and a few of his men gathered around, asking about the newcomers.
"I'll grab Hu San when I see him and ask," said Dao Ba, who recognized Hu San.
"Alright, avoid them for now. How did your fight with that female cultivator feel?" Ji Du asked next.
"That little lady's body refining is strong. I held my own against her just now. If it came to a real fight, I'd say I have sixty percent chance of winning," Dao Ba answered honestly.
"Hah, rare to see you humble. And she only used fists. Who knows what else she's got up her sleeve?" Ji Du chuckled.
"Uh…"
"Enough testing for now. Find Hu San, check out their background. Tomorrow, see what good stuff they have to trade. Trade whatever we can, and gather more resources."
"Yes, Boss."
Ji Du's men nodded and dispersed.
Over at the Heavenly Sword Sect, the team discussed Ji Du's squad.
Kuang Dao said, "Including that Boss Ji Du, they've got twenty-five people."
Jian Chuang added, "This place looks like where they usually set up camp."
Lady Di noted, "Their squad's in the mid-range, a bit reputable. They know how to size up the situation. They'll take resources from the weak, but are polite to stronger forces."
Jian Jing said, "Just now, I sparred with Dao Ba. He's solid, a body refining cultivator. I held my own against him."
Jian Dan asked, "Sister, could you take him down if it got serious?"
"I'd say eighty percent chance," Jian Jing replied confidently.
Everyone at the Heavenly Sword Sect figured this squad's strength was comparable to theirs.
"Hu San!"
"Here, Fairy Lu. What's your command?"
"Switch out the patrolling Siyuan. If Ji Du's people quietly ask, handle it."
"Fairy Lu, don't worry. Hu San won't spill a thing," he said loyally.
"No need. Let them probe our strength, just tell the truth. Apart from our inner court activities and Yu Linhai's matter, everything else is fine to share."
"Uh…"
"Don't worry, just say what you know. Make sure they understand our squad's ferocity, got it?"
Hu San shivered internally, thinking: You guys are already ferocious, now you want me to exaggerate too?
Outwardly, he nodded immediately, "Understood, Hu San got it."
He stood and left the array, heading in the opposite direction from the patrol squad, pretending to relieve someone from duty.
A cultivator who'd been observing noticed, and swiftly went to inform Dao Ba.
Hu San deliberately slowed his pace. Behind a broken wall, Dao Ba patted him on the shoulder.
"Brother Hu!"
"Oh! Dao Ba, you sneaked up on me, nearly scared me to death!" he said, patting his chest.
"What are you acting for? Come here, I've got questions for you."
"Big brother, I'm just swapping patrols…"
"Won't take long, just a few questions. Look at you, scared already."
"Ah, Dao Ba, life's not easy! This new squad gives out resources based on contribution, it's tough to fit in!" Hu San put on a worried face.
"Then stick with us!"
"I want to live a little longer! If the boss finds out I betrayed them, I'm dead!"
"Oh? How'd you even join this squad? Spill it!"
Hu San glanced around before dramatically recounting how he joined the squad.
Jian Dan's spiritual perception saw that he was actively completing the mission she'd set, smiling as he told the story.
"This Hu San is quite adaptable," she thought.
The others shared a knowing smile, realizing Jian Lu's plan: just create a fearsome image for that other squad.
"Save time, let's rest properly."
Jian Mao said, then turned to Lady Di: "Tomorrow we'll trade with them. Make a list of what we want. Once we gather it, we'll negotiate."
"No problem. But the really good stuff they have, our regular materials probably won't match," Lady Di said.
"Doesn't matter. If we see something desirable, we can negotiate. We're not trading all our materials, some must be kept for the inner court cultivators," Jian Dan smiled.
"Understood."
Fifteen minutes later, Kuang Dao was placed in the formation, bowing to Jian Mao. "Hu San told me to report, I completed your orders."
"Good. Here's the list of materials available for trade."
"Thanks!"
Jian Dan finally released Xiao Yue from her sleeve. She stretched lazily, wandering around the formation, sniffing this and that.
After getting info from Hu San, Dao Ba went to find Ji Du.
"Boss, this squad's too tough for us. Better see if we can trade for more precious materials instead."
"Oh? Found out the details?"
"Yes, asked Hu San."
"Don't trust him completely."
"This time, it's solid. He swore on it, all of Qing Mian's squad except him were wiped out by Jian Mao's team. He was left just to lead us."
Ji Du frowned and asked, "Anything else?"
"Lady Di used to serve under Mao Wu. Jian Mao wiped out Mao Wu's other squads. Only their squad survived because they weren't truly loyal to Mao Wu. That blue-robed female cultivator alone wiped out Mi Ji's entire squad today."
"Looks like tough nuts! Go back and tell everyone: tomorrow focus on trading for resources. Nothing else."
"Yes, Boss!"
"Did you find out where this squad came from?"
"Hu San said it's their second time in this region, came through a spatial rift. He doesn't know much else. He's only been with the squad for about ten days."
"Got it."
===
Hey everyone, just a quick heads-up about the translation schedule.
As you know, I usually keep a stock of draft chapters for this novel on Webnovel. Right now, I've got about 60 chapters in the bank, which should last us until around November 11th.
The Bad News: I've got to be honest, I'm feeling a bit burnt out on translating this one. (Which is a shame, because the story itself really means a lot to me—it's just that translating is a very different beast from casual reading!).
The Good News: Don't worry, I'm not abandoning it! The updates will likely just slow down for a bit. I just might not stick to the usual 5 chapters per day schedule for a bit. There might be some smaller gaps between updates, or I might take a short break before I get my motivation back to translate.
Of course, there's also a chance I'll get back into it before the draft stock runs out and start building the buffer back up.
Really sorry for the irregularity! I just wanted to be upfront and let you all know what's going on. Thanks for your understanding.