Chapter 532: Point Out Any Errors I’ve Made, Lieutenant Governor! (part 1)
For more than twenty days, Xu Qing had come up with countless reasons to convince himself to stay silent. But he hadn’t been able to stop himself from thinking about another possible outcome.
He had known all along that if he stepped out like he did, there were three possible catastrophic outcomes. The first was that the moment he stepped out into the open, he would be struck dead immediately. Although that didn’t seem likely, it was a possibility. After all, to most people, voicing an objection wasn’t the same as outright rebellion.
The second possibility was that he would be imprisoned, whereupon his life or death could be determined by someone’s else’s whim.
The third possibility was that everything would go smoothly, but that he would create immense potential calamities that would lead to further catastrophe.
Of course, all of those possibilities were what would happen if he failed.
The moment he stepped out into the open and mentioned the 30,000-meter pillar of light, he ensured that the first possibility wouldn’t play out. What was more, he hadn’t even considered that the deputy palace lord and others would try to shield him from harm.
Next he had taken out the orders from Palace Lord Kong. With that jade slip as evidence, and as soon as he said he wanted to report the findings of his investigation, he ruled out the second possibility. Although the governor’s murder had previously been announced as having been solved, his carefully worded statement did not exempt Marquis Yao from culpability. He simply said there was more to the story, and that he wanted the people of Sea-Sealing County to hear all the details. Although the lieutenant governor was well-liked, he couldn’t surpass the old governor in terms of being loved by the people. What was more, the brilliant services performed by Palace Lord Kong would not be easily forgotten.
Xu Qing had called upon the names of two people who might as well have been mountains in the hearts of the commoners. Then he coupled that with the 30,000-meter pillar of light, and it bought him the opportunity he sought. The former was what shook the mortals. The latter was what shook the veteran cultivators.
And that was why the lieutenant governor looked deeply at Xu Qing, as if he were only finally realizing who he really was. After all, if Xu Qing said anything that even hinted at him trying to protect Marquis Yao or contradict the previous judgment that had been announced, then it would be easy to crush him.
Silence reigned in heaven and earth.
Xu Qing hovered in front of everyone, the destiny aura slowly gathering above his head.
He knew that his every choice of word was vitally important, and that if he said even one wrong thing, he would be damned by myriad tribulations. He let a few breaths of time pass, then looked at the lieutenant governor.
“In the fourth month of this year, the governor mysteriously died, the Holytides invaded, and eight hundred years of peace in Sea-Sealing County came to an end. The Nightshades besieged the imperial capital, prevented the new governor and the relief troops from coming to our aid, and left Sea-Sealing County isolated and without help. We were being tossed about by the wind and the rain, and everyone felt deeply alarmed.
“In the face of such deadly peril, Palace Lord Kong accepted the orders to stand in as the governor to safeguard Sea-Sealing County.
“In that same month, I worked closely with Palace Lord Kong to process all war reports and announcements. At the end of the fourth month, the situation on the front lines became critical. The palace lord took command of the Sea-Sealing County army and left to defend humankind. Living up to his oath as a swordsage, he personally went to the front lines. On the day he left, I helped the palace lord don his armor.”
Xu Qing’s words were not meaningless in any way. He wanted the hundreds of thousands of listeners to think back to those times. He wanted the mortals to remember what life was like back then in the county capital. He wanted them to clearly remember who it was that had really kept them safe.
“Before Palace Lord Kong left, he told me I wouldn’t be coming along. Instead, he took a body double with him so no one would realize I was secretly on my way to Daybreak Prefecture to investigate the governor’s death.
“Palace Lord Kong already had a theory about the governor’s cause of death. He believed the murder weapon was something called a lightmost fatehavoc pill. In ancient times, it was a very famous pill, but nowadays you have to study history books to learn about it. It specifically targets people upon whom destiny aura has converged. The stronger the destiny aura, the more deadly the pill will be to them.
“The old governor had all of the destiny aura of Sea-Sealing County. And his death perfectly conforms to how the lightmost fatehavoc poison works.
“Palace Lord Kong’s reasons for concluding that pill was involved can be found recorded in Classified Dossier 19 in the Swordsage Palace. I have no idea if that file even exists anymore. Regardless, before the governor’s death, the Swordsage Palace ran an operation to extract an agent from Holytide territory, and also recover an empty wish box. Quite a few people participated in that mission, and they can all corroborate my story.
“However, there is one very specific item required to make a lightmost fatehavoc pill work. And that is daybreak light. I don’t know if it exists in other regions, but I do know that it exists in Daybreak Prefecture here in Sea-Sealing County. That is what Palace Lord Kong sent me to check on. I needed to look through the records there to see if there was any daybreak light that could have been used in concert with a lightmost fatehavoc pill to kill the governor.
“Acting on Palace Lord Kong’s orders, I went to Daybreak Prefecture. While I was there, I resolved a crisis with the local Swordsage Court. That was when I got to the bottom of the situation. The Swordsage Court there can corroborate my story, and all of the evidence is recorded in this jade slip. What I found in Daybreak Prefecture is that there was some daybreak light that appeared a few years ago, but did not make it into the official records.”
All of a sudden, Kong Xianglong flew up into the air. “I participated in the mission to extract that agent. And I can testify that Classified Dossier 19 did mention that empty wish box. Everything is exactly as Xu Qing has said!”
Countless gasps rang out from the crowd of hundreds of thousands, and the mortals throughout the county capital were trembling. Seventh Prince’s gaze had turned flat as he looked at the lieutenant governor.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Qing continued, “I compiled all of this into a report to give to Palace Lord Kong. However, in that very same month, he died in battle. Therefore, I decided to continue the investigation on my own.”
At this point in Xu Qing’s speech, the lieutenant governor suddenly sighed. “Brother Liangxiu came to the same conclusion as me!”
Xu Qing’s pupils constricted.
The lieutenant governor’s gaze left Xu Qing and shifted to the hundreds of thousands of cultivators. Looking hurt, he said, “Xu Qing is giving voice to the very same things I considered. For example, I tracked down Classified Dossier 19.
“You see, it wasn’t just Brother Liangxiu who was investigating the governor’s death. I was also running my own secret investigation. The matter was too important to entrust to just a single person. I long believed that, given the high level of the governor’s cultivation base, it should have been impossible to poison him without him realizing it.
“The governor was not just a colleague, he was my close friend. And he was a hero to all of Sea-Sealing County. Because of that, I very much wanted to find out how he died, and also, get revenge!
“Thankfully, I made some progress in the short time before the war started, reached my conclusion, and announced it publicly. However, what Xu Qing says makes sense. The people of Sea-Sealing County deserve to know the truth.”
With that, the lieutenant governor waved his hand, causing a large Go board to appear in midair. There was a complete game on the board, with white and black pieces arrayed against each other in a display of fierce conflict.
“This is the governor’s Go board. Normally speaking, the only people who played on this board, other than the governor, were myself, Brother Liangxiu, and Yao Tianyan. Only the four of us ever touched it.” The lieutenant governor’s eyes seemed to flicker with reminiscence. Sighing, he turned to Seventh Prince and clasped hands. “I hate to trouble you, Your Majesty, but do you mind assisting as you did the day when we revealed the hidden poison? We need imperial blood to expose the fatehavoc element to view.”
Face completely expressionless. Seventh Prince flicked his finger, causing a red drop of blood to emerge and fly over to the Go board. That blood contained an astonishing bloodline power that caused all nearby humans to shiver. It landed on the Go board, and it was as if a veil had been lifted. Black energy pulsed off the board, and close examination would reveal that, specifically, it was coming from the game pieces.
“That black energy is the lightmost fatehavoc poison. Under normal circumstances, none of us could see or sense it. It was the same with the Governor. Only those with the blood of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity, who conquered all of Revered Ancient, have the power to reveal it.
“The culprit used this Go board to poison the governor!”
The lieutenant governor’s words caused a buzz in the crowd. After all, everything he was saying seemed completely believable and realistic.
A bitter expression appeared on the lieutenant governor’s face as he looked out at heaven and earth and quietly continued, “Truth be told, my plan has always been to use my time as governor to train my successor from among the deputy palace lords of the three palaces. Li Yunshan, you are my top candidate.”
The lieutenant governor reached out and touched the imperial prince’s blood on the Go board. That blood flowed up his finger, and where it spread, it revealed black energy. After the process was over, it was possible to see black streaks covering the lieutenant governor. He looked... just like the governor had looked in the moment before he died.
“The reason is that I’ve also been poisoned. I also touched the Go pieces on that board. Not just now. I handled the board numerous times before the war began.
“Xu Qing, do you remember that time you paid me a visit? You saw how tired I was, right? I know full well that this poison cannot be cured. That’s why I refused to take the medicine my subordinate gave me. [1]
“The governor perished. Brother Liangxiu perished. And I don’t have much longer to live. Yao Tianyan is on the run. Who could the killer possibly be?”
The lieutenant governor grinned bitterly. His words, coupled with the black energy, struck the altar like millions upon millions of bolts of heavenly lightning. Countless people were visibly shaken.
Even Xu Qing felt moved, and his previous confidence diminished slightly.
“You’re a good kid, Xu Qing,” the lieutenant governor said softly, his expression one of kindness. “Today's events just prove that you deserve that 30,000-meter pillar of light. It’s a good thing. Really.
“And now, does that 30,000-meter pillar of light allow you to approve my governorship? Will it allow me to keep everyone safe?”
Xu Qing didn’t say anything.
To anyone else, those words would sound like the epitome of benevolence. Only Seventh Prince realized that it made the lieutenant governor seem much more dangerous. He knew that those words... were a death sentence! He knew exactly what the lieutenant governor was thinking right now.
So what if the Grand Emperor gave you a 30,000-meter pillar of light? So what if you’re willing to fight your way through entire armies? I didn’t fly into a rage and attack you. I never got flustered and exasperated and started killing people. I just talked things out calmly. And then... I demanded that you say the simple words ‘you may.’ Using popular sentiment, I sentenced your 30,000-meter of light to death!
Everything was dead silent as all gazes shifted to Xu Qing.
The Captain’s expression was a bit fierce. Ning Yan huddled in on himself, his expression one of fear. Qing Qiu had no facial expression whatsoever, but she gripped her scythe even more tightly than before. That random unprepossessing swordsage who had looked proudly at Xu Qing earlier was now frowning and looking at the lieutenant governor with a slightly malevolent expression. On the altar, the masked Generalissimo Bloodhorror shifted his right foot as if he were about to take a step forward....
But then Xu Qing looked up.
1. The lieutenant governor refused to take the medicine from his servant in chapter 494.2. ?
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