Chapter 158: The Conspiracy
Chapter 158: The Conspiracy
In the 1428th year of the Grand Proclamation Era, on the ninth day of the first month.
For the commoners of Yu City, this was an ordinary day, the ninth day after the Lunar New Year. The bitter winter cold persisted, and families rarely ventured outdoors, all staying indoors to keep warm.
This winter wasn't as harsh as the previous one; there hadn't been any 'Great Snow' phenomena, and there wasn't much wind or snow. Some elders worried that a year without heavy snowfall might bring worse times.
Compared to the millions of commoners in Yu City, the slightly higher-ranking powers felt a change in the atmosphere on this day, a sense of tension amidst the winter chill, as if something ominous was about to happen.
Many personnel had been reassigned, including several Chief Officers of the City Defense Bureau in the four directions, the Prefects of the Inner City, various Hall Prefects, and even many staff from the Inspector Bureau. Even the major families had been forced to contribute some of their forces.
Inner City.
He Family.
In the luxurious main hall at the center of the He family compound.
At this moment, only He Zhengya, leaning on a cane, and a shadowy figure in a mystic robe stood there casually.
"Yan Jingqing has already left."
"He really left Chen Mu in Yu City."
The shadowy figure spoke with a faint tone.
He Zhengya's voice was deep and low, "But Prefect Yan also took away many of our He family's forces."
Yan Jingqing's departure to the Purple Mist Mountain Range, leaving Chen Mu in Yu City, didn't seem like an unexpected move. After all, the Purple Mist Mountain Range was far from Yu City, and the battle there might not be resolved in just a day or two. Given Yan Jingqing's high regard for Chen Mu, it made sense to leave Chen Mu in Yu City to coordinate matters.
Indeed, Chen Mu's situation was special; he possessed excellent innate talent and needed time to grow. Sending him to the front lines in the Purple Mist Mountain Range would be pointless. Instead, it would be more suitable to send figures like Xue Huai Kong and He Wuyou.
Furthermore, the elder of the Yu family, Yu Jiujiang, was indeed too old.
Even if Yan Jingqing wanted to mobilize all forces and control the situation as much as possible, he couldn't mobilize Yu Jiujiang due to various reasons.
With He Wuyou, Xue Huai Kong, Xie Changfeng, and other key figures from major families reassigned, leaving Chen Mu in Yu City to coordinate matters was a suitable decision. With Yu Jiujiang present, the safety of the city was assured, and there was also Meng Tianzhang in the Inner City, so there wouldn't be any unrest.
"Haha, with He Wuyou absent, you dare not make a move against him."
The shadowy figure's tone carried a hint of mockery.
He Zhengya spoke with a heavy voice, "The elder of the Yu family still possesses the strength of the Five Viscera Realm. Even if the Ancestor predicts he can't act many times, with the Ancestor absent, no matter how many forces we have, we can't do anything about it."
"Moreover, Chen Mu is a very cautious and cunning person. Although he has displayed the Bone Forging Realm and two Intention Realms, who can guarantee that this is the extent of his power?"
"Without any certainty... Our He family and the Yu family have deep-rooted grudges, but the Seven Mysteries Sect stands between us. At worst, we can bow to the Yu family, and with the Ancestor's connections, we won't face the fate of total annihilation."
He Zhengya stared at the shadowy figure as he spoke slowly.
With Chen Mu gaining Yan Jingqing's favor and possessing exceptional innate talent, the He family was indeed pushed to the brink, forced to watch their rise step by step, unable to curb their growth. In the future, the He family would undoubtedly face immense challenges.
However, the issue was that Chen Mu was now a Prefect of the Inspector Bureau, a position vastly different from before. Even with the Purple Mist Mountain Range incident forcing Yan Jingqing to personally intervene, if the He family took this opportunity to eliminate Chen Mu, they would still face the wrath of Yan Jingqing, leading to the downfall of the He family.
Moreover, Yan Jingqing had reassigned He Wuyou and many elite members of the He family, including members from the Xue and Xie families, while leaving most of the Yu family untouched.
He Zhengya's tone carried a hint of resignation, as if he had accepted his fate and was ready to submit to the Yu family, no longer resisting.
The shadowy figure fixed his gaze on He Zhengya, examining him for a moment.
Finally, the figure shook his hand, throwing an object onto the table—a jade-like arrowhead with a vivid red liquid flowing within, like blood.
"Haha, whether we fight or not, death is certain. I don't believe your He family will truly accept your fate. As the saying goes, even in the face of heavenly tribulations, there's always a glimmer of hope... I'll give you that glimmer."
"This Blood Fury Arrow is made from the heart blood of the sixth-rank demonic creature, Inferno Vine. Below the Five Viscera Realm, touching it is certain death. Even a Five Viscera Realm cultivator, caught off guard, can be injured by it."
"As for Yu Jiujiang and Meng Tianzhang, you need not concern yourselves with them."
"Killing Chen Mu and destroying the Yu family is the condition for your He family to pledge allegiance to the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion. From then on, your He family will follow the orders of the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, and you need not fear Yan Jingqing, as we will deal with him."
The shadowy figure spoke with a calm tone.
He Zhengya, whose eyes had been filled with desolation, suddenly changed. He picked up the jade arrowhead with its vivid red liquid from the table, and his entire demeanor transformed into a deep and somber state.
"A word is as good as a promise?"
The Mystic Mechanism Pavilion wanted to absorb the Hao family, forcing them to submit. For the Hao family, this was undoubtedly a risky move, as it meant being directly entangled in the conflict between the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion and the Seven Mysteries Sect, two major factions.
While the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion was undoubtedly a formidable power, not inferior to the Seven Mysteries Sect, the Hao family was far too fragile in comparison. A slight misstep could lead to their utter destruction.
But now, Chen Mu's rise had pushed the Hao family to the brink. This young man, Chen Mu, was so talented that even when Hao Wuyou was still alive, the Hao family could barely hold their ground. Once Hao Wuyou reached old age and his strength waned, the Hao family faced the same fate as the Virtuous Maiden—extinction!
The Mystic Mechanism Pavilion saw this vulnerability and decided to intervene. They could either completely absorb the Hao family's power or, at the very least, allow the Yu family to annihilate them, which wouldn't be much of a loss.
As for the Seven Mysteries Sect's reaction...
The Mystic Mechanism Pavilion didn't make a big show of involving their sect's upper echelons, nor did they personally take part in the killing. The Hao family, members of the Seven Mysteries Sect, were the ones who did the killing. Even if the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion had instigated and interfered to some extent, conflicts in the martial world were never a simple family affair.
"The Mystic Mechanism Pavilion keeps its word."
The figure in the black robe spoke calmly, a faint glimmer in his eyes.
The Heavenly Sword Sect, Blood Veil Tower, and Harmony Sect only sought the resources of Yu Prefecture, but the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion was different from the start. The Mystic Mechanism Pavilion wanted the entire Yu Prefecture!
In a 1619 book, there is a mistake-free version!
As for Chen Mu, he was merely a sacrifice, but his displayed talent and aptitude were indeed worthy of being eliminated.
Whoosh.
The figure vanished, disappearing from the Hao family's main hall.
He Zhengya looked at the jade-tipped, blood-colored arrowhead in his palm, heaved a long sigh, and then struck his wooden staff heavily on the ground, saying in a deep voice, "Call Zheng Guang, Zheng Dao, and Zheng Ying... Let's discuss matters."
The Hao family had never considered submitting. Bowing their heads to the Yu family was akin to willingly placing their necks under the sword. With so many years of grudges, it couldn't be easily resolved. In the end, they would still be tormented by the Yu family until their downfall.
Even though Yan Jingqing valued Chen Mu, if given the chance, the Hao family would undoubtedly strike. This was a life-or-death situation, but Yan Jingqing had suppressed it thus far.
The Purple Mist Mountain Range incident, the Sky Corpse Sect remnants... There were many matters that required manpower to handle. Naturally, Yan Jingqing wouldn't allow the Hao and Yu families to fight to the death under his nose. He would first settle the internal strife before the chaos ensued.
The Inspector Bureau's willingness to intervene was an unexpected joy.
The previous display of submission was merely a test to gauge the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion's intentions, and on the other hand, Chen Mu's calmness and prowess were indeed formidable.
The repeated miscalculations of Chen Mu's strength had already made He Zhengya extremely vigilant.
What was this about Bone Forging and two Concepts?
Even if Chen Mu suddenly achieved complete Bone Forging or even cultivated a third Concept, He Zhengya wouldn't be surprised!
Formulating strategies based solely on apparent strength was a mistake. If they wanted to make another move against Chen Mu, it required meticulous planning and careful calculation, targeting the level of complete Bone Forging and three Concepts. Then, with a thunderous strike, they would unleash various means without giving any chance for retaliation!
Originally, the Hao family had prepared several types of deadly poisons that were difficult for non-Organ Realm cultivators to withstand, along with some dangerous hidden weapons. Now, with the Blood Fury Arrow provided by the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, their confidence had increased significantly.
After eliminating Chen Mu, completely submitting to the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion would undoubtedly infuriate the Seven Mysteries Sect. However, it would at least provide some room for maneuver and even allow them to send some clan members to the Mystic State to establish a foothold, securing a backup plan.
...
Inspector Bureau.
Outside the window, rain fell, and the sixth floor was empty.
The fifth floor's Hall Offices were also vacant, except for one where Chen Mu sat quietly.
After flipping through intelligence from various sources in Yu Prefecture, especially regarding the Purple Mist Mountain Range, Chen Mu couldn't help but sigh, "As expected, the four sects cannot cooperate wholeheartedly, and the Sky Corpse Sect's remnants are indeed formidable."
After more than ten days...
Led by the Heavenly Sword Sect, the various sects had essentially cleared the outer areas of the Purple Mist Mountain Range. However, when they attempted to enter the inner regions, they faced a counterattack from the Sky Corpse Sect. Utilizing the toxic miasma and terrain of the mountain range, the Sky Corpse Sect trapped many of their opponents temporarily and then launched a full-scale assault. Although the four sects and Yan Jingqing outside managed to kill numerous Corpse Refiners, many Sky Corpse Sect remnants still escaped from the mountain range. Currently, the sects and Yu Prefecture's officials are searching for them everywhere.
As Chen Mu had anticipated, the inability of the sects to cooperate wholeheartedly left many vulnerabilities, and the Sky Corpse Sect remnants had been entrenched in the Purple Mist Mountain Range, holding the advantage of terrain. Capturing them all was indeed a challenging task.
"Yu Prefecture will face another period of chaos."
Chen Mu shook his head.
Then, he threw all the intelligence into the fire beside him, burning them, and walked downstairs.
The third update is not yet complete, more later.
(End)
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