9: Chapter 9: If you want to sell out the sect, die first.

The wolf howls lasted until the latter half of the night. Sect Master Di Kun did not return to the hall to rest. He patrolled along the valley entrance, his footsteps treading over the white stone line, his palms brushing over each newly buried rope stake. Night fog flowed along the ground, water droplets condensing on the tips of the wooden spikes. In the distance, Black Mist Demon Ridge looked like a mass of lowered ink, ready to spill over toward the mountain gate at any moment.

The position of the first rope was wrong.

Sect Master Di Kun paused at the edge of the pit, his fingertips pinching the mud sticking to the rope. The Tower Defense Youth had made markings that afternoon; the rope knot should have been pressed three inches below the stone crevice on the left, but now it had been dragged half a foot outward. If a Yao Beast charged up, the snare would pop prematurely, and the first layer of traps would be rendered useless.

He squatted down, his gaze sweeping across the ground.

There was a shallow mark in the mud, not a claw mark from a Yao Beast, but the edge line dragged out by a person's foot. The other party was very cautious, walking back and forth on old footprints, but a small piece was missing from the edge of the sole, leaving a tiny notch when passing through the wet mud.

Sect Master Di Kun's fingertips paused on that notch.

There were not many old people left alive in the Sect. The Sect Protection Elder wore straw sandals year-round; the five Star-Blue Disciples wore cloth boots issued when the System reshaped them, with uniform patterns. Of the remaining two registered Disciples, one had worn-down soles, and the other had a missing corner on the edge of his right boot.

Liu Cheng.

Sect Master Di Kun stood up without calling anyone. He pressed the rope knot back into the stone crevice, grabbed a handful of wet mud from the side to smooth over the traces, and then turned to walk toward the side gate.

The side gate was on the west side of the mountain gate, used by herb-gathering Disciples in the early years. Later, the mountain collapsed once, and the entrance was pressed by a pile of rubble. If someone familiar with the inner path moved the stones from the inside, outsiders could sneak behind the Martial Arts Arena via the secret passage.

Sect Master Di Kun stood under the old pine tree outside the side gate, hearing the extremely faint sound of stone debris rubbing against each other inside.

He did not go in.

Before dawn, Sect Master Di Kun summoned the Speedrun Youth and the Dark Souls Youth. The three stood in the side corridor of the Founders Hall; wet firewood burned in the brazier, smoke crawling along the roof beams.

"Someone will go to the side gate again tonight." Sect Master Di Kun placed a small wooden plaque on the table, a temporary number carved on the face. "Spread the news that the Yao Beast vanguard will charge from the main valley, and there is no need to guard the west side."

The Speedrun Youth glanced at the wooden plaque, then looked at Sect Master Di Kun: "Fishing for a mole?"

Sect Master Di Kun tapped the table with his knuckles.

"Not fishing, but confirming how many are left."

The Dark Souls Youth laid his wooden sword across his knees: "Do you want them alive?"

"Catch them in the act." Sect Master Di Kun's gaze fell outside the hall. "Don't kill them."

The Speedrun Youth picked up the wooden plaque, his fingertips brushing over the number: "I'll arrange a fake patrol route. I'll have the Life-Skill Player run back and forth on the east side more often to make enough noise."

The Dark Souls Youth stood up, his wooden sword tapping the ground: "I will guard the inside of the secret passage. Whoever comes, I will cut off their path first."

Sect Master Di Kun said nothing more and raised his hand to let them leave.

A spark burst from the firewood in the brazier, landing on the ground and burning a black spot.

Before the sky turned white, the Sect began re-deploying defenses. The Tower Defense Youth reported points loudly at the crossbow position on the east side, the Life-Skill Player ran back and forth carrying oil bags, and the Chuunibyou Youth led people in the Martial Arts Arena to recite breathing techniques, his voice deliberately loud, drifting far away.

Another registered Disciple was assigned to move stones. He worked with his head down, his hands shaking violently, stealing glances at the side gate direction several times, but he never left the queue.

Sect Master Di Kun stood on the steps of the Founders Hall, seeing his reaction, and withdrew his fingers from his sleeves.

Rotten, but not rotten through.

Before dawn broke, a bird call of three shorts and one long came from the secret passage at the side gate.

That was no bird.

It was the Dark Souls Youth's signal.

Sect Master Di Kun walked down the steps, and the Sect Protection Elder followed with a shovel. The two did not go through the main road, but bypassed the back of the Martial Arts Arena, approaching the side gate along a path piled with dead branches.

The rubble at the entrance of the secret passage had been moved halfway. Liu Cheng was kneeling by the pile of stones, clutching a folded yellow talisman in his hand. He was thin and tall, his face still stained with the gray from patrolling the mountain last night, and the edge of his right boot was missing a piece. Another registered Disciple stood behind him, his face deathly pale, hugging a bag of Spirit Stones, his legs already soft.

The Dark Souls Youth walked out from the shadows of the secret passage, his wooden sword pressing against the back of Liu Cheng's neck.

The Speedrun Youth stood on the outside, holding a severed rope, the end of which was used for the trap at the mountain gate.

"Sect Master, caught him." The Speedrun Youth threw the rope in front of Liu Cheng. "And this."

The Life-Skill Player fished a small cloth bag from a stone crevice and dumped it on the ground. Ten Spirit Stones rolled out, clattering against the stone surface; at the bottom of the cloth bag was a reddish-brown messaging talisman with a snake pattern drawn on the corner.

The Sect Protection Elder's face turned livid, his shovel head smashing into the ground, causing gravel to fly.

"Liu Cheng!"

Liu Cheng's knees went soft, and he turned to kowtow to Sect Master Di Kun, his forehead smashing into the stone surface, quickly drawing blood.

"Sect Master, I was wrong! I was momentarily confused! The Red Snake Sect said the Taichu Sect couldn't hold, and as long as I opened the side gate once, they would take me away and give me a spot in the outer Sect!"

The Sect Protection Elder raised his hand to grab him: "According to the Sect rules, cripple his cultivation and expel him!"

Sect Master Di Kun raised his arm to block him.

The Sect Protection Elder turned his head, his voice suppressing anger: "Sect Master, a great battle is imminent. If the mole is not dealt with, the morale will be in chaos!"

"Expel him?" Sect Master Di Kun looked at Liu Cheng. "Let him go down the mountain and tell the Red Snake Sect about our side gate secret passage, trap locations, and the number of Disciples?"

The Sect Protection Elder's hand stopped in mid-air.

Liu Cheng raised his head, blood flowing down his brow bone, his eyes full of panic.

"Sect Master, I won't dare again. I really won't dare again. The Taichu Sect is doomed! The Yao Beasts have already come down the mountain, and the Red Snake Sect won't let us go either. I just wanted to find a way to survive!"

As he spoke, his voice grew shrill: "Do you think only the Red Snake Sect is watching from the outside? You're wrong, there are many people watching this mountain! Rating, Yao tide, Red Snake Sect, how could it be such a coincidence? Sect Master, spare my life, and I can still tell you—"

Sect Master Di Kun took a step forward.

Liu Cheng's words were cut off in his throat.

Sect Master Di Kun bent down to pick up the reddish-brown messaging talisman; the talisman surface still carried the sweat from Liu Cheng's palm, and the snake pattern was stained by a corner of blood. He held the messaging talisman up in front of the Sect Protection Elder, then threw it onto the bluestone ground toward the Founders Hall.

"Everyone, come here."

The voice was not loud, but it overwhelmed the breathing technique chanting in the Martial Arts Arena.

The five Star-Blue Disciples arrived first. The Tower Defense Youth still had charcoal on his hands, the Life-Skill Player had oil bags hanging from his waist, the Chuunibyou Youth had not had time to wrap the cloth strip on his right arm, the Dark Souls Youth still pressed his wooden sword against Liu Cheng, and the Speedrun Youth stood outside the side gate, blocking the only retreat.

The other registered Disciple was dragged to the stone steps, the bag of Spirit Stones in his hand dropped to the ground, and the Spirit Stones rolled everywhere. He wanted to kneel, but didn't dare to get close to Liu Cheng, so he could only sit paralyzed on the ground, his lips trembling non-stop.

Sect Master Di Kun stood in front of the Founders Hall.

The morning light had not yet crossed the mountain ridge, the old paint on the hall door peeled off, and half of the Ancestral Master's statue was submerged in darkness. The reddish-brown messaging talisman lay on the bluestone, bloodstains seeping into the talisman paper patterns bit by bit.

Liu Cheng crawled toward Sect Master Di Kun, grabbing his robe hem with both hands: "Sect Master, I really can talk! There are people behind the Red Snake Sect, I've heard them mention it—"

Sect Master Di Kun looked down at him.

His right hand reached out.

When his five fingers gripped Liu Cheng's throat, Liu Cheng's voice stopped abruptly. He violently grabbed Sect Master Di Kun's wrist with both hands, his fingernails scratching the black gold cuffs, leaving a shallow mark. Sect Master Di Kun tightened his palm, and the crisp sound of dislocated bone spread in front of the Founders Hall.

Liu Cheng's body twitched twice, the light in his eyes dissipated, and his fingers slid down from Sect Master Di Kun's cuffs.

There was no screaming.

Only the dull sound of a corpse hitting the ground.

The Life-Skill Player stepped back half a step, the oil bag at his waist swaying gently. The Chuunibyou Youth opened his mouth, the cloth strip on his right arm slipping from between his fingers. The Dark Souls Youth gripped his wooden sword tightly, lowering the tip. The Tower Defense Youth stared at the messaging talisman on the ground, the charcoal in his palm snapping in two. The Speedrun Youth shifted his gaze toward the side gate, his footsteps sealing the exit by another inch.

Sect Master Di Kun shook off Liu Cheng's hand and dragged the corpse to the edge of the bluestone.

He picked up the blood-stained messaging talisman, pinched it with his fingertips, and the talisman paper shattered into pieces, falling onto Liu Cheng's chest.

"If you want to live, guard the mountain with me." Sect Master Di Kun raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "If you want to sell the Sect, die first."

The other registered Disciple lay flat on the spot, his forehead pressed against the ground, not even daring to make a sound to beg for mercy.

Sect Master Di Kun looked at the Sect Protection Elder: "Cripple his ability to act and tie him to the wooden stake outside the mountain gate. If the Red Snake Sect people come, they will see. If the Yao Beasts come, they will smell."

The Sect Protection Elder gripped the shovel, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. He walked to the accomplice, the shovel handle smashed down, the sound of bone cracking suppressed by the wailing in the other's throat. Then two Disciples dragged the person away, the hemp rope pulled across the ground, leaving two wet trails.

Sect Master Di Kun turned and walked toward the mountain gate.

The five Star-Blue Disciples followed behind. This time, no one regarded him as just a Sect character who only knew how to issue tasks. The sound of footsteps pressed all the way from the Founders Hall to the valley entrance. The brazier, wooden spikes, anti-cavalry obstacles, and discarded crossbows all revealed their edges in the cold morning light, and the entire Taichu Sect seemed to be tightened by an invisible hand.

The Tower Defense Youth was the first to return to the crossbow position, replacing the broken charcoal with a knife tip to re-carve the lines on the stone wall.

"The side gate is listed as a Level 1 risk zone."

The Speedrun Youth took down the fake patrol sign and replaced it with a red cloth: "Shift rotation encrypted, two people per group for the secret passage."

The Dark Souls Youth stood before the white stone line, his wooden sword hanging by his side, his soles stepping into the mud, adjusting to a position where he could roll at any time.

The Life-Skill Player opened the earthenware jar, divided the beast-attracting powder into small bags, dipped his fingertips in the medicinal powder, and immediately wiped them clean. The Chuunibyou Youth silently wrapped the cloth strip back on his right arm, wrapping it very tightly this time, with the end of the cloth no longer fluttering.

The Sect Protection Elder led people to tie the accomplice to the wooden stake outside the mountain gate. His legs were crippled, his face pressed against the cold wood, and his eyes were forced to look toward the valley entrance. Green traces of poison juice remained on the wooden stake, hemp ropes dug into his shoulders, and blood seeped down the rope strands.

The sky finally turned gray and white.

The black mist at the foot of the mountain surged over the forest line, and the dead branches swayed row by row. The first Demon Rat crawled out of the mist, its spine bulging, its eyes red, its nose tip sniffing along the ground. Immediately after, the second, the third, and more low black shadows crawled out of the forest, crushing fallen leaves and making a dense rustling sound.

A low roar of a Split-Tooth Wolf came from afar.

Sect Master Di Kun stood in the middle of the mountain gate, his left arm's blood-stained cloth tightened by the morning wind, his right hand pressing on the wooden stake beside the white stone line. Below the wooden stake, the first layer of rope tightened, and dew dripped from the tips of the poisonous wooden spikes, smashing into the mud.