Chapter 216 — Hooking Souls, Drawing Spirits
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 4
The Dark Demon Cult, by contrast, was a true colossus of unbroken lineage, its history so long that it had watched the rise of uncounted kingdoms and the turning of dynasties. The killing of its Heavenly King was not merely a blood feud of the deepest dye but a monstrous humiliation — a debt that could not go unpaid.
The Duke of Wei could scarcely keep his own skin intact; how could he speak up for the Crown Prince?
The Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince in this generation was not Pei Wujiu. Pei Wujiu had vanished two hundred years ago, and the emperor had bestowed the post of Junior Guardian upon Master Ruopiao — his dharma name taken from the saying "of the three thousand measures of the Weak Water, I take but a single gourd."
Yun Boshan and Cui Mingzhi were both cult-master-level figures of Daoist origin; Ting Yanju and He Yanqing came from great hereditary houses — the clans that had followed Emperor Taizu in conquering the realm.
These five, together with the slain Sun Nantuo, all belonged to the Crown Prince's faction, and all had once served as teachers to the Crown Prince.
Of the sixteen first-rank ministers at court, the Crown Prince's faction accounted for six.
"Write down Master Ruopiao's name as well," Shen Mu said. "The New Year is nearly upon us. Let them have a peaceful New Year, and eat one last New Year's Eve dinner. Sun Nantuo is dead, the Nantuo Annex is destroyed, but the Nantuo Temple still stands. Guardian Elders, go and raze the Nantuo Temple to the ground. Leave no trace behind."
The Guardian Elders assented.
The Duke of Wei breathed a little easier. This young cult master of the Dark Demon Cult still had some reason in him. Otherwise, if he ran wild, and six first-rank ministers dropped dead at once, and the Crown Prince besides, the emperor's investigation would surely lead straight to the Dark Demon Cult.
The Jingping court was, after all, the orthodox authority. To set oneself against the court would leave the Dark Demon Cult nowhere to stand, and the Daoist sects and the Great Tingming Temple would certainly throw stones after them. That would put the Dark Demon Cult in mortal peril.
Killing one now and again kept the risk at its lowest.
This time, for instance: to kill Sun Nantuo and destroy the Nantuo Temple, Shen Mu had appeared in the guise of the Loulan Golden Palace, brought the treasure that guarded the Nantuo Temple, lured out the monks of the Nantuo Annex, and forced Sun Nantuo to show himself — hooking him out of the capital to this place.
Sun Nantuo might be a cult-master-level figure, but he had been killed and the Nantuo Annex destroyed in the space of a single breath, and not within the capital — not the least trace left behind. Every link had been fitted to the next. Formidable indeed.
Even if the emperor wished to investigate, he would find no clue at all, nothing that pointed to the Dark Demon Cult.
With Sun Nantuo dead, the Crown Prince would certainly be on his guard, and would be hard to strike at; a rash attack might even walk into a trap. Better to let this period pass.
Just then, Shen Mu looked toward Wei Yong and the Duke of Wei, and smiled. The Duke's heart went cold. He gave a chuckle. "Cult Master, my voice is very loud."
"I know."
Shen Mu smiled. "If Your Grace shouted once, I daresay everyone in the capital would hear it clear as day. Your Grace — do you think my Holy Cult's handling of Sun Nantuo was... neat?"
The Duke of Wei's heart leaped into his throat. Shen Mu was telling him that he could be obliterated — the two of them both — before he ever got out a single shout!
The Duke of Wei drew a long breath. "I once enjoyed no small friendship with your Cult Master Li!"
Shen Mu turned his head toward the Left and Right Protector Envoys. Xue Bi'e said, "The former cult master met him a few times. The friendship was not deep."
The Duke of Wei's face darkened. He stole a glance around him, hunting for any chance to escape with his life.