Chapter 1155

"If she really had the ability to steal things from Jinbo's storage ring, then stealing the king of Xue's head would be no problem—why frame her?" He Lingchuan laughed, "Those who think of framing others are mostly lacking in strength themselves and must rely on external forces." He added a qualifier to his own words: "Of course, they might also be working as a gang—perhaps Consort Mei only gathered intelligence."

In short, Xue Guo posting a bounty at this time shows that Consort Mei and the Ming Deng Zhan are inseparable.

Good, good—this is truly good news for He Lingchuan.

Dong Rui asked him again: "Do you think the King of Xue can catch Consort Mei?"

"When chasing fugitives, if they aren't caught within two or three days after the crime, the difficulty of capture increases significantly. How long has it been since then?" He Lingchuan, experienced in investigations, said, "Besides, Consort Mei must have prepared in advance—don't you see she escaped a step earlier? Xue Guo's manhunt is doomed to fail."

He then asked A Hao: "Nangong Yan is dead—how have Xun Cheng and the palace reacted these past days?"

"The entire Wang Ting is in chaos—I heard that these days, no one has been assigned to patrol Xun Cheng. Already, military officers are competing for the position of commander of the Yu Wei." A Hao said, "Rumors are spreading everywhere in the markets: the ruler has offended a great power to the west, and war and disaster will soon descend!"

"People are panicking?" Dong Rui shook his head. "I feel like the people of Xun Cheng are still quite happy?"

"They are happy. Everyone privately says, it's deeply satisfying!" A Hao didn't deny it either. "When the news of Nangong Dazongguan's death spread, at first no one believed it. Later, hearing that the head had been sent to Ducheng and presented to the king, people in the city secretly set off firecrackers—one family after another, altogether several hundred strings."

"Still have money to buy firecrackers?"

"They'd borrow money just to buy them!" A Hao grinned, "Meat prices have risen these past two days at the market. The people of Xun Cheng eat meat and add clothing, faces full of smiles, full of energy in everything they do—originally, only during the New Year did they feel this way."

Dong Rui laughed helplessly: "To them, is Nangong Yan more frightening than war and disaster?"

"War and chaos to us are just daily meals—come only once every few years." A Hao said seriously, "But Nangong Dazongguan is different—every child here knows: better to offend the king than offend Nangong Dazongguan. If he hadn't been killed, he would have loomed over Xun Cheng like a dark cloud forever."

"The family I'm staying with—when they heard the news that day, they covered their doors and wept bitterly. I first thought they were grieving, but later realized they were weeping from extreme joy." He lowered his voice: "As far as I know, everyone feels grateful toward the one who killed the Dazongguan—some families even set up his effigy and burn paper offerings for him!"

Ah, this? Dong Rui clicked his tongue twice, smiling at He Lingchuan: "Setting up an effigy for a living person and burning paper offerings—isn't that cutting off one's yang lifespan?"

He Lingchuan remained expressionless.

Seeing that the two had no new questions, A Hao cautiously reminded: "Sir, what do you think of me?"

"The market rumors this time are correct—Xue Guo faces great disaster. You have two choices—" He Lingchuan advised him, "If you want peace and safety, return to Ju Lu Gang, find a village or town far from the coast to lie low, and come out only after the chaos here ends."

"The second choice: seek fortune in danger. This place is about to change hands—if you can attach yourself to a strongman, perhaps you'll rise with the tide and soon have your day in the sun; but from now on, you'll have to form factions and alliances. Once you pick the wrong side, you must watch your head. In short, from now on, peace and smooth sailing will have no connection to you."

Upon hearing the four words "day in the sun," A Hao's eyes lit up.

Dong Rui asked him: "Which one do you choose?"

A Hao thought seriously for more than ten breaths, then gritted his teeth and stomped his foot: "I choose the second path! If I succeed, I'll feast on spicy and rich food; if I fail, at worst I'll have a bowl-sized scar on my neck—still better than living like this, neither one thing nor another!"

He begged He Lingchuan: "He Lingchuan, sir, tell me which strongman I should follow?"

He Lingchuan studied him for a while before saying: "Do you dare go to the battlefield?"

A Hao swallowed, his eyes flashing with ferocity: "I dare!"

He's killed people these past few days—going to the battlefield is just changing the place to kill people, isn't it?

"You're a clever fellow." He Lingchuan smiled, "Come with me—I'll find you a place. From now on, whether you become a dragon or a worm, it's up to you."

A Hao rejoiced, bowed his head and kowtowed: "He Lingchuan, from now on you are my reborn parents!"

He Lingchuan stepped back two paces: "No. I see that being your parents would bring no good end."

He gestured to Dong Rui, who then threw two pills to A Hao: "This is the antidote to the gu poison."

A Hao thanked him and swallowed them in one gulp.

Soon after, gurgling sounds came from his abdomen—he rushed to the outhouse and hastily bade farewell to the two.

After that, the gu poison was expelled.

Meanwhile, Dong Rui saw He Lingchuan standing still, lost in thought, and couldn't help but ask: "What are you thinking about?"

He Lingchuan casually pointed in the direction A Hao had run off: "Look at this little rascal—usually dazed and muddle-headed, only knowing how to eat and wait to die. But give him one thing, and he immediately springs to life, even daring to stake his life on a gamble."

"Ah, what is that?"

He Lingchuan smiled: "Give him a goal, give him a little hope—just like he's become a different person."

It turns out this isn't only effective in the Yangshan Islands—it works here too.

"Isn't that just two things?" Dong Rui said, lacking He Lingchuan's insight, "You just advised him on the second path—hm, are you saying this place is about to change its skies?"

"After Mu Guo punished the King of Xue, do you think he can still stay in power?" He Lingchuan laughed, "After the army Mu Guo sent withdraws, the power vacuum left behind will inevitably be filled. Think about it—why did that rebel leader surnamed You actively seek Mu Guo's favor? Because he sensed the timing."

So the second path he pointed out to A Hao contains both danger and opportunity.

"The people of this place have sharp instincts. Don't even mention the fall of the Xue king—now, forces are already stirring." He Lingchuan stood up, "This kid just said, market rumors claim the great power to the west will come to take revenge on the ruler."

Dong Rui, who had long partnered with He Lingchuan, instantly understood upon hearing him isolate that sentence: "Ah, of course—ordinary commoners wouldn't know what the ruler has done, nor that Mu Guo is about to retaliate against him. That must be deliberate people spreading it everywhere."

"The rebels of this country—truly, you can't kill them all off."

……

Returning to the Xiaoyao Sect's station, He Lingchuan introduced A Hao to Jinbo's subordinates, the Xue Guo rebels.

The leader of this rebel force is called You En Guang. Upon hearing that He Lingchuan was an envoy of Mu Guo, and then hearing that He Lingchuan wanted to introduce a fine young man to him, he immediately accepted A Hao and patted his chest, declaring that this boy would henceforth be under his protection and surely well cultivated.

A Hao thanked He Lingchuan profusely, then followed You En Guang away.

He Lingchuan only said to him: "Take care of yourself."

The Soul-Capturing Mirror sighed: "You only used two sentences, and you changed this boy's fate."

He Lingchuan smiled: "In the end, doesn't it still come down to him himself?"

He hadn't even taken two sips of hot water when he received a package from Jinbo: "Yesterday, a mountain man delivered this, requesting it be left for the Mu Guo envoy."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan immediately became interested, "Mountain man?"

"The mountain man said, others paid him to run errands."

"Let me see." He Lingchuan opened the package—inside was a thick stack of paper sheets.

Around him, Dong Rui and the two monkeys, several pairs of eyes all leaned in.

There was text, and hand-drawn maps.

Dong Rui picked up a sheet and glanced at it twice, his face full of surprise: "Hey, isn't this the structural diagram of the Wang Cheng palace gate?"

The paper also had several lines of small print, detailing the patrol shift times and numbers of the palace guards, as well as the mechanisms and formations behind the gates.

The sheet Jinbo picked up was a detailed map of the palace, even marking the outhouses—he immediately spotted the palace guard camp and the sleeping quarters of the Second Prince of Xue Guo.

The key points marked on top are the sleeping quarters and study of the King of Xiang!

The other materials are all from Xun City and the royal family.

For example, the locations of Xun City's armory and public granaries, such as how many personnel the Xun City patrol and gate guards have, how they are distributed, and when they rotate shifts, etc.

Even the personalities of certain generals and military leaders are described in clear detail! After He Lingchuan finished reviewing these materials, he felt the difficulty of attacking the royal city had decreased by more than two measures. Jin Bai even slapped his thigh repeatedly: "Excellent, truly a case of sleepiness met with someone bringing a pillow!"

What is most important before a war? Intelligence.

The rebel faction also exchanged intelligence with the Shadow Fang Guard, but not as thoroughly.

The detailed and meticulous intelligence sent by an unknown person allowed their siege plan to be targeted precisely.

Dong Rui then said: "Hey, could this be what she sent over?"

He Lingchuan nodded: "Seven or eight out of ten."

How many people know he is the envoy of Mu State? How many know he is of the Carefree Sect? How many know Mu State is preparing to retaliate against the King of Xiang and seize back the Bright Lamp Vase?

After calculating, only Mei Fei remains. This woman is truly not simple.

Others saw meticulousness in the intelligence, but He Lingchuan saw determination.

Jin Bai wondered strangely: "What riddle are you guys talking about?"

He did not return to Xun City, so he did not know Mei Fei was wanted by the King of Xiang.

"The one who sent these intelligence materials over is very likely the person who stole the Bright Lamp Vase." He Lingchuan pointed at the table full of materials, "How much effort and time would it take to gather these things? Most importantly, how great a risk would one have to take? Only someone with deep hatred and great grudge against the King of Xiang would be willing to spend such painstaking effort."

Hatred is the primary driving force. If working for others, one might barely pass, but it's hard to achieve perfection.

Such a person seems familiar.

In the past, Xi Yunhe, under the alias Mai Xuewen, hid for many years under Sen Boqing's command, just to expose the Immortality Pill case to the world and complete his revenge against the Qingyang National Preceptor.

Interestingly, the Xi Yunhe of that time also handed over the materials concerning Sen Boqing's crime to He Lingchuan, the special envoy.

This time, He Lingchuan also vaguely felt from behind-the-scenes figures the same hatred and endurance.

Although he does not understand Mei Fei.

The smile on Jin Bai's face disappeared instantly.

The enemy still treats him as a tool, but he cannot do without these materials, for the task entrusted by the Mu Emperor is the most critical priority of his position as Deputy Commander of the Shadow Fang Guard.

He must take them, he must use them.

(End of chapter)