Chapter 278

After leaving the secret chamber and entering the courtyard, Tang Luo saw Jin Gang shouting and punching in the yard.

Seeing Tang Luo appear, Jin Gang immediately stopped and said with a smile, "Master, you've emerged from seclusion."

"Hmm." Tang Luo nodded, "Where are they?"

"They've all gone out." Jin Gang grinned, "They should be back soon."

Kongming and the others left in the morning; now it's nearly noon, so they should return any moment.

Not keeping Tang Luo and the others waiting long, Tang Yuhan and Kongming quickly returned, and besides the two of them, there was another person.

It was precisely the plump woman seen at the Louxing Tower that day—this "plump" does not refer to her figure, but to two specific parts of her body.

She wore a look of lingering fear on her face, yet gazed at Kongming with tender affection.

"Does Louxing Tower still offer door-to-door service?" Jin Gang said.

"... This is clearly the work of the Huanxi Temple people." Tang Luo said.

"Master, didn't you destroy the corpses and erase the traces?" Jin Gang wondered, "Two piles of ash—there shouldn't be any evidence left, right?"

"Does the Huanxi Temple need evidence to take down a courtesan from Louxing Tower?" Tang Luo said.

"Exactly." Jin Gang slapped his palm suddenly, "Need evidence? With the Huanxi Temple's capabilities, they could probably forge ten thousand ironclad proofs."

"You've been frightened; go rest first." Kongming said to the woman.

"Yes." The woman lowered her eyes obediently, then bowed to Tang Luo and the others, saying, "Master, Warrior," before being led away by a young maid to rest in another courtyard.

"Can we act now? How many people have they gathered? Can I wipe them all out in one sweep?" Tang Luo looked at Kongming, asking three questions in succession.

Kongming shook his head helplessly, "It's only been two days—how fast do you think alliances form?"

"If there are obstacles, tell me—I'll go persuade them." Tang Luo said.

"The biggest obstacle is the Emperor." Kongming said irritably, "But if we act fast enough, we can strike first and report later—once the deed is done, even he will have to grudgingly accept it, even… he holds you in high regard."

Any cultivator capable of destroying the Huanxi Temple, if the Emperor is not foolish, will surely seek to win him over.

Before the Huanxi Temple is destroyed, it naturally holds value.

But once the Huanxi Temple is destroyed, in the Emperor's eyes, it becomes nothing but a pile of trash.

"The Emperor? Good." Tang Luo said, "You arrange it—I'll go persuade him."

"Master, after all, he is the Emperor of the Great You—give him some face. If we just kill him like this, we'll never complete our mission." Kongming said.

"Amitabha." Tang Luo adopted the appearance of a high monk, "Old Kong, what do you think I am? I'm going to enlighten him, to reason with him."

"You mean reason through force, don't lie to me." Kongming said.

Jin Gang and Tang Yuhan, however, were shaken by Tang Luo's spiritual enlightenment, their bodies trembling.

That spiritual enlightenment is nothing compared to physical enlightenment—at least the latter settles things once and for all.

"Have I never told you I can perform spiritual enlightenment?" Tang Luo asked.

"Huh?" Kongming narrowed his eyes slightly, "What do you mean? Are you confident you can turn him into your puppet without harming the Emperor?"

A dangerous glint flashed in his squinting eyes—this is certainly not Zhuge Liang!

Loyalty to the sovereign and patriotism? That doesn't exist here—this is a mission world.

For the sake of the mission, not speaking of reckless abandon, turning an emperor into an obedient puppet is absolutely within the acceptable range of gods and demons walking the world.

"He won't become a puppet." Tang Luo said, "He will become a diligent and people-loving ruler, a 'devoted sovereign' who labors heart and soul for the realm and the altars of soil and grain."

Whether he can become a wise ruler depends on personal ability, not something my spiritual enlightenment can decide.

Moreover, even if Tang Luo and the others instill advanced ideas from the real world into this Emperor, it's impossible to simply transplant them wholesale into the Great You.

Unaccustomed to the local conditions—the economic base determines the superstructure.

Implementing a constitutional monarchy or similar system would make the Great You's national strength surge? Impossible.

"A devoted sovereign is fine too, as long as he stands with us." Kongming said.

"But honestly, I don't have that confidence." Tang Luo spoke frankly, "I tested this on Shi Zhenhai."

His leopard's mystic qi had previously been weakened by the snake demon, and his own will was truly unfirm, so Tang Luo easily enlightened him.

But as the Emperor, a true dragon Son of Heaven, his ability to protect himself with mystic qi cannot be compared to that of a fourth-rank military officer.

As for spiritual will, frankly speaking, whether it is overly stubborn or overly fragile, neither is suitable for spiritual enlightenment.

Examples of souls collapsing directly from soul-seizing spiritual enlightenment are actually more common than those who stubbornly refuse to admit fault.

"We can start with those national parasites." Tang Luo thought of a practice method, "From small to large, let me hone my skills."

"Alright." Kongming said, "I'll give you a list." Suddenly feeling much lighter, probably just an illusion.

"By the way, have you heard of the Black Mountain Gully?" Tang Luo asked.

Black Mountain Gully, that place the snake demon mentioned as a very dangerous gathering spot for demons, sounds quite formidable.

"Black Mountain Gully?" Kongming said, "I've heard of the Old Black Mountain Demon."

"Old Black Mountain Demon?" Tang Yuhan said, "A charming female ghost?"

"I don't know." Kongming laughed, "But there are indeed rumors of a strange temple that has appeared in various places across the Great You, where passersby enter and never leave—Feng Xue and A Fei are currently investigating this. It might lead to a decent mission."

"After dealing with the Huanxi Temple, you can go check it out."

"You're not going?" Jin Gang asked, "You have a mission and you're not doing it?"

Kongming shook his head slightly—after resolving the Huanxi Temple, a big cake will be freed up, perfect for sharing, so of course he won't leave the capital of the Great You.

With him staying in the capital of the Great You, he can also make things convenient for various gods and demons walking the world.

The list Kongming provided contains few people—only five in total, carefully selected by him.

Three are third-rank, two are second-rank, four civil officials and one military officer—all prominent figures in the capital of the Great You, relatively important.

At the same time, they are masters of extorting wealth—in their eyes, there is no state, only family.

They flatter superiors and bully inferiors, feeding themselves until their bowls overflow, rich beyond measure—typical national parasites.

But their abilities are also not insignificant; trying to overthrow them through political maneuvering is no easy task.

Still need to go through multiple rounds of negotiation and strategic maneuvering.

If Tang Luo can convert these five people, that would be ideal; if not, they can still die.

Since the threat in the northern frontier has been completely resolved by Tang Luo, here in Dayou, within a certain range, methods can be slightly more aggressive.

Unlike before, when they feared internal strife would expose weaknesses, allowing the northern frontier to take advantage and advance southward would not be good.

The night in the capital is naturally not as lively as daytime, but with myriad households lit, there is no scene of utter silence and stillness.

Compared to some areas in the outer city, the inner city's location is relatively quieter.

However, patrol guards need to be increased significantly; now is a turbulent autumn when demons run rampant, and the capital is of utmost importance, so it naturally needs to be well protected.

Tang Luo still wears a white monk's robe, appearing in the night like a wisp of a ghost.

Moving through the streets, occasionally encountering patrol units, the other side simply ignores him without reaction.

The tall, sturdy walls cannot stop Tang Luo at all, and the night watch servants in the gardens and courtyards are equally ineffective—there is no difference.

Tang Luo stands beside one person's bed, reaches out, and performs Soul Conversion!

Moments later, Tang Luo releases his hand, and with a casual gesture, a strand of liuli flame destroys the corpse and erases all traces.

"Only one left, none converted yet—spiritual energy does have some effect." Tang Luo thought silently, not disturbing the other on the bed, slipping out like a ghost through the door.

Among the five people, he has already resolved four.

Two suffered direct mental collapse, two chose death over surrender, valuing wealth more than their own lives.

Not greedy for wealth, diligent in governance, loving the people? Impossible—even in death, they want money!

Then Tang Luo can only send them on their way.

These people none succeeded in conversion; aside from themselves, spiritual energy also played some role.

Thus, attempting to directly convert the Emperor of Dayou for Tang Luo's use is likely a futile path.

Most likely, Tang Luo will directly convert the Emperor to death.

"Better to first convert those at the Huansi Temple in the capital, then leave the capital to continue conversion—after all, places like the Black Mountain Gully also need to be visited." Tang Luo absentmindedly thought, "Old Kong prefers caution, but actually, steps can be taken a bit larger."

Arriving at the last person's residence, Tang Luo glides past the bedroom and enters the study where candlelight burns.

The study is not occupied solely by the target, Yu Chengjiao; there is also another man, with a lingering aura, currently speaking with Yu Chengjiao.

He is a cultivator with some spiritual attainment.

Tang Luo does not wait, directly pushes the door open, casually closes it, and is very polite.

"Sir... Huansi Temple?!"

Glancing at Tang Luo's appearance and attire, the cultivator's face changes, and he immediately stands up.

This man is about forty, wearing a blue-and-white Daoist robe, with a long beard, resembling an immortal in demeanor, though his current expression is rather solemn.

The long sword on his back is immediately drawn, gripped in his hand, emitting a clear ringing sound.

Tang Luo's gaze falls on this man, staring at his Daoist robe for two moments—this robe looks somewhat familiar, somewhat resembling the robes of the Wuyai Sect from before.

Generally speaking, Daoist robes are similar in style, differing mainly in color and some insignia.

So, if even some details are the same, it would be somewhat strange.

The Daoist robe this person wears bears a pattern clearly seen by Tang Luo at the Wuyai Sect before.

"I am the mendicant monk Xuanzang." Tang Luo said, "Not a disciple of the Huansi Temple."

"Not the Huansi Temple?" The middle-aged cultivator did not relax his vigilance because of this; sneaking in at midnight, regardless of affiliation, bodes ill.

"Then, Daoist, what is your connection to the Wuyai Sect?" Tang Luo asked.

"Wuyai Sect?" The middle-aged cultivator startled, "Do you know our sect's name before the merger?"

"Oh?" Tang Luo showed interest, then composed himself, "Seems there are some stories. I'll listen later—first, let this mendicant monk convert this donor."

With a casual grab, Yu Chengjiao flies into Tang Luo's hand.

"How dare you, thief!" The middle-aged cultivator exploded in anger, knowing he is from the Wuyai Sect, thus also knowing he is a disciple of the Longya Dao Gate.

How dare he act so recklessly in his presence?

Such a madman must be subdued—

The middle-aged cultivator, person and sword, fell to the ground, his entire body feeling as if all bones had been shattered, the gathered true essence completely dispersed, unable to reassemble.

"Daoist, your temper is explosive, very impulsive." Tang Luo glanced at the middle-aged cultivator, "This is not good."

The cultivator directly spat out a mouthful of old blood, temper explosive, very impulsive?

Or are you describing this madman who stormed into an official's residence at night?

After spitting out a mouthful of old blood, the middle-aged cultivator simply fainted.