Salted Fish

"It seems that Nation of Valor is determined to win the championship this time. Providing tactical advice is to avoid being accused of having planned for a long time. Attaching a map is to prevent others from saying that they familiarized themselves with the environment in advance. Everything is to create fairness as much as possible, so as to reduce the slander from others after winning the championship," Yu Shuying said.

Si Ming thought about it and agreed that it made sense, but he defended it, saying, "I have to admit that changing the battle mode to this one has indeed added a lot of variables and made the competition more interesting. It's much more interesting than a simple arena battle. If the next tournament is hosted by Su State, I will also suggest that the organizers adopt this battle mode." He had forgotten that he was opposing the reform just a second ago.

Yu Shuying poured cold water on the idea, saying, "By the next term, you probably won't be involved."

Only those who have reached the Spirit Transformation can participate in the Martial King Cup. Si Ming also felt that he had no chance. It wasn't arrogance, but rather that with the cultivation speed of the Vacuum Zero-Energy Furnace, he could break through to level 15 in two years. If he still couldn't break through to the Spirit Transformation, how terrible must his Qi Refining talent be?

The group parted ways halfway through their journey and returned to their respective accommodations. When Si Ming arrived at his dormitory, he found Xia Guanxue waiting for him in her room.

"Breaking into someone's room without permission is not a good habit, especially with someone of the same sex. I'm a rather impulsive person, and I might just throw a punch without checking first."

Although Xia Guanxue and Yan Jinghong's feud had been resolved and both sides tacitly agreed not to bring it up again, Si Ming was unlikely to give him a friendly look.

Xia Guanxue ignored the threat and went straight to the point. "Do you remember the incident where the Nation of Valor prince was attacked by masked men?"

"You Shadow Hero Guards have found a clue? You're pretty quick."

Si Ming could not hide his surprise. After all, this was the territory of the Military School. When did the Shadow Hero Guard develop such a powerful intelligence-gathering capability here?

Xia Guanxue said, "Someone provided information saying that Thunder King Xing Daozhuang was behind this."

Si Ming was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Impossible! Putting aside the fact that he just arrived with me and has no influence in Nation of Valor, what benefit would he gain from doing something like this?"

"Everything is still under investigation," Xia Guanxue gave a very bureaucratic answer.

"Wait a minute! You said someone provided intelligence, but who did? I think the person who provided the intelligence is the most suspicious. How could they know such a secret matter? They should be thoroughly investigated!"

Xia Guanxue was silent for a moment, then continued, "The intelligence was provided by the Remote Heaven Society."

Chapter 652 Salted Fish

Having learned unexpected information from Xia Guanxue, Si Ming immediately sought out Yu Shuying for analysis. Although he prided himself on his intelligence, he felt it was better to leave such a trivial matter as intelligence analysis to professionals.

"Aside from the possibility that Heaven-Defying Society just bored and deliberately causing trouble, there are three possibilities: First, Senior Xing is indeed the mastermind, Heaven-Defying Society trying to lead us to discover his suspicious behavior, thus triggering internal strife; second, Senior Xing is unrelated to this matter, but has other secrets, Heaven-Defying Society wants to lead us to discover his secrets; third, Senior Xing is unrelated to this matter, but Heaven-Defying Society deliberately laid out fabricated clues to mislead our judgment."

Yu Shuying answered almost without thinking.

Si Ming frowned and said, "It's very unlikely that Senior Xing is the mastermind. I've fought with the people who attacked Huang Tu before. The first masked man was a weak Spirit Transformation, so there's no need to elaborate. The second masked man was not weak, but his Internal Cultivation contained fire energy, not lightning energy. I don't think he could have hidden his strength under those circumstances."

"He doesn't need to do it himself; he can simply send someone else."

"The fact that they can command two Nascent Spirit Transformation proves that this organization is not weak. Senior Xing is a naval admiral who guards a region. It's one thing if he's cultivating power domestically, but to extend his reach to Nation of Valor is something even the Mohist Knight Guard couldn't do. Could it be that the power behind him is stronger than the Mohist Knight Guard?"

"More than ten years ago Thunder King served as the commander-in-chief of the allied forces in the Northern Continent. At that time, the various countries were mutually restraining and distrustful of each other, so they specifically requested reinforcements from the Su State. It would not have been difficult for Thunder King to use this position to plant several spies or to establish secret cooperation with some Spirit Transformation."

"If these people were instructed by Senior Xing, it would mean he knew my strength, but judging from his recent behavior, he doesn't seem to know."

"With the mental fortitude of Spirit Transformation cultivator, is it really that hard to put on an act? You don't actually believe he's truly incorruptible and righteous, do you?"

"You seem very suspicious of him. Is there any reason?" Si Ming asked suspiciously. "Could it be that your Mind-Reading Technique has already reached the point where you can see into the thoughts of a Nascent Spirit Transformation cultivator?"

"I suspect everyone," Yu Shuying said impatiently, then added, "Although I can't hear his thoughts, I can see the demon within him—a terrifying demon wearing a huge mask, constantly on guard, as if he were in enemy territory."

"When did you develop this ability? Before, you could only read minds, right?"

"Don't think that you can only improve by following you. I've also been working hard at my cultivation." Yu Shuying snorted arrogantly.

But Si Ming insisted on his opinion. "Being vigilant is a good habit. We're in Nation of Valor now, so it wouldn't be wrong to say we're in enemy territory, would it? Besides, it's normal for people to wear a mask in this world, especially mature adults. Who doesn't wear a mask?"

"You, Hongdou, Murong Qing, Murong Wu, I've seen four of them around me." Yu Shuying scoffed, inexplicably feeling a surge of anger.

Si Ming used to wear a mask, but as his strength increased, some secrets ceased to be secrets and it didn't matter if others knew them. So he gradually became more willful, which can be seen from his increasingly reckless behavior.

The reason people wear masks is simply because their Zhenmian are easily rejected by others. If you are powerful enough that others have to act according to your wishes, you naturally won't mind taking off your mask. For example, if you own more than a dozen houses in a first-tier city, you don't need to care about your boss's feelings. You can turn your back on him at any time, or even learn from Brother Liu Xing and slam your fist on the table.

"Rather than saying I doubt him, I'd say, why are you protecting him?" Yu Shuying gave her a strange look.

Si Ming calmly said, "During the seven-day arena battle, Sun Wu University went to Senior Xing, hoping he could persuade me, but he flatly refused."

"A very self-aware judgment. He has no favor to do for you, and he only calls you 'Master Uncle' out of respect for Yan Jinghong. If he were to actually try to persuade you, he would only make a fool of himself."

"There are too few self-aware people in this world. There are too many who rely on their age and seniority to curry favor with you, saying 'It's all for your own good.' Senior Xing may just be adhering to his own principles, but since he has respected me in his actions, I should also respect him. In fact, he hasn't done anything suspicious so far. Why should we doubt our own people because of a single sentence from the enemy that seems to be a divisive tactic?"

"Have you ever considered that his image of a selfless and loyal minister might just be an act?"

Si Ming didn't care at all. "So what? Everyone has their own selfish motives. You shouldn't judge a person by what they think, but by what they do. Just because they haven't made any mistakes doesn't mean we should investigate them based on the principle that 'the absence of suspicion is the biggest suspicion.' That would be worse than just saying, 'I just don't like them!'"

"Isn't the report from the Heaven-Defying Society suspicious?"

"How can we believe the enemy's words? Empty words are meaningless. They should at least produce some evidence. They think they can make us investigate our own comrades with just a few Laozi? Dream on! Since the enemy opposes it, we should support it. They want us to investigate, but we will refuse to investigate. No matter how much they scheme, we will remain unmoved." Si Ming put on an attitude of being lazy and inactive.

The administrative attitude he disliked most in his previous life was the evasive and dragging-out approach when Chinese people came to him for help, but the Thunder Rages, Wind Blows search for foreigners when they lost a bicycle. He didn't expect preferential treatment for Chinese people, but at least he should treat everyone equally. Even if he couldn't be Thunder Rages, Wind Blows everyone equally, he should at least be dawdling in the same way.

The Remote Heaven Society revealed the information shows that they think of themselves as the other party's subordinates. They should at least let the other party see the Daoist School principle of non-action.

Yu Shuying pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Although it was said without thinking, it can't be said to be without reason. Responding to all changes with constancy is also a method. If the Heaven-Defying Society really intends to touch the Thunder King, seeing that we are indifferent, they will definitely use more means. At that time, we will be able to seize their footing."

"This is Blink of wisdom, or as the formal term would be, a 'spark of inspiration,' a sudden flash of insight. How can you say it was thoughtless?" Si Ming argued vehemently. "If we're talking about suspicious people, your master's behavior is far more suspicious than Thunder King's. If someone were to accuse her of secretly conducting human experiments, I wouldn't be surprised at all. But since they are members of the Heaven's Will Palace, and my master chooses to believe them, then I don't intend to doubt them, at least not until I have concrete evidence."

"Do as you please, but I'm reminding you, you don't have to conduct an investigation, but don't let your guard down, especially at crucial moments, such as when fighting members of the Heaven-Defying Society. Remember to be cautious and don't expose your back to them."

"Knew."

In a deserted alley, a black cat rummaging through a trash can heard footsteps. Its fur immediately stood on end in a menacing manner, and it hissed in an attempt to scare the other cat away. However, when it sensed the gloomy aura emanating from the other cat, its expression changed drastically, and it quickly ran away with half a piece of food in its mouth.

Xia Guanxue stopped in the middle of the alley, turned around and asked, "Alright, come out. You're not good at hiding, so what are you trying to do by following me for so long?"