Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 38 - Conspiracy:Two Birds With One Stone

“H-How do you know about it?!” Zhou Hu looked terrified. He was lying earlier because he didn’t want to implicate the City Lord Mansion in this matter. But Liu Wuxie’s words completely shattered that notion when he revealed that Qi Enshi was merely using him. He had never mentioned borrowing money and Qi Enshi’s promise to help him raise a sum of gold coins.

“It’s quite simple to deduce. The Terrabreak Army seldom leaves their barracks, let alone visit a tiny city like Azure Billow City. It also makes no sense for a mere 1000-Man Commander to visit a City Lord. So it’s pretty obvious that you lied. You must have evidence against Qi Enshi, and he wouldn’t dare to offend the Terrabreak Army. The only solution was to use us to eliminate you by luring you to the Phoenix Roost Gorge. You would have killed the Xu Clan’s guards, and my father-in-law would have killed you in return. That way, even if the news of the Terrabreak Army’s soldiers being killed were to spread, it had nothing to do with the City Lord Mansion and the Xu Clan would be blamed.”

Robbing the Xu Clan’s goods twice without killing everyone was meant to make the Xu Clan take the matter seriously and lure them in step by step. With no raw materials, Xu Yilin would naturally be worried because the Xu Clan couldn’t open their weaponry workshops. Right then, the Tian and Wan Clans stepped in, offering 10,000,000 gold coins to do their bidding. This was a perfect plan for killing two birds with one stone.

After all, how could Qi Enshi, as a City Lord, tolerate being coerced by someone? But he didn’t dare to openly do anything to Zhou Hu, even though the latter wasn’t as high-ranking as him. Zhou Hu was a 1000-Man Commander, and Qi Enshi could only use the Xu Clan to get rid of him. Clearly, the City Lord Mansion was the mastermind behind all of this. Although Liu Wuxie didn’t participate in the scheming, his analysis was down to details.

“Qi Enshi, I treated you like a brother, and you tried to get rid of me? I helped you conceal what you did two decades ago! I didn’t expect you to be so ruthless!” Zhou Hu no longer harbored any hatred towards Liu Wuxie. This had all been orchestrated by Qi Enshi, and Liu Wuxie was also a victim.

“What did Qi Enshi do back then, and what’s the evidence you have in your hands?” Liu Wuxie asked. This might be useful in coercing the City Lord Mansion to stand with the Xu Clan in a crucial moment.

Hearing Liu Wuxie’s question, Zhou Hu’s facial expression became sinister. His eyes were blind, but blood flowed from his eye sockets, making him look terrifying.

“Twenty-five years ago, we did a mission together. When we passed a small town, Qi Enshi took a fancy to a beautiful woman, raping her before killing her. He even slaughtered the entire town to silence everyone, killing more than ten thousand people and disguising it as a demonic beast attack.” Zhou Hu gritted his teeth upon mentioning this matter. Back then, Qi Enshi had begged him for a few days and even bribed him with gold coins to shut his mouth.

Over the next few years, Qi Enshi would give some gold coins to Zhou Hu to spend at regular intervals.

Qi Enshi was a talented individual who had risen from the ranks of a lowly soldier to become a City Lord. Zhou Hu, aware of his inferior status, didn’t bring it up again. Not long ago, he had embezzled funds from the Terrabreak Army and lost 10,000,000 gold coins. The money was intended for military expenses, and the consequences would be dire if he couldn’t repay it.

Zhou Hu eventually turned to Qi Enshi for help. As a City Lord, Qi Enshi must have been wealthy, so Zhou Hu hoped to borrow 10,000,000 gold coins from him to balance the accounts before finding other means to repay the debt.

“If you have no evidence, Qi Enshi can simply deny everything even if you expose him. After all, so many years have passed, and there shouldn’t be any evidence left in the town,” Liu Wuxie pointed out. It had been over twenty years, so how many people could still remember what happened in the town back then?

“I deliberately paid attention to it back then. I made a copy of the town’s population file. I mentioned it to him when I came to Azure Billow City, but he didn’t believe it initially. After all, the entire town was erased. But when I showed him a portion of the records, he calmly reassured me that he would help me balance the accounts. So it turns out that he was planning to kill me all along!” Zhou Hu’s face twisted with rage as he realized that he had been played by Qi Enshi from the very beginning.

“Where are the files hidden now?” The files were equivalent to controlling Qi Enshi, forcing the latter to obey.

“Can you spare me if I tell you?” Zhou Hu looked at Liu Wuxie with his empty eye sockets.

“I can’t do that,” Liu Wuxie replied. He couldn’t afford the news about the killing of the Terrabreak Army to leak.

Zhou Hu’s body trembled, and he wore a wry smile. He would probably do the same thing if he were in the same position as Liu Wuxie. After all, this was the safest way to prevent any troubles in the future.

“I can tell you where the files are hidden, but you must agree to one condition. Otherwise, I would rather bite my tongue and die than reveal their location!” Zhou Hu was disheartened. In his current state, he had nowhere to go, even if he could leave. He had lost his cultivation and eyesight; he was no different than garbage now.

“Go on. What’s your condition?” Deacon Qi had already left because too many secrets were involved in this conversation. He stood at a distance to ensure that Liu Wuxie and Zhou Hu’s conversation wouldn’t be overheard.

“Help me kill Qi Enshi to avenge me!” Veins bulged on Zhou Hu’s forehead as he thought of Qi Enshi’s treachery.

“I can’t promise you, but I will do my best. You should understand what I mean,” Liu Wuxie did not agree to it immediately. Zhou Hu wasn’t stupid, and Liu Wuxie could tell that the City Lord Mansion had gotten involved. It was already impossible for the Xu Clan to extricate themselves from this situation, as a confrontation between the Xu Clan and the City Lord Mansion was inevitable.

After the crisis facing the Xu Clan had been resolved, and the conspiracy of the Tian and Wan Clans had failed, the disappearance of the Terrabreak Army would surely make Qi Enshi anxious. He would do everything in his power to find and destroy the records. This meant that the Xu Clan was the key to uncovering the truth. But Qi Enshi wouldn’t dare to act openly and would instead resort to covert means to destroy the Xu Clan.

“You’re strong, even by the standards of the Imperial City. Azure Billow City won’t be able to contain you for long, and I believe you have what it takes to kill Qi Enshi. I brought three scrolls with me, and they’re hidden in the B-tier courtyard of the Pleasure Inn. Once you enter the courtyard, remove the tenth brick, and you’ll find the scrolls. The remaining records are hidden in my concubine’s courtyard in the Imperial Capital,” Zhou Hu revealed, a look of desolation crossing his face as he finished speaking.

“May you rest in peace,” Liu Wuxie said as he drew his blade. Zhou Hu’s body began to wither as his essence was absorbed, leaving behind only a pile of skin. His interspatial pouch fell to the ground.

Liu Wuxie’s dantian rumbled, and he was one step away from reaching the third level of the Xiantian Realm. He left the rest to Deacon Qi to ensure no traces were left behind. When the Xu Clan’s guards were gathered, they looked at Liu Wuxie with respect and a hint of fear in the depth of their eyes.

“I hope you can keep your mouths shut about what happened today. If anyone reveals anything, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” An overwhelming murderous intent swept out along with Liu Wuxie’s words, enveloping the sixteen people, including Deacon Qi.

Everyone had witnessed how Liu Wuxie interrogated Zhou Hu earlier. Even someone in the Spirit Cleansing Realm could only endure five breaths under his technique, and they probably wouldn’t even last for a single breath.

“Young Master, please feel assured. We won’t reveal anything about what happened today.” Deacon Qi patted his chest, and the fifteen guards did the same.

They knew better than anyone that killing soldiers of the Terrabreak Army was a grave crime. If word of what had transpired today were to get out, they would be executed, and their families, up to nine generations, would be killed. Only a fool would leak this information.

The transportation team carried on their journey, leaving the Phoenix Roost Gorge. The remaining trip was safe, and they didn’t get into trouble. Half a day later, they finally saw the exit to the Sunset Mountain Range.

“Young Master, aren’t you coming with us?” Deacon Qi asked. They would reach Azure Billow City in half a day, and he didn’t understand why Liu Wuxie wasn’t returning with them.

“I’m going to the mine. The Tian and Wan Clans must’ve dispatched their men trying to seize the mine. You guys can deliver the ores to the weaponry workshop as soon as possible,” Liu Wuxie said, and he entered the Sunset Mountain Range, rushing to the Iris Gold Mine. He could only hope that nothing bad had happened there.

......

In the Tian Clan, the scouts have been keeping a close eye on the Xu Clan for the past few days. They saw how Xu Yilin left the Xu Clan’s residence during the day and returned at night. They reported, “Patriarch, Xu Yilin didn’t leave Azure Billow City and is still guarding the Xu Clan, inspecting the five weaponry workshops daily.”

“Are they going to give up on the weaponry workshops?” Tian Qisha’s face darkened. He had invested a great deal of effort into this plan, hoping to lure Xu Yilin out of Azure Billow City. They had intended to use him to kill the Terrabreak Army while seizing the opportunity to take control of the Xu Clan’s assets.

“Patriarch, bad news! The Xu Clan’s transportation team has entered the city with ten carriages of Iris Gold Ores!” A scout rushed in to deliver the news, gasping for breath.

“That’s impossible! Can it be that they failed?!” Tian Qisha muttered to himself before saying, “Continue to watch the Xu Clan. I’ll be going to the Wan Clan.”

Tian Qisha stood up and quickly made his way to the Wan Clan.

......

When Liu Wuxie re-entered the Sunset Mountain Range, he sped to the Iris Gold Mine, which took about a day.

The Tian Clan’s party, which included the members of the Wan Clan, had been wandering aimlessly in the Sunset Mountain Range for the past day in search of Liu Wuxie. As they sat around a bonfire, their patience was wearing thin. “Elder, where could he have gone? We’ve searched the entire outskirts and found no trace of him,” one member said.

The Tian Clan’s elder entered the tent to rest, replying, “No hurry. He won’t be able to run away.” The others continued to patrol to prevent attacks from demonic beasts.

Unbeknownst to them, a black shadow was slowly approaching their campground, a sinister smile on his lips. “You guys are too tender to kill me,” Liu Wuxie muttered. He had known someone was following him but had pretended not to notice. Now that he had dealt with the transportation team, it was time to confront these pursuers.

The bonfire crackled loudly in the night. A patrolling disciple felt a chill around his neck as he turned around.