Infiltration and Deception

Lin Xingjian stood in the dark night with his hands behind his back.

The night was as dark as ink, like a huge curtain, quietly hiding his figure.

His brow furrowed deeply, a maelstrom of thoughts churning within his mind.

The trafficking of demonic pills was an intricate and fraught affair.

To act rashly would undoubtedly be like a moth drawn to a flame.

Having personally ventured into such peril, he would never be content with merely catching these small fry.

His true objective was the great fish lurking in the deep, dark shadows, the mastermind pulling strings behind the scenes.

He absolutely could not, due to a momentary impulse, make the mistake of sacrificing the greater objective for a minor gain.

Yet…

Lin Xingjian’s expression darkened.

Instead of focusing on his target, he glanced at his communication interface, where a message abruptly intruded upon his ears.

[Save me, save me! I’m currently at the Gu Sect… ugh, it hurts so much.]

[Gege, where are you? Is the child alright? Gege, you must treat our child well~!]

Lin Xingjian’s scalp prickled.

He knew full well the owners of both voices.

The first, pleading for help, was naturally the Gu Sect’s client, while the second belonged to the Gu Sect’s Five-Poison Saint Body, Yu Linglong.

‘A child?’

‘No, what child?’

A twitch pulled at the corner of Lin Xingjian’s mouth.

He, Lin Xingjian, prided himself on his dashing charm and impeccable appearance, yet he had never committed any wicked deeds, let alone harmed women.

What exactly was this ‘child’ they spoke of?

As for the distress signal from the Gu Sect’s client, he had completely disregarded it.

‘Once the spirit stones were exchanged, my responsibility ceased.’

‘You tell me to save, and I save? Am I to have no dignity?’

‘Saving is possible, but it requires more money.’

As Lin Xingjian pondered, he saw the man’s figure vanish behind the shop door.

Interrupting his thoughts, he moved silently, like a wisp of ethereal smoke, a phantom drawing near.

The crisp moonlight poured down, and he used the shadows of the wall to completely conceal himself.

He cocked an ear slightly, catching every faint sound emanating from within the shop.

“Big brother, our profits today are truly excellent; just look at my haul.”

“Recently, the new disciples from various sects are eager to reach the Foundation Establishment realm, and with the Pill Sect hosting a pill-refining competition, it’s truly a heaven-sent opportunity.”

A slightly reedy voice, his excitement palpable, drifted from inside the shop.

“Mm, well done.”

Another voice, deep and steady, resonated as if from the depths of an ancient well.

From this brief exchange, he had already formed a preliminary judgment of the two men.

The cultivator peddling demonic pills was glib-tongued, like a slippery loach in water, with an undercurrent of sharp malice.

The one addressed as ‘Big Brother’ was calm and composed, akin to an ancient tortoise at the bottom of a deep pool.

“We’ve reaped a bountiful harvest today; I imagine our performance should earn us recognition from those above.”

“You’ve indeed done well; continue tomorrow. But you must exercise extreme caution, and under no circumstances arouse suspicion among the sect’s cultivators.”

“Otherwise, if anything happens to you, I will not intervene to save you.”

The man’s voice was like a venomous serpent lurking in the shadows, each word laced with a deadly chill.

“Big Brother, please rest assured; haven’t you always trusted my abilities?”

“I will certainly not make any mistakes!”

His voice carried a hint of fawning subservience.

After their conversation concluded, the subordinate departed in haste, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Lin Xingjian remained hidden in the darkness, waiting patiently.

The night wind blew, stirring the strands of his hair.

Throughout the night, others returned to this hideout in succession.

Their hurried steps and wary expressions immediately revealed them to be engaged in illicit dealings.

Lin Xingjian marvelled inwardly.

The scale of the hideout was far larger than he had imagined, its network spread extensively.

They had informants in various sects, like an invisible, colossal net enshrouding the entire cultivation world.

After a period of meticulous observation, Lin Xingjian gathered numerous crucial pieces of intelligence.

Though this hideout had existed for half a month, it seemed to be merely a temporary base.

It was a mirage in the desert, something that could be abandoned at any moment.

The leader of the hideout possessed an early Foundation Establishment cultivation, but his aura was muddled and his foundation unstable.

Most of the subordinates were merely in the Qi Condensation realm, their cultivations varied wildly.

These people were nothing more than a mere rabble.

With his current strength, having just entered the Foundation Establishment stage, destroying this hideout would be no difficult feat.

Lin Xingjian narrowed his eyes slightly: should he act immediately, or continue to observe?

Lin Xingjian weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

Ultimately, he decided to give these individuals a few more days, to see if they would expose further weaknesses.

His purpose was not merely to avenge Li Xingtong and exact retribution.

He also wished to seize this opportunity to expose the entire network of demonic pill trafficking and uproot this malignant tumour entirely.

Those individuals continued to depart to peddle demonic pills before dawn, while a few cold stars still clung to the sky.

They would only return after nightfall, when the bright moon hung high.

He remained concealed in the shadows, his eyes like the sharpest eagle eyes in the night sky.

Lin Xingjian was no longer content with mere observation.

He selected a target and began a comprehensive tracking of the man.

He followed closely behind, observing the man’s every habit, every expression and movement, and even mimicking his tone of voice.

By the third day, Lin Xingjian decided it was time to act.

As the man was returning to the hideout, the surroundings were silent, save for the soft rustle of leaves stirred by the breeze.

He struck with the speed of lightning, leaving no time to react, his figure flashing instantly before the man.

Before the man could even react, he was overwhelmed by Lin Xingjian’s formidable aura.

Lin Xingjian’s hands, like iron pincers, seized the man’s arms.

Then, with a forceful twist.

Two sharp ‘crack’ sounds echoed, and the man’s arms and legs were instantly broken.

“Ah!!!”

The man cried out in excruciating pain, his voice ripping through the silent night sky.

He could never have imagined that he would be attacked at this very moment.

“Why act like this? Do you have a death wish?”

Enduring the excruciating pain, the man spat out venomously.

“Do you not know that I am a Dao Sect cultivator?”

Lin Xingjian gazed at him coldly, with no trace of pity in his eyes.

“Heh, I have a death wish? I fear it is your own life that is fleeting.”

Having spoken, his expression glacial, he tossed a small, iron dagger-shaped model before the man.

The man’s eyes widened upon seeing it, his face turned ashen white, and the hairs on his entire body stood on end.

“You… you are from the Shadow Sect?”

“No… don’t kill me, spare my life, I was wrong, I won’t dare to do it again.”

The man’s attitude underwent a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, and he began to plead desperately with Lin Xingjian.

Lin Xingjian ignored his pleas, instead utilizing truth serum pills and various interrogation methods to extract information from the man’s mouth.

After confirming he had obtained all useful information, a cold glint flashed in Lin Xingjian’s eyes.

“I’ll borrow your skin; rest in peace.”

With a swift movement of his hand, a cold gleam flashed as the blade fell, ending the man’s life.

The man’s body slowly collapsed, blood spreading across the ground, appearing eerily sinister in the moonlight.

After disposing of the body, Lin Xingjian meticulously disguised himself, taking on the man’s appearance.

His plan had finally entered its most critical phase—infiltrating the hideout.

These three days of observation and preparation, every detail was under his precise control.

He firmly believed that he could successfully infiltrate the enemy’s ranks.

‘From now on, my name is Chen Jie, a cultivator in the mid-Qi Condensation stage.’

‘But in truth, my real name is Chen Jie (TL Note: A homophone for ‘Dust Tribulation’), and I was originally a rogue cultivator who inadvertently fell into the demonic path and participated in this demonic pill trafficking.’

Lin Xingjian murmured softly to himself, his eyes gleaming with resolute determination.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his state of being, and walked steadily towards the hideout.