"......"

At the top floor of the Wind-Catching Hall, Little Li's solemn confession still echoed in the air, yet the faces of those present remained utterly unfazed.

Dong Changtian yawned lazily, Dong Geyu teased the lark in its cage, and Qi Tiezhu took a leisurely sip of tea.

Their indifference left Li Mo, who had mustered all his courage, utterly bewildered:

"I said I'm a mole—though it wasn't my own choice, but..."

"We already knew."

"Huh?"

Li Mo leaned back slightly, unable to comprehend their calm reaction. If they'd known all along, why had no one said anything? Worse, they'd let him climb the ranks among the Blade-Catchers, to the point where he was almost their leader now?

Little Li's brain short-circuited from sheer confusion.

Dong Ao cleared his throat, about to speak, but Dong Changtian elbowed him sharply, cutting him off. The old man then put on an exaggerated look of shock:

"What? Little Li, you're actually a mole? This old man is heartbroken! I won’t even eat my midnight snack tonight!"

Li Mo: "......"

Sure, he hadn’t chosen to be a mole.

But could the acting be any worse? Instead of sparing his dignity, this performance made him want to dig a hole and disappear.

Before his confession, he’d braced himself for the worst—torture on the tiger bench, lashes from a whip, standing firm until they resorted to the honey trap...

He’d even considered requesting they skip straight to the honey trap.

Like having Sister Hanxian wield the whip...

Never had he imagined his undercover skills were this terrible.

"When did I get exposed?"

"Your first month here," Dong Ao answered honestly.

After Li Mo returned to Mo City, even if his appearance, personality, and even his companions remained unchanged, did he really think Dong Changtian and the others wouldn’t verify his identity themselves?

"......"

Li Mo was speechless. After a long pause, he finally asked, "Then why didn’t you arrest me?"

"You never did anything against us," Dong Ao explained.

Qi Tiezhu set down his teacup with a chuckle. "Exactly. There was no need to spook the snake. Besides, you’ve been diligent and capable. What if you ran off after being exposed?"

"And you were always..."

Dong Geyu started to say something, but Dong Changtian shot him a warning glance.

He continued, "You were always meant to stay here. You practically forgot you were a mole yourself—why should we bring it up?"

The others nodded in agreement.

"Right, Little Li’s been roughing it out there, running all over the place. It’s not easy."

"Little Li’s got no issues!"

"Heh, sometimes I’d watch Little Li skulking around, thinking no one noticed—it was so entertaining I’d eat extra plates of peanuts with my wine."

Li Mo: "?"

Was that the real reason they never exposed him?

"Well, since things have come to this..."

"Don’t worry, Little Li. Whatever you need to do, we’ll back you up."

"We’ll support your undercover mission. If you need to report back to the Celestial Clan, we’ll figure it out together. And if they have any plans, you can give us a heads-up."

"That’s... great."

Li Mo paused again.

Wait—whose side was he even on now?

Whatever. Deep down, he’d never intended to work for the Celestial Clan anyway.

With mixed emotions, Little Li laid out his plan.

Soon, Mo City’s Blade-Catchers—including Li Mo himself—were bustling with activity.

The Human City was vast, its population immense. The last celestial disaster had left no lasting damage to this outermost city. Even if the populations of the Earth and Celestial Cities were combined, they wouldn’t match the Human City’s numbers.

This hadn’t always been the case. Every fifty years, the celestial disaster would claim most lives.

But now, after eighty years of peace and growth...

Originally, the Human City’s settlements were scattered villages—a strategy to minimize disaster risks, as there had never been enough space to expand into proper cities.

Now, it was time for change.

Rebuilding from scratch would take ages if left to mortals alone.

But with the Celestial Clan’s help? That was a different story.

"We’ll use Mo City as the core, letting prosperity spread outward."

"What if some villages refuse to cooperate?"

"Then show them Mo City’s emblem."

The Blade-Catchers had their new mission.

With timing and terrain on their side, their task was to win hearts.

After discussing with the Human City’s leaders, Li Mo drafted a report. After revisions, they sent it back to the Celestial Clan via Feng Zhi.

The next day, the missive reached the Celestial City.

When Jiang Yu read it, his eyebrows arched.

"This Li Mo... he’s truly a talent."

"So this matter..."

"Proceed."

The Celestial Clan didn’t know Jiang Yu’s exact thoughts or why he didn’t raise objections, but they carried out their tasks as planned.

For the first time, the three cities of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity worked in harmony.

A month later, the "Spring Breeze Plan" swept through the Human City.

"The miasma plaguing our town is finally gone. The Celestial Clan’s power is incredible."

"Ever since Lord Chunmang of the Celestial Clan visited, our crops have flourished."

"Why would they help us?"

"I saw Mo City’s emblem. If I join the Blade-Catchers there, could I bring prosperity back to my hometown?"

"I just returned from there. The people are wealthy, and their words are sweet."

...

By year’s end, though Mo City remained the only towering tree, seeds of vitality had been sown across the land.

The radiance of the Heaven-Man Divine Sword grew ever brighter.

Its power had undoubtedly increased—but by how much, only its current wielder, Jiang Yu, knew.

At this rate, the Heaven-Man City would weather the next celestial disaster.

...

Outside, observers watching the unfolding events in the "Rivers and Mountains Scroll" exchanged stunned glances.

"It can be done this way?"

"Since when did Li Mo become so adept at development strategies? ‘Prosperity spreading outward’?"

"Previous trial-takers either focused on personal strength or built factions in the Earth City. But leading the entire Heaven-Man City in collective progress? Unprecedented—and it seems to be working."

"He proposed the plan, yet Jiang Yu’s the one growing stronger."

"Isn’t this just handing Jiang Yu the victory over the celestial disaster?"

As days passed, the audience for this "serial drama" of the Heaven-Man Trial only grew.

...

"With a disciple like this, how could our grand ambitions fail?" Shang Wu stood atop the Ten Thousand Spring Pavilion, hands on her hips, spouting treason:

"Next, I’ll bribe Emperor Jingtai’s eunuchs and suggest he abdicate."

Shang Qinqing, however, frowned. "Why keep focusing on Jiang Yu? He’s not even interesting."

No sooner had she spoken—

Another three years passed within the Jiangshan Sheji Tu, and once again, changes began to unfold.

"Hey, it looks like Jiang Yu is about to make a move."

"What?"

"He plans to strike first before the calamity arrives!"

"??"