Niu Jiao Ridge!
Inside a wooden house on the southern peak.
The six men from Meng Dongge's group had just returned here, jubilant beside them lay the corpse of an Alien Ghost.
"Dongge, it's your strategy that's formidable, another successful hunt for an Alien Ghost tonight, without any effort."
A disciple, extremely excited, spoke while caressing the Alien Ghost's body, utterly fascinated.
"Following my lead can't be wrong, those disciples are just paupers, how much money can they have? They don't compare to the value of an Alien Ghost, it's perfect for making use of such waste."
Meng Dongge's demeanor was no longer friendly and amiable, his face bore a trace of a cold sneer.
"Indeed, indeed, all thanks to you, Dongge, for getting a batch of Gentiana, otherwise this plan wouldn't have been so easily successful."
"These demon-like Alien Ghosts, before I couldn't have even dreamed of hunting them without paying a price."
The disciples nearby continuously echoed in agreement, full of admiration and flattery in their words towards Meng Dongge.
"Speaking of which, what's with Su Jie and his people? I went over to the cabin earlier and noticed they've moved to another hut. Could they have discovered something?"
"Impossible."
Meng Dongge immediately interjected, confidently claiming: "I buried the Gentiana under the roots in the soil; only an Alien Ghost can smell that unique scent, no one else could find it.
They're probably just a bit suspicious, not fully trusting our arrangements.
In that case, next time I pay a visit under the guise of benevolence, I'll take the opportunity to bury some Gentiana around their hut, let's see if they can still change their dwelling."
"This will definitely work, when they lure the Alien Ghost over, we just have to wait for them to fight the Ghost to a standstill and reap the benefits like a fisherman."
The disciples' eyes shone brightly, as if seeing a torrent of wealth flowing into their pockets.
Meng Dongge and his people discussed their schemes without any restraint, contemplating how to set their trap.
Little did they know, at the window, a moth quietly clung to the surface, hearing all their loud scheming loud and clear.
.....
"Heh, just as I thought, the last piece of the puzzle is in place."
At the same time.
On the northern peak of Niu Jiao Ridge, Su Jie slowly opened his eyes, ceasing the vision sharing with the moth.
In the main hall of the wooden house, Chen Yun, who had just been rescued, was temporarily placed here.
Her wounds were severe, her body was ripped open by the Alien Ghost's sharp claws, leaving several deep gashes that exposed her bones, even her intestines were out in the open air. Had her body not been far superior to an ordinary human's, she would have died already.
"The bleeding has stopped for now, but the Alien Ghost's attack, due to its claws carrying some Corrosive Poison, will depend on whether she can survive without her wounds festering."
Gu Weonian checked and found Chen Yun's condition to be pessimistic.
"I understand, let's set Chen Yun aside for now and discuss other matters."
Su Jie stood up from the cushion, called Gu Weonian and Sun Zhihai over, and said, "Regarding tonight's events, what are your thoughts?"
"Thoughts? Wasn't it just an accident? It's just that Chen Yun and the others were too unlucky. Ah, Brother Su, you don't think that they were attacked by Mr. Meng, do you? You saw the Alien Ghost corpse earlier, your previous suspicions weren't accurate."
Gu Weonian was perplexed, recalling how not long ago, Su Jie had doubted Meng Dongge.
But the facts proved Su Jie was wrong; instead, Meng Dongge heroically saved others, fully proving himself to be a good person.
"Yeah, Brother Su, isn't Mr. Meng good enough? Braving the threat of the Alien Ghost, he personally led the rescue. We can't falsely accuse someone."
Sun Zhihai also defended Meng Dongge.
Both appeared to hold Meng Dongge in high regard, his helpful character combined with the personal risk he took was indeed very convincing.
"Don't you find it all too coincidental?"
Su Jie knew they would question him, and he analyzed the night's events one by one: "Chen Yun and I just arrived today, and her group was attacked by an Alien Ghost, which seems far too coincidental.
Also, wasn't Meng Dongge's group's response too quick after the attack? They were even further from Chen Yun's hut, yet they arrived before us and even had a fierce battle with the Alien Ghost, as if... they had been waiting there in advance."
Silence!
The hall fell silent at Su Jie's words.
Gu Weonian swallowed nervously, uneasy, and said, "Su... Brother Su, with no concrete evidence, this might just be overthinking on your part."
Though he said this, Gu Weonian pondered Su Jie's words and indeed found several questionable points.
"Brother Gu, think about it, when Meng Dongge's group appeared, the items they were carrying, the Nine Curves Net, the Earth Sinking Thunder Fire Mirror, the Heavenly Gang Rope... do you remember? These items are all used for setting traps and ambushes. Do you think, if Meng Dongge really went on a rescue, would he bring all these items with him?"
Su Jie's voice was eerily calm, not angered by Gu Weonian's skepticism but instead laid out the facts for analysis.
Gu Weonian turned pale with nothing to retort, as Su Jie's analysis was all based on facts.
"Brother Su, this is all just your speculation, they don't count as evidence. I know you want to get your hands on that Alien Ghost's corpse, but we don't have the strength for it, and we can't just go and snatch it, please don't drag us down with you."
Sun Zhihai stood up angrily, feeling that Su Jie coveted the value of the Alien Ghost and had come up with these seemingly equivocal speculations to drag himself and Gu Weonian into the mess.
Yet he didn't consider their combined strengths; all three of them together might not even match Meng Dongge, let alone the fact that they were outnumbered, as there were six disciples on Meng Dongge's side.