He wasn't trying to disobey orders. It was simply too dangerous to blindly enter an underground cave. However, Dong Quan and the others had no choice but to accept their commands. It was different from when Miao Yi was Alliance Master, who at least made room for negotiation. Gu Sanzheng didn't give them any room to negotiate at all.
They could only bite the bullet and obey. They jumped off their dragon steeds and proceeded into the cave. Even though the passageway wasn't narrow, it was not wide enough for a dragon steed to gallop. Instead, it would be rather inconvenient to bring a dragon steed through the serpentine passageways.
The black fox on Tan Lao's shoulder jumped down and led the way as it sniffed around the path ahead. Dong Quan and the other two followed after the fox, with Gu Sanzheng and Tan Lao behind them. Protecting their backs at the end were Yu Baixing and Jia Zifeng.
The sixteen miniaturized spiked shields continued to circle around Tan Lao quietly.
The faint demonic aura hovering around the cave greatly unnerved Dong Quan and the others. This was the price of relying on a strong force. Even though by relying on the strength of others, they would be able to live longer. However, they had to be obedient.
Gu Sanzheng was also a little on edge when he felt the demonic aura within the cave. He couldn't understand why Miao Yi and the others would choose to hide within such a place. Even he himself was a little dubious and wondered if Tan Lao's fox had mistaken the location...
Now with disheveled hair, both Sikong Wuwei and Zhao Fei were also feeling on edge. They followed behind Miao Yi, with Miao Yi behind Pi Junzi. Their group proceeded down one of the underground passageways.
They would sometimes bump into Yao cultivators rushing to and fro along the way. Because the Red Scarves Alliance had suddenly barged into their base camp, the Alliance Master Hei Langjun was already calling all Yao cultivators to arms.
"Pi Junzi, who are these three?! Why have I never seen them before?" A Yao cultivator suddenly stopped to ask Pi Junzi as he passed by.
Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei were completely on edge. They had never played such a thrilling game before. The two of them originally intended to follow Pi Junzi's secret passageway and leave, but Miao Yi had a point. They weren't sure whether the three major sects still had some unknown tricks up their sleeve that could track down their group. Even though the three of them had secretly entered the demon's nest, Gu Sanzheng was still able to find them. They didn't know when they would be able to stop running if it were to keep up like this. They weren't even sure whether or not they could escape. That was why they needed to think of a way to render it impossible for the three major sects to follow after them.
As such, Miao Yi forced Pi Junzi to go to Hei Langjun to report on a certain development.
It would be fine for Pi Junzi to make the report on his own. However, Miao Yi was afraid that Pi Junzi would play some tricks behind his back, and so he insisted on following him. The feeling of prancing around a demon's nest and occasionally coming face-to-face with demons was a first for Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei. Even though they were not afraid, they couldn't help feeling quite restless.
"They're new recruits. They're also good at digging out caves, so the Alliance Master has ordered them to follow behind this humble one," Pi Junzi bowed as he replied.
Miao Yi immediately followed suit and bowed. Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei were completely at a loss for words. They could do nothing but bow as well.
When that person heard it was the Alliance Master's orders, he didn't suspect anything else. He simply gave a curt response and left. It was because Pi Junzi had always been cowardly and would never use the Alliance Master's name to lie. Unless he was tired of living, that is.
As soon as that person left, Pi Junzi couldn't help wiping his forehead, afraid that he'd start sweating and raise suspicion.
Every time he saw Miao Yi, he truly felt afraid. It was because Miao Yi always did something to bring him anxiety every time they met.
They continued forward, and from the back, Sikong Wuwei couldn't help transmitting his voice, "Brother. This is a very risky game we're playing. That Hei Langjun has never even seen us before."
"You don't have to worry about him finding out about us. If that Hei Langjun realizes our scheme, I will freeze him immediately with the Mystic Yin Mirror. Simply put, with the combined might of our three transcendent artifacts, he will surely die. We might even get to take that Seamless Net for ourselves," Miao Yi replied boldly.
Sikong Wuwei was speechless. He wondered why this guy's train of thought was so different from his own. However, when he heard Miao Yi's plan, he thought, 'He's right. With all our transcendent artifacts, is there a need to fear that demon?' He suddenly felt a spark of confidence, although he still thought that this was a rather risky plan.
They continued down the serpentine passageway, but before they had even reached Hei Langjun's residence, Pi Junzi suddenly turned around and transmitted his voice to the other three, "Hei Langjun is here."
Pi Junzi then turned his body to stand beside the wall. The other three immediately followed suit, repressing their human auras as best they could while invoking the Yao Core in their clothes to emit demonic auras to camouflage themselves. They snuck a glance through the small gaps in between their messy hair and saw a slender man garbed in black robes quickly drawing close with two voluptuous women following behind him. Miao Yi and the other two followed after Pi Junzi and bowed.
Hei Langjun stopped when he saw the four of them and said solemnly, "Why haven't you prepared for battle yet? Are you disregarding my orders?"
Pi Junzi hurriedly stepped forward and answered, "Reporting to the Alliance Master. This humble one has something to tell you."
Hei Langjun was examining Miao Yi and the others, who had their hair covering their faces, and asked, "What is it?"
Pi Junzi was afraid he would notice something amiss, so he quickly cut to the chase and said, "It has to do with Madam Wu Hua."
"Madam Wu Hua?" Hei Langjun was surprised. His gaze quickly shifted back from Miao Yi and the others back to Pi Junzi. He asked, "Madam Wu Hua has been dead for so many years, why are you bringing her up?"
Pi Junzi replied weakly, "When this humble one was patrolling the mountain just now, I think I saw the one that killed Madam Wu Hua all those years ago. I think I saw Niu Youde."
"Is this true?!" Hei Langjun's eyes instantly widened. As Bi Youpo's subordinate, how could he not know the significance Niu Youde carried for Bi Youpo. He immediately shouted, "Pi Junzi, you really saw that Niu Youde?!"
Pi Junzi's heart was beating wildly, but he still gritted his teeth and replied, "Alliance Master, you should know that I saw many of the Madam's things when I was serving her all those years ago. Why don't you guess what I saw just now on the red cloth tied around the wrists of the people outside?"
"Stop beating around the bush!" Hei Langjun barked, "Tell it to me straight!"
"If I'm not mistaken, the cloth wrapped around their wrists should be the same fabric that Madam Wu Hua loved the most all those years ago."
When they heard this, Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei immediately looked at Miao Yi secretly, realizing that he intended to kill with a borrowed knife. However, would this plan work?
The both of them were a little doubtful whether this Hei Langjun and the demons on this island would be able to contend against Gu Sanzheng and his forces.
"Based on this alone? You are sure that Niu Youde is among them with just this?" Hei Langjun furrowed his brows and asked.
Pi Junzi cupped his fists and said, "Your subordinate is naturally not so quick to jump to conclusions. Just now, your subordinate saw the man leading the enemy. He was carrying a long box embedded with swords on his back. He was the same one who appeared around the area where Madam Wu Hua died that year. At the time, he was riding on a fat dragon steed. If I add this to the red cloth they have around their wrists, then I have very good reason to believe that that person is Niu Youde. However…"
"However what?" Hei Langjun shouted, "Speak!"
Pi Junzi immediately trembled as he replied, "However, just now I overheard the people beside him calling him Gu Sanzheng. That is why I couldn't be sure!"
"Gu Sanzheng?" Hei Langjun was briefly surprised. Suddenly, he pushed Pi Junzi against the wall, then left while scolding, "Idiot. A name can be changed anytime. As if he would dare to use his true name while he committed crimes in the Sea of Constellations back then! Someone! Send out my orders. There will be a great reward for capturing the one called Gu Sanzheng. It doesn't matter if he's dead or alive!"
The two beautiful women in revealing clothes behind Hei Langjun watched as Pi Junzi hit the wall and how he clumsily regained his balance. They then left snickering.
After Hei Langjun and the two women were some distance away, Pi Junzi immediately placed his ear on the wall to listen for any commotion. He then heaved a sigh of relief, his forehead finally breaking out in a cold sweat. He folded his arms and bowed to Miao Yi as he whispered, "Lord Niu. This humble one has already done what you asked. Please let me go. If you keep using me like this, you don't even have to kill me—this humble one will surely die from shock."
Miao Yi patted his shoulder and smiled. "You did well."
Pi Junzi smiled bitterly. 'As if I had any other choice. Do you think I'm doing this willingly?!'
Zhao Fei looked around, then furrowed his brows and whispered, "Brother. Why does it seem to me like your plan is full of holes? Even I found it hard to believe my ears. Not to mention, I don't think Hei Langjun and his troops will be able to triumph over Gu Sanzheng's forces."
Miao Yi whispered, "That's why we can't leave just yet. We need to give Hei Langjun a hand at the crucial moment."
Sikong Wuwei shouted, "You're kidding! You've already done what you need to do. Yet you still want to stay?!"
"Quiet down!" Miao Yi said as he held a finger to his lips. He looked around, then whispered, "If Hei Langjun is really no match for Gu Sanzheng and the others, we need to help him escape so that he can spread the word. The three major sects have been on our tail for so long. I want to let them experience the feeling of being chased down as well. It's also high time for those unrepentant traitors in the Red Scarves Alliance to suffer some payback!"
His eyes shone with a vicious glint when he said the last line.
Pi Junzi felt a chill run down his spine when he heard Miao Yi's plan. If this piece of news were to leak out, worst comes to worst, a major portion of the Yao cultivators participating in the Sea of Constellations would come to hunt these people down…'Why did these three major sects people have to offend this guy? I just knew this guy shouldn't be trifled with.'
Sikong Wuwei folded his hands and bowed to Miao Yi as he whispered, "Fine, fine, I'll call you lord, alright? We are no match for them at all. We've been running around trying to escape them all this time, and now you want to help Hei Langjun fight against them? Aren't we basically delivering ourselves over to Gu Sanzheng then? Are you tired of living?"
Miao Yi waved his hand and said, "Listen to me first. We are only going to help Hei Langjun escape just in case he loses. We don't need to clash head-on against Gu Sanzheng and his forces. If they really do have some special method to track us down, it makes no difference whether we escape now or later. They will still catch up with us eventually. Similarly, we still won't be a match for them. In the future, they will definitely continue to harass us to death. If they don't have any special methods, we can dive into the sea once the sky is dark and escape just as easily."
Sikong Wuwei smiled bitterly. "I fear it might not be so easy to make it to the ocean once we reveal ourselves!"
"We will need to rely on Pi Junzi for this." Miao Yi turned and tapped Pi Junzi on the shoulder again, smiling as he said, "You've dug out all these underground tunnels. Surely, you left a few escape routes for yourself somewhere. Let me repeat myself. If you dare sabotage us and make it impossible for us to survive, then even if you manage to escape, I will let everyone know that you were an accomplice for the deaths of Yuan Kaishan and the others that year!"
Pi Junzi smiled bitterly. "If Hei Langjun and his forces are defeated, I will have no one else to rely on. I fear I won't be able to survive till the end of the Subjugation Crusade."
Miao Yi continued to tap on his shoulder, and said, "We won't leave you behind. As long as you can help us escape successfully, you can just come along with us then. You can't let these skills of yours go to waste."
Pi Junzi replied weakly, "You won't kill me when that happens, will you?"
Miao Yi huffed and said, "Is there a need for me to kill you? You're a part of this as well. Feel free to spread the word if you're not afraid of death."
Pi Junzi was speechless. He truly didn't dare to speak casually about this.
Zhao Fei was frowning this whole time. He noted, "Have you ever thought about this? If Gu Sanzheng and the rest were to truly end up falling into the Yao cultivators' hands, they'll definitely say that the red cloth tied around the wrists of the Red Scarves Alliance came from you!"