Chapter 138: They'll Find Out |
Hearing this, Wu Shang's brow furrowed deeply as he said with puzzlement, "Could it be that there are other factions at court also planning to move against Falling God Peak in secret?"
However, Hu Rui'an shook his head once more, saying, "That possibility is extremely small. Although the various institutions of the court operate independently and their activities sometimes overlap, when it comes to a colossus of the martial world like Falling God Peak, they would absolutely coordinate with each other in advance. There is simply no way they would redundantly expend enormous resources doing the same thing twice."
What Hu Rui'an had said was already quite clear in its implications. It meant that Six Doors and the Hidden Intelligence Bureau were most likely in the same position as the Tianjin Guards, each quietly harboring plans of their own targeting one or more of the four great sects of the martial world. Only the target was absolutely not Falling God Peak.
At this point, Cao Gaoshan thought for a moment, his gaze drifting toward the half jade pendant in Hu Rui'an's hand, and said, "I think working this out is actually quite simple. According to what the White Sand Gang leader said, the Alliance Under Heaven was the one that instructed them to seize the pendant, so this matter is clearly connected to the Alliance Under Heaven. Add to that the fact that the courier was a court operative, and if we investigate which faction at court is planning something against the Alliance Under Heaven, we'd know which faction the courier belonged to."
Hu Rui'an looked at him, but still shook his head, saying, "That approach sounds workable, but the Alliance Under Heaven is the most complex martial world force in all of Great Li, having absorbed a great many sects and factions of every size. Perhaps that courier was embedded in some small sect that later joined the Alliance Under Heaven. Or perhaps the Alliance Under Heaven simply stumbled upon the courier's secret by chance and moved to seize the jade pendant map. There are too many possible explanations, and it would be very difficult to investigate at short notice."
Just at that moment, Li Musheng swept a glance over Hu Rui'an and the others, and suddenly raised an eyebrow and waved a hand, saying, "What are all of you going on about? Does the matter of the jade pendant really call for this much agonizing? And what does any of it have to do with us?"
As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on Hu Rui'an and asked, "Commissioner Hu, why don't you answer me two questions? First, does Falling God Peak need to be exterminated? Second, will the Tianjin Guards' plan for Falling God Peak be called off on account of a single line from some courier?"
Hearing this, Hu Rui'an's brow furrowed, and he was silent for a moment.
In the end, he set down the jade pendant in his hand and gave a gentle nod, saying, "Your Highness speaks correctly. There may be other circumstances behind the courier's matter, but for the Tianjin Guards in our current position, it is something we neither need nor are able to consider."
The man had only recently had his identity acknowledged as a prince, yet had maintained an air of complete nonchalance throughout this journey to Falling God Peak, which was likely to be a matter of life and death. That had already struck him as remarkable.
And now, the man's clean and decisive way of cutting straight to the point without the slightest dragging of feet gave him a somewhat different impression of him than before.
Even so, the doubts he harbored about Li Musheng had not diminished in the slightest.
At this point, Wu Shang and the others also snapped back to their senses from Li Musheng's questions, realizing that although there was something suspicious about the situation before them, they had clearly been overthinking it.
There was in truth only one thing in front of them right now, and that was the extermination of Falling God Peak. Everything beyond that was genuinely not worth dwelling on.
"I'll hold on to this half jade pendant for now. The half map on it can be cross-referenced against the Tianjin Guards' own map, and it may prove of some use when we move against Falling God Peak."
Hu Rui'an said this as he picked the pendant back up, having had no intention of sending it back to the capital from beginning to end.
Wu Shang and the others all nodded in agreement, finding nothing at all problematic about that.
After all, under the current circumstances, anything that could be of use in exterminating Falling God Peak was something they considered well worth having.
Li Musheng observed all of this without interest. Such things were of no value to him whatsoever.
At this moment, Murong Xiaoya, who had been sitting at the table throughout like an invisible presence without saying a single word, seemed to have been wrestling with something for quite a while before finally summoning up the courage to look toward Li Musheng and say in a quiet voice, "Um... Your Highness, I have a question I have been very puzzled by and would like to ask you."
Hearing this, Li Musheng looked at the shy young woman opposite. She spoke so quietly it was barely above a whisper, and he had nearly missed it entirely.
Even so, despite Murong Xiaoya looking like someone who could be easily pushed around, he did not ignore her, and gave a light nod, saying, "Go ahead and ask, Miss Murong."
Hearing this, a flush rose in Murong Xiaoya's cheeks. She shot a glance at Shangguan Qingqing outside the True Qi barrier, pressed her lips together, and said, "What puzzles me is this. Why does that young lady refer to Your Highness as the number one under heaven? Is there some particular reason behind it?"
Hearing this, Hu Rui'an and the others all shifted their gazes at once to look toward Li Musheng.
This was, in truth, a question they had all been deeply curious about. It was simply that their positions made it awkward for them to ask Li Musheng directly.
Now that Murong Xiaoya had put the question into words, she had given voice to the doubt buried in all their hearts.
Just as the group waited for Li Musheng's answer, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow and said, "Miss Murong still has some room to improve in the art of asking questions. Let me put it this way, is there not a possibility that the reason Miss Qingqing calls me the number one under heaven is simply because I am?"
The moment those words fell, everyone including Murong Xiaoya and Hu Rui'an was briefly taken aback.
Coming back to her senses, Murong Xiaoya studied Li Musheng for a moment, then shrank her neck down and quickly lowered her head.
Yet in the instant she looked away, a flash of deeply peculiar surprise and uncertainty passed through her eyes.
Hu Rui'an gave a quiet cough, then withdrew the True Qi barrier around them and turned to Wu Shang, saying, "Ah... go hurry the waiter along. Have the food and drink brought up as soon as possible, so we can eat, rest, and get back on the road."
Wu Shang agreed at once, stole a glance at Li Musheng, and quickly took his leave.
Cao Gaoshan said nothing. His gaze rested on Li Musheng's figure, and into his mind rose the image of that single, world-shaking slash that had split the main street of Shangyang City on a rainy night.
Before long, a thought rose unbidden in his heart, thinking, "Could it have been His Highness himself who made that move?"
He had always assumed that behind Li Musheng stood a martial expert so formidable that even he could not detect their presence. Yet just now, for reasons he could not quite explain, this conviction had begun to waver.
"Your Highness, was the intelligence my senior brother provided of any use?"
Once the True Qi barrier was withdrawn, Shangguan Qingqing immediately leaned in and asked Li Musheng quietly.
Hearing this, Li Musheng narrowed his eyes slightly, cast a glance at Hu Rui'an and the others, and said, "It was of some use."
With that, Li Musheng turned to look at the spirited Shangguan Qingqing before him and gave a slow nod.
His little admirer truly had a keen pair of eyes, and always managed to provide him with the kind of spirited interaction he wanted. The others were, in the end, just a touch lacking in that regard.
With that thought, Li Musheng could not be bothered to pay any further attention to Hu Rui'an and the others, and turned to chat warmly with Shangguan Qingqing instead.
Qin Hao behind them, watching this unfold, felt his brow crease ever deeper. In his estimation, his junior sister might not be bewitched after all.
But the delighted, fervent, and admiring way she looked at Li Musheng made him strongly suspect there was something rather improper going on between the two of them.
"Junior Sister has truly grown up on this trip away from home. Clearly fallen head over heels, yet brushing me off with this 'number one under heaven' business. What a painfully transparent effort to hide it."
Qin Hao's eye twitched, and preferring not to see any more of it, he bid his farewells with a bow and went back downstairs to the stone-paved street to take care of the loose ends.
"Your Highness, I am truly so fortunate to have run into you again this quickly."
Shangguan Qingqing was in high spirits, and once the food and drink arrived, she picked up a wine jar, drank first as a gesture of respect, and proceeded to down three large bowls of strong spirits in one sweeping go.
Li Musheng narrowed his eyes with an approving look and gave her a thumbs up, then asked, "What are your plans next, Miss Qingqing?"
"I plan to help my senior brother wipe out the White Sand Gang, then head back to the sect and prepare for a decisive battle with the Alliance Under Heaven."
Shangguan Qingqing's high ponytail bounced lightly as she spoke with breezy confidence.
Hearing this, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow and asked with some skepticism, "Do the people in your Tianhe Blade Sect know you're planning to go to war with the Alliance Under Heaven?"
Shangguan Qingqing waved a hand and said, "They definitely don't know yet. But once my senior brother and I go back and tell them, they will."
Hearing this, Li Musheng's eyelid twitched, and he looked at the spirited young woman before him with a peculiar expression as she gave a small wine-induced burp.
The people of the Tianhe Blade Sect could only say that having these two as disciples was karmic debt from a past life, and a calamity fated for this one.
With that thought, Li Musheng rubbed his chin, then turned to Shangguan Qingqing and said, "If the Alliance Under Heaven ever does come after your Tianhe Blade Sect, Miss Qingqing, and you find you absolutely cannot hold out against them, just say that you have already joined the Tianjin Guards. The Alliance Under Heaven may think twice about making a move at that point."
Hearing this, Shangguan Qingqing blinked, clearly not quite understanding what Li Musheng meant.
After all, for a behemoth of the martial world like the Alliance Under Heaven, deciding to wipe out a martial sect was something the Great Li imperial court had no power to stop, and the mere name of the Great Li Tianjin Guards would naturally be of no concern to them at all.
Even so, Li Musheng offered no explanation. Instead, he turned to Hu Rui'an and obtained a Tianjin Guards seal token, then handed it casually to Shangguan Qingqing to keep.
What had happened in the town today was naturally impossible to keep quiet, but even if the Alliance Under Heaven wanted to move against the Tianhe Blade Sect, it would still take time.
And by then, he and the Tianjin Guards should already have exterminated Falling God Peak.
Once that news spread, even an organization as brazen as the Alliance Under Heaven would have to think very carefully about the cost of provoking the Tianjin Guards.
Seeing this, Shangguan Qingqing asked nothing further and happily stowed the seal token away. Whatever use it might or might not have, something given to her by the future number one under heaven in the way of the blade was naturally something she would treasure carefully.
...
As is always the way, the time together passed quickly, and after eating and drinking their fill, Shangguan Qingqing, that most devoted of little admirers, parted from Li Musheng with considerable reluctance.
She still had to go with her senior brother and wipe out the White Sand Gang, after all.
Qin Hao, for his part, had been quite unwilling to pull apart two people he had taken to be a pair of lovers in the full bloom of their feelings. But Shangguan Qingqing was worried he could not handle the White Sand Gang alone and insisted on coming along.
Li Musheng gave a wave as he watched the two of them ride off into the distance.
From here it was back to the dull and tedious business of making road, though thankfully there was still the project of reworking the Azure Dragon Profound Darkness Scripture to pass the time. At least he would not be too thoroughly bored.
After resting at the inn for a while, Hu Rui'an and the others mounted their horses, boarded the carriage, and continued on the road.
The carriage still held the same three passengers, Li Musheng, Hu Rui'an, and Murong Xiaoya, and things remained much as before, with almost no conversation among them.
Even so, Li Musheng did notice that Murong Xiaoya had subtly changed from before and was now stealing glances at him from time to time throughout the journey.
Seeing this, Li Musheng chose not to point it out, and simply let out a quiet sigh, rubbing his chin.
Just as I knew it would be. A man of my looks, no matter how briefly a young woman manages to resist, will inevitably find her defenses crumbling given enough time. It simply cannot be helped, nor avoided.
...
And so, Li Musheng and his companions made their way toward Lan Province without incident, another day passing on the road.
In the early hours before dawn of the following day, at the yin hour.
Shangyang City lay in total darkness, but one ordinary carriage slipped silently away, evading every watchful eye, and quietly departed the Great Li capital.
Fu Qiwen sat within the carriage, lifted the curtain, and through the deep darkness of the night looked back at Shangyang City lying behind him like a great and towering beast at rest.
His deeply lined face was silent for a long while, and in his heart a wave of profound feeling rose and crested. In the end, he could not help but let out a quiet sigh, saying, "I can only hope there will be a day I am able to return."
Then he turned back to face forward, and did not look behind him again.
From this moment on, whether it was the matter of the Third Prince Li Zhu or all the affairs of the Tianjin Guards in Shangyang City, none of it had anything more to do with him.
His one and only purpose now was to exterminate Falling God Peak.
...
Not long after Fu Qiwen's departure, inside the Tianjin Guards headquarters, Zeng Hai, haggard and hollow-eyed, jolted suddenly awake from a half-conscious stupor.
He then scrambled to look beneath his own bed, and upon seeing the pale corpse there, which had already begun to emit a faint smell, he reached back and felt the cold sweat soaking through his clothes, then let out a long, heavy breath of relief.
He had just had a nightmare. In it, Li Zhu's corpse had gone missing, and a mob of people had come storming to his door, saying with vicious fury that he was the killer of the Third Prince.
No matter how desperately he explained, no one listened, and he was dragged away to be executed by a thousand cuts.
These nightmares had plagued him almost every time he fell asleep in recent days, varying only in the manner of death, though every version was equally horrific.
Just then, Zeng Hai's palm touched something like a slip of paper. He quickly picked it up, then held it up to the dim moonlight coming through the window to read it.
On the paper was a single line of writing, and in an instant his entire body surged with excitement he could barely contain, and he very nearly cried out, saying, "Commander Fu has finally left. I can finally get rid of this wretched corpse."
The next moment, he lunged headlong under his bed, pinched his nose, and dragged Li Zhu's body out.
For these past days Zeng Hai had been living alongside the corpse at every hour to prevent it from being discovered, and the invisible pressure of constant fright and dread had very nearly driven him to the edge of madness.
He could not wait to be rid of the body this instant, as though only by doing so could he fully sever any connection between himself and the Third Prince's death.
On the empty, cold streets under the night curfew, Zeng Hai carried Li Zhu's body wrapped in a bed sheet, slipped carefully out of the Tianjin Guards headquarters, and made straight for the Third Prince's residence.
Before long, he peered out from the darkness of a black alley and saw that the residence ahead was blazing with light at every window, with guards even patrolling at the gate.
Seeing this, Zeng Hai was so startled he nearly jumped out of his skin. He gritted his teeth, and in the end simply dumped the body right there in the alley, then turned and ran for his life without looking back.