Perilous Situation

Chapter 45: Dangerous Situation

Thousand Mechanism Hall.

The moment the black-robed figure removed his hood, Ning Ye froze completely.

Luo Qiuzhen?

It was actually Luo Qiuzhen!

How was he still alive?

Within the Kunlun Mirror, Luo Qiuzhen's face was pale and haggard; it was clear his injuries had not yet healed.

But he was definitely not dead.

A chill ran through Ning Ye's heart, as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

This was bad—this bastard had actually faked his own death!

Inside the Inspection Hall, Fu Dongliu was saying to Luo Qiuzhen with a look of concern, "Your body has yet to recover; why not rest for a few more days? If you are seen, all your previous arrangements will have been in vain."

Luo Qiuzhen smiled faintly. "I am already fine. I was wondering why the other party went to such great lengths to eliminate me, but now it seems it was all because of the Green Wood Hall incident."

Fu Dongliu didn't particularly like this statement. After all, by saying this, wasn't Luo Qiuzhen implying that his own abilities were superior to Fu Dongliu's? That the enemy feared Luo Qiuzhen more than they feared him?

However, this was the truth, and most importantly, this case still relied on him, so he could only suppress his dissatisfaction.

He said, "So, you are confident you can resolve this matter?"

Luo Qiuzhen shook his head slightly. "I have only heard of the matter; I have not seen the specific process with my own eyes, so I cannot confirm it. But I think I should be able to crack it."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because the person acting in the shadows believes I can," Luo Qiuzhen replied nonchalantly.

Fu Dongliu was stunned, momentarily left speechless.

Even Ning Ye couldn't help but sigh with emotion; if this person weren't an enemy, he would be a kindred spirit!

Luo Qiuzhen also knew it wasn't wise to provoke Fu Dongliu too much, so he said, "I need all the information regarding this case and the Li Baidao case, as well as the poisoning case, the arson case, and clues regarding all related individuals."

"That will take time to organize," a clerk replied.

"How long?"

"It should be finished by tomorrow morning."

"Good." Luo Qiuzhen was still in a state of severe injury, his body not yet healed. Having spoken for a while, he already felt exhausted. He nodded to Fu Dongliu and said, "I will head back first. Please continue to keep the news of my survival a secret, and let that person in the shadows enjoy their triumph for a few more days."

"I know," Fu Dongliu snorted.

The image dissipated, and Ning Ye's consciousness returned, his expression now becoming incredibly grave.

Tianji's little head popped out from the ground, transforming into the shape of a squirrel. It seemed to like its previous incarnation very much. "You look like you're in a bad mood?"

"There's trouble." Ning Ye explained the fact that Luo Qiuzhen was still alive.

Hearing that Luo Qiuzhen was alive, Tianji was also stunned. "How could this happen?"

"Great experts extending their lives, spiritual medicines saving them from peril, divine talismans turning the tide... there are many methods. That doesn't matter anymore; ultimately, it was my carelessness. I didn't expect him to fake his death." Ning Ye sighed helplessly. "If I had been more cautious, or more willing to sacrifice—for instance, by using a Soul-Lodging Token—perhaps I wouldn't have made this mistake."

Tianji muttered with a pout, "I thought you were someone who calculated everything perfectly."

Ning Ye shook his head. "Silly, where in the world is there a truly perfect calculation? All strategies vary according to the person, the time, and the situation. If Luo Qiuzhen had died, I was confident that my methods would never be detected by someone like Fu Dongliu, who only relies on immortal arts; that would have been a perfect calculation. But Luo Qiuzhen didn't die, so no matter how cleverly I set things up, he would eventually find them. My problem, the true root of it, is not here."

Although Ning Ye knew he had made a mistake, he wasn't about to become dejected or lose his confidence because of it.

It is difficult to have a foolproof method in this world; the key is to learn lessons from every mistake.

Luo Qiuzhen faking his death was clearly a result of his own overconfidence, having become complacent due to his previous string of successes.

This was human nature, but it must not be repeated. Ning Ye had resolved to learn his lesson and would be doubly careful in the future.

"Then where is it?" Tianji was still confused.

"I have acted too many times," Ning Ye replied.

Stealing medicine from the warehouse, killing at Huaiyin Mountain, poisoning the pills, burning down the Inspection Hall, killing with mechanisms in Ancient Spring Town, ambushing Li Baidao, plotting against Luo Qiuzhen, and stealing from the Xuanyu Pavilion—in less than a year, Ning Ye had acted seven or eight times. Even if he could make each one seamless, it was impossible not to leave traces. The more times he acted, the more traces he left, and the higher the probability of being discovered.

Ning Ye's past-life experience told him that the most terrifying opponents were not those with extensive criminal experience, but those who acted once or twice and then never acted again.

As long as you continue to act, it is very easy to leave new clues.

The more you act, the more clues you leave.

Yet, because Ning Ye had to deal with the Black and White Divine Palace, he had to act continuously—not seven or eight times, but perhaps hundreds of times.

This was his true and greatest trouble—no matter how many times he succeeded, a single failure would mean total destruction.

Tianji, however, had not fully realized this yet. "Are you sure he will definitely find you?"

Ning Ye nodded. "The mechanism techniques used when assassinating Luo Qiuzhen and the mechanism techniques used when killing Yue Xiuxiu, while the methods had variations, were essentially the same. In this way, Huaiyin Mountain has me, Ancient Spring Town has me, the Green Wood Hall has me—Luo Qiuzhen will never ignore these various signs. Coupled with the loss of the Thousand Mechanism Hall Fragment—although we took other treasures at the same time, it is still a clue—combined with the disfigurement incident, with this person's brain, he will surely figure it out."

This was another mistake Ning Ye had made.

Unlike the Green Wood Hall and Huaiyin Mountain, the only people directly involved in the Ancient Spring Town incident were three: Ning Ye, Yue Xiuxiu, and Gongsun Ye.

Yue Xiuxiu was dead, and Gongsun Ye was a powerful Human Demon; with things as they were, Ning Ye's status as a target had suddenly become glaringly obvious.

For this reason, Ning Ye was filled with regret.

Although Yue Xiuxiu was an annoying person, her crimes did not truly warrant death. Most importantly, whether she lived or died had no impact on his plans. Killing her was said to be for avoiding trouble, but in essence, it was because he disliked her and loathed everyone from the Black and White Divine Palace. It was more about venting his anger, much like killing Chen Changfeng—it provided no real benefit to his plans, only to his mood.

Now that the person was dead and the urge satisfied, the trouble had arrived as a result.

This made Ning Ye realize that he had been somewhat blinded by hatred, leading him to do unnecessary things.

Over the past year, Ning Ye had been reminding himself not to let his hatred slacken, yet he had inevitably been influenced by that resentment, resorting to killing at every turn. In this respect, the matters of Chen Changfeng and Yue Xiuxiu were perhaps a lesson; if he could overcome this hurdle, he would have to act with more caution and rationality in the future.

However, the reason humans are human is that they value not only reason but also emotion.

If he lacked emotion, why would he even need to seek revenge?

Perhaps this was the inherent contradiction.

But at the very least, he should perhaps revise his understanding: it was not necessarily the case that everyone in the Black and White Divine Palace had to die, Ning Ye thought.

Tianji did not think as much as Ning Ye; it only knew that if Ning Ye were finished, its own days would not be easy either, so it hopped about and shouted, "Then just kill him again!"

This was purely mindless talk. Luo Qiuzhen had been ambushed once and would certainly be on guard; to go and kill him now would be walking straight into a trap.

Tianji was not unintelligent, but its experience was still shallow. Facing such a situation, it had no solutions and could only hop about in a panic, its small eyes darting around as it began to consider whether Ning Ye's ship was sinking and if it should take the opportunity to run away.

Ning Ye saw through its little thoughts but did not blame it, simply saying, "Tianji, in the future, besides learning spells and improving your cultivation, you also need to learn how to handle crises."

"Hm?"

"Do not panic when things happen; keep your heart calm and steady!" Ning Ye taught it gently, "You must believe in yourself. There is no hurdle in this world that cannot be crossed."

Small black lines appeared on Tianji's little head: "I just don't really believe in myself."

"Then believe in your master."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Not yet."

"..."

Time passed bit by bit.

Ning Ye was still thinking, while Tianji's mood grew increasingly restless.

It couldn't help but say, "How about we run?"

"Run?" Ning Ye looked at it and smiled slightly. He smiled because, at the very least, Tianji said "we run" rather than just itself.

There was still some foundation of loyalty after all, even if it was more likely hoping to rely on his cover.

Ning Ye shook his head: "No, I won't run. To run means total failure. Some people, if they lose, might have a chance to start over, but I do not. I cannot lose, and I cannot afford to lose."

Speaking of this, Ning Ye seemed to have thought of something, his eyes glowing slightly.

He said, "Tianji, what did you say earlier?"

"To assassinate Luo Qiuzhen again," Tianji said. However, it realized how unreliable this idea was, so it shook its head: "It's impossible."

Unexpectedly, Ning Ye nodded: "If there is no other way, that is the only option."

"Ah?" Tianji was stunned: "Can it work?"

Ning Ye shook his head: "A truly perfect plan does not lie in how high the probability of success is, but in the fact that it can be useful regardless of success or failure. My previous actions were somewhat blinded by hatred, but now I understand a little. Heh, I really should thank Luo Qiuzhen; only a good opponent can make one stronger."

Tianji could not understand what Ning Ye was saying and asked confusedly, "What on earth are you talking about?"

Ning Ye had already said, "Tianji, do you know what kind of case is the hardest to solve?"

Tianji blurted out, "A case with a seamless plan and flawless execution?"

Ning Ye shook his head: "No, it is a case that has already been solved."

"A case that has already been solved?" Tianji was completely baffled.

Ning Ye sighed deeply: "It is a pity, but I have no choice but to cut off the arm to save the body."