Nightwatcher-Chapter 479: Revealing the Conspiracy

# 479. Revealing the Conspiracy

Xu Qi’an put on his robe and climbed alone to the Bagua Platform.

The autumn wind was bleak, like countless fine knives stabbing his face.

He saw once more the back of the guardian deity of the Great Feng. Unlike in the past, when the Jianzheng sat leisurely behind his desk, this time he stood at the edge of the Bagua Platform with his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction of the imperial palace.

“What is your ‘intent’?” the Jianzheng asked.

“Broken Jade.”

Xu Qi’an answered bluntly.

“Broken Jade…”

The Jianzheng slowly savoured these words, smiled, and nodded. “That matches the trait of One Blade from Heaven and Earth. It was worth passing this art to you.”

*You old bastard…* Xu Qi’an had long suspected this, but this was the first time the Jianzheng had admitted it.

The Jianzheng continued, “Do you know the origin of ‘One Blade from Heaven and Earth’?”

Xu Qi’an shook his head.

“It came from a first-rank martial artist, who attempted to cut through the shackles of heaven and earth with his sabre, and perished in his attempt.” The Jianzheng smiled.

*That meant he used the wrong weapon. If he’d used an axe, maybe he’d have succeeded…* Even in such dire straits, Xu Qi’an could not help but lampoon.

“What is a first rank martial artist called?” He seized the chance to ask what he was curious about.

The Jianzheng shook his head. “When the Confucian Sage divided the levels of cultivation and split each system into nine ranks, only the first-rank martial artist was left unnamed. Interestingly, the Confucian Sage named the martial artist system’s ‘superior grade’, that above first rank, ‘Martial God’.”

“What’s even more interesting is that, since the age of gods and demons, although first-rank martial artists were as rare as phoenix feathers, one or two do appear every tens thousand or so years. But a Martial God? Never so.”

*Now that is interesting. For all the beyond-ranks that existed, the Confuician Sage did not name them. Yet, for the only one that has never been seen, the Sage gave it the name "Martial God".* Xu Qi'an's head flashed with question marks.

At the same time, he wondered why the Jianzheng had given him ‘One Blade from Heaven and Earth’. Surely he was not hoping that Xu Qi’an would really split open the world’s shackles with his sabre?

*I’m not Pangu…* he grumbled inwardly, then said aloud, “Could you tell me about Zhende? I’m curious about a few things.”

“Why mention him, what a mood-killer!”

The Jianzheng shook his head, his tone as if someone had stepped in dog faeces in the street and exclaimed, “Bloody hell!” before leaving in disgust.

He waved his hand, and a milky-white pill floated in front of Xu Qi’an. “Take this pill. Your injuries will heal quickly.”

Xu Qi’an took the pill and swallowed it, then stepped forward a few paces and said, “Jianzheng, I have only one request of you.”

…

Cloud Deer Academy.

A clear light flashed, and a white-robed figure brought Xu Qi’an to the foot of the mountain. This white-robed figure faced the stone steps, the back of his head towards Xu Qi’an.

“Thank you, Brother Yang.”

Xu Qi’an sincerely thanked the King of Posturing, and said, “Let me buy you a drink at the goulan when there’s time.”

“No need!”

Yang Qianhuan gave a cold snort, his figure flickered, and he vanished.

Moments later, he reappeared, the back of his head “glaring” at Xu Qi’an. “If you can find a terminally ill oiran from Jiaofangsi, I might consider it.”

*Why a terminally ill oiran from Jiaofangsi…* Xu Qi’an could not understand for the moment. *Does Senior Brother Yang really have such strange tastes?*

*Did he like to administer acupuncture to women?*

Seeing Xu Qi’an’s silence, Yang Qianhuan took it as assent, nodded twice with the back of his head, and disappeared again.

“Brother Yang is always so odd, his brain doesn’t work like other people’s,” Xu Qi’an muttered.

Thinking of a certain alchemy maniac, a certain trembling wretch, and a certain foodie, his mind instantly calmed.

Xu Qi’an looked up at the mountaintop and began to climb slowly.

When he reached halfway up, he turned his head and saw, in the pavilion by the stone steps, an old Confucian scholar with dishevelled white hair and a faded robe.

Dean Zhao Shou.

“You’ve come!” Zhao Shou said with a smile.

Xu Qi’an did not reply in kind. He sat beside the pavilion, thought for a moment, and asked, “Dean, do you know about the late emperor Zhende?”

Zhao Shou was silent for a long time. “Before the campaign, Duke Wei mentioned it to me, though he was not certain at the time.”

*So Duke Wei had indeed suspected it, even if he had no hard evidence, he had plenty of reason to believe it. Yet even so, he had pressed on to attack the headquarters and seal the Warlock God…*

In his letter, he had said that this involved a secret beyond the ranks...

Xu Qi’an asked, “Why did Duke Wei seal the Warlock God?”

Zhao Shou did not answer directly. “Have you ever heard of the legend of the Gu God among the shaman clans in the Southern Marches?”

Xu Qi’an frowned, and recalled what Lina had said:

The prophet of the Heaven Gu tribe had foretold that the Gu God would inevitably awaken, and when that happened, it would bring unimaginable calamity to all of Jiuzhou, the entire world would become a world of Gu.

Xu Qi’an was shocked. Now that he knew the Warlock God had also been sealed by the Confucian Sage, just as the Gu God had, did that mean that if the Warlock God’s seal was broken, similar disaster would follow?

*Was this why Duke Wei had risked his life to seal the Warlock God…* Xu Qi’an took a deep breath, then asked,

“How much do you know about Zhende?”

“I spent many years cultivating in seclusion on Qingyun Mountain, so I don’t know much about the late emperor. Duke Wei realised Zhende might still be alive, but hadn’t had time to investigate.” Zhao Shou paused, then analysed:

“But from his actions, we can deduce his purpose to some extent.”

Xu Qi’an waved his hand.

“Perhaps I may know a bit more about him. Everything Zhende did was for immortality, or rather, to be an immortal emperor.

“Duke Wei once told me that war would shake fortune and harm the foundation of a state. The more defeats suffered, the more fortune is lost, until the country perishes.”

The logic was not hard to grasp. If a nation kept losing, with people dying and territory lost, it would inevitably be destroyed in time.

Zhao Shou nodded and continued, “So Zhende colluded with the Church of the Warlock God to kill Duke Wei, and tried to have a hundred thousand troops wiped out, all to deplete the Great Feng’s fortune.

“The abnormal attack on Yuyang Pass by the Yan and Kang armies was also to massacre Xiangzhou, Jingzhou, and Yuzhou, draining the Great Feng’s fortune.

“Now, his refusal to grant Duke Wei a posthumous title is not about the title itself. The real purpose is to define the war as a crushing defeat. This battle, the Great Feng lost, with nearly a hundred thousand troops wiped out. So long as this is proclaimed to the world and the people believe it, this too is a blow to the nation’s fortune.”

Xu Qi’an nodded. That was not hard to understand.

He looked at the cynical dean and frowned, “I have a question, but first I need to ask, if fortune is weakened enough, can it counteract the rule of ‘he who has fortune cannot attain immortality’?”

“I see what you’re getting at. If one only bears a little fortune, the rules of heaven and earth won’t bind them. But Zhende cannot. Unless the Great Feng is destroyed and he ceases to be a sovereign, his lifespan will still have limits, he will not outlive ordinary people by much.”

Zhao Shou answered with absolute certainty.

*I see, so my theory of endlessly weakening fortune to break the rules of heaven and earth doesn’t hold water…* Xu Qi’an frowned.

“If that’s the case, what exactly is he busy with? Hm, all members of the imperial family have fortune, and as emperor, Zhende has the greatest. Is he trying to destroy the country and exterminate the bloodline to break free of fortune’s shackles?

“But that contradicts Emperor Yuanjing’s obvious craving for and attachment to power.”

The two fell silent, saying nothing more.

A few minutes later, Zhao Shou said, “I have a guess.”

Xu Qi’an immediately straightened up, ready to listen. “Please, go ahead.”

Zhao Shou said slowly, “Zhende joined forces with the Church of the Warlock God to wipe out a hundred thousand troops and kill Wei Yuan. The first was to wear down the Great Feng’s fortune, the second to protect the Warlock God. Both sides got what they wanted from this cooperation.

“So why did the Church of the Warlock God later send troops to attack Yuyang Pass with such urgency? If it was just for revenge, in their current sorry state, a truce would have been the wisest choice.

“Victory and defeat are normal in warfare. Revenge can come at any time, there’s no need to go all out. As for alliances or promises, hmph, between nations it’s always about interests, never sentiment.”

Xu Qi’an’s eyes lit up, faintly grasping something. “There must have been some temptation the Church of the Warlock God could not refuse.”

Zhao Shou gave him an approving look and continued:

“By your logic, Zhende’s goal is to become an immortal emperor. So, what way is there for him to remain emperor and also achieve immortality? Let’s put it another way, you might understand.

“You know the power structure of the three countries affiliated with the Church of the Warlock God, don’t you?”

Those were countries where theocracy was above royal authority. Xu Qi’an of course knew, and replied,

“Their kings control the military, their ministers the government, and above them both is a third-rank Master of Wisdom who maintains the balance but normally doesn’t intervene in military or political affairs.”

Zhao Shou rose and left the pavilion, gazing northeast. He said quietly, “The kings of the three countries are actually just feudal princes. The true centre is Mount Jing City. The real emperor should be the Great Warlock Sarun Agu.

“But Sarun Agu has lived for thousands of years.”

*Boom!*

It was as if a bolt of lightning struck Xu Qi’an’s mind, leaving him dumbstruck, his body trembling.

Sarun Agu was the Great Warlock, the supreme leader of Mount Jing City. For over a thousand years since the Warlock God was sealed, he had been the real leader of the Church of the Warlock God, holding a position equivalent to the emperor in the Central Plains.

And Sarun Agu was a first-rank expert who had survived from ancient times to the present.

“Dean, you mean Zhende wants to emulate Sarun Agu, or rather, become another Sarun Agu?”

Xu Qi’an’s shock slowly faded, and his tone became calm:

“Yes, if he turns the Great Feng into a vassal state of the Church of the Warlock God, he can become a second Sarun Agu. Sarun Agu controls the three northeastern countries; Zhende could control the thirteen provinces of the Central Plains.

“He would still be emperor, only with a Warlock above his head. But the Warlock God is sealed and cannot restrain him. Even if the Warlock God is unsealed, that first rank Warlock allows Sarun Agu to rule the northeast, so why wouldn’t he let Zhende rule the Central Plains?

“Zhende is at least a second-rank expert, and the Church of the Warlock God would show the greatest respect to someone like that. For them, making the Great Feng a vassal is something the founding emperor promised them, and it’s been their dream for generations.

“That’s why they’re so desperate to attack Yuyang Pass, colluding with Zhende to shake the Great Feng’s fortune. This perfectly explains Zhende and the Church’s behaviour… To turn the Central Plains into a vassal, you have to weaken the Great Feng’s fortune, that I understand. But, but how is it actually done?

“Fortune is mysterious, but the heroes of the Central Plains are very real. If the people don’t agree, they’ll definitely rebel, no matter if it’s the Church of the Warlock God or the Buddhist Sect… But maybe that’s exactly what the Church hopes to see?”

He rambled on nervously, looking at Zhao Shou for his opinion.

“Our thinking is the same. As for how to make the Central Plains a vassal of the Church, that may be another secret of the beyond-ranks, one I do not know. At the very least, the Confucian Sage left no record of it, so we’ll have to find out for ourselves.” Zhao Shou replied solemnly.

“How does the Warlock God gather the fortune of the three northeastern countries, and how does he live so long?” Xu Qi’an frowned.

“No one has ever said, nor is there any written record, that the Warlock God gathers the fortune of the three northeastern countries. Perhaps the Jianzheng could answer that, arcanist cultivation is tied to fortune, the Jianzheng has lived five hundred years, and the arcanist system originated from the warlocks.”

That was Zhao Shou’s answer.

*So, beyond rank Warlocks could manipulate fortune like arcanists?* Xu Qi’an fell silent and stared at the cynic dean:

“This time, I came to collect what Duke Wei left for me.”

Zhao Shou did not nod, but looked at him. “Have you decided?”

Xu Qi’an nodded slowly. “I didn’t understand before why the Jianzheng always watched coldly from the side, why, despite his power, he did nothing. Especially after learning of Zhende’s existence, I couldn’t understand it, and even resented him.

“After Duke Wei died, I was desperate, with nowhere left to turn. I thought a lot about many things, replayed the details over and over. Suddenly, I realised the answer had always been there, I just hadn’t woken up to it.”

He looked to a certain spot at the summit of Qingyun Mountain and sighed, “Scholar Qian Zhong already gave me the answer.”

Only fortune can defeat fortune.

Confucian cultivation was tied to fortune; that second-rank great scholar shattered the Great Zhou dragon ley with the resentment of the people. When the nation fell, the man died too.

For the Jianzheng to want to kill Zhende was just like Scholar Qian striking the dragon ley.

Crumbling both jade and common stone.

Zhao Shou brushed his sleeve over the stone table in the pavilion, and a brocade box appeared on it.

“This is what Wei Yuan left you,” Zhao Shou said with a smile.