A series of murderous decrees, like successive thunderclaps, struck the deathly silent hall. Whether they could be successfully carried out, however, remained to be seen.
The ministers’ expressions varied, but none dared to offer counsel. Not a single one of them made a sound.
The Emperor was clearly at the peak of his fury. At this moment, anyone who dared to utter a single word of dissent would likely be cut down on the spot.
Besides, the Southern Barbarians’ actions this time had truly crossed a line. It was an outrage to both gods and men—how could it possibly be tolerated any longer?
"Your subjects obey the decree!"
Led by Zheng Zhicang, Sun Wuyang, and Tantai Zhan, the court officials all knelt in unison, shouting their acceptance of the command. No one objected.
Emperor Xia, breathing heavily, sank back onto the Throne. He felt a feverish rage mixed with cold killing intent rampaging through his chest, making it almost impossible to breathe.
His gaze swept over the prostrated officials below, finally settling on Zheng Zhicang and Sun Wuyang.
Emperor Xia’s voice had calmed slightly, but it was even colder than before. "Zheng Aiqing, Sun Aiqing, your contributions in uncovering the truth this time are undeniable. Continue the investigation for Us. Investigate thoroughly. Find the whereabouts of those Poison Masters, find all their strongholds and accomplices in the capital, find everyone connected to them... We want to see them, dead or alive. Do not let a single one get away."
"Your subject obeys," Zheng Zhicang and Sun Wuyang said in low, firm voices.
But what no one could see was the strange look that flashed in their eyes as they lowered their heads.
After the court session was dismissed, Emperor Xia sat alone in the wreckage of Yangxin Hall. He wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.
That strange feeling of listlessness had returned, accompanied by a tightness in his chest that made it difficult to breathe.
He carefully performed an Introspection with his Spiritual Power, but found nothing amiss.
’It must be from the anger,’ he thought. After all, too many vexing things had happened recently. He summoned an Imperial Physician to prescribe a tonic to calm his mind and cool his temper, then tilted his head back and downed it.
Meanwhile, Zheng Zhicang and Sun Wuyang had left Qianqing Palace together. Dismissing their attendants, they came to a secluded corridor.
Zheng Zhicang lowered his voice and glanced around. "Chief Constable Sun, the Lord Emperor has sent a secret order. Now that the Gu incident in the palace has been investigated, there’s no need to keep those infiltrating Southern Barbarian Poison Masters alive. It’s time to send them on their way. They know too much, and their cultivation techniques are bizarre. Keeping them around could lead to complications."
Sun Wuyang was silent for a moment, then nodded.
The Spiritual Shackles in his Sea of Consciousness warmed slightly, reminding him of what he should and should not do. "Where are they hiding now?"
"West City Dry Well Lane, in the cellar of the third abandoned dye house." Zheng Zhicang gave the address. This was the very location Xia Wuyang had extracted from the subconscious minds of the controlled Poison Masters using the Soul Enchantment Technique. It was also one of their pre-arranged backup hideouts.
Zheng Zhicang continued, "The Lord Emperor has already provided the exact location, the internal traps, and their current condition. We just need to send men to ’accidentally’ discover them, then kill them when they ’resist.’ Their bodies and personal effects will be irrefutable proof. Nothing more is needed."
A glint flashed in Sun Wuyang’s eyes. "Understood. I’ll dispatch trustworthy operatives at once to move out with the Shadow Guard. I will make sure they are dealt with."
"Make it clean. The Lord Emperor also said that you might find some clues on their bodies pointing to the strongholds of other Southern Barbarian spies, or perhaps evidence of dealings with certain degenerates in the imperial court. Brother Sun, I trust you know what to do," Zheng Zhicang added.
Sun Wuyang nodded. Of course he knew what this was about. Framing targets and fabricating charges—this was the specialty of the Divine Capture Sect and the Shadow Guard.
Now that they would have the actual corpses and belongings of Southern Barbarian Poison Masters, manufacturing some "evidence" to "follow the clues" would be all too easy. It posed no great difficulty.
This way, they could eliminate the witnesses and remove a hidden threat; further solidify the guilt of the Southern Barbarians and even take the opportunity to purge a group of inconvenient people; and also demonstrate their competence to the Lord Emperor, while still earning a reward from Emperor Xia... It was truly killing many birds with one stone.
The two men looked at each other, and each saw in the other’s eyes a faint helplessness, as well as a deeply hidden, chilling resolve.
Ever since the Spiritual Shackles had been planted in them, their actions were no longer their own.
’Now we can only walk further and further down this path. If we do our job beautifully, perhaps we can secure a chance of survival for ourselves and our families.’
「That afternoon, in West City Dry Well Lane.」
A shrill whistle shattered the silence of the area. A large contingent of black-clad Shadow Guards and uniformed experts from the Divine Capture Sect swarmed into the lane like a pack of wolves, surrounding the third abandoned dye house so tightly that not even a fly could escape.
The sounds of a brief, fierce struggle came from the direction of the cellar, accompanied by a few short screams and curses in a Southern Barbarian dialect. Then, everything quickly fell silent.
Before long, dozens of bodies were carried out, covered in white cloths. Through the fabric, one could faintly make out their strange attire and the sinister insect tattoos on their skin. Among them were the Ghost Gu Elder and his disciples.
Following the bodies came nearly a hundred foul-smelling bamboo tubes, leather pouches, and other artifacts unique to the Southern Barbarians. Most were empty, clear evidence that the Gu Insects inside had already been released.
The leading Shadow Guard announced to the public, "After investigation, these individuals have been identified as the Southern Barbarian fiends who infiltrated the Imperial Palace and released the Gu poison. Their leader is confirmed to be the Black Miao Poison Master, the Ghost Gu Elder. They put up a desperate resistance and have been killed on the spot. A number of Gu Insects and poisons have been seized, along with a great deal of classified intelligence."
Using this "classified intelligence," the Shadow Guard and the Divine Capture Sect located several secret strongholds of various Southern Barbarian tribes in White Jade City, wiping out all the spies within.
The news then spread through the city in an instant, as if it had grown wings.
The masterminds of the Imperial Palace Gu incident had been executed. Several dens operated by the Southern Barbarians for years had been destroyed. A large number of elite Southern Barbarian Poison Masters had been eliminated, and a mountain of incriminating evidence had been found.
The evidence was as solid as a mountain, irrefutable!
Public outrage flared, and the court and country were shaken with fury. The calls to severely punish the Southern Barbarians reached a crescendo, and the various Southern Barbarian tribes were now confirmed as the culprits behind many previous incidents.
And the architect of it all, Xia Wuyang, was currently sitting by the lotus pond in Wenhua Hall, leisurely feeding the fish. He was surrounded by a group of beautiful women from various tribes, who occasionally drew close to him intimately.
He held a few pellets of fish food in his hand, scattering them into the water from time to time.
The koi carp scrambled for the food, sending ripples across the water that gently lapped at the hems of the surrounding beauties’ clothes.
In the distance, one could faintly hear the bustling sounds of the palace staff clearing out the Gu Insects and treating the injured. But here, where he was, there was an unnatural tranquility, as if he were completely unaffected.
The dark, placid water of the pond reflected his face, one lost in decadent pleasure, and his eyes—so deep and bottomless they seemed capable of swallowing all light.
A wind rises from the tips of duckweed. And the storm that was about to sweep through the Great Xia was silently gathering at his fingertips, stirring ever-larger waves.

Comments

Loading...