Finally, Sha Chai Gan woke up. The first thing she did was to look all around her in a frenzy but there was absolutely no one. Indeed, Cao Yun's stealth was impossible to see through for a Golden Blood Child. Even most Accomplished Demon wouldn't be able to see through it. However, Sha Chai Gan had this eerie sensation that someone was observing her. She couldn't tell whether it was just her dream or if it was actually real. After Cao Yun's intrusion into her mind, things weren't too clear for her.
Suddenly, she heard his voice directly into her mind.
"It's been a long time since we've seen each other. And we didn't part in the best of terms. Miss Sha Chai Gan, I am sincerely sorry for the loss of your father. At the time, I didn't have the opportunity to properly talk to you, by no fault of mine must I add. But I do imagine that you understand now that I wasn't responsible in any way, shape or form. First of all, I never worked for Boss Gui, I simply formed an alliance with her for convenience. In fact, it would be correct to say that she now works for me in a sense.
"Besides, she had nothing to do with the attack either. On the other hand, City Lord Sihe is indirectly responsible. In the next day, you will learn who the true culprit was as I have personally killed her with her own poison. I do hope that this will make you trust my words."
This was a bold move for Cao Yun. But as he was observing her attitude with each word he was sending into her mind, he decided to go forward with this. Unlike the Sisters of the Abyss, he didn't want to blackmail or threaten her if he could avoid it. Since it was possible to come to an understanding, he was trying to do just that. Moreover, to be honest, even if she told everyone about this, she would have no proof at all and against the words of the Sisters, no one among the Nalupu Kingdom would believe her. The tribes might believe her to some extent, but not even everyone.
Hearing everything Cao Yun was saying, Sha Chai Gan didn't react much. That being said, Cao Yun was able to see many emotions shine in her eyes. He knew that he was getting to her.
"You've seen how the Sun Scorpion Clan is ruling the tribes. And I am certain that you have developed doubts about them. Your doubts are absolutely right. They are working for City Lord Sihe. Honestly, I have no reason to think that they were aware of the attack before it happened. But they probably helped the culprit get the poison. And after the attack, they did use it to gain power and influence, just like City Lord Sihe. They didn't create the events but they did use them to crush any opposition."
"What do you want from me?"
"It is quite simple. Soon, the truth will be exposed. After the current ceremonies are over, the Sun Scorpion Clan will lose its head. Since I want to limit the loss of life, it would be good for the tribes to have a new ruler like your father, someone everyone can respect. Otherwise, the legitimate desire for vengeance might cause too much violence. City Lord Sihe will fall as well, this is certain. Boss Gui will take over the Xinian Confederation. And, despite everything you might believe about her, she will work on the abolition of the current slave trade."
"You want me to control the tribes so we focus our efforts on City Lord Sihe? While trusting in the Smiling Flayer when it comes to the fate of our people?!"
"I do not ask you to trust her, I ask you to trust her interests. Boss Gui can indeed be incredibly cruel, but only if it serves a purpose. I did ponder over the issue for a long time, as a matter of fact, I had a lot of time to think about it with nothing much to do apart from just that. I won't pretend that this solution is perfect, but everything else seems worse, and by a huge margin. Miss Sha Chai Gan, I did things I am not too proud about to make sure that the outcome is as good as possible for as many people as possible.
"I'll be honest with you, I don't need you to attain my goals. But you might prevent many deaths in the upcoming months if you're able to smooth things over. It won't be perfect and I can't tell how many will suffer, all the more reasons for you to listen to me. City Lord Sihe will die, the Sun Scorpion Clan's Patriarch will die. But the future of the tribes can be brighter than you ever thought. If everything goes well, you will be regarded with almost as much esteem as anyone else in the Nalupu Kingdom. Honestly, I don't know how long it will last, but I do think it is worth a try, don't you?"
"I..."
"I won't ask for your answer right away. But I will add this. I have examined General Sha Lang Hu's injuries. I would like to tell you that they were caused by my enemies, but I honestly don't know whether they were genuinely caused by Qi deviation or not. However, I can tell you that I know how to heal them. Thanks to my alchemy, I can almost completely get rid of any trace of his injuries. And I am ready to give you the pills and the treatment if you do agree to listen to me. Besides, I'm not asking you to do anything else than to protect the tribes and their interests. The Sun Scorpion Clan will lose their Patriarch. Even if you were to warn them, there's nothing they'll be able to do at this point. In fact, their only move would be to beg for Lord Wanghuo's protection but we all know he wouldn't care at all. So your choice is whether to help your tribe and all the others afterward or to cling to some unwarranted resentment toward me."
With those last words, Cao Yun disappeared completely. For Sha Chai Gan, the difference wasn't perceptible. When he stopped talking, she waited a few minutes. Realizing that he had to be gone, she fell backward on the bed she had been sitting on. Lying down, she observed the ceiling of her tent and pondered over what he had just said. Many thoughts were going through her mind at the moment. She could feel a deep fear in her heart but also a lot of excitement in her blood. Deep within, she also had a rage she could barely contain. And despite all her efforts, it was growing and growing.
-
The next few days, the Oasis of Life was in uproar. The news of the Weiji family's death had been suppressed but everyone with enough influence was aware of all the details. Once again, the Sisters of the Abyss had done their work. In the past, they could have completely erased this story, but they were actively making sure that those who ought to know knew. The wisest demons were painfully aware of this shift in the attitude of the Sisters. It made so much sense, considering the way they had treated Boss Gui's side recently. It was obvious to everyone that they were now siding with Boss Gui and forsaking City Lord Sihe.
Obviously, there was no proof against City Lord Sihe. And he made sure that everyone knew how much he was distancing himself from the Weiji family. In fact, he was smart enough to cut himself from Weiji Nian's uncle. General Weiji was even summoned by Lord Wanghuo. It wasn't rare for an entire family to be held accountable for the crimes of a single member.
General Weiji was forced to publicly disavow his own blood. Thankfully, Weiji Nian was simply his niece, not his own daughter. As a matter of fact, General Weiji had no kid at all. Weiji Nian had always been like a daughter to him as her parents had died some time ago. And Weiji Bao had been like a grandson to him. Thus, he was absolutely furious. To add insult to injury, he was forced to denounce them publicly. Despite this, he lost his connection with City Lord Sihe and, in Lord Wanghuo, he saw that his future within the military was compromised. Lord Wanghuo was a terrible politician as he simply didn't care that much. However, he was far from being stupid. There was no way he would keep favoring someone with links with a terrible poison.
Besides, it wasn't just any poison. It was Bloodfire Vermilion Haze. Not only was it a poison that was designed to attack the bloodstream, the worst possible thing for demons, but it had been used recently against the nomadic tribes. Lord Wanghuo didn't want to deal with a revolt led by all the tribes and maybe some of his own Nalupu Kingdom. Worse, the Sisters of the Abyss were clearly supporting the movement. Thus, Lord Wanghuo decided to meet with High Mother Lisha once again. He could use the excuse of the ongoing ceremonies to justify it without looking weak. Indeed, he couldn't summon her like a servant, but he didn't want to look like he was groveling to her either. The opportunity was thus perfect to save face for the both of them.
Cao Yun kept on observing what was going on without intervening at all. He had done everything he could at the moment. The less he was doing, the happier he was. Dirtying his hands hadn't felt good. But deep down, he was certain that this was the best option available to him. Honestly, he still wasn't absolutely sure whether he was simply hopeful or right. However, he had accepted that doing the right thing wasn't easy. Something were clear but with politics, the waters were muddy. It wasn't involving just individuals, but entire peoples. Sometimes doing something that felt wrong was in fact the right thing to do.
Once again, the young man had realized that feeling good or bad about something wasn't the most important thing. He would judge his decisions by their fruits. Cao Yun wasn't a moralist or a philosopher. He didn't have any all-encompassing theory about morality. In fact, he had realized that most of his morality had come from his upbringing. If he had grown as a demon in the past, he would have probably felt morally justified to enslave humans. Morality seemed to be closer to feelings than to reason. One could invent many reasons to justify their morality but Cao Yun was now convinced that morality itself came from one's emotions. The reasons were just there to make them seem more than what they were, and to feel good about them.
Even now, Cao Yun realized that all his justifications on why it had been right to kill Weiji Nian with her own poison were serving the purpose of making him feel better. Even the crimes of Weiji Bao were used by him to alleviate a small sense of guilt.
With all that in mind, Cao Yun kept on working on his emotions and thus on his mind cultivation. He was sincerely interested in all the conflicting emotions within himself. Using the calligraphy by the Weaver of Souls, Cao Yun was observing his own emotions and thoughts as though they were from someone else. He was simply an observer. What he observed was that his thoughts and emotions were still moving around even without his conscious intervention. It was both terrifying and hypnotic. For all intents and purposes, it felt as though he wasn't really in control of anything. What he perceived as his self was being influence by so many things. Although he had always felt like he was in control, he really wasn't. But then the question was on how much influence his self had on any of this.
While Cao Yun was busy exploring his own mind and soul, the situation unfolded almost as he had imagined, thanks to the efforts of High Mother Lisha, Boss Gui, and even Sha Chai Gan. The seeds he had planted were bearing the fruits he desired.
City Lord Sihe was even the first one to leave the Oasis of Life after Lord Wanghuo's departure. In fact, he had literally waited for Lord Wanghuo before leaving. Indeed, it would have been an insult to do so beforehand. But City Lord Sihe didn't want to stay close to the Sisters and to so many people who wanted his demise. His main goal was to ride the storm. Unlike Lord Wanghuo, City Lord Sihe was good when it came to politics. And he knew that he could dig himself from any hole, no matter how deep. After all, Boss Gui's situation had seemed hopeless a few weeks ago. And yet, she was now stronger than ever. Perception was almost everything. Thus, City Lord Sihe had high hopes he could get out of this situation given enough time. For that though, he had to be decisive and smart. On both accounts, he was convinced he was.
After City Lord Sihe's departure, the tribes began to move away as well, led by the Sun Scorpion Clan. The news about Weiji Nian's use of the Bloodfire Vermilion Haze had weakened their influence a little. But thankfully for them, they had already crushed their most vehement opposition. So they still retained the control of the tribes. And they decided to follow City Lord Sihe's example. They were afraid that more information would weaken their foundations. Sha Chai Gan made sure that everyone was following them, surprising even those close to her, like General Sha Lang Hu. After the recent events, she trusted Cao Yun's words. So she knew that Patriarch Liang Lisheng wasn't long for this world.
While she made sure that no one defied their authority, she also began to organize her entourage to be ready when the time came.
Finally, Boss Gui and the Blazing Swallow stayed longer than anyone else and visited High Mother Lisha even after the ceremonies. It showed how much the Sisters of the Abyss were valuing them.
In the end though, they obviously left the Oasis of Life. The ceremonies were officially over and the Monastery of Bliss and Repose kept its gates open. High Mother Lisha had been recognized by everyone. In other words, Cao Yun was controlling the religious authority of the Desolate Sepulcher and soon he would also control the tribes and the Xinian Confederation. Everything was going as planned. Thus, he would be able to leave this place soon enough.
While the Blazing Swallow left the Oasis of Life, General Weiji did the same. For weeks, he had remained in seclusion, unwilling to show his face. But he had stayed within the Oasis of Life until Boss Gui's departure.