Chapter 432: Departure (Part 2)

“Once the gangs start fighting amongst themselves, I fear their lives will be in danger.

“Therefore, One Slash, you need to secretly send people to find the whereabouts of Gu Renlong’s descendants.

“At the critical moment, you can step in to help them.

“It would be best to bring them under our control without anyone noticing.

“If it truly comes to a point where we must compete openly, we can act under the pretext of fighting for the Celestial Thunder Pearl on behalf of Gu Renlong’s heir.

“As long as the formula falls into the hands of Gu Renlong’s heir, no one else will have any grounds to object.

“At least on the surface, our actions will be beyond reproach.

“However, if it really comes to that, we will have to get the Flower and Rain Alliance to take action.

“What’s more, it may even mean you’ll all have to give up your ambitions for the Thunderbolt Hall’s territory.”

After listening intently, a look of shock appeared on Xuanyuan One Slash’s face.

“Esteemed Teacher, you are absolutely right. I understand.”

“But how can we get the Flower and Rain Alliance to act on our behalf?”

“I’ve already come to an understanding with Jiang Han.”

At this, Jiang Ran shouted to the outside.

“Someone!”

A disciple of the Blood Saber Hall entered at once.

“Greetings, Hall Master. Greetings, Grand Hall Master.”

…

Jiang Ran waved his hand. “Go and get Luo Qingyi. Tell him I have something for him.”

“Yes.”

The Blood Saber Hall disciple turned and left.

Standing to the side, Xuanyuan One Slash gave Jiang Ran a curious look.

Jiang Ran noticed. “What are you looking at me for?”

“Esteemed Teacher, didn’t you say you didn’t want to get involved in the affairs of the sects? Why are you so invested in this now?”

Xuanyuan One Slash was puzzled.

Jiang Ran fell silent for a moment before speaking.

“It’s true that I’m not interested in the affairs of the sects.

“But now that things have come to a head, I can’t just stand by and say nothing.

“For one, the matter of the Celestial Thunder Pearl is no small thing. It would be a shame for it to fall into someone else’s hands.

“For another… I happen to have a batch of items I wasn’t sure how to handle. If we can get the formula for the Celestial Thunder Pearl, we can finally put them to good use.”

“What items?”

Xuanyuan One Slash asked.

“Gunpowder.”

Jiang Ran said, sucking his teeth.

“The gunpowder that Heterodox Manor was going to use to blow us all up.”

Realization dawned on Xuanyuan One Slash, but he was still a little confused.

“Speaking of which, I haven’t seen that gunpowder anywhere since I returned.”

“Of course it is. The gunpowder is still under Sunset Plateau.”

Jiang Ran rolled his eyes.

When Xuanyuan One Slash heard this, his face froze, then turned deathly pale.

“B-but… Esteemed Teacher, didn’t you say you’d already had someone… get that batch of gunpowder out?”

“And who was I supposed to get to move it?”

Jiang Ran was at a loss for words. “I had my suspicions about this whole thing early on.

“The men from the Hundred Treasures Association searched Sunset Plateau high and low for a long time, but they never found the entrance used to haul the gunpowder underground.

“Even if I had god-like powers, I couldn’t have found a place that so many people failed to locate.

“It was nothing more than a bluff… I figured that Young Manor Lord wouldn’t dare to call my bet.

“After all, they thought they had the whole situation under control.

“On top of that, Cheng Tianyang happened to crawl out from underground at that exact moment. I cut him off before he could speak, and that’s what made the ‘Young Manor Lord’ truly believe my story.”

Xuanyuan One Slash was speechless for a long time.

‘It felt like I’d just had a brush with death.’

‘Who would have thought Jiang Ran was so audacious, telling such a colossal lie.’

‘And the Young Manor Lord actually fell for it.’

“Thinking back, before he died, that ‘Young Manor Lord’ probably considered trying to take us all down with him. But I never gave him the chance.

“All in all, we got through that situation smoothly.

“Afterward, Cheng Tianyang told me that there’s another entrance beneath Sunset Plateau that leads directly to where the gunpowder is hidden.

“Heterodox Manor dug it out by force, using their unorthodox techniques.

“It’s just that in the time since, everyone has been on Three Immortals Mountain searching for Man Shengming.

“So there was no opportunity to retrieve the gunpowder without anyone noticing. Fortunately, most people are gone now. Arrange for some men in the next day or two to quietly bring out the batch under the cover of darkness.

“And if we get our hands on the formula for the Celestial Thunder Pearl…

“The Blood Saber Hall won’t have to worry about money until the day you die.”

Hearing this, Xuanyuan One Slash couldn’t help the fire of excitement that ignited in his heart. He nodded repeatedly to show he understood.

The two had just finished their discussion when Luo Qingyi was led through the door by a Blood Saber Hall disciple.

“Sir.”

Luo Qingyi glanced at Jiang Ran and offered a light fist-and-palm salute.

Jiang Ran hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

“Qingyi, I have a task I need your help with. It might be somewhat dangerous.”

“Please, Sir, just give the word.”

But Luo Qingyi didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

“You helped me achieve my great revenge. I have no way to repay you. My life is yours to command, so what is a little danger compared to that?”

Jiang Ran nodded slowly.

“Tonight at midnight, you will infiltrate the dungeons of Qifeng Manor and rescue Jiang Han.

“He has been poisoned with my Four Seasons Powder and is now under my control.

“You will return with him to the Flower and Rain Alliance, posing as his ‘savior.’ You are to supervise him as he administers the Four Seasons Powder to the other Hall Masters there.

“Once this is done, the entire Flower and Rain Alliance will, for the time being, be at your command.

“You must coordinate with Xuanyuan One Slash, providing mutual support. Once the matter with the Thunderbolt Hall is settled, you may either return to my side or choose to remain with the Flower and Rain Alliance.

“The choice is yours.”