In the Gracious Sword Sect's Tavern.
All of the members of the entourage were discussing the plan they had arranged for the upcoming ambush.
"What were those arrays, Sister Yuan? I have never heard of you being an array master," Jun Xie suddenly asked.
Yuan Shuchun paused for a moment before revealing, "Well, mainly because they are not much known. I have especially brought them here to plant them to ambush the target."
"You didn't even explain to me what that array does," Jun Xie said.
Yuan Shuchun gave a smug smile, "Just wait and watch. You will like it more if it's a surprise."
Jun Xie shrugged; he knew there was no point in asking anymore. Yuan Shuchun was not going to reveal the mechanism behind the array - after all, this could be one of her trump cards.
Suddenly, Ye Tian Yun asked, "When will Peak Master Duan enter the scene? I hope he's ready."
"Hm? Peak Master Duan is here?" Many exclamations resounded in the room, some real, others fake.
Ye Tian Yun couldn't help but have an urge to roll his eyes at this.
He cleared his throat and said, "Well, the Sect Leader did say he would be here. I suppose he has arrived here by now?"
Jun Xie shrugged, "I don't know, but I hope he's here - the Core Formation cultivator is all on him. We won't start the ambush unless there's full certainty."
"Don't worry, I am here." Suddenly, a middle-aged man's voice sounded in everyone's ear.
Those who were familiar knew that this was none other than Peak Master Duan.
Yuan Shuchun slightly frowned one moment but regained her composure in the next.
"I will just slide it this time."
Then turning towards the gate, she said, "Please come in, Peak Master Duan."
As soon as she said that, the gate opened up, and someone entered the hall.
"Sigh, I was expecting more people." It was Peak Master Duan who had entered.
Everyone else cupped their fists and greeted him.
Peak Master Duan waved his hand and gestured at them to be at ease.
Then sitting on one of the couches, he said, "What happened to the rest?"
Jun Xie and Ye Tian Yun raised their eyebrows and secretly gave him a look of disdain.
'Bastard knows about the ambush and death of others but is acting ignorantly.'
Yuan Shuchun, however, made a regretful expression and said, "We faced an ambush and lost half of the members."
"That was unfortunate," Peak Master Duan let out another sigh and added, "But we can't let their sacrifice go in vain. Gear yourself up because the prey is now very close."
"Hm?" Yuan SHuchun frowned, "The Wu Kingdom people have arrived in the city?"
Peak Master Duan shook his head, "Not yet entered the city, but they are close to the mountain behind us as we speak."
Yuan Shuchun took a deep breath and said, "Alright then, we will ambush as soon as they begin their return journey."
Peak Master Duan suddenly said, "There's one problem though - I couldn't identify the guard who had Core Formation Realm cultivation. They are using a special artifact to hide their cultivation."
"What if there isn't any Core Formation Realm cultivator among them?" Xiao Ming frowned.
Peak Master Duan shook his head, "That would be impossible. I am pretty sure the information is true."
"We will make him show himself," Yuan Shuchun said, "The array that I have put out - it is a very effective one. I am confident that this hidden powerhouse will be forced to reveal himself, or else he would end up losing his master."
Peak Master Duan smiled, "That's a great thing then. As long as you can bring the guy out in the open, I can handle the rest while you focus on securing the Princess."
"Ah, this reminds me," Jun Xie asked, "Peak Master Duan, were you able to confirm that it was indeed the Third Princess Of Wu, Wu Qingwu?"
Peak Master Duan pursed his lips and nodded his head, "I couldn't see her face, but I heard her voice, and I am pretty sure she's a female. Also, a maid was sitting out the carriage."
"A maid?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Guys, what if this maid is Princess Wu Qingwu? What if she's pretending to be a maid?"
Yuan Shuchun laughed, "If she's pretending to be a maid, then she will be the first to die because it's usually the closest guard that's targeted first."
As everyone else nodded, Peal Master Duan suddenly said, "Well, everyone in the carriage seemed to listen to the girl inside the carriage, even the maid. So I doubt they would pull such silly tricks."
"Oh?" Yuan Shuchun shrugged, "Well, I guess there won't be any surprises anymore then."
Jun Xie nodded, "Even then, we need to be prepared about everything. Don't forget that there's another hidden enemy who is planning to take all the benefits."
Ye Tian Yun frowned, 'They know about the Devil Sect?'
"The Heaven Oracle Sect?" Yuan Shuchun shook her head, "If there really is an elder among them, or there's a huge difference of strength, we will simply give up this plan."
'Oh, the Heavenly Oracle Sect… they must have judged it based on the array system in the city.' Ye Tian Yun thought.
'As long as it's not the devil sect they found about, it's good. Or else, the real surprise will be ruined.'
"I searched the whole city but didn't find anything related to the Heaven Oracle Sect," Peak Master Duan replied, "I have a hunch it's those two disciples who ran away without informing us."
"Who?" Xiao Ming frowned.
"Two disciples from the Heaven Oracle Sect visited us a month ago. They came to investigate things related to a disciple's death and then decided to stay in the sect."
"However, a few days back, they went back, running out of the sect in a hurry. At first, the higher-ups thought something important must have happened in the Heaven Oracle Sect. And we were not quite sad to see those two leaving. So no one actually bothered anymore about this incident."
"But then, just in the next few days, you guys had to leave for the mission."
"Now, it seems that we might be meeting our two little friends quite soon."