The old man stumbled through the streets until he made it to the familiar door. Knocking four times, he nervously looked at his surroundings. The night was relatively quiet and there was no movement in the alleyway. Nothing seemed to be out of place but Liu Ye continued to inspect his surroundings with a focused gaze. Song Tian opened the door and Liu Ye immediately darted inside. Song Tian kept a cold expression as he closed the door. Meng Xue was laying down on the cushions. Seeing Liu Ye's figure, she questioned him with a hint of a rebuking tone.
"Why are you back so late? All the shops have been closed for nearly half an hour now."
Liu Ye ignored Meng Xue and instead looked at Song Tian with a grave expression and said his suspicions.
"I think we've been exposed."
Song Tian's expression became alarmed as he immediately slid the carpet down the hallway and opened the trapdoor. Without another word, both Liu Ye and Meng Xue jumped down. Liu Ye pulled off his skin mask and placed it on the table roughly. He sat down and nervously tapped the table's surface with his index finger. Meng Xue sat down slowly and quietly inquired Liu Ye with an alarmed tone.
"What happened?"
"I'll tell everyone once Song Tian and Lin Ming are here."
Liu Ye bit his lip nervously as he deflected the question. Meng Xue nodded lightly and sat down silently next to him. Not too long after, Song Tian made his entrance from the same opening in the wall as before. He left the opening and sat down at one of the open seats. When he sat down, another head popped through the opening. It was a frail scholar wearing a pair of spectacles and white robes. Like Song Tian, he had tanned skin and held a cold gaze. His thin figure made it look like he could collapse with a gust of wind but he grabbed the block of stone without much difficulty and placed it back into the opening. When he was finished, he grabbed the last empty seat and sat down while adjusting his spectacles. Song Tian motioned for Liu Ye to start. Liu Ye began to recount the relevant parts of his experience.
"… I know it's mostly speculation. But, my instincts are screaming at me. It's better to be safe than sorry. If we can talk to this expert tomorrow, I believe we can find out his intentions."
Song Tian creased his brows and seemed to be deep in thought. Lin Ming closed his eyes and seemed removed from the conversation. Meng Xue looked doubtful but she didn't speak up. Even though they were all of the same rank, she was the youngest and least experienced of the four. She may be haughty and confident in her skills, but she knew her boundaries. Lin Ming was the first to finish his thoughts and broke the silence. A deep and calm voice came from the frail figure.
"There seems to be a lot of speculation on your part. But, I trust in your instincts. The good thing is that it seems that the expert doesn't have any intention of stopping our mission. As for what he wants, we need to attend the birthday celebration tomorrow. Whom did you say the banquet was for?"
Liu Ye thought for a few moments before he replied.
"I believe it was the Alyan clan."
"Alyan?! Are you sure it's the Alyan clan?"
Lin Ming stood up from his seat and leaned over the table and stared deep into Liu Ye's eyes. Liu Ye was startled and stuttered a response.
"I-i b-believe so."
Realizing what he had done, Lin Ming apologized and sat down back in his seat. Song Tian held a grave expression as he addressed Liu Ye.
"It seems that this senior of yours isn't simple."
As Song Tian finished his sentence, Lin Ming re-entered the conversation with much enthusiasm. His eyes seemed to sparkle. He looked like a hunter that had tracked down his prey.
"I knew the Alyan clan was having a major celebration tomorrow, but I thought it was just a coincidence. This can be an opportunity for us. If you can find out the Senior's intentions and help him, we might be able to become guests at the princess' banquet. This would make the plan much easier!"
"Wait, wait. Before we go too far, what even is the Alyan clan? My clan's records didn't have any mention of the Alyan clan."
Liu Ye interjected with a slightly helpless expression. Lin Ming seemed to calm down and coughed lightly into his fist. Wearing an awkward smile, he apologized.
"Sorry about that, I've been worried about the plan for the past month. Finding a breakthrough made me too excited. Your clan's information for the Kazemi Sultanate hasn't been updated for twenty years so it's not surprising you don't know about them. The Alyan clan is a relatively upstart clan. They've only come into the public eye about ten years ago. Rameen Alyan is the first son of the current Patriarch and became a distinguished general through merits at that time. Now, he's currently one of the four Grand Marshals of the Kazemi Sultanate's Army. Besides this, there are also rumors that there is a major figure in the Immortal cultivation world that stands behind them."
Meng Xue looked over at Liu Ye quizzically and asked him with genuine astonishment.
"The Liu clan doesn't have many dealings with the desert, but the Meng clan does. Why didn't you just ask us?"
"I forgot."
Liu Ye replied to her with a straight face. The corner of Meng Xue's mouth twitched as she could barely hold back her laughter. Song Tian raised an eyebrow at Liu Ye's statement. Lin Ming revealed a disappointed expression for a moment before he continued on.
"Anyways, I was saying before that this is a good opportunity. If you're able to use this Senior's connection to the Alyan clan to become guests at the princess' banquet, we'll be able to smooth the plan out a lot. I've had worries about how we would be able to approach the vault undetected. Although we have a contact in the Royal Guard, he would only be able to allow us to approach the princess' quarters undetected. As for all the many layers of security beyond that, it would be up to us. If we exhausted all our methods before we even got to the vault, it would be extremely tough to get what we want. We have limited resources and it's best to always have a backup plan."
Meng Xue raised her hand and asked Lin Ming a question.
"First of all, it's not guaranteed that Liu Ye will be able to get this senior's help. Secondly, how would we be able to leave the banquet? Wouldn't the guards be keeping an eye on the guests? It would be rather suspicious if some party guests randomly disappeared during the banquet. And the effectiveness of the temporary identification plaques would be ruined since we'd be exposed."
Lin Ming smiled at Meng Xue and praised her.
"That's a great analysis! But, not to worry. You and Liu Ye can request for a private resting room and use an illusion talisman to trick the guards into thinking you're both still there. The talisman should fool them long enough for you to create a disturbance. The rest of the plan will be the same. One of you will subdue the princess and draw the guards away while the other enters the vault and grabs the object. As long as you don't show your true faces afterward, we won't leave any traces. The capital and surrounding cities might be on lockdown but the remaining stealth talismans that we save from not using the original plan will be enough for you to escape."
Song Tian was satisfied with Lin Ming's analysis and continued to sit in silence. Liu Ye gave Lin Ming a short applause and was genuinely impressed. Meng Xue held a satisfied expression and nodded lightly to show that she understood. Seeing that everyone understood and had nothing to say, Lin Ming moved on to the next subject.
"All right, then. Now, who's going to be attending the banquet tomorrow?"
