The sage was determined to die.

Their breaths were hot, and their burning gazes revealed both a hint of worry and an inscrutable excitement.

Seeing everyone's reaction, and under Ji Bai's piercing gaze, Yan Ming shouted, "You're trying to drag us down with you!"

"What do you mean, 'go into the water'? I can't swim."

Ji Bai shrugged and began to habitually lie through his teeth. He looked around at everyone and said, "It's just about sharing the risk."

He picked up a stone from the ground, crushed it casually, and said to the crowd, "It's easy to crush a single stone, but there are stones all over the ground. We can't crush them all, can we?"

His straightforward example made everyone understand his implied meaning.

"But then again," someone said timidly, hesitatingly, "even if we obtain the Literary Heart, we still won't be able to use it, will we?"

Seeing that everyone tacitly accepted his statement, Ji Bai looked at the speaker, confirmed that he did not recognize the person's face, and could only nod, affirming:

"Of course, we can't have all the good things."

"But Brother Ji," Gongsun Yang said, seeing that the time was right, "if this Wenxin is exceptionally powerful, and those people find out that this was your idea, won't you be in trouble...?"

As soon as he said this, everyone secretly rolled their eyes. The traitor's words seemed to be out of concern for Ji Bai, but in reality, he was trying to cover for the other side.

Upon hearing this, Ji Bai's face showed a troubled and struggling expression, and he said with difficulty, "Sigh, maybe this is the price of doing good deeds..."

As he spoke, he gave Yan Ming a meaningful look, which immediately reminded Yan Ming of the words Ji Bai had used to coerce and entice him.

"Ji Bai, you're still too kind. It's fine if you're kind, but you can't drag us down with you, can you?"

Yan Ming straightened his face, his flamboyant features swaying between anger and rage. He put his hands on his hips, striking an arrogant pose: "I have to take care of this matter. How about this, since everyone has benefited, let's make a solemn oath here and now."

As he spoke, he touched his cuff, took out the strip of cloth that Ji Bai had just given him, picked it up and looked at it; it was covered with writing.

Yan Ming's lips curled into a sneer as he forced everyone to swear a solemn oath: "Each of you will swear an oath to me that if anyone dares to reveal what happened today, you, your parents and relatives, your country, and everything and everyone you care about will be plagued by illness, shattered to pieces, and eternally condemned to hell..."

He uttered a long curse that made everyone gasp. Everyone knew perfectly well that the vow made in the mountain of books would come true. They just didn't expect that Yan Ming, who looked respectable, would say such vile and comprehensive things.

Someone couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Cursing yourself is one thing, but dragging your whole family into it is just too much!"

No sooner had the man finished speaking than Yan Ming glared at him menacingly. He sneered, "What, you want to leak secrets? Aren't you worried I'll kill you right now? Fine, after all, only the dead can keep secrets..."

"Is this really necessary?" Ji Bai frowned, seemingly trying to dissuade him. "I actually trust the character of everyone here."

Yan Ming: "..."

Upon hearing this, even a fool could realize that Ji Bai had instructed them to do all of this.

And then, belatedly realizing that the other person's action of picking up the pebble earlier was a threat, I now understand.

Threaten them, crushing them is as easy as crushing a pebble.