Chapter 215: Chapter 73: Breaking the Stalemate
“Vice Hall Master Ling, now that Elder Mo Qing has been murdered and there are no competitors, how should the three geniuses be dealt with?”
Having learned the reason behind the events, Yue Longxiao lost interest in delving deeper and looked over in curiosity.
Dog eats dog, a fur’s worth of trouble; whether Mo Blade Sect or the Han Yuan Royal Family survives or dies doesn’t affect his standing as the leader of the Wanxiang Sect.
On the other hand, if these three geniuses could be successfully summoned to headquarters, he would undoubtedly receive great merit and be rewarded abundantly.
“This…”
Before Zhang Xuan had a chance to answer, he saw Sun Qiang coming over again: “Young Master, someone outside is requesting an audience!”
Seeing that he seemed to have something to say, Zhang Xuan awkwardly cupped his hands in salute to Yue Longxiao: “Master Yue, I might have some private matters to deal with. Please go into the room and wait for a while. After I finish, I’ll come over and consult with you!”
“Alright!”
Yue Longxiao nodded and turned to leave.
Once he had walked off, Sun Qiang lowered his voice: “Young Master, a subordinate of Master Yue has come looking for him.”
Zhang Xuan frowned: “Did you get a chance to ask what they wanted with him?”
Not many people knew Yue Longxiao had arrived here; now, a subordinate came looking for him instead of contacting him through a special method shows something is clearly amiss.
Sun Qiang: “I did fish for some information, and it seems that Han Qianchou has something to discuss with Master Yue. This subordinate didn’t know the details and blurted it out…”
Zhang Xuan’s eyes flashed.
It seemed that this Han Qianchou, as he had guessed, was not so foolish; knowing Mo Qing died here and couldn’t justify it, he wanted to drag the Wanxiang Sect into the water.
The simplest way to collaborate was to expose himself as the “Mandate Chaos Master.” Once this information reached the Wanxiang Sect, it could certainly be sold at a high price.
But… as a master of one world, how could he possibly leave such a huge flaw for someone to exploit at will?
“As long as I use this opportunity well, not only can I escape today’s crisis, but future ones as well…”
He went over the plan he had previously set in his mind once again; Zhang Xuan smiled slightly, wasting no more words: “Lead the way ahead!”
Having said that, he strode outside. As he walked on, his appearance had already changed, now exactly identical to Yue Longxiao’s.
Just when he reached a side hall near the main gate, Zhang Xuan saw a middle-aged man standing up anxiously.
“Leader…”
Zhang Xuan waved his hand, appearing somewhat impatient: “Don’t you know I have important matters to attend to? What are you doing running over here?”
“Reporting to the leader, His Majesty Han Qianchou says he has urgent matters to discuss with you, and asks that you go there now… and says this matter is very important, worrying that any delay could lead to significant trouble,” the middle-aged man hurriedly said.
“Trouble?”
After hesitating, Zhang Xuan then nodded: “Alright then, lead the way!”
After finishing, he cupped his hands in a salute to Sun Qiang: “Butler Sun, please inform Vice Hall Master Ling that I have urgent matters to attend to and must leave first. I will come over and disturb you later.”
“Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded and left.
Disguised as Yue Longxiao, Zhang Xuan followed the middle-aged man out the gate, got into a carriage, and, after more than ten minutes, arrived at a spacious teahouse.
Walking into the private room, he indeed saw Han Qianchou sitting at a tea table filled with tea sets where hot water made the tea fragrance burst forth.
Upon his arrival, the Emperor of the Han Yuan Dynasty couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
“Master Yue…”
“May I know what matter His Majesty seeks me for?” Zhang Xuan asked with a slight frown.
He was now disguised as Yue Longxiao, acting as if he knew nothing.
Waving his hand, the Golden Armor Guard and the middle-aged man who had been guarding inside withdrew, and Han Qianchou looked over with a grave expression: “I have a piece of information regarding the Mandate Chaos Master that I wish to sell to our Wanxiang Sect. I wonder, Master Yue, if you are willing to purchase it?”
“News about the Mandate Chaos Master are everywhere.”
Zhang Xuan responded: “My ears are full of it. What’s so special about Your Majesty’s news?”
“Naturally, there is something special!”
Han Qianchou smiled looking over.
“Oh?” Zhang Xuan sat opposite Han Qianchou, poured himself a cup of tea, and said indifferently: “Let’s hear it!”
“Since I intend to sell it to Master Yue, naturally I am seeking a fitting price… How much authority does Master Yue have to negotiate?” Han Qianchou asked.
Zhang Xuan lightly scraped the tea bowl: “It depends on the magnitude of your news. If confirmed to be true and extremely valuable, the Wanxiang Sect’s offer will surely be satisfactory! However, if Your Majesty tries to deceive my Wanxiang Sect with false information, I’m sorry, even though you are the Emperor, there will inevitably be a price to pay!”
“I can swear with the dignity of the Han Yuan Royal Family, it’s absolutely true…”
Han Qianchou’s face turned serious.
“Since Your Majesty is so sure, I’m beginning to be interested! However…”
Zhang Xuan shook his head: “If your information is that Vice Hall Master Ling is a Mandate Chaos Master, then I think there’s no need to speak further!”
“What?”
Han Qianchou’s scalp exploded, and he felt his body suddenly turn ice cold, “Does Master Yue know that Vice Hall Master Ling is a Mandate Chaos Master?”
“The message that you specifically asked me to discuss with you, it wouldn’t really be this, would it?”
Zhang Xuan looked over speechlessly.
“Yes, yes…”
Han Qianchou awkwardly nodded, “I just found out, this Ling Buyang, is actually a person disguised as Zhang Xuan, and this Zhang Xuan is very likely the Mandate Chaos Master.”
“If it’s that message, you can already shut up!”
Zhang Xuan shook his head.
Han Qianchou’s face showed reluctance.
He had thought that he could exchange this information for the protection of the Wanxiang Sect, but it turned out the other party already knew it.
In that case, the message is worthless.
Clenching his teeth, Han Qianchou continued, “Master Yue, I know our Wanxiang Sect has very well-informed sources, and you might have guessed that Zhang Xuan is the Mandate Chaos Master, but there might not be conclusive evidence. However, I know many details, and I am one hundred percent certain, and what’s most crucial, there are witnesses who can prove it.”
“Witnesses?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
He hadn’t expected this.
“Exactly!”
Han Qianchou clapped his hands, and then the room door opened, two figures walked in, and before they reached him, they knelt on the ground.
“Your servants pay respects to Your Highness!” Two familiar voices arose.
Zhang Xuan turned his head to see two old acquaintances from Mo Mansion, the butler Feng Jin and subordinate Wu Xiang.
Back in the City Lord Residence, because of “framing” him, they were beaten up by Mo Yanxue and expelled from the clan, losing contact since then, but unexpectedly, they had run off to Han Yuan City, and had become esteemed guests of Han Qianchou.
No wonder the other side was suspecting him and had traced it to Yu Longqing and Lu Mingrong, after all these two buffoons.
If he had known there was this route, he would have slapped them to death right away.
However, his current identity was Yue Longxiao, and he wasn’t supposed to recognize them. He frowned, “These two are…”
Han Qianchou said, “These two have come from Baiyan City and know everything about that Zhang Xuan! According to their information, I can be one hundred percent sure that the guy is indeed the Mandate Chaos Master…”
Zhang Xuan interrupted him, “The news you got, is it that this Zhang Xuan has strong beast taming abilities? His teaching is also quite good, and crucially, he also has many skills in medical treatment and such?”
Han Qianchou was taken aback again, reluctantly nodding, “Yes!”
“In that case, the so-called news you have isn’t much more than what I know!”
Zhang Xuan’s expression darkened, “Alright, stop investigating this matter and don’t continue to spread it around, Your Highness Qianchou, I’m saying this for your own good.”
“Master Yue, what do you mean by this?”
Han Qianchou looked confused.
Zhang Xuan snorted lightly, “I ask you, in the entire Source World, are there many Mandate Chaos Masters?”
Han Qianchou shook his head, “Very few, throughout the countless years of the Source World’s history, there has only appeared one, oh no, including that one from the Zhou Yi Dynasty, only two at most!”
Zhang Xuan said, “Right! Since they are so rare, why did one just appear in the Zhou Yi Dynasty, and then Baiyan City suddenly produced another?”
Han Qianchou puzzled, “That… could these two be related?”
“Heh, if you think so, there’s nothing more I can say, good luck! Farewell!”
With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan stood and bowed with his fists.
Seeing him leave after cutting off the conversation, Han Qianchou immediately became anxious, quickly stood up, and fetched a piece of armor from the room, handing it over, “Master Yue, please wait… This Han Ming Armor, my royal family’s secret treasure, once lent to King Ping Yuan for use, unbeatable in defense, now presented to Master Yue! Please guide me through this confusion…”
Zhang Xuan reached out to accept it, ran his hand over it, and nodded inwardly.
He had seen this treasure when he was battling Han Qianye; indeed, it was extraordinary.
Back then, Han Qianye had only put it on temporarily and hadn’t forged it, which rendered many of his attacks ineffective. Once fully activated, its power was even greater, able to play a significant role even in the hands of a Galaxy Realm master.
Giving away such an item all of a sudden, this Han Qianchou not only had insight but also plenty of sincerity.
No wonder he could be a ruler of a country, having some substance.
“Well then! Since Your Highness Qianchou went as far as to investigate even this, to prevent you from stepping into trouble, I’ll kindly remind you of a few things, just as a friendly gesture.”
Zhang Xuan said, “Since there are so few Mandate Chaos Masters, why did one just get discovered in the Zhou Yi Dynasty and one popped up in Baiyan City? Why isn’t his strength too strong? And why did he intentionally expose flaws to let people discover him? You wouldn’t really believe someone, who had little strength half a month ago, could practice the fragments of the heavens to the second realm in half a month, would you?”
Han Qianchou then realized, his pupils contracting, “Could it be… that this Zhang Xuan is an expert from Heaven Mandate Hall, deliberately disguised as a Mandate Chaos Master, to approach the adversary and extract useful information?”
This kind of counter-spy plan, common among warring nations, involves feigning as a spy to trick the opponent’s intelligence personnel into surfacing.
“This is all your speculation; I didn’t say anything! Let me remind you, the identity of that Zhang Xuan is not something you can speculate about. It’s best not to meddle in this matter and it would be best if it could die in your stomach, otherwise… I fear you won’t live until tomorrow morning! Furthermore…”
As he said this, Zhang Xuan glanced at Feng Jin and Wu Xiang, and spoke indifferently, “These kind of rumor mongers, who led you astray, aren’t worth keeping around. They are trouble sooner or later!”