Chapter 160 - 159: Slaying the Traitor

Chapter 160: Chapter 159: Slaying the Traitor

Back when Xia Wuyang ascended to the position of Crown Prince, he had two key ministers. One was Mo Qianqiu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel at the time. He was on track to one day take charge of the ministry and become the Minister of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs, managing all official promotions for the Great Xia Dynasty.

The other was a deputy commander in the Imperial Guard who led tens of thousands of troops. One a statesman, the other a soldier, they were Xia Wuyang’s most trusted aides.

However, as Xia Wuyang was disgraced and his position as Crown Prince became precarious, his followers were purged.

The deputy commander of the Imperial Guard was murdered, and to this day, the killer has never been identified.

As for Mo Qianqiu, he was impeached by factions in the court loyal to the other Princes and Princesses. He lost his position as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and could only become an ordinary Scholar in the Wenyuan Pavilion. The difference in his status and treatment was like night and day.

Even so, Mo Qianqiu never betrayed Xia Wuyang, continuing to advise him and devise plans for him. But Xia Wuyang, driven nearly to madness, eventually cut ties with him over certain matters. Mo Qianqiu could only retreat to the Wenyuan Pavilion, where he has been suppressed ever since.

The one who took his position was his own disciple, Zhao Qi—a vile man who rose to power by betraying both Mo Qianqiu and Xia Wuyang.

For decades, Zhao Qi was the one who suppressed Mo Qianqiu most fiercely. However, since Xia Wuyang was still technically the Crown Prince and had not been officially stripped of his title, Zhao Qi never dared to go too far.

’I wonder if this assassination attempt on Mo Qianqiu has anything to do with him.’

Xia Wuyang used the Soul Enchantment Technique to influence numerous small animals to investigate. At the same time, he used other channels to learn the full details of the incident.

Before long, he received another report: the incident was indeed Zhao Qi’s doing. The reason was that he wanted to seize an ancient book Mo Qianqiu had come across by chance.

But there was no way Mo Qianqiu would give the ancient book to such a despicable traitor, especially when the price Zhao Qi offered was absurdly low. It was blatant extortion.

Because of this, Zhao Qi could no longer restrain himself and decided to eliminate the problem at its root: kill Mo Qianqiu, then slaughter his entire family.

Although Mo Qianqiu was a First Grade Perfect Grandmaster, he had been severely injured in the incident years ago and had never fully recovered.

He nearly failed to fend off the assassins Zhao Qi had hired at great expense. If not for a stroke of luck—he happened to be carrying a dose of poison meant for Demon Fiends, which he managed to sprinkle on an assassin—he would likely already be dead.

’That damn Zhao Qi. If not for Master Mo’s help back then, you’d still be a destitute pageboy. What right did you ever have to rise to prominence? I couldn’t kill you then, but now, it would be as easy as turning over my hand.’

A cold glint flashed in Xia Wuyang’s eyes as he made his decision. ’Master Mo’s injuries were my fault. He wouldn’t have suffered such a grievous blow otherwise.’

Now that he knew what had happened to Mo Qianqiu, Xia Wuyang certainly wasn’t going to stand by and do nothing.

This wasn’t just about Mo Qianqiu. Now that he had the power to protect himself, he would find out what had become of his other followers from those years. He needed to see who had remained loyal and who might be in danger.

If he found any, he would of course lend them his aid. Then, he would find a way to gather them so they could serve him once more.

Those who could endure decades of hardship and still remain loyal were absolutely worthy of his trust.

Besides, his own life had been a complete mess for years; he was seen as a worthless failure by all. For anyone to remain loyal under such circumstances—how could he not value them highly?

「That night, the moon was dark and the wind blew strong.」

Xia Wuyang, disguised and wearing a cloak, silently slipped out of the Imperial Palace and infiltrated Zhao Qi’s residence.

The residence of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was incredibly lavish, a testament to its owner’s power and influence at every turn.

Patrolling Guards were everywhere, with no shortage of Upper Three Grades Martial Artists among them. But for Xia Wuyang, who could move through the Imperial Palace as if it were deserted, what challenge did this place pose?

Activating his Stealth Technique, he moved effortlessly through Zhao Qi’s residence and soon found an irate Zhao Qi in his study.

"What a fucking joke! Blood Tower can’t even kill a severely injured Mo Qianqiu, and they dare call themselves the top assassin organization in Great Xia? Useless trash!"

Zhao Qi raged, "This won’t do. If Blood Tower isn’t up to the task, I’ll have to find another way. I must make that old bastard Mo Qianqiu die as soon as possible. He must have already guessed I’m the one behind this. If he decides to risk mutual destruction, I won’t get away unscathed either."

"But according to Blood Tower’s rules, if an assassin they dispatch is killed, the price to hire them again for the same target increases substantially," his confidant said with a sigh.

Zhao Qi snorted coldly. "Then I’ll just squeeze some more out of my subordinates. This is a matter of life and death; it must be done."

Hearing this, Xia Wuyang hesitated no longer and walked into the study.

He activated the Soul Enchantment Technique. Before Zhao Qi and his confidant could react, their faces went slack, and they began walking toward a nearby secret room.

Soon, the three of them were inside. After sealing the secret room, Xia Wuyang released the Soul Enchantment Technique, removed his disguise, and stared indifferently at Zhao Qi.

"Wh-what’s going on?" Zhao Qi snapped out of his daze, confused as to how he had inexplicably ended up in the secret room.

Then, realization dawned. He looked over at Xia Wuyang, and when he saw who it was, his entire body trembled. "C-Crown Prince... y-you... weren’t you already disgraced? How could you..."

Seeing Zhao Qi at a loss for words, Xia Wuyang sneered. "Normally, I should be in Wenhua Hall waiting to die, not appearing before you. Is that right?"

"Your Highness, spare me! Everything I did before, I was forced to do! It was never my true intention!" Realizing the situation, Zhao Qi immediately dropped to his knees, kowtowing so fast his head was like a pestle pounding garlic. "So Your Highness was hiding your true strength all along! With your power, you’ll surely secure your position as Crown Prince and even vie for the throne! I will devote all my efforts to supporting you, to solidifying your position and helping you ascend!"

Xia Wuyang laughed. ’So quick to adapt to the situation.’ But he would never accept such a person. "A backstabbing, ungrateful traitor like you? I wouldn’t dare have you on my side again. The things you did back then truly opened my eyes."

"Your Highness, please understand! What happened back then was not my intention! I was forced!" Zhao Qi was still trying to make excuses.

Xia Wuyang’s expression turned frigid. "Still trying to deceive me at a time like this? Do you really think I know nothing? After my fall from grace, you were among the very first to betray me. Was that because you were ’forced,’ too?"

"Betraying me was one thing, but you even helped Xia Wuchen plunder my resources and businesses, and you suppressed those who remained loyal to me. Was that also because you were ’forced’?"

"And all these years, you’ve been targeting Master Mo. He taught you for years, raising you from a worthless, impoverished pageboy to your current position, and this is how you repay him? The main reason I am here tonight is to claim justice for Master Mo."

...