Chapter 326: This Is Settled Now!

South of Weizhoucheng, more than twenty li away, a manor hidden in a mountain hollow amid dense forest.

Externally, the manor looked unremarkable, even dilapidated, but inside it was brightly lit and heavily guarded, with numerous cold-blooded experts lurking in the shadows.

Inside the council hall, the atmosphere was so solemn it seemed ready to drip water.

Tang Ji, Du Yuansheng, and He Xiaoming were all present; additionally, there was an elderly man in brocade robes with a sinister face—Xie Manfeng, the owner of this secret manor.

The four sat around a round table, each with a grim, pale face, silent, their coarse and heavy breaths echoing in the silent hall.

Suddenly, the hall door was pushed open from outside, and a tall figure strode in with the bearing of a dragon and tiger.

The newcomer was around fifty, with a square face, bronze-toned skin, and eyes that gleamed sharply, their gaze as piercing as a hawk's; his overall aura was deep, solemn, and heavy—he was clearly also a Land Altar Realm expert, his cultivation seemingly even slightly deeper than Tang Ji's.

As soon as he entered, he spoke in a low, stern voice, "What's going on? The action date is imminent, and at this critical moment, why are you all here instead of staying in the city to stabilize the situation? Who will cover for you if something happens inside the city?"

Tang Ji lifted his head, his face filled with exhaustion and helplessness, sighing, "We didn't want to cause trouble. We were simply following the original plan, trying every means to delay the new chief official, Chen Mu, keeping him running ragged and distracted. But who could have expected that Chen Mu was so powerful and ruthless? Every incident we engineered was easily resolved by him, and instead we lost men and drew even greater attention."

"Chen Mu?"

The square-faced middle-aged man frowned tightly. "Has he discovered our plan?"

"Probably not yet."

He Xiaoming interjected with a dry voice, still bearing traces of lingering fear. "He only suspects the existence of the 'Beast God Pill.' It's all that old fool Liang Zhongshi's fault!"

"He was greedy, took too many pills, failed to fully absorb their power, and during the birthday banquet his blood qi surged uncontrollably, triggering an immediate transformation that caused the massacre—this is what fully drew Chen Mu's attention."

"What's the use of talking about this now?"

Du Yuansheng gritted his teeth, eyes flashing with malice. "The key now is: where is Cao Liangxing? Who attacked him? Was it Chen Mu?"

"No, it wasn't him."

Tang Ji shook his head firmly. "According to the surviving disciples of the Canal Guild, the attacker used an extremely refined palm technique, devastating in power—definitely not from the Garrison Command's arsenal."

"Chen Mu always uses sword techniques; his famed masterpiece is the 'True Martial Cleansing Demon Sword Art.' Though he once used a blade, he could never have mastered such a powerful, unfamiliar palm art. I've reviewed the Juan Sect records and have never heard of any similar Wu Gong."

"Since it's not Chen Mu, we don't need to worry about him for now," said the square-faced Cao man, his expression easing slightly as he spoke gravely.

"Ignore Chen Mu?"

Du Yuansheng frowned, his face filled with resentment and worry. "With Chen Mu stationed at the Garrison Command, any whisper of movement will escape his notice—he will inevitably intervene and investigate! Especially now that the three of us have suddenly vanished; with Chen Mu's sharpness, he's surely already sensed something's wrong!"

He Xiaoming also added, his voice tinged with fear. "Exactly. He's probably searching the entire city for us right now. Our fleeing is essentially an admission of guilt."

"By 'ignore him,' I mean we no longer need to waste effort creating incidents to delay him."

The square-faced man sneered, a cruel and confident glint in his eyes. "Because in three days, Lord Demon Eye will arrive in Weizhou in person to oversee the final preparations and deployment!"

He scanned the room, his voice decisive and unyielding. "When that time comes, if Chen Mu still dares to come knocking on our door… that will be his Doomsday!"

"Lord Demon Eye?!"

"Lord Demon Eye is coming in person?!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Manfeng, Tang Ji, Du Yuansheng, and He Xiaoming froze for a moment, then their faces simultaneously erupted in uncontrollable joy.

Like drowning men clutching the last floating log, or despairing souls seeing a ray of light piercing the darkness!

"Perfect! This is settled!"

Du Yuansheng beamed, his earlier gloom vanished, even bordering on reckless triumph. "With Lord Demon Eye here in person, not even Chen Mu—no, not even that old hermit from Jiuxuan Sect who never leaves his seclusion—would dare to interfere!"

"Exactly!"

Xie Manfeng nodded vigorously, his aged face flushed with excitement. "Lord Demon Eye's cultivation transcends nature, his methods are divine! With him overseeing this, nothing in Weizhou can go wrong! This grand plan will surely succeed!"

Tang Ji and He Xiaoming said nothing, but their eyes shone with excitement and awe—they clearly held absolute faith and reverence for this "Lord Demon Eye."

"Enough idle talk."

The square-faced man cut in sternly, his expression turning grave again. "For the next two days, everyone must remain still and lie low! Do not stir up any unnecessary trouble!"

He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "As for Cao Liangxing… if he's lucky enough to escape and return on his own, that's best. If he doesn't return…"

His tone turned abruptly icy, carrying a chilling edge.

"He knows what he must do—he will never reveal secrets he shouldn't."

In other words, Cao Liangxing must either escape alive or be dead.

There is no third possibility: he cannot be allowed to leak the organization's secrets.

…

Weizhoucheng, Garrison Command headquarters, training ground.

Night was deep, yet the training ground blazed with torches, as bright as daylight.

All Garrison Command soldiers, regardless of rank or original commander, had been urgently assembled here—hundreds of them stood in dense, silent rows.

The atmosphere was solemn and deadly; no one dared whisper, only the crackling of torches and heavy breathing filled the air.

Chen Mu stood atop a raised platform, clad in official robes, his face cold and stern, his gaze sharp as lightning as he surveyed the varied expressions below.

At the front of the formation stood twenty-odd soldiers who had previously been close to Tang Ji, Du Yuansheng, and He Xiaoming—considered their trusted subordinates. Now their faces were pale, their eyes darting nervously, clearly anxious.

The rest of the soldiers stood in their assigned ranks on the periphery, holding their breath, awaiting orders.

Chen Mu wasted no time. He channeled his true qi, amplifying his voice until it boomed like thunder, clear and icy, echoing across the entire training ground into every ear.

"After my investigation, I have confirmed that the Garrison Command's inspectors Tang Ji, Du Yuansheng, and He Xiaoming—"

He paused deliberately, his gaze like a blade sweeping over the twenty-odd men in the front row whose faces instantly turned ashen. Then he declared, each word heavy and resolute:

"—have all betrayed the imperial court, conspired with the foreign marauders of 'Snake King Island,' and plotted treason. Knowing their crimes are irrefutable and their plot exposed, they fled under cover of night to evade justice!"

Whoosh—

As soon as he finished, the entire crowd erupted.

Like a drop of cold water into boiling oil, chaos exploded instantly.