Chapter 658 - 206: Water Control Technique, Qualitative Change (2)

The real reason they invited Shen Bai over was probably that Xinhua Academy had calculated he and Zhang Dao Ling would come into conflict.

’With that kind of friction, would it be easier to persuade him?’

Zhang Dao Ling looked at the Marquis of Ren De and sneered, "Marquis, it seems the rumors about you in the Jianghu are true."

There was no need to specify what that meant; some things were better left unsaid.

The Marquis of Ren De smiled. "Once this is done, we’ll be in the same boat. Lord Zhang, you should be of one mind with me."

Zhang Dao Ling said nothing.

The young man said cheerfully, "With the Marquis and Lord Zhang as our inside men for Lingyun Dao, the entire city will be ours to command. We’ll be more carefree than the Emperor himself."

"Enough nonsense. Let’s get to business," Zhang Dao Ling said, his face expressionless.

Only then did the young man turn to the Marquis of Ren De and say, "Marquis, how about contributing the lives of one battalion of soldiers?"

The Marquis of Ren De frowned. "That’s only about a thousand men. What use could you have for them?"

The young man shook his head. "As for the rest, it’s better that you don’t know, Marquis. Rest assured, this plan is foolproof. Even if Shen Bai is a heaven-sent genius, he won’t escape death."

The young man seemed supremely confident as he spoke.

The Marquis of Ren De mulled it over before nodding. "Fine."

The lives of a battalion of soldiers, a thousand-odd men, were of little consequence in the eyes of the Marquis of Ren De.

Though they were his soldiers, the Marquis of Ren De saw them as nothing more than ants.

Outwardly, he was close to his men, but it was all for the sake of maintaining a tighter grip on them.

For someone in his position, human life had long since ceased to matter.

The young man raised his wine cup and laughed heartily. "It seems Shen Bai is watching us. In that case, let’s allow you two to clear yourselves of suspicion. Kill us."

"Rest assured, you two. We are not here in our true bodies; we are merely borrowing these physical shells."

Not far away, Shen Bai’s gaze had already turned toward them.

He discovered that they seemed to have shielded their surroundings, as his Void-breaking Red Eye was met with resistance when he tried to probe them.

"Ding Quan, go take a look," Shen Bai said, pointing to the spot.

Ding Quan acknowledged the order and prepared to go forward.

Just then, the Marquis of Ren De made his move.

A murderous aura coalesced in the Marquis of Ren De’s hand.

The power of a peak Celestial Spirit Realm expert burst forth from him.

"Heretics from Xinhua Academy! How dare you infiltrate my banquet! You’re courting death!" The Marquis of Ren De’s eyes widened in a furious act, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

The young man roared with laughter. "I thought I could complete the organization’s plan this time, but I didn’t expect to be found out! Since it has come to this, I’ll take you all down with me!"

The people at the table suddenly flew into action, lunging toward Zhang Dao Ling and the Marquis of Ren De.

Many of the Jianghu People reacted, and the surrounding constables also rushed forward to intercept them.

But unexpectedly, the Marquis of Ren De flicked his finger, unleashing several blasts of astral wind that tore bloody holes through their foreheads.

Blood flowed, and a pile of corpses lay on the ground.

Ding Quan looked to Shen Bai, silently asking for his orders.

Shen Bai stroked his chin. "Interesting. Let’s go have a look."

This turn of events was somewhat unexpected, even for Shen Bai.

Shen Bai stood up and walked over to the table.

Seeing that Daoist Si himself was heading over, the surrounding Jianghu People suppressed their own urges and decided to wait and see how things would unfold.

The three most distinguished individuals in Lingyun Dao now faced each other.

Shen Bai smiled. "Marquis, your decisiveness in slaying those fiends is truly a display of unparalleled loyalty. You are indeed worthy of the name Ren De."

The Marquis of Ren De waved his sleeve. "Lord Shen, it was merely my duty. For fiends like these to have infiltrated the premises is my failure. I am simply atoning for my mistake."

He said it with such sincerity that anyone else might have actually believed him.

Shen Bai turned to Zhang Dao Ling and asked, "Lord Zhang, what were you discussing with those fiends at the beginning?"

Zhang Dao Ling glanced at Shen Bai and said slowly, "They were trying to pry for intelligence on Lingyun Dao. When we discovered their identities, they attacked. The Marquis acted without holding back for the sake of everyone’s safety."

It was an answer with no apparent flaws.

Many of the Jianghu People breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Bai raised an eyebrow. "Since fiends have appeared, this matter falls under the Observatory’s jurisdiction. Ding Quan, order your men to take the bodies back for a thorough investigation into their allegiances."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Ding Quan replied quickly.

Only then did Shen Bai turn to the Marquis of Ren De and say, "I will take my leave now to investigate this incident."

The Marquis of Ren De was all smiles. "In that case, I must trouble Lord Shen."

Shen Bai waved his hand. "Let’s go."

Ding Quan looked as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself, falling in behind Shen Bai.

The other members of the Observatory also fell in behind Shen Bai, leaving the Marquis of Ren De’s estate one after another.

They had come quickly, and they left just as fast.

Before long, the crowd at the scene had thinned considerably.

The Marquis of Ren De watched Shen Bai’s departing figure and thought to himself, ’This man’s composure is truly remarkable—so calm in the face of chaos. I’m afraid that once he gets back, a thorough investigation will be unavoidable. I need to think about how to clear my name.’

Zhang Dao Ling, on the other hand, was thinking, ’Once this matter is concluded, I need to keep my distance from the Marquis of Ren De. There’s no such thing as a perfect secret.’

Each of the two men was lost in his own schemes, but the banquet continued.

...

「On a dimly lit street.」

Shen Bai led Ding Quan and the others toward the Observatory.

"What did you want to ask earlier?" Shen Bai said.

Ding Quan stepped forward. "Lord Shen, things can’t be this simple. For those fiends to suddenly appear and sit at that specific table... this subordinate believes it’s highly likely related to the Marquis of Ren De."

This was what he thought, but he didn’t understand why Shen Bai had decided to leave so suddenly. Even a little more investigation on the spot would have been better.

Shen Bai smiled. "I know what you’re thinking. But in truth, there’s no need for us to investigate. By acting this way, they’ve surely erased all the clues already."