...

"Over the years while making connections, I once spoke with a powerful cultivator from Tai Island who was traveling through Great Han and learned some information."

"Based on what was discussed,"

"I've determined the most likely sequence is 'Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Zai, Qian.'"

"Long ago, Tai Island also sent envoys to pay tribute to our land, and among their records were preserved accounts of these things - relatively more complete than ours."

Most likely...

Hearing this,

Di She couldn't help but ask: "You can't be certain?"

The man shook his head: "There's no absolute certainty due to cultural differences, but the accuracy should be over ninety percent."

"If you want to play it safe, we can wait longer, conduct proper research and confirm before entering!"

The man was a yaoguai, a demon.

His lifespan was long.

So concepts like one year or two, ten years or eight meant nothing to him.

But Di She was different - he was human.

From birth till now, he hadn't even lived multiple decades.

Asking him to wait several decades?

He couldn't wait one year!

Moreover, there was family vengeance to pursue and personal ambitions to fulfill.

Therefore,

A ninety percent probability was enough for Di She!

His expression hardening with resolve, he made his decision: "I can't wait any longer, Uncle Shui. Ninety percent is good enough!"

"Let's gamble!"

"What in this world is one hundred percent certain? Ninety percent suffices!"

The words carried iron determination, pleasing the man's ears.

This was the mindset a true seeker of the Dao should have.

Of course, had Di She chosen caution, he would have praised his prudence instead.

One must eat rice grain by grain.

Having settled numerous matters,

They used a secret method to notify 'Huang Xun'.

Di She declared he would arrive as promised on the day the Drowned Corpse Cave opened.

Observing the message on Lu Xiang's sand table,

Lu Ding spoke as if conversing with Di She across space: "See you then."

Just as he turned to leave,

The Huang family Qi Refiner holding the incense said fearfully: "Master, this... the incense is still trembling."

What did that mean?

Was he leaving too early?

Why was Di She so talkative today?

"See what else he says."

The Huang family Qi Refiner continued drawing characters.

Whether everyone enjoyed heart-to-hearts or not,

Di She kept blabbering endlessly through this secret method.

First inquiring about the Di family's situation - evaded with vague replies.

Then asking how Huang Xun had been recently.

Lu Ding truly didn't want to humor him further.

When they met, they'd just fight anyway.

He was about to make excuses about being busy when—

Suddenly!!

Di She transmitted another message.

[If one day I gain sufficient power, I'll create an entirely different world.]

These words made Lu Ding sit back down.

Was this guy growing rebellious bones?

He replied:

"Why do you say that?"

[Heh...]

Seeing this character,

Lu Ding frowned.

Was this bastard using tonal particles now?

[749 Bureau dominates Great Han completely, leaving no room for grassroots factions like us]

The message paused mid-sentence.

[Second Brother, keep this between us - you mustn't spread it]

"Relax, your Second Brother isn't that type. I too resent 749 Bureau. If not for their restrictions, our Huang family would have expanded long ago."

"Our Huang ancestors bled for 749, yet they confine us to Blackwater Market. I..."

Yan Feifan listened as Lu Ding dictated past events for the Huang family Qi Refiner to transmit.

The performance matched Huang Xun's mannerisms perfectly.

Flawless execution, immediately invoking "our Huang ancestors bled for 749."

Hearing this, the incense-drawing Qi Refiner's hands trembled.

Once a proud declaration, now it sounded like Yama's death warrant.

Perhaps finding common ground in shared grievances,

[Exactly! Though our Di family never contributed as much as your Huang ancestors bleeding for 749,]

[We kept to ourselves all these years. Yet one misstep and... *sigh*...]

Reading this,

Lu Ding narrowed his eyes.

How did he know 749 Bureau destroyed the Di family?

Rather than speculate, why not ask directly? Currently wearing the disguise of Di She's sworn 'Second Brother':

"The 749 Bureau destroyed your family!?"

Shocked, utterly shocked.

[Since Second Brother guessed, I'll be frank - 749 Bureau indeed destroyed my family]

"What? I... hadn't even investigated this yet. How did you know? Weren't you away from the Di family? Third Brother, don't go back! If 749 really did this, you're in grave danger outside. Find somewhere to hide immediately."

"If needed, come to Blackwater Market. Hide with me first, then we'll plan."

[No need, Second Brother. I'm quite safe now. Remember Uncle Shui I mentioned last time?]

Uncle Shui?????

Though unfamiliar with this 'Uncle Shui', Lu Ding presumed he was a powerful figure.

But precisely because he didn't know who Uncle Shui was—

And Huang Xun being dead left no one to consult—

Lu Ding realized:

This was a trap.

"Who?"

When encountering unknowns with no way to deflect, feign ignorance.

There was no guaranteeing Di She's honesty. If he'd never told Huang Xun about this, carelessly admitting knowledge would expose their deception.

Playing dumb now allowed later excuses of forgetfulness.

Perfectly reasonable.

This response completely dispelled Di She's suspicions.

The Di family incident plus Huang Xun's unusual responsiveness today had made him wary.

Normally, Huang Xun would periodically go silent - that was their pattern.

Between brothers,

Who maintained instant replies constantly?

And why would he have mentioned someone as crucial as Uncle Shui to Huang Xun?

With suspicions alleviated,

Revealing some information now seemed harmless.

It could even explain past transactions of elixirs and rare treasures.

Future exchanges would also become smoother.

[Second Brother, your memory's slipping. Those elixirs and rare treasures I traded before all came from Uncle Shui or through it.]

Lu Ding stared intently at the character 'it'.

The Lu Xiang secret method transmitted consciousness directly.

Like habitual speech,

Typing allows correcting 'he' and 'it',

But consciousness...

If 'he' wasn't human, one would instinctively use 'it' when mentally referenced.

Moreover, Lu Xiang messages couldn't be retracted.

Di She remained too green,

Not a seasoned veteran.

In such matters, insufficiently experienced.

Lu Ding never expected randomly impersonating Huang Xun and shooting the breeze with Di She would yield such intelligence.

And an 'it' no less.

What an unexpected windfall.