## [Village Square - 3:15 AM]
"Six minutes," Chen Wei announced, tracking the approaching enemies with his Advanced Qi Sense. "They're moving fast now, like they heard the fighting and want to investigate."
Old Man Feng moved with the swift efficiency of someone who had commanded troops in desperate situations. "Zhang Kuang, where are the rest of your men?"
The bandit leader, still kneeling with his hands bound by spiritual energy, looked around desperately. "Three fled when your... when the ghost tricks started. The eastern group probably ran when Li Shan screamed."
Chen Wei's Qi Sense confirmed this. The eastern bandits had indeed fled, their spiritual signatures disappearing into the forest. Only about eight of the original fifteen bandits remained in the area.
"Good," Old Man Feng said grimly. "Wang Tie, gather the remaining bandits. We need them visible and cooperative. Li Shan, can you stand?"
The injured bandit struggled to his feet, cradling his broken arm. "What... what do you want us to do?"
"Act," Chen Wei said, stepping forward with more confidence than he felt. "The people coming expect to find you looting a conquered village. So that's what they need to see."
Wang Tie looked skeptical. "You want us to trust bandits to pretend to rob us?"
"Not pretend to rob," Chen Wei clarified, his mind working through the deception. "They need to look like they've already robbed us and are collecting the spoils. Elder Feng, can you hide your cultivation level again?"
Old Man Feng nodded slowly. "I can suppress my aura back to mortal levels, but it takes concentration. I won't be able to fight effectively while maintaining the disguise."
"You won't need to fight if the deception works." Chen Wei was thinking through every cultivation story he'd ever read about deception and misdirection. "Zhang Kuang, what were your original orders? What were you supposed to do after the attack?"
"Take... take anything valuable and bring it to the meeting point two kilometers north of here. The man in black robes said he'd meet us there at dawn to collect his share."
**[Critical Information: Enemy Plan Revealed]**
**[Meeting Point: 2 kilometers north]**
**[Time: Dawn (approximately 2 hours)]**
**[Objective: Collection of village loot + unknown secondary goal]**
Chen Wei felt pieces clicking together in his mind. "They hired you to attack the village, but they also wanted specific items from here. What were you supposed to look for?"
Zhang Kuang's expression grew confused. "That's... that's the strange part. He didn't want gold or silver. He wanted old books, cultivation manuals, anything related to sects or spiritual practices."
Old Man Feng's eyes widened. "They're looking for sect records? Here?"
"Why would a remote farming village have sect records?" Wang Tie asked.
Chen Wei's heart sank as he realized what this meant. His Reader's Eyes had detected a cultivation manual in the hidden chamber beneath the well. If this village had more hidden cultivation resources...
"Elder Feng," Chen Wei said urgently, "are there other hidden cultivation sites in the village? Places where sect records might be stored?"
Old Man Feng was quiet for a long moment. "There... might be. When I first arrived here twenty years ago, I chose this village because it felt like a place where spiritual energy gathered naturally. I assumed it was just good feng shui, but..."
"But what if it was more than that?" Chen Wei finished. "What if this village was built on an ancient cultivation site?"
**[Realization: Village Built on Spiritual Nexus]**
**[Implication: Multiple hidden cultivation resources likely present]**
**[Enemy Objective: Probably systematic looting of spiritual treasures]**
Through his Advanced Qi Sense, Chen Wei suddenly noticed what he had missed before - faint spiritual energy signatures scattered throughout the village. Not people, but objects. Hidden caches, buried treasures, concealed manuals.
"There are at least six hidden cultivation sites in this village," he announced, shocking everyone. "I can sense spiritual energy coming from underground locations."
"Four minutes until contact," Wang Tie reminded them tersely.
Old Man Feng made a command decision. "We proceed with the deception plan. Zhang Kuang, you and your remaining men will pretend you've successfully looted the village. Wei'er, what exactly should they be doing when the enemies arrive?"
Chen Wei thought quickly. "Loading wagons with fake loot, rounding up fake prisoners, preparing to move to the meeting point. The arriving enemies need to see a successful bandit operation in progress."
"What about the villagers?" Wang Tie asked. "They're all hiding in the safe houses."
"Some of them need to be fake prisoners," Chen Wei realized. "Zhang Kuang, how many captives were you supposed to take?"
"The man said... said to bring any young people with cultivation potential. For slavery, I thought."
The implications of that were horrifying, but Chen Wei forced himself to focus on the immediate deception.
"Father won't like this," he muttered, then raised his voice. "Uncle Wang, we need volunteers to pretend to be captured. People who can act scared but won't panic if things go wrong."
"I'll do it," a voice said from the shadows.
Zhang Min stepped into the moonlight, no longer concealing her cultivation or her determined expression.
**[Zhang Min - Full Reveal]**
**[Cultivation: Qi Gathering 3rd Level (No longer suppressed)]**
**[Background: Former Moonlight Palace disciple]**
**[Status: Prepared for dangerous mission]**
"Sister Min!" Wang Tie protested. "This is too dangerous!"
"I'm not helpless," she replied calmly. "And I know how to act like a terrified prisoner. Moonlight Palace trained disciples in infiltration and deception."
Chen Wei nodded approvingly. "We'll need at least three fake prisoners to make it believable. Sister Min, can you find two others who can handle the stress?"
"My younger brother Chen Hao could do it," came another voice.
Chen Wei spun around to see his father approaching with Chen Hao close behind.
"Father! What are you doing here?"
Chen Daoling's expression was grim but determined. "Following the sounds of battle to make sure my sons were safe. Hao insisted on coming too."
Chen Hao looked around at the scene - bound bandits, revealed cultivators, and his little brother apparently coordinating a complex military deception.
"Wei'er," Chen Hao said slowly, "when you said your head injury changed your eyesight, you weren't telling us everything, were you?"
**[Family Suspicion: Direct confrontation]**
**[Cover Story: Under severe strain]**
**[Decision Point: Partial truth or continued deception?]**
Chen Wei looked at his family - his father's concerned face, his brother's mixture of confusion and pride, and realized he was tired of lying to the people he loved.
"The injury... changed more than my eyesight," he admitted carefully. "I can sense spiritual energy, see cultivation levels, detect enemies from far away. I don't know why or how."
It wasn't the complete truth, but it was more honest than anything he'd told them before.
Chen Daoling studied his youngest son's face. "Is that how you knew the bandits were coming? How you've been making such clever plans?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm proud of you for using these gifts to protect our village," Chen Daoling said firmly. "But next time, trust us with the truth from the beginning."
**[Family Trust: Significantly improved]**
**[Cover Story: Evolved to "mysterious injury gave cultivation abilities"]**
**[Relationship Status: Stronger through shared crisis]**
"Two minutes," Chen Wei announced, his spiritual senses tracking the approaching enemies.
Old Man Feng clapped his hands once. "Enough family discussions. We have a deception to execute. Zhang Kuang, get your men positioned with whatever loot they can carry. Zhang Min, Chen Hao, you're fake prisoners - hands bound, look defeated but not injured. Everyone else, hide but stay close enough to help if this goes wrong."
Chen Wei watched as the plan came together with surprising speed. The bandits, motivated by terror of both Old Man Feng and their mysterious employers, began arranging themselves around the village square with sacks of grain and farming tools that could pass for loot in poor light.
Zhang Min and Chen Hao allowed themselves to be loosely bound and positioned near a wagon, both of them managing to look appropriately dejected.
Old Man Feng found a concealed position where he could observe and intervene if needed while suppressing his cultivation aura.
Wang Tie hid near his forge with his spear ready, positioned to support the fake prisoners if the deception failed.
Chen Wei took position in the shadows where his Advanced Qi Sense could track all the approaching enemies while remaining hidden.
"One minute," he whispered. "I can see them now. Eleven enemies, moving in a coordinated formation. The three Foundation Building cultivators are in the lead."
Through his enhanced senses, Chen Wei studied the approaching enemies more carefully.
**[Enemy Analysis - True Threat Assessment]**
**[Leader: Foundation Building 3rd Level - Sect-trained, very dangerous]**
**[Second: Foundation Building 2nd Level - Feels familiar somehow]**
**[Third: Foundation Building 1st Level - Young, inexperienced but powerful]**
**[Support: 8 Qi Gathering cultivators in matching uniforms]**
"They're wearing uniforms," Chen Wei whispered to Old Man Feng. "Dark blue robes with silver trim. This isn't a bandit group - it's a sect operation."
Old Man Feng's concealed spiritual signature showed alarm. "Which sect?"
Chen Wei focused harder on the approaching enemies' auras, trying to identify any familiar patterns from his cultivation story knowledge.
**[Spiritual Signature Analysis]**
**[Energy Pattern: Cold, methodical, focused on control]**
**[Techniques: Shadow-based, stealth-oriented]**
**[Sect Identification: 78% match for Shadow Moon Sect methodology]**
"Shadow Moon Sect," Chen Wei breathed.
Old Man Feng's concealment flickered for a moment as his emotions spiked. "Shadow Moon? But they were destroyed in the Sect Wars fifteen years ago!"
"Apparently not completely destroyed," Chen Wei replied grimly.
The approaching enemies were now close enough for normal eyes to see - dark figures moving with the fluid coordination of trained cultivators. Their leader raised his hand, signaling a halt just outside the village perimeter.
"Thirty seconds," Chen Wei announced. "Everyone ready?"
Zhang Kuang stood up straighter, trying to look like a successful bandit leader despite his terror. His remaining men arranged themselves around their fake loot with varying degrees of convincing acting ability.
Zhang Min and Chen Hao perfected their defeated prisoner poses, both of them managing to look hopeless while staying alert.
The Shadow Moon Sect cultivators began their approach into the village.
Chen Wei held his breath. Everything depended on the next few minutes.
Either this deception would save the village from a force they couldn't possibly defeat, or it would get everyone killed when it inevitably fell apart.
**[Deception Plan: Active]**
**[Enemy Contact: Imminent]**
**[Success Probability: Unknown]**
**[All Village Defenders: In position]**
**[Fake Bandit Operation: As ready as possible]**
The Shadow Moon Sect leader stepped into the village square, his cold eyes surveying the scene of apparent bandit victory.
"Zhang Kuang," the sect leader called out in a voice like winter wind. "Report."
The real test was about to begin.
**[Chapter 9 Complete]**
**[Next: The Shadow Moon Deception]**