Many members of the Chen clan had fallen into deep thought. 

The enemy was hidden in the shadows, while the family stood exposed in the light. Worse still, the fertile land they relied on could not be moved. And the enemy was strong—far too strong to confront directly. They would have to find another way forward.

“Clan Leader,” Chen Tianquan finally spoke after a moment’s hesitation, “I came across a strategy in a book recently.”

“Quickly, let’s hear it,” said Chen Xingzhen, turning to him with urgency in his eyes.

“This strategy is called Deceiving the Heavens to Cross the Sea. It’s one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems mentioned in the book.”

“Explain it in detail.”

“Yes, Clan Leader.” Chen Tianquan nodded. “We’ve fortified the lands around our Blood Rice fields, making it impossible for outsiders to get a clear look. That’s kept the enemy from spying on us effectively, but our people are strained, and if this goes on too long, something is bound to slip.”

“So,” he continued, “why don’t we reveal the situation ourselves?”

“What do you mean by that, Brother Tianquan?” someone asked, clearly confused.

Many clan members frowned in puzzlement. To reveal their own secrets—how was that any different from surrendering?

“That’s not it. What the enemy wants to see is the Blood Rice itself. We don’t have to reveal the truth about its recovery. We can prepare an empty patch in the fields—a decoy to mislead them.”

He paused, then added, “We’ll also need to take a few additional measures…”

As Tianquan finished, silence fell over the group. Everyone was deep in thought.

After a long pause, Chen Xingzhen finally nodded slowly. “It’s risky—but worth a try. Begin preparations as Tianquan described.”

“Yes, Clan Leader!”

…

The next day.

The Chen family made a move.

Dozens of clan members emerged from the sealed fields, solemn and silent. They carried armfuls of Blood Rice stalks, then piled them off to the side in heaps. Soon, flames roared to life—they were burning them.

This continued into the night, the flicker of fire lighting up the sky.

Villagers near Chaotic Burial Mountain saw the flames and smoke rising in the distance.

Meanwhile, the guards who once patrolled the farmland had been withdrawn, one by one. It was clear that the Chen family no longer intended to protect the fields.

The operation drew suspicion from some villagers, but none dared ask questions.

By nightfall, only a few clan members remained near the fields—where once they’d been heavily guarded.

...

“Oh? So the Chen family really did burn all of their Blood Rice?”

“It certainly looked that way. I saw it myself. The stalks were fresh, and they were clearly different from regular rice. There’s no mistaking it. They burned so much that even others around the Chaotic Burial Mountain must have noticed.”

Outside the mountain, Shi Pojing’s expression lit up with satisfaction as he listened to the report.

By his calculations, any remnants of Blood Rice should’ve rotted by now. The fact that the Chen family only began cleanup today suggested they had held on, hoping for a last-minute breakthrough.

But the report fit perfectly into his plans.

With no Blood Rice, conflict between the Chen and Zhou families was all but inevitable.

Still, Shi Pojing didn’t leave. Instead, he continued to watch the distant horizon, as if waiting for something.

Soon after, several more figures arrived. Shi Pojing’s eyes lit up as he quickly stepped forward and bowed.

“Pojing greets Elders Shi Yu and Shi Hou.”

The two elders had been personally dispatched to investigate the Chen family’s farmland. The information they carried was crucial—more reliable than any other report.

“I entered the fields myself,” said Elder Shi Yu. “The Blood Rice is gone. Completely.”

“I saw the same,” said Elder Shi Hou. “Not a single stalk left.”

With that, the last of Shi Pojing’s doubts vanished. He cupped his hands and bowed again.

“Thank you both for your efforts!”

“No need. It’s all for the good of the clan.”

After the two left, Shi Pojing turned back toward the forest, a glint of excitement flickering in his eyes.

The Blood Rice was gone. The Chaotic Burial Mountain would soon belong to the clan. And yet—he didn’t rush back. He stood quietly, eyes locked on the distance, lost in thought.

For something this important, caution was worth the delay.

It wasn’t until the third day, when a scout returned to report that the Chen family had begun planting new Blood Rice, that Shi Pojing finally turned and left for Yong’an City.

…

The situation was now set. There was no way the Chen family could grow a new crop of Blood Rice in just one month.

All the clan had to do now was wait. Once the Zhou family arrived, a spectacular scene was sure to unfold.

Shi Pojing was especially curious: what would the Zhou family’s reaction be when the Chen family failed to deliver?

More than that, without Blood Rice, the Chen clan would no longer be able to trade with the other three major families in Yong’an City for cultivation resources. Their development would slow—perhaps even stop altogether.

His own clan, meanwhile, had time. Time, and patience. In this battle, they had timing, location, and unity on their side.

Victory was certain.

…

“Clan Leader, the scouts nearby have all retreated,” a clan member reported from the fields.

Chen Qingyu added from the side, “I haven’t sensed any Innate Realm cultivators nearby.”

Chen Xingzhen exhaled deeply, his shoulders finally relaxing. Up ahead, Chen Tianquan let out a breath of his own.

It seemed the clan’s use of Deceiving the Heavens to Cross the Sea had worked.

“It’s a shame, though,” someone sighed, “we still lost quite a bit of Blood Rice.”

They looked out over the now-empty fields.

The stalks they had burned weren’t fakes. They had truly come from the clan’s own fertile land—sacrificed to fool the enemy.

To make the deception convincing, nearly a full mu of Blood Rice had been stripped. But that alone wasn’t enough. There was no way a ten-mu field could produce so few stalks.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward another patch of farmland nearby. The Blood Rice was still growing there, but the once-lush field now looked oddly barren. The plants were stripped bare, their stalks standing like skeletons.

To build up a believable pile of charred stalks, the clan had removed the leaves and stems from the still-growing plants.

It would affect the harvest, yes—but not ruin it entirely. And more importantly, it had allowed them to deceive two Innate Realm cultivators.

That was the key.

Given the strength of those two, there was no doubt they would investigate personally. That meant the clan couldn’t fake everything. Some parts had to be real.

So they cleared several patches of land. To guide the enemy’s attention there, they deployed their martial artists to other areas and had Chen Qingyu roam conspicuously nearby.

What looked like an unplanned investigation was, in fact, a carefully orchestrated performance. Of course, it had been a gamble. If the two had been determined to expose themselves and confront the Chen directly, the plan would never have worked.

But because they insisted on secrecy—on moving undetected—the clan had been given their one chance to fool them. And they had seized it.

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