“So what?” the Ghost Tiger asked, puzzled.

Even if they were high-ranking officials of the Crane Control Army, what did that have to do with the Song Emperor knowing about the miraculous uses of heart blood? It was truly perplexing.

Wei Yuzhi didn’t explain. Instead, he said, “These people are all extraordinary, and the island’s defenses are tight. If we attack to seize it, we only have a 20% chance of success. In warfare, surround the enemy with ten times their strength, attack with five times, and divide them when you have double their forces.”

He emphasized the phrase “attack with five times.”

If one’s forces are double the enemy’s, one should divide the enemy’s forces to concentrate superior strength and destroy them.

“We only need to seize the heart blood, not provoke others unnecessarily,” Wei Yuzhi said expressionlessly. “The heart blood is most likely in the hands of Mei Shisi and Mo Sigui. We only need to lure these two out and surround them.”

“How do we lure them out?” a Ghost Tiger asked.

Wei Yuzhi’s eyes reflected the rippling light on the lake, concealing the gloom in his heart.

As the behind-the-scenes manipulator within the Song Dynasty, Wei Yuzhi had always been in control, his plans never failing. Since the Crane Control Army breached the “Bright Manor” of Misty Mountain Villa, the newly enthroned Emperor of Liao had withdrawn the forces of the “Hidden Manor.”

Was he so eager to discard useful tools?

Wei Yuzhi understood the new Emperor’s nature. He wasn’t short-sighted; it wasn’t yet time to cast aside useful allies. However, no matter how much Wei Yuzhi sacrificed, he could never compare to a woman with blood ties. This was hard for him to accept.

Wei Yuzhi gritted his teeth. The lake breeze passed, making his body sway slightly.

The Ghost Tiger closest to him quickly moved forward to support his back. “Are you alright, sir?”

“Mm,” Wei Yuzhi forcibly steadied himself. “Stay in the nearby plum forest. Mo Sigui will surely leave the island to gather herbs. According to our city spies, Mei Shisi was recently seen near Pan Lou Street. I expect she’ll come out again soon. Mei Shisi’s spiritual power has reached the realm of transformation. Stay within the formation and don’t follow her out on your own, or you’ll face the consequences.”

“Yes,” all the Ghost Tigers responded in unison.

These Ghost Tigers were Yelü Huangwu’s right-hand men. They were sent to assist Wei Yuzhi in seizing the heart blood but wouldn’t obey orders unconditionally, greatly restricting Wei Yuzhi.

Wei Yuzhi was already ill, and after being severely injured by An Jiu during her kidnapping, his health had further deteriorated. He had to recuperate for a long time before he could barely manage affairs.

Victory and defeat are common in warfare, and strategists all face setbacks and mistakes. Wei Yuzhi had devoted himself entirely to Liao, all for the sake of reaching the highest position below the emperor and having his name recorded in history. Unfortunately, since the new Emperor’s ascension, his situation not only failed to improve but became even more precarious. In a moment, he suddenly felt exhausted.

Wei Yuzhi’s repeated failures at An Jiu’s hands weren’t entirely due to her exceptional abilities, but because he had never truly schemed against her from the bottom of his heart.

He found playing this game with her quite interesting.

It wasn’t until he received the Emperor’s letter, rebuking him for being distracted by romance and neglecting important state affairs, that he suddenly realized he had fallen into a dangerous game.

Clever as he was, he had long known that his feelings for her would never bear fruit, or if they did, it would be bitter fruit. He told An Jiu he “used to like her,” but truly forgetting and letting go wasn’t so easy.

In his midnight dreams, he often saw himself discovering that beauty in a pile of dead leaves… like a gift bestowed by heaven.

It was the first time in his life he had felt his heart flutter for a woman.

Now, if he wanted to be with Mei Shisi, he could only kidnap and imprison her in a dark room. But for a strategist skilled in manipulating hearts, merely obtaining a body was utterly meaningless.

Wei Yuzhi sighed. That Mei Shisi, with her unyielding nature… she would rather break than bend.

“You keep watch. I’m going back to rest,” Wei Yuzhi said, turning to leave.

Several Ghost Tigers watched his retreating figure. In the night, his robes fluttered in the wind, outlining his slender, bamboo-like form, somewhat desolate and lonely.

“Could this Master Wei be planning to sacrifice us here?” one of the Ghost Tigers suddenly said.

After all, one mountain cannot harbor two tigers. Both Wei Yuzhi and Yelü Huangwu were skilled strategists, and in the future, the position just below the Emperor would surely belong to one of them. Comparatively, Yelü Huangwu had more power in hand than Wei Yuzhi, so it would make sense for him to want to weaken his competitor. Wei Yuzhi had never hidden his aversion to them.

“No,” said the one who had been conversing with Wei Yuzhi earlier. “This matter concerns the Emperor. If anything happens to the Emperor, our lord’s situation would be precarious, and he would fare even worse.”

The Ghost Tigers fell silent, considering this reasoning sound.

They had been lying low for so many years, finally reaching the point where Yelü Huangwu could rise again. It was time for them to charge forward, and the excitement in their hearts had yet to subside.

In this world, there’s a type of person who rushes towards death yet doesn’t want to die too lightly. That kind of passion is incomprehensible to ordinary people.

The Ghost Tigers were such people. Under Yelü Huangwu, they had only two words in their hearts — loyalty!