Another day was spent at home until six-thirty in the evening, when Yu Daochen finally received a text message from Shi Bingzhi.
Seeing that Shi Bingzhi had arrived, Yu Daochen went to the bus stop to meet him.
Not long after arriving at the bus stop, Yu Daochen saw Shi Bingzhi walking out with a travel bag taller than himself.
People around occasionally looked at Shi Bingzhi.
This was not because he was particularly handsome, but because his travel bag was adorned with more than ten cleavers of various sizes.
He looked like a knife seller.
Yu Daochen raised his hand and waved, calling out, "Old Shi, over here."
Shi Bingzhi looked in the direction of the voice and saw Yu Daochen waiting for him.
Upon approaching, Yu Daochen looked at the cleavers of various sizes on his travel bag and teased, "Old Shi, what era is this? You knife-sellers should keep up with the times. It must be inconvenient to always carry so many cleavers with you."
Shi Bingzhi smiled faintly and explained, "Not really. Actually, we knife-sellers also have online stores on Pinduoduo."
"Pinduoduo?"
Yu Daochen was bewildered. Was this fortune-telling with group discounts?
Shi Bingzhi then added, "But I don't agree with this method. Traveling around the world is a form of cultivation in itself. Staring at screens all day doing fortune-telling for others is not cultivation at all."
"This..."
Yu Daochen didn't know how to respond.
After all, he was not a knife-seller and didn't understand their cultivation methods well, so he dared not make any hasty judgments.
Yu Daochen changed the subject, "Old Shi, you probably haven't eaten yet."
Shi Bingzhi nodded, "No."
"Let's go, I'm treating today."
As Yu Daochen spoke, he hailed a taxi and took Shi Bingzhi to the most famous late-night snack stall nearby.
The sun had set, and the sky was gradually darkening.
Yu Daochen and Shi Bingzhi began to drink and chat at a barbecue restaurant nearby.
Yu Daochen lifted his wine and drank the rest of the wine in his cup, his expression becoming slightly serious. "Old Shi, tell me, what's the deal with the Yan Shu Sect colluding with the Divine Religion?"
This was not a matter to be taken lightly, and it had to be clarified.
Shi Bingzhi also drank the rest of the wine in his cup and began to speak, "This matter dates back to half a year ago..."
Half a year ago, the Supernatural Affairs Bureau had already noticed the spies the Divine Religion had planted in various sects and had established a special task force.
The direct负责人 of this task force were Shi Bingzhi, Wang Ming, and Liang Jing.
Just a week ago, someone discovered that the apostles of the Divine Religion had contact with people from the Yan Shu Sect.
Upon hearing this, Yu Daochen frowned deeply, "Are they indeed people from the Divine Religion?"
Shi Bingzhi nodded, "Although there's no 100% certainty, there's at least a 90% chance."
After speaking, Shi Bingzhi handed over a photograph from his backpack.
Yu Daochen picked up the photograph from the table and began to examine it carefully.
The photograph showed two people talking in a room.
One of the men was wearing a black robe and had an eye pattern on his forehead.
This was precisely the pattern found on the foreheads of the Divine Religion's apostles.
The other person was an old man around sixty years old.
Yu Daochen was all too familiar with this old man.
It was Du Yong, the second-in-command and Grand Elder of the Yan Shu Sect.
"This is Du Yong?"
Yu Daochen still couldn't quite believe it.
Shi Bingzhi nodded, "That's right, it's Du Yong, the Grand Elder of the Yan Shu Sect."
Yu Daochen continued to inquire, "Who took this photo? Is it reliable?"
Shi Bingzhi nodded affirmatively, "This was discovered and photographed by a junior among my knife-sellers by chance."
Yu Daochen nodded and pondered.
Du Yong was a trusted confidant of Zhang Xiaoqiang, so it was unlikely he would have rebellious intentions.
If it were other members of the Yan Shu Sect, it might just be a spy, not necessarily a betrayal by the entire Yan Shu Sect.
But if it were Du Yong, then it was hard to say.
After all, Du Yong was Zhang Xiaoqiang's confidant and held a high position in the Yan Shu Sect.
Now, it was unknown whether Du Yong alone had betrayed them or if the entire Yan Shu Sect had turned traitor.
Yu Daochen asked again, "Is there any other evidence?"
Shi Bingzhi shook his head, "No, the investigation is still ongoing. The only thing we're worried about now is the compass."
"The compass?"
Yu Daochen sensed something unusual in Shi Bingzhi's expression and asked, "Old Shi, what do you mean?"
Seeing Yu Daochen's inquiry, Shi Bingzhi could only answer truthfully, "Master Yu, do you know why the Divine Religion has been launching surprise attacks on various sects in the martial world?"
Yu Daochen shook his head, "I don't know."
This was also something he had been unable to figure out.
Those smaller sects were not strong to begin with, so the Divine Religion's surprise attacks on them held little significance.
If they wanted to weaken the martial world, they should have targeted the first-rate or second-rate sects.
After all, they were the main forces.
The only explanation was to cause chaos in the martial world.
Shi Bingzhi slowly said, "Because the compasses are not all held by the three major sects."
Hearing this, Yu Daochen was shocked, "What do you mean?"
Shi Bingzhi explained, "Actually, this was a risky move by three seniors."
"The three seniors knew that if they wanted all sects to join forces against the enemy, military threats alone would not suffice. Even if they complied, they would only be going through the motions."
"To make them exert effort, they had to make them feel a sense of crisis."
Hearing this, Yu Daochen understood what he meant, "So the three seniors entrusted the compasses to some sects in the martial world for safekeeping."
Shi Bingzhi nodded, "That's right."
A look of shock appeared on Yu Daochen's face.
The three seniors truly had great foresight; such a risky move was something that ordinary people would never conceive.
If all the compasses were in the hands of the three major sects, then only the three major sects would be in danger.
But if the compasses were distributed among other sects, it would be different.
Since no one knew which sects held the compasses, every sect was a suspect.
The only way for the Divine Religion to find these compasses was to massacre them sect by sect.
Now, regardless of whether they possessed a compass or not, every sect faced the risk of being annihilated.
A clever stratagem of risk equalization.
Ruthless, vicious, and bold!
But this also carried a risk, which was betrayal.
If a sect possessing a compass were to betray them, it would be equivalent to handing over the compass to the Divine Religion for nothing.
Yu Daochen pondered for a moment and slowly asked, "Who knows which sects hold these compasses?"
Shi Bingzhi shook his head, "Apart from the three seniors, only the sect leaders who hold the compasses know."
"In other words, the only ones who know which sect leaders hold the compasses are the three seniors, and no one else."
Yu Daochen smiled faintly.
Now that the three seniors had perished, this plan was truly uncrackable.
Wait!
Yu Daochen suddenly thought of something and looked at Shi Bingzhi sternly, his tone serious, "Do you think the Yan Shu Sect might also hold a compass?"
Shi Bingzhi shook his head, his expression solemn, "This is also what worries me."