Fleecing Both at Once

The message was sent out, and a few seconds later, the first to respond was Number Two: [Emperor Yuanjing has been assassinated?]

No, what's wrong with you, little brother? You can't stop talking about Emperor Yuanjing's ascension to heaven. Did he eat your rice or steal your silver?

Xu Qi'an mentally labeled "Number Two" as an angry young man.

An ancient version of an angry young man.

[Nine: Yesterday, both the inner and outer city walls were sealed off, prohibiting any civilians from entering or leaving. I knew something was wrong then.]

Master Jinlian is still hiding in the capital, quietly recuperating from her injuries.

Xu Qi'an had only written half of the information about his income, but Number One, who was used to spying on others, preemptively revealed the truth that shocked the holders of the Earth Book fragments:

[Part 1: Sangbo was bombed, the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple was destroyed, and the object sealed within Sangbo has disappeared.]

Such explosive news was met with silence.

The Earth Book chat group fell silent for three minutes; no one sent a book, and no one expressed shock.

[Two: What did you say? Sangbo was bombed? Yongzhen Shanhe Temple was destroyed? Number One, are you sure you're not kidding us?]

Number Two's reaction is reasonable; it's like Emperor Yuanjing being killed by a single commoner who stormed into the palace.

Equally unbelievable.

This is utterly absurd, like a meeting of eunuchs.

Number Four was equally incredulous; he knew Sangbo better than Number Two, and how heavily guarded it was.

But No. 1 would never speak without a purpose.

[Four: Number Three, is this what you wanted to say?]

[Three: Yes, Sangbo is destroyed, and the whereabouts of the sealed artifact beneath the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple are unknown.]

With Number Three's endorsement, however unbelievable it may seem, it is almost a foregone conclusion.

Number One and Number Three are both in the capital, and they know the most about what's happening in the capital of the Great Feng Dynasty.

[Nine: This is unbelievable news. Are there any leads, Number One?]

This is interesting. Master Jinlian didn't ask me, the Nightwatchers, but directly questioned Number One. Does this mean he believes Number One has a higher probability of knowing relevant clues about such high-level secrets than I do?

But was it too careless of him to say this? Was it intentional? Or was the impact of the destruction of Sangbo Lake so great that he didn't think things through carefully enough?

[Number One: This case has been handed over to the Nightwatchers's Office, the Ministry of Justice, and the Prefectural Government for handling. I don't know the specifics.]

The members of the Earth Book chat group could not hide their disappointment. If even the number one person, who held a very high position in the imperial court, did not know the specific details, then the number three person certainly did not know either.

[Three: Coincidentally, our academy, through relevant channels, has learned quite a few secrets and has roughly pieced together the details of the case.]

Does Number Three know?

Number Three actually knew!

He just said that he learned the information through the academy's channels, which means that Cloud Deer Academy has planted many spies in various government offices throughout the capital.

Seeing that Number Three said this, Number Five, who was not very interested in what was happening in the capital of Great Feng, also jumped in to watch the drama unfold.

[Five: Number Three, your academy's influence is getting a bit too deep. Even Number One doesn't know, but the academy does. By the way, what's your position in the academy?]

Could an average student really know such an important secret?

[Three: I have my own way of doing things.]

Xu Qi'an didn't explain. The importance of leaving blank spaces lies in the fact that the smarter a person is, the more likely they are to overthink things.

They would doubt both the identity of student number three as an ordinary student and whether student number three had other identities. In the absence of strong evidence, their thoughts would only become more confused.

Well, Number One is a problem; he/she isn't so easily fooled. It doesn't matter, I don't have any conflict with Number One for now, and besides, I'm getting more and more clear about his/her identity; at least I can define a certain range.

[Three: So, what will you offer in exchange for my information?]

Upon seeing this, everyone felt a sense of unease, wondering why their debts were piling up.

If Number Three were in business, he'd definitely be a successful merchant. Number Four sighed inwardly and replied: [I've been so focused on cultivation lately that I haven't acquired any valuable information. I'll owe you for now.]

[Second: Busy suppressing bandits. Hmm, once I figure out the forces behind Yunzhou controlling the various villages, I can pay back the debt to Number Three.]

At this point, Number Two felt a pang of sadness at his inexplicable debt.

[5: I do have some important news, but it will expose my identity.]

[Four: Oh, you're from the Southern Frontier, aren't you?]

[One: He should be a nobleman from some Gu clan.]

[Second: He seems somewhat belligerent.]

[5: You, you all knew?]

Isn't it obvious? You know the history of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons like the back of your hand, you keep referring to yourself as "Old Mother," and you even revealed before that your father has a very high status!

Number Five seems a bit dim-witted. He's on par with my Caiwei girl, Xu Qi'an's internal assessment.

He redefined the characters in the Earth Book chat group in his mind:

Number One holds a high position within the court and is a notorious spy.

Number Two is a top-tier angry young man, but he is very intelligent. It was he (or she) who tested himself and Number One during the ancestral worship ceremony that day.

Number Four had a good relationship with the head of the Human Sect. He had once served as an official in the court, but now he was a wanderer.

Number Five is a girl, a member of the Gu tribe from Southern Frontier, and she doesn't seem to be very bright.

Number Six is a Great Feng version of Lu Zhishen, with very high cultivation.

Number Seven ran away, and the fragments of the Earth Book are in the hands of Number Two. The relationship between Number Two and Number Seven is extraordinary.

Number 8 has been in seclusion for a long time, remaining offline.

Number nine is Master Jinlian, the founder of the Heaven and Earth Society, and Old Silver Coin.

Number Five remained silent for a while before finally sending a message: [Alright, I am a member of the Southern Frontier Gu Clan, upright and honorable. I have important news to share. Number Three, I'll trade this to you for the Sangbo case.]

[Nine: Five, my injuries have not yet fully healed. If you wish to speak, first everyone must agree that we owe you information or an equivalent amount of silver.]

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society were silent for a moment before agreeing to owe Number Five a piece of information.

[Part 5: The Gu God has begun to revive.]

The God of Gu? An existence beyond ranks, the founder of the Gu Master system? Xu Qi'an was taken aback. Although he knew a little about the possible existence of "immortals and Buddhas" through free access to information from the Heaven and Earth Society.

But he still found it absurd.

The Earth Book chat group remained silent for a long time, indicating that the shock this news brought to everyone was no less than that of the bombing of Sangbo.

[Five: Yesterday, a wisp of Gu God's aura emanated from the Abyss. All the low-level Gu raised in the village died suddenly, and the high-level Gu went berserk, attacking the clansmen. My mother's natal Gu almost went out of control too. My father said that after thousands of years, the Gu God has finally revived, but this is not a good thing.]

[Two: Is this not a good thing?]

[Five: Yes, the Gu God is the root of chaos. Devouring and reproduction are ingrained in its instincts. If it awakens, all creatures in the Southern Frontier will become its mating and devouring targets. It will turn the entire Nine Provinces into a world inhabited only by Gu! Therefore, our Gu Clan is gathering its strongest members, planning to infiltrate the Abyss in a few days to assess the situation.]

Holy crap, is this even possible? Is the Gu God a kind of creature?

Xu Qi'an was startled. He wasn't imagining tentacles or silver demons; he was genuinely shocked by the evil of the Gu God. Yes!

Xu Qi'an was eager to know more about the Gu God, but no one asked him.

[Nine: This is indeed shocking news.]

[Three: Daoist Master, is the reason the Gu God is asleep also because it has been sealed away?]

Xu Qi'an subtly probed for information about the Gu God.

[Nine: I don't know. The Gu God existed far too long ago; it existed even before humans learned to use writing. You can ask Number Five, but the very fact that the Gu God has revived is probably more valuable than your Sangbo case.]

"Is it more valuable than my Sangbo case?" Xu Qi'an was unconvinced.

[Five: Haha, Number Three, if you want to know more about the Gu God, you can choose to trade with me.]

[Three: What do you want?]

[Five: My brother isn't married yet. I've heard that the Princess of Zhenbei in your Great Feng is the most beautiful woman in the world. I want her to be my sister-in-law.]

You're dreaming. If you're so capable, wouldn't it be better for me to do it myself? Why should I give the beauty to your brother? Xu Qi'an replied: [One princess isn't enough. The eldest princess is also a stunning beauty, and there's our Great Feng's Grand Preceptor. I'll pack them all up and send them to you.]

[Five: Okay, okay!]

[One: If this is all just empty talk, then I need to take a break. Please, both of you, keep your mouths shut.]

Number One interrupted the conversation.

Number Five stopped causing trouble because she also wanted to know the details of the Sangbo case. She sent a message saying, "[I only know that the Gu God is the source of the Gu Master system and the origin of all Gu in the world.]"

After hearing what No. 5 had said, Xu Qi'an carefully chose his words and began to share the information he had about the Sangbo case:

[The object sealed beneath Sangbo may be related to the Demon Race. The Great Feng government has preliminarily determined that the force that destroyed Sangbo is likely the Demon Race. However, it's unclear whether it's from the north or remnants of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons.]

Xu Qi'an was not afraid that leaking firsthand information would lead others to speculate about his identity.

Because there were many officials attending the meeting in the council hall at that time, including Ministry of Justice, the prefectural government, and the Nightwatchers, Cloud Deer Academy's channels for obtaining information were not necessarily the Nightwatchers's office.

Demon Race?

How did this get involved with the Demon Race again? Why did the Demon Race destroy the seal beneath Sangbo Lake?

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society were completely bewildered.

However, they realized one thing: the inside story behind the Sangbo case was definitely not simple.

To unravel all of this, we probably need to figure out what is sealed beneath Sangbo Lake.

[One: Impossible. Sangbo is heavily guarded; even high-level experts couldn't infiltrate it. How could the Demon Race have destroyed Sangbo? Where would they have gotten the gunpowder?]

[Three: The imperial court has investigated this matter thoroughly. Saltpeter mines were discovered in Dahuang Mountain within Taikang County, but they have been completely mined out. The miners were none other than the Demon Race race. Number One, your intelligence channels are inadequate. In addition, the spy who colluded with the Demon Race has also been found; it was Zhou Chixiong, a centurion of the Golden Guard, but he fled with his family.]

[One: So this lead has gone cold.]

[Three: Ha, that's not necessarily true. Soon, the imperial court will definitely issue an arrest warrant. Zhou Chixiong will either have to leave Great Feng or hide in a safe place. Where do you think he will hide?]

Number two answered first: [That goes without saying, it's definitely Yunzhou.]

No one in the Earth Book Heaven and Earth Society knew the situation in Yunzhou better than him or her.

At this point, Xu Qi'an had achieved his goal. He wanted to use this opportunity to start a conversation and get Number Two to keep an eye on Yunzhou and see if he could capture Zhou Baihu.

But given his public persona, he shouldn't be so concerned about a fugitive. Because of patriotism? That reason is too flimsy.

[Number 1: Number 2, you have considerable influence in Yunzhou. Could you keep an eye on Zhou Chixiong for me?]

"Well done! "Xu Qi'an was invigorated.

In Number One's mind, Number Two seems to be more reliable than the government?

[Second: I refuse to help you.]

[One: I will provide compensation.]

[Two: No, I refuse to help you!]

Number One stopped speaking, and a brief silence fell over the Earth Book group.

Number One and Number Two don't seem to get along very well. No one else seems to be trying to mediate. Is it because they had some conflict or past grudge before I joined?

Uh... this won't do. If Number Two doesn't help, Yunzhou is so big, how are we going to find Zhou Chixiong?

I should step in; that way, I can both curry favor with Number One and collect the "debt" owed to Number Two.

A huge profit!

Xu Qi'an typed: [Number Two, please keep an eye on Zhou Chixiong for me, consider it repayment for last time. As for Number One, I'm sorry, you owe me another favor. What do you two think?]