Chapter 357: Chapter 356: Secret Plot
"Tch. So gutless, yet he still challenged someone to a deathmatch. He’s got some nerve!" Shen Haoran scoffed, looking at the fainted Hua Zhiming. He then turned, jumped off the Divine Martial Platform, and walked over to Luo Xiaowen and the others.
"Whoa, Brother Shen! I always knew you were a great fighter, but I never imagined you were *this* powerful! Hua Zhiming is a Tier Eight Spirit Marquis, and you took care of him in ten breaths! You’re not even human!" Han Xu exclaimed in awe, staring at Shen Haoran.
"Watch your mouth! What do you mean Brother Haoran’s ’not even human’? Of course he isn’t human! Have you ever seen a person this strong before? No, right? Brother Haoran is a total monster!" Murong Wanqing chimed in, correcting him.
’Are they complimenting me? Or insulting me? What do they mean, "not human"? What’s this about being a "monster"? I was just fighting normally, okay?’ The more Shen Haoran listened, the stranger their words sounded.
Shen Haoran shot a glare at Murong Wanqing and Han Xu before turning to Luo Xiaowen. He hadn’t originally planned on revealing his true strength. He’d intended to put on a show with Hua Zhiming and score a narrow victory. However, he didn’t want Luo Xiaowen to worry and wanted to prove his power to her, so he’d unleashed a small burst of it. He just never expected a Tier Eight Spirit Marquis like Hua Zhiming to be so incredibly weak.
"Hey, Brother Haoran, did you really feed that... what was it... Sun-Devouring Gu to Hua Zhiming?" Murong Wanqing asked quietly, glancing at Hua Zhiming, who was now surrounded by a group of Hua Family guards.
"That was too reckless of you. The Hua Family is incredibly powerful in Divine Martial City. This isn’t the time to kill him. You wouldn’t be able to handle their retaliation!" Luo Xiaowen said gravely, her delicate brows furrowing in concern.
Hearing this, Shen Haoran let out a soft laugh. "Relax, I know what I’m doing. There’s no such thing as a Sun-Devouring Gu. I made it all up. Hua Zhiming practices a Dual Cultivation Technique. For a man like him, his... performance... is more important than life itself. That’s why I bluffed him. How else was I supposed to get the information I wanted?"
"You bluffed him? Then what was that disgusting, pitch-black bug you fed him?" the three of them asked curiously.
"Oh, that? Just a bug I painted with some ink! It looks pretty gross and scary, I’ll admit, but the effect was pretty good, wasn’t it? You guys wanna try?" With that, Shen Haoran took another bug out of his Storage Ring and held it out in front of the three of them.
"Eww..." The three of them shot Shen Haoran a disgusted look, their expressions clearly saying, ’I don’t know you, get away from me,’ and turned to leave.
"Hey, wait for me!" Shen Haoran shouted, quickly chasing after them.
At that moment, back on the platform, Hua Zhiming slowly regained consciousness. The moment he remembered swallowing that bug, his stomach churned, and he vomited violently.
Staring at the fleshy worm he’d just thrown up, now wriggling on the ground, the veins on Hua Zhiming’s forehead bulged. He stomped it flat with his foot, then glared at Shen Haoran’s departing figure and snarled, "Shen Haoran, I swear I’ll make you die a horrible death!"
...
「Two days passed in the blink of an eye.」
Despite Shen Haoran’s stunning performance in the deathmatch, not a single person in Divine Martial City was discussing it. It seemed the Hua Family had pulled some strings behind the scenes to suppress the news. This just went to show how terrifying the Hua Family’s influence in Divine Martial City truly was.
Inside the Celestial Martial Auction House, Shen Haoran, Murong Wanqing, Luo Xiaowen, and Han Xu were gathered in a room, discussing something.
"Brother Haoran, you’ve been thinking about this for two days. Have you come up with a plan yet? According to Hua Zhiming, the Hehuan Sect’s power is already a cut above other second-rate factions!" Murong Wanqing said, her brow furrowed as she rested her chin in her hands.
"That’s right. And I get the feeling Hua Zhiming only told us about the Hehuan Sect’s public-facing strength. They probably have a formidable hidden force as well. Besides, as a second-rate faction, they’re bound to have a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse in charge. For the three of you to try and wipe them out would be nearly impossible," Luo Xiaowen analyzed from the side.
"Of course. The Hehuan Sect is a hidden pawn planted by the Fallen Valley—one of the Northern Domain’s Two Valleys—within the Celestial Spirit Sect’s territory. No one would believe they aren’t being protected by the Fallen Valley. They must have an elite unit from the Fallen Valley guarding them in secret! That’s why the three of us can’t possibly take them by force. We’ll have to outsmart them," Shen Haoran said thoughtfully.
"Outsmart them? How? The Hehuan Sect is always heavily guarded. An ordinary person could never get inside," Han Xu said gravely.
Hearing Han Xu, Shen Haoran chuckled. "You’re right, an ordinary person couldn’t get in. But we’re about to have an opportunity. I learned from Hua Zhiming that the Hehuan Sect’s Grand Elder is getting married in a month and a half. This is the perfect chance!"
At this, Luo Xiaowen’s eyes lit up. "The Hehuan Sect’s Grand Elder is getting married, so the entire sect will be celebrating. Their security is bound to be relaxed. Is that our chance to sneak in?" she asked, pleasantly surprised.
"Exactly. But you’re only half right," Shen Haoran said with a mysterious smile.
"Only half right?" Luo Xiaowen was taken aback. ’Does Shen Haoran have an even better plan?’
"On the day of the Grand Elder’s wedding, security will definitely be lax. That’s the first part. The second part is, I want to use a honey trap to infiltrate the Hehuan Sect. Then we can coordinate an attack from both the inside and out. We’ll be able to catch them completely off guard, and our chances of success will be much higher," Shen Haoran explained.
At his words, everyone’s eyes lit up in approval of his idea.
"The only problem with a honey trap... is that you need a beauty for the trap. Sister Xiaowen is with the Celestial Martial Auction House, so the Hehuan Sect wouldn’t dare touch her even if you gave them ten times the nerve. Wanqing is too young and impulsive, so she’s not suitable either. That means this task can only fall to..." Shen Haoran trailed off, his gaze landing on Han Xu.
"Me?! No way, I’m a guy!" Seeing the predatory gleam in Shen Haoran’s eyes, Han Xu instantly knew what he was thinking and frantically shook his head in refusal.
"So what if you’re a guy? Sister Xiaowen, Wanqing, he’s all yours!" Shen Haoran said with a wicked grin, looking at Han Xu.
"You got it!" At his command, Luo Xiaowen and Murong Wanqing swarmed Han Xu and forcibly dragged him into Luo Xiaowen’s private chambers. A moment later, a scream like a stuck pig echoed from within...
After some time, the door to Luo Xiaowen’s chambers opened. Luo Xiaowen and Murong Wanqing walked out, wiping the sweat from their foreheads. They grinned at Shen Haoran and shouted, "Presenting... the beautiful Miss Han!"
Shen Haoran watched the doorway with great interest. A moment later, a slender figure slowly shuffled out.
"PFFT..." The moment Shen Haoran saw the figure, he couldn’t stop himself from spraying out a mouthful of tea. He immediately burst into uncontrollable laughter...
