Into the Trap

"I want you to fight against the Long family, both sides suffering heavy losses. Will you do it? I want to use your head as a ball to kick around. Will you agree? I want you to be my, Li Yi's, dog. Will you comply?" Of course, Li Yi wouldn't say these words out loud. He remained silent for a moment, then lightly clapped his hands, adopting a cold tone suitable for the situation, "Commander Yin indeed has some courage and insight, far better than that girl just now. You guessed right, I did release this item... As for my purpose, why don't you try guessing?"

"If we had met elsewhere, Yin would certainly not have guessed your intentions. But in a small place like Blood Wolf Town, there's not much that could attract someone of your caliber. If I'm not wrong... the only thing that could interest you enough to make a move... Could it be that you're here for Feng Lou?" Yin Tianjie, now viewing Li Yi as a mysterious and unpredictable figure, voiced his thoughts.

Li Yi's tone was mocking yet not mocking, "It seems you're not a leader for nothing, having some brains... How did you guess?"

Yin Tianjie sneered, "When Feng Lou rose to power, Yin had thought about targeting them, but the force behind Feng Lou was too intimidating for me to provoke, so I've been tolerating them all these years, acknowledging Feng Lou's existence. However, if you want me to deal with Feng Lou, I'm afraid I must respectfully decline."

"Oh, you agree without needing any persuasion from me?" There was a hint of jest in Li Yi's eyes.

"These years of superficial dealings with Feng Lou have tired me. Besides, I've already turned against Wu Xingyu today. If I don't return alive tonight, she'll surely devour the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group. Moreover, having turned against her today, it's naturally a fight to the death from now on. So if you're planning to target Feng Lou, how could I not agree?" Yin Tianjie spoke coldly, his expression flickering.

Li Yi seemed to shake his head, speaking lightly, "Since you've already turned against Feng Lou, why should I give you this benefit?"

Yin Tianjie responded coolly, "You're free to act as you please and not give me any benefits. But unless you kill me right now, I can leave at any time. As long as I lead the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, there's nowhere in the world I can't go. However, without the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, dealing with Feng Lou would be much more troublesome for you, wouldn't it?"

Li Yi chuckled lightly, "Are you threatening me?"

"Not at all," Yin Tianjie took a step back, his face wary, "I'm just stating the facts... The appearance of this technique scroll is just what you wanted – for me to turn against Feng Lou. If it fails at the last moment, wouldn't that be a pity?"

Li Yi looked at Yin Tianjie intently before laughing lightly, "You do have a point. Since you're prepared to deal with Feng Lou, why shouldn't I give you this item? After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend... Just remember one thing... if you take the benefit but don't act, I can take back whatever I've given you. Do you understand?"

Yin Tianjie replied solemnly, "Though I'm not highly skilled, I do have a reputation. You can rest assured."

Li Yi laughed and with a slight tap of his hand, a scroll glowing with a blue light flew towards Yin Tianjie. Yin Tianjie caught it after ensuring there were no issues. "You're quite cautious!" Li Yi remarked mockingly.

"Just being careful. Living on the edge always carries risks," Yin Tianjie responded, unable to resist unrolling the scroll for a glance. His eyes blazed with excitement, "Vermilion Bird high-level technique, Wan Mu Jue! This... isn't this from the Imperial City..."

Li Yi's calm voice interrupted, "If you don't want it, feel free to return it... Does it matter where this thing originally came from?"

Yin Tianjie's eyes twitched, and after a moment, he said firmly, "Your teaching is correct. The path of the strong is relentless. As long as it makes me stronger, what does it matter how I got it?"

"You see through things clearly..." Li Yi said lightly, "In three days, I will find you to jointly deal with Feng Lou. And that girl, she's mine. Don't touch her. As for everything else, it's yours. Do you understand?"

Yin Tianjie quickly processed this, knowing he was being used as a pawn by this mysterious figure. But the glowing scroll in his hand told him of the immense benefits that awaited him if successful. If he could break through to the King level with this technique, the world would be his for the taking.

"Yes, I will arrange everything within these days to satisfy you!" Yin Tianjie finally gritted his teeth and said.

"Good! I'll come to find you in three days," Li Yi said calmly, "I hope you won't disappoint me then!" Of course, as long as you're still alive by then! Li Yi added in his mind, then vanished like a specter.

Left behind, Yin Tianjie stood with a complex expression, the scroll in his hand continuously glowing...

"With this item, I am now invincible in the world!" A seemingly ludicrous thought echoed in Yin Tianjie's mind, reverberating over and over, making him unable to resist bursting into uproarious laughter. Several miles away, Li Yi's figure slowly settled on the treetop of an ancient tree, swaying gently with the branches. His gaze lingered towards Wan Chao City, muttering, "Blood Wolf Town is all set up, just waiting for the Long family to make their move..."

The Serpent Venerable's ethereal figure appeared, slightly amused, "Kid, you've made such a complex plan today, aren't you tired? Wouldn't it have been simpler to just finish off Yin Tianjie directly? Besides, Feng Lou's strength is evident, and without Yin Tianjie, the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group wouldn't last long."

Li Yi responded calmly, "I've put so much effort and planning into this. If Yin Tianjie died so easily, wouldn't that be letting him off too lightly? Besides, the Beidou Sect and Ye family need a target to vent their anger, and the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group is perfect for this... This plan needs to be executed flawlessly, causing confusion for both the Long family and the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group. I don't believe Long Fei won't be tempted when he learns that the Wan Mu Jue of the Ye family is in Yin Tianjie's hands, especially since Yin Tianjie is injured. The Long family has suffered a lot at the hands of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group these days!"

"Long Aotian might hesitate, but Long Fei, definitely not!"

......

Inside the Long family's grand hall, the lights were still brightly lit. It had been half an hour since the incident, and the Long family had done what was needed. The body of Ye Qingma had already been sent to the Imperial City with the best guards. The rest was largely waiting for decisions from the Beidou Sect and the Ye family. After all, given Ye Qingma's special status, the small Long family couldn't decide much in such a situation and was merely showing their stance.

Long Fei sat in the chief position, his gaze falling on the partially charred hall. He had no intention of ordering a cleanup amidst the chaos, silently waiting for various reports. Long Aotian sat below him, appearing lazy, but his flickering eyes betrayed his nervousness.

"Tap, tap, tap—" A series of hurried footsteps came from the front door. A guard rushed in, knelt down quickly, and reported, "Family Head, Young Master, there's news from the Li and Mo families tonight. Nothing unusual happened, much like other days... But at Blood Wolf Town..."

"What happened at Blood Wolf Town?" Long Fei and Long Aotian exchanged glances before Long Aotian slowly asked.

The guard hesitated briefly before saying, "It seems there was some chaos in Blood Wolf Town. Countless mercenaries are dead, and our spies there too. We couldn't get any information for a while! However, I've sent people to approach the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group for more details. We should have results soon."

"Chaos in Blood Wolf Town?" Long Fei frowned slightly, tapped the armrest of his chair, then looked at Long Aotian, "What do you think?"

Long Aotian's eyes flickered, "Blood Wolf Town has always been the territory of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, where other powers can't interfere. Why would there be chaos out of nowhere? But... if someone wants to cover up something, causing chaos seems like the best way..."

"So, what are you suggesting?"

"It's probably Yin Tianjie's doing," Long Aotian frowned slightly, "But there's something strange about it. With Yin Tianjie's ability, even if he's powerful, he couldn't kill three Warriors at the same time, right? Unless he's broken through... But if he has, he wouldn't let us off... After all, we are his sworn enemies!"

"There's something off about this whole thing. But we need to wait for more information before confirming anything..." They exchanged a glance and fell silent again.

Time passed slowly, and another half hour went by. Suddenly, another guard rushed in, this time not even stopping to speak. He quickly handed over a parchment scroll to Long Fei. Long Fei took it, read it, and a spark flashed in his eyes, "It's really Yin Tianjie!?" He tossed the scroll to Long Aotian.

Long Aotian read it quietly, "Yin Tianjie injured? The Wan Mu Jue scroll is in his possession!?" His pupils dilated, recalling the day Yin Xu bade for the Vermilion Bird mid-level technique, and he couldn't help but rush to snatch it. Now, the Wan Mu Jue, a thousand-year legacy of the Ye family from the Imperial City, had appeared!

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Long Aotian glanced at Long Fei. The father and son exchanged a knowing smile, then Long Aotian said, "It seems Yin Tianjie is indeed behind this. Send this message to the Ye family and our master first! No matter why Yin Tianjie targeted Ye brother, we can't just sit by this time! Yin Tianjie has repeatedly troubled our Long family, and now he's done this! It's time to get rid of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group!"

Of course! And that Wan Mu Jue scroll, we must get it! This thought resonated simultaneously in their minds, their smiles growing broader.