Countermeasures

"Naturally, your father knows of Burial Village." Xu Yinhe, who had been sitting quietly with a smile, finally spoke in a soft voice. "Only, where did you learn of this place, Changtian?" Xu Changge, who had been detailing information on Qin Weijiu just moments before, now kept silent with furrowed brows. Xu Yuan felt not the slightest psychological burden, casually answering, "That vixen told me." As soon as the words left his mouth, the massive spherical crystal before him fell briefly silent. Inside the study of the Chancellor's Manor in the Imperial Capital, Xu Yinhe and Xu Changge exchanged a subtle glance. If the Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique said it, it was equivalent to Qin Weijiu saying it. Yet in this world, those who knew of Burial Village were few and far between. The danger this man posed seemed to warrant careful reconsideration. However, this contemplation did not last long. Xu Yinhe's tone remained calm and steady, betraying not the slightest anomaly: "And how did she tell you?" Xu Yuan coughed lightly, his voice sounding entirely upright and righteous: "I know she has a lover." "The boy named Qin Mo?" Xu Yinhe directly stated the name of the story's protagonist. These words gave Xu Yuan a start, but he caught on immediately. Most likely Ying'er and the others had reported all his recent actions back up. After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan did not answer the Prime Minister who held immense sway over court and country. Instead, he asked straight to the point: "Father, are you monitoring me?" "Heh." Detecting the dissatisfaction in his third son's words, a soft chuckle came from the spherical crystal, tinged with a hint of amusement: "They reported this to me of their own accord. You can't blame me." After a breath of silence, Xu Yuan understood clearly in his heart, though he grumbled indignantly, "If you didn't give the order, why would they report to you?" His old man's words had essentially assigned the three Grandmasters—Ying'er, Si Ziyu, and Zhou Chen—to him. If you have the ability to win them over, then they will become your personal retinue, Xu Changtian. Once they are your retainers, they naturally won't report to him, the Prime Minister. But if you lack the ability to win them over, then everything remains as before. Damn it, playing these mind games even with family. At this moment, Xu Changge spoke up: "I was the one who gave them the order. You seem to take issue with that, Changtian?" "..." Xu Yuan fell silent. His old man wouldn't beat him, but Xu Changge certainly would. Not to mention the fact that Xu Changge was returning to Jingjiang Prefecture soon. His old man had already promised him cultivation resources; there was no point in courting a beating from Xu Changge. After a few seconds of silence, Xu Yuan clicked his tongue in mild annoyance: "Fine, I'll talk, alright? "Earlier, a man named Fan Wencheng mentioned this Su Jinxuan to me, saying she was as beautiful as a celestial maiden, but seemed to have a traveling lover named Qin Mo over by the Jiulong River. After I returned to Jingjiang Prefecture, I arranged for people to look for them, and it turned out Su Jinxuan came knocking on my door herself." Xu Yuan directly pinned the blame onto a dead man. A dead man carefully selected from his memories. According to the plot's timeline, during that period, the protagonist happened to be traveling the Jiulong River with Su Jinxuan. And Fan Wencheng had been an influential local tyrant on the Jiulong River, one of his predecessor's lackeys, who had been slaughtered by Xu Changge in a fit of rage more than two months ago. Sometimes dead men were more useful than the living; after all, the dead made the best scapegoats. "..." Hearing this, Xu Changge raised a hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Great, jealousy over a woman again. Yet in the next instant, a meaningful glint flashed across his eyes. For that Fan Wencheng to have mentioned the Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique months ago, if the Imperial Preceptor's disciple hadn't abducted his third brother, they might have made a move earlier. It was a pity he had killed him too early, or perhaps they could have interrogated something out of him. Xu Yinhe gave a slight nod, his finger tapping lightly against the tea tray. "So, this Qin Mo is connected to Burial Village?" "Yeah. Earlier, when Su Jinxuan tried to control me and got caught, I used a few methods to make her tell me some things about Qin Mo." Xu Yuan spoke calmly and truthfully: "She said Qin Weijiu judged that Qin Mo might be connected to a place called Burial Village, and specifically told her to keep an eye on him." Once Xu Yuan finished speaking, the spherical crystal hovering in midair in the underground chamber temporarily went quiet. Inside the Chancellor's Manor study. Xu Yinhe's finger tapping the tea tray paused slightly. Temporarily severing the communication with Jingjiang, he turned to look at his eldest son across from him: "Changge, how do you see this matter?" Xu Changge gave a somewhat helpless smile: "Third Brother's terrible habit of fighting over women has finally been put to good use for once." A teasing remark, tinged with slight gratification. At these words, a glimmer of a smile flashed in the depths of Xu Yinhe's deep eyes across the table, only to be reined in an instant later. Seeing this, Xu Changge also sobered up his expression and took on a stern tone: "Father, according to the intelligence Ying'er sent, that Qin Mo has a meager cultivation and is not a concern for now. However, Qin Weijiu might be rather complicated. "Under the heavens, there are barely a few people who even know of Burial Village, let alone someone who can deduce Qin Mo's origins merely through observation. Qin Weijiu's knowledge of Burial Village is likely far from shallow. "It's just unknown whether he knows Burial Village's exact location, or whether he knows that Burial Village has already been wiped out. "However, seeing that he was willing to use a Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique—rare even in a century—as bait to control Changtian, what he's after must be no small thing." As he spoke, a chilling murderous intent flashed in Xu Changge's eyes: "It was truly a pity I failed to slay him with a sword strike back at the Tianyuan Conference. If we want to move against him now, I'm afraid Ying'er and the other two won't be enough; we'll need to dispatch reinforcements." "..." Xu Yinhe did not reply immediately, lowering his eyes in silence for several breaths. Xu Changge also quietly awaited his father's answer. In the end, Xu Yinhe slowly raised his gaze, his voice ringing softly in the quiet study: "It is indeed not enough. "Changge, make a trip to Jingjiang Prefecture in person." "..." Hearing this, Xu Changge immediately knitted his brows. His earlier claim of going to Jiuyuan City had naturally been meant to scare his third brother; how could he leave so easily when undercurrents were surging through the Imperial Capital? Now, his father actually wanted him to go to Jingjiang Prefecture? After a moment of silence, Xu Changge asked: "Father, but regarding the Imperial Capital..." Xu Yinhe shook his head gently: "No matter. "Since you killed that Seven-Life Python earlier, Guyuan has settled down considerably. "The crux right now lies in the war in the north. "Though Wuyuan has already gone north, the war was previously in far too disastrous a state. It will take some time before the fighting against the barbarians concludes. This window should be enough for you to travel to Jingjiang and return to the Imperial Capital." Looking at his eldest son, Xu Yinhe's deep eyes seemed like a bottomless pool, his tone carrying slightly more weight: "It is best to settle matters on Changtian's end first." "..." Xu Changge fell silent upon hearing this. He naturally understood his father's words. Many things were already arrows notched to the bow, bound to be released; any unstable factor that could be eliminated had to be eliminated in advance. This Qin Weijiu was hidden far too deeply. Knowledgeable about Burial Village, willing to part with the Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique, and even seeking to control Changtian. If Changtian had not obtained the Innate Dao Body, he would likely have fallen under the control of the Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique by now. If Changtian hadn't stumbled across it by sheer coincidence, having such a person lurking in the shadows was truly enough to send a chill down one's spine.