Jian Li paused when he saw Jian Dan, lowering the jade slip in his hand with a frown. "Jian Lu, didn't you say you'd be away from the sect for a while? Why're you back so soon?"
Jian Feng also turned toward Jian Dan. He'd handed the jade slip straight to Jian Li the moment he returned, so he couldn't figure out why she'd come back herself after making him deliver a message in her place.
Jian Dan looked helpless. After sitting down, she said, "I really didn't plan to show up. I wanted to finish the Shadow Division mission and head straight back to the Heavenly Demon Palace. But there wasn't an ambush on the way home, and I'm worried the people in the dark are holding back some big move. Since I was already back, I figured reporting in directly would be safer."
The grand hall held only Jian Li and Jian Feng, so she spoke plainly.
"I read the jade slip you had Jian Feng send. You've confirmed it was that Unity mid-stage cultivator who ambushed the Heavenly Demon Palace group last time?"
"Confirmed. I've fought him twice, and this time he should've been wiped out by me."
"So you're worried they'll cause trouble for the Heavenly Sword Sect?"
"Originally, I thought he'd attack us on the way back. Jian Xu and I even made a plan, and if the two of us joined hands, we'd definitely take a captive. But the journey ended up smooth the whole way."
Jian Feng nodded from the side. They'd stayed on guard the whole trip, even slowed their pace on purpose, just to bait the enemy into acting.
"They didn't strike because they weren't confident," Jian Li said flatly.
"Right, which means they'll only stay hidden. That's a big problem for us. Their targets are clearly high-level cultivators, something you can see from the two ambushes on the Heavenly Demon Palace already."
"Low-level cultivators don't have access to that kind of intel. High-level ones are their only real targets."
Jian Li's eyes dimmed. That explained everything. They wanted to probe the Heavenly Sword Sect's flying boat but couldn't get accurate information, so they didn't dare act rashly.
"Especially the cultivators from the Law Enforcement Hall. I'm not trying to jinx us, but the blood insect research is already making progress. If news leaks out right now…"
Jian Dan trailed off, but both Jian Li and Jian Feng understood her meaning.
"Don't worry. I'll order the Law Enforcement Hall's cultivators to be more vigilant, especially the high-level ones going on missions. I'll personally handle the Intelligence Division's side of things."
"I hope I'm just overthinking it."
"Not at all. This is the stage where we're building up power. Caution has to come first."
With that, Jian Li set the tone for the Law Enforcement Hall's next course of action.
"I think it's better if the Law Enforcement Hall always sends one overt team and one covert, but the cultivation level of the covert team members should be raised depending on mission difficulty."
Jian Dan hesitated before adding that. Usually, covert members were one stage higher than overt ones, and she worried the enemy might've already noticed that pattern and could exploit it.
"I get what you mean. I'll adjust the upcoming missions. At the very least, we can't let them figure out our pattern of sending high-level cultivators."
That made Jian Dan grin. Jian Li understood right away and was willing to listen to her advice.
"As long as the Hall Master doesn't mind me being nosy."
"Of course not."
Jian Li actually admired her working style, and several Zhēnzūn had already told him it was worth discussing matters with Jian Lu.
"The Intelligence Division got word that Mo Yue Zūnshàng returned to the Heavenly Demon Palace and became the number one Unity cultivator there. She even showed up during the succession ceremony, making it obvious she was backing Mo Su. That's why this succession went so smoothly."
After the serious talk, Jian Li teased Jian Dan a little.
"Come on, Hall Master, you know my situation better than I do. I never planned on going back, but I was forced to. The moment I returned, Mo Yan Zhēnzūn called me over and dumped a pile of tasks on me. Before I came here, I'd just finished making rounds with the Black Robe Guards and Mo Su."
"Mo Yan Zhēnzūn clearly values you. He's not even hiding the core affairs from you."
Jian Li had been surprised when Jian Feng presented that jade slip earlier, so now that the person herself had returned, he took the chance to ask.
"Mo Yan Zhēnzūn believes the Heavenly Sword Sect guards its gates too tightly. We caught the blood insect right away, so he wants me to sort out the Heavenly Demon Palace's security and the tangled power between the peaks. As for the Black Robe Guards, that's just about boosting combat strength. Beyond that, I'm not stepping in."
Jian Dan was very open about it.
"Haha, Jian Lu, you've just become a deputy hall master in another place."
"Exactly! It's exhausting!" Jian Dan spread her hands in mock despair.
Jian Feng, standing quietly on the side, only listened without comment. Knowing too many secrets wasn't always a good thing.
At that moment, Wei Zhengrong walked into the Law Enforcement Hall's main hall. When he spotted Jian Dan, his expression shifted in surprise, and he immediately stepped forward to bow.
"Greetings, Hall Master Jian Li. Greetings, Jian Lu Zūnshàng."
Then he turned to Jian Li and reported, "All the cultivators who joined the Heavenly Demon Palace have returned. Hall Master Meng already brought back the superior spiritual vein from trading the blood insects, as well as one hundred spirit beast contracts. How should these be distributed?"
"What's Meng Congjian's preference, spirit stones or spirit beasts?" Jian Li asked directly.
"Hall Master Meng prefers the superior spiritual vein," Wei Zhengrong answered without hesitation.
"Just as I thought. Leave the vein with the Operations Hall. Hand the one hundred spirit beast contracts to the Affairs Hall and let them decide how to use them."
Jian Li made the decision immediately.
"Yes, understood."
Wei Zhengrong continued, "Before, Zūnshàng ordered us to investigate how the blood insects got into Heavenly Sword Sect territory, as well as the cultivators behind it. I worked with the Tracker Division and we traced several small families. But by the time we went to seize them, those families were either dead or gone. The trail ended there."
His face was grim. They'd almost caught the culprits several times, but every time the enemy chose to self-destruct or destroy their sea of consciousness. Both the Tracker and Intelligence Divisions were left frustrated.
Since Jian Dan had handled this matter, she wasn't surprised at all. It was what she'd expected, otherwise the blood insects wouldn't have infiltrated so smoothly.
The enemy was acting alone now. Any little disturbance and they'd vanish without a trace, because once they were caught, their fate was sealed. They'd become the sinners of the entire Lingyun Continent.
"Where exactly did the trail end?" Jian Dan asked.
With Jian Li's approval, Wei Zhengrong replied, "Of the four leads we tracked, all of them were cut off near the territory of the Purple Sky Sect."
Jian Dan narrowed her eyes. "Has the Purple Sky Sect had any big events recently?"
Wei Zhengrong instantly caught her meaning. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Reporting to Zūnshàng, there are two rumors, though neither is confirmed."
"Let's hear them," Jian Li said.
"First, the Purple Sky Sect Master's most beloved descendant, Lu Xuanyuan, seems to have found a Dao partner. The partner is from the Wang family, which rose to prominence within the last century. Second, the Purple Sky Sect secretly sent people into a spatial rift. None of those people have returned."
"Interesting."
"What do you think, Jian Lu?"
"I'd say there's an eighty percent chance both rumors are true."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"From what I know of Lu Xuanyuan, he'd never quietly accept the family's arrangement. He'd definitely make a fuss, and that's why the rumor spread. True or not, it only affects Purple Sky Sect's internal power structure. It's got nothing to do with us."
Everyone agreed with that reasoning.
"As for the second, Senior Brother, you should remember that during Jian Chong's succession ceremony, they came to me and admitted that spatial rift was highly unstable."