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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 4: [Shuangsheng Dao Sect (Twin Rice Sect)]
Chapter 89 (344): [Leveraging the Situation]
(89th of Volume 4)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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From Jiang Xin's reaction, it was clear that Yao Qian hadn't obtained any useful information from Zhou Bida.
Moreover, the Hidden Lord hadn't yet fallen into Yang Shenjing's hands, or at least hadn't been brought back to Southern Yan Pass.
As long as Yang Shenjing couldn't capture the Hidden Lord alive, Li Weiyi was confident in proceeding with his next plan.
After all, dead men tell no tales.
If the Hidden Lord could escape, that would be the ideal outcome.
But...
Li Weiyi dared not harbor too much hope.
He had to act quickly.
However, the more urgent the situation, the less he could afford to rush.
Seeing "Yao Qingxuan" remain silent, Jiang Xin sensed the calm before a storm.
He knew the other party was likely hesitating over whether to kill him, weighing the pros and cons.
In the face of life and death, all notions of dignity, integrity, and the demeanor of a powerful cultivator had to be temporarily set aside.
Only by surviving could he hope for future possibilities.
Standing on the staircase, he put on a half-truthful performance: "That Yang Shenjing is a Great Immortal cultivator. He came to me personally, and I had no choice but to submit. If I refused, he would surely have used the Phoenix Terrace to eliminate me and install a Sui Sect expert in my place. Venerable One, please spare me this once. From now on, I will gladly walk through fire and water, obeying only your commands."
Li Weiyi said, "If we weren't on the verge of attacking Lingxiao City and your position wasn't so crucial, I wouldn't have spared your life."
Jiang Xin quickly raised his head, his face brightening with joy.
Li Weiyi continued, "But how can I trust you won't turn around and go straight to Yao Shaoqing, telling him everything? If they learned the Divine Sect was about to attack Lingxiao City, that we were already preparing for them, what would they do next?"
Jiang Xin's expression changed: "I fear... I fear the Divine Sect's strongholds and personnel in Lingxiao City, the Four Passes, the Eight Core Provinces, and the Southern Territory would be uprooted by the Imperial Court within days."
Li Weiyi said, "So, how can I trust you?"
Jiang Xin pleaded urgently, "The Death Spirit Fire planted in me by the Rice Ancestor prevents me from ever betraying you..."
"If the Rice Ancestor were to die at the Second Palace Master's hands, that Death Spirit Fire would be easily neutralized. That's what you're thinking, isn't it?" Li Weiyi said.
"Bang! Bang..."
Jiang Xin kowtowed seven or eight times in rapid succession, "Venerable One, I will do whatever you command me to do."
Li Weiyi deliberately paused for a long moment, letting Jiang Xin's anxiety grow, before tossing a paper and brush from her Cosmic Pouch.
"Write a letter reporting them! If you dare betray the Divine Sect, this letter will naturally fall into Yang Shenjing's hands. When that happens, you'll find yourself with nowhere to hide. You're a smart man. You know how to write it, don't you?"
"Venerable One, rest assured. This old man has dealt with the Sui Sect for many years and knows many of their secrets. If not for the Vice Hall Master Yang Shenjing's position, I would have reported them long ago."
Jiang Xin understood "Yao Qingxuan" was holding his life in her hands.
If he continued to evade the core issue and remain evasive, he would be courting death.
He had to choose between the Imperial Court and the Twin Rice Sect.
He chose the latter.
With genuine sincerity, Jiang Xin didn't use a brush.
Instead, he bit his finger and wrote in blood:
"To the Rice Ancestor Heavenly Venerable above, Elder Jiang Xin of Prefectural Prefecture respectfully offers this blood letter."
"Yang Shenjing of the Sui Sect is tyrannical and overbearing. Within a month of entering the Cloud Heaven (Yuntian) Immortal Plain, he used the Phoenix Terrace as a weapon to leak Divine Sect secrets, leading to the deaths of dozens of sect masters. He then used this to coerce and pressure from within, secretly seizing control of the Divine Sect's forces in Lingxiao City and the four major city gates. The situation in other prefectures is likely similar."
"Your humble servant, Jiang Xin, is of meager cultivation and can only prostrate himself in submission, lacking the courage to defy or resist."
"I have heard that the Second Palace Master's maid, Xianmin, has bestowed the Thousand-Lifes Immeasurable Pill upon Yang Shenjing, intending to cultivate him into a Transcendent. That old scoundrel Yang Shenjing, a former retainer, devoured the Jiu Li Clan's ancestral holdings to grow powerful. Now, he has pledged allegiance to Xianmin, promising a bright future for the Sui Sect, a ln Ancient Myriad Sects in the making, and a certain victory over the Divine Sect in service to their new master."
"Deputy Commander Zhou Bida of Southern Yan Pass was originally swayed by your humble servant's efforts to defect and prepare for the Divine Sect's uprising, coordinating from within and without. However, that old rogue Yang Shenjing and that young scoundrel Yao Qian, seeking to curry favor with their new master and eliminate rivals, set him up, aiming to kill several birds with one stone."
"Watching this unfold, your humble servant's heart burned with worry. My insides were on fire. If I do not report this now, the Divine Sect's foundations in Lingxiao City, the Four Passes, the Eight Core Provinces, and the Southern Territory will surely be destroyed."
"Today, I pour out the last drop of my cowardly blood to expose the ten major crimes of that old scoundrel Yang Shenjing."
"The First: Selling disabled Rice People to the barbarian pirates of the Three Islands as mounts and food for their beasts."
"Second Crime..."
....
For some reason, after finishing the blood letter, Jiang Xin didn't feel the forced displeasure he had anticipated.
Instead, a surge of exhilaration coursed through him, as if he had long wanted to report all of this.
Li Weiyi retrieved the blood letter and examined it closely, drawing a sharp breath.
He glanced at Jiang Xin kneeling below.
'This old fox will do anything to survive!'
Every word of the blood letter dripped with blood.
The ten crimes were no simple matter.
Several of them sent a chill down Li Weiyi's spine, and he suspected Jiang Xin had fabricated them.
For example, the Third crime: To gain the Second Palace Master's favor and trust, Yao Qian was implicated in the deaths of two Twin Rice Sect Elders.
How could he possibly know such a secret?
Li Weiyi strongly suspected that either Jiang Xin had suffered a loss at Yao Qian's hands or harbored deep resentment toward him.
Of course, it could also be a plot orchestrated by the Twin Rice Sect's higher echelons.
Even if it were true, Li Weiyi could understand.
After all, who within the Twin Rice Sect didn't have a dirty secret?
Infiltration and gaining trust were never easy.
If Yang Shenjing had always acted with complete transparency, he would never have achieved his current status.
If Li Weiyi were completely exposed, just the fact that he was hiding Tang Wanzhou would be enough for An Xianjing to kill him.
The Twin Rice Sect, if it hadn't already veered so far down the path of evil and selfishness, wouldn't have appointed An Xianjing, a true and pure disciple, as the Hall Master of the Spirit Valley (Linggu) Hall.
The blood oath couldn't possibly be entirely truthful.
For example, Jiang Xin's claim that he had painstakingly persuaded Zhou Bida to defect was clearly an attempt to take credit.
Li Weiyi put away the blood oath: "This is what it means to be an Elder! Where are Zhou Bida's family being held? I must bring them back to the Divine Sect as irrefutable evidence."
"The Divine Martial Hall, one of the four major gangs in Thunder Mausoleum (Leiling) City, is secretly controlled by the Divine Sect."
The terror in Jiang Xin's eyes faded, knowing his life was spared: "Southern Yan Pass is currently very unsafe. Should this old man use secret channels to help the Venerable One escape the city?"
Li Weiyi dared not linger any longer, and who knew what schemes this old man might be plotting?
He couldn't afford to underestimate him.
"If I can't even come and go freely from a place like Southern Yan Pass, am I even worthy of being a Venerable One? Get out!"
After parting ways with Jiang Xin, Li Weiyi changed his appearance several times, transforming into a young servant.
He headed towards the border between the Third-Tier City Domain and the Second-Tier City Domain.
The entire city was under lockdown, with each City Domain separated by Formations, making it impossible to cross.
Li Weiyi certainly didn't possess the ability to escape safely.
But he knew that once Jiang Xin recovered from his shock and regained his ability to think critically, he might start to suspect something was amiss. That would be the real danger.
To save Zhou Bida's family and ensure his plan's success...
Jiang Xin had to die.
At the border between the upper and lower City Domains, beneath the Formation Light Veil, dozens of soldiers in black spiritual artifact armor stood guard.
They held long spears, their expressions grim.
Li Weiyi entered a nearby alley.
The alley grew deeper and quieter the further he went.
Two children, no more than three or four years old, appeared before him, engrossed in a game of "grass fighting" on the ground.
Beside them stood an open courtyard gate.
Li Weiyi used his Psychic Power to scan the courtyard.
No adults were present.
Li Weiyi smiled kindly: "Whose children are you? Why aren't you home? Don't you know it's dangerous outside right now?"
The two children glanced at him timidly, deciding he didn't seem like a bad person, and continued their grass-fighting game.
Grass-fighting involved each child picking some grass leaves and seeing whose was the most resilient.
Li Weiyi watched with amusement for a while before crouching down and pulling a scarlet grass leaf from his Cosmic Pouch: "This leaf is the toughest in the world!"
The leaf was from a precious medicine, clearly extraordinary, and immediately captivated the children.
One child, unwilling to admit defeat, challenged Li Weiyi to a grass-fighting contest.
But his grass leaves snapped one after another, while Li Weiyi's leaf remained completely unscathed.
Seeing the child's lips quiver, on the verge of tears, Li Weiyi held the leaf in front of him.
"Whoever helps me with a small task later will receive this invincible Heavenly Mandate Grass Leaf. From this day forward, they'll be the strongest person here."
The two children immediately began vying for the opportunity.
"I'll choose the bravest one, someone with true masculine spirit. Besides the Heavenly Mandate Grass Leaf, this person will receive another reward," Li Weiyi announced.
The gates of Southern Yan Pass were indeed closed, but not everyone was barred from entering or exiting.
In the afternoon, a convoy from the General's Mansion approached the gates.
Leading the procession was Tai Shi Bai, riding a Strange Beast, followed by several retainers and three carriages.
No one dared to stop them.
As the convoy reached the boundary between the Second-Tier City Domain and the Third-Tier City Domain, the Formation Light Veil had just opened.
"Tai Shi Bai... Bai-gege..."
A three- or four-year-old child, clutching a letter, ran towards the convoy, repeatedly calling out Tai Shi Bai's name.
The soldiers guarding the Formation Light Veil raised their spears to intercept him. No one was allowed to approach the dignitaries.
Tai Shi Bai barked, "What kind of skill is it to bully a child? If you have courage, go kill demons or conquer heretical sects!"
He leaped from his Strange Beast, shoving the soldier aside, and knelt before the stunned child.
He ruffled the child's hair and asked gently, "Were you scared? How do you know my name? Who sent you?"
The child recovered from his shock and replied with utmost seriousness, "I wasn't scared at all! I'm the most manly person in Southern Yan Pass. Are you the Bai-gege that big brother was talking about?"
"If you're looking for Tai Shi Bai, then yes, that's me!" Tai Shi Bai said.
"Here."
The child handed him the letter.
Tai Shi Bai had already sensed something amiss. His gaze swept the surroundings, searching for any suspicious figures. Only then did he open the envelope and quickly read the contents. His expression grew increasingly grave, finally turning ashen.
"Where is the person who gave you this letter?" he demanded urgently.
The child pointed behind him.
By the time the child led Tai Shi Bai into the alley, Li Weiyi had long since departed.
"The big brother said that after I delivered the letter, Brother Bai would give me a leaf as tough as the Heavenly Mandate Grass," the child said, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"Heaven's Mandate Grass?"
Tai Shi Bai glanced at the leaf the child clutched to his chest, then at the pile of broken grass on the ground.
He immediately understood the trick they had pulled.
After questioning the child about the person's appearance and age, Tai Shi Bai said, "This leaf of mine is even more powerful than the Heavenly Mandate Grass. Keep it safe, or some other child might try to steal it."
He then plucked the "Silver Thorn Grass" - the embroidered emblem of the Tai Shi family's honor - from his robe and handed it to the child. Stepping out of the alley and into the Formation Light Veil, he instructed the two soldiers guarding the entrance, "Watch over that child for the next few days. If anything happens to him, I'll hold you accountable."
Tai Shi Bai strode quickly to the Long Clan carriage and handed the letter inside.
He released his Dao Heart Manifestation, enveloping the carriage and its surroundings.
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END OF CHAPTER
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