Wayfarer

Chapter 562: Protecting Tang

In the prime minister's manor within the capital of Dayin, Mo Shanhe glared at Tang, whom Yin Tianci brought with him.

He considered all that had happened once more and discovered an anomaly. How had the cultivators from the Imperial Court found Zhang Lingjun? Given the Buddha of Dual Cultivation's strength, he would surely have been able to kidnap Zhang Lingjun easily. In that case, it was likely that his subordinate had been the one who had exposed the Buddha of Dual Cultivation's whereabouts.

And why had he sent a subordinate there? It was because Tang had nudged Yin Tianci to warn him!

His son, Mo Lengxuan, had mentioned that Tang might be a spy for Xiao Nanfeng several times. Perhaps that really was the case.

However, just now, Tang had pointed to Xiao Nanfeng as the culprit of Mo Lengxuan's death. Mo Shanhe couldn't help but re-evaluate the situation.

Assume that Tang really was a spy for Xiao Nanfeng—but in that case, wasn't it strange that all Tang talked about was trying to kill Xiao Nanfeng? He even logically deduced that Xiao Nanfeng might have been responsible for the Buddha of Dual Cultivation's destruction. Was that really what a spy would do?

"What do you think we should do now, then?" Mo Shanhe asked Tang.

"Since the cultivators of the Imperial Court have already made their move, there's no need for us to be ethical, either. Find some reason to kill Xiao Nanfeng and take revenge for Sir Mo," Tang said.

Mo Shanhe: ...

Seeing Mo Shanhe's pinched expression, Yin Tianci asked, "Prime Minister, surely you're not suspicious of Tang as well?"

Mo Shanhe fell deep in thought. He didn't respond.

"If Tang's suggestions bother you, then forget it. Pretend we were never here," Yin Tianci said. He turned and beckoned, "Tang, the prime minister doesn't welcome our presence. Let's go!"

Mo Shanhe immediately replied, "Please calm down, Your Highness. I don't suspect Tang. I'm simply thinking about the practicality of what Tang proposed."

"Ah?" Yin Tianci was perplexed.

"Tang, you claim to want to kill Xiao Nanfeng. Are you aware that this would be ruining all diplomatic relations with the Imperial Court?" Mo Shanhe asked.

"That would hardly be ideal, Prime Minister." Tang shook his head.

"Oh? Are you intending to assassinate Xiao Nanfeng, then? Do you think the Imperial Court won't be able to find out that we're responsible if that happens?"

Mo Shanhe wasn't particularly invested in killing Xiao Nanfeng right away, because he believed that Xiao Nanfeng was at most a factor of the plot that ended in his son's death. He was simply probing Tang.

"We can't assassinate him, and we can't kill him outright—but we can have Xiao Nanfeng kill himself. No one can take umbrage then."

"Oh?" Yin Tianci and Mo Shanhe both looked toward Tang in surprise.

"Dayin is right about to host a martial tournament involving the lower three grades of Immortal cultivators. Death and injury are commonplace in such tournaments; we could hardly be blamed for Xiao Nanfeng's death then."

"What nonsense is this?" Mo Shanhe frowned. "Why would Xiao Nanfeng choose to participate in a martial tournament of Dayin than be a Martial Aspect of the Imperial Court?"

"Prime Minister, you're responsible for hosting the tournament, aren't you? You could easily change the rules. The top cultivator is slated to become an official of Dayin, but can't you offer a relic as an alternate prize instead? Then, we can claim that Xiao Nanfeng was tempted to participate because of the relic that he would stand to gain. You would be able to manipulate his death then," Tang continued.

"Would a single relic be able to attract Xiao Nanfeng's attention?" Mo Shanhe asked, dubious.

"Not necessarily, but that's an excuse the public would believe. We could, in addition, send a note to Xiao Nanfeng stating that he would have to participate if he wants to know where Zhang Lingjun is."

"Didn't Zhang Lingjun run off?" Mo Shanhe frowned.

"She did, but Xiao Nanfeng's pretending not to know, isn't he? He gives off the impression of caring greatly for her. Now that there's an avenue by which he might be able to get news about her, will he participate in the tournament, or not?"

Mo Shanhe narrowed his eyes. "If Xiao Nanfeng doesn't participate, that could very well imply that he knows that Zhang Lingjun has been rescued, that he's only putting on an act. Even if he isn't the mastermind behind my son's death, he's likely to have played a major role in it."

"Indeed. If we can confirm that, we would be able to find some way to reveal the truth to the public and ruin Xiao Nanfeng and the Imperial Court's reputation for good. After that point, you could force the Imperial Court to assign blame to Xiao Nanfeng for his actions, Prime Minister, then find an opportunity to assassinate him with much less blowback."

Mo Shanhe frowned. Tang's plan was intricate, but it really did stand a chance of working.

"On the other hand, if Xiao Nanfeng is innocent and does care deeply about Zhang Lingjun's safety, it's likely he will participate."

"But what if Xiao Nanfeng thinks the tournament too dangerous despite the fact that he's unaware of what happened to Zhang Lingjun?"

"I've come up with a sufficient reason for you, Prime Minister. As for how much you want to invest to entice Xiao Nanfeng, that's up to you. Sir Mo has been obsessed with killing Xiao Nanfeng, and I believe you ought to satisfy him in death," Tang replied.

Mo Shanhe frowned and fell silent once more. Tang really did seem to be obsessed with Xiao Nanfeng's death, even if he was innocent in Mo Lengxuan's murder.

What sort of spy would he be if that were the case? Could Tang and Xiao Nanfeng really have no secret affiliation at all? If he weren't the one who exposed the Buddha of Dual Cultivation's location, who could it be?

"I'll consider your suggestion carefully," Mo Shanhe replied, nodding.

"As I said, Prime Minister, Tang is fully loyal to Dayin. Please relax," Yin Tianci said.

On Xiao Nanfeng's guest island, Emperor Feng stared ardently at Xiao Nanfeng. "Do you have the means to find more Buddha's Grottos?"

"Your initial method won't work. You need to find people who are in the know," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Oh?"

"Don't you think the prime minister of Dayin, Mo Shanhe, would know where the Buddha's Grottos are?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"His son is affiliated with the Buddha of Dual Cultivation, so he's surely privy to the details. What's more, with Yin Shenhua supposedly in secluded cultivation, Mo Shanhe is responsible for the majority of Dayin's affairs. He's surely intimately familiar with the kingdom's secrets," Emperor Feng summarized.

"So why don't you catch Mo Shanhe and interrogate him?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"Ha!" Emperor Feng scoffed.

"Am I mistaken?" Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

"I'm aware that capturing Mo Shanhe will allow me to find the Buddha's Grottos, but do you think that's feasible? He has countless guards surrounding him, multiple of whom are Golden Immortals. Not only that, he hasn't left the capital of Dayin recently. If I make a move and accidentally reveal myself, the entire city will be roused to action."

"But what if you do it beyond the capital?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"Outside? Lay an ambush for him, you mean? Do you think he's a fool? He only ever leaves the city in secret, and no one knows where he's going." Emperor Feng shook his head, then narrowed his eyes. "No—if you're asking me something like that, then you must have some knowledge as to when he'd appear, and where."

"If you're interested, I can help you come up with something."

"Of course I am. Anything that doesn't involve making a move within the capital of Dayin. What do you propose?" Emperor Feng asked in surprise.

"In that case, get ready. You're not planning to barge over as is, are you?"

Emperor Feng thought for a moment. "I'll impersonate someone else when I execute my attack. Do you have any ideas in mind?"

"How about a Martial Aspect of the Imperial Court?"

"Wouldn't that cause additional trouble for you? Would they believe it? Wouldn't they suspect you?" Emperor Feng exclaimed.

"Don't worry about that. I just need you to muddy the waters."

"Very well." Emperor Feng shrugged.

"Let's conspire, then." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

The reason he was nudging Emperor Feng to catch Mo Shanhe wasn't to help him, but rather Tang.

Tang had played a rather prominent role when it came to finding Zhang Lingjun, one that his enemies might not overlook. He would have to help shore up Tang's identity and loyalty to Dayin so that he was above suspicion.

The plan that he had decided on would not only benefit him, but help clear Tang's name and occupy Emperor Feng's time, so the latter wouldn't be so focused on Xiao Nanfeng's purported secrets.

As for dealing with Mo Shanhe, Xiao Nanfeng had no compunctions about it whatsoever. Mo Shanhe had assigned plenty of surveillance to him; this might as well have been an imprisonment of sorts. Dayin was simply waiting to finish its final preparations before making a move on the Imperial Court, and they were bound to be enemies. Causing trouble for Mo Shanhe was certainly a reasonable course of affairs.

Xiao Nanfeng patiently waited for his plan to take root in earnest, as it did after several days.

The next martial tournament that the capital of Dayin hosted was slated to occur in a mountain range to the east of the capital. The first-place winner would be able to receive a position as official of Dayin and receive an incredible relic. Furthermore, this tournament was open to all cultivators to show off Dayin's might. All cultivators were eligible to participate and claim the relic as long as they were among the bottom three grades of Immortals, even if they weren't interested in being an official of Dayin.

"Ha! As expected, the rules of the martial tournament can be changed at will. To think that the top prize would be a pagoda of quintessential solarfire... Mo Shanhe really does have a good understanding of my cultivation techniques, doesn't he?" Xiao Nanfeng smiled in satisfaction.

Days later, a purple-furred monster rushed into the hall.

"Martial Aspect Xiao, we've found word about the princess! We received this letter, but saw no trace of the messenger. The princess' pendant was within it."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng claimed the letter.

Indeed, her pendant was within.

"This does belong to the princess. We specially had someone forge it for the princess as a birthday present years ago," the purple-furred monster confirmed.

Xiao Nanfeng opened the letter to find a message: Xiao Nanfeng, if you want to learn of Zhang Lingjun's whereabouts, participate in Dayin's upcoming martial tournament. I await your presence.

The contents of the letter were straightforward; Mo Shanhe had to be responsible. But where in the world did this jade pendant come from?

Xiao Nanfeng narrowed his eyes. The appearance of the pendant clearly meant that there were Dayin spies among Zhang Lingjun's subordinates. Those spies might have recently claimed her pendant from her manor and sent it to Mo Shanhe, all to convince him of the legitimacy of this ploy.

"Dayin really is prepared to rebel..." Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

If not for this pendant, he wouldn't have realized how much danger he was in.