Chapter 426: External Affairs Office |
The night was deep, and the autumn wind blew desolately.
Su Ming had already returned beneath the towering city walls of the Great Xing capital before dawn.
This time, he didn't pause for a moment, heading straight for the Eastern City.
Following Elder Qingquan's guidance, he navigated through a maze of intricate alleyways and finally stopped before an unremarkable courtyard gate.
The gate wasn't large; it was even somewhat worn, and a weathered wooden sign hung above it, bearing four characters painted in faded black lacquer—"Four Seas Trading Company."
There wasn't a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation here. It looked like a general store on the verge of bankruptcy, blending in with the noisy civilian residences around it, utterly unremarkable. Without Elder Qingquan's explicit directions, no one could have imagined this place was the Cloud Hidden Sect's intelligence hub in this mortal imperial capital.
Su Ming adjusted the bamboo hat on his head, smoothed out his slightly travel-worn robes, and pushed the door open, stepping inside.
The shop's interior was small, the lighting dim, and the air carried a stale smell of dust and assorted goods. The shelves held a sparse collection of local products from all corners of the land—from Southern Frontier spices to Northern furs, everything imaginable—but all were covered in a thin layer of dust, clearly indicating business wasn't thriving.
Behind the counter stood only an elderly man with white hair and a beard, hunched over, wiping a dusty clay pot with a grimy rag, moving slowly and lazily.
This old man was unmistakably a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Though he had restrained his aura to the extreme, making him almost indistinguishable from a mortal, the unique, time-honed aura of a cultivator couldn't fool Su Ming, who was also at Foundation Establishment.
"Customer, looking to buy something?"
The old man seemed to sense someone enter, looked up, and revealed a face covered in wrinkles. His eyes were cloudy, making him appear like a completely ordinary, dying mortal elder.
Su Ming didn't speak.
He walked to the counter, reached into his robe, and took out his True Disciple token, placing it gently on the counter.
It was a token made from ten-thousand-year Soul-Nourishing Wood. On its front was carved the Cloud Hidden Sect's auspicious cloud emblem, and on the back was an archaic character, "Xuan," representing his apprenticeship under Xuanheng Zhenren. Though the token itself had no spiritual energy fluctuation, its unique material and craftsmanship were impossible to counterfeit.
The moment the old man's cloudy eyes saw the token, they suddenly erupted with a dazzling, brilliant light!
The rag and clay pot in his hands clattered to the floor, but he didn't even notice. His hunched back instantly straightened, and his entire demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation. The heavy, mountain-like aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator flashed briefly, then was forcibly suppressed.
A mix of shock, excitement, and extreme reverence surged across the old man's face.
He quickly stepped out from behind the counter and bowed deeply, deeply to Su Ming.
"Zhou Tong, External Affairs Office Capital Station junior clerk, pays respects to the True Disciple!"
His voice was kept extremely low, but it trembled with barely contained emotion.
"Junior Clerk Zhou, no need for such formality." Su Ming retrieved his token and said calmly.
"Please, follow me, Milord!"
Zhou Tong dared not show any negligence. He quickly led the way, guiding Su Ming into a secret chamber in the shop's rear courtyard.
The chamber was clearly carefully arranged. Its walls were built from thick Blue Granite, faintly inscribed with soundproofing and defensive formation lines.
After closing the heavy iron door to the chamber, Zhou Tong bowed to Su Ming once more before speaking respectfully, "This old man has been stationed here for thirty years, yet this is the first time I've been honored by a True Disciple's personal visit. May I ask what orders Milord has?"
His attitude was utterly humble, but his sharp eyes were discreetly sizing Su Ming up. He was full of doubt—why would a highly esteemed True Disciple come so low-key to this mortal-world External Affairs Office?
Su Ming didn't beat around the bush. He placed the black token engraved with the character "Ming" and the secret letter recording the "Ten Thousand Soul Banner" plan on the table.
"Junior Clerk Zhou, take a look."
Then, he briefly recounted his discoveries at Black Wind Mountain, including the invulnerable Corpse Puppet Cavalry, the black-robed cultivator controlling them from behind, and the evidence obtained after killing the black-robed man.
Finally, he said solemnly, "Elder Qingquan has personally gone to the Northern Barbarian to investigate and ordered me to deliver these items to you immediately, instructing you to report to the sect at once."
Zhou Tong picked up the token and secret letter. The more he read, the more serious his expression became.
When he saw the three characters "Ten Thousand Soul Banner," his wrinkled old face turned instantly pale, drained of all color.
"Ming Abyss Sect..." Zhou Tong's voice was hoarse, and his hand holding the letter trembled slightly. "These lingering demonic remnants refuse to disperse and have set their sights on the mortal people of both nations! Refining a Ten Thousand Soul Banner with one hundred thousand living souls... What an audacious scheme! What a vicious heart!"
He abruptly looked up at Su Ming, his eyes full of fear and gratitude: "Milord, this matter is of grave importance! If you hadn't discovered and killed that fiend in time, once the Ten Thousand Soul Banner was successfully refined, not only Great Xing and the Northern Barbarian, but even the area within a thousand li of our Cloud Hidden Sect's mountain gate would have been turned into a ghostly hell!"
"This old man... will immediately report this to the sect using the highest-level 'Azure Bird Cipher'!"
As he spoke, Zhou Tong turned to activate the communication formation inside the chamber.
"Junior Clerk Zhou, please wait." Su Ming suddenly called out to stop him.
Zhou Tong turned around, puzzled: "Does Milord have further instructions?"
Su Ming paused for a moment, as if weighing something. Finally, he spoke slowly.
"Junior Clerk Zhou, Su Ming... has a request."
"Milord, please speak. If this old man can do it, I'll die to fulfill it!" Zhou Tong replied without hesitation.
Su Ming's gaze fell on the secret letter, and his eyes grew deep.
"These pieces of evidence, while being reported to the sect, could the External Affairs Office... find a way to also forward them to the current Great Xing Emperor?"
"Forward them to the Emperor?" Zhou Tong was taken aback, clearly not understanding Su Ming's intention. "Milord, this is a conflict between us cultivators. The mortal emperor... likely has no power to intervene."
"No." Su Ming shook his head, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"What I need isn't for him to intervene in the cultivators' conflict."
Su Ming paused, then spoke each word deliberately:
"Yongchang Marquis, Chen Yuan. This man, as the military commander of Great Xing, secretly colludes with evil cultivators, using the corpses of fallen soldiers as materials to refine Corpse Puppets, intending to overturn the war situation. His heart deserves death!"
"This secret letter is ironclad proof of his treason and collusion with the enemy! I need the External Affairs Office to turn this ironclad proof into a blade delivered to the Emperor's hand—a blade sharp enough to topple the Yongchang Marquis Manor in one blow!"
Zhou Tong's pupils constricted sharply. With his keen mind, he immediately grasped Su Ming's true purpose.
His thoughts raced, weighing the pros and cons.
The External Affairs Office's duty was to gather intelligence, not directly interfere in mortal court politics. But... the Yongchang Marquis was colluding with remnants of the Ming Abyss Sect, the public enemy of the entire righteous cultivation world. From that perspective, eliminating the Yongchang Marquis was equivalent to cutting off an important arm of the Ming Abyss Sect's influence in the mortal realm.
Moreover, the person making this request was a highly esteemed True Disciple, with Elder Qingquan backing him.
After only three breaths of hesitation, Zhou Tong made his decision.
He nodded firmly, a resolute glint in his eyes.
"It can be done!"
Zhou Tong said solemnly, "The External Affairs Office already has formal communication channels with the Great Xing imperial family. This old man will handle this immediately!"
He acted decisively, walking to the writing desk and taking out a special sect document. First, he transcribed a copy of the black-robed man's confession (dictated by Su Ming and recorded by him) and the secret letter's contents in a way the Emperor could understand.
Then, he solemnly stamped the document's end with the bronze seal representing the Cloud Hidden Sect's External Affairs Office authority.
"Someone!" Zhou Tong called out toward the chamber's door.
A capable middle-aged man immediately pushed open the door and entered.
"Junior Clerk."
"Deliver this document immediately, classified as 'Extreme Urgency,' into the palace tonight. Hand it personally to the eunuch on duty in the Imperial Study! No delays!"
"Yes!"
The middle-aged man took the document, asked no questions, and vanished into the night.
After finishing everything, Zhou Tong let out a long breath and turned to Su Ming. "Milord, the matter is done. As for the Northern Barbarian side, the sect will likely send a thunderous suppression soon. You may rest easy in the capital, awaiting Elder Qingquan's news. I will notify you of any further developments at the first opportunity."
Su Ming clasped his hands solemnly to Zhou Tong.
"Thank you, Junior Clerk Zhou."
With that, he put on his bamboo hat, turned, and walked out of the chamber, once again merging into the capital's night.
