Sowing Discord

Li Guanqi sought out Xiahou Cang. Inside the cool study, cold sweat beaded heavily across Xiahou Cang's forehead. "Will this work?" Li Guanqi gave a soft laugh. "Why wouldn't it? As long as both sides grow suspicious of each other, it doesn't need to be heavy-handed. Plant a single seed, and that's enough." Xiahou Cang frowned. "But... the two of them are together every day. How could it be so easy to drive a wedge between them?" Li Guanqi scoffed. "Castellan Xiahou need not worry about such matters. I have my own plans." Not far away, Yu Su rose and approached Li Guanqi cautiously. With flushed cheeks, she shyly held out a small jade jar. Li Guanqi frowned slightly. When he reached out to take it, he found it warm to the touch. He reached to open it— "Ah! Don't..." Yu Su hurriedly reached out to stop him, but Li Guanqi had already lifted a corner of the lid. Casting a sidelong glance inside, he instantly felt profoundly embarrassed and hastily averted his eyes. The woman stood sideways. Though feeling a bit of shame, she still spoke softly. "My son is still small. I only hope Young Master Li will not let him go hungry." Li Guanqi's eyes flickered. He set it aside without either refusing or agreeing. Sleeving his hands, he sat in his chair and said softly, "Does Lady Yu wish to see where I deliver this?" The moment those words were uttered, Xiahou Cang's expression changed abruptly! Yu Su, who was just about to deny it, saw his reaction, and her face went deathly pale! "Xiahou! Was that truly what you intended?!" The woman was furious. She had genuinely thought Xiahou Cang was worried about their son's safety. But now, with just a single question from Li Guanqi, Xiahou Cang's face had drained of color. It seemed Xiahou Cang truly had been thinking of doing so! Yu Su's chest heaved violently as fury surged within her. She knew all too well how terrifying Li Guanqi's scheming and intellect were. If it were merely about feeding the infant, Li Guanqi would never have refused! Yet... Without a second thought, Yu Su dropped to her knees with a thud and kowtowed before Li Guanqi! "Young Master Li, I knew nothing of this! I only wanted to feed my child; he's only three months old! Please do not hold a grudge, Young Master Li! It is all my fault—I truly didn't know!" Xiahou Cang surged to his feet. Seeing his wife acting so subservient, fury flared in his chest. Yet he did his utmost to suppress that rage, bowing deeply to Li Guanqi. "I apologize, Young Master Li... I... I only wanted to ensure my son's safety." Li Guanqi smiled faintly. He picked up the jade jar and said softly, "Rest assured, the child will not starve. However... this conduct displeases me greatly." Crash! The jade jar shattered on the floor, splashing milky-white liquid everywhere. Li Guanqi's face darkened as he spoke. "I do not wish to see this happen a second time." With that, Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes at Xiahou Cang. "I can help you ascend as master of the six cities, but I can just as easily prop up someone else! My goal is simple: half a city's resources, nothing more. What is there that you can't part with? Hm?" Xiahou Cang went deathly pale, temporarily at a loss for words, unable even to offer an excuse. Li Guanqi walked toward the study door. Turning to look at the woman, whose shoulders trembled slightly, he said coldly, "Bring another one to me tomorrow." Hearing this, Yu Su's eyes brightened slightly, and she nodded repeatedly. "Yes... of course, right away." Thud. The door shut. Donning his ghost mask and black robe, Li Guanqi flickered into motion and vanished into the night. Behind him, a fierce quarrel erupted within the study. Unbeknownst to them, the servants of the manor had witnessed this scene. Li Guanqi glanced back, a cold sneer playing at the corner of his mouth. Concealing his presence, he slipped away. Before long, Li Guanqi arrived at Donglin City. When Li Guanqi appeared inside the Donglin City Castellan Manor, Chen Ce, who had been leaning over his desk writing, suddenly jolted awake! With a flicker of movement, he appeared in the rear courtyard! A small bridge over flowing water, surrounded by rockeries—inside an octagonal pavilion sat a black-robed figure. The moment Chen Ce laid eyes on him, his guard shot up. The visitor's aura was erratic and elusive; Chen Ce could not be certain of his identity. Yet Li Guanqi took the initiative to pull back his black robe. "Visiting so late at night, I hope Castellan Chen will not take offense." Chen Ce recognized the fanged ghost mask, and his heart sank. On the surface, however, he gave nothing away. He strode swiftly toward the octagonal pavilion and laughed. "Haha, so it is Young Master Li. Visiting so late at night—could there be some urgent matter?" Li Guanqi raised a hand to produce wine and smiled. "Heh, can I not come look for Senior Chen unless there's business?" The man reached out to accept the wine cup and smiled wryly. "Please, let us have none of this 'senior' talk. Little Friend's killing power is not a whit weaker than a True Immortal cultivator's. We may treat each other as equals." Taking a sip of wine, Chen Ce looked at the smiling, silent Li Guanqi, uneasy in his heart. "Since Young Master Li has come all this way, you might as well state your purpose." Li Guanqi smiled faintly. Rather than continuing to play cryptic games, he went straight to the point. "What does Castellan Chen think of the current situation in the bay?" Hearing this, Chen Ce narrowed his eyes as countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Raising his wine cup, he took a sip and said with a composed smile, "I do not know why Young Master Li asks this. I feel the current balance is quite good." At those words, Li Guanqi chuckled softly. Just as Chen Ce was bewildered, Li Guanqi tapped his finger against the wine cup and murmured, "Does Castellan Chen not feel that Xialin City is rather superfluous nowadays?" Before his voice had even faded, Li Guanqi distinctly heard Chen Ce draw in a sharp breath. Yet Li Guanqi did not look at him. He merely twirled his wine cup, his eyes lowered as he murmured, "I also feel Xiahou Cang lacks the ability to rule. He isn't obedient in the slightest..." Chen Ce's cheeks tightened slightly, his throat bobbing almost imperceptibly. Every word Li Guanqi spoke detonated like thunder in his mind! One had to realize that the current state of affairs had been orchestrated entirely by this young man before him! Yet now, the man was saying Xiahou Cang was disobedient and that he wanted to destroy him? Chen Ce did not beat around the bush and asked directly, "What is it that Young Master Li truly wishes to say?" Li Guanqi looked up, his gaze locking directly with Chen Ce's eyes, and spoke without hesitation. "Are you interested in destroying Xiahou Cang?" The moment those words fell, Chen Ce sat bolt upright, even forgetting to breathe. What Li Guanqi said was simply too astonishing! Li Guanqi was still considered an advisor to Xialin City. Yet he had come all the way here to ask whether Chen Ce wanted to eliminate Xiahou Cang... Even with Chen Ce's seasoned temperament, his breathing turned somewhat hurried. Only after several full breaths did he calm down a little. "What Young Master Li proposes... is truly too astonishing. I must give it careful consideration." Li Guanqi laughed, standing up and pulling his black robe around himself to conceal his figure. "Castellan Chen is still a bit too indecisive. Were I in Castellan Chen's position, I would probably already be contacting Castellan Chu by now."