Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Flaw

A chill ran down Li Yuanqing’s spine. He let out a shaky breath, horrified by his own suspicion.

“This… This can’t be, can it?”

“It seems he’s letting those fools run wild because he truly intends to leave the Array down and let the Demons in to slaughter everyone.”

Song Min’s expression was icy.

Because of Magical Artifacts like the Void Mirror, the Foundation Establishment Clan behind this would never dare to act personally. Killing fifteen Independent Cultivators of considerable Power would leave far too much evidence.

During the autumn defense, the easiest force to leverage is that of Demons. If they could lure the Demons in to annihilate everyone and raze all of Huashan County to the ground, no clues would be left behind.

“Impossible, impossible! For a mere hundred mu of Spirit Fields in San Yuanli… We’re all registered residents! How could it come to this? How could it come to this!”

Li Yuanqing was so agitated he shot to his feet, unable to accept the possibility.

A county being wiped out by Demons would be a sensational case in the Chen Kingdom. Yu Yingwu would absolutely face dire consequences. How could he be so blinded by greed?

“It’s actually not that difficult to find out if Yu Yingwu is doing this on purpose,” Yang Jing said.

“The Chen Kingdom is a newly founded nation, after all, so resources are scarce. To conserve grain, only a few licensed establishments are permitted to brew wine. From the rafters, I could smell the wine they were drinking. It was all finely brewed, high-quality stuff. Huashan County is a small county with fewer than two thousand households; locally, they can only secretly produce some cloudy, awful moonshine. To buy good wine, you have to go to Fuyuan Prefecture. With them feasting all night long, and considering Cultivators can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, the amount of fine wine they’ve consumed must far exceed that of any previous autumn defense.”

Cultivators are typically arrogant and rarely give mortals a second thought, so naturally, they wouldn’t consider problems from a mundane perspective.

Yang Jing also cultivated Body Refining Techniques, so his five senses were already far sharper than those of an ordinary Cultivator—and that was on top of his Bright Qi Talent. Even from over half a mile away, he could clearly smell the fragrant aroma of the rich wine. If he put in a little effort, he could probably even reverse-engineer its recipe and brewing process. Just the day before, he had wondered where in Huashan County they could have found such excellent wine.

Many Cultivators, having spent years living on a knife’s edge, have a great demand for wine. Unable to afford Spirit Wine, they have it shipped in from the Chen Kingdom, which in turn has caused wine prices throughout the kingdom to soar.

Furthermore, Huashan County has a population of less than ten thousand. Even if they rounded up every married woman in the area, they couldn’t have gathered so many beauties. They must have been recruited from other prefectures.

“Fine wine isn’t cheap; even ordinary landlords and wealthy mortals can’t afford to indulge like this. If I were the one planning the banquet, I’d probably stock up based on the number of jars consumed during previous autumn defenses. At the rate they’ve been feasting these past few days, the wine should have run out by the second day.”

Song Min’s eyes lit up. She looked at Yang Jing and said, “Why would a Cultivator like Yu Yingwu concern himself with a trivial matter like having enough wine? Are you saying a mortal in Huashan County is working for him?!”

Yang Jing nodded.

“And it’s most likely the County Magistrate.”

When it came to coordinating resources, no one was better positioned than the County Magistrate.

Song Min’s eyes brightened again.

“I have an Enchanting Talisman that can seize a mortal’s Divine Soul. He’ll answer whatever I ask, and I can make him forget everything afterward. I’ll go tonight and see if Yu Yingwu is truly plotting something sinister.”

She was a woman of action. Without another word, she vaulted out of the small courtyard.

Li Yuanqing was, after all, a man of vast experience. He was only flustered for a moment before collecting himself. He cupped his hands toward Yang Jing in embarrassment.

“I’ve been around for so many years, yet I wasn’t as calm as you, Little Brother Yang. I’m truly ashamed.”

“You’re too kind, Brother Li. My Power is low. If we run into danger, I’ll be counting on you to get me out of it,” Yang Jing replied humbly.

’I have Cloud Escape as a safety net. If the situation truly becomes irreversible, I can use it to conceal myself and get away. But after escaping, unless I change my name and identity, I’ll be the sole survivor, attracting attention and investigations from all sides. And with Yinjiao, how could I possibly withstand that kind of scrutiny?’

’But if I do change my identity, my hope of joining the Five Elements True Spirit Sect will be all but lost. There’s no way I’d pass their background check.’

Yang Jing took a deep breath. If he could, he just wanted to get through this autumn defense without a hitch.

The two of them waited in the courtyard. Yang Jing kept track of the time. In less than an hour, Song Min quietly returned.

“The County Magistrate told me everything. It was Yu Yingwu who told him to prepare extra wine, food, and women. He even gave him two Spirit Stones for the trouble.”

The Spirit Stones used by Cultivators were worth a fortune in the Chen Kingdom. For simply purchasing wine and food, two Spirit Stones was more than enough. Yu Yingwu’s contempt for Independent Cultivators was completely undisguised. For him to so “kindly” treat them to food and drink, his intentions were as clear as day.

“This situation is as precarious as a stack of eggs. Should we make a preemptive strike and take Yu Yingwu out?”

In this critical moment, Li Yuanqing showed the decisiveness and ruthlessness of a veteran Independent Cultivator.

“Yu Yingwu is at the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation, and as one of the Chen Family’s Guests, he certainly doesn’t lack for Magical Artifacts. It would be extremely difficult for the three of us to kill him without leaving a trace.”

Song Min shook her head and continued, “Besides, we still don’t know which Foundation Establishment Clan has targeted San Yuanli. Evading this one disaster would only be a temporary solution. We’d have no peace in the future; instead, we’d have to be constantly on guard against both overt and covert attacks.”

“Here’s my plan: the three of us will stand guard near the County Yamen for the next few days. The only reason Yu Yingwu is resorting to all these tricks is because of this Grand Array. If Demons do attack, we will activate the Grand Array at the first opportunity. Once it’s active, the Demons outside won’t be able to break into the county seat for at least half a day, which will at least guarantee our safety. Furthermore, under the threat of the Demons, those idiots drowning themselves in perfume and powder should finally snap out of it. With that, the tables will be turned. Yu Yingwu will be the one in a panic, and I don’t believe he won’t slip up. When he does, it will be a dozen of us against him alone. We’ll be able to take him down with ease.”

The Arrays established in a county are typically Tier Two Lower Grade. Because fully activating the Array Formation consumes a massive amount of Spiritual Qi, they are normally kept dormant. Once fully activated, however, an Array can withstand the attacks of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator for at least half a day—more than enough time for Cultivators from Fuyuan Prefecture to arrive with reinforcements.

Li Yuanqing considered this for a moment, then nodded. In his view, this was indeed the best available option, as it meant they wouldn’t have to confront Yu Yingwu directly. Although he had initially resolved to kill Yu Yingwu, he was still intimidated by a man who had served as a Guest of the Chen Family for more than a decade.

Yang Jing naturally had no objections, but he did add one point.

“We also need to heighten our vigilance. For a matter of this magnitude, how could the Foundation Establishment Clan behind it entrust complete authority to an outsider like Yu Yingwu? Either there’s an inside man among the Independent Cultivators in San Yuanli, or one of their own clan members has already infiltrated our ranks.”

Li Yuanqing had been thinking of using his network to contact a few of the more powerful Independent Cultivators in San Yuanli, but Yang Jing’s words sent a jolt of alarm through him.

Song Min mulled it over for a moment.

“In that case, Fellow Daoist Yang and I will take turns guarding the County Yamen. Fellow Daoist Li, you’ll be in charge of investigating suspicious individuals within Huashan County.”

Without anyone realizing it, she had taken Li Yuanqing’s place as the leader of their trio.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep