Calamity Messenger-Chapter 112 - 91: He Who Steals a Clasp Is Executed, He Who Steals a Kingdom Is Ennobled

Chapter 112: Chapter 91: He Who Steals a Clasp Is Executed, He Who Steals a Kingdom Is Ennobled

In the early hours, at the Thief’s House.

"As everyone can see, tonight Shang Xuanwen is not resting at home but is on duty at the Ministry of Personnel."

Contrary to the silent little mushroom image from noon, Shang Xinlei took control of the entire meeting as soon as it started at dawn, completely ignoring Pharmacist’s Wish’s trembling legs. She enlarged the sand table light with three fingers so everyone could see more clearly: "On-duty night shifts at the Ministry of Personnel have ancient roots. In the current Liang Kingdom, there are six chancellors, besides Shang Xuanwen and two ministers, there are three vice-chancellors, who take turns on duty. The timing is not scheduled; it is decided among the six, making it hard for us to determine whether Shang Xuanwen will be at home or on duty at the Ministry of State Affairs three days later."

Ying Rushi raised a question: "Since he’s on duty today, he shouldn’t be on duty for the next five days, right?"

"The six chancellors are messengers, not limited by physical strength," Shang Xinlei replied, "Plus, due to busy official affairs, not all six may be in Jiangnan City, so it’s common for them to be on duty for several consecutive days."

"So we need to devise two infiltration plans." Pharmacist’s Wish tried to regain control: "One for the Shang Family, and another for the Ministry of Personnel."

"Wrong, there are three." Shang Xinlei held up three fingers: "Also, the Imperial Palace."

"The Hanlin Scholar’s night duty in the Inner Court is a Liang Kingdom tradition, responsible for approving memorials, drafting edicts, consulting, and naturally, they must stay overnight. Although it’s not a regular practice, if the chancellors receive important intelligence at night, they might request to enter the palace to see the Emperor, and would remain there to stay overnight in Wenyuan Pavilion." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"We are lucky. The Shang Family, Imperial Palace, and Ministry of Personnel are conveniently located southwest, central and northwest sides of Jiangnan City, respectively, with Upper Ninth Road and Lower Ninth Road perfectly central to them, making any destination easily accessible."

"First, the Shang Family spans thirty acres with a garden as the axis line, internally divided into east, central, and west routes, housing nearly a hundred rooms. Shang Xuanwen’s study, bedroom, and practice room are distributed among these three areas. The best infiltration point is the west wall; there are trees to climb, and proximity to the bedroom only requires a short time to reach the destination." Shang Xinlei described in great detail, enlarging the sand table light as if it were a cherished possession.

"The Ministry of Personnel is adjacent to the Palace City, divided into the Capital Hall and the Six Ministries and Twenty-four Departments, along with the storeroom and staff quarters at the back. Currently, Shang Xuanwen is on duty in the Capital Hall, located at the deepest part of the Ministry of Personnel, heavily guarded with dense patrols, making frontal infiltration challenging. But look here—" Shang Xinlei enlarged the sand table light, "clerks often use this side door to enter and exit, and it’s poorly guarded. If you run fast enough, you can enter the Capital Hall before raising the alert."

"Finally, the Imperial Palace, the most troublesome one. The Palace walls are high, and entry is only possible through frontal infiltration. But once inside, the palace guards are less of a concern; the place is too vast for the guards to manage completely. Wenyuan Pavilion is here, right next to Jinhua Sect, making it just a few steps from the entrance of the Palace City."

Everyone was stunned as Shang Xinlei spoke without pause. Yan Qing even thought about offering her water, but she once again enlarged the light, focusing on Shang Xuanwen, who was on duty in the Capital Hall. "After discussing the infiltration plans for these three locations, let’s talk about Shang Xuanwen himself."

"As far as I’m aware, Shang Xuanwen carries three Third-Turn Tokens. The first is a rare defensive token, the Heart-Protecting Mirror, which has seven layers of defense capable of absorbing massive damage. Minor damage will only break the outer layers, which can be replenished as long as he has enough spiritual power. Like tonight, when he was assassinated, he fell into a pit then ignited by dozens of barrels of oil, but still escaped unharmed."

"The second is a rare attack token, the Wave-Breaking Sword."

At this point, Shang Xinlei glanced at Ying Rushi, who promptly continued the conversation: "Northern brave general, southern breaker. The Wave-Breaking Sword has two powers; one increases damage with consecutive attacks, the other can slash winds and break waves, neutralizing any spiritual power attack with its strikes."

Pharmacist’s Wish snorted disdainfully, disliking this mutual admiration between Qi people and Liang people.

"The third is a concealment token, Ming Shiyin," Shang Xinlei continued. "This token is famous, rumored to be acquired by Shang Xuanwen in an adventure through a Secret Realm in his youth, but nobody knows its appearance or form. Its only known ability is rendering Shang Xuanwen nearly invisible, unless actively speaking or touched, it’s hard to notice even if he stands right in front."

Pharmacist’s Wish and Ying Rushi became serious; defense and attack can be managed, but this concealment token had no immediate solution. However, Pharmacist’s Wish, thinking quickly, asked, "Wait, didn’t you just say Shang Xuanwen was assassinated today? If Ming Shiyin is so powerful, how was he targeted?"

"I don’t know either, but I have two guesses," Shang Xinlei answered. "The first is simple; the assassin might possess a token that improves detection, unveiling Shang Xuanwen’s invisibility. The second is they didn’t reveal him, but lay in ambush at a location Shang Xuanwen might appear, creating incidents to lure him close, then use mob tactics to uncover him."

The investigation token seems more cumbersome, but the latter guess holds valuable insight. Pharmacist’s Wish and Ying Rushi’s view of Shang Xinlei shifted slightly. Previously, they considered Shang Xinlei the weakest in the Thief’s House, but tonight, with her demonstrated information analysis and reasoning skills, she’s now a competitive rival.

"Shang Xuanwen certainly has more than just these three tokens; rumors circulate in Jiangnan City he might possess an exceptionally miraculous detection token." Shang Xinlei stated, "Many say Shang Xuanwen can read minds."

"Mind reading..." Pharmacist’s Wish mused, "Does this mean combat strategies thought out during battle might be deciphered, and to defeat him, we must overpower him with swift ferocity?"

"I have some ideas for dealing with invisibility," Ying Rushi said. "If speaking renders it ineffective, then setting fires is undoubtedly the simplest method. We should avoid provoking alertness and then ignite fires in the bedroom or Capital Hall; if he doesn’t suspect anything, he’ll surely call for help."

Shang Xinlei agreed with their thoughts, adding: "The Heart-Protecting Mirror excels in prolonged battles. To break it quickly, massive damage should be inflicted in a short time. Considering the potential mind-reading evasions, at least two people should flank Shang Xuanwen, leaving him no room for escape. Also, while Shang Xuanwen may hide, his guards won’t; he currently has a monk guard by his side, we can track the monk to find his whereabouts."

Seeing their heated discussion, Yan Qing couldn’t help but scratch his head. He even began to doubt his memory, wondering if Red Snake isn’t Shang Xinlei, or if Shang Xuanwen isn’t Shang Xinlei’s father.

Otherwise, it’s hard to explain why Shang Xinlei so eagerly shared plans and strategies against her own father. Her plan seems meticulously detailed, as if long prepared, just waiting for such an opportunity at the Thief’s House.

Or does Shang Xuanwen’s unsavory reputation really deserve such hatred that his own daughter would want to personally kill him?

"Everyone!"

Shang Xinlei clapped forcefully, refocusing everyone’s attention on her, "Honestly, after the last mission, I have full confidence in your skills. Given we have an hour to spare and with it scheduled at night, I believe this task is an easy grab for us."

"Given this, why not seize the opportunity for additional gains?"

Shang Xinlei enlarged the sand table with three fingers, drawing everyone’s focus to beneath the Imperial Palace. Only then did Yan Qing realize that under the central square of Taichu Hall in the palace, lay a hidden Underground Palace.

"Liang Royal Family Secret Vault." Shang Xinlei’s voice was alluringly captivating: "Who’d expect the Liang Royal Family to place the vault beneath the central square of the palace? Due to terrain reasons, there is no guard presence above or below; at most, a squad patrol every quarter-hour, and quite perfunctory. They don’t even know the royal wealth lies right beneath their feet."

"We have a full hour within which we can move freely in Jiangnan City, and the city won’t react quickly to alertness. Why limit to merely the Heaven-Swaying Sword, doesn’t the Royal Secret Vault hold greater value for theft?"

"Moreover, we don’t need to pursue Shang Xuanwen; if we grasp his lifeline, he’ll surely hand over the Heaven-Swaying Sword."

As Shang Xinlei zoomed in, the sand table light shifted from the Royal Secret Vault to a palace within, showing a young man on a bed, with palace attendants vigilantly guarding around.

"He is..." Pharmacist’s Wish’s pupils constricted.

"The Emperor of Liang!" Shang Xinlei stretched out her arms as if to embrace the world: "Imagine, if we capture the Emperor and retreat within the allotted time to the archway, wouldn’t everything be at our disposal? Secret Technique Book, manual, token, with the Emperor in hand, they’ll offer us anything voluntarily, let alone a mere Heaven-Swaying Sword?"

"Those who steal hooks are punished; those who steal kingdoms are lorded."

Shang Xinlei stood up, both hands on the stone table, surveying everyone: "Obtaining the Heaven-Swaying Sword, looting the Secret Vault, holding the Emperor, controlling Liang Kingdom. That’s my plan. Do you dare to join me?"