Lü Su was a bit taken aback by Liu Bang's sudden politeness. Due to her poor health, she had been raised in the confines of her father's estate and knew little about her father's political affairs.
"Since we're all on the same side, let's discuss today's matter later," Liu Bang said, bowing slightly to Lü Su and Cao Yi. He turned and called for the wandering heroes to help Fan Kuai leave, and soon they disappeared from sight.
Watching Liu Bang vanish, Cao Yi sighed inwardly, recognizing that Liu Bang's mind was not ordinary. His remark about being "on the same side" avoided a conflict with Lü Gong, and suggesting to postpone the matter placed the decision-making in the hands of Wang Yue, leaving everyone else unoffended.
"Sir, I want to go back," Lü Su said, having lost her appetite after the meal.
"Alright," Cao Yi replied.
That night, the long-awaited moon shone brightly, illuminating a quiet courtyard at Lü's residence like silver frost.
"Ha!"
Beneath a slender jujube tree, Cao Yi sat cross-legged on a mat, exhaling a golden breath like a dragon or a serpent.
Opening his eyes, he looked down at a wooden box on the ground containing a pair of exquisite jade discs. These discs were a betrothal gift from the Xiang family when he left Kuaiji.
Though they had become objects for absorbing spiritual energy, he had been fortunate to complete initial accumulation without breaking them, following the principle of "endlessness" from the "Golden Liquid Rejuvenation Method," absorbing less than thirty percent of their energy.
"I should find time to return these to the young master Xiang," Cao Yi muttered to himself.
"Ding! Congratulations, host! You have completed the hidden task of demonstrating divine power multiple times in front of the character Lü Su."
Interrupted from his thoughts, Cao Yi realized why he hadn't received a prompt until now.
"Reward: One-time Star-Attracting Formation."
"Origin: Crafted by a genius formation master from another realm."
"Function: Capable of attracting meteors headed for Earth."
"Note: Requires an open area at least ten miles from any population to avoid casualties."
Star-Attracting Formation! The worries weighing on Cao Yi vanished.
Meteors—no, they should be called celestial stars—brought numerous benefits.
First, he could quickly fulfill the task of obtaining a celestial star.
Second, both the Beiyan Mountain Man with a time-space treasure and Cui Wenzi, who could concoct elixirs of immortality, would be drawn here.
Third, the First Emperor, who should be surveying the north at this time, would definitely change course to the south upon hearing the news. The renowned emperor of all time!
However, there were downsides; various sorcerers and bandits would swarm over like flies.
"The Star-Attracting Formation is ready and can be deployed at any time."
Anytime?
Cao Yi looked up at the quiet night sky. There's no better time than now; tonight, he would bring down a meteor.
Without hesitation, he waved his wide sleeves, approached the wall, and with a powerful jump, he easily ascended over two meters high onto the wall, landing silently.
Creak! A door opened nearby, and a sleepy Xiang Yu emerged, one hand resting on his waist.
"Daoist Priest!"
"I have something to attend to."
Cao Yi's figure flashed, and he leapt onto another wall.
"At this hour? Daoist Priest, I've been to Pei County before; I know this place well."
Xiang Yu, fully awake, eagerly followed, leaping onto the wall as well.
A quarter of an hour later,
to the west of Pei County, in a vast wilderness, countless wild grasses swayed eerily in the night breeze.
"Daoist Priest, I thought you planned to kill the great wanderer Wang Ling tonight."
Xiang Yu looked disappointed.
"Stop talking about killing," Cao Yi replied, furrowing his brows as he observed his surroundings.
He wondered how the bloodthirsty Xiang Yu could be such good friends with the virtuous Yi Xiaochuan; they seemed like people from entirely different worlds.
"Daoist Priest, what exactly are you looking for? I can help you," Xiang Yu asked, stepping closer.
"I'm looking for a place with at least ten miles of uninhabited land. There seem to be a few households nearby, which won't do. Let's move."
With a swift motion, Cao Yi vanished.
Xiang Yu glanced at the direction Cao Yi had just looked and showed admiration. The Daoist Priest could see so far even at night.
"Keep up or go back," Cao Yi's voice came from the wild grass ahead.
Xiang Yu pushed off the ground, propelling himself like a drawn bow.
Another quarter of an hour passed.
The two arrived near a large forest. A fog had risen, enveloping the area in a haze.
"Daoist Priest, forests are typically uninhabited," Xiang Yu said.
"Let's take a look."
Cao Yi wanted to avoid causing unnecessary harm.
"Alright," Xiang Yu agreed casually.
Not long after entering the forest, Cao Yi caught a faint scent of blood.
"Daoist Priest, what are you smelling?" Xiang Yu asked, confused.
"Blood."
Cao Yi replied and moved forward.
Xiang Yu followed him closely.
The forest was not as dense as expected, and soon they emerged into a vast, misty lake.
"This is Pei Ze; I've been here before."
Xiang Yu instantly recognized the place.
Cao Yi remained silent, walking along the shore for three to four hundred meters until he saw many corpses floating on the water, along with several small boats.
"One, two, three..."
Xiang Yu began counting them one by one.
"What are you doing?"
Cao Yi asked, puzzled.
"Daoist Priest, there's a small island in Pei Ze, home to eight fishing families, a total of thirty-four people. They're all here."
As he spoke, a hint of killing intent flashed in Xiang Yu's eyes.
It was unclear whether he disliked that these scoundrels spared neither children nor women or if he knew the people here.
"A small island?"
Cao Yi's eyes widened at the mention, looking toward the lake, but the fog obscured his view.
"Those scoundrels are likely on the island now. Let's go in and eliminate them all."
Xiang Yu's killing intent surged.
"Wait."
Cao Yi suddenly raised a hand.
A vague sound drifted over, seemingly mentioning "Brother Peng."
"Daoist Priest, did you hear something?"
Xiang Yu, who had witnessed Cao Yi's remarkable hearing and vision on their journey, instinctively asked.
"They mentioned Brother Peng. Could it be Peng Yue?"
Cao Yi guessed, recalling that the only Peng he had heard of recently was Peng Yue.
"Peng Yue."
Xiang Yu's murderous expression softened by half.
Though he was fierce enough to take on a hundred men alone, Peng Yue commanded at least a thousand men, most of whom were fierce bandits.
"You stay on the shore; I'll go in alone to take a look."
Cao Yi had already formed a plan in his mind.
"Is it safe for you to go alone, Daoist Priest?"
Xiang Yu felt concerned. He had heard from Xiaochuan how difficult it had been for the Daoist Priest to deal with the bandit cavalry last time.
"After I go in, don't follow me recklessly; otherwise, you'll be in grave danger."
Cao Yi said, leaping several meters and landing on a small boat.
"Understood."
Xiang Yu replied, though he didn't quite understand.