Xia Fei was relieved that he had defeated Hyacinth, but that was not what was most important to him.

The most important was how he could subjugate this organization and make them do his bidding. That was the ultimate goal Xia Fei had come to Exiled Grounds this time.

​​

Just as Xia Fei was preparing to show them the carrot after the stick so that he could convince these impersonators to give their lives to him, an alarm repeatedly blared!

In the beginning, the alarm came from just one of them, but soon, everyone's terminals began blaring in a matter of seconds!

"It seems like Hyacinth is in some sort of trouble. What should we do?" Seth whispered into Xia Fei's ear to ask.

"These people are of use to me, so we should protect them at this critical juncture. Let's quietly observe the situation first," Xia Fei said in a low voice.

Seth rolled up his sleeves and patted his chest as a guarantee toward Xia Fei, who ignored him. Xia Fei was not at all interested in pledges of loyalty; what mattered was the actions people did during crucial moments. It did not matter how beautiful the words used were, since it would just be evidence of their eloquence. It hardly proved anything concrete.

"Shepherdians are here!"

"Those despicable scoundrels actually dared to launch a surprise assault while we're all away from the base!"

"What are you all standing around for? Let's hurry back!"

Seeing the message their terminals had sent over, the crowd began panicking.

There were two major species that specialized in subterfuge and impersonation: the Shepherdians and the Purple Blooded Rockies.

As the saying went, people working in the same profession were all rivals, and the two species hardly got along with each other. It was also normal for skirmishes between the two to occur, stabbing and bludgeoning each other when the opportunity surfaced. This was an unending feud that had been going on for quite a few years.

As the top organization of the Rockies, Hyacinth had become the key to their species' revival, acquiring plenty of the Shepherdians' clients over the twenty over years, stealing the limelight for quite a while.

Shepherdians steadily retreated, their business no longer as good as before, practically to the point where they were struggling to make ends meet. Toward their nemesis the Rockies, the hatred ran deep, and it was even more pronounced toward Hyacinth.

Unfortunately, Hyacinth worked very discreetly and carefully. Their members were usually scattered in different locations and rarely would they gather like today. Though the Shepherdians had investigated where Hyacinth resided, they had never had the chance to strike. After all, Hyacinth was where the face of the Rockies was; if they could not weed them out, roots and all in one go, they would surely receive a powerful retaliation.

As such, the Shepherdians had secretly waited for the chance, and it just so happened that Xia Fei had arrived today, accidentally becoming the catalyst to this fight. Every one of these hundred Rockies in front of him was the elite of Hyacinth, and they had all gathered at the last minute to deal with Xia Fei.

Their base was empty, for the elite members were all gathered in the bamboo forest or by the banks of the wooden bridge. The Shepherdians reckoned that the chance that they had been waiting for had finally arrived and thought that it would surely deal a severe blow to the morale of the Rockies if they could wipe out Hyacinth.

This sneak attack, which had long been in the planning, was finally enacted. The Shepherdians infiltrated under the guise of the Chief Arhat Mercenary Team, all so they could wipe out Hyacinth in one fell swoop!

It had to be said that the Shepherdians were actually very shrewd. Chief Arhat Mercenary Team was an independent group with over 90% of the members being Shepherdians. If Hyacinth got wiped out, the Purple Blooded Rockies would find it difficult to pin their rage to the Shepherdians since the ones who did the deed were part of an independent mercenary team and had little connection to the species as a whole on the surface. Thus, whether they won or lost, the Shepherdians could not be implicated in this plan to attack the Hyacinth.

The crowd was in an uproar. The whole lot was requesting to return and defend their headquarters; They were all terribly upset that Hyacinth had just lost to Xia Fei, so they had no idea how they should deal with the S.O.S sent by their headquarters.

"Alright, we'll immediately form up for a counterattack! Kappa, with you leading your men as the vanguard, get ready to conduct a surprise attack. The others will follow me and flank them on both sides!" Hyacinth was someone who had experienced such large scale fights, after all, so he had very swiftly adjusted himself to the situation, calmly giving out orders to his men.

The Purple Blooded Rockies and the Shepherdians were mortal enemies. Now that they had launched an assault on their own home turf, everyone was worried about their own families while they were itching to fight, ready to give a good show!

Xia Fei shook his head and let out a cold laugh. "If you're all really intending to retaliate, then I'm afraid that you'll really fall for the Shepherdians' scheme."

His voice was not too loud, but this calm voice was particularly crisp amid the clamor of the crowd.

"My wife and kids are all back in the base! You sure sound carefree saying that!"

"What scheme! The Sherpherdians have always been cruel and known for their brutality, just the average all brawn and no brains meatsacks!"

"We have to save the base no matter what! My family assets are all there."

Some were worried about their family, while others were concerned with their fortune. There were also those who looked down upon the Shepherdians. Not a single one of these elite impersonators found this odd, and Xia Fei could not help but feel somewhat disappointed. However, this did concern their own affairs, so it was hard for them to share the same calm consideration from the sidelines that Xia Fei had, swiftly analyzing the situation with impassivity.

"Brother Ah Fei, though three generations of ours lost to you, the assault on our base today has made the situation extremely tense. We'll be sure to give you an answer after we resolve the matter back at our base!" Hyacinth shouted.

Xia Fei gave a cold stare as he scolded, "You fool! What would a dead Hyacinth be of any use to me? It's very easy if you wish to die, but don't drag your family with you. Trust that your fellow tribesmen will help you! As the leader of an organization, you must never lose your cool. Look at you now, acting no different from a bereaved dog!"

He spoke rather harshly, but it had instead caused Hyacinth to gain quite the epiphany. It was no use trying to persuade someone when they were being impulsive; only a stern blow from someone could clear the cobweb in their head.

Hyacinth was the spiritual leader of the organization, and being reprimanded in front of everyone by Xia Fei was a heavy blow to take!

"We have no need for you to butt into Hyacinth's affairs!"

"We support Brother Hyacinth's decision. We have no qualms even if he leads us to our deaths!"

No one believed Xia Fei, and everyone suspected him of bearing ill intent, for he would not let them return to their base. Though Hyacinth felt that there was something off, he began to feel his blood boil after his men's instigation.

Xia Fei lit a cigarette and calmly asked, "How many people are in the base, and who are they?"

"The people back in base are all our parents! They aren't capable of protecting themselves, and every minute we waste will put them in graver danger! Brother Hyacinth, make your decision, quick!" That tall and big man from before was practically in tears, and everyone was feeling terrible.

Xia Fei solemnly continued. "It's evident that the Shepherdians have planned this assault with great care. The fact that your weak and frail didn't get wiped out instantly and even managed to send out a distress signal, you people could not possibly believe such an obvious trap, could you? To think you dared to call yourselves masters of subterfuge, setting up schemes and ruses your entire life, only to end up being deceived by such a simple 'lure and surround' tactic."

Everyone could feel their scalps numb. Xia Fei was right. There were only two to three hundred old and young back in base, and if the Shepherdians had already come up with a plan and struck, even an average mercenary team would be able to take down the camp with ease; why would they even give them the time to send out the distress signal?

This was an act with a hidden motive; the reason why the Shepherdians surrounded their base and let everyone live still would be to wait for Hyacinth to respond to the call for aid so that they could all be caught in one fell swoop!

If nothing went awry, a dragnet spread was likely in place at Hyacinth's base, just awaiting their return!

"There's indeed something afoot. No one strong was guarding back in the base, so there's no way they could've prevented the Shepherdians' attack."

"So what do we do? We couldn't possibly just stand here and let the Shepherdians slay our kin!"

"We have to head on back even if it's a setup! My mother's still back in the base!"

Xia Fei stomped on his cigarette butt hard as he said, "Fools! The enemy already expected this very point, which was why they dared to so openly surround your base. You'll only be serving yourselves right into the arms of your enemies when you return!"

"The goal of those Shepherdians is you, so your families will still have a few minutes to live if you don't head back, but the moment you show yourselves, they'll all be killed on the spot! If any of you dislike your family living long lives, head back for all I care!"

The crowd fell silent. Xia Fei's words were hard to hear, but he made sense. No one could deny it.

"So what do we do?"

Xia Fei looked at the time and said, "Two minutes. The moment the Shepherdians realize that you've uncovered their scheme, they'll surely slaughter everyone in the base and retreat. There's only one option left now."

"What is that?"

"I'll go!" Xia Fei said firmly. "I'm not a Purple Blood Rocky, so the Shepherdians might treat me as a guest and will not immediately start the massacre. Gather all your manpower and stay here; wait for my signal."

Some people were born leaders, and the more critical the situation, the more their unruffled temperament would show. Xia Fei's words at this time had allowed him to exude an irresistible awe. Though he was not too old, that did not affect his decisiveness.

"What's your plan?"

"I'll deal with things as they come," Xia Fei simply answered.

What he meant by dealing with things as they came was that he had no plan to speak of. Everyone was unimpressed. Though they were filled with apprehension, none of them could think of any alternate solution, either.

"Well, what are you all standing there for?! Quickly send me the coordinates to your base! Also, inform everyone you can contact! Prepare for a counterattack!" Xia Fei glared at the lot of them as he said frigidly. His powerful aura emanated everywhere!

...

Hyacinth's base was below a snowy mountain. This snowy mountain was huge, and the peak was forever winter, while the mountainside was in a perpetual state of spring. The foot of the mountain was in summer.

*Whoosh*

A spatial channel opened, and Xia Fei stretched himself as he stepped out from it. He looked like someone who was completely harmless, wearing a slightly worn-out expression on his face. He gave off the impression that he had traveled a long way before he arrived at this place.

There was a village by the foot of this snowy mountain, and it was said to be where the Hyacinth, the top impersonation group in Exiled Grounds, resided. They had plenty of enemies, so they ought to have their base set up like a military bunker, but this village was full of wooden structures, and its weak defenses were a complete mess.

The Purple Blooded Rockies were already enemies of the Shepherdians, and they did not believe that a sturdy fortress could stop them. The most effective method would be to change their location every once in a while, drifting about the stars, which was also why it caused the attack today.

Xia Fei appeared to be somewhat awkward, taking big stomping strides as he swaggered to the base with a cigarette wedged between his lips, his eyes furtively observing his surroundings.

"There are about a hundred people hiding in the base, and close to three hundred hiding by a nearby mound by the foot of the mountain. There are two hundred in the river and about five hundred in the forest. That comes up to a total of 1100 Shepherdian warriors. I'm sure that those in the base are prepared to slaughter the civilians, so the real fighting force will come from all four directions, besieging from all sides."

"As long as Hyacinth returns, the base and everywhere around will break into carnage, eliminating everybody within five minutes. It's a really good play by the Shepherdians," the old demon lord remarked solemnly.

Xia Fei gave a slight nod, not once breaking his strides as he headed into the base, whistling a little tune.