Chapter 392

As the saying goes, thieves are most sensitive to the word 'thief'; therefore Du She, who already had a guilty conscience, immediately let out a sharp explosive sound.

Baili Xiang! How dare you question my loyalty to the Church; by interfering with my mission like this, aren't you afraid the Pope will punish you?

Now don't even mention Baili Xiang, who was passionately sparring with her; even Ji Ming, standing aside watching the show, had a big bead of sweat appear on his forehead.

……Good grief, fortunately I had ominous luck and managed to take down this governor ahead of time; otherwise this round, not even started, would have been a total loss.

Baili Xiang restrained herself from turning the tables, laid bare her desire of 'you're anxious, anxious, how come you're anxious?', tossed her brain aside, and continued to unreasonably entangle along her train of thought.

"I don't dare; I'm just worried whether an unqualified flower-rank envoy can possibly accomplish such an important mission."

And Du She was still feeling good about herself, retorting at her own most comfortable pace.

"You can? Hahaha, then let the Pope send you here! You're capable, so why can't you get up? Don't you understand your own level and position?"

"Because I had other missions before, but you actually dare to question the Pope's arrangements!"

"Questioning is also something you started questioning......"

Those in the know say it's two insiders shamelessly throwing dirt at each other; those unaware have already been scared nearly to the ground.

"Ouch, ouch......"

With his fat hand, sweaty and ice-cold, he tightly grabbed the forearms of the two maids on either side; the Marquis Floating Light, who had just barely managed to recover his strength, quickly spoke up to mediate.

"Both lords, harmony brings wealth!"

???

Who the hell knows, trying to harmonize and profit with you, you bastard whose mother's dead (that's a fact)!

Both demonstrated, in their hearts, the good moral character of former Deep Forest believers, yet on the surface they still gave some face to this waste of a marquis who didn't realize he was merely a tool.

And even when arguing, Baili Xiang still bore the aura of a professional researcher, so this time he took the initiative to make a concession.

"Well then, since Marquis Floating Light has said that, I'll just bear it for now; I only hope our loyal Miss Du She can carry out the plan as soon as possible."

But Du She was obviously not done yet; even after the referee called a halt, she still threw a small punch.

"Hah, this isn't something that nosy eyes need to interfere with!"

"Ah......"

Marquis Floating Light felt his blood pressure like a rollercoaster in a grand canyon, having just gone down only to shoot up again; he quickly turned into a repeating machine to put out the fire.

"I'll definitely cooperate fully! Don't say it, you two! I'll definitely cooperate fully with you!"

Silence.

"Right…… I guess I haven't asked yet, what exactly am I supposed to fully cooperate with you on?"

Now we're finally operating in enemy territory, so the key tasks are only explained in detail upon meeting; therefore Du She explained to him the objectives of this mission.

"Oh, we need to intercept and kill a passing unit......"

Marquis Floating Light felt something was off, but after thinking it over carefully he couldn't find a clue; after hesitating a moment, he finally nodded.

"Certainly, in my territory there is a Wolf Fang Valley, a rare rugged terrain in the central region, and also the only route crossing my territory; you can set up there."

"Good."

Du She gave a slight nod, her gaze falling on the two maids beside the marquis.

The marquis hastily pulled them behind him.

"Sir, don't look at them as if they were vases; they're actually my trusted aides I've cultivated for many years, absolutely loyal! Otherwise I wouldn't dare bring them here."

Du She glanced at their somewhat rough, large hands and smiled.

"Hehe, let's hope so."

Then she led the Deep Forest believers away from this secret garden.

And as she watched the group in green robes gradually fade away, the slightly older of the two maids lowered her head.

"Master, they said they want to murder......"

"Shh!"

The marquis hastily stopped the head maid from speaking, darting to the door like a fat monkey to look outside, and only returned after confirming no one was there.

"Pay attention! Their ears are sharp, you know."

"Yes yes......"

The head maid bent over, apologizing repeatedly, then leaned in close to him and continued speaking.

"Master, I just suddenly thought, is that north-bound unit about to pass through this area?"

"Huh?"

The marquis suddenly recalled where his earlier doubt came from, and furrowed his brows tightly.

"You mean...... the unit with Archbishop Radiant Light and Princess Elinor?"

Logically this unit should be fairly low-key, but who made them cause a big stir in Wind Shadow Territory? Not to mention the small nobles up and down, even the Radiant Light Court is about to be shaken to the heavens.

Thus reminded by the head maid, although the marquis is fat-headed and brain-full of intestines, as long as he's willing to think, at least his basic intellect remains, and he pondered carefully.

Although assassinating these two great gods would be somewhat too shocking, yet being able to make the Deep Forest Church deploy two flowers at once, also needing to devise an ambush, and furthermore……

"Ah!"

The moment of realization, the surprise was indeed real, but the one who made that sound was not the marquis, but the head maid who was lowering her head and speaking to him.

And in the next second, she couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood from her red lips.

The head maid swiftly turned, drew the dagger hidden in the folds of her long skirt, yet the point of her fierce attack landed on empty air.

Although the descendants of the old Marquis Floating Light have all become good-for-nothing snacks, nobody is unafraid of death, so these two maids are actually carefully trained armed guards.

Unfortunately, the marquis who had just patted his chest and guaranteed loyalty clearly overestimated the faithfulness of these two subordinates; at least the little maid still lives rather realistically.

"Don't blame me!"

She decisively stabbed her sister, then ran toward the garden outside without looking back.

"Er... ah."

The head maid wanted to pursue, but the stabbing pain from her wound told her that the sword strike just now had pierced her own heart, and the warm sensation of blood loss felt like Death God caressing her soul.

Although for a warrior over level twenty such a small wound is not fatal, if she pursued and reignited conflict it would be hard to say.

Moreover, for the Marquis, out of sentiment and reason, for both big head and little head, he did not want the head maid to die just like that, so he quickly grabbed her arm.

"Don't pursue, healing the wound is urgent!"

As for the usually clever and quick-witted little maid, who is resourceful wherever she goes, how could she suddenly defect and even strike out without hesitation against her superior who is like an older sister to her…

The God's Chosen suffered an assassination in Wind Shadow Territory, and the region's overseer, Marquis Wind Shadow, came away unharmed; partly because he was indeed among the victims, and partly because the Church voluntarily assumed responsibility.

Since the higher-ups are taking the blame, the already well-regarded Wind Shadow just needs to run around, showing an attitude of doing his best to make amends, and he can put this mess behind him; looking ahead, he can continue to enjoy the good life of a warm kang with his wife and children.

But Floating Light is different—he is a participant and a beneficiary; at least, no matter how one tries to whitewash it, he cannot be considered a victim. Therefore, regardless of whether the assassination attempt on the Archbishop and Princess succeeds, and regardless of how far it progresses, he will inevitably be drawn into the reckoning.

Moreover, the Radiant Light nobles may not have the guts to avenge the Princess, but they do have the audacity—and a great deal of it—to stir things up in her name, especially in the kingdom's heartland, this precious land where no one can resist the temptation to tear a chunk of flesh from their neighbors.

What's more…

"The position of Marquis Floating Light is not permanent; after three generations it will begin to decline stepwise—first to earl, then to viscount, then to baron, and finally gradually return to commoner status."

For him, it's exactly the third generation; the foundation is unstable, and if he doesn't find a way to turn things around, it's only a matter of time before the family is kicked out of the noble circle.

This is also the fundamental reason he could go so crazy as to cooperate with the Jungle Church—it's nothing more than a desperate measure when a building is about to collapse.

"Ah, I never imagined that after all my scheming and taking risks, I'd end up like this…"

He took out the precious life-saving ointment from his bosom, and the Marquis, thinking his life was over, simply gave it to the head maid.

"My lord, this can't be given to me…"

"It's fine, I don't need it; if I lose my head, this ointment won't help."

Saying that, Marquis Floating Light forcibly applied the ointment; unfortunately, although he sounded cool saying it, he still couldn't resist doing one more step afterward.

"Wait, let's check again."

"Hold on, it might not be spread evenly yet."

"Um, I think…"

"Oh dear! I… I… I this lifetime! How can I not control this hand of mine!"

He stood up, angrily circling the garden over his little-head father's behavior.

He stopped his steps.

"Listen, I feel I've already done my utmost! All I can say is my ability is limited, I only have this much skill, I truly can't save them, so…"

He sighed.

"You may go."

The head maid had just drawn a cold breath and stood up again; hearing this, her eyes showed confusion.

"What?"

Floating Light turned his back.

"As long as you're not here, the reckoning won't come for you, Asia. You're still young; while nothing has started yet, flee this place."

"I…"

He waved his hand.

"Let's go, while I still haven't regretted it."

Asia hesitated on the spot, took a few steps forward, and embraced the Marquis from behind.

"Then I'll be going."

"Mm."

However, just as Asia felt grateful and was about to start a new life from her thirty‑second year, her hand was seized.

"Um… I think there might still be a bit of time; there's a pavilion over there—do you think we could… before we part ways?"

"Damn it, can pure love stay pure to the end!"

That line definitely wasn't spoken by Asia, because she was already preparing to choke that overly demanding man into unconsciousness and then leave.

So they both jumped in fright, and as they hurriedly separated, they looked toward the direction the voice came from.

Then they saw a little maid standing stiffly to the side like a giant statue, her eyes vacant, and a tall figure wearing a black crown with a question‑mark face.

The little maid ran with great determination, doing parkour all the way, her speed as if she were fleeing a pursuit by Jackie Chan; unfortunately, just as she had cleared the high wall of the Marquis's castle, she collided head‑on with a man.

She lifted her head and glanced, thinking in her mind, "Holy shit, this guy is even more handsome than the previous one," and then she knew nothing more.

"Nice fellow, there's still this kind of nasty move?"

After scanning her memories of the past five minutes, Ji Ming, who had merely been out for a stroll, hurriedly brought her back along the same route to the little garden.

As soon as he entered, he saw a scene that, if screenshotted and posted on the pink app, would surely draw countless passersby shouting, "The artist is hopeless—let's draw a black person instead, don't mess with those disgusting eyes of the genuine big fat pig gang," and then flee amid the wailing of "Damn it, tricking the bull‑head man in to kill."

Unfortunately, Ji Ming didn't just see the image; he also heard the words, so facing this cook's behavior of sneaking vinegar into the pot mid‑way, he definitely had to scold them.

"Who are you!"

Meanwhile, facing this mysterious question‑mark person, the Marquis loudly shouted with righteous vigor while quickly retreating behind Asia.

Asia: …

"Who am I? I'm an unparalleled great good person who can help you out of your predicament."

The question‑mark person gestured toward the little maid on standby.

"Look, you don't even need to speak; I've already helped you capture all the traitors."

The Marquis shrank back further.

"You, how can you help me?"

"I, can save your life."

"How to save?"

"In an hour, the Archbishop's convoy will enter Floating Light Territory from Hol Village in the southwest; this is your only chance."

The Floating Light Marquis was about to put on a stern face and speak, but then realized he didn't understand what this meant.

Sweat-drenched back. jpg

"Um, Master, his meaning is probably to have you take the initiative to greet them."

"Hmm…… well, so what? Twin Flowers strike, victory is certain; can they protect me?"

"Go, it's a nine-deaths-one-life chance; don't go, it's ten deaths no life; you have no alternative."

"Uh, it really is so."

"However……"

"A ten percent chance of victory is too risky; can we increase it by another ten percent?"

"Sure, fully armed."

"Twenty percent! Can we increase it by another ten percent?"

"Sure, all troops advance."

"Thirty percent! Can we——"

"Damn, you're being greedy again!"

Ji Ming couldn't hold back any longer and directly blurted out a curse.

"Like this, if you promise to cooperate with me properly from now on, I can give you a ten percent chance of survival!"

"Who would have thought that, upon hearing such good news, the Marquis would immediately narrow his eyes."

"Cooperate with you on what?"

"The masked person let out a scoff."

"Still hesitating?"

"The Marquis laughed heartily."

"What if I have a ten percent chance of being alive at noon but a ten percent chance of being dead at night?"

"Tsk, although my ability is lacking, my cunning is still maxed out, huh…"

"Ji Ming could only let slip another half sentence."

"I'm not the type to drain the pond to catch the fish; I can only tell you these are all good things, and at least I can help you keep the Marquis's position, maybe even extend it for three more generations."

"Alright then, deal!"

"Since I can be someone else's gun, I can naturally be my own gun too; that's the fundamental reason why Ji Ming is willing to save the Floating Light Marquis's life."

"In the Radiant Light interior he ultimately lacked someone who could help him analyze the situation; this Marquis, though incapable, is at least an old-timer in the circle and can always help him look at the problem from a different angle."

"Furthermore, the incapable can succeed with help, while the clueless are beyond even immortals' rescue; in short, he's just an old ghost who wants to accomplish something but always ends up achieving nothing."

"As for being awkward… it's quite ironic; if one is merely idle and accepting of all comers, in this corrupt circle where everyone is born and walks around, they'd even be considered a clean person."