Black Robe Guard Base
Mo Zhang was waiting in a side hall. When he saw the two enter together, he smiled, waved them over, and told the Black Robe Guards nearby to bring tea and snacks along with a stack of jade slips.
"Greetings, Chief Mo Zhang!"
After the greetings and everyone took their seats, Mo Zhang immediately pushed the pile of jade slips toward Jian Dan.
"Mo Yue, take a look through these jade slips first. Get familiar with how the Black Robe Guard operates. If you see anything that needs adjusting, just bring it up."
Jian Dan raised a brow, and even Mo Yi widened his eyes, staring at Chief Mo Zhang.
Letting her understand the Black Robe Guard's structure was one thing. She'd need to know in order to sort things out anyway. But allowing her to adjust the Guard's entire structure? That touched on its relationship with other divisions in the sect. It wasn't a small matter at all.
"Chief, this seems a little different from what Zhēnzūn originally instructed me to do."
She didn't want to get too involved. The more she interfered, the more responsibility she'd have to shoulder. That wasn't worth it. This wasn't about showing off, it might just make her a target.
"Ahem. Zhēnzūn said you're free to bring up any thoughts you have. He'll be the one making the final calls, so you won't be put in a tough spot. He also said with your background and ability, this won't be an issue. He has high expectations for you."
Mo Zhang himself didn't really understand. Jian Dan had been a loose cultivator, only later becoming the peak master of Mo Ying Peak. From what he knew, she'd gone there just to rip out the Ma clan's influence.
She'd been decisive, seizing the chance when Ma Feijun attacked her, cutting off the Ma clan with a clean strike. She replaced everyone in Mo Ying Peak from top to bottom. She hadn't actually managed peak affairs for long, but her newly appointed subordinates were diligent and, under her pressure, the peak ran smoothly.
The corner of her mouth twitched when she heard this. She realized Mo Yan Zhēnzūn had been talking about her time at the Heavenly Sword Sect, when she'd acted as interim Chief of the Law Enforcement Hall and even managed the sect's overall affairs for a while. Mo Zhang and Mo Yi had no idea.
She cursed herself again. If only she'd kept her disguise tighter. Now she'd trapped herself and given others a handle to use against her. Massaging her temples, she finally sighed and said, weakly,
"Fine, I get it."
She picked up the jade slips and skimmed through them quickly. There were a lot, but with her Divine Soul already perfected at the Mahayana stage, this was nothing to her. Besides, they'd been carefully sorted and annotated for her.
Half a day later, she'd fully grasped the Black Robe Guard's operations and key intelligence.
She closed her eyes, organized and filtered everything in her mind, and finally understood why Mo Yan Zhēnzūn had wanted her in this role.
Right now, she held intelligence from two great sects: the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Heavenly Demon Palace. As the leading powers of the Dao and the Demon, their intelligence networks were far wider than ordinary sects. There was overlap, but also information that complemented each other.
When she opened her eyes again, a sharp glint flashed within them. Across from her, Mo Zhang and Mo Yi both set down their teacups, watching her closely.
"The Heaven Division cultivators gained a huge boost after the battle of Ming Valley, but they lack teamwork. They rarely practice formation tactics, even though formations played a huge role in Ming Valley. Two hundred years from now, when we go to war with the insect race, that'll matter even more."
Mo Zhang nodded, glancing at Mo Yi. He nodded back, pulling out a blank obsidian jade slip and recording her words.
"The Spirit Division needs to start stockpiling resources right now, to make sure we don't run dry during the war. And we should increase resource distribution within the sect by a tier. Only if rewards rise will disciples fight harder and bring more resources back.
The Intelligence Division collects a lot of information, but it's scattered, with no analysis. For targets the Heavenly Demon Palace suspects, the Tracker Division must keep close watch. Unless capture is necessary, we need to at least know their movements. These two divisions aren't coordinating properly."
Mo Yi, who oversaw the Intelligence Division, paid close attention, nodding repeatedly as he carefully recorded her points.
"The Heavenly Demon Palace also needs new blood. Recruitment can't be delayed just because of the coming war. If the palace takes heavy losses, the inheritance must continue. Remember, a spark can set a prairie ablaze. Letting things flow naturally is one part of it, but preparing ahead is another. They don't conflict."
She finally lifted her cup, taking a small sip to wet her throat.
"Also, what's the status of that blood insect we caught in our territory?"
This time she looked to Mo Yi.
"The Tracker Division followed it as far as the Yanduan Mountains, then lost the trail. They're still searching nearby."
Her mind conjured a map of Lingyun Continent. Beyond those mountains lay the Dao Sect's territory, specifically within Purple Sky Sect and Beast Taming Sect's domain. She had reason to suspect the enemy was trying to mislead them.
"Pull most of them back. Leave only two people to keep watch. As long as they don't cross the mountains, don't bother."
"Why?" Mo Yi frowned.
"Because that's Dao Sect territory. If they already slipped into it, and you send so many people after them, how do you think Dao Sect will take it?"
"So we just stop investigating?"
"We keep investigating, but slower. Let them relax first, then we move."
"Senior Sister, you've got a direction?"
"Within Purple Sky Sect's territory."
"What about Beast Taming Sect?"
"They deal directly with insect beasts, so hiding there won't be easy. If it were me, I'd choose Purple Sky Sect, second only to the Heavenly Sword Sect."
"I understand. I'll recall part of the team."
Mo Zhang had been listening carefully too. He asked,
"Junior Sister, anything else?"
"When was the last time the sect's grand defensive formation was adjusted?"
"It's maintained regularly. The grand formation's fine."
He was confident. After all, the 'Heavenly Gang Star Moon-Sealing Array' was one of the strongest on Lingyun Continent.
"Chief, remember when I was in charge of Mo Ying Peak and caught that group of demon cultivators who'd been possessed by black-armored insects?"
She suddenly smiled as she asked.
"I remember."
That move had even exposed problems in other peaks, not just her own.
Afterwards, when the 'Golden Buzzing Sphere' was developed, the Demon Sect had scoured the palace, clearing out infiltrators. For a time, chaos rippled through the Heavenly Demon Palace, but the peak masters weren't pushovers, and order was restored.
"Can you guarantee none of those exposed cultivators leaked secrets of the Heavenly Demon Palace?"
"The array's handled by specialists. Each peak master only knows about their own peak."
"Is that so? Tang Jian wasn't reliable, and neither was Pan Yuanyuan by his side."
Now both Mo Zhang and Mo Yi understood. She was worried important information had been leaked by peak masters or their close aides.
"Junior Sister, are you saying the entire grand formation needs to be adjusted?"