Chapter 370: I Am Letting You Win

Chapter 370: I Was Holding Back

Lü Shiheng’s expression remained unchanged as he smiled and said, “Your Excellency overstates it. I have been diligently preparing for battle these past days, drilling soldiers day and night, recruiting experts… Unless Maitreya himself descends with a great army, relying on the meager troops of Yu Xiu, breaking through my Xiangyang will not be so easy.”

Tang Wanzhuang smiled. “Is that so? The prefect is truly a capable minister.”

“I dare not accept such praise,” Lü Shiheng said. “If Xiangyang lacks anything, it is funds and provisions. Could Your Excellency help by transferring some from Jiangnan… Oh, the roads are blocked, so perhaps from Heluo instead? There is plenty of grain there.”

Tang Wanzhuang replied flatly, “I have no authority over Heluo.”

Lü Shiheng feigned surprise. “Why? It is said that His Majesty granted you broad powers on this southern mission…”

Tang Wanzhuang said, “Because the Hongnong Yang clan no longer heeds my orders; my authority is useless against them.”

Lü Shiheng gasped as if in shock. “The Hongnong Yang have kept a low profile all these years. Could it be just because Wang Daozhong helped them capture Yang Qianyuan? Is such a trivial matter worth this?”

“We do not know the specifics… But this incident is at most a pretext for contact, and the party making contact may not be the Wang clan alone—there is also the Four Symbols Sect.” Tang Wanzhuang’s beautiful eyes swept over Lü Shiheng’s face as she said calmly, “So if the Yang clan moves south, joining forces with the Maitreya Sect to attack from two sides… Or if Zhuque and Xuanwu charge straight into the prefectural office, would the prefect still be so confident?”

Tang Wanzhuang did not know that Lü Shiheng was colluding with the Maitreya Sect. She had rushed to Xiangyang in haste, worried that Lü Shiheng might defect to the alliance of the Wang, Yang, and Four Symbols Sects.

Because Lü Shiheng was a former subordinate of the Wang clan, having once received sword instruction from Wang Daoning, who had recommended and promoted him.

On the surface, Lü Shiheng was stationed in Xiangyang, far from Langya, and after the Wang clan’s maneuvers to test the realm, he had severed ties with them, playing the loyal minister of Great Xia. But once the alliance’s influence reached here, changing his allegiance would be as simple as uttering a word.

Such forces were a hundred times more troublesome than the Maitreya Sect, chiefly because they would not face the same resistance from local powers as the Maitreya Sect did. For instance, Lü Shiheng’s behavior toward the Maitreya Sect was entirely different from his attitude toward the Wang and Yang clans.

Before the Battle of Taihu, Tang Wanzhuang had heard of the upheaval in the Yang clan and had wanted to rush to Xiangyang then. With her presence, there was still a chance to sway Lü Shiheng’s inclinations—at least worth a try. So as soon as the war ended, she traveled through the night, racing against time.

That was why she had warned Li Si’an and Da Zhou that too many carrier pigeons coming and going could easily be exposed—this remark was aimed at the city lord. Aside from the city lord, what other force would be qualified to monitor the pigeons’ movements in the city? Once Lü Shiheng turned, Li Si’an, Da Zhou, and the others would be in grave danger.

Unfortunately, by the time she arrived, the Celestial Garden had already changed hands, Li Si’an had been captured, and Lü Shiheng’s rebellious intent was clear.

She had come too late… Alone, trying to patch things up everywhere, how could she mend this sky cracking in all directions?

At that moment, Lü Shiheng was saying, “The northern army must cross the river to come south—that is no easy task… If Your Excellency is worried, why not contact the capital? Once the Yang clan makes a move, attack their rear, and the crisis in Xiangyang will resolve itself. I doubt the Yang clan has the nerve.”

Of course, the Yang clan did not have the nerve; what they wanted was to take the strategic city of Xiangyang without spending a single soldier.

Tang Wanzhuang sighed and was about to say something when her expression suddenly shifted slightly.

The perception of Zhao Changhe, like moonlight reflecting on water, was something she had taught him. Even Zhao Changhe could often sense distant dangers through it, let alone Tang Wanzhuang.

She clearly felt more and more powerful auras gathering within the Celestial Garden, and the rooftops around were occupied by experts forming battle formations, with strong bows and crossbows encircling this brothel.

While Lü Shiheng had been casually chatting with her for a few words, he had arranged a tight encirclement inside and out, waiting for her to walk into this trap?

How dared he defy the world’s condemnation and openly hunt down the Chief of the Demon Suppression Bureau in Xiangyang? Even the Wang clan would not dare such a thing—how could Lü Shiheng?

Did he think he could control the entire city and cover it up? But the Tang family knew she was here; if something happened, no matter whether the Chaos Chronicle reported it, he could not hide it from the Tang family. What was he doing?

Tang Wanzhuang’s thoughts raced, but she pretended to know nothing, swallowing all the persuasive words she had intended to say, and calmly sipped her tea: “Since the prefect says so, it seems I have been overly concerned. Your words have merit; I should set out for the capital immediately.”

Lü Shiheng smiled and leaned in to refill her tea: “It is getting late; there is no need to travel day and night. Your Excellency might as well rest in Xiangyang for a night and set out tomorrow morning. You could also send a message; there is no need to run about in person.”

“If I stay one more night, my head might be hanging from the city gate by dawn.” As she said the word “head,” Tang Wanzhuang suddenly struck, reaching for Lü Shiheng’s throat!

Lü Shiheng had just leaned in to pour tea; the attack came like lightning. He could only instinctively dodge his head, but his shoulder was already struck by Tang Wanzhuang, numbing his entire body.

Lü Shiheng regretted it deeply. He knew this woman was terrifyingly strong and acted decisively without hesitation, but her appearance was too deceptive. Every time he faced her, no matter how much he warned himself, he still let his guard down. He should never have come so close. Poor as he was, ranked forty-eighth on the Human Roll, he could not even block her sudden strike and was now immobilized by acupoint sealing.

But the arrangements were already complete. The moment Tang Wanzhuang moved, the ambushers, triggered by her action, burst through the walls, and a terrifying blade light slashed at her back.

Tang Wanzhuang was prepared. Her body turned like a wave, and her slender hand brushed past, striking the side of the blade.

Then came a soft exclamation as both sides staggered slightly. The blade light faded, revealing Maitreya’s obese figure, like a mountain of flesh.

Tang Wanzhuang’s face darkened like water.

She had never imagined it would be Maitreya!

Why Maitreya?

Tang Wanzhuang took a deep breath and said coldly, “So it’s you. I never expected… Prefect Lü, can you offer me an explanation?”

“Explanation for what?” Lü Shiheng, though his acupoints were sealed, was even calmer. “Your Excellency must have seen that he cares nothing for my life; he only wants yours. Holding me hostage is meaningless.”

Maitreya, having failed in his first strike, was not in a hurry. He chuckled, “Chief Tang, who would have thought? We meet again after just a day apart.”

Tang Wanzhuang frowned slightly. Maitreya had been wounded and fled at Taihu, but he had recovered so quickly, showing no signs of injury now, as if yesterday’s victory were an illusion… Was the dual cultivation technique of the Extreme Joy Dharma truly so miraculous?

She took another deep breath and said coldly, “The Buddha thinks himself clever, but has it occurred to you that as a leader of a faction, venturing deep into enemy territory is not only lowly in strategy but also makes you a pawn in someone else’s game?”

“A pawn?” Maitreya laughed. “All it means is that the blame for Chief Tang’s death in Xiangyang will be pinned on my Maitreya Sect. In truth, if I want to take this city, there are others in the prefectural office who stand in my way—either Wang Daoning or Yang Jingxiu. But so what? I am not afraid of bearing the blame for killing you, and the schemes of the Wang and Yang clans may not succeed. After I kill you, I will play their game.”

Tang Wanzhuang said, “Could it be that Prefect Lü has actually been controlled by your Heavenly Maiden?”

“You guess?” Maitreya grinned. “Including you… these noble families, lofty and proud, thinking that showing their faces is worth more than anything—it’s all bullshit.”

Tang Wanzhuang did not reply. There was some truth to his words; she had overestimated her own influence, coming here alone. Of course, it was not entirely about face—there were many considerations of power and background behind it—but brainwashing and control through techniques could render all that meaningless.

This was the unique advantage of cults like the Maitreya Sect and the Four Symbols Sect, leading everyone’s conventional thinking astray.

Maitreya chuckled. “Chief Tang, in our previous encounters, I was always at a disadvantage. The first time by Sword Lake, it was a conflict between us and the Four Symbols Sect; you intervened abruptly, and I did not want to fight you. The second time at your Tang estate, Zhao Changhe and Tang Buqi ruined my plans; the momentum was not on my side, and I had no heart for battle. Yesterday at Taihu, we were evenly matched, but Tang Buqi took advantage of the chaos to break my formation. But today…”

He pointed inside and outside the room, where a crowd of Maitreya disciples had surrounded them: “The momentum is on my side.”

Then he pointed toward the prefectural office in the distance: “Your right-hand man, even the source of the Secret Investigation Bureau’s funds, Li Si’an, is now in the hands of my sect’s Heavenly Maiden. Not only is his life in my hands, but his money will also belong to my Holy Sect.”

After saying this, he looked Tang Wanzhuang up and down, eyeing her beautiful figure, and revealed a strange smile: “Would Chief Tang be willing to abandon your right arm and flee? This Xiangyang, this Jiangnan, this reputation, this Dao heart… Do you still want them?”

Tang Wanzhuang knew his words were meant to unsettle her.

They had always been evenly matched; once one side’s heart was disturbed, they would lose. Previously, it was Maitreya who was unsettled; this time, it seemed to be her turn.

Tang Wanzhuang slowly drew her Spring Water and Blue Waves sword, pointing it at Maitreya, her expression calm: “Perhaps you don’t know one thing.”

Maitreya smiled. “Please, enlighten me.”

“In all our previous encounters, we were evenly matched because… I was holding back.”

Maitreya’s expression shifted slightly, then he sneered, “Then let’s see whether you cough yourself to death first, or manage to unleash enough power to kill me first.”