Chapter 50: Plans within Plans

Legend has it that Chen Yuanyuan, the beauty who brought ruin to states, did not actually jump off the cliff to her death.

Instead, she was saved by Wolf Girl at the critical moment. Chen Yuanyuan provided the funds, Wolf Girl provided the strength, and together they built the Demon Palace.

They took in women who had been hurt by men, taught them martial arts, brainwashed them, and then sent them to kill all men in revenge.

Shui Jingxuan knew the story, so he naturally knew where to find Chen Yuanyuan.

On the day Chen Yuanyuan jumped, Wu Sangui acted like a madman. He commanded his army to search the base of the cliff for three days and three nights.

When they found a woman’s corpse that had been gnawed beyond recognition by wild beasts, he held it and wept bitterly. These events had long spread throughout the countryside, showing how deeply Wu Sangui loved Chen Yuanyuan.

Wu Sangui had sacrificed love to achieve his ambition. But when a man reaches the peak of success, he always turns back to remember the one he once deeply loved.

This feeling does not fade with time; instead, it takes deeper root in his heart, becoming an obsession he can never forget.

So Shui Jingxuan was confident. If Chen Yuanyuan was willing to help, luring Wu Sangui out of Yunnan would be easy.

And Chen Yuanyuan had long since forgotten Wu Sangui and secretly admired Wolf Girl. With his relationship as Wolf Girl’s junior brother, if Wolf Girl asked, Chen Yuanyuan would surely agree.

After considering all the details, Shui Jingxuan set off with the Left and Right Protectors, disguised as ordinary merchants, heading for the Demon Palace.

The betrayed girl was unwilling and begged the Sect Master to take her along, so she could kill the heartless man and then return to the palace for punishment. Shui Jingxuan did not make things difficult and nodded in agreement.

***

At the same time, far to the north at the Listening Tide Villa, Ji Wushuang was frowning at a coded message. By his side stood Linglong Gongzi Jin Haofeng, dressed in red, his appearance more handsome than in previous years.

Jin Haofeng felt uneasy because Ji Wushuang’s gaze toward him had changed from the misty warmth of the past to the unfamiliar coldness of the present.

He slightly turned his head to avoid Ji Wushuang’s eyes and said softly,

“That’s right. Wu Sangui is highly skilled in martial arts and is always accompanied by his thirty-six iron cavalry and a hundred martial arts experts. In this world, if anyone can take his life, it would only be you, Master.”

“I only taught you some light kung fu for self-defense, hardly enough to be called your master.” Ji Wushuang glanced at him sideways, displeased, denying the title ‘Master,’ then slowly spoke,

“Killing Wu Sangui will throw Yunnan into chaos. If Yunnan is in chaos, the whole world will follow. Are you sure you want to kill him? Who commissioned this job?”

The Listening Tide Villa had six divisions, covering farming, industry, commerce, intelligence trading, assassination, and more.

Once they accepted a job, they would solve the client’s trouble for money. Ji Wushuang was skilled at killing, so he managed the Dark Division, which specialized in assassination.

He didn’t interfere with the other five divisions, partly because he wasn’t interested and partly because Linglong Gongzi was scheming and wouldn’t allow him to meddle too much in the villa’s affairs.

Ji Wushuang had a hundred years of internal energy and exceptional martial talent. He mastered the Jin family’s hereditary martial art, the Listening Tide Sword Technique, to perfection in just three months.

Moreover, his body had returned to normal, and he always wore a human-skin mask. So even after five years as the villa’s master, no one recognized him as the fearsome demon sect leader Ji Wushuang.

Others didn’t know his background, but Linglong Gongzi knew it well, so he carefully explained,

“This job was jointly commissioned by several patriotic righteous men. Wu Sangui let the Qing army through the pass, causing our Han people to lose their country and become dogs and pigs for the Manchus.

Anyone with a patriotic heart wishes to kill him as soon as possible. Since we have the ability, we naturally must serve our fallen country.”

Linglong Gongzi’s words seemed selfless and righteous. If it had been anyone else, they might have been moved. But he forgot that Ji Wushuang was from the heterodox faction.

The heterodox faction had been bullied by both Han and Manchus, forced into a corner. They only cared about their tribe, not about the nation. Hearing this, Ji Wushuang sneered inwardly.

Although he felt contempt, Ji Wushuang didn’t show it. He said calmly, “I don’t understand your Han and Manchu disputes. But since I’ve accepted the job, I can’t break my word. It’s just killing a man, nothing wrong with making a trip.”

Linglong Gongzi was delighted when he agreed and cupped his hands, “Thank you, Villa Master! This mission is important. I will accompany you. Please prepare, and we’ll leave immediately.”

With that, he took his leave and went to arrange the travel.

After he left, Ji Wushuang squinted and called into the air, “Come out.”

A killer from the Dark Division, wrapped in black clothes, appeared in the hall out of nowhere. He knelt respectfully and said, “Subordinate greets Villa Master.”

“Mm.” Ji Wushuang raised his chin and asked in a low voice, “Did you find out?”

The killer nodded and reported quietly,

“Reporting to Villa Master, this job was commissioned by the Zheng family of Taiwan, with Chen Yonghua handling the contact with Jin Haofeng. Additionally, Jin Haofeng has been giving half of the villa’s recent profits to the Zheng family. This suggests he has grand ambitions.”

Ji Wushuang was blunt, mocking Jin Haofeng thoroughly, but the killer just listened without any reaction. These killers had been trained into cold-blooded killing machines who respected the strong.

When Ji Wushuang took over the Dark Division, he used his overwhelming force to win everyone over. And the poison that the Listening Tide Villa used to control them was child’s play to Ji Wushuang, so he easily removed it.

These killers weren’t his tribesmen, so Ji Wushuang didn’t value them much. Those who wanted to stay could stay; those who wanted to leave, he gave them missions to fake their deaths and escape.

Even so, most stayed and became loyal to Ji Wushuang. The Dark Division became his one-man show. It was laughable that Linglong Gongzi, who prided himself on his schemes, had his foundation stolen right under his nose.

Ji Wushuang stayed in the Listening Tide Villa because he had been devastated and had nowhere else to go. Jin Haofeng used him, and he accepted it.

But now Jin Haofeng was using him as a gun. If that was the case, then don’t blame him. But after killing Jin Haofeng, the villa would have to take full responsibility. It couldn’t be blamed on him.

He automatically disregarded the word ‘assassination’ from Linglong Gongzi’s instructions and showed a playful smile. He was already tired of the Listening Tide Villa. It was time to leave.

Ji Wushuang curled his lips contemptuously and looked at the killer, speaking with a touch of nostalgia, “Have there been any recent news from the Demon Sect?”

The Dark Division was completely under his control, having become his private force. But the killer still didn’t know exactly what he wanted to know, so he could only shake his head helplessly,

“Five years ago, after Wolf Girl betrayed the sect, it went completely dormant, hiding deep in the valley and rarely appearing in the martial arts world. Your subordinate really couldn’t find out anything.”

“And the position of Sect Master? Did you find out who inherited it?” Ji Wushuang frowned.

“Rumors in the martial arts world say it was inherited by an unknown nobody. But the Demon Sect has become more mysterious in recent years, so this news might be a misdirection. The position of Sect Master is too important to fall to a nobody. It should be one of the ten elders.”

The killer bowed his head and reported the news he had gathered, combined with his own analysis.

Shui Jingxuan kept a low profile. When he was Left Protector, any outsiders who saw him were killed. And because of his special constitution, Ji Wushuang did everything to protect him from any scrutiny.

So the martial arts world only knew about Wolf Girl and Ji Wushuang, not the mysterious Left Protector. When Shui Jingxuan became Sect Master, he adopted a policy of biding his time and stayed hidden.

The martial arts world became even less aware of his existence.

After hearing the killer’s report, Ji Wushuang pondered for a moment and slowly said, “It seems that after this matter is settled, I should make a trip back. After killing Wu Sangui, I’ll leave. You go down and tell the Dark Division to be ready.”

Ready for what? Naturally, after leaving, he would kill Jin Haofeng to silence him, then massacre the Listening Tide Villa to cover up his identity and whereabouts. As for the villa’s affiliated forces, Wu Sangui’s old subordinates would take care of them in time.

It was also Linglong Gongzi’s fault for being too arrogant. He knew Ji Wushuang was a cold-blooded, man-eating beast, yet he still tried to control him. If you keep company with a beast, you must be prepared to be devoured alive.

The killer understood, nodded in agreement, and vanished from the hall. After he disappeared, Ji Wushuang walked toward the villa’s gate and boarded the carriage heading for the Demon Palace, accompanied by Linglong Gongzi.

At the same time, as if by telepathy, Shui Jingxuan, who was lounging in a carriage, suddenly opened his eyes and asked a servant attending him, “Have you received any news of my master recently?”

The servant made a bow and replied respectfully, “Reporting to Sect Master, the Intelligence Hall still hasn’t found any trace of the former Sect Master.”

“Mm.” Shui Jingxuan responded absently, suppressing the disappointment in his heart. Maybe this time out, I should thoroughly investigate the whereabouts of my master, he thought to himself.

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