Chapter 351: Behind the Mantis

Chapter 351: After the Yellow Robin

"Lord Changcheng of the Longyuan is truly sorry—I never anticipated that the defensive preconceptions embedded in the consciousness of this enlightened individual would be so formidable, spawning malevolent intentions that even I cannot contend with."

Zou Siu Jiu stood there, his face flushed with shame, clutching his chest as he staggered to his feet.

"Let me down."

"Lord Qu, you need not blame yourself. Sun Qianyuan's sequence may not be high, but his willpower is indeed exceptional—otherwise, after countless iterations of dream guidance, we would have succeeded in stripping him of his authority."

Mingzhe Longyuan brushed away the bloodstains from his face, his expression serene and composed.

He seemed not to notice the aberrations within Sun Qianyuan's dreamscape, which left Zou Siu Jiu secretly relieved.

"Lord Qu, you've worked hard. Please return and rest."

Zou Siu Jiu nodded, bowed, and began to walk slowly toward the massive steel door.

He had taken only a few steps when a piercing alarm suddenly echoed throughout the underworld.

"Trouble. The subject's dantian base is reacting abnormally; the cranial temperature is rising rapidly."

"He still has countermeasures? Quick—cut off his head, cut it off quickly!"

In the midst of sudden shouts, Zou Siu Jiu startled, turning to look back.

Sun Qianyuan's body hung suspended in midair by a nerve fiber bundle as thick as three fingers, his form convulsing like lightning, steam rising from his head, crimson blood streaming from every pore.

"Aaah!"

In the depth of a beastly growl, Sun Qianyuan's closed eyes snapped open, his disdainful gaze sweeping over the frantic Black Dragon Capital members, casting a long, deliberate look at the composed Mingzhe Longyuan.

"You little rogue dog, you dare touch what belongs to the Dao Lord?"

Sun Qianyuan smiled coldly, his eyes fixed on the ceiling beyond the unseen stars, his pupils dilated with fury, veins snaking along his swollen neck.

"The Dao Ancestor is upon high. Disciple Sun Qianyuan has done his utmost!"

Boom!

With a defiant roar, Sun Qianyuan's head exploded in a burst of resentment.

Click!

A single drop of warm, crimson blood landed beneath Zou Siu Jiu's eyelid, sliding down his skin, leaving a scarlet smear.

Sun Qianyuan had chosen to end his own life to conceal the truth of his vanished authority.

Zou Siu Jiu brushed away the bloodstain, his gaze expressionless, and pushed through the throng, departing from the underground authority-extraction chamber beneath Black Dragon Capital.

His silhouette faded into the distance, his steps heavy with sorrow.

Within a minute, a car emerged from Black Dragon Capital, racing westward.

"Masashi, the matters I tasked you with—I've sorted them out."

"Communications are unsafe. We should meet in person. Where are you now?"

"Kagoshima City? Perfect. I'll come right away."

Zou Siu Jiu severed the communication link, then slammed his fist hard against the steering wheel.

"Damn it!"

"Uncle Zou, what's wrong?"

A youthful, nasal voice entered Zou Siu Jiu's ear.

"Nothing."

Zou Siu Jiu inhaled deeply. "This is unacceptable."

"Oh, I remember you said the Li family's territory is Kagoshima City?"

"Exactly."

Zou Siu Jiu gave a cold smile. "This time, I'm going to make your Uncle Li help me settle my grudges!"

His voice, carrying into the night, was instantly torn apart by the fierce wind, becoming inaudible.

The car's speed pulled the rear lights into a twisted line of light, vanishing into the maze of towering buildings.

Only when the eyes hovering above the scene finally lowered their gaze did the moment pass.

"Lord Long, why did you let him go so easily?"

Moments ago, Mingzhe Longyuan had stood in the underground extraction chamber. Now, he stood on the rooftop of Black Dragon Capital's tower.

He turned from the floor-to-ceiling window, his respectful gaze fixed on the suited woman seated behind him.

"A sixth-level Dream Elder of the Yinyang Order, and one named Zou. If we keep him, he should prove useful in acquiring more illusory dream authority."

"Three other factions have assisted us in capturing him. The missing illusory dream authority will soon be complete; we need not concern ourselves with this."

The old woman shifted her withered lips, her voice hoarse from sparse, broken teeth.

"Actually, letting him escape has its advantages. It benefits us to have him spread the word."

Mingzhe Longyuan frowned deeply, his lips parting as if to speak, then hesitating.

"Longyuan, what troubles you?"

The old woman seemed to read his mind, revealing his deepest concerns.

"Do you think my actions will plunge the entire Mingzhe clan into peril?"

"Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. This is the way of the kami. I harbor no doubts about your sister's judgment."

Mingzhe Longyuan did not deny it, his voice low. "I merely do not understand—why must we choose to expose ourselves?"

"Because I need someone to pressure the Tokyo Shogunate's Hiroshi."

"Pressure?"

Mingzhe Longyuan furrowed his brow, clearly not grasping the implication behind those two words.

"Only by diverting that righteous fool's attention can we carve out a path for our actions."

Mingzhe Longyuan's expression deepened with confusion, but the old woman did not allow him to press further. Instead, she continued: "Your concerns are merely the Dao Order and Yinyang Order's counterattack. There's no need to worry."

"Why?"

"Here is the Wa region, a domain of Confucianism. As the current leader of the three teachings, they will not allow the Dao Order to flood into this area during the implementation of new policies. The most likely outcome is simply a high-ranking Daoist celestial master being dispatched for execution."

The woman scoffed. "As for the Yinyang Order, it's even less of a concern. They've always been scattered. Even if our actions crossed a line, they could never unite. Otherwise, they would have perished in disarray during the Dao Order's ascendancy, even dragging our Shinto clan down to this point."

"I understand."

Mingzhe Longyuan nodded solemnly, his expression respectful.

"Has the organ for Rouse Seki been prepared?"

The woman rose, her cane tapping the floor. "He's a useful blade—we can't let him break so easily."

"It's ready."

Mingzhe Longyuan stared at his own pupils, his eyes burning with unspoken fury.

Kagoshima City.

"Boss, we've been cooped up in this garrison for nearly seven days now. I'm about ready to recite the Three Character Classic along with those students across the way."

"The Pacification Commission is unbelievable. Even if implanting chips into these Yamato citizens costs too much, they could at least set up a Yellow Emperor mainframe for classes. How are they still using a teaching method as primitive as 'reading aloud'?"

Yaksha sat on the edge of the rooftop at the western outskirts garrison, his legs dangling in the empty air as he stared at the distant Confucian Temple, where the sound of reading echoed. His face was a picture of utter despair.

"When will these boring days finally come to an end?"

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

At the mere mention of the subject, Fan Wujiu felt a wave of suffocating frustration well up in his chest.

As a platoon commander of Inuyama Castle, he was now trapped inside a garrison, reduced to serving as a bodyguard for a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears Yamato students.

Yaksha sighed. "I really don't know what the captain is thinking. None of these students have even entered the Sequence yet. What could they possibly achieve? If I were the Honghu, I wouldn't waste my time trying to sway them either."

Fan Wujiu shot him a sharp glare and snapped, "Who told you that someone has to be in the Sequence to kill? Have you forgotten how Luo He died?"

"Brother Jun said that the situation at the Confucian Temple is a case of the darkness beneath the lamp. The places that seem the least dangerous are precisely where the Honghu are most likely to strike."

Confused, Yaksha asked, "Then why not just shut this place down?"

"The Confucian Temple is a major focal point for the Pacification Commission's new policy. If it closes, wouldn't that just be telling the Honghu we've backed down? If the brothers from the other garrisons found out, they'd laugh us to death."

Fan Wujiu waved his hand, his enthusiasm completely drained. "Alright, stop grumbling. Keep your eyes peeled. If the Honghu stir up trouble here, none of us are getting off the hook!"

"Got it, I'm watching."

Yaksha extended a single finger, lazily drawing circles in the air before him.

In response, a jet-black owl with crimson eyes circled continuously in the sky above the brilliantly lit Confucian Temple.

Just as Yaksha thought tonight would be another uneventful evening, a figure suddenly materialized within the owl's field of vision.

"Huh?"

A sound of startled suspicion escaped Yaksha's lips.