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"If his secret signal doesn’t change today, it will be the third day."

Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo had agreed on many ways to communicate.

In theory, as long as everything was normal, this secret signal would change once a day.

"Since the last public questioning of Boss Sun, Zhu Xuanji hasn't shown up again."

"Could he have secretly made a move against Boss Sun?"

Through extensive information gathering, Ning Zhuo had probed a lot of black market intelligence: In the past two days, Sun Lingtong had appeared normally and even handled a few small disputes in the black market.

"Boss Sun is likely caught in some kind of dangerous situation. His outward normalcy is just a facade."

"It might not even be him!"

Ning Zhuo guessed the truth.

Sun Lingtong was being impersonated by Han Ming, who was commanding Sun's subordinates and rapidly infiltrating the entire black market organization, intending to turn it to their own use.

There were also some rumors circulating about Yuan Er.

"Someone wants revenge and is targeting the Monkey Head Gang!"

"The leader is named Bao Qiu, whose entire family was slaughtered by Yuan Yi. He narrowly escaped, changed his name but not his surname, and has been practicing diligently while contacting those with deep grudges against the Monkey Head Gang."

"After the Huoshi Festival, the Monkey Head Gang fell into a slump. Bao Qiu raised his banner and brought his years of accumulated strength to the forefront, seeking revenge!"

Ning Zhuo wasn't surprised by this situation at all.

He had long predicted that something like this would happen.

"If Bao Qiu really takes action, I can use him. Let them make their move, and then I can direct Yuan Dasheng to protect Yuan Er."

"However, the rumors about Bao Qiu have been too loud and plentiful."

Ning Zhuo felt something strange.

Over the years, he had never stopped gathering intelligence.

As a result, he had developed a keen sense. Sometimes, just by feeling, he could determine which pieces of information were false and which were true.

The information about Bao Qiu didn’t feel false, but it gave him a subtle sense of unease.

Ning Zhuo thought carefully and came up with a possibility.

"If I were Bao Qiu, I wouldn't make such a big fuss when seeking revenge!"

"So, it's very likely that this is the work of the elders within the Monkey Head Gang."

"Bao Qiu might have made a deal with someone, or even several elders in the gang, to increase the chances of a successful revenge while reducing risks and losses."

"But the elders also have their own selfish motives."

"They need to spread the word first, letting the outside world know that Bao Qiu is going after the Monkey Head Gang and Yuan Er."

"Once Yuan Er is assassinated, they can more easily take over the entire gang because by then, they would have already proven to the public that Bao Qiu is the real culprit!"

At this thought, Ning Zhuo became even more certain that Bao Qiu and the others would take action.

And judging by the rumors, the action was likely in the next few days.

"It seems I need to keep a closer eye on Yuan Er."

Yuan Er couldn’t die just yet.

Ning Zhuo still planned to use him to deepen his control over Yuan Dasheng and eliminate potential threats in the Qi Refining stage.

"There's trouble with Boss Sun, but it's not the first time."

"Now, more than ever, I need to be patient and calm."

In Ning Zhuo’s memory, the first time Sun Lingtong was captured, he was eight years old.

You can't always walk by the riverside without getting your feet wet.

Sun Lingtong always used theft to obtain resources for his daily cultivation, and sooner or later, he was bound to get into trouble.

This time, he had been captured by a local gang and thrown into a private prison.

Sun Lingtong had been beaten until his body was a bloody mess, huddled in the corner of his cell, motionless.

Thud.

Suddenly, two guards collapsed simultaneously, lying still.

Startled by the noise, Sun Lingtong nervously approached the cell door, then saw Ning Zhuo's figure slowly materializing.

"Big Brother Sun, I’ve come to save you!" Ning Zhuo’s face was filled with tension, and he became very excited when he saw Sun Lingtong.

"Little Zhuo, why did you come alone?!" Sun Lingtong was shocked, his face turning cold as frost. "Have you forgotten what I taught you? If I get caught, you should go to the authorities and report it! Let the city guards come and search, cause chaos, and give me a chance to escape!"

"I did! I reported it to the authorities," Ning Zhuo quickly explained. "But they were too slow, and I was worried about you. You've been missing for three days! I was scared, I was really scared for you…"

Sun Lingtong waved his hand. "Alright, alright, no more talking, just unlock the door."

"The situation is dangerous right now, so don’t waste any more time."

"Whatever you have to say, we’ll talk about it after we escape."

"The key is on that big guard. Be careful when searching him!"

"Got it!" Ning Zhuo ran to the big guard, using the techniques Sun Lingtong had taught him, and successfully found the cell key.

He inserted the key into the lock.

Ning Zhuo infused his mana, struggling to turn it.

A stream of light quickly spread from the lock, flowing over the lock, the chains, and most of the cell’s bars, revealing numerous formation patterns.

Ning Zhuo opened the door and helped Sun Lingtong out.

There were still patrolling cultivators outside the prison.

The two of them used talismans and magical tools, taking advantage of the shadows and blind spots, spending quite a while before finally escaping the enemy gang's headquarters.

Shortly after they escaped, the headquarters erupted into chaos.

"Someone escaped!"

"That little thief is gone!!"

"Quick, chase them! They haven’t gotten far!"

From the shouts, Sun Lingtong recognized the voices of the two guards who had been watching over him.

He glared at Ning Zhuo, his eyes wide. "You used the soporific incense I gave you, so why didn’t they die?"

Ning Zhuo avoided Sun Lingtong's gaze, sheepishly replying, "I was afraid they’d die, so I mixed in some herbal mud to wrap the incense before lighting it."

Sun Lingtong's eyes flashed with anger. "Enough! We’ll talk about this at home!"

After a thrilling chase, Sun Lingtong sustained several more injuries, his body covered in blood. He paid a great price, but finally, with Ning Zhuo’s help, he managed to escape to a safe place.

"How are you? Are you hurt? Check yourself!" Sun Lingtong was so weak that he could barely release his spiritual sense.

Ning Zhuo checked himself over and found only a few scrapes.

"Good," Sun Lingtong sighed in relief before glaring at Ning Zhuo and giving him a light flick on the forehead.

"You idiot!" he scolded.

"Big Brother Sun, I saved you, so why are you still hitting me?" Ning Zhuo clutched his head, wincing in pain, feeling wronged.

"Why didn’t you kill those two guards?"

"If you’d killed them, we would have had more time to retreat safely."

"Instead, we were chased down, and almost got hacked to death!"

Ning Zhuo was speechless under the barrage of criticism.

"It was my fault!" Ning Zhuo pulled out pills and bandages from his storage bag. "Big Brother Sun, calm down, your wounds are still bleeding."

After a while.

Sun Lingtong sat, while Ning Zhuo hunched over, wrapping him up in white bandages like a mummy.

"Big Brother Sun, you should hide and recover for a while," Ning Zhuo said apologetically.

"It was my fault."

"Actually, if we’d followed our previous plan and waited for the city guards to cause chaos, with your skills, you definitely could have escaped on your own."

"My coming to save you only brought you more trouble."

Sun Lingtong exhaled a breath of foul air, his anger slightly dissipating. "Your biggest mistake was showing mercy when you should have killed!"

"If you had to do it all over again, would you still make the same mistake?"

Ning Zhuo hesitated. "Well…"

Sun Lingtong snorted coldly, no longer speaking.

In the tunnel, the light from the torches cast their shadows onto the ground.

Sun Lingtong stared at the shadows, his eyes glinting coldly.

He suddenly realized, "I’ve protected Little Zhuo too well."

"Looking back, I was already killing people when I was six or seven years old, led by my master."

"Actually, it’s my fault…"

"What does Little Zhuo understand?"

"He's already nine years old now. If not for today’s incident waking me up, I’d still

be making mistakes."

Sun Lingtong asked himself, why had he gone wrong like this?

He thought of his master.

When he was six or seven, his master had patted his head, rarely showing hesitation on his face. "Ah, Little Tong, I don’t want you to experience this."

"But I know you have to go through it."

"Maybe for a while, you’ll feel pain and discomfort, but when you grow up, you’ll understand."

Sun Lingtong collected his thoughts, his gaze fixed on Ning Zhuo’s shadow, murmuring to himself, "Master, I understand now."

Sun Lingtong devised a plan.

He falsely claimed he wanted revenge and acted alongside Ning Zhuo to ambush members of the enemy gang.

In the process, he pretended to be outmatched and captured, creating the illusion that he was about to be killed.

Ning Zhuo fell into the trap.

In his panic, Ning Zhuo killed a powerful enemy.

After a moment of stunned bewilderment, Ning Zhuo stared at the fallen enemy, pale-faced, then suddenly bent over and vomited.

Sun Lingtong stayed by his side.

He watched as Ning Zhuo vomited again and again, until there was nothing left but bile in his stomach.

Sun Lingtong chuckled. "Little Zhuo, you're far worse than I was back then. Hahaha."

Ning Zhuo, exhausted from vomiting, sat on the ground, staring blankly at his bloodstained hands.

Sun Lingtong finished cleaning up the battlefield and led him to a small riverbank.

"Come, let me wash your hands."

Ning Zhuo, like a puppet, obediently let himself be led.

Halfway through washing, he suddenly snapped out of it. "Big Brother Sun, you were acting, weren’t you? Actually, at the last moment, my movements were full of flaws, and that enemy could have easily dodged."

"But at the time, he moved stiffly, as if controlled by strings."

Sun Lingtong’s movements paused, then he nodded and admitted frankly, "Yes, I was controlling him."

"And I should thank you for letting me see the mechanical manual your mother left you."

"You!" Ning Zhuo was furious.

Sun Lingtong giggled. "Are you going to scold me or hit me?"

Ning Zhuo couldn’t find the words. He withdrew his hands angrily and said, "I’ll wash them myself!"

But, unusually, Sun Lingtong firmly pulled his hands back and continued washing them. "Don’t move!"

"For the first time, I’ll wash them for you."

"My master did the same for me."

Hearing Sun Lingtong mention his master, Ning Zhuo was momentarily stunned and stopped resisting.

Under the moonlight, the two young boys washed their hands by the small river in the immortal city.

Oddly enough, the younger one was taking care of the older one.

Blood flowed downstream, quickly diluted. By the time it reached the stone bridge forty steps away, there was almost no trace of it.

Sun Lingtong suddenly spoke, "We are cultivators, and cultivators must fight for their lives."

"We fight against others, we fight against heaven… In this gamble, our lives are the basic wager!"

"He lost because he gambled and lost his life. His soul will take on a new form of life and return to this world."

"And we must keep gambling… until the moment we lose our stakes."

Sun Lingtong looked at Ning Zhuo's clean, white hands, his expression extremely serious and solemn.

Ning Zhuo took a deep breath. "Big Brother Sun, I know you mean well, and I’ve taken it all to heart."

Sun Lingtong shook his head. "Taken it to heart?"

"That’s not enough!"

"Every time I went out to steal, I would tell myself beforehand that this time, I might not come back, I might lose my life."

"If that’s the result of my life’s gamble, I accept it."

"I’m always ready to face my death, even in the next second."

"That’s my determination!"

"What’s your determination?"

Ning Zhuo was deeply shaken, unable to speak.

Never before had he felt such greatness emanating from Sun Lingtong’s small frame!

Sun Lingtong continued, "If one day I die, don’t grieve for me, Little Zhuo."

"If one day I fall into an even more hopeless situation than before, with absolutely no chance of survival, don’t try to save me, Little Zhuo!"

"There’s no point in risking a second life, do you understand?"

Ning Zhuo opened his mouth, wanting to speak.

But in the next moment, Sun Lingtong interrupted him. "If you fall into a desperate situation, I won’t save you either."

"Because I need to keep my life to continue gambling."

"Of course, if I have the chance, I will avenge you."

"Right now, about this matter, I make a pact with you!"

Sun Lingtong raised his hand.

Under the pressure of his gaze, Ning Zhuo reluctantly raised his hand as well.

The silver-white moonlight spilled over the river, casting shimmering waves that danced like countless tiny diamonds on the surface.

The leaves on both sides of the river rustled slightly in the night breeze.

Slap.

The two young boys standing by the river gently clapped their hands together.

Ning Zhuo lowered his head, pressing his lips tightly together.

Sun Lingtong, his face bathed in the moon’s clear glow, finally grinned, showing his white teeth.

His voice was soft, but firm: "Thus, the agreement is reached."