Chapter 176: Besieged but Not Attacked, Mi Shuhua Emerges from Seclusion (II)

"Hall Leader, about Elder Sikong..."

"Don’t worry. Anyone could betray the Poshan Gang—except for him." Luo Chen spoke without even turning his head.

He had been the one to decide to let the old man in. The reason for his confidence was actually very simple. Sikong Yuanhong, the old man’s son, was married into the Mi family, and his future depended entirely on Mi Shuhua. If Sikong Shoujia still had any hope of pursuing the Great Dao, he might have been ruthless enough to abandon his family and defect.

But clearly, he was already old, and there was no longer any hope for him to advance in cultivation. That was precisely why anyone else might betray them but not Sikong Shoujia!

Murong Qinglian’s expression stiffened, but she quickly realized something.

"Indeed, they aren’t going for the kill against the low-tier cultivators. But when they attacked me and Caiyi, they didn’t hold back at all. If we hadn’t had defensive enchanted artifacts, one of us would have died on the spot, and the other would have been gravely injured."

Luckily, to the defensive enchanted artifacts, the result had been one serious injury and one left completely unharmed.

Piecing together these details, Luo Chen fell into contemplation.

“They’re pushing back and surrounding the low-tier cultivators, while focusing their full efforts on the higher-tier ones,” he murmured. “Which means... their real goal is to trap most of us here.”

This conclusion surprised everyone.

No killing, just surrounding? What are they trying to do?

Liu Qiang couldn't help but ask, "But Poshan Gang isn’t some pushover! Once word gets out that Crescent Moon Valley is surrounded, the other halls will definitely send reinforcements. When we coordinate from inside and out, their encirclement will be a joke."

"Not just the other halls!" Sikong Shoujia said firmly.

Zhou Yuanli took out a jade token. "I've already sent a message to the Gang Leader. He will definitely come to rescue us."

A group of Qi-Refining cultivators might seem overwhelming at first glance.

But before a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator wielding enchanted treasures, they were nothing more than clay chickens and pottery dogs [1].

Unlike the confident crowd, Luo Chen wasn’t as optimistic. Mi Shuhua’s current condition wasn’t great. Whether he would act personally was still uncertain.

And what about the other halls?

Those that had taken part in the Golden Core Ruins conflict in the Ancient Plains had suffered devastating losses. Figures like Luo Wudi and Zhang Shicong had fallen in battle, and though new hall leaders had been appointed in the past half-month, they lacked true authority. They had strength, yes—but not the command or influence to lead.

Moreover, most of the experts from those halls had perished in Ancient Plains. And if Luo Chen could see this... then surely the Dajiang Gang had realized it too.

Luo Chen observed for a while before turning and entering the alchemy chamber.

Sikong Shoujia stared after him, uncertain. But before he could speak, the chamber door closed firmly behind Luo Chen.

Outside Crescent Moon Valley, give ninth stage Qi-Refining experts gathered together.

"Why are we still standing around? Let’s just charge in and kill them!"

"Shan Xiu, calm yourself."

Shan Xiu's face was twisted in rage, completely devoid of his usual composure. "How the hell do you expect me to calm down? All I did was ask that brat for a toll, and I lost three of my men. Fine, I could have let that slide. But then Poshan Gang put a damn bounty on my head!

"I might be able to hold back, but my hands can’t!"

Everyone’s gaze fell on his left hand, which should have been a normal palm but was now a gleaming iron claw.

A cultivator clad in golden robes chuckled. "That iron claw of yours is probably a mid-grade enchanted artifact, huh? Quite the unique look."

"Fuzhang!"

"Enough! Stop bickering. The order is to encircle, not kill. Keep your arguments to yourselves!" Gao Tingyuan, standing at the front, barked out.

However, Shan Xiu wasn’t about to back down. "You were the one who leaked Dan Chenzi’s intel to me, Gao Tingyuan! You want him dead even more than I do, so why the hell are you pretending otherwise now?"

Gao Tingyuan wasn’t as physically imposing as Shan Xiu, but his presence was just as strong—if not stronger.

His cold eyes locked onto Shan Xiu. "And yet, when you screwed up, wasn’t it me who took you into the Dajiang Gang?

"What now? You think you can challenge me?

"If you’ve got the guts, then go ahead—charge into the formation alone, capture Luo Chen, and humiliate him however you want!"

Shan Xiu opened his mouth as if to speak, but after glancing at the lone figure who had remained silent all this time, he finally spat to the side in frustration. He fell into silence, while Fuzhang, who had previously been smiling in his golden robes, now grew serious.

He lifted a massive hammer and planted it firmly on the ground.

"Old Gao, dragging this out isn’t a good idea. Poshan Gang has plenty of experts. It’s only a matter of time before reinforcements arrive.

"When exactly are we launching the attack? Give us time so the brothers know what to expect."

Gao Tingyuan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the bloodthirst surging within him. His gaze swept across the surroundings. Cultivators from Dajiang Gang patrolled tirelessly, ensuring there were no gaps, leaving no room for any Crescent Moon Valley cultivator to escape.

Even at the rear of Crescent Moon Valley, he had stationed a squad of cultivators, ready to signal the moment they spotted any movement.

"Old Gao, give us a straight answer!"

"Relax, the people from Poshan Gang aren’t coming!" Gao Tingyuan let out a cold snort, gave a few instructions to his brother Lan Tianyun, and then turned to face the cultivator who had remained silent all this time.

A soundproofing talisman flared to life, and the two began conversing as if no one else existed. Whatever they were discussing remained a mystery to the other three.

***

Inside the Mi Family’s forbidden grounds, a cracking sound echoed through the chamber as a pile of mid-grade spirit stones in the corner crumbled into fine white powder.

Mi Shuhua opened his eyes and exhaled deeply.

Inspecting his inner state, he nodded in satisfaction.

As long as he had a steady supply of mid-grade spirit stones, he could use this pseudo second-tier spirit vein environment to rapidly recover from the injuries sustained in Ancient Plains.

Not only that—once his injuries healed, his cultivation would likely reach new heights. At that point, breaking through to late stage Foundation Establishment would be entirely within reach!

Thinking back to Ancient Plains, Mi Shuhua's expression darkened.

"Miao Wen deceived me! There was no Golden Core opportunity in that place at all. Sure, I was lucky enough to obtain the Supreme Elder of Valley of Ghosts and Divinities’s storage ring, but there was nothing inside that could help with core formation.

"And because of this nonsense, I wasted enormous manpower and resources from the Poshan Gang and even I ended up gravely wounded!"

The battle for the ruins hadn’t been entirely fruitless for the Foundation Establishment cultivators, but compared to the Golden Core opportunity that everyone had been hoping for, those gains were utterly insignificant.

This was completely different from what Steward Miao of Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion had implied.

Mi Shuhua didn’t know where things had gone wrong, but his only priority now was to heal. Once he was fully recovered, the few treasures in the Supreme Elder’s storage bag would allow him to dominate the Foundation Establishment Realm with ease.

Even when facing disciples from major sects, he would have nothing to fear!

"Thankfully, I caught onto Luo Chen’s little schemes. Mend the pen after the sheep are lost; it's not too late [2]!

"Now that he has sworn an oath to refine pills for me at full capacity, I can bring in twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones a month."

"Luo Wudi and Yang Wei, who were supposed to take a cut of the profits, are both dead. Ke Yuelin and Sikong Shoujia are entirely under my control. That means I can keep a larger share for myself.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"With Luo Chen’s earnings, I’ll recover from my injuries in no more than three months.

"After that, I can even splurge on precious pills and attempt to break through to the late-stage Foundation Establishment!"

Thinking about the immense benefits Luo Chen would bring him, his previously sullen mood lifted. He stroked his beard and prepared to replace the depleted mid-grade spirit stones in the corner to continue his healing.

Suddenly, his expression shifted. A sound-transmission jade token was glowing intensely.

"Crescent Moon Valley is under attack!"

The next moment, he leaped out of the chamber. Sweeping his divine sense across the area, he immediately summoned the members of the Mi family.

Before long, the late-stage cultivators, led by Mi Junping and Mi Zifan, gathered around.

"Father, what happened?"

"Grandfather, you’ve come out of seclusion!"

Mi Shuhua’s gaze swept slowly across the gathering, lingering for a moment on a man standing beside a woman before finally resting on Mi Junping.

“Something has happened in Crescent Moon Valley,” he said calmly.

The words had an immediate effect, expressions across the room shifted, tension rising like a drawn bowstring.

Mi Junping’s face twisted with uncertainty and concern, while Mi Zifan, standing nearby, looked faintly pleased, unable to fully mask the glint in his eyes.

As for the middle-aged man beside Mi Junping, his face had gone deathly pale. His father served as an elder in the Crescent Moon Valley Alchemy Hall.

"Five ninth-stage Qi-Refining cultivators, leading over a hundred men, are currently laying siege to Crescent Moon Valley." Mi Shuhua spoke slowly, his face betraying no sense of urgency.

His composure had a calming effect, and the previously agitated Mi family cultivators gradually steadied themselves.

Mi Junping declared without hesitation, "The Alchemy Hall and Medicine Hall are among the most crucial branches of Poshan Gang, especially the Alchemy Hall. The profits from this month’s Jade Essence pills are enormous. We must provide reinforcements!"

"We will certainly send aid, but how we do so requires strategy." Mi Shuhua narrowed his eyes slightly and immediately issued orders.

"Inform Wang Yuan, Zeng Wen, and Qiu Wu, the newly appointed leader of the Battle Hall, to take their men and reinforce Crescent Moon Valley!"

Mi Junping nodded and turned to relay the orders.

After he left, someone suddenly spoke up. "Father-in-law, wouldn’t it be quicker if you went personally?"

Mi Shuhua smiled faintly. "Yuanhong, are you worried about your father?"

Sikong Yuanhong quickly nodded, his face filled with concern. "My father is old and not skilled in combat. I’m afraid something might happen to him."

"You don’t need to worry about that. His combat experience is quite extensive, and he excels at self-preservation. He won’t run into trouble so easily.

"As for whether I should act personally?" Mi Shuhua chuckled. "It’s just some opportunistic raiders trying to take advantage of the chaos. Our gang’s experts can handle it—there’s no need for me to step in."

Hearing this, Sikong Yuanhong let out a breath of relief.

Given that his father-in-law—a formidable Foundation Establishment cultivator—seemed so assured, it felt as though there was nothing to worry about.

The last time the two gangs had clashed, Mi Shuhua hadn’t even needed to step in, and yet the Poshan Gang had still secured a decisive victory.

What he failed to notice was the shadow of doubt flickering in Mi Shuhua’s eyes.

What kind of mere raiders could assemble a force of over a hundred strong?

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the hall, Mi Junping had returned in a rush!

Her expression was one of panic. "Father, this is bad! The other branches are also under heavy assault!"

1. This is a Chinese idiom used to describe something or someone that appears formidable but is actually weak and incapable of withstanding real challenges ☜

2. The phrase 亡羊补牢，为时未晚 (wang yang bu lao, wei shi wei wan) is a Chinese idiom that translates literally to "Mend the pen after the sheep are lost; it's not too late." It conveys the idea that even after making a mistake or suffering a loss, taking corrective action in time can still prevent further damage. In English, an equivalent saying would be "Better late than never". ☜