Chapter 43

The monster wrote everything in code, wrote the same message again, rolled it into a message tube, sealed it with wax, and then chose two pigeons, attaching the message tubes to their legs before sending them into the sky. The monster watched the pigeons as they flew away, muttering to himself.

"I didn't believe it when I was secretly summoned by the Deputy Leader and received a special order, but who would have thought that the real Moxiang Deputy Leader was still alive... He is the greatest master our sect has ever produced... If his memory returns, a blood cloud will cover our sect."

Two days later, one of the pigeons flew into a large mansion located in the southern Mongolian forest. This mansion belonged to a merchant known as Lord Yang, who had fled from China and established himself in Mongolia. He exported large quantities of high-quality furs and horses from Mongolia to the Central Plains, and in return, imported items such as salt, cheap iron pots, kitchen knives, and other sundries, as well as gold and silver crafts for the Mongolian nobility and tea that the Mongolians enjoyed. However, the items he imported were of such low quality that they were not even handled in the Central Plains, which allowed him to make substantial profits. As a result of the cross-border trade, he maintained close ties with the various tribal leaders and border officials in Mongolia by offering them substantial bribes, making him a powerful figure on the frontier.

Due to his trade with the barbarian tribes, many of the warriors in the mansion wore Mongolian clothing. Among them was a middle-aged man with a dark beard, who, despite wearing Mongolian clothes, clearly looked like someone from the Central Plains. He noticed the newly arrived message pigeon and carefully caught it, removing the message tube from its leg. Seeing that the simple message tube was sealed with wax, he instinctively knew it was not something he should read and quickly ran to Lord Yang's office.

"Lord Yang, a message has arrived."

"Hmm..."

Lord Yang first examined the seal on the message tube. The seal was neither complex nor ornate, which troubled him, as most business messages did not need to be sealed with wax. He tore the seal and looked inside the message tube. The letter was filled with codes he did not understand. However, what truly shocked him was the six characters written on the back of the paper: "Father's Family Contribution." Originally, using terms like "top priority" or "special priority" would only pique the curiosity of anyone who accidentally obtained the message, especially since message pigeons were often preyed upon by hunters or wild hawks. Therefore, when using pigeons for communication, they would use plausible phrases to indicate the level of urgency. He immediately ordered the warrior.

"Quickly call for Steward Zhang!"

"Yes!"

When the elderly man known as Steward Zhang hurriedly arrived, Lord Yang handed him the message.

"Come in quickly. We've received an urgent message. You must deliver this to the headquarters as soon as possible, by any means necessary. What should we do?"

The old man known as Steward Zhang replied cautiously.

"Sending a message pigeon across the border is not a good idea. The guards might shoot arrows or release hawks if they spot it. Besides, there are many wild hawks in the border region. The best method would be to send it directly to the branch in Luoyang."

"But it will take too long. Is there another way?"

"There is another way, but the safest method is still to deliver it in person."

"This is a top-secret message for the highest echelons. If it's delayed in reaching Luoyang, my life will be in danger. Select five skilled martial artists and give them the best horses to set out immediately. Also, contact the tribal leaders and the commanders of the border guards along the way to request their assistance."

"Yes."

Lord Yang watched the steward run out, lost in thought.

"To receive a message marked 'Father's Family Contribution' here in this remote border area, which means it must be sent directly to the highest levels of the headquarters... All information collected in Mongolia is sent to the Luoyang branch through here, and then to the desired regions. So, this must be about informing the headquarters of something that happened in Mongolia... Could it be something significant enough to draw the attention of the core forces of the headquarters? What could it be? Right! Why didn't I think of it? The Chanhuan Black Wind Corps is currently in a major battle with Tiejin Tian. It seems the headquarters is also paying attention to this matter."

A week later, a handsome man in his early thirties, exuding a suffocating aura of evil, spoke from the end of a table.

"I have gathered you here with astonishing news."

His skin had a faint purple hue, making him look bizarre. However, apart from that, he was a strikingly handsome man with well-defined features. The other monsters, who appeared to be in their late twenties to late thirties, sat on both sides of the wide table, emitting subtle evil auras but remaining silent.

"..."

"Moxiang, the Deputy Leader, is alive!"

The purple-skinned monster's definitive statement shocked everyone. Moxiang, the Deputy Leader, was an outstanding master who even the Leader feared. He had been eliminated, but now... Beigong Lei, the internal chief, raised an objection. His face was filled with shock and disbelief.

"I cannot believe what the Leader is saying. Perhaps it's someone who just looks like the Deputy Leader? Even if Huanshou managed to rescue the Deputy Leader, it would have been impossible for him to survive unscathed. Huanshou's body was found, and although the Deputy Leader's body was not, at the time, the Deputy Leader had his dantian and heart ruptured and used the Reverse Blood Asura Demon Technique to draw out his power. As you all know, this technique is a heaven-defying martial art that extracts the ultimate power for a final stand, leading to immediate death due to the destruction of the entire body's blood vessels. Even if he survived, his dantian and blood vessels would have been ruptured, leaving him crippled. How could he..."

Before Beigong Lei could finish, Elder He Wujiang, who was listening, spoke up.

"I will answer that. Beigong Lei's point is valid. However, after reviewing all the information we've gathered, it is certain that it is the Deputy Leader. Collecting information on Moxiang from the Wu Ying Gate is understandable, as he was once the strongest master in our sect. They would have been interested in his disappearance. But for the imperial palace to show interest...?"

Everyone listened intently to Elder He Wujiang, and when he mentioned the imperial palace, they showed great interest, as it was customary for the imperial palace to stay out of martial world affairs.

"The imperial palace?"

"The Jin Yi Wei. Recently, the Jin Yi Wei secretly obtained information about Moxiang, but this was detected by the San Bi Corps. I was curious why the Jin Yi Wei, which usually focuses on treason, would be interested in a nearly unknown figure like Moxiang, so I traced the information back. It turned out that among the leaders of the Chanhuan Black Wind Corps, there is a supreme master named Guoguang who has lost his memory."

"Guoguang?"

The audience, who had been listening to Elder He Wujiang's seemingly baseless claims, looked at the Leader for confirmation. The Leader acknowledged Elder He Wujiang's words.

"That's correct. According to Elder He, Guoguang is called so because he is fanatically fond of chrysanthemums. He is currently participating in the Mongolian expedition, so I asked Deputy Leader Zhang to send four outstanding masters who know Moxiang's face. One of them, Zhen Qiong, confirmed that while Guoguang has lost his memory and forgotten the martial arts he learned from our sect, he has almost reached the Transformation Realm in imperial martial arts. You all know that not just anyone can reach the Transformation Realm. It is a level of skill that ranks among the top ten in the Central Plains. While one can mimic a face, it is impossible to mimic such a high level of martial arts. Therefore, my conclusion is that if it is someone who looks like Moxiang and has reached the Transformation Realm, it can only be Moxiang."

Deputy Leader Neng Bijie, who had received a qi attack from Moxiang in the past, shuddered at the memory of the terrifying experience and spoke firmly.

"Then we must eliminate him before his memory returns. If he is at the Transformation Realm, we have a chance, but if he is at the Profound Realm, it will be difficult. He himself said he had reached the peak of the Profound Realm and was on the brink of life and death."

Only two people had been directly hit by Moxiang's palm force during the ambush. Both were Deputy Leaders who had reached the Transformation Realm. In Zhang's case, he had learned the Ghost Soul Stiffening Body Great Technique, so he was fine, but Neng Bijie's protective qi had been destroyed by that one blow. Fortunately, the Black Maitreya Demon Technique had protected his meridians, but the thought of that blue qi mass still made him shudder.

"Even if he has lost his memory, if he is definitely at the Transformation Realm, we should mobilize the five major forces of our sect to eliminate him to avoid any future trouble."

"Ha ha ha..."

Deputy Leader Zhang, who was listening, burst into laughter, making Neng Bijie angry, thinking he was being mocked.

"Why are you laughing? Is what I said wrong? If we fail, how will we deal with the consequences?"

"No, no. What you said is not wrong. We are forgetting one very important fact."

"An important fact?"

"Yes. Moxiang, as everyone knows, achieved his brilliant success through the Child Monk Technique. It doesn't matter how he reached the Profound Realm. The important thing is that his internal energy is based on the Child Monk Technique. Therefore..."

Deputy Leader Zhang's words made the Leader burst into laughter.

"Ha ha ha, I almost forgot. Yes, he stayed away from women. But we can't take that at face value, so you should investigate further. Check if he has any concubines..."

Elder He Wujiang replied respectfully.

"Understood."

Deputy Leader Zhang spoke confidently.

"If it is confirmed that he practiced the Child Monk Technique, the cleanup will be simple."

"But it won't be that simple."

Deputy Leader Zhang was puzzled by the Leader's skeptical tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you forgotten where Moxiang is now?"

"..."

"Assassinating a hundred-man commander of the Chanhuan Black Wind Corps, who is directly under the emperor, would be considered treason, no matter how we spin it. My point is that as long as he is part of the Black Wind Corps, it will be difficult to eliminate him."

The Leader's cautious words made Elder He Wujiang chuckle.

"He he he, there is a very simple way to avoid that."

"What is it?"

"Currently, Minister Yan Cheng does not like General Yu Yingzhen. He was one of the people who initiated the war with the Jurchens and the Mongols, and he has been sidelined. Moreover, he is a powerful and loyal but inflexible general, which makes him a thorn in Yan Cheng's side. We can persuade Yan Cheng to eliminate Yu Yingzhen."

"Yu Yingzhen? Why?"

"If we eliminate Yu Yingzhen, all the commanders of the hundred-man units and above, who are his subordinates, will also be eliminated."

"But the imperial palace doesn't have the high-level experts to eliminate them. The plan will fail unless Yu Yingzhen commits suicide..."

"Not necessarily. We can hint to Yan Cheng that our sect will help eliminate Yu Yingzhen and his subordinates, including the supreme master Guoguang, and will cooperate to the fullest in eliminating the rest. It's a tempting offer, don't you think?"

The Leader nodded in agreement with Elder He Wujiang's plan but still had some doubts.

"Hmm, a clever plan. We can eliminate Moxiang and gain influence in the imperial court... But won't they suspect such a one-sided offer?"

Elder He Wujiang, recognizing the Leader's point, immediately suggested an additional measure.

"Yes, they might. In that case, we can request a moderate amount of money or land, enough to avoid suspicion, and propose that once we seize power, our sect will help them dominate the Central Plains."

"That sounds good. We will decide on the method to eliminate Moxiang after Elder He Wujiang uses the San Bi Corps to investigate his internal energy and confirms whether he has indeed practiced the Child Monk Technique. Elder He Wujiang, you will also attempt to contact Yan Cheng."

"Understood!"