Qi Shiyun felt as though all twenty-four years of her life combined had not brought her as many shocks as this single day.
Yet Lianshan Xin was stunned as well.
What did Qi Shiyun mean by that?
"Tanhua Qi, you already knew Zhuo Biyu's identity?"
"Not from the beginning—I only found out yesterday. First, tell me: how did you figure it out?"
Lianshan Xin relayed what he knew regarding Zhuo Biyu to Qi Shiyun. Naturally, he concealed the fact that he had seen it directly, claiming instead that his extraordinary perception had allowed him to piece together the truth from minor clues.
That excuse did not convince Qi Shiyun in the slightest.
Qi Shiyun gave Lianshan Xin a deep, lingering look, and her next words broke him out in a cold sweat: "Ah Xin, right now, I want to blind your eyes."
Lianshan Xin replied, "—Tanhua Qi, I swear to the heavens, I haven't seen a single one of your secrets."
He knew Qi Shiyun had deduced part of his innate ability, but he was also telling the truth.
So far, the activation of his innate ability remained completely erratic. It wasn't triggered by just anyone, nor could Lianshan Xin use it whenever he pleased.
When facing Zhang Aniu or Qi Shiyun, it had never activated.
Still, Lianshan Xin had only known the two of them for three days, so that was understandable. What baffled him was that He Miaojun had never once triggered it. That was the primary reason Lianshan Xin still hadn't figured out the rules governing its activation.
Reason dictated that He Miaojun and Lianshan Jingcheng should be the easiest people for him to see through. After all, they had lived under the same roof with him for the past eighteen years.
Unfortunately, his innate ability seemed to malfunction completely whenever he faced his parents.
If Lianshan Jingcheng hadn't suddenly triggered it a few days ago—allowing Lianshan Xin to see him going to apologize to the Qu household only to be shut out by Steward Qu—Lianshan Xin would have thought both of his parents were immune to it.
As of now, Lianshan Xin had only sensed that his ability had a knack for showing up on big occasions.
The more critical the moment, the less likely it was to fail. For instance, discovering Zhuo Biyu just now had indisputably been a critical moment.
"A thousand years ago, during the golden age of cultivating immortality, some promising seeds were born extraordinary, possessing innate divine abilities such as the legendary Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart or Supreme Bone."
Qi Shiyun explained calmly, "Almost all of them died young, and nearly every one of them was murdered. Do you know why?"
Lianshan Xin nodded. "Possessing a jade ring makes an innocent man guilty."
"Just so long as you understand. Keep your ability hidden. A young man may show his sharpness, but that doesn't mean you should act like Lord Heavenly Divination." Qi Shiyun said solemnly, "Even Lord Heavenly Divination dares not exhaust the hexagrams. Knowing too much has never been a good thing."
"Understood. This student will remember your teachings. If not for Zhuo Biyu's identity being of such grave consequence, and my vow to keep nothing from you, I would have buried this matter deep in my heart," Lianshan Xin explained.
A warm feeling arose in Qi Shiyun's heart. "True. Aside from me, you wouldn't know whom to confide in anyway."
She held two major pieces of leverage over Lianshan Xin—and naturally, he held hers as well.
Their fates were tangled so deeply now that there was no need to keep secrets from one another.
"You don't need to worry about Zhuo Biyu. When I recommended her into the Nine Heavens, the superiors conducted a background check on her entire family."
Lianshan Xin understood. That was political vetting.
Those who failed vetting naturally couldn't enter the establishment.
Lianshan Xin was grateful that He Miaojun and Lianshan Jingcheng had clean records; otherwise, like Qu Junjie, he wouldn't have passed the Nine Heavens' security check either.
"The superiors uncovered an issue with the Zhuo family long ago?"
"No."
"Huh?"
Qi Shiyun explained, "Though the Demon Cult lacks strength, they are remarkably adept at concealing their tracks. It's not that easy to uncover."
"Then how was her identity discovered?"
"It wasn't discovered. Zhuo Biyu confessed of her own accord."
"Huh? Zhuo Biyu voluntarily admitted to being a Demon Cult mole?"
"Yes. I only found out last night when I shared a bed with her. After joining the Nine Heavens, especially while studying the saber under Lord Heavenly Sword, she was under immense pressure. Even when sleeping, she feared talking in her sleep and giving herself away."
Lianshan Xin nodded slightly.
Such things were also recorded in his past life's history.
Being an undercover agent was truly not a job for ordinary people.
"So she gritted her teeth and confessed her identity directly to the superiors, voluntarily offering to act as a double agent."
At this point, Qi Shiyun gave Lianshan Xin a strange look.
Lianshan Xin keenly noticed her odd expression and asked curiously, "Tanhua Qi, why are you looking at me like that?"
"When the superiors asked why she came clean, Zhuo Biyu said: in the past she had no choice, but now she wants to be an imperial official."
Lianshan Xin's expression turned odd as well.
He had said something very similar to Heavenly Sword.
"So Lord Heavenly Sword has known her identity all along?"
"He doesn't know."
"Huh?"
"Zhuo Biyu confessed to the Heavenly Empress. Lord Heavenly Sword has been kept in the dark the entire time. The Heavenly Empress specifically instructed that the fewer people who know about Zhuo Biyu, the safer she will be."
"The Heavenly Empress?"
"The supreme leader of our Nine Heavens, head of the Nine Heavens: the Heavenly Empress. Once we return to Shenjing, I will take you to pay your respects to her."
Only then did Lianshan Xin learn that the head of the Nine Heavens was actually the Heavenly Empress.
"Does that mean our Nine Heavens belongs to the empress faction?" Lianshan Xin was astonished.
He had just joined the Nine Heavens and hadn't had the time to gain an in-depth understanding of the organization.
According to common sense, how could the imperial court's foremost secret agency belong to an empress faction?
Qi Shiyun explained, "Not an empress faction. There is no empress faction in Great Yu. The Heavenly Empress and our Nine Heavens are one."
"Then wouldn't that make it exceedingly easy for our Nine Heavens to get drawn into the succession struggles? Even if our branch stays out, what about the other eight branches?" Lianshan Xin asked, puzzled.
"You're mistaken on one point: the Heavenly Empress has no sons." Qi Shiyun paused, emphasizing her words. "Every Heavenly Empress throughout history has been childless."
Lianshan Xin was startled, but then felt a sense of clarity. "That makes sense then."
For Great Yu, a childless empress was a good empress.
For the Nine Heavens, she was also a good leader.
"Is it due to the unique cultivation technique of the Heavenly Empress's lineage?" Lianshan Xin asked.
Qi Shiyun nodded. "For the successive Heavenly Empresses, choosing to become the Heavenly Empress means severing any chance of having offspring. Because of this, the Nine Heavens can maintain its neutrality. This is also one of the foundation stones of our Nine Heavens."
Lianshan Xin grew increasingly aware of the Nine Heavens' immense power.
Across the thousand-year history of the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty, the Nine Heavens had always held the position of empress.
That truly made them unshakeable.
The Nine Heavens had long since bound itself to the imperial clan.
"In that case, I imagine there is no love lost between the Heavenly Empress and His Majesty," Lianshan Xin remarked.
Qi Shiyun chuckled. "You want to talk about love with an emperor?"
"My mistake." Lianshan Xin realized he had been naive.
The last thing an emperor needed was true love.
"This is a political marriage between our Nine Heavens and the imperial family. The least important thing is sentiment; what matters is that His Majesty and the Nine Heavens remain forever united."
"A teachable student."
Qi Shiyun continued, "Right now, Zhuo Biyu is acting as an undercover agent in the Demon Cult under the decree of the Heavenly Empress. Just act as if you know nothing. She won't harm you; if anything, she will become our asset."
"Tanhua Qi, how did you find out about Zhuo Biyu's identity?" Lianshan Xin asked.
Qi Shiyun spread her hands. "Zhuo Biyu's fears were justified. I heard her talking in her sleep last night."
Lianshan Xin: "..."
Being an undercover agent was truly not meant for normal people.
"There's no need to make a fuss over it. With the Nine Heavens being as formidable as it is, who wouldn't want to plant some people inside? Not just the Demon Cult—the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, civil and military officials, even His Majesty himself have likely nurtured their own pawns in secret."
Though Qi Shiyun lacked Lianshan Xin's innate ability, she understood the Nine Heavens far better, so her mindset was entirely calm. "The Nine Heavens rotates its leadership regularly. If you were a prominent figure, wouldn't you want to push one of your own into power?"
"Of course."
"Therefore, young branch masters like me have always been the prime targets for wooing and infiltration. When you have time, observe Tian Ji more closely; he might have someone behind him too."
Lianshan Xin: "—We just formed the One Heart Society, didn't we?"
It felt like it was about to turn into a den of mixed dragons and snakes.
"Don't worry. I can't vouch for anything else, but the four of us will genuinely be of one heart from now on." At this point, Qi Shiyun glared at Lianshan Xin again. "You set up a brilliant trap. If Tian Ji really belongs to His Majesty, he must wish he were dead right now."
Lianshan Xin couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm actually looking forward to Tian Ji being His Majesty's man."
He wanted to see whether that Capital Master could actually cover for him.
After being dragged into the One Heart Society, no matter whose man Tian Ji had originally been, he was now on Lianshan Xin's ship.
"It seems assassinating a princess really does work," Lianshan Xin realized. "Who cares whose man is whose? Once everyone commits a crime punishable by exterminating nine clans together, everyone becomes a member of the One Heart Society."
Qi Shiyun could not refute that.
"Zhuo Biyu said the Zhuo family has over a hundred members. The more, the merrier."
Remembering Zhuo Biyu's words, Lianshan Xin felt completely at ease.
"Tanhua Qi, it seems we should intensify our search for the next princess. If possible, pulling in a few more young branch masters would be even better."
The One Heart Society needed to expand.
If all the young branch masters of the Nine Heavens became members of the One Heart Society, would the next emperor dare investigate them?
Lianshan Xin felt his logic of expanding the nine clans was entirely sound.
They had to scale up this enterprise. That way, even if the truth came to light, it would be His Majesty rebelling against them, not the other way around.
Qi Shiyun: "—Rein it in. Making too big a scene can easily spiral out of control. The imperial clan has reigned for a thousand years; their power is definitely not to be underestimated."
Lianshan Xin nodded. "Naturally. But from the looks of it, our Nine Heavens hasn't survived a thousand years on imperial charity either. When the imperial family fears you, you'd better actually possess the power to warrant that fear."
"Indeed," Qi Shiyun agreed.
Lianshan Xin also saw one thing with increasing clarity:
In feudal dynasties, cooking the hound once the hare was caught was standard practice. But in Great Yu, if the imperial family wanted to cook the hound, they had to weigh whether they had the strength to do it first.
Harboring a sharp weapon breeds killing intent.
If the founding heroes who conquered the Ming dynasty had all been cultivators of immortality, would Zhu Yuanzhang have dared wield the blade against them so mercilessly?
"If there's nothing else, I'll return to the academy for seclusion as planned. In three days at most, I'll break through to the Domain realm. By then, even if Zhuo Biyu has other ideas, I can suppress her with a flip of my hand. While I'm in seclusion, turn to her if you need help. She struck the first blow that killed Zeng Ningbing, so you owe her a debt of a strike. On that account alone, you should try to befriend her."
"Tanhua Qi speaks sense."
They were all members of the One Heart Society; they should value loyalty and honor their word. As society president, he needed to set a good example.
Half an hour after Zeng Ningbing's death.
Before her corpse had even gone cold.
Qi Shiyun returned to Bailudong Academy. Zhuo Biyu wanted some peace and quiet, standing alone silently beneath the eaves.
Tian Ji was restless, pacing about in agitation.
The moment he saw Lianshan Xin appear, Tian Ji hurried over.
"Brother, do you have corpse-dissolving powder?"
Lianshan Xin looked at this burly giant built like an iron tower, unable to see anything from his past.
Void Penetration True Intent really wasn't as useful as Dragon Slaying True Intent.
"Here."
Lianshan Xin pulled a vial of corpse-dissolving powder from his robes and handed it to Tian Ji.
Tian Ji instinctively took a step back. "You actually carry corpse-dissolving powder on you?"
"Brother Tian, many of our Nine Heavens brothers carry corpse-dissolving powder on them. It's nothing unusual. You just lack jianghu experience; you'll get used to it later," Lianshan Xin comforted him.
Tian Ji: "..."
He was well-read and felt Lianshan Xin was lying to him.
Nevertheless, he took the corpse-dissolving powder and walked up to Zeng Ningbing's corpse, which was not yet cold, preparing to dissolve her on the spot.
Yet the very first drop splashed wide.
Lianshan Xin reminded him, "Brother Tian, aim before you pour."
Tian Ji didn't want to speak.
Lianshan Xin continued to console him, "Brother Tian is mighty. When I learned the truth earlier, I fell into utter despair, but then I remembered Brother Tian said you could handle any trouble I caused in Jiangzhou, and my mind was immediately put at ease. Brother Tian, the safety of my nine clans rests entirely on your shoulders from now on."
Tian Ji gritted his teeth. "Easy to say, easy to say. We'll look out for each other."
Lianshan Xin gave a thumbs-up. "The Capital Master is truly generous."
This level of stubborn pride was something a country bumpkin from Jiangzhou like him didn't possess.
He needed to learn from it.
"Stop teasing Tian Ji. Today is only his second day out in the jianghu."
Zhuo Biyu walked over to speak up for Tian Ji.
"Whose second day in the jianghu involves committing a capital crime like this? The fact that Tian Ji can still speak to us normally proves his willpower is steady enough."
Lianshan Xin thought to himself: by the standards of an official debut, it's also only my second day in the jianghu, and I just killed a princess too.
Same level as Tian Ji.
Yet his composure was indeed nowhere near the Capital Master's.
Still needed practice.
"What do you plan to do next?"
Zhuo Biyu had stood quietly for half an hour, but she hadn't managed to find inner peace either.
With the safety of nine clans hanging over their heads, not everyone possessed Lianshan Xin's steady nerves.
Even though she was an undercover operative for the Demon Cult, she was still deeply worried.
Lianshan Xin let out a soft sigh. "My original plan for today was to study and practice martial arts diligently at the academy."
Zhuo Biyu: "..."
Tian Ji: "..."
Both of them wanted to curse, but both realized Lianshan Xin was speaking the truth.
"When Heaven confers a great mission, I have no choice but to work harder and continue investigating the assassination attempt on Lord Heavenly Sword. From the looks of it, Thousand Faces is deeply implicated in this matter."
While speaking, Lianshan Xin observed Zhuo Biyu.
He keenly noticed that her lips curled slightly upward upon hearing his words.
"Let's begin investigating with this fake heir. Prefect Jiang has busy official duties, but could the people around the heir, even the person sharing his bed, have noticed nothing?"
The Jiang family had intermarried with the imperial clan, and Prefect Jiang held a noble title, so Jiang Haoran was indeed an heir.
Zhuo Biyu voiced her support: "I inquired earlier. Jiang Haoran is already married; his wife is the Second Miss of the Kong clan."
"Who?"
"The Second Miss of the Kong clan. Why, what's wrong?" Zhuo Biyu looked at Lianshan Xin with confusion.
Lianshan Xin raised an eyebrow. "I have a bit of history with the Kong clan."
One connection was with Kong Ningyuan.
The other was with Huang Jingji.
And if he remembered correctly, the Second Miss of the Kong clan and Kong Sanlang were full siblings.
Kong Ningyuan, on the other hand, was born to the wife Kong's father married after his first wife passed away.
"Miss Zhuo, accompany me to meet this Second Miss Kong."
"Let's go."
At the same time.
The heir's bedchamber.
Kong Ningyue, the Second Miss of the Kong clan, stared pale-faced at the unexpected guest who had suddenly appeared in her room.
"Who are you?"
Thousand Faces offered Kong Ningyue an amiable smile. "Don't be afraid. I am Thousand Faces."
Kong Ningyue's face grew even paler.
"Young Mistress, allow me to borrow your identity."
Kong Ningyue was both terrified and alarmed. "How can you borrow my identity?"
"By taking your appearance, of course."
"You are a man—how could you become me?"
Thousand Faces chuckled again. "How dare you assume whether I am a man or a woman?"
In the next moment, Thousand Faces shifted his form, becoming the spitting image of Kong Ningyue.
Even if Jiang Haoran were present, he likely wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
"A thousand faces and myriad forms, formless and traceless. In all the world, who could fathom my secrets?"
As Thousand Faces spoke, a burst of qi flicked from his right hand, piercing directly through Kong Ningyue's throat.
He then poured corpse-dissolving powder over Kong Ningyue's body.
In less than a minute, the Second Miss of the Kong clan, the Young Mistress of the Prefectural Estate, vanished completely from the mortal realm.
The entire process was clean and decisive.
This was truly the method of a Demon Cult titan.
In the eyes of such a demonic heavyweight, killing a person was no different from slaughtering a chicken.
Now, it was a battle of life and death.
"A mere stripling has repeatedly ruined my grand plans. This seat would like to see him in person."
With his subordinates failing one after another at Lianshan Xin's hands, Thousand Faces could endure it no longer.
Originally, he had not intended to appear in person, and Lanxin had volunteered to assassinate Lianshan Xin.
Yet Thousand Faces was Thousand Faces, after all. He had an ominous premonition, so he rejected Lanxin's Calabash Brothers tactic of trickling subordinates to their deaths.
He decided to personally take Lianshan Xin's head, even if it meant taking risks himself.
Inside the bedchamber, a chilling murderous intent flared and vanished.
Soon, a voice came from outside:
"My Lords, please come in."
Lianshan Xin stepped into the bedchamber.
Thousand Faces fixed his gaze upon him.
"Second Miss Kong, a pleasure to meet you. I am Lianshan Xin."
Chapter 78