"What was that about? That wasn't in my jade slip."

 

The old lady complained to old man Shi as the young man closed the door. The tanned young man walked past the elderly couple to a carpet before sliding it down the hallway. His actions revealed a wooden trapdoor with a sturdy iron handle. The young man opened the trapdoor without much difficulty, revealing a ladder leading into darkness. Standing to the side of the trapdoor, he watched the couple.

 

Old man Shi jumped onto the ladder and swiftly descended into the darkness. The old lady grumbled as she reluctantly followed old man Shi. The tanned young man closed the trapdoor and covered it once more with the carpet.

 

At the bottom of the ladder, old man Shi entered a wine cellar. There were barrels stacked neatly on two sides of the room. The room was well-maintained; there wasn't a musty smell and a cursory glance didn't reveal any dust. Luminous pearls made it so that the cellar was well-lit. In the middle of the wine cellar was a circular table with four stools surrounding it. Old man Shi walked over to one of the stools and sat down with great relish. While grabbing at his face, he let out a sigh of relief.

 

His face and whole figure changed as he pulled off a skin mask and threw it on the table. The face under the mask was revealed to be a handsome young man. He had the characteristics of a Han citizen, unlike the Desert Nomad from before. Old man Shi's salt and pepper hair had become a shiny jet-black. His calloused tanned hands had lost their callouses and grew much lighter in color. The young man was clean-shaven with long black hair and gray pupils. His breathing was labored and his long hair was shiny from the sweat.

 

"I'll never get used to this transformation."

 

The old lady said as she gracefully sat down in a seat next to the young man and pulled off her own mask. A young woman was revealed to be under the mask. Like the young man, she was a Han citizen and had long jet-black hair. Her eyes were sky-blue and she had jade skin. Seeing the young man panting heavily, she couldn't hold back from criticizing him.

 

"Looks like someone's overreacting. Liu Ye, do you finally admit your inferiority?"

 

"Hah. I'm the one who had to maintain the transformation. I was constantly circulating my Qi to maintain the technique while interacting with the caravan members for the past month. You spent just under half the time inside a tent or carriage and rarely interacted with anyone."

 

Liu Ye answered the young lady with great hostility, temporarily suppressing his fatigue with his Qi. Hearing his rebuttal, she didn't respond. A few moments later, the sound of grating stone could be heard as one of the stones in the far wall was removed and the tanned young man from before crawled into the cellar. Liu Ye commented casually as the young man put the stone back in its place.

 

"Nice entrance."

 

The young man didn't immediately respond and sat down next to Liu Ye on one of the two remaining stools. Folding his hands, the young man addressed Liu Ye and the young lady with a cold voice.

 

"You're late."

 

Liu Ye's breathing had recovered to a fairly even breathing rhythm, but he just smiled. Seeing that Liu Ye had no intention of speaking up, the young lady responded to the young man.

 

"We'd have been here faster if a certain chivalrous hero hadn't gotten distracted."

 

The young man turned toward Liu Ye and questioned him.

 

"Care to elaborate?"

 

"We might be here a day late, but I got us these."

 

To prove his point, Liu Ye tossed the wooden plaque on the table carelessly. The young man took a cursory glance at the table and revealed a restrained surprised expression.

 

"Temporary identification plaques? That'll make your escape much easier. Well done."

 

Liu Ye smiled confidently and closed his eyes to rest. The young man nodded lightly as he verified the legitimacy of the plaques. He turned back to the young lady and rebuked her with a harsh tone.

 

"Meng Xue. Do not let personal relationships interfere with the mission. No matter what grudges you have against Liu Ye don't let them get in the way. Am I clear?"

 

Meng Xue cooly brushed off the young man's harsh reminder and gave a cold reply.

 

"I won't do anything if he doesn't. We're all of equal rank. This applies to everyone, including you, Song Tian."

 

Song Tian could barely hold back a sigh as he raised his right hand to rub his forehead with his thumb and index finger. He could feel his energy draining the more he thought of Meng Xue's words so he decided to just press on.

 

"Although not everyone is here, I'll just give a quick refresher on the plan. The fifth princess is back from her travels. Since Sultan Rahim's favorite daughter is back, he has already planned to throw a large banquet for her. From now on, security will be much tighter. If you were any later, it would be impossible for someone like you guys with no identification to enter the city."

 

Liu Ye continued to have his eyes closed but he held up an ok symbol with his right hand. Meng Xue nodded lightly and held a cold and aloof attitude. Receiving both of their acknowledgments, Song Tian continued his breakdown of the plan.

 

"Our contact in the royal guard has agreed to the conditions and has guaranteed that there will be an opening in the guard. Remember, the princess has the key to the vault on a necklace around her neck. Give her an injury and pretend to be driven off by our contact. The guards at the vault will be weakened since they'll definitely be pulled into the search for the assassin. The Sultan is a slave to his daughter. Enter the vault with the key, grab the object, and leave."

 

Seeing that Song Tian had finished, Liu Ye raised his hand. Song Tian nodded for Liu Ye to proceed with his question.

 

"Is there a backup plan?"

 

"If there are any complications, Lin Ming and I can step in and help you break the encirclement. This is only a last resort. Burn this talisman and we'll be over promptly."

 

Song Tian fished out two yellow talismans from inside his tunic and handed one to Liu Ye and Meng Xue. Liu Ye casually stored the talisman inside his spatial artifact while Meng Xue attached the talisman to the inside of her sleeve using her Qi as a needle. Song Tian finished his briefing with a grave reminder.

 

"Remember, we're alone here. Be very careful. For now, enjoy your stay. If you decide to explore Akhmim, don't forget your disguises and identification plaques. If there's nothing else, you're dismissed."