Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 282 - 282 0232 Be Very Careful

Chapter 282: Chapter 0232 Be Very Careful Chapter 282: Chapter 0232 Be Very Careful Chapter 0232 – Be Very Careful

Qi Tian returned to the rented courtyard to find that Zhang Lei, Zhang Guangyao, Jiang Pan, and Pan Yulin were all present. Traveling non-stop had worn them out, and they knew that the small town offered little worth exploring, so they were taking some rest and making necessary arrangements around the rented courtyard. Ensuring their safety was the top priority when practicing outside.

Qi Tian gestured towards Zhang Lei. “Sister, come here. I have something to discuss with you.”

Zhang Lei promptly came over and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Qi Tian briefly described his discovery in the flea market and then said, “Sister, my instinct tells me that something is off about that man.”

Zhang Lei nodded, remarking, “I agree with your judgement. The fact that someone is in the middle of the Foundation Establishment Stage in such a small town is already unusual. But if he was open and honest about it, it wouldn’t be so hard to accept. We would just find it strange. But the fact that he disguised himself as a cultivator in the Qi Cultivation Period suggests there’s a big problem.”

“I want to mess with him a bit,” Qi Tian stated his intentions directly. He never was one to wait passively; he preferred to take action and seize the initiative.

Zhang Lei hesitated a bit, weighing the pros and cons of the bold move. Of course, she knew that if it’s something Qi Tian decided, it would be hard to change his mind unless she can bring up a solid reason against it. Taking down a cultivator in the middle of the Foundation Establishment Stage would definitely be rewarding. The issue was that they couldn’t determine the person’s identity; if he was an enemy, it wouldn’t be a problem, but if he turned out to be a friend, things would get complicated.

Expressing her concern, Qi Tian responded, “There’s no need to worry about that. I have asked Huang Zhiwei, the commander of the Tongguan Left Guard Station. He told me that there are no spies in the Foundation Establishment Stage at the guard office. If there are, they’re not from Great Zhao.”

Zhang Lei’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t expected Qi Tian to have gotten information from Huang Zhiwei. As the highest military chief of the Tongguan Left Guard Station, if there were spies positioned there by the court, Huang Zhiwei would certainly not be kept in the dark about it. If Huang Zhiwei had said there weren’t any, then there must really be none. “In that case, let’s make our move against him.”

Zhang Lei wasn’t one to just play by the rules. If this incident had happened inland, say in Zhangshui City, she might hold back and proceed cautiously. But things were different out here on the border with the risk of a Chi Di invasion at any time. When encountering people of unknown identities, their first approach should be to eliminate them. Additionally, this was proposed by Qi Tian and they could possibly gain a lot by taking care of the person. Considering all this, they certainly couldn’t show mercy.

“Since you have no objections, gather everyone for a discussion. We should figure out a plan on how to deal with him. He is in the middle of the Foundation Establishment Stage, while we all are still in the beginning phase – we can’t take this lightly,” said Qi Tian.

Zhang Lei immediately gathered the other three, then briefly explained Qi Tian’s discovery and plan. Upon hearing this, Zhang Guangyao and Jiang Pan exchanged worried glances. Even Pan Yulin remained silent.

They were planning on taking down someone who was in the middle of the Foundation Establishment Stage, was Qi Tian sure this was a good idea?

Each cultivation level carries significant differences. The gap isn’t too vast during the Qi Cultivation Period, but it widens in the Foundation Establishment Stage. Not to exaggerate, but the gap between the third and the fourth stages of Foundation Establishment is huge. Typically, a cultivator in the fourth stage can easily beat five or six third-stagers. If one is in the mid-stage, the fifth level, dealing with third-stagers becomes way too easy.

Of course, there are exceptions where cultivators can battle across different stages, like Qi Tian, who has been unbeatable. However, Qi Tian is only in the first stage. Seeing Qi Tian’s power equate to that of third-stagers, Pan Yulin and others were already amazed. Regardless of how one looked at it, Qi Tian didn’t possess power equivalent to a fourth-stager.

Seeing Jiang Pan, Pan Yulin and Zhang Guangyao all seemingly unenthusiastic, Qi Tian asked, “Do you all have any thoughts? Feel free to voice them.”

Pan Yulin and Zhang Guangyao didn’t dare to contradict Qi Tian because Pan Yulin was bound to Qi Tian through the Servant Pact and Zhang Guangyao was frightened by him. Both of them looked to Jiang Pan, hoping he would step up and deflate Qi Tian’s fantasy of messing up someone in the middle of the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Jiang Pan, although reluctant, stepped up. “Sneak-attacking someone in the middle of the Foundation Establishment is no small matter, should we consider this more carefully? At the very least, shouldn’t we find out whether the person is a fourth, fifth, or sixth-stager? If he’s a fourth-stager, we could just barely handle him with our combined efforts, but if he turns out to be in the fifth or sixth stage, what do we do then?”

Jiang Pan’s concerns plunged Zhang Lei into contemplation. Initially, she was very supportive of Qi Tian’s decision, but upon considering the possibilities raised by Jiang Pan, she realized the risk they were taking. However, she did not openly oppose Qi Tian – instead, she looked at him, hoping he would provide more explanations.