Chapter 583 - 331: Reversed Moon Sword!
Chapter 583: Chapter 331: Reversed Moon Sword!
The General lowered his voice while concentrating on the sounds outside the house.
With his Cultivation, let alone ordinary people, even Jianghu People of similar Cultivation could hardly escape his detection.
Hearing only the torrential rain outside, he continued, "The Holy Emperor is furious. Not just Liu Hong, but the entire Jing State Liu Family has been uprooted."
Lou Yuxue and Cui Qingwu exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat surprised.
"Has Consort Liu fallen out of favor?"
The General looked at them, rendered speechless. He clearly hadn’t expected this to be their first thought.
"Lord Pavilion Master didn’t mention it. However... with the Liu Family meeting such an end, even if Consort Liu remains in favor, she will likely become estranged from the Holy Emperor in the future."
"That makes sense."
Lou Yuxue nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "My Lord, if we make a move to capture people now, won’t it alert Liu Hong?"
Cui Qingwu chimed in, "Liu Hong is wildly ambitious. If he senses any unusual activity around him, who’s to say he won’t lash out in desperation?"
The General smiled and shook his head. "He should have already made his choice."
"Are you referring to what he’s done recently..."
"That should be correct.
"These days, he has stayed secluded inside the Governor’s Office behind closed doors. Everything seems fine at his home on the surface, but in reality, there are some strange movements."
The General directed his gaze toward the Governor’s Office on South Street, sighing slightly. "Both of his sons are gone."
"Did they flee in advance?"
"The eldest, Liu Taoyao, most likely fled. The second, Liu Taofang... is presumed dead."
The General withdrew his gaze. Looking at the secret letter in his hand, he said something that shocked Lou Yuxue and Cui Qingwu: "The Iron Banner Officers I recently planted in the Liu Family have all lost contact since the night the plague poison appeared. They are probably dead as well."
Lou Yuxue and Cui Qingwu frowned slightly. "Were they discovered?"
The General put away the secret letter, shook his head, and then nodded. "Maybe yes, maybe no.
"In short, a massive upheaval has occurred within the Liu Family."
He really couldn’t describe the exact situation.
But last night, when he went to investigate the Liu Family, he noticed before even getting close that the people inside the estate seemed completely devoid of life.
Although they looked like living people from a distance, upon closer inspection, their auras were as fragile as the elderly on death’s door.
Extremely faint.
But before he could get any closer, the General sensed a sharp, overbearing aura lunging straight at him.
Without a second of delay, he retreated immediately, fleeing from the Liu Family’s location.
Even now, the General still felt a lingering fear—as if a Long Sword were suspended right above his head.
Lou Yuxue, naturally unaware of all this, pondered for a moment and said, "Since Lord Pavilion Master sent a letter with instructions, shall we make our move tonight?"
Hearing this, Cui Qingwu glanced at her but kept her inner reluctance to herself.
The General observed their expressions and nodded. "We act tonight.
"However, we must prioritize.
"The one closest to Liu Hong is the Vice Envoy of the Inspectorate Office, Ye Jingxiao. Lord Pavilion Master specifically instructed in his letter—he must be captured alive."
"Ye Jingxiao..."
Lou Yuxue recalled, "If I remember correctly, he previously wrote a memorial based on baseless rumors regarding the burning of the summer grain in the Three Towns."
The General said, "It is him.
"At that time, rumors spread in Shu State that the Xiao Family had orchestrated an inside job. On the surface, thugs went to burn the summer grain, but in reality, the Xiao Family secretly sold the grain.
"When Hawk first arrived in Guangyuan, he even had someone investigate him, but it was delayed due to other matters."
Lou Yuxue was also aware of what happened after the summer grain incident in the Three Towns. "I didn’t expect Liu Hong to be the one behind Ye Jingxiao. I thought he belonged to the Ji State Trading Company."
Before the General could speak, Cui Qingwu scoffed, "It’s obvious.
"With Liu Hong being such a crafty old fox, he definitely plotted against the Ji State Trading Company long ago, just like with this plague poison.
"From the news we’ve gathered so far, Liu Hong probably intends to use those refugees to his advantage.
"Think about it. If the plague poison hadn’t been resolved, what kind of situation would the entire Prefecture City be in?"
Lou Yuxue ignored her provocative tone and pondered, "First a food shortage, then the threat of the plague poison. If I were those refugees, I’m afraid..."
A touch of coldness appeared on the General’s face. "They would take desperate risks.
"Even if those refugees didn’t want to, with Liu Hong’s methods, he has many ways to force their hands.
"Fortunately, things didn’t reach that point, or else we would all be punished by the Pavilion Master."
Lou Yuxue hummed in agreement as a figure surfaced in her mind.
Once again, it was his handiwork—"Dragon Tiger" Liu Wu.
Even though Lou Yuxue knew Liu Wu did all of that for the Xiao Family, he inadvertently did the White Tiger Guard a massive favor.
Rebellion was unlike plague poison or natural disasters; it was a major event that would cause an uproar throughout the Great Wei Dynasty.
Setting aside whether troops would be deployed, the White Tiger Guards scattered across various regions would be the first to bear the brunt of the punishment.
Especially in Shu State Prefecture City.
With so many Banner Officers hidden everywhere, not only had they failed to stop Liu Hong’s scheme, but they also hadn’t even noticed it.
If she were the Pavilion Master, she would have condemned everyone too.
Cui Qingwu seemed to read her mind, saying pointedly, "That Liu Wu’s skills are truly impressive.
"I heard most of the Five Poison Sect experts died at his hands that night, and even Yan Jingchen was no exception."
The General paused, his expression softening slightly. He smiled and said, "I suppose that must be the case.
"Otherwise, with the temperament of the Mountain Race, why would they hide and sneak around?"
Cui Qingwu didn’t know much about the Mountain Race. Hearing this, she asked, "Lord General, Yan Jingchen’s Cultivation shouldn’t be low. How did he compare to Du Cang?"
The General thought for a moment. "They were evenly matched."
Before Cui Qingwu could ask further, he continued, "Even though Yan Jingchen’s Cultivation was slightly higher than Du Cang’s, his Fist Dao relied entirely on Poison Power to win.
"However, the Witchcraft of the Mountain Race perfectly counters Poison Power, which is exactly why the Five Poison Sect was hunted to extinction by the Mountain Race back then."