Chapter 530: One Move Affects the Whole

Chapter 530: A Single Hair Moves the Whole Body

To the south of the city, the rolling emerald hills were pierced by a blaze that burned with unnatural brilliance against the night. The ancient sword-forging hut, its timeworn charm now a pyre, crackled and splintered in the inferno until it shuddered with a final, ear-splitting groan and collapsed into ruin.

"Yao Ge, aside from this place, we've uncovered eight hidden enterprises of Liu Xianzhou within Jinling City. Their scale is considerable. Shall we eliminate them all?"

At the subordinate's query, Lei Yao, who stood facing the flames with hands clasped behind his back, gave a slight shake of his head.

"This hut is Liu Xianzhou's face within the Middle Court. The master's intent is to stage a performance, so dismantling this alone suffices. We need not overreach and invite further complications."

"Understood."

The man bowed respectfully, yet his feet remained rooted to the spot, his expression caught between words unspoken.

Lei Yao withdrew his gaze from the smoldering wreckage and asked calmly, "Any further news?"

"The master dispatched a message: Yao Jun has been captured."

The subordinate's voice darkened. "From the battle traces at the scene, it appears the military sequence's handiwork. Unless I'm mistaken, it was orchestrated by the Heavenly Threshold."

Lei Yao's eyes dimmed, his silence heavy. After a pause, he laughed bitterly. "The Heavenly Threshold, then? Ha! These people never cease their meddling."

"They're already aboard a sinking ship, yet instead of saving themselves, they obsess over dragging us back to share their fate. Is their bond truly so profound?"

As he spoke, Lei Yao exhaled a long sigh toward the heavens and turned to the subordinate. "Has the master said nothing else?"

"He has. He insists that when the hour grows dire, you must act decisively. It is time to settle the score with the Heavenly Threshold."

"A delayed decision brings chaos," Lei Yao murmured, nodding. "Send men to monitor Zhou Qin and his allies. Now that Yao Jun has fallen, their turn comes next. I must know how many the Heavenly Threshold has sent—and where they lurk!"

"Understood."

Before he could issue further orders, an inexplicable tremor stirred within him. He whirled toward the west, where the luminous cityscape suddenly erupted in a blaze spanning several acres—a spectacular inferno, visible even from afar. Yet shockingly, it flickered out as abruptly as it had ignited, leaving no trace.

A moment later, a dry, warm night breeze brushed his face.

"That... Samadhi True Fire?"

Having once been a paragon of the Heavenly Threshold's younger generation, Lei Yao had seen much and understood deeply. His horizons surpassed those of ordinary men.

Since joining the Liu clan and becoming the top confidant of Liu Jian, the second young master, he had been privy to vast intelligence on other sequences. Among them was the Six Tuan Group, now the unrivaled hegemon of the military sequence.

The military sequence had surged to prominence after the empire's first technological wave, leveraging the Lingqiao method and cybernetic enhancements. Though reviled since its inception as a substitute for the martial sequence, it had nonetheless risen to become the most dominant of the nine streams, second only to Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.

Indeed, if all those who had undergone mechanization were counted, the military sequence could claim the largest following in the Great Ming Empire.

Had it not been for the New Donglin Party's reforms at the end of the Longwu Emperor's reign—which dealt a devastating blow to the military sequence's strength—it might have been elevated to the status of a fourth teaching alongside the Three Teachings.

Yet this also inadvertently birthed a colossal entity within the military sequence itself: the Six Tuan Group.

To put it another way, the military sequence was now the Six Tuan Group, and the Six Tuan Group was the very embodiment of the military sequence.

The master of that fleeting inferno was Zhu Yan, one of the top four warriors of the Six Tuan—the Executioner, the Mechanized Sacred Infant.

As for the so-called Executioner, it was merely a title for the Six Tuan's operatives who accepted external commissions.

Paid to eliminate troubles.

When the flames died, did Zhu Yan perish? Then who wrought the killing?

The blaze had erupted near Zhoutiangong in the western part of the city—could it be tied to the Heavenly Threshold?

Lei Yao's unease deepened, his countenance darkening.

"Go!"

He waved a hand and descended toward the foothills.

"So, the purpose of today's court meeting is to reproach me for my incompetence?"

Liu Xianzhou's icy gaze swept across the faces before him.

Around a round table sat three elders clad in embroidered black robes, their sleeves adorned with golden-threaded patterns—clear indicators of their status as high-ranking officials within the Middle Court.

Beside the table, an empty chair awaited its former occupant: Meng Xi, the erstwhile first deputy director.

"We do not reproach you," said an elder with a goatee, smiling. "Rong Lu's sudden death has paralyzed the operations of Jian'ai Su, inflicting grievous harm upon the Middle Court. We seek to know your proposed remedy."

"Rong Lu did not die suddenly," Liu Xianzhou replied coldly. "He was assassinated."

"Whether suicide or murder, it matters not now," the goateed elder said with a shrug. "The pressing matter is who shall assume control of Jian'ai Su. That is the priority."

"I shall handle it."

"How?" the elder pressed.

"Must I report my methods to you? Jian'ai Su is an internal investigative body of the Middle Court, accountable solely to the deputy director and the court's head. Others have no right to interfere."

Liu Xianzhou's tone was unyielding, his eyes fixed on the figure seated at the head of the table—Mo Guhuang, the Middle Court's director of the Ink Sequence.

"You," the goateed elder said, his face reddening with indignation.

He restrained his fury for a moment, then brightened as Mo Guhuang remained silent.

"Since you deem us unworthy to question Jian'ai Su's affairs, so be it. After all, with you, Elder Liu, at the helm, no calamity could prove insurmountable."

The elder slammed his palm on the table, raising his voice. "I ask you another matter: Why does the Liu family claim our people slew Zheng Jizi?"

"A fabrication," Liu Xianzhou replied evenly.

"A splendid fabrication," the goateed elder sneered. "Do you know who Zheng Jizi was? Do you grasp his standing within the Confucian sequence of Jinling City?"

"Zheng Jizi, a fourth-rank judicial officer of the Confucian sequence, concurrently serving as the Left Minister of the Ministry of Households in the Southern Directly-Administered Region. He is the maternal uncle of Liu Jian, the second young master of the Liu family, and one of the principal pillars in Liu Jian's struggle for inheritance."

Liu Xianzhou turned to face the elder, his eyes sharp as blades, radiating cold.

"I know even more details. Would you care to hear them?"

"What do you mean, Liu Xianzhou?!"

The goateed elder erupted in fury.

"My meaning is simple. I know Zheng Jizi better than any of you. Had he not threatened the Middle Court's interests, why would I have moved against him? True, Jian'ai Su operatives were present at the scene of his death, but that was Han Xiao falling into another's trap. There was no internal action by Jian'ai Su against Zheng Jizi."

"Your implication is that the Liu family deliberately framed you? Why would they do such a thing?"

The goateed elder scoffed. "Even if we concede the killer was not yours, why would Han Xiao stumble into such an obvious snare? Are you, Deputy Director, so blameless? How do you intend to convince the Liu family this matter bears no relation to our court?"

"Peng Ze, if you wish to know the truth, shall I escort you to confront Zheng Jizi in the afterlife?"

Liu Xianzhou's tiger-like eyes gleamed with menace, his tone hostile.

"Truly, the rumors speak truly—you are the most formidable elder in our court's shadows. Your methods are as ruthless as your reputation."

The goateed elder, Peng Ze by name, sneered. "If you're so capable, why did you not go to the Wo region to reclaim the Chi master in place of Meng Xi? Was he stronger than you, or do you only dare to bully within your own domain? I've heard that the sword-forging hut, used as a facade by those claiming to be sages, was just burned by the Liu family. Why not demand they descend to the underworld to seek Zheng Jizi's forgiveness—and restore your innocence?"

"Am I a bully in my own nest? You'll find out after we trade blows."

Liu Xianzhou sneered, "Dream or reality, hot weapons or cold steel, armored or barehanded—take your pick."

"Bring it on, who's afraid of whom? Do you think the research teams under this old man have been eating their fill for nothing these years? Any single result we pull out could claim your wretched old life."

Peng Ze shouted at the top of his lungs, yet everyone present could see the bluster masking his cowardice.

"Enough, enough. You are elders of the Central Branch Academy, not those maniacs of the Heavenly Will Society, resorting to killing at the drop of a hat—what sort of decorum is this?"

The one intervening was the sole female elder within the Central Branch Academy.

"Old Liu, Old Peng has always had a sharp tongue, but he means no real harm. There's no need to hold a grudge. We called this meeting not to pursue your responsibility, but to pool our efforts and weather this crisis together."

The still-charming woman persuaded gently, "Our Central Academy may not fear the Liu Faction, but we all live under the same roof; it would be unseemly to turn hostile openly. If Zheng Jizhi's death has nothing to do with us, it's best we find a way to clear the air and reclaim our innocence."

Seeing Peng Ze take the out and avoid his gaze, Liu Xianzhou ignored him. After a moment's thought, he said, "As of now, every witness connected to this matter has been killed. Extracting memories from their brains as evidence is impossible. Without hard proof, clearing our names will be... difficult."

"Ultimately, the Liu Faction is a core pillar of the New Donglin Party. If we can't sever the connection, and that old codger Liu Jinxun suddenly snaps and lodges a complaint with the Grand Secretary, we'll be in deep trouble."

The woman rubbed her tightly knitted brows with her palm. "It seems things have come to this: only by finding the true murderer can we give the Liu family an answer."

"Madam Shu, your thoughts align with mine."

Liu Xianzhou spoke in a deep voice, "Moreover, as for who the true murderer is, aside from certain individuals deliberately playing dumb with ulterior motives, I suspect everyone here already knows in their hearts. Besides that, I have another piece of intelligence to report to you all."

Liu Xianzhou raised his eyes to scan the room, enunciating each word: "Li Jun has already made contact with the Minggui traitors lurking within the Central Academy."

At these words, not only did Peng Ze and Shu Ye's expressions change drastically, but even Mo Guhuang, the Dean of the Central Academy who had remained silent until now, frowned and finally asked, "Xianzhou, is this intelligence reliable?"

"Rong Lu died because of it."

Liu Xianzhou's expression was solemn. "Li Jun received great favor from the Chi Lord in the Wo Zone; one could even say the Chi Lord saved his life. Knowing his methods, he will surely demand blood for blood from the Central Academy. With that motive in place, those Minggui traitors seeking him out was only a matter of time."

Peng Ze grumbled in a droning voice, "The retrieval of the Chi Lord's head was Meng Xi's unilateral decision; he never informed the rest of us elders. And now he's buried at sea—a life for a life. What reason does Li Jun have to trouble us?"

"You've lived all these years—when have you ever seen a Wu Sequence practitioner reason with you? Favoring kin over justice is a vicious habit carved into their very bones. If not for that, they wouldn't have offended the other Sequences so badly, leading to such catastrophic losses during the Great Martial Division."

Shu Ye's willow-leaf brows knitted tight, her face full of worry. "What concerns me now is that the Heavenly Que people might also get involved. Those old fossils have deep sectarian prejudices against the Independent Wu Sequence, but a few are notorious for protecting their own. If—"

"No 'ifs.' Heavenly Que is already involved." Liu Xianzhou calmly cut in. "One of the Three Heroes of Heavenly Que, Shen Li, has entered Jinling. He appeared at the foot of Lion Mountain alongside Li Jun and those traitors' test subjects."

"Liu Xianzhou, just how much intelligence are you hiding from us?" Peng Ze complained loudly.

"These aren't secrets. If you diverted even a fraction of the energy you pour into your projects toward academy affairs, you'd have known ages ago."

Liu Xianzhou shot him a disdainful glance.

"Xianzhou, speak your mind."

From the seat of honor, Mo Guhuang cast his gaze over.

In that gaze, Liu Xianzhou clearly caught a trace of compromise and weakness intertwined.

Since Meng Xi's death, this so-called 'Dean' who had climbed the ranks by serving Zhang Fengyue like an ox or horse finally revealed his own powerlessness in the face of this rotting situation.

"My view is simple. Step one: appease the Liu family. This time, the Liu family isn't entirely blind to the fishiness of this affair; otherwise, they wouldn't have merely sent people to demand compensation. They're just saving face. My suggestion is to pick a few unruly Mo Sequence members from the list held by the Universal Love Bureau and hand them over."

"Handing over a few scapegoats is fine, but the Liu family's indemnity demand is astronomical. Where does that money come from?"

Before Liu Xianzhou could finish, Peng Ze eagerly interrupted.

"Elder Peng!"

Mo Guhuang barked in a low voice, "Xianzhou, continue."

"Once the Liu family is appeased, our next step is naturally to free our hands and go all out to deal with Li Jun and those Minggui plotting rebellion!"

Liu Xianzhou pressed his fingers together like a blade, raising his hand in a horizontal chop through the air. Mo Guhuang, sitting opposite, instinctively averted his eyes.

Peng Ze and Shu Ye saw this clearly; they exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in the other's eyes.

Meng Xi might have spun his own cocoon through arrogance, but he was the crucial check on Liu Xianzhou.

Now that he was dead, Liu Xianzhou had no restraints left within the Central Academy; his dominance was beginning to show.

"Then how do we deal with them?"

Mo Guhuang asked again, but Liu Xianzhou fell inexplicably silent, his face visibly darkening.

"What happened?" The woman looked anxious.

"I just received word—a melee broke out near the Chaotian Palace."

"Related to what we're discussing today?"

Liu Xianzhou nodded. "The combatants were Shen Li of Heavenly Que, and Zhu Jin of the Six Tao."

"That Executioner of the Soldier Sequence?"

Shu Ye had clearly heard of Zhu Jin; she pressed urgently, "What was the outcome?"

"Shen Li is near death; Zhu Jin was instantly killed by the arriving Li Jun."

"Soldier Sequence people always love challenging Wu Sequence to prove themselves—it's practically an obsession. They never stop to consider what their Gear Hearts are based on; they don't even clarify the principles before..."

Peng Ze sneered, but his face suddenly paled as he cried out, "What? Instant kill?! That Southern Academy graduate, what was his name, the 'Horse King' close-combat support Mo Jia—he advanced to Rank Three?"

"The report is clear: he wasn't wearing armor. Barehanded."

Liu Xianzhou glanced at him askance. "Could you do it?"

This wasn't mockery; as one of the grandmasters of weapon development within the Mo Sequence, Peng Ze had full authority on the matter.

"I have a research group dedicated to simulating combat against famous experts from all Sequences, and this Zhu Jin of the Soldier Sequence was among them. His Gear Heart, 'Holy Infant Demon King,' has an extremely high development level. The tissue density fed back by the Gear Heart approaches the limit of a Rank Four Mo Jia; the flames generated during overclocking are hot enough to melt steel. Combat aptitude, mental fortitude, mechanical configuration—every aspect is near perfection. A humanoid weapon."

Peng Ze spoke gravely, "In our simulations, Zhu Jin ranks among the very top of all Rank Fours. If even he was instantly killed barehanded, then any of us here facing Li Jun would likely capsize in the gutter at the slightest carelessness."

"Cross-sequence combat was once the specialty of the Sectarian Wu Sequence and the Old School Dao Sequence. Who would have thought that after those two Sequences withered and died, someone would rise to take their place?"

The woman looked left and right. "So what now? Do we kill him, or not?"

"If the intelligence holds no major deviation, Li Jun's strength already rivals the early stages of Rank Three, and he is a combat-specialized Sequence. Killing such a man would cost an incalculable price."

Peng Ze turned to Liu Xianzhou, his voice solemn. "So my suggestion is... peace."

"I agree with Elder Peng. I also advise peace as the highest priority." Shu Ye followed immediately.

Mo Guhuang seemed swayed. "I—"

"Peace is impossible!"

A sharp shout cut off Mo Guhuang's words. Liu Xianzhou rose to his full height, slamming both hands onto the round table. His leaning frame radiated a suffocating pressure.

"He came to Jinling for revenge. Seeking peace means sending lives to pay the debt."

Liu Xianzhou's keen gaze swept over them one by one. "Among the four of us, who goes to pay the Chi Lord with their life? You, Peng Ze? Or you, Shu Ye? There is no peace—only his death or ours!"

No one answered. Dead silence.

Even Peng Ze, who had always clashed with Liu Xianzhou, fell silent.

He knew Liu Xianzhou was right; Li Jun would never reconcile with them.

But aside from peace, he suddenly had no idea how to handle a martial artist comparable to Rank Three.

Since the Central Branch Academy aligned with the Ru Sequence, researching how to defend against and hunt Wu Sequence had been his primary focus.

Yet the deeper he researched, the more he found this Sequence's people impossible to deal with—unless one perfectly grasped the opponent's 'Tempering Martial' direction and launched a targeted siege.

Peng Ze had not seen the battlefield's scene; from the mere words “instant kill,” he could infer that Li Jun possessed a terrifying offensive power, for otherwise he could not have so easily slain Zhu Jin.

Beyond that, nothing was known of Li Jun’s martial arts; no other characteristics were revealed.

Such an uncalculated rash move would only bring great loss to the Central Institute.

“Even if we cannot fight, I still suggest we act first,”

Peng Ze was about to voice his opinion when Liu Xianzhou waved and cut him off directly.

“Our previously devised plan has already failed; Wang Qi has vanished beyond our control. Moreover, Li Jun’s current display of strength will give those rebel spirit‑guids a new hope for uprising. If we wait any longer, we will only become more passive,”

Liu Xianzhou spoke coldly: “My recommendation is to act immediately, to summon back all the ink‑armored spirit‑guids scattered across the southern provinces, including those in research, medicine, and logistics who lack combat ability, and bring them under unified control.”

“Isn’t that ill‑advised? After all, only a few spirit‑guids harbor dissent. If we seize all of them, wouldn’t that satisfy the rebellious spirit‑guids’ wishes, and would those who had no intention of rebellion then also be tempted? And what do we gain by controlling them?”

Mo Guhuang hesitated, his demeanor a timid, indecisive display.

Liu Xianzhou, tired of looking at him again, turned straight to the woman and asked: “Elder Shu, hasn’t your team already devised a method to erase the autonomous consciousness of spirit‑guids?”

Shu Ye replied slowly: “Yes, but erasing autonomous consciousness would strip spirit‑guids of the ability to continue improving their rank.”

“Both sides are harmful, but we take the lighter path. There is no time for hesitation. As long as the Central Institute can purge the rebellion and maintain stability, even discarding a batch of spirit‑guids is worthwhile,”

Liu Xianzhou’s expression was icy: “People fear death; these spirit‑guids who have lived two lifetimes fear death even more. Pick a few spirit‑guids to kill and show them; those who dare not rebel will naturally quiet down.”

Mo Guhuang asked: “Elder Liu, which spirit‑guide do you plan to use as a warning?”

“The rebel whose identity was confirmed in the earlier phase of the Companionship of Love, one of the spirit‑guids under Elder Peng’s command,”

Liu Xianzhou looked at the exceedingly grim Peng Ze and coldly uttered two characters: “Aohu!”