Chapter 876: Chapter 637: Boundless Merit
"The people from the Earl Mansion took the opportunity to initiate a rebellion, and after the cursed artifact threw the dynasty into chaos, they would then come out to clean up the mess," the man said in one breath.
"How would they clean up the mess? Don’t tell me... they can deal with the Ancestor?" Shocked by the scene described by the man, Fang Zhou immediately pursued the question.
"Of course, when the time is right, they naturally have a way. By then, the cursed artifact would be nothing but a burden to them, something they must eliminate," the man looked at Fang Zhou, his gaze sending shivers down the latter’s spine, "The people from the Earl Mansion will collect your remains, kill those who are in the mansion directly, encase you in the statues at Zhongyi Temple, destroy all nine temples after the ritual is complete, severing the foundation of the cursed artifact, and it won’t be long before this calamity can be resolved."
"Then we’ll just hide the Divine Turtle Shell. Without the artifact to suppress, let’s see how they summon out the Ancestor,"
"From what you’re saying, our only option is to interfere on the way to Lingzhou City. We take the cursed artifact on a different route and don’t go to Lingzhou City," Jiang Qingluan suggested.
"Difficult. For such a major affair, the Earl Mansion would surely send people to follow us. You can’t escape," the man shook his head.
"Then..."
Before Fang Zhou could even speak, the man, seeming to have seen through his thoughts, shook his head to interrupt him, "If you think of not transporting the cursed artifact, you would also lose your value to the Earl Mansion and similarly can’t escape death."
"Going by what you’re saying, isn’t there no way out for us?" Jiang Qingluan frowned, "If that’s the case, what’s the point of all this fuss?"
"You’ve all entered a game of certain death, with no chance of survival. Yet, even in death, there are disparities. My plan is to let my junior brother take Jia Xi as the suppressive artifact to lower their guard, while you feign obedience. After the team leaves Fushou Town, find an opportunity to remove the artifact, and release the cursed artifact."
"With Fushou Town being desolate nearby, after killing you all, the cursed artifact will be lured back into the town by the scent of incense. The massacre will then shift from Lingzhou City to Fushou Manor. The people from the Earl Mansion will suffer the backlash of their Evil Technique, and they will be executed by the cursed artifact. Everyone in Fushou Manor will be killed, sacrificing the lives of one manor for the sake of the entire kingdom. Your merit will be boundless."
"If you are unwilling, the outcome will be death at the hands of the cursed artifact in Lingzhou City, and your remains collected, packed into the statues inside Zhongyi Temple. But that’s no good place; haven’t you heard? Cries echo through Zhongyi Temple every night, they are the souls of those wronged, imprisoned within, unable to leave generation after generation,
unable to find peace in death."
"Are you threatening us?" Yang Xiao’s face turned ugly as he looked at the man; this was completely different from what he had previously thought. This guy seemingly never intended to let them live.
"You too understand the Fengshui Technique, and should have the heart to benefit the world at large. I earnestly implore all of you to prioritize the common people, regard your own life and death as trivial, and with your own lives, help the world overcome this catastrophe! This is the highest merit, and besides, you have no other way out!"
"Moral kidnapping?" Yang Xiao laughed, pointed at the man’s nose, and dropped all pretense, "Let me tell you outright, we’re not buying it. Moreover, what you’ve said is incorrect. We do have a way out. Killing you first and then hiding that darn Divine Turtle Shell - totally incognito, biding our time with the people from the Earl Mansion. How about that?"
Yang Xiao felt there was no need to play the gentleman with this kind of person who had a belly full of schemes, counting them all in, but in the end doing nothing himself while still being the one to survive. On what basis? Because he’s shameless?
No wonder nearly all his senior and junior brothers are dead, yet he’s still alive. He’s just like a slippery turtle; dead masters and brothers but not the poor Taoist.
Everyone here has fought their way through blood and fire and wants to live. All that talk about morality and gentlemanliness is crap. If the Great Mage could be of help, they would honor him as a senior; if he’s not helpful and instead scheming against them, then they would see him to his grave.
Nalan Shuo, Yang Xiao, and Jiang Qingluan spaced out slightly, sealing off the man’s retreat. Seeing the situation, Fang Zhou realized something was amiss, and dared not contribute to the chaos.
Contrary to expectation, the man was not at all flustered, instead, he turned his gaze toward Fang Zhou who looked uneasy, and with a chuckle asked, "Aren’t you going to help your friends?"
"Senior, I know you mean no harm, please show us a way out," Fang Zhou made frantic gestures to the man with his eyes, hoping he would catch on, as after all, he was their savior, and he truly didn’t want to see both parties come to blows.
Nalan Shuo, Yang Xiao, and Jiang Qingluan, he knew all three were skilled with their hands, one against three, the man was already missing an arm and an eye, and he couldn’t move his legs well either. If things went poorly today, it could be a deadly situation, and his fate was foreseeable.
"Don’t use sharp weapons, don’t spill blood, it’s messy to clean up here," Jiang Qingluan whispered, "Capture him, strangle him, and then figure out how to dispose of the body."
"Hahaha——" The man laughed heartily and pulled out a long knife from under the table. With the long knife in his hand, he slowly stood up, "There’s no need for you to trouble yourselves, I came here today not intending to leave, but I still hope that you can fulfill my request, for the sake of the people of the world, sacrificing your lives to tide over the national calamity, and your journey through this world wouldn’t have been in vain."
After a standoff, suddenly, a disturbance came from downstairs, including a woman’s scream and heavy boots hitting the floor, thudding dully.
The next second, the sound of hurried footsteps approached, and the door was smashed open. The person was Lou Huixiang, his face full of panic, "A lot of government officers have surrounded the place and are searching room by room!"
The government officers have arrived... Yang Xiao’s face darkened, there must be people from the Earl Mansion among them, presumably word had gotten out.
"It’s you!" Yang Xiao turned to look at the man holding the knife, and his heart suddenly understood; if their private meeting with the man was made known to the people from the Earl Mansion, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"You motherfucker schemed against us! Old bastard!" Lou Huixiang, too, understood the urgency of the situation and was about to take action.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize, but with the welfare of the world’s people at stake, I had no choice but to resort to this measure. It was I who wrote the anonymous letter and left it by the counter to tip off the location here. When the people from the Earl Mansion ask, just say it was you who did it, that would be fine. I have wet the handwriting with water, there shouldn’t be any problems discerning it."
"Young brother, we are fated to meet. Please keep the Jia Xi safe and deliver it to that disciple of mine who betrayed his master and ancestors. Remember, you must be extra careful, the act must be convincing."
After instructing Fang Zhou, the man reversed the grip on his knife and thrust it forward, "Ladies and gentlemen, if I remain alive, this play won’t seem authentic. I beg you, behead me quickly!"
"Thump, thump, thump..."
The sound of footsteps outside the door grew louder, a multitude of people were hastily heading this way, evidently having received the specific room number from the store. The man grasped the cloth bundle containing the Divine Turtle Shell and threw it to Fang Zhou, then with a fierce expression, he bellowed loudly, "You villains, scheming with the tiger for its skin, you’ll not have a grave to be buried in!!"
Immediately after, he rushed forward and sliced at Lou Huixiang, who couldn’t dodge in time, inflicting a wound. The next second, he placed the knife across his throat and decapitated himself. The cut was deep, and the scalding blood spurted out, splattering over several people’s bodies and faces — the scene gruesomely bloody.
After falling to the ground, the man only struggled a few times before he lay still. The door was broken in, and a group of people charged inside, taking control of Yang Xiao and the others without explanation, then a man dressed in a simple, grey robe entered.
Yang Xiao recognized the newcomer — the effeminate Feng Shui Master who was the executioner, as well as the despicable fellow disciple mentioned by the man who ended his life.
Lou Huixiang had sustained a deep wound to his shoulder, from which blood continually flowed; he was screaming, requesting someone to bandage his wound.
In such a situation, one wrong word could reveal a flaw, but finally, Nalan Shuo spoke up and recounted the chain of events, all of which, of course, were fabrications. It was clear the effeminate man did not entirely believe the story until Nalan Shuo asked Fang Zhou to hand over the Divine Turtle Shell.
To the surprise of Yang Xiao and the others, the effeminate man didn’t delve into the matter of their meeting with the man. His attention was fully fixed on the Divine Turtle Shell. After examining it, the pale face of the effeminate man turned flush with excitement—it seemed he had confirmed this was indeed the treasure.
And no doubt with this treasure in hand, he would be able to claim credit with the people from the Earl Mansion, and the great task could be realized. The soon-to-be-dead individuals like Yang Xiao were no longer of consequence.
"Ladies and gentlemen, your efforts in finding this person have been meritorious. The traitor has been executed. I will petition to the Manor Master to commend your actions — for now... please return to the manor."
The effeminate man inadvertently used the word "petition," not realizing this was an overstepping sin, for petitioning is reserved for the Emperor alone. This revealed just how brazen these individuals were.
After speaking, the effeminate man approached the deceased man, picked up the long knife in front of everyone, and began hacking, not stopping until the man’s head was severed. Holding the head, the effeminate man displayed a relieved expression and tauntingly laughed, "Elder brother, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep knowing you were alive, but now you can reunite with our master."
"Fetch a case, display this traitor’s beheaded corpse to the public, drag the body out to feed the dogs, and if anyone dares to claim it, follow them in secret, identify their home, and kill all without mercy!"
"Yes," a government officer with a sword nodded in agreement.
After wiping his blood-stained hands on the hanging curtain, the effeminate man left with light footsteps, clutching the Divine Turtle Shell tightly.
As he reached downstairs, he saw a luxurious sedan chair parked outside the shop. The effeminate man frowned, seemingly surprised, and then approached it. A sedan chair bearer with an expressionless face stood beside it, lifting the small curtain on the side.
Inside the sedan, an elegantly dressed old man sat, his face covered by a thick, bizarre mask.
"Sir, have you acquired the item?" asked the old man in a husky voice, seemingly in jest.
"It’s in hand. The last rebel has been personally executed by me; Your Majesty can rest easy." The effeminate man leaned in close, his voice just loud enough for the old man inside the sedan to hear, evidently fishing for praise.
"Very good. Sir, you have been toiling back and forth these days, please pass the treasure to me temporarily, to ease your worries."
Without waiting for the effeminate man to react, he stretched out his hand, demanding it. The abruptness of this move caused the effeminate man’s expression to darken, but after a few seconds, he wisely handed over the Divine Turtle Shell. Once it was received, the sedan curtain was immediately drawn, and the chair was lifted by four bearers. Without a word of farewell, they left straightaway.
Watching the departing silhouette of the sedan, the effeminate man took a deep breath and turned away, thinking to himself: "When the hare is caught, the hound is cooked," nothing more than that.
Around the corner, accompanied by a group of guards, the sedan stopped at the entrance of an alleyway. An attendant approached with a quick trot, and the sedan’s curtain was lifted once more, the hoarse, old voice wafting out, "Go, get my invitation and immediately invite the temple master from Qingyun Temple, Master Xie. Tell him to come and ascertain whether this treasure is real or fake."
"Yes." The attendant took an invitation with both hands, then turned and left. Taking the reins from someone at the rear of the procession, he swiftly mounted a white steed and galloped away.
Inside the sedan, the Old Manor Master’s hands trembled as he brought the mask very close to the Divine Turtle Shell, his gnarled fingers gently tracing the shell’s uneven patterns, his heart brimming with ecstatic joy—the Marquis Mansion’s century-long plan hinged on this very night!
A change of dynasty, ascending to the throne, worshipped by the masses, the visions of his dreams seemed within reach, as if right before his eyes!
