Ren Yingying looked at Lin Lang in confusion. "Brother Lin, didn't you say the fewer people involved in rescuing my father, the better? Once we contact Uncle Xiang, we can go rescue him. What else do we need to prepare?"
Lin Lang shook his head. "Yingying, we have to take the long view."
"With you and me, Left Emissary Xiang, and Cult Leader Lan, rescuing Cult Leader Ren will be foolproof. But what happens afterward?"
"Have you considered how to keep the news from reaching Dongfang Bubai?"
"Have you considered how to help Cult Leader Ren reclaim his throne as leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult?"
Ren Yingying could not meet Lin Lang's eyes. Everyone in the cult said she was exceptionally clever, but now it seemed she could not compare to Brother Lin at all. She had thought far too simply.
Lin Lang reassured her. "You lack experience. It's natural to overlook these things. I've worked it all out for you. I'll explain, and you take notes."
"First, your movements must not arouse Dongfang Bubai's suspicions, so you need to win Qu Yang over and have him help you put on a show. Make Dongfang Bubai believe you passed through the place where your father is imprisoned to hunt down Qu Yang, rather than deliberately going there."
"Second, have Lan Fenghuang prepare plenty of poison. It shouldn't just work on ordinary cult members-ideally, it should be capable of bringing down a Martial Arts Master. We may not need it, but better prepared than sorry."
"Finally, find out who in the Sun Moon Holy Cult is dissatisfied with Dongfang Bubai, and how many people have remained loyal to Cult Leader Ren. Those are all people we can win over."
"Only once we've clarified all that can we plan our counterattack on Blackwood Cliff, allowing Cult Leader Ren to reclaim his throne without damaging the Sun Moon Holy Cult's foundations. Otherwise, we might leave it an empty shell for the Five Mountains Sword Alliance and others to exploit."
Ren Yingying carefully committed everything to memory. So there was still this much to prepare.
Lin Lang had considered her interests at every turn, leaving her deeply ashamed for having doubted him.
"Brother Lin, thank you." Ren Yingying hesitated. She still had questions she wanted to ask, but could not bring herself to voice them.
Lin Lang continued, "Actually, there's something I haven't told you. I'm with the Jinyiwei-in other words, I serve the imperial court."
"But that doesn't change my admiration for Cult Leader Ren or my desire to rescue him. He once saved my father."
Lin Lang had never even met this body's father, but surely the man would not mind acquiring a few extra stories for the sake of his son's sexual happiness.
"Back then, my father was surrounded by enemies. Cult Leader Ren happened to pass by and saved him with barely any effort."
"Cult Leader Ren may have long since forgotten that little incident, but my father and I have always kept it in our hearts."
"After Cult Leader Ren disappeared, my father investigated for a long time, but he passed away before uncovering the whole truth."
"Though my father is gone, I'm still alive. Heaven doesn't fail those who persevere. I finally discovered Cult Leader Ren's whereabouts, but I wasn't confident I could rescue him alone."
"Fortunately, I met you that day. Together, we're certain to rescue Cult Leader Ren."
"Repay a drop of kindness with a gushing spring of abalone-that has always been my guiding principle."
I'm helping rescue your father and even preparing to help him reclaim his throne. Surely it's only right for you to let me savor your fragrant, gushing abalone someday?
Ren Yingying breathed a sigh of relief. No wonder Lin Lang was helping her so much, even considering how her father would reclaim his position after being rescued.
"Brother Lin, though you're with the Jinyiwei, you're like many of our brothers in the cult-a man whose righteousness reaches the clouds."
"Once we rescue my father, why don't you join our Sun Moon Holy Cult? If he doesn't give you a good position, I won't stand for it."
Would your father let me become his cherished son-in-law? Lin Lang thought. I'm not interested in any other position.
After all, I'm an official, while your martial sects are outlaws. Who would choose to become an outlaw when he could live comfortably as an official?
Besides, I can remain an official while you remain an outlaw, and we can collude.
You expand your strength and standing in the martial world, while I gain promotions and riches. We both win!
"Yingying, there's no rush to decide that. Rescuing Cult Leader Ren comes first."
"Though I serve the court, my heart belongs to the martial world. It was largely thanks to the court's intelligence that I managed to track down Cult Leader Ren."
"Go persuade Qu Yang first. Promise him that once this is done, he won't be punished for his friendship with Liu Zhengfeng. And tell him to consider his granddaughter's future."
You don't even know how to play the villain. Threaten him with his family!
"Liu Zhengfeng is my subordinate now. He has washed his hands in the golden basin and retired from the martial world, so he's no longer part of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance. Qu Yang's friendship with him no longer counts as betraying the cult."
Ren Yingying nodded. "I'll certainly persuade him to cooperate with us. But Blackwood Cliff has already been pressing me to kill Elder Qu as soon as possible. If I still can't do it, I'm afraid they'll order me back to Blackwood Cliff. It'll be difficult for me to leave again then."
Lin Lang pointed at the Mount Song Sect corpses on the ground. "I've arranged a solution for that too."
"Just say you killed these men. That's a major achievement for the cult. Then send some people to hunt down other Mount Song Sect members. All they need to do is keep up appearances."
"The Mount Song Sect is bound to retaliate against the Sun Moon Holy Cult. Dongfang Bubai will be too busy dealing with them to pay attention to you."
Ren Yingying's face filled with admiration. "So there was another layer of meaning behind your killing those six Mount Song Guardians, Brother Lin."
I only just thought of this use for the Mount Song Sect's corpses, Lin Lang thought. Might as well turn waste into something useful.
"Brother Lin, I'll send the others to hunt down Mount Song Sect members right away, and go persuade Elder Qu myself."
"I'll come find you within a month at most."
Lin Lang said, "Make sure everything is thoroughly prepared. We only have one chance, after all. Don't worry-even if I must die, I'll wait until after we've rescued Cult Leader Ren."
Lin Lang turned and left. Ren Yingying watched his retreating figure as sunlight filtered through the treetops onto him, making his whole body seem to glow.
In all her eighteen years, she seemed never to have met a man like him. For a moment, she gazed at him in a trance.
Only after he vanished completely from sight did she turn and leave. It was time to put the plan into motion.
"Let's return to Hengshan as soon as possible. To think Liu Zhengfeng, a hero his whole life, would throw in his lot with the imperial court!" Dingyi snorted.
Yilin said softly, "Master, I don't think Brother Lin is a bad person. Without him, the Mount Song Sect would probably have killed Martial Uncle Liu's entire family. And on my way to Hengshan City, I ran into Tian Boguang. Fortunately, Brother Lin came to my rescue..."
After hearing Yilin's account, Dingyi's opinion of Lin Lang improved considerably. "Then the lad does know right from wrong, at least. But when you see him again, address him as Lord Lin."
Yilin obediently nodded, secretly delighted. Did that mean her master would not mind her seeing Brother Lin again?
But when would they meet again?
Yue Buqun led the Huashan Sect out of Hengshan City. "Chong'er, why were you late this time, and why were you with a Hengshan disciple?"
Linghu Chong explained, "Because Lin Lang rescued Junior Sister Yilin on the road... I hired a team of escorts to transport Tian Boguang's corpse, which delayed me a little."
Yue Buqun narrowed his eyes. "Lin Lang killed Tian Boguang? Then the Mount Song Sect will have trouble dealing with Liu Zhengfeng."
Any loss of face for the Mount Song Sect delighted him. In the past, the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance had always been the Huashan Sect's leader. Had the Huashan Sword and Qi Sects not clashed, how could the Mount Song Sect ever have had the opportunity to rise?
His greatest enemy in restoring the Huashan Sect was not the Sun Moon Demon Cult, but the Mount Song Sect.
He knew his strength fell short of Zuo Lengchan's, but he already had a comprehensive plan.
The people he had sent had earned considerable goodwill from Lin Pingzhi. When the time came, he could take Lin Pingzhi as his disciple and obtain the Evil-Warding Sword Manual, then use it to restore the Huashan Sect's glory.
He had even sent his own daughter out for that purpose.
If Lin Lang represented the Great Ming court and intended to move against the martial sects, what did that have to do with his Huashan Sect? Its territory lay in Great Sui.
At the Mount Song Sect, Zuo Lengchan sat cross-legged on a rush cushion, cultivating his Cold Ice True Qi.
Suddenly, a disciple's voice came from outside. "Sect Leader, terrible news! We received a message by carrier pigeon. Martial Uncle Fei and the others failed to stop Liu Zhengfeng's golden-basin retirement ceremony."
"And on their way back to Mount Song, they were ambushed by the Sun Moon Demon Cult. Martial Uncle Fei and five others died in battle, and dozens of disciples were killed or wounded."
Bang!
Zuo Lengchan smashed through the door and charged outside. "What did you say?!"
He had dispatched members of Mount Song's Thirteen Guardians to Hengshan City, believing the mission foolproof.
Through Liu Zhengfeng, he could damage the Hengshan School's reputation while showing the martial world the Mount Song Sect's strength.
How had things turned out like this? Where exactly had things gone wrong?
Wasn't the Sun Moon Demon Cult's Holy Maiden Ren Woxing's daughter? How old could she be? How could she possibly have killed Fei Bin and the others? It had to have been a sneak attack.
He had yet to trouble the Sun Moon Demon Cult, and they had actually dared to ambush his Mount Song Sect's men!
"Pass down the order. Have the disciples prepare. Since the Sun Moon Demon Cult wants war, we'll strike back hard!"
"Our Five Mountains Sword Alliance will annihilate the Sun Moon Demon Cult."
Before you continue