Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Partridge Di properly settled his troops and followers, ordering them to hold back Cai Guozhong's main force.

He himself quietly left Sancha Pass with dozens of elite followers of the Food Demon Realm.

Partridge Di led his men swiftly through the dense forest, still brooding over the theft of their intelligence.

If I hadn't been so arrogant and thought I could control the situation, I wouldn't have been made a fool of and ended up in such a state.

Thankfully, there's still a chance to turn things around.

"Zhong Yue, how is the situation now?" Partridge Di took out his communication artifact, the telescope, and contacted his subordinates remotely.

The telescope reflected Zhong Yue's face, and Zhong Yue respectfully said, "I am accompanying Cai Nianxiong to find his mother. On the way, we encountered an attack by the Skin-Peeling Clan and a group of swamp water ghosts."

"There is another sword cultivator at the Devouring Fiend Realm who claims to have been sent by Cai Guozhong to bring back Cai Nianxiong. This person is named Cui Yu."

“Cai Nianxiong was determined to find his mother and refused to go back with this man, so I took the opportunity to lead people to stop him and drive him away.”

Upon hearing this, Partridge Di frowned slightly: "The situation is urgent. We must ensure that Cai Nianxiong is in our hands no matter what."

Zhong Yue replied, "Please rest assured, Master, Zhong Yue will certainly live up to your mission."

"Hmm." Partridge Di gave a soft "hmm" and asked, "Where are you?"

Zhong Yue said, "Master, we will arrive at the Badger's Labyrinth, the hideout of the Skinning Clan, in about an incense stick's time."

Partridge said, "Yes, according to the plan, assist Cai Nianxiong in rescuing Madam Cai."

The first roundup of Cai Nianxiong was orchestrated by him, but it wasn't him who sent people to bewitch Cai Nianxiong in his dreams.

When Cai Guozhong learned that Cai Nianxiong had dreamt of his wife calling him and that he was determined to go out to find his mother, he knew that he would not be able to stop Cai Nianxiong, a spoiled rich kid.

So he kept a close eye on Cai Nianxiong, and sure enough, Cai Nianxiong still managed to sneak out of the castle under the cover of darkness.

Could Partridge Di possibly pass up this opportunity? He seized the opportunity and sent a group of followers to ambush Cai Nianxiong on the way, intending to capture him in the Three-Forked Mountain.

Unfortunately, they encountered a master of swordsmanship, and all of their men were slaughtered, leaving not even a single intact corpse.

This also disrupted Partridge Di's first hunting plan.

After this incident, Cai Guozhong became even more protective of Cai Nianxiong, with several Shisha Realm guards protecting him at all times. He never left Crow Fortress, making it impossible for outsiders to harm him.

Partridge Di thought it best to be prepared in case the uprising failed, so he kept a backup plan for himself.

So he sent Zhong Yue to meet Cai Nianxiong on the street. After getting to know each other time and time again, Zhong Yue gradually won Cai Nianxiong's trust and secretly pulled Cai Nianxiong into joining the Vision Church, dedicating their faith to the Lord of the Holy Eye.

Cai Nianxiong asked the Vision Church for help in finding his mother, who still cries for help in his dreams every night.

With the help of Zhong Yue, who was studying the art of dream manipulation, it was finally confirmed that Madam Cai was calling for her beloved son in her dream to save her.

This is a mother-child connection that exists only in the bloodline, commonly known as the bond between mother and child.

Only when one party is in a life-threatening or dangerous state will the other party often sense signs, such as heartache or having dreams.

After confirming this, Partridge Di instructed Zhong Yue to help Cai Nianxiong find Madam Cai.

Zhong Yue, having received instructions, promised to get rid of Cai Nianxiong's annoying bodyguards and gather his fellow cult members to help Cai Nianxiong find his mother.

This deeply moved Cai Nianxiong, who even believed that Zhong Yue was an envoy sent by the Lord of the Holy Eye to help him, and completely regarded Zhong Yue as his mentor.

Zhong Yue said, "The head of the hall has something to say, but I don't know if I should say it."

Partridge Di said, "Just say what you want to say."

Zhong Yue said, "This child is also a follower of our Vision Church. He has a very devout faith in our Lord. Could the church leader please show some leniency and consider the child's feelings?"

Partridge Di said, "Zhong Yue, you've misjudged me."

Zhong Yue said, "Master..."

Partridge said, “I, Partridge, am by no means a person who indiscriminately kills innocent people. Everything I have done is only to strengthen my Vision Church, to spread the gospel of my Lord more widely, and to let more suffering people bathe in the mercy and love of my Lord.”

“I never intended to kill Cai Guozhong. I have no grudge against Cai Guozhong. All I wanted was Cai Guozhong’s position as commander-in-chief. If Cai Guozhong agreed to step down and give way to a more capable person, why would I deliberately kill a blood relative of my fellow cult member?”

"I'm not a serial killer who kills for pleasure. I have principles and bottom lines, okay? Killing has never been my goal."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yue was speechless. After a moment of silence, he said, "Zhong Yue is wrong. He has misunderstood Master Zhe. After this matter is over, I am willing to take thirty teaching whips myself."

Partridge Di said, "No need, Master Zhong. You just need to remember that your task is to help Cai Nianxiong rescue Madam Cai. I will take care of the rest."

Zhong Yue responded, "I understand, I get it."

After ending the call, Partridge Di put away his binoculars, his eyes turning cold and brooding.

Zhong Yue's stance has become less firm, and he is even considering Cai Nianxiong's interests, which is a bad sign.

Now that Zhong Yue is considering Cai Nianxiong's best interests, does that mean that when it comes to harming Cai Nianxiong, Zhong Yue might switch sides and protect him?

Indeed, humans are emotional beings. Once you spend a lot of time with someone, feelings will develop, and once you have feelings, you will be unconsciously influenced by them.

Normally it wouldn't matter, but this is my only chance to turn things around, so I have to make sure everything goes perfectly.

Therefore, there's no need to tell Zhong Yue about the subsequent action plan.

"Uncle Zhong, have some water." Cai Nianxiong, dressed in the robes of the Vision Church and wearing the church's spiral-shaped one-eyed pendant emblem around his neck, walked with a smile towards Zhong Yue, who was resting on a rock, carrying a water bag.

Zhong Yue calmly put away the telescope, turned around and smiled, took the water bag and took a sip: "Nianxiong, the Badger's Maze is just ahead, that's where the Skinning Clan hides. Once we're inside, you must follow orders and not act rashly."

Upon hearing this, Cai Nianxiong said with a serious expression, "I swear in the name of my Lord that I will obey Zhong Xiangzhu's words throughout the entire process, and I will be punished by my Lord if I disobey."

Zhong Yue was both amused and exasperated. He tossed the water bag to Cai Nianxiong and patted Cai Nianxiong's chest, saying, "Don't always swear on my Lord. My Lord isn't that free. He doesn't have to listen to your nagging every day. Be careful, or he might really suffer divine punishment."

Cai Nianxiong chuckled: "My Lord is merciful and loving, how could He punish such a devout believer as me?"

Before Zhong Yue could say anything more, he suddenly turned to look at the group of people attacking from the forest, raised his hands to form a hand seal in front of Cai Nianxiong: "Who goes there? State your name!"

At the same time, the thirteen followers of the Devouring Fiend Realm quickly assembled into a scattered formation, standing behind Zhong Yue, the incense master, ready to fight at any time.

Zhou Qingfeng, along with Jin Wei, Ning Cha, and the others, quickly caught up and stopped when they were about a hundred paces apart.

Zhou Qingfeng landed and stood still, coldly raising his hand: "Vision Demon, hand over Cai Nianxiong immediately, or I'll spare your lives!"

Zhong Yue frowned, scanned the newcomers, and upon discovering Jin Wei among them, said coldly, "Mr. Cui Yu, we have already made things very clear. It's not that I don't want you to take him away, it's that he doesn't want to go with you. If you and your companions want to go against his wishes and forcibly take him away, then I'm sorry, you'll have to get past me first!"