“There you have it for the thirteenth. Wutong Jin Yuxuan has agreed to lend us a hand, so we should have it under control. My marriage to Interim Patriarch Yu is a miscommunication issue that we have sorted out.”
There was no point in withholding information from Boss when she would look into it at a later date. While she was often reckless in decisions, the same couldn’t be said when it came to research and investigations. Plus, I had no secrets to speak of for as long as bigmouths Long Zaitian and Su Xiao didn’t have their mouths jammed. I’d be in a worse situation if Boss got suspicious and started digging around behind my back.
“Hmm… Since His Majesty doesn’t have any issues, then I don’t need to worry. We shouldn’t be caught with any surprises as long as we keep a pulse on Abels.”
“Boss, do you really trust His Majesty without question?”
All I see if an old man who can’t keep his sons in line. If he isn’t getting cucked, he’s being betrayed. Even Su Xiao knocked him out with fried eggs and tomatoes for two days.
“What’s with that question? Although His Majesty doesn’t possessed enriched experience in the pugilistic world, he is a sovereign overwatching politics. The old man always takes the bigger picture into account. If he knows what’s occurring, he will have a contingency plan.”
Even you call him an old man…
“Ahem.” I extended a thumb: “Just as I’d expect from His Majesty.”
“Yeah…?”
“Just as I’d expect from Boss.”
“If you have something to say, cut to the chase, and save me the lip service.”
“Just as I’d expect from Boss, meticulous and attentive, the ideal individual for me to learn from. I was hoping… you could free me. I would like to scratch my itchy neck.” Boss tied my hands and legs up with ropes and left on the ground, banned from climbing onto the bed to speak.
“Release you?” Boss Shen pulled out a whip and whipped the ground, rhetorically questioning, “I have yet to teach you a lesson. What did you do to me before?”
“H-h-how do you have a weapon when you were in a coma?”
“You think there’s a shortage of whips at a brothel? I sneaked out to pinch one.”
Young lady, you know a bit too much! I was wondering why it had the smell of wax candles on it!
Boss Shen did a lap around me with an eerie grin slapped on her lips then remarked, “Yu Feiyuan, the best female adept in Jiangnan’s martial world, is close to you, huh?”
“Our sects are close. I am just a side bonus. Just a side bonus.”
“Doesn’t seem that way to me. You won the imperial martial arts tournament and almost married Princess Hongzhuang.”
“I couldn’t be more innocent there! Is it my fault all of my opponents lost without me even lifting a finger?”
“There’s also your aunt, Demoness Ming Suwen, the most beautiful woman in the North’s martial world – with martial arts prowess lauded by all. Hmm… you’re really lucky with women.”
I can’t tell if Boss Shen is in a good or sour mood from her visage, but that tone is somehow scary.
“By the way, you haven’t clarified with Wutong Jin Yuxuan that your marriage to Yu Feiyuan is a misunderstanding, have you? What are you going to do if they announce you two are getting married on the thirteenth?”
“Heh, I already factored that into the equation. I have a plan ready on hand.”
Boss Shen sighed: “Your sneer suggests you have another unscrupulous trick up your sleeve…”
“Doesn’t matter. More importantly, how long do you plan to go undercover for? River Monster is trying to turn you into a puppet. You might not even be able to hit me by the time I recover you at this rate.”
Boss Shen passed me the whip handle: “My internal energy is fully recovered; she’s no match for me if we fight. She and Poison King are at odds with each other because they want to use me as a sacrifice. I can take advantage of their incongruent stances to escape.
“Feizhen, while I was feigning, I heard them plan to capture Mount Lu Sword Sanctuary’s descendent in addition to Wudang’s elder. You and I both know the two groups’ standing. To take such big risks can only mean they are crazy or striving for a big goal.”
“Sadly, the mastermind has everyone else do his bidding, so we still don’t even have a guess as to what he’s planning. Anyone can discern using Sword Spirit Realm swordsmen’s blood to forge a sword isn’t orthodox. Luo Sword Manor has always manufactured weapons for orthodox groups, and a reputed blacksmith wouldn’t change his style all of a sudden.”
“Exactly. The way this convention has been designed is uncharacteristic of Luo Sword Manor. I heard Luo Siming mention his second uncle, Luo Yan, has full jurisdiction over the smithing department, yet River Monster and company evidently have control over it from what they’ve said. Even if Luo Yan isn’t colluding with them, he’s not innocent.”
We believed that we hadn’t seen the full magnitude of Refining Divine Convention. Nonetheless, we couldn’t make any further hypotheses based on our limited intelligence.
“They haven’t been gone for too long. I’ll go eavesdrop to see if we can find out anything else.”
“Don’t. It’s too dangerous.”
While I was in the room with Boss Shen, I was listening in to the conversation in the courtyard next door, even when Boss was speaking.
***
“I have a feeling that someone is listening in…” Poison King couldn’t spot anyone around contrary to his gut feeling.
“Age catching up to Nanjiang’s decorated Poison King?” River Monster ribbed.
“… Ever since arriving here, this old one has had the feeling that there’s an invisible pair of eyes on eyes, except he can’t ascertain who it is.”
“How about we go somewhere else, then?”
“… It’s not safe to leave this late at night. This old one has set up a poison formation in his room. Not even Abels will hear us as long as we communicate using Voice Transmission.” Restoring pride to his countenance, Poison King added, “Could gods possibly exist?”
Although I’m no god, I am the guardian of Rabbit Cult.
Unless I moved my true qi source at intervals, thereby changing where I was listening in from, the sharp Poison King would find out where I was. Even then, he was still sharp enough to notice something.
Poison King resumed his talk: “Where was I? … Right, Shen Yiren needs to be ready on the thirteenth. On the thirteenth, you need to proceed according to plan. Evil Spirits’ group will be under your command. You must annihilate Dragon Phoenix Inn, every last one of them.”