Volume 5, Chapter 8 – Conspiracy

Bai Xiang had controlled her strength when she struck Shen He, so after being unconscious for only a short while, Shen He gradually came to.

After waking up, she did not move rashly. Instead, she continued to play dead, secretly narrowing her eyes as she observed Bai Xiang.

It would have been fine if she had not looked. But the moment she did, she nearly got dizzy from what she saw.

The process by which Bai Xiang replaced her qi-transformed robe with a real gown lasted only an instant. But in that single instant, the dark mysterious robe revealed the outline of a woman’s body amid the twilight light and shadows… and together with those half-drooping strands of hair, as pure as the whitest snow and clouds… Shen He was struck dumb on the spot!

That flawless profile.

Those faintly trembling lashes in silhouette.

And the undulating line that ran from the coiled hair at the back of the head, down along the nape, all the way to the curve behind the hips… all of it… From the moment she saw that scene, Shen He was utterly spellbound. She forgot all about playing dead or acting meek.

Was this even a person?

No, no, no… definitely not… how could the mortal world contain such beauty… She had to be a demon… and one of the most powerful among demons at that… If I, Shen He, have fallen into the hands of this great demon, then things look grim for me. At this rate, next year’s today will probably be the anniversary of my death…

Shen He stared at Bai Xiang with wide, yearning eyes, lips slightly parted, a dazed expression on her face. Only when Bai Xiang walked up to her and drew away the Sword-Student Wooden Sword at her waist did she suddenly snap awake, a sliver of caution returning to her gaze.

“What is your name?”

Bai Xiang asked Shen He aloud.

She found Shen He rather interesting. She looked only about twenty, yet her temperament was steady. The first thing she did after waking from unconsciousness was actually to keep playing dead, using the opportunity to secretly observe Bai Xiang and gather rough information about her.

That behavior reminded Bai Xiang of how, back in the Shenming Ancestral Ground, after she had successively killed the cicada demon patriarch, Monk Daokong, and the Chai family father and daughter, Xu Xi of the Benling Sword Dao had also played dead to eavesdrop before Bai Xiang left.

And on top of that, Shen He was the first human Bai Xiang had seen after opening her eyes upon her return. With that strand of karma winding itself around them, Bai Xiang felt a slight impulse to give Shen He a hand.

Shen He pressed her lips together and glared at Bai Xiang warily, looking as though she would rather die than say a word.

She understood this much!

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Ten years was a very short span on the scale of governing a nation. Even though the Eastern Xia Imperial Court had widely taken in disciples and worked for the good of all under heaven, there were still plenty of scum in various places. They had joined hands with “monstrous powers and heterodox arts” and flowed in the same filthy stream!

Among them were certain strange secret arts. So long as they knew a person’s true name and birth details, they could cast curses.

So she would not say it!

Beautiful or not, this demon was still a demon. She had no desire to be refined into a living corpse!

“You’re afraid I’m some kind of demon.” Bai Xiang raised a brow.

Shen He curled her lip. What else could you possibly be?

Bai Xiang had originally intended to describe her own identity and exchange information with Shen He, but on second thought, if she did that, the whole scene would be absurdly improper.

Walking up to someone and saying right off the bat: Hello, I’m Ancestor Xia. Help me with a small favor, and once I retake power, I will richly reward you.

That was too idiotic.

No one would believe a scam like that.

Bai Xiang simply circulated qi instead, sending the stars in her spirit palace along her meridians, gathering qi force above her head into a beaded imperial crown.

At the same time, she extended that qi force across her clothing and outwardly transformed it into a set of black-based, gold-patterned, wide-sleeved imperial robes. She looked all the more noble, all the more mysterious.

“You… High Emperor Ancestor Xia!?”

Shen He stared with her mouth open, suspecting she had seen a ghost.

White hair, golden eyes, black robes, an imperial crown!

Aside from the absence of that iconic Dao sword, the look was exactly the same as the Empress Ancestor Xia in so many portraits and cultural works!

Could it really be that the High Emperor had manifested?

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Shen He began to waver.

She suddenly realized that she was nothing more than an ordinary commoner from the streets, utterly worthless to a great demon. If Bai Xiang truly were some vicious demon creature, there was no reason for her to waste this much time on Shen He. She could have just swallowed her in one bite.

With that thought confirming things in her heart, she began to grow suspicious in another direction, wondering whether the High Emperor had not died back then after all and was now manifesting once again upon returning.

“There are many things I urgently need to verify.”

Bai Xiang did not explain, lest she fall into a loop of trying to prove herself. Holding the Sword-Student Wooden Sword in her right hand, she grabbed Shen He with her left and hauled her upright.

“First, come with me to the Roads Directorate.”

“If you have other questions, wait until we get there.”

…

At the same time, the outside world had already fallen into disorder because of the huge disturbance at Qinglao Mountain. The aftermath left not only the local officials headed by Qiao Wen in a state of panic, but even spread to the residence where the federal delegation was staying.

Wangchuan Circuit, Qingshan Prefecture. In a residence set aside specifically for diplomatic delegations, a gaunt blond man with deep-set eyes and a high nose bridge was sliding a screen under the lamplight, browsing short news updates online.

When his subordinate brought him the report, he could hardly believe it. Since the initial demonic-aura reading had not even reached the yellow line, then even if something had gone wrong during the later exploration and mining, at worst it should only have been a yellow-grade voidfiend or Demon Pool. How had it leaped past orange grade and directly triggered a red alert?

“Could they have made a mistake?”

Suo Nie, the gaunt blond man, questioned his subordinate. “Do these inland Eastern Xia people even know what the ‘red line’ means? Could their instruments have malfunctioned?”

“I checked. It doesn’t look like a mistake,” the subordinate reported. “A hemispherical crater more than 1.5 kilometers across appeared inside Qinglao Valley. The reconnaissance devices dispatched by Watchman Qiao, along with Lieutenant Bondi and Lieutenant Heili, all lost contact at the same time. All of this has been confirmed.”

A crater 1.5 kilometers across?

Suo Nie frowned.

If it was real, then if it had been caused by an instantaneous energy outburst, it would indeed be reasonable to say it had crossed the red line.

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“Are there images?” he asked the subordinate.

The subordinate shook his head. “They are not allowing us near the site.”

After thinking for a moment, Suo Nie said, “Bondi and Heili are my students. Regarding their disappearance, I must see this through to the end.”

“I’ll draft an official document right now. Wait outside and deliver it at once to that Watchman Qiao for me.”

“Understood.”

After the subordinate left, Suo Nie immediately took out pen and paper. At the same time, he tapped the phone beside him and watched it flow and reshape like liquid mercury, the entire screen expanding to triple its size.

Rustle, rustle…

After a brief tremor, the screen revealed an older man with sagging cheeks. The moment he lifted his eyelids, he demanded sharply, “You’re planning to put pressure on Qiao Wen?”

“Yes.” Suo Nie answered while continuing to write. “Bondi and Heili are no longer merely my students. At the time of their disappearance, they were diplomatic personnel. This is a full-fledged diplomatic incident, and they are in the wrong.”

“Isn’t that too harsh? The voidfiend army to the northwest is showing signs of moving south. The three towns controlled by the company will be the first to bear the brunt. We don’t have spare strength to pressure Eastern Xia!”

“The inside story is known only to us anyway.” Suo Nie did not care in the least. “Qiao Wen is one of the rare progressives among the Eastern Xia people. This sort of person, who only half understands civilization, is the easiest to intimidate. Believe me, I have more experience in this than any of you.”

“But she can’t represent all of Wangchuan Circuit, can she? … And this place isn’t even near the front line. If we spend resources making trouble here, won’t it arouse the Eastern Xia Imperial Court’s suspicion? What if they discover that our target is the greenstone mine?”

Suo Nie shook his head. “Even if they do, as long as we get our hands on it before they react, won’t that be enough?”

“I understand the Eastern Xia people very well,” he continued. “They are deeply calculating, and they are extremely distrustful and exclusionary toward outsiders. The more you shrink back, the more they’ll think you’re plotting something else. On the other hand, if two of my students die, they will think my momentary fury is understandable.”

“…You had already planned for something to happen to those two?” Only then did the older man realize it, his tone turning heavy. “Suo Nie, they were both children from Federal noble families.”

“So long as they were useful, that was enough.” Suo Nie curled his lip. “Afterward, we can work things a little and award them the Silver Eagle Medal. That’s political capital for the election as well. Their families will accept it.”

“Suo Nie, you’re still as cold and ruthless as you were back at the school.”

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“I only do what I believe is right.” Suo Nie had already finished the document. He took out a seal and stamped it, then turned to look at the elder on the screen.

But the elder showed little joy or approval. He continued, “You need to be clear about your identity, Suo Nie.”

After a pause, he went on, “I know that the greenstone mine can accelerate Dr. Gate’s research efficiency. It’s hard to say how much benefit this will bring to the Federation, but for the Star Tower Group, and for you personally, it is indeed a major advantage.”

“If this succeeds, they will very likely push you into the upper house, letting you leap directly beyond your current class.”

“But you must remember that every opportunity has an unseen price behind it.”

“This time, you’re using the credit of the entire Federation to personally back you. You must promise me there will not be a next time.”

“All right.” Suo Nie nodded. “I promise.”

“I am choosing to trust you once more.” The older man sighed.

“One more thing. Your view of the Eastern Xia people is too biased.”

“They are very good at inferring the whole from a small part and laying strategy from the overall picture.”

“If you look down on them, you’ll pay for it.”

With that, the screen went dark. The room once more returned to silence.

“Inferring the whole from a small part?”

Yet Suo Nie only revealed a scornful smile.

It was nothing more than a country ruled by a little girl.

Unless another Empress Ancestor Xia appeared, it was only a matter of time before it was annexed by the Federation.