A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1362: Hun Chowen

Hun Ahau let out a cold laugh. “Sage Qi, it seems that you and Sage Huangfu suspect the two of us brothers. Sage Huangfu went to see Chowen, while you came to see me.”

Qi Xuansu interlaced his fingers and rested them before his abdomen. “General Hun, please remain calm. This is merely a necessary procedural step. No one is condemning you.”

Hun Ahau abruptly stood up. “I want to see Sage Tantai and Sage Gong.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Of course. But before that, we still need to follow the procedure. Afterward, you may see whoever you wish. You may even go to Jade Capital and present your case before the three Deputy Grand Masters. I have no objection.”

Qi Xuansu spread his hands to show he meant no harm. “General Hun, I didn’t bring anyone else. This is just a normal conversation, so let’s talk things through. There’s nothing serious about it.”

After hesitating for a moment, Hun Ahau sat back down. “What do you wish to discuss then, Sage Qi?”

Qi Xuansu said, “I didn’t intend for things to become so tense. Since you’ve brought it up directly, let’s proceed according to standard procedure. First, please explain the matter concerning the Ape God.”

Hun Ahau’s expression stiffened for a moment.

Qi Xuansu looked at him. “What is it? Can’t you explain it?”

“Ape God? What is that?” Hun Ahau said. “I’ve never heard of it.”

Qi Xuansu nodded and did not press further. “Very well, let’s move on to the next topic.”

This had been a test all along.

Meanwhile, Huangfu Ji was speaking with Hun Chowen. But it was not Huangfu Ji who sought him out. Hun Chowen had approached him for the second time, demanding an explanation.

The first time Hun Chowen came to see him, Huangfu Ji had no suspicions. It was only natural. But the second time, Huangfu Ji began to sense that something was off.

Huangfu Ji was no brute. As the Juesheng Hall Master, anyone in his line of work had to be meticulous and sharp-minded.

According to Qi Xuansu’s analysis, it was unlikely that the Holy Court had deliberately released false intelligence as part of a counterintelligence scheme. The codename “Ape God” was probably chosen out of convenience. After all, the Holy Court had done many absurd things before, such as launching reckless offensives despite unfavorable terrain and suffering crushing defeats. This was something Sage Qingwei often cited as evidence of their inevitable failure. Even the Patriarch’s movements had been leaked, indirectly leading to the destruction of the Evangelical Ministry’s headquarters.

So why did long-term conspiracies tend to fail? The more intricate the plan, the more likely a single flaw could cause total collapse.

Execution was the key. When execution fell short, all kinds of absurd mistakes were bound to occur.

For this reason, Huangfu Ji agreed to Qi Xuansu’s plan to test the two brothers. After all, this was no trivial matter. If the investigation ended in a misjudgment, Huangfu Ji would have to bear the responsibility for it. His agreement meant he already believed, with 80% certainty, that one of the Hun brothers had betrayed them.

Given that Huangfu Ji already harbored suspicions, Hun Chowen’s actions now appeared highly suspicious.

The reason was simple. Some people, after committing murder, liked to return to the crime scene. Some even reported the crime first, pretending to be the one who discovered the body. The motives for this were to reduce suspicion through reverse psychology and to gauge the progress of the investigation.

Of course, some even felt a sense of accomplishment, but that varied from person to person.

Judging by these two psychological tendencies alone, Hun Chowen fit the profile quite well.

At this point, Huangfu Ji naturally had no explanation to give Hun Chowen and could only say that the matter was still under investigation. Hun Chowen then pressed further, asking about the investigation’s progress, which only deepened Huangfu Ji’s suspicions.

Some things, if not questioned, seemed perfectly normal. For example, Qi Xuansu, who was disguised as Dutch, arrived in the New Continent and left shortly afterward. But once suspicion arose, one would begin to notice inconsistencies and connect various points of doubt.

Huangfu Ji was in this state. At first, like Qi Xuansu, he had been more suspicious of Hun Ahau, finding his silence unusual. But now that his suspicion shifted to Hun Chowen, it brought to mind a long-buried memory.

The Hun brothers did not achieve their current status through self-learning or solely through the blessings of ancient gods. They had a master. Both came from the lower ranks of a highly Sinicized military. Besides training their own members, the Western Daoist Order also selected talented youths from the army for further development. Their master was an elder of the Western Daoist Order.

Not all experts of the Western Daoist Order came from the three great families. This elder had a formidable cultivation as a true Immortal. He was also high in seniority, roughly equivalent to a fifth-generation disciple.

In other words, the Hun brothers were considered sixth-generation disciples, on the same level as Tantai Zhenxiao and Gong Fu.

However, the Western Daoist Order was far less strict when it came to taking disciples. They still followed old traditions, allowing a centenarian to take a child of just a few years as a disciple, forcing a group of elderly men to call that child “junior brother.” Such practices were strictly forbidden in the Daoist Order due to the fifth-generation Grand Master’s edict but were permitted in the Western Daoist Order.

The Hun brothers fell into this category. Based on their master, they had a high seniority. But by Daoist generational rank, they would only be considered seventh-generation disciples, the same generation as Madam Qi and the Three Daoist Heirs.

In short, there was a large age gap between the Hun brothers and this Western Daoist Immortal. As a result, the Immortal had ascended long ago, when the Hun brothers were still insignificant figures.

At that time, a woman had also become this Immortal’s disciple, becoming their junior sister.

The younger brother, Hun Chowen, liked their new junior sister, while the elder brother, Hun Ahau, merely observed coldly. There was no dramatic fallout between the brothers over a woman.

Just when Hun Chowen thought he would win her hand, another figure intervened. It was the current emperor of the Tawantin Empire.

At the time, the Hun brothers had yet to rise, and their master had already ascended. They were merely two poor youths with unfulfilled potential. Meanwhile, the emperor was already the Crown Prince, starting from a position higher than the brothers could ever hope to reach. The royal family had long intended to form an alliance with the Western Daoist Order, though they were cautious of opposition from the priestly class. Their junior sister, being both a native and a member of the Western Daoist Order, was a perfect match. Moreover, she was exceptionally beautiful, and the Crown Prince fell in love with her at first sight.

Thus, the Crown Prince began to pursue her.

Her parents were opportunistic, and she herself lacked firm resolve. In the end, she married the Crown Prince, became the Crown Princess, and later the Empress. Now, her son was the new Crown Prince.

According to rumors, this junior sister had already pledged herself to Hun Chowen, exchanging vows in private. Thus, she had effectively betrayed that promise. Hun Chowen was deeply disappointed and shed tears in private, but he made no extreme moves and continued to struggle alongside his elder brother in the military.

At the time, Huangfu Ji was still a child and not directly involved. However, his family was no ordinary one and had maintained close ties with the royal family. He learned of this gossip through casual conversations between his mother and other noblewomen. He remembered clearly that they held the Empress in disdain, saying that they never thought a woman could also abandon her partner for wealth and power, as it was usually men who did the abandoning. It was an eye-opener for these noblewomen.

Originally, Huangfu Ji had dismissed it as mere gossip among women, paying it no mind. But now, with suspicion taking root in his heart, the memory resurfaced, and he could not help but feel startled.

In that moment of shock, a trace of abnormality appeared on Huangfu Ji’s face.

Hun Chowen had been secretly observing Huangfu Ji’s expression all along. Naturally, he caught everything, and his own expression changed as well.

Huangfu Ji likewise noticed the change in Hun Chowen’s expression.

The atmosphere between the two grew heavy.

Huangfu Ji’s initial suspicion of Hun Chowen had been only 30%; recalling that past gossip raised it to 50%, but Hun Chowen’s reaction pushed it to 80%.

Huangfu Ji suddenly asked, “Chawen, are you still unable to let go of what happened back then?”

“What did you say?” Hun Chowen shot back without the slightest pause for thought, his tone sharp and agitated, laced with anger.

Huangfu Ji let out a chuckle. “I haven’t even said what incident I’m referring to, so why are you so worked up?”

Hun Chowen took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “What incident are you talking about?”

Huangfu Ji said, “The Empress. Wasn’t she your junior sister? Have you seen her at all over the years?”

In an instant, a vicious glint flashed across Hun Chowen’s eyes. “Sage Huangfu, don’t you think you’re overstepping?”

Huangfu Ji had already reached his conclusion. “Overstepping? This concerns the safety of the Western Daoist Order and the Tawantin Empire, so it is my duty to know. I just didn’t expect that you would betray the Tawantin Empire for the sake of a woman.”

Hearing this, Hun Chowen became completely calm. He neither admitted nor denied it. “Huangfu Ji, you and my brother are actually the same kind of people. People like you probably don’t care about emotions or love. You only care about the power in your hands. In your eyes, a woman is nothing. A man of stature can always find another wife. Even if a woman betrays you, you would only feel humiliation, not pain. So you can’t understand it, can you? That’s exactly as it should be.”

Huangfu Ji narrowed his eyes. “So I take it that you’re admitting to this?”

Hun Chowen slowly stood up. “The tragic death of loved ones and the betrayal of the one you love bring unbearable pain. The best way to erase that pain is revenge. He took Unulatu from me simply because he was the future emperor. If not for him, how would I have ended up like this? On the day of their wedding, I attended the ceremony, and at that moment, I swore an oath that I would destroy the Tawantin Empire!”