"The Ruthless Sect won't come," Xiao Man said with a smile. "By the time they realize it, we will have already taken over the Mad Saber Gang. Even if they want to get a share of the spoils in the chaos, the best opportunity will have passed."
"Does the Sect Master have a secret weapon?" Zhou Yan asked excitedly. If there was a secret weapon, attacking the Mad Saber Gang would be easier. Although he also wanted to take over the Mad Saber Gang, he didn't want to lose too many disciples.
"No."
"No..." Zhou Yan felt a little dizzy. "So, we're going to fight the Mad Saber Gang head-on until one side is wiped out?"
"Not exactly."
"Sect Master, you are now the Sect Master of the Eight Directions Sword Sect. You must be responsible for the lives of the sect's disciples!" Zhou Yan couldn't help but lecture. "If the disciples become disheartened, the Sect Master's reputation will be in jeopardy."
"He's always like this, worrying about this and that like an old man?" Xiao Man tilted her head and whispered to Xiang Jian.
Xiang Jian nodded. "Yes, he used to love to lecture me. Fortunately, I'm not the Sect Master anymore. It's your turn now, just bear with him. Think of him as being old!"
"I'm still very young!" Zhou Yan retorted angrily. "Can you two stop speaking ill of me in front of me? I genuinely think a direct conflict with the Mad Saber Gang is unwise!"
"It's okay, we know you're old, don't be afraid, we won't abandon you!" Xiang Jian patted Zhou Yan's shoulder.
"Get lost, I'm done with this!"
At the Mad Saber Gang, Mad Saber kicked a subordinate aside. "Useless, all of you are useless! So many people have searched for so long and still haven't found him. Have you even tried?"
"Boss, it's not that we didn't try. That brat must have known your might and is hiding."
"He stole my things, does he think he's safe just by hiding?" Mad Saber roared with fury. "Keep searching! Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, and find that bastard, then tear him to pieces!"
"Boss, could it be that people from other factions are hiding that brat?"
Mad Saber frowned. He had already issued a warning: anyone who dared to harbor Xiao Qin would be his enemy. With the Wuji City selection imminent, the four major factions would not want to clash. After all, they needed to preserve their strength. If they suffered heavy losses before the selection, they would lose their qualification. The next selection would be three years later.
"No, with the selection approaching, they wouldn't be foolish enough to clash with us head-on," Mad Saber frowned. "However, it's not impossible, especially that poisonous woman from the Ruthless Sect."
"Speaking of which, the Ruthless Sect is also looking for Xiao Qin's whereabouts."
"That poisonous woman, she must have taken a liking to him because he's good-looking!" Mad Saber gritted his teeth. "When I catch that brat, I'll disfigure his face, break his limbs, and then throw him to that poisonous woman. See if she still wants him."
The others thought to themselves, the boss was still holding a grudge about the time the Poisonous Lady poisoned him. In fact, they were in the wrong then. If the boss hadn't provoked the Poisonous Lady, she wouldn't have poisoned more than ten of their brothers in anger.
"Boss, then we'll continue to search for that brat's whereabouts!"
"Yes."
Several people quickly left the room and walked outside. "The boss has been so temperamental lately. It's all because of that damned Xiao Qin, who provoked the boss, making our lives so difficult."
"Isn't that the truth?" As they walked out of the room and looked at the bright sun outside, they had no desire to go out. In this lawless land, the sun shone brightly every day, almost scorching people to death. "This damned weather, I wonder when it will rain heavily."
"Let's not have rain. If it rains, we'll still have to go out and search. Although this weather is scorching, getting soaked in the rain is not very comfortable."
"That's true."
"Is that Xiao Qin a mouse? So many of us have searched every inch of this place, except for the territories of the other three factions, and we still haven't found him. Could he really be hiding within one of the factions?"
"Who knows? Let's keep searching."
"Do you think this year's selection will have no winner again?"
"Who would dare go to a place like Mingyang Valley?" another person sneered. "Only those who are desperate to enter the city would go to their deaths. We can only hope that the task given by Wuji City this year is not Dragon Spirit Bamboo, otherwise, we'll have to wait another three years. If the next one is also Dragon Spirit Bamboo, this lawless land might revolt."
"Revolt? Don't be naive. Even if the people in this lawless land revolt, can they enter Wuji City?"
"That's true. However, people like us probably won't be able to enter even in our lifetimes, so let's worry less about these things. Finding a way to survive here is what we should be concerned about."
"Do you think that Xiao Qin boy will participate in this selection?"
The few people looked at each other. If Xiao Qin intended to participate in this selection, would they just have to wait until the day of the selection to catch Xiao Qin?
"Don't think about it. At that time, everyone will be busy sending the boss to the city gate. Who will have the time to deal with him? If he causes trouble then, he might even prevent everyone from entering."
"That's also true."
The people of the Mad Saber Gang searched everywhere for Xiao Man's whereabouts, unaware that Xiao Man was secretly plotting to take over the entire Mad Saber Gang.
"Sect Master, Deputy Sect Master, why don't you reconsider?" Zhou Yan pleaded earnestly. "With the selection so close, it's really unwise to clash head-on with the Mad Saber Gang at this time..."
"Tomorrow morning, you disguise yourself as me and lure Mad Saber out. I'll take people to clear out the Mad Saber Gang's headquarters!" Xiao Man said in a low voice. "Any problems on your end?"
"No problem, Mad Saber isn't my match. It's just that capturing him won't be easy. That bastard will try to escape if he can't win..." Xiang Jian suddenly remembered something. "When you clashed with Mad Saber before, why didn't he escape?"
"He wanted to escape, but I didn't give him the chance," Xiao Man said with a smile. "I used poison, and he was weak all over, so he could only be at my mercy."
"So, you plan to incapacitate everyone with poison?"
"Using poison on a large scale might harm innocents, so it can't be used widely. Besides, I don't have much medicine left," Xiao Man explained. "We can only rely on a surprise attack."
Zhou Yan almost wanted to grab Xiao Man by the neck and shake her violently. Sect Master, open your eyes and look carefully. This is a vast, open plain with no cover. How can a surprise attack be possible? You're going to attack in broad daylight!
"Sect Master, the outside of the Mad Saber Gang's headquarters is completely exposed."
"I know."
"There are sentries every three steps and guards every five steps at the Mad Saber Gang's headquarters."
"I see."
"The people of the Mad Saber Gang are all ruthless killers, and Mad Saber has also recruited many skilled fighters. If we openly launch a surprise attack, the end result will be us being shot dead."