Chapter 159: Chapter 20 Impersonating Ling Buyang
“You mean Ling Buyang was killed, and instead of reporting it, Xu Xin escaped alone?”
Unlike the shock of the others, Zhang Xuan sensed something was amiss.
“The duty of a Life Guardian is to protect the Fate Master. Now, with the protected one dead due to a serious dereliction of duty, the only option for survival is to flee…” Yu Longqing explained.
Zhang Xuan furrowed his brow, “Does that mean that no one knows about Ling Buyang’s death?”
Yu Longqing nodded, “Aside from the two of us, only he knew. And another, Liu Tianzheng, who knew about it was killed on the spot by him!”
Zhang Xuan was astonished, “Liu Tianzheng is dead?”
Although that guy had troubled him time and again, after all, he was Liu Mingyue’s father, the head of a clan. To think he was killed so quietly… Indeed, to obtain great benefits, one must face great dangers. And yet, he gained not a single benefit, his family fortunes squandered, and now dead—to say he met a tragic end would be an understatement.
“Wait, no one knowing about Ling Buyang’s death… That’s a good thing for me, isn’t it?”
Remembering something, Zhang Xuan suddenly froze.
Impersonating a clan descendant, finding himself a “teacher,” may fool others for a short while, but a detailed investigation would undoubtedly expose the ruse. However… what if he were to impersonate this Ling Buyang?
This guy had a clear background, identity, and status. No need for intense scrutiny, and he was a Fate Master by nature. Most crucially, his roots were in the Zhou Yi Dynasty. It was here that Empyrean Kong shi was pursued and ultimately sought refuge in a Heaven Mandate Domain to escape.
If he could assume this identity, all the current problems he faced could be easily resolved!
After pondering the plan several times in his mind and confirming that impersonating this Ling Buyang would be much safer than posing as a descendant of a major clan, Zhang Xuan became increasingly convinced of its feasibility.
Not only would this solve the crisis of identity investigation but also completely cover up Ling Buyang’s death, leaving no one the wiser.
Of course, this scenario required a prerequisite that had to be confirmed in advance. Otherwise, proceeding without knowledge would be even worse than walking into a trap…
With this in mind, Zhang Xuan turned to the two men, “Take me to this Xu Xin. I have something to ask him.”
“Alright!”
Without further ado, Yu Longqing led the way. In no time, the four arrived at a sealed room within the City Lord Residence where, as expected, they saw Xu Xin locked in place by chains. His eyes were vacant, face listless. No longer showing his previous arrogance and defiance, he was filled with fear.
“Is it you? You killed Lord Ling. I’m as good as dead, and you won’t get off easily either. Heaven Mandate Hall will never let this go…”
Upon recognizing Zhang Xuan, Xu Xin’s eyes showed a mix of fierce and desperate emotions.
“Bold of you to ambush me when you know I’m a disciple out on trial from a major clan. If Heaven Mandate Hall learns of this Ling Buyang seeking death in such a manner, I wonder what they will do?”
Zhang Xuan looked over with a smile.
Xu Xin scoffed, “The deceased isn’t an ordinary Life Master, but a direct disciple of Lord Mo Baiye. Heaven Mandate Hall will surely dig deep into your identity. If you truly are from a high and untouchable clan, perhaps the matter will be dropped… But if your clan falls short of Lord Mo’s stature, no matter how persuasive your words, you won’t escape punishment.”
Zhang Xuan nodded, “That seems fair!”
“Fair?” Xu Xin was taken aback.
“Indeed, strong backers can’t be offended, while the weak naturally attract trouble. It conforms to the law of the survival of the fittest.”
With a sigh, Zhang Xuan spoke, “You surely don’t think that by running away, Heaven Mandate Hall will remain unaware of Ling Buyang’s death, do you?”
“I gave orders to keep the Liu Clan from approaching the room. As long as I don’t speak up, no one will discover it in the short term. Then, I can escape to a place where no one can find me!”
As he said this, Xu Xin looked at Yu Longqing with full malice in his eyes, “It’s all because of you! Otherwise, I would have already fled!”
Zhang Xuan was puzzled, “No one discovering means they don’t know? Don’t tell me… Heaven Mandate Hall doesn’t have something like a Life Token that senses when someone dies?”
Some mighty individuals from the Master Teacher Continent leave behind Life Tokens formed from the Seal of Souls within their clans. Once their true self perishes, the Life Token breaks, and thus their condition is known. This was what Zhang Xuan worried might exist in the Source World as well.
“Of course there are Life Tokens!”
Xu Xin explained, “However, having followed Lord Ling for many years, I know that he never left such an item. Once a Fate Master leaves a Soul Imprint, it becomes easy for others to deduce their destiny. From then on, their life and death are no longer in their own control. Unless some major clan descendants wish to verify life or death, who would leave such things that allow others to foresee and control their destiny in advance?”
“I see…” Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.
The last thing he wanted was to impersonate someone only for others to know that the person was already dead. Instead of impersonating, it would be walking right into a trap… Since Heaven Mandate Hall was unaware, it afforded him plenty of opportunities.
“Knowing all this, you have outlived your usefulness…”
With a sigh, Zhang Xuan approached Xu Xin, extending his right hand to touch the center of his forehead.
“What are you doing?”
His face changing, Xu Xin cried out in a panic, “Young Master Zhang, I was wrong. I’m just a hired hand, following Ling Buyang’s orders… It was he who wanted to kill you, not me… I beg you, please let me go, and the thirty million Origin Currency on me, along with three Destiny Plates, are all yours… ”
A congenital lack of strength, an indication of a lack of backbone. Faced with danger, he immediately surrendered.
“When you die, all these things will be mine anyway!”
With a faint smile, Zhang Xuan’s mind world erupted in flames as a vast mountain range rapidly burned. In an instant, the memories within the other’s soul were extracted.
A unique method of Soul Guiding Formula practitioners—memory extraction!
It was a skill from the Master Teacher Continent that could be executed as long as one burned their new world.
Placing the bundle of memories into his glabella, Zhang Xuan cleared up many matters and gained a deep understanding of the Heaven Mandate Hall of the Han Yuan Dynasty. He then heaved a sigh of relief.
The words spoken by the other party were true, not lies. Besides, to impersonate Ling Buyang, it was first necessary to understand more about him.
He had previously consulted the Library of Heaven’s Path and was aware of the flaws, but some detailed information was still unclear. Now that he had extracted the other’s memories, he knew much more about the entire Heaven Mandate Hall of the Han Yuan Dynasty, so he wouldn’t be completely in the dark.
“Who are you? Why am I here? I’m hungry…”
With his memories extracted, Xu Xin’s eyes showed confusion, and his entire demeanor was dazed as if he had become an idiot.
“The burning mountains were still too few…” Zhang Xuan felt somewhat embarrassed.
With his strength, using the ability to extract memories shouldn’t have caused any harm or trouble to the other’s psyche. But now it was necessary to rely on burning his new world to execute it, which he was somewhat reluctant to do, making his control less precise… Hence, the damage was greater!
However, this guy deserved to die to begin with; becoming an idiot without dying was already showing mercy outside the law.
“Let’s go and pay the Liu Clan a visit!”
After reading through Xu Xin’s memories and being fully aware of all his deeds, Zhang Xuan took the thirty million Origin Currency and three Destiny Plates hidden on him and didn’t linger any longer. He walked outside.
“Mr. Zhang, should this person… be killed?”
Seeing Xu Xin, who was previously spirited, now turned into a drooling fool, Yu Longqing felt a chill in his heart and couldn’t help but ask.
With a flick of his finger, the other had turned into an idiot. Even he, a Dharma Form Realm expert, could not do it. It seemed that Mr. Zhang’s so-called peak of the Jade Bone Realm was also a facade!
“Leave it to Liu Mingyue to handle,” Zhang Xuan waved his hand.
No matter how inadequate Liu Tianzheng was, he was still her father. This chance for revenge should be given to her.
“Yes!” Yu Longqing nodded.
Accompanied by the city lord and School Head Lu, they easily reached the sealed grand hall of the Liu Clan and indeed saw the stiff Ling Buyang at the center of the formation and Liu Tianzheng, who had been stabbed through the heart.
Confirming the scene before them, Yu Longqing and Lu Mingrong both looked solemn.
This was a Dharma Form Realm Fate Master who had died without a sound. The strength of these two they were witnessing must have already broken through the shackles of the Dharma Form Realm, reaching a realm incredibly hard to believe.
Zhang Xuan walked up to Ling Buyang, laid his palm lightly over him, and with a “whoosh!” the corpse disappeared before everyone and appeared in the new world. The next moment, the bones in his entire body resonated, and his appearance had changed completely.
“You, you…”
Yu and Lu, two experts, had their eyes widen, speechless.
At this moment, Zhang Xuan looked exactly like Ling Buyang, whom they had just seen dead. Whether it was appearance, demeanor, or even the soul’s feeling, there was no difference.
Could it be… the person before them had also learned how to disguise themselves? That too required the recognition of the heavens.
Otherwise, it could not be possible to disguise themselves so perfectly!
The more they interacted with him, the more they found him enigmatic and inscrutable, impossible to fathom.
“Does Mr. Zhang intend to… impersonate Ling Buyang? Conceal the news of his murder?” Lu Mingrong was the first to understand.
Indeed, it was a good idea. As long as “Ling Buyang” returned to the Heaven Mandate Hall, the whole of Baiyan City, including themselves, would be safe. As for the future… when “he” wanted to die, that would still be an easy matter.
After all, the corpse was in his possession and, using special methods to preserve it without decay or stench for a short period, was quite feasible.
Zhang Xuan nodded.
Seeing his acknowledgment, Yu Longqing realized something and showed a sad expression. He sighed and bowed with a fist to the chest, “Mr. Zhang, I hope you can look after Xiaoyu after my death. She is still your disciple after all and knows nothing…”
Lu Mingrong said, “I have no children, nothing to worry about. I only ask Mr. Zhang to remember that I am a teacher and elder of Baiyan Academy and to take care of it!”
“Death?”
Seeing their attitude, Zhang Xuan figured it out and shook his head, “You are overthinking. I only hope that you two can keep this matter to yourselves and not spread it!”
Yu Longqing and Lu Mingrong were simultaneously stunned.
The incident involved much at stake. Using the murder of Liu Tianzheng by Xu Xin as an example, they thought they no longer had a chance to live. To their surprise, all he wanted from them was to keep their mouths shut, with no intention of harming them.
“Why?”
Unable to hold back any longer, Yu Longqing asked outright.