Xiang Yuan understood. The Demonic Beings referred to the Southern Border, while the Heavenly Sect referred to the three factions that had split from the Heavenly Sword: the Heavenly Blade, the Heavenly Sword, and the Heavenly Martial. The court planned to set the tigers against each other, making these disobedient first-rate forces fight among themselves.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. His mouth went dry as he said, "You've told me so much. Is this... really something I'm allowed to hear?"
"It's fine. Everyone knows. Neither the Demonic Beings nor the Heavenly Sect are fools; they saw through the court's intentions long ago. Anyone can stir up trouble. In the end, it all depends on how skillfully you do it." Xiao He chuckled.
Xiang Yuan didn't dare listen any further. When he'd first met Xiao He, he'd thought the man was insane—and the kind who wasn't afraid of dying.
Master, oh, Master. The road down the mountain is too hard to walk. One wrong step and I'll die without a proper burial. If you can hear me, please take your disciple back to the mountain at once. It's peaceful there, and better suited for cultivating immortality.
Xiang Yuan shook his head repeatedly. I only brought an umbrella because it was raining. How did this road get so terrifying?
"Does Brother Yuan think I'm crazy?"
"Yes."
"I think so too."
Xiao He nodded, his wild streak surfacing again. "This road is full of peril, with no way out. But if we can stir up the world, then even if we brothers die, it'll be worth it."
"Don't say that. Who's your brother?"
"Heh heh heh. Since Brother Yuan's already aboard this pirate ship, you can only follow me all the way to the bitter end."
"There's no end to the sea of suffering. Turn back and you'll reach the shore!"
"There's no turning back. The road behind us is cut off."
Xiao He burst out laughing. "I've told you who I am and revealed the court's secret plan. If you refuse, then I'll..."
His smile faded. Narrowing his eyes, he said coldly, "I'll kneel before you and never get up—until you agree."
He delivered the most cowardly words in the fiercest tone.
Xiao He was helpless too. He had plenty of methods at his disposal, but he couldn't use them on someone he considered a kindred spirit. After turning it over in his mind, he decided that even the most virtuous woman could be worn down by a persistent suitor, and even a widow could be won over by a cat's meowing. His only option was to cling on shamelessly and refuse to give up.
Besides, Xiao He had his eye on Xiang Yuan's mysterious master. It would be a shame not to get close to such a powerful backer.
"Speaking of which, Brother Yuan, you have quite an impressive lineage. May I ask who your master is?"
"I attained the Dao in a dream."
"So you're a senior monk from Great Awakening Temple. My respects, my respects."
Xiang Yuan didn't elaborate, and Xiao He didn't press him. Instead, he continued, "Everyone knows that Brother Xu comes from a family of officials, but they don't know that his elders joined the Imperial City Directorate long ago. He followed in his father's footsteps. His whole family has loyally served the throne for generations. I admire him most of all."
Xiang Yuan fell silent. Those words spoke of a tragic past, making it hard for him to picture the Xu Jixian who'd wet himself that night.
"What about the teacher? Was his position as the county's instructor a disguise too?"
"Indeed."
Xiao He laid everything out without hiding a thing. "The worthy teacher entered the Martial Path through literature. He studied both the civil and military arts to serve the emperor. He was ordered to come to Fengxian, where he hid his identity under the guise of an instructor and schoolteacher. He knows far more about the Southern Border than I do."
The moment he finished, he dropped his serious act. "The worthy teacher is still at the academy. He's an upright gentleman, but he feels guilty and doesn't dare face you. Gentlemen are the easiest to bully—you can shake him down for a hefty sum."
As if I needed you to tell me that!
"Shameless. I, Xiang Yuan, am nothing like you. I'm no lowlife."
"Heh heh. Brother Yuan, you're joking again. I saw your ugly side that night when you fought Qingyan. You're exactly like me, a lecherous fellow who pretends to be a gentleman—you just hide it better..."
Xiao He was grinning from ear to ear. Seeing Xiang Yuan's expression darken, he hurriedly changed his tune. "Ahem. I was being a petty man. You and the worthy teacher are both gentlemen. He clearly felt guilty and wanted to put his conscience at ease, so he offered you a reward of his own accord. You couldn't refuse, and you took it under the pretext of accepting a gift, knowing how difficult things were for him."
That's more like it!
Xiang Yuan nodded. "The teacher is a gentleman. He shouldn't be bullied. But... what's the story with Sima Qingyan?"
"I've got something on her, so she has no choice but to obey me," Xiao He said smugly.
So he could do whatever he wanted with her!
Xiang Yuan was curious. "What do you have on her? The Sima Clan is a powerful force in its own right, and she has plenty of elders in her family. Would they really let you push her around?"
"What if the person I have leverage over is one of her elders?" Xiao He asked with a smile.
"I don't follow."
"Her father, Sima Changhui, is colluding with the tribes in the Southern Border. He must have helped protect that smuggling route. The people in charge of the Six Doors, White Cloud Manor, and Forget Sword Manor in Dezhou were all implicated. It's a serious case." Xiao He let out a sinister laugh.
Xiang Yuan understood. Xiao He had evidence in hand, so he wasn't worried that Sima Qingyan would refuse to cooperate.
The scene played out in his mind!
On a moonless night, in a ruined temple so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, Xiao He backed Sima Qingyan into a corner as she fought back furiously. With evidence of her father's crimes in hand, Xiao He remained unfazed and rubbed his hands together as he approached.
Heh heh, Qingyan, you wouldn't want your father's corruption to be proven, would you?
No, this wasn't right. His master had never said that the person he was destined to meet would be so despicable!
Seeing the disgust on Xiang Yuan's face, Xiao He burst out laughing. "Brother Yuan, your thoughts are impure. I spoke out of turn earlier, but you act like a gentleman while letting your imagination run wild over Qingyan's beauty. You're clearly even more depraved than I am."
Xiang Yuan shot to his feet. "Then I'll leave?"
"I was wrong."
Xiao He grabbed his leg at once and changed his tune. "I let my petty nature get the better of me again. Brother Yuan is clearly a kind soul, trying to save Qingyan from trouble. I'm the one who's overcome by lust and a despicable lecher."
"You sound sincere." Xiang Yuan slowly sat back down.
"Brother Yuan, would you like me to hand over the evidence against Sima Changhui?"
Xiao He gave him a flattering smile, then added, "Don't get me wrong. I'm a lecher, and if I keep holding on to the evidence, there's no guarantee I won't get ideas about Qingyan. You're different. You're an upright gentleman. Even if you had the evidence, you wouldn't do anything improper with Qingyan."
Sima Qingyan really was unfortunate. Xiao He had sold her out without a second thought.
"I'm just curious, not lecherous."
Xiang Yuan had no interest in the evidence against Sima Changhui, nor did he want to get involved. He continued, "Sima Qingyan's martial arts are impressive, and she clearly comes from a reputable sect. How did she learn the Yellow Springs Dao's techniques?"
"I had her practice them. I have other plans for her."
Xiao He briefly explained how he'd laid his pieces on the board, looking completely confident in his plan. "She has a natural talent for martial arts. She can practice her family's techniques while still learning the Yellow Springs Dao's methods. She's neither righteous nor demonic, and the deeper she gets, the harder it'll be to escape. Even if her father finds a way to clear his name, she still won't escape my grasp."
That was a villain's way of doing things, all right!
Xiang Yuan shook his head. It seemed Sima Qingyan was a dutiful daughter, held back only by her corrupt father.
"Brother Yuan, I invited you in good faith and have laid all my cards on the table. Tell me, when are you going to join the Imperial City Directorate and serve the country with me?" Xiao He tossed him a map carved into a dagger.
Xiang Yuan fell silent for a long time. Being around Xiao He would inevitably draw him into the affairs of the Southern Border, where danger lurked everywhere. As a cautious man, he had no desire to get involved.
But he had a reason he had to go to the Southern Border. His martial uncle had buried some treasures in the east and some powerful techniques in the west. If Xiang Yuan didn't retrieve them, someone else would dig them up sooner or later.
Those were the inheritance my martial uncle left me. They already belonged to the Xiang family!
Since he would have to go to the Southern Border sooner or later, joining the Imperial City Directorate was indeed one way to do it. From what Xiao He had said, the Xiao Clan's intelligence network stretched throughout the Southern Border. With access to their information, Xiang Yuan could avoid many dead ends—and roads that led to certain death.
Still, people valued things less when they came too easily. To guard against Xiao He digging a pit for him and sending him off as a scapegoat, Xiang Yuan couldn't agree so readily.
"Brother Yuan?!"
"Let's think it over. I need more time."
"I knew Brother Yuan wasn't one to settle for an ordinary life. You're like me—we both want to stir up the world!" Xiao He's wild streak came to the fore. At first glance, he even seemed to have a certain charisma.
Xiang Yuan didn't respond. Instead, he asked, "County Lieutenant Qin... is one of your people too?"
"Clever as always, Brother Yuan. But like Qingyan, he thinks I'm a spy from the Six Doors."
So that was it. It had all been a setup from beginning to end.
Xiang Yuan sighed. He was even more annoyed that Xiao He had deceived him—and even more impressed by his cunning and restraint. He asked curiously, "The Imperial City Directorate has a lot of influence in Fengxian County. Where's its headquarters?"
"You've been there."
"Yulin Academy?"
"Xu Residence."
"..."
"Do you remember the dry well in the back courtyard of Xu Residence? That's where it is."
Xiang Yuan was thoroughly impressed. If his guess was right, the female ghost Widow Wang and the Yellow Springs Dao disciple in black robes whom he'd encountered that night had both been lured there by Xu Jixian's scheme.
The one in black robes really had it rough—he'd barged into a den of wolves, mistaken two sinister men for fools, and thought he had everything under control.
So, which side were the villains, anyway?
"Oh no, I nearly forgot. I prepared a small gift at Xu Residence. Come with me tonight, Brother Yuan. I guarantee it'll be better than that pretty boy's junk!"
Xiao He gritted his teeth as he spoke the last part, then added in a low voice, "I'll bring the worthy teacher too. Give him a good scolding. Remember, he cares about his reputation."
Brilliant!
Xiang Yuan's eyes lit up. He protested indignantly, "Don't talk nonsense. The teacher only acted on your orders. Why would I blame him?"
"I understand. I'll help you fan the flames when the time comes."
"Hmph. Ridiculous."
Before you continue