บท 50: Pincer Attack?

"But that was not all. He–"

Juyee stopped midway when she realized that she was sharing private information about the customer with a fellow executive of the Mystic Treasures Emporium, which was not allowed.

She bit her lip when she realized her mistake as she looked at Haisha with a hint of accusation in her gaze.

"Fellow cultivator Haisha, you should know that it is forbidden for the executives to talk about the customers of the Mystic Treasures Emporium," Juyee admonished.

"Fellow cultivator Juyee, all these rules and regulations are just for show," Haisha spoke in a low tone, maintaining a subtle cunning smile on his face. Before she could reply, he grabbed her arm and entered one of the private cabins available behind them. Locking the door behind them, Haisha rubbed his hands together as he spoke.

"Madam Juyee, the management of the Mystic Treasures Emporium is not as much of a straight arrow as you might think," Haisha said as he got closer to the good-looking middle-aged woman.

"Otherwise, why would we make some of our wealthy customers drink different blends of the Seven-lotus tea that can be used for tracking purposes for almost a week after its consumption?

Although the management of the Mystic Treasures Emporium refrains from acting against its customers most of the time, the fact that they made the possibility exist means that they only prefer to act against the big donors.

To the Foundation Building Experts, the man might not be anything worth the management's time to act against him.

However, to someone like us who are still stuck in the late-stage Spirit Refining realm, customers like that man are nothing but fat pigs waiting to be slaughtered.

Even if we don't act against them, there will be someone in this world who will.

So why not rob him of all his possessions and send him to embrace eternity by giving him an easy death?"

Juyee opened her mouth to argue with Haisha. However, she closed it when she remembered how she was rejected by Aksai multiple times.

She also couldn't find any fault within Haisha's thinking. After all, she also knew about the tracking capabilities of the Seven Lotus tea she had served to Aksai.

Aksai was a careful man. He refrained himself from consuming tea thinking it could be spiked. However, he had lifted the cup and set it aside with his own hand. Plus, his body was exposed to the tea's steam.

This exposure was enough to enable experts of the emporium to track him for at least two to three days within a certain range.

Of course, the emporium would never act against someone who was only 800 spirit stones worth at the time. To a shop as successful as the Mystic Treasures Emporium, no matter how much individual wealth Aksai had, it wasn't much. It was the wealth of a Spirit Refiner after all. How could it attract the attention of a Foundation Building Expert?

However, to someone like Juyee and Haisha, Aksai's possessions were more than enough to make a difference in the way they cultivated and progressed in their Spirit Refining realm.

Forget about the amount of spirit stones Aksai carried. The potential cultivation resources he had on him might be just what they were looking for that could aid them in their cultivation journeys.

Seeing Juyee silent, Haisha chuckled in his heart before continuing.

"Madam Juyee, don't think too much about it. If we don't seize the chance presented to us, how can we improve in our cultivation and establish our foundation?

Give me the blend of the tea you used on him. I'll track the guy down myself along with two of my associates. I also promise to share the spoils with you. How about 80-20 in my favor?"

Many thoughts flashed through Juyee's head. In the end, she bit her lip in frustration before retrieving a tea bag from her storage ring, a distinct blend of the Seven Lotus Tea.

She looked at Haisha with determination as she raised her hand to give him the tea bag. However, she held onto it as she spoke. "Make it 70-30 in your favor and we have a deal," she said in a cold voice, not allowing Haisha to bargain.

"Hehehe. Alright," Haisha nodded and took the tea bag. They both agreed to a blood oath and finalized their agreement.

The middle-aged woman didn't particularly like Haisha because he was from the Lakir family. He was kept in the emporium so that the Wilben family could make use of the intel he provided.

He was practically an outsider who had suddenly appeared in Ragui County and was nurtured by the emporium to destroy the Lakir family's foundation. However, Juyee also knew that Haisha's dicey history was exactly what made him an ideal man for carrying out such shady activities.

In the end, all the risks were carried by him. And she'd get her 30 percent cut if he was successful. Juyee had nothing to worry about in such a case.

'Cheyun Min, you rejected me. You can only blame yourself for inviting trouble your way.'

Juyee thought to herself as she watched Haisha Lakir leave with cold expressions.

***

"This guy... Cheyun Min. He sold 2nd-order Spirit cultivation resources to the emporium? Unbelievable! Did he manage to break a 2nd-order restricted zone?

Looks like he really managed to explore the deeper levels of the inheritance ground," Haisha Lakir thought to himself as he followed the tracks left by Aksai.

Haisha had been provided with brief information about Aksai's forged identity by Juyee.

According to the information, he had bought many cultivation resources from the emporium that were usually used by 1st-order and even 2nd-order talisman makers. Juyee also mentioned that Aksai might be suffering from some kind of respiratory trouble.

Haisha guessed that Cheyun Min was probably a drifting talisman expert who either made 1st-order high-grade talismans or occasionally made 2nd-order talismans, which would make him a quasi-2nd-order talisman expert. It also meant that Cheyun was not a cultivator who excelled in frontal combat arts.

This information was enough for Haisha to act personally. He had always been greedy for the wealth and treasures of others. Plus, he was always decisive when it came to prioritizing his self-interests.

Haisha never shied away from stepping outside the norms and regulations when it suited him. He had been exploiting the Spirit farmers in the Lakir estate for years on end. He had also secretly made use of a lot of the clan's resources for his own gains.

It was only recently that Haisha's actions started to trouble him. He left the Lakir family decisively when the consequences of those actions started catching up to him.

When Haisha saw that there was no growth for him in the Lakir family because of being from a side branch of the clan, he decided to betray the clan and join the Wilben family.

Of course, he made a ton of profit as a result of his betrayal, courtesy of the Wilben family. However, he also had to leak a lot of secrets related to his own family in the process.

Only Haisha knew what the consequences of doing something like this were going to be for the Lakir family. The Wilben family had first lowered the Lakir family's guard by pretending to be suffering from internal struggles. In the meantime, it had joined hands with some elders of the Purple River Sect.

The Wilben family had been planning something really big ever since they realized the true potential of the inheritance ground. And the information Haisha had provided was enough to make them expedite their plans.

If Haisha's estimations were right, the Wilben Family would launch a full frontal attack on the Lakir family within two or three days, taking everyone by surprise.

It would also borrow the Purple River Sect's might to bring the Lakir family's one and only Foundation Building Expert down. It would then become the single owner of the inheritance ground and would use it to farm for resources.

Of course, the Purple River Sect would also benefit from the deal.

And nobody would care what happened to the mortals and low level cultivators who were bound to lose their lives in the conflicts between the two local warlords.

All hell was bound to break loose when an incident of such a big level happened. And the populace of both counties would be affected by it.

Chaos would reign supreme and killings and lootings would happen wantonly. The Lakir estate would be thoroughly demolished; all the small fries caught in the battle between the giants could only regard themselves as unlucky.

Haisha knew that he would be in a vulnerable position once the direct full-fledged battle between the two clans started.

At that time, he would have fulfilled his purpose as an information provider for the Wilben family, so it wouldn't care what happens to him afterward.

The remnant forces of the Lakir family would also target him in the future after labeling him as the one responsible for bringing the family down.

Although his vision would often get blurred because of his selfishness, Haisha was a smart man. He knew that staying in both counties would only bring him trouble. As such, he had planned to leave on the day the Wilben family attacked the Lakir family.

This was Haisha's last chance to strike it big and get everything he wanted before he went underground. He had already planned his retreat and had decided that he wouldn't come out until the unrest between the two counties died down.

Someone like Cheyun Min was the perfect pig for Haisha to slaughter to pave the way for his long retreat.

He knew that nobody would have time to prosecute him for his current or previous actions once the region was engulfed in chaos.

At that time, there would be countless robbers like him present in both counties. Who could identify him for his actions by that time?

***

After searching for a while within Wilben City by following the lead provided by a special insect trained to follow the scent left behind by the distinct blends of the Seven Lotus tea, Haisha soon tracked down a person.

This person looked completely different from Cheyun Min. However, his identity was still revealed to Haisha and his two subordinates who followed Cheyun closely without alerting him.

Aksai had changed into another appearance just to be safe, adopting a different identity from Cheyun Min and his original self. However, he could have never guessed that he would still be identified and followed.

Haisha and his subordinates watched as Cheyun entered a few shops and bought a variety of things. They were secretly amazed by how much buying power the man had.

Haisha also started to doubt whether the man knew about the impending chaos in the region. Why else would he start stocking up on various cultivation resources?

Seeing Cheyun's activities, Haisha was more determined than ever to rob him.

Under the effects of the Seven Lotus tea, no matter how many times Cheyun changed his appearance, he would still be identified. As such, Haisha had no worries. He let Cheyun take his time.

***

Hour of the Dog (04:00 PM - 05:00 PM)

Outside Wilben City

Aksai walked out of the city gates and discovered that the public transportation had stopped for some reason.

He couldn't make use of the demon beasts or the Spirit artifacts used by other cultivators in groups to cover a large distance in a short time. He could only buy a horse or walk on foot.

'Well… This can't be a good sign.'

Aksai had a bad feeling in his heart when he realized that local transportation had been halted. It only meant that chaos was soon going to unfold in Ragui County.

He didn't think staying in Wilben City would be beneficial. So he decided to head to his home on foot. It would take him quite some time, but it was better than remaining in the heart of enemy territory.

As he traversed through the edge of the dense forest between the two counties, Aksai channeled his Spirit Essence. The inheritance ground lay on the other side of the forest, at the border between the two counties. Therefore, Aksai steered clear of the route that took him close to the entrance of the inheritance ground.

***

A few miles away from Wilben City.

'Are they planning to attack already? How many days do I have?'

Aksai thought to himself as he gracefully jumped from one tree branch to another. It appeared as though his body was weightless as he used his Spirit Essence to speed up his journey.

'The Wilben City would conduct a thorough purge of the citizens in a few days. Anyone who can't prove their identity will be killed. I am a Spirit farmer from the Lakir estate. So I can't use my original identity here.

And the Lakir City will most likely get destroyed. Where... where the hell should I go now?'

Aksai pondered, his expressions contorting into a grimace.

'This is bad. I can't allow myself to get involved when the two giants fight.

I must stay away from the battle and the repercussions that will spread across the region.

I can always retreat to the Everwood farm. But there are still so many things I need to do outside. Plus, Aunt Reta and her son don't have a safe zone.

I… I must inform them before the battle begins and tell them to get away from both counties.

It is very difficult for them or me to leave the influence of two counties in such a short time. Especially during such times. However, I must try," Aksai determined in his heart.

Suddenly…

[ Suspicious activity up ahead ]

A prompt appeared in Aksai's vision out of nowhere. His outward Spirit Sense had a range of only about 10 meters. However, he could also detect some major activities faintly outside the Spirit Sense's range due to the signal-modulation-like effects of the neural link fabric.

Aksai stopped in his tracks when he realized that there was someone up ahead who hadn't shown themselves. He narrowed his eyes before speaking aloud.

"I know you are in there. Come out," Aksai spoke in a cold tone as he looked ahead. A runic sword appeared in his hand, and he started channeling his Spirit Essence through his body, indicating that he was ready to cast his Spirit spells at a moment's notice.

"Impressive. You could detect us from such a distance even though we had left sufficient space between us. What kind of treasure do you have for you to achieve this feat?"

A somewhat familiar voice came from behind Aksai, causing him to furrow his brows even further. Wasn't there someone up ahead? Why would the opponent appear from behind him?

'Something is not right. Am… am I getting pincer-attacked by the two sides?'

Aksai's expressions turned ugly, his vigilance level shot to the max. He cursed his luck as he turned around. When he did, he was shocked to realize that it was none other than the mongoose.

"You… what do you want?"

Aksai asked in a grave tone as he quickly regained his composure. Thankfully, he was not in his original appearance otherwise Haisha would have recognized him right away.

Aksai wondered why the force that had positioned itself in front of his path hadn't shown itself. However, he didn't bother to call them out. It was better if they thought that they had him fooled.

What Aksai didn't know was the fact that the second team of cultivators wasn't sent by Haisha to intercept him. In fact, it had arrived on the scene for a different reason– to take Haisha down.

"What do I want?" Haisha stepped forward and dropped from the tree branch, landing lightly on the ground as he looked at Aksai, who was still standing on a tree branch a safe distance away from him.

With a cunning smile on his face, Haisha responded. "Fellow cultivator, it seems you have made some profits in the inheritance ground. Troubled times are ahead. How about sharing some of that good fortune with us? After all, they will turn into your problems if you decide to hoard them all by yourself.

Consider this as us taking away your future troubles. We will let you go without hurting you if you hand over your storage ring," Haisha said with a tone full of benevolence. However, his cunning smile made one realize that he had no intentions of letting Aksai go even if the latter decided to act on his subtle threat.

Swoosh.

Yet, just when Haisha thought that he had Aksai in his palm, something unexpected happened. Another team of cultivators appeared on the other side, away from Aksai.

Haisha's heart skipped a beat. He thought that the team was Aksai's reinforcement. However, when he looked at the man leading the other three cultivators of the late-stage Spirit Refining realm, he realized that the team had come to target him personally.

"It's been a while, Uncle Haisha," Lian Lakir stepped forward, looking at Haisha with cruel intentions and a smile on his face.

One had to know that Lian Lakir was the same young scion from the Lakir family who had ordered Nesha and her two subordinates to corner Aksai when he visited Lakir's City's black market for the first and last time.

It seemed that he was sent by the clan to take care of the traitor in the enemy territory that was Haisha Lakir.

Of course, even though Lian Lakir couldn't recognize Aksai, the latter recognized Lian thanks to explicit descriptions written in Nesha's journal.

He cursed his luck even more when he realized that he was trapped in the middle of two enemies who seemed to have a family feud between them.