"Is it really you?"
As a frail figure slowly emerged from behind the Ghost Doll, Master Huang, who had been looking up, was completely stunned!
He had always felt that Mr. Miao's conjecture was a bit far-fetched, but now with the truth right before his eyes, he had to admit what he saw, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wrap his head around the idea that the person who released the Ghost Doll was Chen Qing!
"I have seen my teacher..." Chen Qing stepped forward and then saluted Mr. Miao as well: "I have seen the elder..."
"Very good!" Mr. Miao clapped his hands and laughed heartily: "The young people these days are really more formidable one after another..."
"How were you able to break the Azure Dragon Seal?" Master Huang stared intently at Chen Qing.
"A fortunate coincidence..."
"How did you make this Ghost Doll obey you?"
"By treating it with sincerity..."
"You..." Master Huang's beard twitched in anger.
Chen Qing, however, was helpless. He was telling the truth, wasn't he? The fact that he could break the Azure Dragon Seal was indeed due to a fortunate coincidence; who would've thought he happened to know this part of the storyline? As for the Ghost Doll listening to him, it truly was because he treated it with sincerity. If his heart weren't sincere, he probably would have been slapped to death in the cave...
"You've kept yourself well hidden, lad!" Master Huang sneered: "To think that you've been by my side for three years and I never saw through you."
"Isn't it the same with the teacher?" Chen Qing sighed. If it weren't for this incident, he probably would have never known in his lifetime that Master Huang was indeed Mister Hua Pi!
"Child, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you," Mr. Miao said after taking a deep breath to calm his emotions.
Hearing this, Chen Qing respectfully saluted again: "Elder, please ask!"
"Since you can make the Ghost Doll fully obey you, why didn't you have it attack and kill us when we were in Lyuzhou City?"
"I couldn't kill you..." Chen Qing shook his head. "By the time I arrived in Lyuzhou City, Lord Weichi Peng had already returned, and since I didn't know how many people you had there, naturally I wouldn't let Nezha fall into unknown danger."
"Nezha?" Mr. Miao was taken aback.
"Humph!" The Ghost Doll immediately put its hands on its hips, proudly declaring: "I have a name now; it's Chen Nezha!!"
Both Mr. Miao and Master Huang were momentarily stunned, but then Mr. Miao was the first to come back to his senses. Looking at the Ghost Doll, whose nose was nearly pointing skyward, he nodded slightly: "By treating it with sincerity, I see..."
He then looked back at Chen Qing: "But if you were here, why did our men start fighting inside the city?"
"Are you referring to the fake Academic Commissioner you arranged?"
At this remark, Master Huang was taken aback, and Mr. Miao's eyes narrowed: "How did you know he was fake?"
"I guessed!" Chen Qing smiled. "Once I've seen the same method used before, it's naturally easy to guess the second time. If you could use a fake Weichi Peng to deceive me and Wang Ye, naturally you could also use a fake Academic Commissioner to deceive General Weichi Peng."
"I understand now..." Mr. Miao said gravely, looking at Chen Qing: "It was you. You made contact with the people around Weichi Peng, and then you used him to force Hei Wu to make his move!"
"The elder is wise..." Chen Qing nodded. "I only had Nezha on my side and couldn't let him take risks. Since General Weichi Peng has a well-known reputation, using him to test your strength was the best option."
"Just a test?"
"Of course not..." Chen Qing looked at Master Huang, smiling happily: "Once General Weichi Peng activated the Celestial Roc Bloodline, you would lose your connection with Lyuzhou and be unable to communicate. With unrest arising there, naturally you wouldn't be able to pay attention to things here, giving me the best opportunity to make a move!"
"So that's how it is..." Master Huang also understood: "From the very beginning, your target was us?"
"No..." Chen Qing shook his head. "This black-clad elder was beyond my expectations. My target has always been you, teacher!"
"Why?" Master Huang asked, puzzled: "We have no grudges between us, and it doesn't seem to be for the Imperial Court either; it couldn't possibly be just to save Wang Ye, right?"
"Saving Lord Wang is indeed what I should do..." Chen Qing replied earnestly: "In a moment of life and death, Lord Wang gave me the chance to live. That's a life-saving grace. If I have the opportunity, naturally I must repay it."
"There must be more to it, right?" Mr. Miao scoffed.
Chen Qing took a breath and looked at Master Huang's chest area: "Teacher, we have a relationship as master and disciple, which is also a kind of destiny. I really don't want to lay a hand on you. How about this, if you let Wang Ye go and give me the mirror you have, I will let you leave. How does that sound?"
As soon as these words came out, both Master Huang and Mr. Miao couldn't contain their shock; this guy… he even knew about Mirror Master!!
"I knew it... I knew it!!"
An annoyed voice came from Master Huang's chest: "From the very beginning, you had your sights set on me, didn't you?"
A few days ago in the courtyard, it felt something was off; the moment that boy saw it, his eyes turned green, like a wolf eyeing its prey!
"Mirror Master... was a treasure obtained by the King of Qin from an ancient realm!" At this moment, Master Huang's face really changed: "Back then, the only ones who knew about this and are still alive were me and the ancestors of the Miao family. You... who exactly are you?"
----------------------------------------
"What kind of monster is this?"
In Lyuzhou City, Hei Wu wandered in the surrounding darkness, looking at the corpses of Child-Mother Ghosts slain all around, his face filled with shock!
Once his technique was activated, within this range, all incoming people would lose their vision, hearing, and smell completely. Without his allowance, anyone entering would become a useless being bereft of the five senses.
Combined with the Child-Mother Ghost, which could paralyze the entire nervous system with just one bite, he had never lost to any warrior since the formation of his technique. How prevalent was the martial spirit in the barbarian nations of the north? Who didn't fear his name, Hei Wu?
Yet his hitherto unbeatable technique seemed utterly useless against the monster before him….
Hei Wu looked at the corpses strewn all over the ground, feeling increasingly anxious in his heart.
Because the Child-Mother Ghost was nearly dead…
This guy was simply a wild beast. Clearly unable to see, hear, or even smell anything, yet he could sense the Child-Mother Ghost approach every time, cutting it down with a single stroke. Such an unreasonable way of acting entirely on instinct was simply against all reason!
Yet Hei Wu dared not dispel the technique and flee.
His technique was domineering, capable of depriving people of their senses as soon as they entered its range, but its flaws were also very obvious. Once expanded, the range couldn't be moved, and the moment he left the range of the technique, it would automatically dissolve. In other words, if he wanted to flee, moving beyond a certain range, the technique that was temporarily restraining this monster would fall apart.
If it were any ordinary situation, it might not be so bad, but he had encountered a member of the Weichi Clan!
Given the opponent's explosive speed, Hei Wu was certain that if he dared dispel the technique, he wouldn't live beyond three seconds!
What should he do?
At this moment, Hei Wu deeply regretted not heeding Mr. Miao's advice; now he was truly in a tight spot!
Maybe… use hostages?
Hei Wu turned his gaze toward the few personal soldiers who were already weakened on the spot. These were the genuine article, not substituted by Mister Hua Pi; taking them hostage might offer a glimmer of hope.
After a short consideration and feeling his spiritual power nearly depleted, Hei Wu hesitated no longer and quickly ran toward the exhausted personal soldiers.
But just as he was about to seize the personal soldiers, Wei Gongcheng, who had been presumed dead, suddenly opened his eyes. Like a tiger awakening, he pounced in this direction, seizing Hei Wu with one hand, his short blade instantly piercing the other's chest!
"You!!"
An agonizing pain erupted in Hei Wu's chest as the surrounding technique instantaneously shattered!
He never would have guessed that this man, who had seemed to have breathed his last, could come back to life?
"Indeed…," Wei Gongcheng gasped for breath and sneered, "Your technique is convenient if you want someone to see, they see… You thought I was dead, but you forgot to block my five senses…."
"You fiend…" Hei Wu's body twitched, ready to activate his technique, but the opportunity had already passed.
In just a second or two, an ordinary person might not have been able to do much, but for a top-tier warrior like Weichi Peng, that time was enough to kill a hundred Hei Wus!
A bright slash of blade light flashed past, and before he could even think about using his technique, Hei Wu was reduced to ash, his entire body annihilated by the overwhelmingly powerful strike!
"Gongcheng?" Weichi Peng's eyes were bloodshot as he embraced the weakened Wei Gongcheng.
The Wei Family's Wind Snake Bloodline had a technique for feigning death, but it came with a tremendous strain; once used, a warrior's prospects were essentially ruined!
With that in mind, he wished he could capture that magician who had appeared out of nowhere and hack him a thousand times over!
"Lord… there's not much time, please listen to me…" Wei Gongcheng, panting heavily, fought to stay conscious, well aware of the heavy toll his feigned death technique would take on him. If he passed out now, he feared it might be a day or two before he woke up again!
"Alright… Speak!" Weichi Peng was not in the mood for temper, knowing all too well over the years how reliable Wei Gongcheng was.
"We fell into a trap, most of our brothers were replaced by a strange creature with puppets, including Lu Jiaming…"
"What? How is that possible!" Weichi Peng's body shook, nearly roaring out loud.
"General…" Wei Gongcheng wore a look of helplessness.
"Alright, keep talking…"
"I've listed the brothers who are still normal in a list. The list is in my chest pocket; take it later, Lord, and make sure to keep the remaining brothers safe."
"All right!"
"Lord Wang Ye is in imminent danger. He recommended a young man named Chen Qing, a new Imperial Scholar this year. This man, he is the key to solving the Thousand-Faced Fox incident in the Capital City. It is imperative that he is brought to the capital safely!"
"Chen Qing? Where is he?" Weichi Peng quickly inquired.
"He is…." Wei Gongcheng paused, suddenly remembering what had that magician said? The one who could control Ghost Doll? That scholar named Chen Qing… couldn't be fully trusted!!
"General… be… be careful…"
Wei Gongcheng opened his mouth, trying to warn his leader, but by then he no longer had the strength to utter a sound….
Damn it!
Wei Gongcheng's strength was drained, his eyelids drooping, a bitter smile showing at the corner of his mouth.
He could only hope… that his general… would be safe and sound….