Chapter 221 - I've Been Tricked Again!
Even as he thought of it, Bai Yixue was left speechless.
In his heart, he was still laughing at First Court King Qinguang’s foolishness, but what difference was there between the two of them?
To be fair, he was worse than the latter. At least King Qinguang had been subtly tricked, but what about himself? He had taken the initiative to hop right into the pit!
"Because the reason First Court King is here and stayed for as long as he did was to kill you!"
Yun Yang chuckled lightly and continued, "And the reason you’ve come to Tiantang City is also to avoid King Qinguang’s death hunt, am I right?"
"You are, but what does my issue have to do with your matter?" Bai Yixue scratched his head.
Yun Yang snorted and said, "It’s very simple logical reasoning. You were being hunted by him, fleeing to wherever you can and kept on your toes all day long; how did you suddenly have time to roam around? Not only did you have time to gamble, you had time to accept my request to complete a favor for me. All these spoke of the fact that First Court King Qinguang was not in Tiantang City; he must have left due to some unexpected emergencies."
"That’s why you can be so carefree – you’re safe because your biggest opponent has left. Otherwise, how could you be in such a leisurely mood? How dare you roam around so freely?"
"But it also shows that King Qinguang has no interest whatsoever towards anyone else in Tiantang City, especially since your assassination attempt on He Hanqing. He doesn’t know about that," Yun Yang said.
"Is this related to me trying to kill He Hanqing too?" The corners of Bai Yixue’s lips were twitching – could they stop mentioning this?
"Of course it does, very much so! If he knew that your attempt failed and you’ve suffered a loss, he will most probably not accept this business deal. He will need to at least consider and hesitate before deciding, making sure of the target’s background and identity. Even when he finally accepted it, the price he’d ask for will be a terrifying number which I’ll be unable to afford."
"And it isn’t as if there are very few people in Tiantang City who knows about this incident! Therefore, as long as King Qinguang comes back, he will know about it too, given a little time."
Yun Yang continued, "It’s this period of time that I can’t give him, so I’ve been looking for him the moment he came back to Tiantang City."
"Not giving him the time to know what had recently happened in Tiantang City means that he won’t know what sort of deal he’d get himself into…"
"Besides, I’m also betting on He Hanqing’s identity – that his title as Supreme Lord Spring Frost could very possibly be one that Concourse of the Underworld might not take full note of. I’m betting that King Qinguang only remembers Supreme Lord Spring Frost among the many names in the list, but he may not remember the name He Hanqing."
"If he does, this entire case has no hope but if he doesn’t, I would have my chance."
"Just like what you’ve seen and heard, my chance came, and I took it."
"I was thinking that this might not work, but I also thought to try, whether or not it would succeed. What if luck was on my side? So I gave it a go."
Yun Yang smiled before going on. "It worked. I really need to thank you for being his prime target and for taking on injuries earlier. Most of his attention is on you, or else this wouldn't have succeeded."
"I understand. When First Court King Qinguang realizes the severity of the matter, he has no way back. The contract has been signed! The retaliation of violating God’s will is something he can’t bear; no matter how unwilling or how enraged he will be, he has to obey the contract!"
Bai Yixue was utterly impressed.
"I, Bai Yixue, have never really been impressed with anyone in my entire life. I have never known anything that couldn't be solved with a sword, but today, I realize that the most lethal weapon is not the sword - it is the scheme!"
Bai Yixue sighed and said, "Today’s incident allows me to realize that even without any martial force, one can still plot doom against a nemesis with a high cultivation base."
Yun Yang did not look triumphant though, saying faintly, "Of course such schemes can help to achieve one’s goals and can even gain greater benefits in a short amount of time but… the core of it is contemptuously tasteless. If there’s a choice, I would honestly be reluctant to do so."
"All these have only been due to my inadequate capability."
Yun Yang said, "The casualties will be high for the Concourse of the Underworld to complete this mission. I’ve used King Qinguang’s fondness towards me in this matter. I’m despicable, I’m playing foul, I admit it… But if I had to do it again, I would."
"Then I wonder if Young Master Yun feels guilty towards me? You’ve tricked me the same way!" Bai Yixue said with a jut of lips.
Yun Yang’s lips pulled into a grin as he said, "I’m going to compensate you."
"How?" Bai Yixue asked, looking incredulously at Yun Yang.
The latter thought for a moment, stroking his chin and said, "I will compensate you generously. I can guarantee that you won’t have to worry about your basic necessities for the second half of your life, from now on! I will take care of all your needs. For this welfare, you only have to help me with a few things occasionally in the future."
"Do you really think I’m stupid? " Bai Yixue said reprehensibly.
He continued furiously, "I’ve almost lost my life just for one favor, and now you’re saying there a few more things more… You’re obviously taking me in as a subordinate! To hell with you!"
"Bai Yixue, you’ll definitely regret it in the future if you don’t agree. And it’ll be too late then, even when you’re filled with remorse." Yun Yang said slowly.
A scoff was all he received as a reply.
Bai Yixue already knew Yun Yang’s genuine intention. How could he still be deceived and tricked into jumping further into the pit that had already been dug? He would be stupid to do so!
However, just after a few steps, he stopped with a violent jerk, wholly dumbfounded. He turned back again stiffly to look at Yun Yang.
Yun Yang smiled.
"You've tricked me…" Bai Yixue bemoaned, "I've been tricked again!"
He had finally figured it out. From the moment Yun Yang told him about Supreme Lord Spring Frost, he had no other way to escape.
He could still comfort himself blindly when he did not know who his enemy was. He knew it now, and he knew well about the Four Seasons Tower, a formidable foe. Just like what Yun Yang had said earlier, he could not return even if he was afraid now; he could not return even when he sold Yun Yang away…
Even if he did not become Yun Yang’s subordinate, the Four Seasons Tower would never let him go, no matter where he was! If the Four Seasons Tower went against him, he was also going up against the Four Seasons Tower.
This could also be considered as indirectly working for Yun Yang!
This little bastard.
Bai Yixue was utterly speechless.
How could you push me to the point of no return? Can’t you let me go in this lifetime?
Shui Wuyin smiled; he had not made a single sound all along. He thought that it was spectacular how Yun Yang had managed to pull the Concourse of the Underworld into this mess – a marvelous feat indeed!
Shui Wuyin did not have Yun Yang’s psychological burden of being ‘despicable and low-down’; he was happy to see how things turned out as he said, "Young master’s tactic is amazing. With the intervention of the Concourse of the Underworld, our following plan will be much smoother. If other similar clans can be pulled into this in the future, it’s no longer a dream to plot an assassination attempt on He Hanqing."
Bai Yixue rolled his eyes and turned to leave, finally having heard enough.
These fellows did not know death.
"Do you think that an organization like the Concourse of the Underworld will be thrilled when they find out they've been tricked like this?
You’re thinking too much!
When this matter is completed, the revenge from the Concourse of the Underworld will be unimaginably terrifying and cruel.
I hope the both of you can still laugh by then.
Forget everything else, your father will never join your side even if I’m beaten to death. Come to think of it though, Yun Yang was already flirting with death anyway.
He has already provoked the Four Seasons Tower, why would he care about the Concourse of the Underworld?
Left or right, it's death either way.
Thinking about it, Bai Yixue heaved a long sigh.
"Who have I offended, really? Why am I swept into the most petrifying whirlpool of the world without a single reason?"
Of course, Yun Yang had thought of what Bai Yixue would think of as an objection. Looking at the man leave, his sense of ease left him as well. He frowned, wearing a worried look.
Shui Wuyin spoke, "Is young master worrying about the Concourse of the Underworld’s subsequent act of revenge?"
Yun Yang smiled faintly and answered, "Even if the Concourse of the Underworld’s combined forces is weaker than the Four Seasons Tower, it won't be far different. For us to manipulate such colossal organizations… Even when they’re bound by the restrictions of the contract, the future trouble will still be a handful. Technically, our plot this time isn’t that much worthy of the effort; we’re kind of suicidal in our own way."
"I actually have an idea about this, but we’ll have to see the men sent from Concourse of the Underworld this time and the final result of this case to be able to decide. It’s still too early to speak of it now; changes run faster than plans after all!" Shui Wuyin replied.
Yun Yang sighed.
He was not being dramatic. He truly did not feel happy for succeeding in his trap; he was nothing as carefree on the inside as he was displaying externally.
The Concourse of the Underworld; the Four Seasons Tower – two colossuses in the martial arts world.
The Concourse of the Underworld operated in the dark while the Four Seasons Tower was completely hidden; one was an assassins guild while another was a mysterious organization.
As long as First Court King Qinguang accepted this mission, there was no doubt that He Hanqing would die. With the capabilities of the Concourse of the Underworld, it was not an arduous task to kill Supreme Lord Spring Frost.
Yet once He Hanqing died, Yun Yang’s troubles would come back to haunt him even when he could instigate a fight between these two forces.
After all, he was the puppeteer behind the fight on both sides – he was their common enemy!
What was more crucial was that he had used his original identity as Yun Yang to carry out this plan; First Court King Qinguang had also seen his cloud cultivation skill. If all these clues were stringed together, the conclusion of him being Supreme Cloud would inevitably be realized.
It was not that Yun Yang had not thought of putting on a disguise to pull this episode together but King Qinguang was no fool. If he had not stepped forward as himself, the king might not even bother to have an audience.
"For now… we’ll have to prepare our precautions and think ahead." Yun Yang’s gaze glimmered with sly glee.