Chapter 1458: Swords Drawn, Crossbows Cocked

Luo Qiu said, “You want war?”

Yuan Se smiled pleasantly. “I have no desire for war. I only want to ask whether you still remember that woman Yin Ji.”

A storm surged through Luo Qiu’s heart, but none of it showed on his face. He stared fixedly at Yuan Se for a long moment. “What are you trying to say?”

Yuan Se did not bother speaking in riddles. “She isn’t dead. I saw her two days ago. Your daughter or your woman—which one does Brother Luo want to protect?”

Luo Qiu said, “You saw a dead woman? Fatty Yuan, has all that lard flooded your brain?”

Yuan Se replied, “I don’t care whether you truly know or are pretending not to know. I personally witnessed that woman’s identity as Clan Chief of the Demon Fox Clan in the Desolate Marsh Deadlands. Your daughter truly has quite the background! Brother Luo is indeed an able man. You actually managed to make an iron tree blossom and bear fruit. Yuan is deeply impressed, and honored to stand as Brother Luo’s equal.”

His smile remained as he continued, “I seized your daughter for no other reason than to ask Brother Luo to recuse himself from this matter. The Demon Fox Clan must be eliminated. Even if we cannot eradicate the entire clan, at the very least we must eliminate its leader. But the relationship between Brother Luo and that woman makes it difficult for anyone to feel at ease.”

Yuan Se looked up at the fine weather outside. “Let me put it this way. Your daughter may have value in eliminating Yin Ji. If Brother Luo wants her back now, I will not hand her over. If you insist on taking her by force, whether you can seize her is one question. If you truly dare make a move, then I’ll have no choice but to invite the others to participate as well. Even if several of us together cannot do anything to Brother Luo himself, I refuse to believe you can escape from us while carrying a burden.”

He looked back at Luo Qiu. “My meaning should already be clear. If you want to protect your daughter, then let me eliminate that fox woman. If you want to protect the fox woman, then you cannot protect your daughter. So long as Brother Luo recuses himself and does not interfere, allowing me to eliminate the fox woman, I guarantee I will not publicize this matter to anyone else. Once she is dead, I will return your daughter intact, without allowing her to suffer the slightest harm. I have no reason to fight Brother Luo to the bitter end over this.”

Yuan Se’s pleasant smile never faded. “But if Brother Luo insists on contesting the matter, you know the consequences. Once the others become involved, you may not be able to save either your daughter or your woman. I believe I have made myself perfectly clear. I cannot force Brother Luo’s choice. Do as you please. If you insist on using force, Yuan will accompany you. But I can guarantee one thing: you absolutely cannot take her away right now. Even if you do take her away, what you carry will be a corpse!”

Luo Qiu said coldly, “Nonsense. I don’t understand a word you’re saying.”

Yuan Se chuckled. “Brother Luo, whether you understand or not, you know perfectly well in your own heart. I am not joking with you. I advise you not to act recklessly.”

However hard Luo Qiu’s mouth remained, the truth was that someone had seized his weak point.

In the end, he had arrived in fury and left with that same fury bottled inside him, yet there was nothing he could do.

After sending the man away, Yuan Se watched him depart and chuckled to himself.

This encounter confirmed one thing.

Luo Qiu definitely knew Yin Ji was still alive.

Otherwise, how could he have swallowed this humiliation and left so easily?

After Luo Qiu was gone, Consort Yuan finally dared show herself.

She had stayed hidden partly because she was guarding the captured Luo Fangfei, and partly because she was afraid.

The reasoning was simple.

They had seized Luo Qiu’s daughter.

Luo Qiu might easily repay them in kind by attacking Yuan Se’s trusted people.

Consort Yuan therefore had to keep out of sight, and until Luo Fangfei was released, she would have to remain cautious.

“He just left like that?” Consort Yuan was somewhat surprised.

She had been frightened after they captured Luo Fangfei and had expected a fierce battle here.

“With the hostage in hand, he doesn’t dare act rashly.”

Yuan Se smiled cheerfully.

In truth, he had not told her everything.

Only he himself knew his real objective.

Yin Ji’s proposal had indeed moved him.

The question was how to make Yin Ji cooperate properly. That required method and control.

Her daughter was the perfect weak point.

At the same time, he was worried about something else.

He had attacked too hastily in the Desolate Marsh Deadlands before and did not know whether he had ruined the matter.

He feared Yin Ji might turn and cooperate with someone else.

That was not what he wanted.

Now that he held Yin Ji’s daughter in his hand, she would presumably have some reservations.

Of course, if that demon woman was truly heartless and did not care whether her daughter lived or died, then other measures would be needed. But whatever happened, Yuan Se intended to try.

Yet capturing Luo Qiu’s daughter was no minor matter.

Luo Qiu would never let it go, and there was no way to keep the affair hidden.

An ordinary person could not easily barge into Daluo Sacred Land and seize someone. Yuan Se had personally acted. How could his involvement possibly stay concealed?

He had known Luo Qiu would inevitably come looking for him.

Everything he had just said to Luo Qiu—promising not to publicize the matter, offering to help conceal it, and guaranteeing Luo Fangfei’s safety—served only one purpose.

He did not want the others to learn the relevant secrets.

He wanted to hold the secret alone, quietly complete his cooperation with Yin Ji, and at the same time prevent Luo Qiu from making the matter so large that others became involved.

He wanted to keep Luo Qiu steady.

That was precisely why he had brought Luo Fangfei here and kept her at his side.

He would not give Luo Qiu any opportunity to rescue her.

...

News of the disturbance at Maolu Annex quickly reached the hidden cave in the mountains outside the city.

“It was Luo Qiu.” The moment Lü Wushuang heard the visitor’s appearance described, she guessed his identity.

Niu Youdao paced slowly and nodded. He had seen Luo Qiu as well and recognized the description at once. “Capturing Luo Fangfei and drawing Luo Qiu here was expected. But... there wasn’t even the sound of a fight. Luo Qiu actually left just like that. It seems Yin Ji and Luo Fangfei have become leverage in Yuan Se’s hands.”

Lü Wushuang said, “I think I understand why Fatty Yuan brought the hostage with him and brought her here. The method you had Yin Ji use worked. Fatty Yuan wants to cooperate, but he also wants to hold the initiative. At the same time, he wants to keep Luo Qiu steady so the matter doesn’t blow up and draw the others in. Luo Qiu doesn’t know about Fatty Yuan’s attempt to cooperate with Yin Ji. I’m afraid Fatty Yuan has fooled him as well.”

“Hmph!” Niu Youdao gave a cold laugh.

...

Near the capital of Song, a newly renovated manor stood on a mountain. It was now the seat of the Shangqing Sect.

After the sect council concluded, Elder Tang Susu raised the old issue again. “Sect Leader, regarding these daily reports to Misty Pavilion, we know nothing about who this Yuan Cong really is. If anything goes wrong, Shangqing Sect cannot bear the consequences. Why insist on taking responsibility for reporting this man ourselves?”

Sect Leader Tang Yi said calmly, “Didn’t we already say Yuan Cong’s true identity is Jian Shanyue?”

Tang Susu replied, “Whether he is Jian Shanyue or not, we still should not have volunteered to take this responsibility. The capital has the Three Great Sects. It was never our turn.”

Luo Yuangong sighed. “Isn’t this for Jia Wuqun’s sake? Since Jia Wuqun wanted it this way, and Yuan Cong is staying with Wei Duo anyway, isn’t it convenient?”

Su Po added, “Elder Tang, things have already reached this point. What meaning is there in saying this now? Are we supposed to tell Misty Pavilion that we suddenly refuse to take responsibility for him?”

Tang Susu let out a long sigh. “I simply feel that the world is becoming stranger and stranger. I have spent so many years in the cultivation world and never seen turmoil like this. The more time passes, the more uneasy I become. Better one matter less than one matter more.”

The others fell silent.

In truth, it was not merely because of Jia Wuqun’s face.

Zhao Xiongge had also sent word, repeatedly instructing them that they had to cooperate.

Everyone else present knew about Zhao Xiongge’s messages.

Only Tang Susu had been kept in the dark.

They all knew the history between Tang Susu and Zhao Xiongge, involving the pain of losing her son and hatred over her late husband.

It was precisely because Zhao Xiongge had personally involved himself that those who knew the truth vaguely sensed something unusual.

Was Jia Wuqun’s face not enough?

Why did Zhao Xiongge also have to give repeated instructions?

It was as though he were terrified something might go wrong.

Yuan Cong was merely following Jia Wuqun.

What was there to fear?

What was it that could not be allowed to reach Misty Pavilion?

Everyone vaguely felt that the matter was not so simple, particularly in this dangerous moment.

It inevitably left them uneasy.

Yet when both Jia Wuqun and Zhao Xiongge spoke, Shangqing Sect had no way to refuse.

Otherwise, did it still intend to establish itself in Song?

...

“Eldest Young Master, we received the reply from Medicine Valley. There’s no problem.”

Inside the study, Shao Sansheng walked to the long desk and spoke in a low voice.

Shao Pingbo, bent over official documents, paused.

After a moment, he slowly set down his brush. His expression was grave as he sighed softly. “That side said the Holy Rakshasa killed Zhangsun Mi and Mu Lianze, and also said Lü Wushuang had been executed. Now Lü Wushuang is not dead, while the Holy Rakshasa has appeared in the mortal world and become entangled with Lü Wushuang.”

He leaned back slightly, his gaze distant. “The entire cultivation world is now under lockdown. Judging from the situation, the Six Sacred Venerables are beginning to use heavy measures. They’re casting the net and closing it for a counterattack. And the other side is now forcing Ghost Doctor and his disciples to walk into the net themselves. It seems they have no intention of sitting still and waiting for death. They intend to strike back head-on.”

Shao Pingbo’s expression grew increasingly troubled. “Old Shao, can you feel it? Blades are flashing, swords are drawn, crossbows cocked, and killing intent is everywhere. A fight to the death between both sides is probably unavoidable now. The curtain is about to rise on a struggle where only one side survives. The winds are rising and the clouds are gathering.”

Shao Sansheng said, “Eldest Young Master, this situation is too large. With the resources and strength in our hands, we cannot intervene anyway. Worrying will not help.”

A melancholy look settled over Shao Pingbo’s face. “Ghost Doctor and his disciples have no road of retreat left. They can only be led by the nose. Now they are being forced to walk into the net themselves. What worries me is that if something goes wrong, Liuer may be dragged in.”

“The map has been unrolled and the dagger revealed on both sides. People are going to die. Who knows how many lives will be spent deciding victory and defeat? If Liuer is dragged out into the open, how could you and I possibly remain untouched?”

“We are already caught in this whirlpool and have completely lost control of ourselves. Whether we become chess pieces or discarded pieces is not ours to decide in the slightest.”

“Old Shao, truthfully... I’m beginning to regret it.”

Shao Sansheng muttered bleakly, “There’s no road back.”

Shao Pingbo sighed. “I only hope Tongueless Jia does not disappoint us.”

...

On a mountain road along an official highway, a carriage had been stopped.

Wuxiang, wearing a veiled conical hat, reined in the carriage and stared vigilantly at the line of people blocking the road ahead.

Then he abruptly looked back.

More people had appeared behind them and cut off their retreat.

“What’s happening?” Ghost Doctor’s voice came from inside the carriage.

A figure flashed down from the mountain and landed in front of the carriage.

It was Sha Rulai.

The group surrounding the carriage each produced a Heavenly Sword Talisman.

More than ten Heavenly Sword Talismans were leveled in readiness against Wuxiang.

Sha Rulai said indifferently, “Hei Li, come with me.”

[End of Chapter 1458]