The Plan Falls Apart

Hao Nhien withdrew the Fire Qilin aura, and the dark-red mark between his brows slowly faded as well.

"Get up. This is not the time for formalities."

Hoa Van Phong helped Hoa Linh Nhi to her feet. Lanh Hoa and Luu Thanh returned to their seats, but the atmosphere in the room was completely different from before. The two siblings still glanced at Hao Nhien from time to time, clearly not yet recovered from the shock of seeing the mark of the Fire Qilin Jade with their own eyes.

Hao Nhien did not let them remain lost in that emotion for long.

"Van Phong, do you have a way to contact the Fire Qilin tribesmen hiding in the city?"

Hoa Van Phong immediately replied:

"Yes. After everyone scattered, we agreed on several secret signs to recognize one another. Even if outsiders know the location, it is still difficult for them to approach directly. I can tell Luu Thanh how to make contact."

"Good. Explain it clearly to him."

Hao Nhien turned to Luu Thanh.

"You go first. But from the beginning, assume that someone in that group may already have wavered or become one of Duong Quang's eyes and ears. Do not reveal my identity, and do not tell them where Lanh Hoa is. Only confirm how many people remain, who currently has influence in the group, how closely they are being watched, and whether they have any way to leave the city."

Luu Thanh's usual joking expression disappeared completely.

"Understood."

"Watch each person's reaction as well. Remember anyone who keeps asking who rescued Linh Nhi, who is helping from behind the scenes, or where we are staying. If someone hears the news and immediately wants to gather all the tribesmen in one place, be even more careful."

Hao Nhien paused for a moment.

"If Duong Quang really is using the current situation to force the remaining Fire Qilin opposition into the open, then gathering everyone together ourselves would be exactly what he wants. Until we know who can be trusted, no one is to bring people together on their own."

Luu Thanh nodded.

"I understand."

Hao Nhien looked around the room.

"For now, the most important thing is to remain hidden. We've already left enough traces in the black market."

Outside the window, Heavenly Eye Forward City remained noisy beneath the desert sun. Eye-emblazoned banners fluttered from unfinished watchtowers, while the pounding of hammers from the forging district mixed with the rumble of beast carts, merchants calling prices, and workers hauling materials through the streets. Yet inside this old inn room, a connection severed for many years was quietly being restored. It was still far too small to resist the Heavenly Eye or change the fate of the Fire Qilin Tribe, but at least that flame no longer existed only in the memories of a few survivors.

Luu Thanh memorized the signals Hoa Van Phong had given him, changed into another cloak, and left the inn.

By nightfall, the southern district of Heavenly Eye Forward City had finally grown quieter than it was during the day.

The hammering from the forges had become sparse, with only a few furnaces still glowing red. Desert wind slipped through the narrow alleys, carrying the smell of coal, hot metal, and dry sand. In the room on the second floor, Hao Nhien was cultivating when he sensed a familiar aura approaching quickly, restrained with great care and carrying no killing intent.

He opened his eyes.

Lanh Hoa looked up almost at the same time.

Hoa Linh Nhi was asleep on the bed against the wall. Her complexion had improved since morning, her breathing was steady, and a faint trace of color had returned to her lips. Hoa Van Phong sat nearby, while Lanh Hoa remained close to the door.

Three short knocks followed by one long knock sounded softly from outside.

It was the signal they had agreed on.

Lanh Hoa walked over, swept the area outside with his spiritual awareness, then opened the door only a crack. Luu Thanh quickly slipped inside and closed it behind him.

His cloak was covered in dust and his hair was slightly disheveled, but his aura remained steady.

"Clan Head, I found them."

Hao Nhien gestured for him to sit.

Hoa Van Phong immediately poured him a cup of still-warm tea. Luu Thanh accepted it but did not drink right away.

"The signals Van Phong gave me worked. I had to go through two intermediaries and change meeting places three times before they brought me to the inner group. There are currently twenty Fire Qilin tribesmen hiding in an abandoned forge in the southern district."

Hoa Van Phong's hand tightened slightly.

"How are they?"

"Their cultivation isn't high. Most are only at Qi Condensation, and the strongest is only at peak Qi Condensation. This is just the group hiding inside the Forward City, not everyone who still opposes Duong Quang. Even they don't know where all the other scattered groups are."

Lanh Hoa frowned slightly.

"With only twenty people at that level, they have no chance in a direct clash with the Heavenly Eye."

"Exactly."

Luu Thanh took a sip of tea before continuing.

"They didn't trust me immediately. I only told them I had contact with Fire Qilin people returning from outside, then used the signals Van Phong gave me and mentioned a few things about the tribe that outsiders would have difficulty knowing. Only then did they agree to let me meet the person currently making decisions for the group."

Hao Nhien asked:

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"Who?"

"A man named Hoa Manh, a little over forty, at peak Qi Condensation. He used to lead a small hunting team. He isn't an elder or anyone of high standing, but among the twenty people there, he's older than most and the calmest, so the others are temporarily listening to him."

Hao Nhien committed the name to memory.

"How did they react when they heard their home had been attacked?"

Luu Thanh was silent for a moment before answering.

"Badly. A few immediately wanted to leave the city that very night and go back. Others sat there with faces gone white. Some almost lost control when they learned their relatives had been captured. Hoa Manh and several of the older people had to hold them back."

Hoa Van Phong lowered his head, his eyes turning red.

Luu Thanh looked at him.

"I spent a long time talking them down. They've calmed somewhat now."

Hao Nhien nodded slightly.

"You did the right thing. Do they know any way out of the city?"

Luu Thanh set down his cup.

"There are several leads. That's the most valuable part."

He took out a small piece of paper and traced several rough routes across it with his finger.

"Thirteen of the twenty have worked in construction or material transport for the Heavenly Eye. They're not strong enough to fight their way out, but because they've spent months working beneath the city walls, they know some places outsiders would have great difficulty discovering."

Hao Nhien's gaze sharpened.

"There's a stone transport route in the southwest. Material carts pass through there frequently during the day. There's also an unfinished section of the southern wall. The internal formation framework has only been partially built, and the outside still has scaffolding and a material hauling path. There are guards under normal circumstances, but inspections become looser during shift changes or when large convoys pass through."

Lanh Hoa asked:

"Can twenty people get through at once?"

"No. Moving all at once would be too conspicuous. The transport route is only suitable for small groups blending in with workers or following supply carts. The unfinished wall may be better if enough confusion breaks out inside the city, but we still need to confirm the patrol schedule."

Hao Nhien studied the paper for a long moment.

These people were not strong, but the months they had spent hauling stone, digging foundations, and building walls had given them something even a powerful cultivator from outside could not easily obtain: an understanding of how the city operated.

That was their greatest value now.

"Duong Quang will arrive tomorrow evening."

Hao Nhien spoke.

"The public gathering at the arena is the day after that."

Luu Thanh nodded.

"That information hasn't changed."

"Then we still have one day to confirm the route."

Hao Nhien placed a finger on the southern section of wall.

"We don't move anyone tomorrow. First we confirm the exact shift changes, the transport route, and whether the Heavenly Eye increases security around the unfinished sections after Duong Quang enters the city."

Lanh Hoa asked:

"When the gathering begins at the arena, will most of the city's attention be drawn toward the center?"

"Possibly, but we can't assume that."

Hao Nhien shook his head.

"If Duong Quang is deliberately using the gathering to draw out the Fire Qilin people who still oppose him, security elsewhere may become even tighter. We can use the attention he creates, but we only move if the escape route is truly open."

Luu Thanh nodded.

Hao Nhien looked at Hoa Van Phong.

"Tomorrow you go with Luu Thanh to meet that group. Only tell them that Linh Nhi is safe and that they are to remain where they are. My identity and the fact that Lanh Hoa is inside the city must remain hidden."

Hoa Van Phong replied:

"Understood."

"You need to confirm three things: which section of the wall can be crossed, the exact time of the shift change, and which people know the transport route well enough to guide the others. If you notice signs that someone is selling information, do not act against them. Just change the method of contact and the meeting point."

Luu Thanh asked:

"What about the day of the arena gathering?"

Hao Nhien thought for a moment.

"We don't split too far apart. Our final goal is to find a chance to leave the city together. If we divide too widely, we won't be able to support one another if something goes wrong."

He looked toward Hoa Linh Nhi.

"Lanh Hoa and I will observe the Heavenly Eye's deployment and Duong Quang from the outer edge of the arena district. Luu Thanh and Van Phong will maintain contact with the Fire Qilin group and keep track of the escape routes. Linh Nhi comes with us under the identity of a merchant caravan worker, with her face covered and always staying in the middle of the group."

Hoa Van Phong looked at his sister with some concern.

Hao Nhien understood the look.

"She doesn't need to go close to the arena. We'll simply operate within the same general area so that we can regroup quickly if an opportunity appears. If the southern wall or the transport route opens up, everyone withdraws according to the plan. If no opportunity appears, we remain hidden. No one is to force the timing out of impatience."

Lanh Hoa nodded.

"That makes sense."

Hao Nhien pointed at the paper.

"Tomorrow, the most important thing is to turn these routes into actual paths we can use. Everything else can wait."

The provisional plan was settled there.

Before resting, Hao Nhien only called Luu Thanh and Hoa Van Phong aside to confirm the meeting points, what they would say if stopped by patrols, and the rule that they must never lead anyone following them back to the inn. The matters of possible informants, Hao Nhien's identity, and the need to avoid gathering everyone had already been discussed enough, so he did not repeat them.

No one slept deeply that night.

Luu Thanh rested against the wall to recover his strength. Hoa Van Phong stayed near his sister's bed, while Lanh Hoa remained close to the door. Hao Nhien sat cross-legged on the bamboo bed, quietly cultivating while keeping part of his spiritual awareness on the movements outside.

Early the next morning, Luu Thanh and Hoa Van Phong left the inn separately, taking different routes before meeting again near the southern labor district.

Hao Nhien, Lanh Hoa, and Hoa Linh Nhi remained behind.

The day passed relatively quietly.

The Heavenly Eye continued inspecting the southern district, but most of its attention seemed focused around the black market and the roads near the city gates. Patrols passed through the forging district several times, but they did not search every room. Hao Nhien barely left the inn. Lanh Hoa watched the streets through the narrow gap beside the window, while Hoa Linh Nhi continued resting to recover her strength.

By afternoon, she could walk around the room on her own without needing her brother's support. Even so, Hao Nhien did not let her exert herself too much.

The sun gradually sank toward the west.

Luu Thanh and Hoa Van Phong still had not returned.

Hao Nhien did not become impatient. Their task that day was not simply to deliver a message and come back. To confirm the transport route, the guard shifts, and the state of the southern wall, they had to speak with several people while making sure no one realized those questions were connected.

Night fully descended.

Lights throughout the forging district gradually came on. The sound of hammering continued late into the evening because several workshops were rushing to complete orders for the Heavenly Eye.

Near midnight, the agreed signal finally sounded outside the door.

Lanh Hoa opened it.

Luu Thanh and Hoa Van Phong quickly stepped inside.

One look at their faces was enough for Hao Nhien to know something had gone wrong.

Luu Thanh did not sit down. He immediately took out the small map they had used the previous night and placed it on the table.

"The southern wall can't be used anymore."

Lanh Hoa frowned.

"More guards?"

"Not just that."

Luu Thanh pointed at the unfinished section of wall.

"The Heavenly Eye inspected the construction today and discovered that this section was behind schedule. Probably because Duong Quang is about to arrive, they don't want an unfinished stretch of wall left standing."

Hoa Van Phong continued:

"A new order was issued this afternoon. Every worker in the southern district has been kept on site to work through the night. Stone, formation materials, and manpower from two other districts are also being redirected there."

Hao Nhien looked at the map.

"When will it be finished?"

Luu Thanh answered:

"Before dawn."

The room fell silent.

He continued:

"The formation framework will be connected before sunrise. Part of the outer scaffolding will be removed immediately afterward. Starting tomorrow, that section will no longer be a gap in the wall."

Lanh Hoa looked toward Hao Nhien.

Their original plan had relied on having another day to fully confirm the route, then waiting for the arena gathering to create an opening.

Now their best route had vanished right in front of them.

Hao Nhien did not speak immediately.

He stared at the ink line marking the southern wall on the map, then slowly moved one finger toward the stone transport route in the southwest.

Duong Quang would enter the city tomorrow.

But by tomorrow, they would also have lost the southern wall as a way out.

Hao Nhien raised his head.

"Then we change the plan."