Qiao Zhen'er narrowed her eyes.
She had already guessed why the Hall Master had sought her out this late.
Sure enough, as if afraid she would change the subject, the Hall Master got straight to the point. "Deputy Master, I must trouble you to lend the hall 500 liang of silver. I need to pay a deposit for an emergency. As soon as I get the funds back from the magistrate's brother-in-law, I'll repay you immediately."
Qiao Zhen'er almost sneered aloud.
She was still 200 liang of silver short for her own crucial matter, and now the Hall Master actually dared to ask her for 500 liang?
She sighed inwardly.
Back when they had just started making money off resources from the Nihility State, the Hall Master had not carried this kind of attitude.
Now that they were earning more, the man had grown greedy, wanting to hoard everything for himself.
Since she couldn't leave the Weiyun Martial Arts Hall right away, she had no choice but to temporarily play along with his hypocrisy.
Qiao Zhen'er thought the Hall Master would keep pestering her, trying to wear her down until she coughed up a little money.
She had already figured out her plan. At worst, she would take out 50 liang just to brush him off.
To her surprise, the Hall Master let it go easily. He waved his hand and sighed, "Ah, I know you don't have it easy. If it weren't a true emergency, I wouldn't have been able to swallow my pride and ask."
Qiao Zhen'er put on a look of understanding, but she rolled her eyes hard in her mind.
If he really couldn't swallow his pride, what exactly were they discussing right now?
"I know 500 liang of silver isn't easy to gather, and it might require taking some risks. How about this? We haven't been over there in a while. Would you be willing to lead a team back in for two trips? As long as those two trips bring in 500 liang, the hall will survive this crisis."
Qiao Zhen'er gritted her teeth. "Hall Master, we lost a man on each of our last two trips. Right now, the other brothers are either injured or terrified. Even if I were willing to lead the team, I'm afraid we couldn't scrape together enough manpower on such short notice."
The Hall Master waved his large hand, completely unconcerned. "Let the injured ones rest. As for the terrified ones? How is that acceptable? If a martial artist lacks courage, they might as well cripple their own cultivation and go back to farming. As for our missing manpower—"
"I have a few trustworthy friends who can join us. They are also skilled experts at the 3rd and 4th Tier, which will help us secure even greater profits. What do you think?"
Qiao Zhen'er closed her eyes.
How was this finding her helpers?
He was already preparing to have people replace her!
Asking to borrow 500 liang of silver was just a pretense. Finding people to accompany her to the Nihility State and figure out her route—that was his true objective.
After a moment's thought, Qiao Zhen'er opened her eyes and looked at the Hall Master sternly. "Are those friends of yours truly reliable? If the higher-ups find out about our trips into the Nihility State, none of us will meet a good end. So, no matter how many helpers you bring in, keeping their mouths shut is what matters most."
"I know that, of course," the Hall Master replied with equal solemnity.
Qiao Zhen'er let out a long sigh, putting on the appearance of someone forced into a difficult spot but unable to refuse.
"Ah! I am doing this for the hall's sake as well. Fine! Please have your people get ready. Unless something unexpected happens, we'll set out within three days."
The Hall Master finally revealed a hearty smile. "I knew Hall Master Qiao cared about the Weiyun Martial Arts Hall the most."
Once Qiao Zhen'er left, the two of them—one inside the room and the other outside—simultaneously spat in disgust in their minds.
On the way back, Qiao Zhen'er thought to herself, I am in desperate need of 200 liang of silver, and I didn't know what excuse to use to get the Hall Master to force those martial artists into going to the Nihility State. Over these next two trips, I'll stash away a few extra items. As soon as I scrape together enough silver, I'll cut ties with the hall immediately.
Hmph. I don't care if he wants the 500 liang of silver to buy high-grade elements or if he just wants to figure out my route into the Nihility State. None of it has anything to do with me anymore. That place is extremely dangerous. If it weren't to gather enough silver to buy my way up, did he really think I'd be willing to go there every day?
As for the new hall the Hall Master had mentioned, she cared even less.
Even if the hall's tier limit reached the 5th Tier, there was no way they would invite her to be its Hall Master or Deputy Master.
While Qiao Zhen'er returned to her courtyard, her mind full of schemes, the Hall Master called in his two true confidants.
"Tell those guys they have two chances at most. No matter what, they must figure out Qiao Zhen'er's route completely.
"If we can secure her method of safely entering and exiting the Nihility State, that place will become our private backyard. Oh, and once you have fully grasped her secrets, find a way to kill her."
One of the confidants hesitated and asked, "Hall Master, Qiao Zhen'er's martial arts are highly formidable, and she has such a powerful element. Killing her won't be easy at all. Furthermore, killing her might unsettle the men under our command."
To turn around and execute a veteran who had helped the Hall Master establish the Weiyun Martial Arts Hall would easily chill the hearts of their subordinates.
The Hall Master wasn't angry. He patted his confidant's hand and sighed. "Do you think I actually want to kill her? It's that her ambitions have run wild! I received intel that Qiao Zhen'er has been planning to leave the hall and find a new way out for a long time. Once she joins a more powerful faction and offers up the method of entering the Nihility State, where does that leave us? We might even get silenced as former insiders."
Upon hearing this, the two confidants were shocked, and they no longer had any objections to silencing her.
Three days later, Qiao Zhen'er gathered a seven-person squad once more.
Aside from her and her two disciples, there were two unfamiliar faces among the remaining four.
One of those two was at Level 4 and the other at Level 3; both possessed considerable strength.
However, relying on the fact that she was a standout among Level 4 Spirit Cultivators, and that both of her disciples had recently advanced to Level 3, Qiao Zhen'er didn't fear them in the slightest.
The remaining two men were both capable Level 3 experts from the hall.
The personnel roster for this team was already the strongest they had ever assembled for a trip into the Nihility State.
Qiao Zhen'er had also been instructed by the Hall Master that she must acquire at least 300 liang in profit before returning from this trip to the Nihility State.
However, Qiao Zhen'er was thinking that while the public haul had to be 300 liang, she needed to secretly pocket 100 liang for herself.
Which meant the total harvest had to be at least 400 liang.
This would not be easy.
Of all the many times she had gone to the Nihility State, she had only secured a harvest of over 400 liang on two of those expeditions.
Qiao Zhen'er pondered it in her mind and made her decision.
I'm afraid I'll have to risk going to that place this time, she thought. She looked back at the people in her team. As long as they don't slack off and are willing to put in their full effort, there is a very good chance of success.
She waved her hand, calling her clever junior apprentice over.
"Zhao De, did you bring everything I asked you to buy yesterday?"
Zhao De looked up. Normally, he seemed a bit frivolous because he was too clever for his own good, but right now, he was unusually calm and steady.
He smiled faintly. "I brought everything."
None of the others noticed the change in Zhao De.