Yao Guang snorted. âI have no qualms following your lead if youâre really this amazing. But if you try to pull a fast one... hmph!â
She shook her small fist, ready to beat him up at the drop of a hat.
Jiang Chen grinned. Now certain that she was on his side as well, he turned to Si Tong and lowered his voice. âIf you can get the Fire of Firstdawn, Iâm around seventy percent certain that we can bait out the fire demon powerhouses. Theyâll be sitting ducks by then.â
âSitting ducks?â Si Tong blinked. âIt wonât be as easy as you make it sound. Donât you know how powerful their forefathers are?â
Jiang Chen smiled indifferently. âIâve killed their ilk by the bucket on the way here. The fire demon forefathers are admittedly strong, but not necessarily more so than their titan demon counterparts.â
In a fiery environment, and especially Sunrise, fire demons could tap into dreadful potential in combat. Theyâd easily quash cultivators of the same tier and contend with those one higher.
But without that advantage, they werenât all that much stronger than humans. At least, the disparity was far from overwhelming.
Si Tong answered lowly, âMy martial aunt is the one protecting the Fire of Firstdawn. She loves me dearly. She once told me to take the fire to Eternal, but I tactfully declined in the end.â
Jiang Chen praised, âTo insist on perishing together with your sect, your boundless loyalty deserves veneration. â
Yao Guang rolled her eyes at him. âLoyalty your butt. Her martial aunt meant for her to seek refuge in Eternal, that is to say, with you. Big sister chose not to because she knows youâre a fickle skirt-chaser.â
Her implications visibly jolted Jiang Chen and Si Tong, making both of them feel incredibly awkward.
âWise sister, donât talk rubbish. How can a hero like Brother Jiang be that despicable?â Si Tong chided with a glare.
âFine, fine, letâs just pretend I didnât say anything. Jiang Chen, tell us then, how are you going to take advantage after obtaining the Fire of Firstdawn?â
âOnce the fire demon forefathers are lured away from their lair, Iâll swarm them with all my helpers and kill them before they can react.â
Simply put, it was nothing but an ambush with bait.
âAre the three of us the only ones in the know?â Yao Guangâs expressive eyes fluttered.
âThe fewer the better. We donât want to alert the enemy.â No one knew the identity of the imposters inside Radiance, and the young lord naturally didnât have the time to play detective. He didnât want to expose himself in any case.
His only certainty was that these two women hadnât been assimilated. He could trust them, at the very least.
Si Tongâs eyebrows rose. When push came to shove, she was a match for any man. âVery well, Iâll join you in your madness, Brother Jiang. Iâll get the Fire of Firstdawn by tomorrow morning. But you need a special art to control it. Even I canât say for certain I can. After all, the amount is no joke, and its power simply too fearsome.â
Jiang Chen smiled calmly. âYou need only to obtain it. Leave the rest to me.â
âWhat should I do then?â Yao Guang couldnât resist asking.
The Eternal young lord chuckled. âItâs time to put on a show. Use your best acting skills to keep everything under wraps. Once the fire demons are routed, the winged demons will also be in for a nice surprise.â
âKilling two birds with one stone?â Yao Guangâs eyes flashed.
âThatâs the plan,â he acknowledged.
âI like that ambition. But Iâm still a little dubious. Do you really have what it takes? All of Sunrise couldnât resist them, and you, all by yourself...â
âDidnât I tell you? I have helpers.â Jiang Chen smiled. âAlright, Holy Girl Yao Guang, I need a place to rest today. Iâm counting on you.â
He didnât expound any further. Too much talk led to trouble and not to mention, arguing with a wilful girl like Yao Guang was nothing but a headache, so silence was truly golden in this case.
Hiding a man in her residence was quite an experience for Yao Guang. She spent the entire night torn between multiple emotions. Sometimes, she was afraid Jiang Chen would suddenly make a move on her, but as time went by without her fears materializing, she found it hard not to feel a little disappointed.
Hmph, that guyâs really full of himself. See if Iâll give him the time of day if he tries to talk to me in the future!
The night passed in silence. Si Tong returned at first light the next morning with the Fire of Firstdawn, as sheâd promised. It was entirely sealed inside an earthen-yellow gourd. Looking at the small container, the young lord couldnât resist asking, âHow much fire can a gourd this small possibly hold?â
âDonât look down on it, Brother Jiang. Itâs one of Sunriseâs ultimate treasures, called the Vitality Gourd of Yin and Yang. It can store more fire than you can ever imagine.â Si Tong swelled with pride as she spoke of her factionâs heirloom.
âVery well!â The young man nodded.
âBrother Jiang, let me explain how to control it. Although Iâm not very familiar with the art myself...â
Jiang Chen waved her off. âI have my own ways. No need to trouble yourself.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
His confidence was well-founded. In the entire world, few were the manipulation arts unknown to him, not to mention heâd been familiar with the Fire of Firstdawn in his former life.
But there was no need for him to act at all. He had an expert at his side, called the Vermilion Bird.
When it came to fire, even fire demons wouldnât dare claim superiority over a spirit creature of heaven and earth, born from the worldâs supreme flames. Fire was the quintessence of the birdâs being.
As such, his mastery over anything fiery was unmatched.
âYou jerk, canât you tell good intentions from bad?â Yao Guang grunted.
Si Tong herself merely smiled. More confident than her friend in the young lordâs ability, she didnât take offense. âWise sister, Brother Jiang is a remarkable genius after all. The fire will be no challenge for him.â
âAlright alright. So you tell me, what comes next?â
Jiang Chen cupped his fists. âNext, you simply need to wait. Youâll hear good news in three days at most.â
âWhat do you mean? Are you leaving?â Yao Guang huffed, a little unhappy. âMaybe you just came to scam us out of the fire.â
Jiang Chen didnât know whether to laugh or cry. This girlâs mind was truly one of a kind. Was he that type of man?
Si Tong tugged on her companionâs sleeve. âBe quiet. A figure like Brother Jiang only has to ask to receive the fire. Why would he need to deceive us for?â