Chapter 1271: Secret Plot
Xu Meijing departed. After a quick trip back to her villa to pack some luggage and then to Ancheng's largest Death God Temple to gather a few trusted subordinates, she left Ancheng via spatial teleportation, watched by Yang Haoran.
Their previous parting had also been in Ancheng, though that time it was Xu Meijing who saw Yang Haoran off. This time, however, it was Yang Haoran bidding farewell to Xu Meijing.
What remained the same was the deep reluctance in both their hearts, regardless of whether it was their previous separation or this current one; only their ways of expressing it differed.
Aside from this shared sentiment, they also shared one other similarity: after seeing the other off, neither left immediately, lingering for a long time before finally departing with expressions of profound reluctance.
After leaving Ancheng, Yang Haoran did not return to Lecheng; instead, he made his way back to Gu Mo City, as he intended to make some changes to the Gu Mo City Underworld Division.
As Yang Haoran was departing Ancheng, Wen Hexuan, the Guardian of the First District of Jingling Continent, Long Yan, the Guardian of the Fifth District, and Ye Xianglan, the Guardian of the Sixth District, secretly convened.
"Guardian Wen, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I truly wouldn't believe you would choose to submit to Luo Yao. Is it because he handed the most crucial First District over to you that you've forgotten your stance and, like those other three, chosen to surrender to him, Luo Yao?"
It was Long Yan who spoke, but at this moment, his face was no longer merely gloomy; it was alight with fury, a fury directed squarely at Wen Hexuan.
Now, with only the three of them present and Luo Yao absent, Long Yan no longer forcibly held back his inner fire, finally allowing his rage to show on his face. However, the target of his wrath was now Wen Hexuan.
Facing Long Yan's furious interrogation, Wen Hexuan remained expressionless. He sat in his chair, one hand gripping his walking stick, the other raising a teacup, as if he hadn't heard Long Yan's voice or sensed the fury currently raging within him.
Long Yan's heart was already brimming with anger, and seeing Wen Hexuan choose silence, his fury intensified even further in that moment.
"What is that Luo Yao anyway? Among the nine of us then, he was the Guardian for the shortest time. On what grounds does he rule us now? Guardian Ye and I trusted you so completely, even thinking of helping you reclaim the Emperor's position, yet you chose to submit to him, Luo Yao. I truly look down on you!"
The fury in Long Yan's heart made him completely disregard his words. In that moment, he only wanted to unleash all his pent-up rage, not caring in the least what impact his words might have if they were to get out. He simply wanted to express his truest thoughts and his most authentic anger.
Wen Hexuan set down his teacup and turned his gaze to the furious Long Yan. This time, he did not remain silent.
"Though Luo Yao has been a Guardian for a shorter time than any of the nine of us, it is he, not I, who has successfully seized the position of Emperor. The winner is king, the loser is bandit; we must accept reality."
Wen Hexuan responded calmly, his face serene, making it impossible to discern his inner emotions from his expression. The "nine" he referred to were naturally the nine Guardians who had once served Jingling Continent, including himself, and of course, the two who had fallen in battle.
"Heh, hahahaha, what a splendid 'winner is king, loser is bandit'! If I had known you'd surrender so quickly, Guardian Ye and I shouldn't have helped you. Now Guardian Ye and I are riding a tiger, unable to dismount, and we might well die at Luo Yao's hands any day!"
Long Yan laughed in furious scorn. Wen Hexuan, however, frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure showing on his face.
Initially, when the seven Guardians contended for the position of Emperor, there was no notion of one helping another, nor would anyone have helped anyone else. Without exception, all seven desired to ascend to the Emperor's throne and become the new Jingling Great Emperor. For this, they all paid an enormous price, even losing many of their trusted subordinates. Ultimately, however, it was Luo Yao who successfully claimed the Emperor's position, leaving the other six as the vanquished.
After Luo Yao ascended to the Emperor's throne, the six naturally felt resentful. Their refusal to submit to Luo Yao's rule was secondary; primarily, none of them wanted to accept this reality and still yearned to reclaim the imperial position from Luo Yao's hands. Wen Hexuan and the other two were naturally no exception.
After a period of open and secret struggles, the six realized that Luo Yao's strength had significantly increased after becoming Emperor, and he was no longer someone any one of them could confront alone. Therefore, wresting the Emperor's position back from Luo Yao's grasp had become exceedingly difficult.
Consequently, some among the six chose to accept reality and acknowledged Luo Yao as Emperor, knowing that continuing to fight him would only lead to their own detriment.
With the first person's submission, a second and then a third quickly followed. However, Wen Hexuan, Long Yan, and Ye Xianglan still refused to acknowledge Luo Yao as Emperor.
Thus, after a discussion, the three decided to unite against Luo Yao. By combining their strengths, the possibility of reclaiming the Emperor's position from Luo Yao's hands would be greater, certainly better than facing Luo Yao alone.
Among the three, Wen Hexuan was the strongest and most senior, so Long Yan and Ye Xianglan gave up their contention for the Emperor's position, deciding to help Wen Hexuan. In their view, if Wen Hexuan were to sit on the Emperor's throne, they would have no objections; at the very least, they believed Wen Hexuan was more qualified than Luo Yao to become the new Jingling Great Emperor.
Of course, if Long Yan and Ye Xianglan succeeded in helping Wen Hexuan seize the Emperor's position, they too would need to claim a share of the spoils. This was their agreement, and it was precisely this enticing prospect of gain that motivated them to assist Wen Hexuan.
However, now Wen Hexuan had chosen to submit in front of the other Guardians, which meant their recently formed alliance had disintegrated. Not only had they failed to depose Luo Yao from the imperial throne, but they were now highly likely to face Luo Yao's retaliation in the future. Long Yan was therefore extremely angry, feeling that Wen Hexuan had betrayed him and Ye Xianglan.
As for why Wen Hexuan's face showed displeasure at this moment, it was because Long Yan had pushed all the responsibility onto him. Whether it was their initial individual resistance against Luo Yao or their subsequent joint efforts, it had all been voluntary; no one had forced anyone. Yet, now Long Yan felt it was all Wen Hexuan's fault, and naturally, Wen Hexuan was not pleased.
However, he could understand Long Yan's mood, and Long Yan's worries were not entirely groundless. Therefore, he did not intend to argue with Long Yan, but he felt he should express some of his own thoughts to the two of them, lest Long Yan do something extreme.
"I think it would be best if you sat down and calmed yourself first. In your current state, I fear nothing I say will get through to you."
Wen Hexuan said, frowning as he offered his warning, but Long Yan completely disregarded his advice.
"Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down? Things have come to this point; the water has reached our necks, and you tell me to calm down?"
Long Yan demanded of Wen Hexuan. After saying this, he immediately continued,
"Guardian Ye and I, well, there's no need to mention us. We publicly shamed Luo Yao in front of tens of thousands of people on the day of the martial arts competition. Plus, he already knew that Guardian Ye and I didn't want to obey his rule and were highly resistant to him. It's a certainty that he'll make things difficult for Guardian Ye and me in the future. But don't you dare think that your submission to him means all your troubles are over. When we resisted him, you, Wen Hexuan, were just as involved. Do you really think he'll easily believe your submission?"
Long Yan's words made Wen Hexuan's brows furrow even deeper, and even Ye Xianglan, who had remained silent, now wore a troubled expression.
"I understand all the points you're making," Wen Hexuan said calmly, "and I certainly haven't forgotten how the two of you became Guardians."
His words caused Ye Xianglan's expression to shift again, and Long Yan's emotions grew even more agitated because of them.
Long Yan and Ye Xianglan had become Guardians because the previous Jingling Great Emperor had spent a long time systematically removing Guardians who were not his trusted subordinates, which then created opportunities for the two of them to rise. Not just them, but Luo Yao himself had also risen in the same manner.
This matter was deeply etched in the memories of Long Yan, Ye Xianglan, and even the current Jingling Great Emperor Luo Yao; they would absolutely never forget it.
"Since you understand the reasoning, and haven't forgotten how Guardian Ye and I became Guardians, then you should be perfectly clear that even if you choose to submit to Luo Yao, you won't have a good outcome in the end. He won't trust you! " Long Yan declared, his face seething with anger. Wen Hexuan's expression turned grim, then he countered Long Yan,
"Then tell me, in that situation, if I didn't choose to submit, what else could I have done? Confront him head-on?"
The anger in Long Yan's heart had long since consumed most of his reason, so he responded to Wen Hexuan's counter-question without a moment's thought.
"What's wrong with confronting him head-on? Can't we just go head-to-head with Luo Yao? Do you really consider him an Emperor now?"
Wen Hexuan shook his head, speechless, and even Ye Xianglan, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"Guardian Long, you really should sit down and calm yourself, because your mind isn't thinking straight right now."
It wasn't Wen Hexuan who spoke, but Ye Xianglan, who had been silent all this time. The moment Long Yan heard Ye Xianglan's words, he instantly turned his gaze to her, his anger on his face not diminishing but increasing. His hostility had initially been aimed at Wen Hexuan, but because of Ye Xianglan's comment, his target immediately shifted to her.
"What do you mean by that? " Long Yan's tone was extremely unfriendly, but Ye Xianglan's expression remained unchanged, as if she hadn't felt Long Yan's anger at all.
"That day, you and I were severely wounded, and Guardian Wen's injuries were even more serious than ours. In such a situation, what else could Guardian Wen have done but compromise? Do you truly suggest going head-to-head with Luo Yao, as you said? What's the difference between that approach and seeking death? In that situation, what could Guardian Wen have used to confront Luo Yao? Even if you and I were added, we would still not be Luo Yao's opponents; we would merely add two more corpses. Even a child understands this principle, yet you don't. Tell me, shouldn't you calm down now?"
Ye Xianglan's series of rhetorical questions directly stunned Long Yan. The previously furious Long Yan was momentarily at a loss for how to retort to Ye Xianglan. Finally, he let out a cold snort and sullenly returned to his seat.
"Guardian Ye is right," Wen Hexuan said. "In that situation, if I had gone head-to-head with Luo Yao, there would have been only one outcome: a dead end. I wouldn't do such a foolish thing, so I could only choose to submit. However, choosing to submit is merely a stopgap measure. Of course, I won't submit willingly, even if he has given me the First District; that's no exception."
Wen Hexuan's words, though they made Long Yan frown, significantly reduced the anger on his face compared to before. After a slight pause, Wen Hexuan looked at Long Yan and continued,
"Just now, you were indeed blinded by your anger and lacked reason, but your words weren't entirely baseless. You're right; even if I chose to submit, Luo Yao might not necessarily let me go. In my view, his making me the Guardian of the First District was merely to temporarily stabilize me. Currently, our Jingling Continent Underworld Division is the weakest among all the Underworld Divisions. I understand this, and I believe Luo Yao understands it too. He needs my strength, and he also needs the strength of the two of you. So, even if he knows that the three of us don't acknowledge him as Emperor, he merely gave us a warning, without directly taking our lives."
At this point, Wen Hexuan picked up his teacup and took a small sip. After setting it down, he sighed, then continued,
"With the world in chaos and Spirit Masters rising, our Jingling Continent Underworld Division's strength has been greatly diminished. In such circumstances, Luo Yao will certainly utilize the power of the three of us, so for now, he shouldn't do anything to us. However, just because Luo Yao hasn't taken our lives now doesn't mean he won't take them in the future. Once the Spirit Master problem is resolved, we will have no further use, and that will be our death knell. If we continue to resist him at every turn as before, then perhaps we won't even wait until the Spirit Master problem is resolved before the three of us are eliminated by Luo Yao. The struggle for power is often this cruel, even more so. It's the same everywhere; wherever there's a struggle for power, such things will happen."
Previously, Long Yan had thought that Wen Hexuan hadn't considered anything, choosing to submit to Luo Yao simply to preserve his life, which had made him extremely angry.
However, now that he had sat down and calmed himself somewhat, his mind was no longer consumed entirely by rage, and a measure of reason had returned. Thus, after hearing Wen Hexuan's explanation, he realized that Wen Hexuan had actually considered more than he had.
"Then what do you think we should do now? Should we follow Luo Yao's arrangements or something else? I'll listen to you."
Long Yan took a deep breath, then asked Wen Hexuan.
Ye Xianglan did not ask, as she was far more clear-headed than Long Yan. The question Long Yan had posed had already been answered in Wen Hexuan's earlier words, so there was no need for her to ask again.
"What we need to do now is not openly defy Luo Yao, and instead follow his arrangements, making him believe that we have truly decided to submit to him."
No sooner had Wen Hexuan's words fallen than Long Yan's expression turned grim. He was about to speak when Wen Hexuan stopped him with a wave of his hand.
"Don't be so quick to refute. First, understand what I mean by this, think it through carefully, and then it won't be too late to speak."
Having said this, Wen Hexuan helplessly shook his head and continued,
"Never mind. You're completely out of sorts right now. If I let you think about it, I'm worried you won't just misunderstand but might even misinterpret it completely. So, I'd better be more direct with you. My 'submission' is merely superficial. Obeying Luo Yao's management, following Luo Yao's arrangements—all of this is just on the surface. The purpose of doing this is to gain Luo Yao's trust so that he won't move against the three of us for the time being. As for the three of us, we can use this period to recuperate and gather strength, waiting for the opportune moment to strike again and stake our lives on reclaiming the Emperor's position from Luo Yao's hands. If conditions permit, we can even try to create opportunities; merely waiting will only make us passive, and we might not even get a suitable chance!"
Wen Hexuan's words revealed his thoughts to Long Yan and Ye Xianglan without any reservations, but after hearing Wen Hexuan's speech, their reactions were not the same.
Ye Xianglan's brows were tightly furrowed, and a hint of worry appeared on her face. Long Yan's reaction, however, was the exact opposite of Ye Xianglan's; not only did he show no worry, but his eyes lit up, and a touch of excitement appeared on his face.
Wen Hexuan's gaze swept over the two of them, taking in their expressions and reactions. Although their reactions differed, it was not beyond his expectation, for he understood their personalities.
In Wen Hexuan's view, the reason for Long Yan's slight excitement was that his idea perfectly aligned with the outcome Long Yan desired in his heart, which was why Long Yan displayed such an expression.
As for why Ye Xianglan's face showed worry, in Wen Hexuan's estimation, Ye Xianglan must have felt that this approach was too risky, hence the concern in her heart.
Wen Hexuan did not concern himself with Long Yan; he fixed his gaze on Ye Xianglan and then spoke.
"Guardian Ye, our current situation leaves us with no retreat. Therefore, we have no choice; we must do this. Of course, you needn't regret your past actions. From the moment Luo Yao became Emperor, whether we resisted or not, Luo Yao would have cleared us out. Because we are not his trusted subordinates, he would certainly appoint his own cronies as Guardians, so our removal was inevitable. If we resist, we still have a glimmer of hope, but if we don't resist, then we will have no hope at all!"
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