The Seven Absolutions Sect people left, but Tang Jie remained where he was, lost in thought.

Wei Tianchong saw how he was acting and asked, “What’s wrong?”

After a while, Tang Jie chuckled and shook his head, muttering, “Mother**ing… so ruthless!”

His words were inexplicable, leaving Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng baffled.

Tang Jie said, “I know why the trade was dragged out until now, and it was only conducted after I showed up.”

The greatest question on Tang Jie’s mind until this point had been why this trade was only proceeding now. The mining had been going on for two years, and the trade could have happened at any time in this period, but basically nothing had happened.

Although this was partially because those three elders had ulterior motives, that wasn’t an entirely persuasive argument. It was only now that Tang Jie fully understood.

“Why is that?” Wei Tianchong asked.

Tang Jie stood up and looked in the direction of the departing Seven Absolutions Sect disciples. “It was Wang Juemie who was dragging things out.”

“‘Wang Juemie’?” the other two said in unison. They had been too far and didn’t have Tang Jie’s Duplication spell, so they had no idea of what had happened.

“Oh, he’s the Great Brother of the Seven Absolutions Sect.” Tang Jie gave a summary of what the Seven Absolutions Sect disciples had discussed.

Upon hearing what Mu Yi had said, Wei Tianchong turned grave. It was this kid that had made Tang Jie taste defeat for the first time in history in the Immortal Fortune Conference, and Wei Tianchong did not dare to underestimate him. If Mu Yi respected Wang Juemie this much, then Wang Juemie had to be a terrifying individual.

“Tang Jie, you’re saying that Wang Juemie dragged things out until the Basking Moon Sect sent people? What’s the meaning of that? Does the Seven Absolutions Sect not actually want to do business with the Stone Gate Sect?” Shi Meng asked.

Tang Jie shook his head. “No. Wang Juemie just wanted to take all the goods.”

“‘Take all the goods’?” Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng glanced at each other in shock, and then Wei Tianchong blurted out, “You’re saying that Wang Juemie never planned to pay?”

“Yes!” Tang Jie definitively replied. “I didn’t think things would be this way, so I never understood why the Stone Gate Sect hadn’t shipped off its goods until now, nor did I understand why this sort of big transaction would have a small trade before it. You have to realize that if you can make a small trade once, you can make it many times. Over two years, even if there were ten times as many goods, it still could have all been shipped off by now. So why wait until now? Fortunately, we were standing guard here today, and through a certain item I planted there, I was able to hear what they were saying. This is what enlightened me.”

The words he was referring to were that Senior Brother Cheng’s “Our costs in this deal were always limited. So long as we take these goods with us, we’ll have recovered the capital and even made a small profit. Whatever comes next, we won’t suffer any loss.”

These words were plainly telling Tang Jie that the Seven Absolutions Sect had planned to betray the Stone Gate Sect from the start.

Once he understood this, he understood much of what had puzzled him before.

He began to understand why the deal had been delayed until his arrival.

This was probably a plot of the Seven Absolutions Sect from the very start. They wanted to use the pressure of the Basking Moon Sect to force the Stone Gate Sect into agreeing to some conditions.

Sunset Valley was within Duskland, so if the Seven Absolutions Sect wanted to go back on their word, they wouldn’t let a single member of the other party escape and most likely intended to completely wipe them out. The Stone Gate Sect’s people weren’t fools, and they knew that holding the trade in Duskland would be putting their lives in the hands of others. After all, this was the other party’s territory, where it was much easier for the Seven Absolutions Sect to lay down any traps.

The members of Shi Jingzhai’s little group naturally wouldn’t be able to rest easy if someone else went to do the deal while they stayed behind. After all, there was a concern that someone could just take the money and run.

If they had to go, they needed to go together, but they didn’t dare to enter Duskland. The Seven Absolutions Sect would also use the same reason to refuse entering Sageheart. With neither side being able to trust the other, the talks began to drag on.

The Stone Gate Sect sincerely wanted to trade, so it had made many concessions, like splitting up the transaction into multiple small trades. But Wang Juemie had other ideas. For some reason, he had refused this transaction method and insisted on a one-time trade.

In this way, the deal had been delayed until it was time for the Basking Moon Sect to send someone to inspect the mine. The pressure on the Stone Gate Sect rose, and it was finally forced to agree to some conditions. Thus, before the main trade, this one-time small probing trade took place.

Tang Jie almost instantly figured out the entire sequence of events. The man in black who had appeared in the Gu Clan, the borrowing of the trade route from the Wei Clan—all of this had probably been planned out by someone. And there was also the name Cao Jiyuan had been about to shout during their battle. If not for his face-changing spell, Cao Jiyuan probably would have called out Tang Jie’s name, no?

If he didn’t know about Tang Jie’s involvement in this business, how could he have been so certain?

That Great Brother Wang might have even hoped that he would be able to follow the trail all the way back to Tang Jie! It was clear from his tone when speaking that he was a very proud person, and the matter of the Wandering Palace had probably irked him greatly!

That damned Shen Qingdan had really caused him a whole lot of trouble.

Tang Jie was almost certain that the Seven Absolutions Sect’s experts in surveillance had used all of their detection methods the moment they appeared. If not for the mystical abilities of the Duplication spell left by the Martial Lord and his having been far enough away, Mu Yi probably would have found him out using his exceptional hearing.

Wei Tianchong was somewhat dumbfounded by what he was hearing. “It can’t be, right? If word got out, it would have a huge effect on the Seven Absolutions Sect. Even if they could completely exterminate the Stone Gate Sect party, who could say that everyone who was in the know participated in the deal? If one of them didn’t go and leaked the news… the gains don’t outweigh the losses!”

“Not even that!” Shi Meng said. “If the other party notices something is off, the deal might not even go through. These goods were already priced lower because they were illicit goods, and if the Seven Absolutions Sect does things right, they could get the goods at not even half the actual value, at which point they could get several times their original profit. But instead of taking this safe deal for a big fortune, they would take a risk and try to get everything? The damage to their reputation would be devastating! This isn’t a choice a wise person would make.”

Tang Jie smiled. “You’re right. From the perspective of the Seven Absolutions Sect, giving up on an extremely profitable deal just to act like bullies would be forgetting what they are. In the end, the Seven Absolutions Sect isn’t a gang of bandits, so it has no reason to make this sort of choice. Unless…”

“Unless what?” the two asked in unison.

Tang Jie replied, “Unless they couldn’t pay.”

“What?” Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng were baffled.

After the initial shock, Wei Tianchong exploded in laughter. “Tang Jie, are you making a joke? ‘The Seven Absolutions Sect can’t pay’? This is one of the six major sects here, and the one with the most money!”

In terms of strength, the Seven Absolutions Sect might have been at the bottom of the six major sects, but in terms of wealth, they were probably the big brother.

More than a hundred million spirit coins was probably an immense fortune for the individual, but for the six major sects, it was just a number on paper, not even a number that a Celestial Chief would have to waste time thinking about.

Not being able to pay? What an absolute joke.

But Tang Jie appeared serious, like he wasn’t joking at all.

He said, “I didn’t say that the Seven Absolutions Sect couldn’t pay. I was talking about them… Wang Juemie’s crew!”

“What’s the difference?” Shi Meng was confused. “Aren’t Wang Juemie and Mu Yi part of the Seven Absolutions Sect?”

Tang Jie chuckled. “They’re naturally part of the Seven Absolutions Sect, but that doesn’t mean that everything they do has to be connected to the Seven Absolutions Sect. Tianchong, Shi Meng, when we went over to Watcher River’s secret market, did our dealings there have any connection to the Basking Moon Sect?”

Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng paled.

They finally understood what Tang Jie meant. “Could it be that Wang Juemie’s group is…”

“Correct!” Tang Jie replied. “This trade is probably one that Wang Juemie’s group is carrying out without the knowledge of the Seven Absolutions Sect. The Stone Gate Sect thought they were dealing with the Seven Absolutions Sect, but they were actually always negotiating with a group of disciples who were simply from the Seven Absolutions Sect, with no connection to the Seven Absolutions Sect itself.”

“Do you have any evidence of that?” Wei Tianchong urgently asked.

“Not any direct evidence, but there is plenty of indirect evidence. Firstly, this is the only explanation for how the deal didn’t happen in the last two years. This was because Wang Juemie was dragging things out until the mine had been completely excavated, allowing him the opportunity to take everything at once. Secondly, while Wang Juemie is Great Brother, he still belongs to the younger generation. Such a large transaction could only be overseen by an elder. The Stone Gate Sect was sending three Celestial Heart True Persons to negotiate, so how could a True Person not be sent to meet them? But the Seven Absolutions Sect did nothing of the sort, which is a clear problem. The third reason is that when I was probing them just now, they said that they wouldn’t be paying anything more. It’s clear from the start that they planned to renege on the deal.”

Tang Jie laughed. “In the end, the Stone Gate Sect is still a small sect. They could find someone from the Seven Absolutions Sect to deal with, but in the end, they couldn’t find the person they wanted to meet. It’s far too easy for someone from the Seven Absolutions Sect to trick them. Even though they’re Celestial Heart True Persons, they can only obediently be deceived. And things get even trickier if one of those people is harboring ulterior motives.”

“You think one of those three is scheming something?”

Tang Jie shook his head. “That poisoned water and narrow passage leading to that secret lode prevented Liang Xingbang and Yu Wanniang from mining, so Shi Jingzhai had to go and mine alone. There’s almost no doubt that he secretly took some of the goods for himself, which was why he was able to rise to another tier. If he hadn’t been afraid of the other two, he might have pushed himself all the way to half-step Violet Palace. If Shi Jingzhai was doing this, who’s to say what Liang Xingbang and Yu Wanniang did? While busy scheming against others, it’s very normal to forget about outsiders and fall into traps.”

Tang Jie sighed in praise, “But regardless, this Wang Juemie has a lot of guts for daring to scheme against Celestial Heart True Persons.”

Wei Tianchong was quite alarmed. “But that’s still three Celestial Heart True Persons. No matter how strong Wang Juemie is and how many junior brothers he has, he couldn’t possibly win against one True Person, let alone three, right?”

Tang Jie chuckled. “Did you forget how the Seven Absolutions Sect won in the Immortal Fortune Conference?”

Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng now understood.

A formation!

There was no doubt that Wang Juemie was using a formation to trap the Stone Gate Sect.

But unlike with the Immortal Fortune Conference, the Seven Absolutions Sect had a meticulous plan this time—one that was two years in the making. It was easy to imagine that the Seven Absolutions Sect had turned Sunset Valley into a tiger’s den by this point.

So long as Shi Jingzhai’s group dared to step into Sunset Valley, they would have to face a formation that was capable of killing even True Persons!

Of course, Shi Jingzhai and company would take precautions, but under the pressure of Tang Jie’s mine inspection, the encouragement of someone in their group, the initial trust achieved through this small deal, the lobbying and scheming of Wang Juemie’s group, and the promises of rich rewards, they would ultimately step into this trap.

Once they stepped into the trap, their fates would no longer be theirs to decide.

Upon realizing this, Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng reeled in shock at the skill of this Great Brother.

At least when it came to daring, appetite, and greed, Wang Juemie had truly exhibited the aura of the strong. It was an awesome appetite without a doubt.

After some thought, Wei Tianchong said, “If that’s the case, there’s still something I don’t understand.”

Tang Jie said, “Do you want to say that concealing this matter from the Seven Absolutions Sect is, in itself, a traitorous act?”

“Yes.” Wei Tianchong frankly nodded. “Wang Juemie is hiding this matter from the Seven Absolutions Sect, but he is carrying out the deal in the name of the Seven Absolutions Sect. If he kills them, the Seven Absolutions Sect will be the one taking the risk, but the one reaping the benefit will be Wang Juemie. Given the profit from this deal, it could be said that Wang Juemie is stealing from not just the Stone Gate Sect, but also his own sect. His selfishness has no consideration for his sect’s reputation and could even be considered embezzlement.”

Tang Jie was very satisfied with what he was hearing, saying with a smile, “Very good. Sure enough, you’re getting smarter and smarter. You’re right. Wang Juemie’s actions are extremely traitorous to the sect, but this is exactly why the Stone Gate Sect took the bait. Wang Juemie is the disciple of the Seven Absolutions Sect with the most potential, and he is completely capable of defying the Seven Absolutions Sect’s reputation as the weakest of the six sects. With his potential, he simply has no need to take such a big risk. And it’s precisely because of his endorsement and the pressure from our side that the Stone Gate Sect decided to take the risk. But they hadn’t expected that this matter isn’t actually one that can’t be backed out of.”

“‘Back out’?” Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng didn’t understand.

“Yes, ‘back out’!” Tang Jie explained, “Actually, the method for handling this is very simple. First, use the formation to kill the Stone Gate Sect at Sunset Valley, and then take all the goods and hand them over to the Seven Absolutions Sect.”

“What would be the point?” Shi Meng still didn’t get it. After going through all that effort to steal all these things, they were just going to hand over everything to the Seven Absolutions Sect? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just let the Seven Absolutions Sect handle the deal from the start?

Tang Jie coldly chuckled. “It matters a ton! Think about it. If you don’t do things this way, then it could have gone like this: you notify the sect, telling the Seven Absolutions Sect that there’s a small sect in Sageheart that the Seven Absolutions Sect can do business with, and that the sect stands to make a lot of money from it. Thus, the Seven Absolutions Sect would send its elders and disciples and ultimately complete this deal. In this process, as a disciple of the Seven Absolutions Sect carrying out a mission, you might gain three or five contribution points, at which point you would have nothing to do with what came next. Would you prefer this method?”

Wei Tianchong’s eyes brightened. “If I eliminated the Stone Gate Sect myself and handed over the goods to the sect, with the sect having to do no work, then I would make a huge number of contribution points. As a bigshot who created astounding value for the Seven Absolutions Sect, I would be rewarded thousands of contribution points, right?”

Shi Meng also got it. “That’s right. And that might not be all. According to the rules of the sect, getting tribute from these places that aren’t under the authority of the sect means you can get twenty to thirty percent of the cut. Back when the Stone Gate Sect handed over the ore vein, it was able to keep twenty percent of the ore. Even when the Minor Essence Sect tried to not hand over the violet gold vein to the Seven Absolutions Sect and was eventually forced to hand it over, it still got 5% of the revenue. For eliminating the Stone Gate Sect, obtaining such valuable goods, and handing them over, based on precedent, Wang Juemie will get… at least twenty percent!”

Shi Meng’s voice went high-pitched at these last words.

Tang Jie nodded. “Yes, this is probably Wang Juemie’s plan: baiting and killing the enemy using the name of the Seven Absolutions Sect, then handing over the goods for a percentage of the profits, making all his gains legal and obtaining reputation, contribution points, money, and goods. What’s there to complain about?”

“Holy **! They’re really too bold, and they’ve got the appetite to match.” Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng clicked their tongues in awe. These guys were really something else, to think of a plan like this.

“I suppose that makes two of us.” Tang Jie was rather unflustered.

Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng were taken aback. Wei Tianchong asked. “What do you mean by ‘that makes two of us’?”

Tang Jie casually replied, “How do you think I guessed at their thought process through just those few words? And even if I could guess at it, how do you think I did it so quickly?”

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Wei Tianchong froze for a moment, but as he slowly began to realize, he looked at Tang Jie in shock. “You… you aren’t thinking about…”

Tang Jie looked up at the sky. “If I found a problem with the mine and that the Stone Gate Sect was hiding goods for itself, if I reported back on the matter, I would just get a few contribution points. If I found the embezzled goods and then notified the sect, I could get some contribution points as a reward along with some money. If I were able to bring back the embezzled goods, I would be given an even richer reward. If I were able to seize embezzled goods with a value of over a hundred million from the enemy’s hands, I would have achieved just as much as that Wang Juemie would have… Presumably, twenty percent of the profit and more than a thousand contribution points would be completely reasonable.”

Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng were terrified by what they were hearing. “From the very start, you planned to take the goods from the hands of these three Celestial Heart True Persons?”

Tang Jie didn’t directly answer, instead casually saying, “That’s why I, Wang Juemie, and Mu Yi are the same kind of person… We even think the same.”

Maybe this is just a sect’s way of encouraging disciples to be proactive rather than going to get the sect’s help for everything.