Chapter 576: Who has the better move?


    Yes, Long Feiye had indeede to sow discord!


    He not only sessfully instigated Emperor Kang Cheng to move against the Chu n, but stirred up dissent between the Chu n and Gu Beiyue as well. It was only a shame that Han Yunxi only saw through the former and not thetter. The two of them reached the Court of Dependencies just as Tang Li and Chu Xifeng came to report from the Thousand Buddha Cave.


    “Big bro, unless there’s someone leading the way, it’s impossible get in there. The guards are stationed too tightly, and there’s a bunch right by the entrance!” Tang Li was certain that the ce was imprable, while Chu Xifeng nodded in agreement.


    “Master, even if the Chu n themselves want to get in, it’ll be difficult. Besides the guards, there’s also a bunch of traps. If not for Young Master Tang, this subordinate would have startled the snake in the grass for sure.”


    Because Tang Li was skilled in hidden weapons, he was quite proficient when it came to recognizing traps. This time, he’d been very reliable during the exploration. Long Feiye and Han Yunxi fell silent at their words. Both of them were thinking about the same person—the white-robed gentleman. Long Feiye was considering how the Nether n would probably reach out to the Shadow n fellow for help, while Han Yunxi was musing how easy it’d be for that man to slip in the caves unnoticed. Unfortunately, neither of them could read minds, so they didn’t voice their thoughts.


    Long Feiye said, “For now, wait for news from the Chu n.”


    —


    At this moment, Gu Beiyue himself had just arrived at the Chu n as well. Chu Yunyi had mentioned something that made him curious. Gu Beiyue knew many things about the Poison Sect and its Perplexing Butterfly Illusion. He had heard Chu Tianyin speak of the Wood of Ten-Thousand Poisons as well. Still, why would the Chu n choose this of all times to try and steal it from the Thousand Buddha Cave? Why wait until Long Feiye showed up to Western Zhou?


    Could it be that Chu Yunyi knew Long Feiye wasing for the Wood of Ten-Thousand Poisons, so he wants to get his hands on it first? Or have they agreed to some sort of trade?


    Gu Beiyue’s gaze turnedplex as he asked, “Why are we looking for Wood of Ten-Thousand Poisons at this of all times?”


    “It’s better to make the first move in this situation. That bastard Tianyin sold us out!” Chu Yunyi said hatefully.


    Gu Beiyue looked at Chu Yunyi as if he could see right through the man’s intentions. He asked next, “So, the Duke of Qin came for the Wood of Ten-Thousand Poisons?”


    “Exactly!” Chu Yunxi didn’t borate. He was here to both ask Gu Beiyue for a favor and probe him out. Lowering his voice, he added, “Beiyue, I won’t keep this from you now, butst night this old man met in private with the Duke of Qin. He agreed to help the Chu n keep the secret of the Nether n as long as we can help him get the Wood of Ten-Thousand Poisons.”


    Immediately, Gu Beiyue asked, “And Chu Tianyin?”


    “Heheh, that damned brat even told them about the Wood of Ten-Thousand Poisons, so why should this old man bother with saving him? Hmph, my Nether n needs no traitors!” Chu Yunyi retorted coldly.


    Gu Beiyue fell silent. His bright, clear eyes stopped being gentle and turned icy and pensive instead. It seemed he hadpletely transformed from his warm and soft-hearted personality to someonepletely untouchable. Even Chu Yunyi, who’d tried to sound him out on purpose, found himself unable to meet the man’s eyes. It was impossible to tell what Gu Beiyue was thinking at this moment. The longer he stayed silent, the more guilty Chu Yunyi felt. Although he was the senior in this situation, he had never underestimated the young man before his eyes. He could only regret and rue the fact that Gu Beiyue hadn’t been born in the Nether n instead.


    It wasn’t that Chu Yunyi had no cool, but that Gu Beiyue remained mute for way too long. In the end, Chu Yunyi had to ask, “Beiyue, there are many guards stationed at the Thousand Buddha Cave. It’ll be difficult to even enter it, much less approach the thousand-year ginkgo trees beyond them. This old man only found you because I was stuck in a dilemma. The life and death of the Nether n—the fate of our very existence—rests in your answer!”


    Chu Yunyi wasn’t exaggerating. If the Nether n couldn’t get the Wood of Ten-Thousand Poisons, Long Feiye would never spare them. But if they forced their way into the Thousand Buddha Cave, then the Chu n could forget about making a living in Western Zhou. Truly, they were stuck between a rock and a hard spot.


    “Nether n Head, your words are an overstatement,” Gu Beiyue remarked.


    “Beiyue, this old man was impatient with his speech a few days ago. Please don’t take it to heart,” the Nether n Head replied.


    “I won’t,” Gu Beiyue’s tone was neutral and didn’t reveal a thing.


    The Nether n Head knew that saying anything else was useless, so he fell silent. After a long period of silence, Gu Beiyue finally ventured to say, “Nether n Head, the Duke of Qin has a handle on the Nether n. Why didn’t he find Emperor Kang Cheng directly to discuss these matters instead of seeking out the Chu n’s help?”


    Of course Emperor Kang Cheng had heard of the Perplexing Butterfly Illusion as well, but he didn’t know Wood of Ten-Thousand Poisons was a vital ingredient to crack the toxin, or the fact that Wood of Ten-Thousand Poisons was located right on the thousand-year ginkgo trees. If the Duke of Qin was just here for the thousand-year ginkgo, then finding Emperor Kang Cheng would be the most direct choice.


    “He probably has other schemes for the Chu n. What do you think?” Chu Yunyi asked.


    Gu Beiyue nodded and said, “With this one’s skills, I can enter the Thousand Buddha Cave with effort. However, to reach the thousand-year ginkgo trees is...”


    Chu Yunyi cut him off. “We only need you scope out the way. Three monthster, the caves will open up for prayer. General Chu will find his own way to enter the caves then, so you can simply follow behind him when the timees.” As he spoke, Chu Yunyi drew closer to whisper in Gu Beiyue’s ear.


    The contents of his speech were a n to lure Long Feiye into the Thousand Buddha Cave in three months so Gu Beiyue could seize the chance to assassinate the man in the dark! They would find their own way to get the Wood of Ten-Thousand Poisons. Gu Beiyue’s gaze grewplex. He was about to speak when Chu Yunyi added, “And even if you can’t kill the Duke of Qin, you have to kill Han Yunxi! She understands poisons, so this old man would definitely have her apany us into the caves.”


    Gu Beiyue’s eyes shed coldly at his words, but he was looking down so Chu Yunyi didn’t notice. He had been hesitant before, but now he was filled with determination. “Alright. This junior will definitely see through this to the end!”


    Chu Yunyi was thrilled and invited Gu Beiyue to stay overnight at the Chu n right there. But Gu Beiyue refused and said he’d explore the Thousand Buddha Cave in a few days instead. Once he left, General Chu emerged from an inner room and asked, “Aren’t you afraid that he’ll tell them what you’re nning?”


    “What’s there to be afraid of? Long Feiye knows how to meet plots with plots. Since he’s scheming against the Chu n, we should plot against him as well. This time, he forced the hand of our Nether n. He shouldn’t me us if we turn ruthless and pay him back!”


    For Chu Yunyi to be so decisive meant that he definitely had a backup n in ce. While setting a trap for Long Feiye, he was testing out Gu Beiyue at the same time. If Gu Beiyue didn’t ally himself with Long Feiye, he’d let Gu Beiyue off. But if he did, then the Shadow n could die out right in Thousand Buddha Cave!


    General Chu didn’t understand. “Even if the Duke of Qin meets a plot with a plot, what can we do? Do you want to expose the Nether n?”


    Chu Yunyi only smiled coldly and whispered something that caused General Chu’s expressions to nch. In the end he said, “The risk is too great.”


    “Yes! But the Nether n has no other options left!” Chu Yunyi said icily.


    Long Feiye’s ns ounted for the Chu n, Gu Beiyue, and Emperor Kang Cheng while the Chu n was plotting against him and Gu Beiyue. Meanwhile, Emperor Kang Cheng himself was currently nning against the Chu n. While everyone was sleeping in White City tonight, a fierce and wild storm had long started brewing in the background. Who would suffer the greatest triumphs or the most tragic losses?


    Only three monthster would tell.


    —


    After the banquet, Emperor Kang Cheng personally sent off Long Feiye and Han Yunxi. His attitude from that morning had already outlined his stance. To put it in fancier terms, Western Zhou preferred peace and would never proactively offend any person. They had cleared refused an alliance with Long Feiye, but had the second imperial prince entertain the guests of honor while inviting Long Feiye andpany to tour the sights around White City.


    Everything had gone ording to Long Feiye’s expectations. Naturally, he refused the offer and said that he’d be leaving the city tomorrow morning. But of course, they weren’t going anywhere while they were here for the Wood of Ten-Thousand Poisons.


    Early next morning, General Chu came under orders to escort Long Feiye and Han Yunxi out of the capital city. Once beyond its gates, their carriage traversed the public roads for a while before shaking off their trackers around noon to head west towards Thousand Buddha Cave. The caves were part of an extensive mountain chain call the Thousand Buddha Range. West of the mountains was the Scraping Sands,1 Western Zhou’srgest desert, while east of the rangey its biggest oasis. White City was built upon that very patch of green. Meanwhile, Thousand Buddha Cave was at the foot of Thousand Buddha Range, a massive cave system whose thousands of Buddha statues gave the ce its name.


    Western Zhou’s imperial n had built an imperial temperial within the vicinity of the caves that shared its name. Within its grounds grew a single thousand-year ginkgo tree. Although it wasn’t the only ginkgo tree in Western Zhou, the high monks considered this one an auspicious nt. Thus, the imperial family considered it a patron tree of the nation and guarded it stringently. Aside from monks and members of the imperial n, the temple was closed to all visitors outside of important ceremonies.


    Long Feiye’s group took two days to reach a small vige located closest to the caves. The town itself was called Ease Garrison.2 They’d hardly stepped foot in the inn before someone else arrived—the long missing Gu Qishao!


    “Where did you go? Was it fun to leave without so much as a by your leave?” Han Yunxi asked with a scoff. Long Feiye only took Gu Qishao’s words on the roof that night as ramblings from a dream and silently drank his tea without a nce at the man.


    Gu Qishao’s smile was brighter than the noonday sun. Ignoring Long Feiye’s existence, he began to tease, “What, did you miss your Qi gege?”


    Han Yunxi’s lips pursed, but Long Feiye was already throwing his teacup before she could speak. “Get lost!”


    Having been on guard already, Gu Qishao quickly dodged out of the way. He next took out a bunch of poisons from his sleeve and stuffed them into Han Yunxi’s arms. “Here, feed them all to Lil Thing at once.”


    Han Yunxi quickly analyzed the poisons and found them all to be hypertoxic. Most of them she couldn’t even make on her own because the required ingredients were too rare. But this fellow had brought her a whole bunch of them!


    “Where did you go to find these things?” she asked doubtfully.


    Gu Qishao simply dug out a few pills and added, “These are for you to eat, they’re one-time pills as well.”


    Han Yunxi couldn’t figure out what they were even after scanning them with the detox system. “What are these?” she asked.


    Now Long Feiye was looking over as well.


    “They’re beneficial for your brain! Aren’t you always fainting all the time?” Gu Qishao asked earnestly.


    Han Yunxi didn’t know whether to cry orugh. But seeing Gu Qishao so travelworn, she couldn’t help but feel her heart turn warm. At this moment, Long Feiye suddenly grabbed the pills out of her hands...


    1. Scraping Sands (嚓薾沙漠) – Ca’Er shamo Ca means a scraping sound, Er is “like that, so,” shamo is “desert.”


    2. Ease Garrison (东来镇) – Doni Zhen, in which “Doni” means “eastes” and Zhen means “garrison post, town.”