Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1031: A Beauty Sheds Tears

Upon hearing Jia Sidao’s words, Liao Yingzhong’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly asked, “Does Master intend to use the power of the Isle of Heroes?”

“No!” Jia Sidao shook his head, “The Isle of Heroes is crucial to my biggest plan; it absolutely cannot be easily exposed to the public.”

Liao Yingzhong smiled bitterly, “If we don’t use the power of the Isle of Heroes, the experts we can mobilize might not be as capable as those from the young prince’s side. After all, we can’t use our open forces, and among the experts in the martial arts world, there are probably not many who can defeat the White Lotus Sect.”

Jia Sidao snorted disdainfully, “The White Lotus Sect has been a target of the imperial court throughout history. Zhao Bojiu, a dignified…prince, actually associating with such scoundrels, humph, it seems he’s resorting to any means to obtain that position.”

Liao Yingzhong laughed, “The current emperor has no son, so he specially adopted two from the imperial clan. Everyone can see that the future emperor will inevitably be one of these two. However, various signs circulating in the palace over the years suggest that Zhao Bocong seems to have a better chance, and with Han Dingxiao’s good relations with him, it’s no wonder the young prince has to resort to some underhanded methods.”

“Will it be useful? The White Lotus Sect is of no help whatsoever in the court struggles, and now they can’t even handle matters of martial arts combat.” Clearly, Jia Sidao was extremely disapproving of the young prince’s actions.

Liao Yingzhong replied, “Although the White Lotus Sect is utterly useless, it has at least one advantage: after the deed is done, they can take the blame. After all, the assassination of a high-ranking official is unprecedented. The court will definitely investigate thoroughly and with unprecedented severity. Therefore, I suggest that master observe the situation calmly. Getting involved might backfire.”

Jia Sidao shook his head: “I thought so too before, which is why I let Zhao Bojiu act. However, it turns out his subordinates are unreliable, and I don’t want to be caught in the crossfire, so I had to do it myself.”

“But…” Liao Yingzhong wanted to say something, but Jia Sidao waved his hand to stop him.

“I know what you’re worried about. Don’t worry, I’m not that stupid. Zhao Bojiu knew how to use someone else to do his dirty work; I can do it too.” Jia Sidao stroked his mustache, seemingly confident. 

“I wonder whose sword our lord intends to borrow?” Liao Yingzhong hurriedly inquired.

Jia Sidao smiled slightly: “Last time, Zhang San and Li Si from the Isle of Heroes reported that they encountered a strange young man, what was his name… something like ‘Mongrel Dog’? A lowly commoner is a lowly commoner, look at that lousy name.”

“If it weren’t for his unique name, master probably wouldn’t remember such a person either,” Liao Yingzhong casually chimed in, then continued, “That young man seems to be called Shi Potian, his internal strength is astonishing, far surpassing even Zhang San and Li Si. Fortunately, he seems a bit dim-witted, which allowed Zhang San and Li Si to seize the opportunity to become sworn brothers with him, turning enemies into friends.”

As Jia Sidao’s advisor, his daily work consisted mostly of compiling massive amounts of information for him, thus possessing an exceptional memory. After a moment’s thought, he recited the man’s information.

Jia Sidao nodded: “Indeed, the reason I remember this person, besides his name being too… too refined and unconventional, is also because he’s a disciple of the Mount Song Sect.”

Liao Yingzhong’s heart skipped a beat. As Jia Sidao’s chief advisor, she was certainly not unintelligent, and she quickly grasped his train of thought: “Could it be that the sword our lord wants to borrow is the Mount Song Sect?”

“Indeed, I’ve researched the Mount Song Sect. This Zuo Lengchan is ruthless and cunning. If he weren’t limited by the ways of the martial world, he would definitely be a first-rate talent,” Zuo Lengchan would probably be pleased to know that Jia Sidao held him in such high regard. “The Mount Song Sect is powerful, and he has befriended many evil masters; he’s a suitable sword.”

Liao Yingzhong said doubtfully: “But Zuo Lengchan isn’t a fool. Why would he agree to kill Han Dingxiao?”

Jia Sidao patted her shoulder: “Yingzhong, that’s why you’re an excellent advisor, but not a qualified leader. I would only subtly subtly guide Zuo Lengchan to my side; I would never openly tell him to kill Han Dingxiao.”

“This subordinate is foolish and humbly requests your guidance, my lord,” Liao Yingzhong bowed respectfully.

Jia Sidao smiled: “What do you think Zuo Lengchan desires most recently?”

“The Evil Exterminating Sword Manual!” Liao Yingzhong blurted out immediately. He kept a close eye on the happenings in the martial world and knew that the Five Mountains Sword Sects had all rushed to Fuzhou recently, hoping to obtain the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual, but unfortunately, they all returned empty-handed.

“But we don’t have the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual. It’s strange, really. With the information network of the Isle of Heroes, we finally found that the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual might be hidden in the Buddhist hall of the Lin family’s old house in Xiangyang Lane. But when our men went to investigate, they only found traces of something being hidden on a beam. Clearly, someone else got there first, and we don’t know who it’s in now.” Liao Yingzhong was puzzled. “Although we don’t have it ourselves, we can mislead Zuo Lengchan into thinking that someone else does,” Jia Sidao said with a sly smile.

“Who?” Liao Yingzhong’s eyebrows twitched, and she asked hastily.

“Wu, Tian, ​​De!” Jia Sidao said, emphasizing each word. 

Liao Yingzhong immediately exclaimed in admiration, “Brilliant! Wu Tiande’s martial arts were clearly mediocre before, but suddenly he’s become incredibly skilled, with exquisite swordsmanship. Plus, he was previously the military commander of Quanzhou, and he’ll inevitably pass through Fuzhou on his way back to the capital. It’s perfectly reasonable to say he obtained the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual… Wait, could the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual really be in his hands?”

Jia Sidao shook his head: “It’s just a mere Evil Exterminating Sword Manual, not worth such trouble. Who cares who has it? Anyway, as long as Zuo Lengchan believes Wu Tiande has obtained the manual, he’ll definitely send all his experts to snatch it. Given Zuo Lengchan’s ruthless nature, to prevent this from leaking out, he’ll definitely silence everyone involved. He is truly ruthless!”

“My lord’s strategy of feigning one move while secretly advancing another is truly brilliant! If I hadn’t been informed beforehand, how would I have guessed the real target?” Liao Yingzhong showered Jia Sidao with praise, making Jia feel quite pleased with himself.

“But how do we get the message to Zuo Lengchan without arousing his suspicion, and without the court being able to trace it back to us?” Liao Yingzhong suddenly realized a crucial problem.

“That still rests on that Mongrel,” Jia Sidao stroked his mustache and said slowly, “Have Bei Haishi, the leader of the Chang Le Gang, use the pretext of meeting the Double Envoys of Rewards and Punishments to invite that Mongrel back to be the gang leader. Since he’s a member of the Mount Song Sect, Zuo Lengchan will inevitably investigate. Zuo Lengchan is extremely ambitious; with such a good opportunity, he’ll surely infiltrate behind that bastard and seize control of the Chang Le Gang. Then, the Chang Le Gang’s spies will tell that this nominal leader has found the whereabouts of the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual, and Zuo Lengchan will naturally find out too.”

Liao Yingzhong suddenly understood: “That way, no matter how clever that old fox Zuo Lengchan is, he’ll only think he intercepted the information himself, unaware that we deliberately let him know. And no matter how much the court investigates afterward, they won’t find us.”

“Even the most cunning fox can’t outwit a hunter,” Jia Sidao chuckled meaningfully.

*****

At this time, Song Qingshu was unaware of the conspiracies unfolding far away in Lin’an. To avoid being discovered by the surrounding guards, he chose to climb over the back wall of Yuqing Temple near the river. Once outside, he decided to stroll along the riverbank, pondering how to deal with his current situation.

He didn’t know how long he had walked when he suddenly faintly heard the sound of a woman weeping ahead. Looking up, he saw a quiet, beautiful woman sitting by the river, hugging her knees and weeping. 

Upon seeing her face, Song Qingshu was stunned: “This is so far from Yuqing Temple, how did she end up here?”