Chapter 506: Chapter 439: Killing with a Borrowed Knife
"Do you have to resort to underhanded tactics again?" Tong Han seemed to think of something.
"Good brother, I don’t like the word ’again’ you used," Yang Xiao always professed to be aboveboard and could not allow others to tarnish his reputation.
After chatting for a while, it was the driver sent by Fu Qingzhu who urged him to hurry up and return to Rongcheng as soon as possible. The two then said goodbye, and before leaving, Yang Xiao told her to rest well and heal, assuring her that he would handle the rest.
On the way back, Yang Xiao sent a message to Fu Qingzhu, asking him to find a reliable person to forge a seal as per the signature on this letter—someone with very high skill who could make it look indistinguishable from the real one. Fu Qingzhu agreed and asked Yang Xiao to give the letter to the driver to bring back. Such a high-precision forgery wouldn’t work just from a photo; the actual object was necessary.
Unexpectedly, Fu Qingzhu was incredibly efficient, and in just two days, someone had brought over the forged seal. The letter was presented too, and after Yang Xiao pressed the seal on a piece of white paper and compared the two, indeed, they were exactly alike.
"Hehehe..." From this moment on, Yang Xiao was determined to ensure that the Yu Yuan Sect, especially that damned Head of the Wounded Door, would never have peace.
Since the opponent had used the strategies of ’luring the tiger out of the mountains’ and ’killing with a borrowed knife’ to try to eliminate him, he would give them a taste of their own medicine, using Qu Muzhi’s blade against them. When it came to playing dirty, nobody outshone Yang Xiao.
However, he needed to wait for an opportunity.
Soon, that opportunity arrived. Nalan Shuo informed him that Huang Guozhao had almost completely ruled out his suspicion as the perpetrator after receiving his information.
After all, Yang Xiao’s Resentful Eye was labeled as Ghost Lantern and a red bridal gown in the file, whereas the Resentment Sect’s Ming Emperor Ye Xiao wielded a Human Bone Staff and Soul-Capturing Mirror. The items didn’t match at all; Huang Guozhao would never believe that one person possessed all four Resentful Eyes—dead or alive.
However, rumors had it that due to this incident, Huang Guozhao scolded Qu Muzhi, criticizing him for not going after the Evil Cultivator and instead endlessly investigating their own people—and moreover, for letting the Evil Cultivator escape in front of so many officials, which was quite embarrassing.
That very night, Yang Xiao received concrete intelligence from Fu Qingzhu that Qu Muzhi was leading a team back to North City Lingxiu Villa for another investigation. His informant saw Qu Muzhi get into a car with his own eyes, and this was precisely the opportunity Yang Xiao had been waiting for.
After all, he had been scared off last time, and he was worried about encountering Qu Muzhi again. This time, he intended to infiltrate the City Center Official Residence to create mischief. If he was cornered, the consequences would be dire.
Around midnight, Yang Xiao quietly approached the City Center Official Residence. Recently, Rongcheng wasn’t very stable, and the night shifts at several offices had double the regular number of staff.
But these people posed no threat to Yang Xiao. With the Soul-Capturing Mirror in hand, he could come and go as he pleased. Nonetheless, being cautious, he was fully prepared. Not only had he worn the Drama Robe in advance inside, but he also put on the same outfit he had worn in his battle against Qu Mu, along with a Character "Li" Mask and a pair of rubber gloves and shoe covers. Once he was fully prepared, Yang Xiao used the Soul-Capturing Mirror to sneak in and soon located Qu Mu’s office.
However, he had no intention of going in; the rare opportunity to visit demanded something big.
He quickly made his way to Huang Guozhao’s office, which was easy to find—in the central location on the fourth floor.
The office was very impressive, at least much more extravagant than Director Nalan’s. A complete set of mahogany sofas and desks made the value evident. At the same time, the Four Treasures of the Study placed on the desk revealed that Chief Huang also had refined tastes. The several calligraphy pieces hanging on the wall, with their powerful and majestic strokes, added to the ambiance.
"What kind of taste, sharing a hobby with my esteemed Director Nalan?!"
Yang Xiao mocked in his mind, then reached out and tore down several carefully framed pieces of the best calligraphy from the wall, balled them up, and stuffed them into a trash can. He had looked carefully before appearing—the room had no surveillance cameras.
These calligraphy pieces were obviously Chief Huang’s treasured works, hung in the most conspicuous spot on the wall. Now that they were thrown away, the space on the wall was bare. Yang Xiao prepared ink and picked up a brush, deciding to teach Chief Huang a lesson.
After a brief contemplation, Yang Xiao held the brush in his left hand and began to boldly write directly onto the pristine wall:
"Chief Huang, I have long heard of your great name and that of your subordinate Captain Qu. Having observed today, I am greatly disappointed. As a parting gift, I leave behind a piece of calligraphy, as a memento."
"A defeated general, flagging but seeking a prize."
"A clay chicken and pottery dog, a pair of useless creatures."
Signature: Unmatched in Resentment, Ming Emperor Ye Xiao.
"Ha—"
Yang Xiao breathed forcefully on the forged seal, then pressed it firmly beneath the name of Ming Emperor Ye Xiao.
The deed was done.
After all this, Yang Xiao had also deliberately left Huang Guozhao’s desk in complete disarray. He dared not touch the drawers, fearing that it might trigger an alarm.
Time to slip away.
Having admired his handiwork, Yang Xiao once again activated the Soul-Capturing Mirror and, in the blink of an eye, disappeared from the office.
Back in his apartment, Yang Xiao lay on his bed, too excited to sleep, tossing and turning. Every time he closed his eyes, he imagined what Huang Guozhao’s face would look like when he opened the door and walked into the office the next day. It would certainly be a sight to behold.
Yang Xiao was very tempted to infiltrate the place again to have a look, but it was just a thought. After all, he was a cautious person. Just because he hadn’t encountered anyone who could see through the Soul-Capturing Mirror didn’t mean such people didn’t exist in the world. Every Resentful Eye had its advantages and disadvantages, and what he needed most urgently now was to improve his spiritual power and control more and stronger Resentful Eyes.
The next day, Yang Xiao went to work as usual. For breakfast, he gnawed on a total of seven chicken legs. At the same time, Qu Muzhi, who had been busy all night at North City Lingxiu Villa, was called back by the Chief with a phone call. As soon as a befuddled Qu Muzhi stepped into Huang Guozhao’s City Center Official Residence, he was stunned by the scene before him and then received a torrent of scolding.
Huang Guozhao’s face had gone green as he clutched his heart tightly. In the office stood the captain of the patrol team who had been on duty overnight and the head of security, all with grim expressions and heads down, clearly having already been berated by Huang Guozhao.
Qu Muzhi, also a man of temper, couldn’t help but defend himself. Seeing that he was about to utter that person’s name, Huang Guozhao immediately told him to shut up and sent away the patrol team and security staff. After the door closed, only the two of them remained in the room.
"Chief, I request an investigation into Yang Xiao. My instincts tell me he must be implicated. He is the spy planted by the Yu Yuan Sect within our Rongcheng Patrol Division!" Qu Muzhi couldn’t help saying, "And there are others from their sect within our team. Otherwise, he couldn’t have escaped last time!"
After venting, Huang Guozhao also calmed down, took a document out of his briefcase, and tossed it to the emotional Qu Muzhi, "Take a look for yourself!"
Upon opening the document and looking at it for less than 10 seconds, Qu Muzhi’s face instantly turned extremely grim. "This... How is this possible?"
"How is it not possible? It clearly states here that, just like you, Yang Xiao also has two Resentful Eyes: one is a set of clothes, and the other is a lantern. Both do not match what you reported about the Evil Cultivator!"
The thought of this made Huang Guozhao so furious that he tried not to look at Qu Muzhi, but as he diverted his gaze, he happened to see the words "a pair of good-for-nothings" on the wall, which infuriated him even more.
"Impossible, could there be a problem with this document?" Qu Muzhi still believed in his own judgment, clutching at the document as he asked.
"Impossible! This is a document sent by the Provincial Office. It was obtained through a confidential telegram, and on it are the signatures of Elder Yang, the deputy head of the Provincial Office’s investigation team, and Mr. Yan Zhen, the investigating officer. Both have had contact with Yang Xiao. Are you suggesting they might be in collusion with the enemy too?" Huang Guozhao wasn’t just humiliated by the Evil Cultivator but now felt an even greater disappointment towards Qu Muzhi, to whom he had once entrusted great confidence.
At these words, Qu Muzhi had nothing to say, and seeing this, Huang Guozhao couldn’t bear to speak harshly any longer. He waved his hand, indicating for Qu Muzhi to take a seat.
"The person who came was very cautious, leaving few clues behind. However, the technicians found something unusual with the seal he left behind. This seal is very special and is only qualified to be used by someone with a certain status within the Yu Yuan Sect," explained Huang Guozhao.
"Who is this person?" Qu Muzhi pressed.
"This is a seal exclusive to the Wounded Door, one of the Eight Gates within the Yu Yuan Sect. Within the entire Wounded Door, no more than five people are qualified to possess it." Huang Guozhao held up five fingers.
"Yu Yuan Sect... Wounded Door..." Qu Muzhi’s eyes reddened as he stared at the words "Unmatched in Resentment" on the wall. As the leading captain of Rongcheng, he had never suffered such humiliation, and now it had happened twice. "Good... how cunning, Ming Emperor Ye Xiao..."
