Chapter Sixteen: Undercurrents Intensify

Shang Jiuya's first plan, based on Rong Jiang's "revelation," had entered its most precise calibration stage, like an arrow on a bowstring. Bai Yu, through Aran, the informant responsible for washing chores outside the Qi Mu Palace, finally confirmed a crucial piece of information: Qi Mu had indeed recently shown unusual favor to a newly promoted female demon general under his command, "Chen Li." This woman hadn't risen to power through beauty, but rather through her bravery and unparalleled fire-based swordsmanship, which had made her stand out in border conflicts, leading to Qi Mu's exceptional promotion. Qi Mu admired her martial prowess, summoning her several times for guidance, and even bestowing upon her a "Cracking Flame Dagger" he had used in his youth. This was considered an extremely high honor under Qi Mu's command, and it had also subtly attracted some gossip.

“Chen Li… ​​the Rift Flame Dagger…” Shang Jiuya repeatedly chewed on these two names in the inner hall, her eyes flashing with a cold light. The target was identified, and the token was readily available—that dagger containing the Seven Mu Demon Essence was the thing that could most pierce Shiyi Niang’s eyes.

"Can we get our hands on that dagger? Even if only briefly, and make an extremely similar replica?" Shang Jiuya looked at Bai Yu, this was the most crucial and dangerous part of the plan.

Bai Yu's face paled, and he shook his head with difficulty: "General Shen Li cherishes this dagger extremely much, and almost never leaves it behind. She herself is incredibly strong, and her personal guards are all highly skilled. Our people simply cannot get close... It is also extremely difficult to imitate. Prince Qi Mu's demonic aura is unique and violent, making it very difficult to replicate..."

Shang Jiuya frowned; it wasn't going to be that easy. She pondered for a moment, then decisively changed her strategy: "Since that's the case, let's try a different approach. The token doesn't necessarily have to be a physical object. Bai Yu, have Aran do everything she can to obtain the most detailed description of that 'Flame-Splitting Dagger': its length, curvature, material, whether there are any special magical runes or wear marks, the style of the hilt, and even… any trace of his aura that Prince Qi Mu might have left on it! The more detailed, the better!" Shang Jiuya's gaze sharpened. "We don't need a physical object; we need details that are enough to make Eleventh Sister 'believe' she 'saw' or 'heard' the actual scene!"

Bai Yu carefully noted it down, feeling a sense of trepidation mixed with the tension of participating in something big.

Just as Shang Jiuya was fully planning this matter, and Li Yue was also stepping up his patrols to find the best place and time for Shiyi Niang to "accidentally" witness or hear about it, the atmosphere in the entire Demon Palace became increasingly oppressive and dangerous at an even faster pace.

Fragments of information from various sources were densely transmitted to Shang Jiuya.

First, there's the conflict between Ao Li and Guan Shanyue. These two forces have been vying for power and control over internal affairs, and the conflict has recently intensified. Bai Yu overheard from the kitchen that Ao Li's guards and Guan Shanyue's officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs had a fierce argument in the warehouse area over the distribution of a batch of magic crystal ore, almost turning violent. It was only after You Chi's men intervened and forcibly suppressed the argument that things calmed down.

Li Yue reported that his subordinate Shi Gu had noticed that the patrol teams between Ao Li Palace and Guan Shan Yue Palace had increased several times recently. When the guards from both sides met, their eyes were wary and full of hostility, and there had been more than one small-scale physical shoving and provocation incident.

Secondly, there's Qi Mu. He himself seems still focused on border expansion, but the movements of his legions on the edge of the Demon Realm are becoming more frequent and noticeable. By observing the frequency of military supply transport and troop rotations, Li Yue judged that Qi Mu was reinforcing several strategic points in his controlled area. His motives were unclear, but a restless atmosphere of war had already spread.

Most unsettling was Shiyi Niang, whose contact with the mysterious illusionist master had become unusually frequent. Another informant Bai Yu had cultivated—a lowly servant responsible for cleaning the area outside the illusionist training grounds—reported that in recent days, Shiyi Niang's trusted maidservants had been leading the illusionist, shrouded in black robes, into his private chambers almost daily, sometimes leaving late at night. Shiyi Niang's own mood also seemed to have become more volatile. According to private complaints from her low-ranking maidservants, she had recently become extremely irritable and obsessively picky about her makeup and clothing. In this state, Shiyi Niang was like a highly unstable bomb.

The movements of the elders are equally strange.

Elder Youchi frequently convened secret meetings with his core followers. The content of these meetings remains unknown, but Bai Yu overheard snippets of conversation from a servant responsible for delivering spirit fruits to the detached courtyard: “...the time is coming…”, “...it needs to be done legitimately…”, “...purge…”.

The meetings between the Third Elder, Gong Liang, and Guan Shanyue's representative were noticeably longer, sometimes lasting several hours. The two seemed to be urgently discussing something, mostly concerning massive resource allocation and personnel lists. Recently, a desperate, almost reckless, excitement had even appeared on Gong Liang's greedy face.

Most noteworthy is the Eighth Elder, Jiang Zheng. This elder, who is in charge of laws and punishments, has recently been almost entirely confined to his quarters, buried in the vast sea of ​​old files in the Law Hall. According to a servant responsible for delivering meals to the Law Hall, Elder Jiang Zheng often mutters to himself while reading the "Early Rules of the Demon Ancestor," repeatedly perusing the ancient clauses concerning "the Demon Lord's moral failings and the elders' deposed appointments" and "in times of crisis, the purge of the palace."

All these fragments of information eventually intertwined on Shang Jiuya's parchment, sketching out an extremely dangerous picture.

All of this is not just directed at each other.

Shang Jiuya suddenly stood up from the soft couch, walked quickly to the window, and looked at the perpetually gloomy and oppressive sky.

A storm is brewing, a raging tempest that could destroy everything.

The conflict between the rebel elders and their ambitious siblings may have reached a breaking point, about to erupt in the most violent way. And this eruption, regardless of who ultimately wins or loses, will inevitably be accompanied by terrifying purges and chaos.

And she, the nominal "Demon Lord," will find herself in an extremely dangerous situation in this impending storm. Whichever side, for the sake of legitimacy or simply to clear obstacles, may be the first to tear her, the weakest target, apart. You Chi might need an "excuse" to depose her, Guan Shanyue might want to eliminate this nominal obstacle beforehand, Qi Mu might not care about crushing an ant in the process, and even Shiyi Niang might unleash her pent-up jealousy and malice upon her in the chaos.

We can't hesitate any longer; we must act immediately.

Shang Jiuya turned around abruptly, her face more solemn than ever before. "Bai Yu! Li Yue!"

The two immediately stepped forward, their expressions equally tense. They, too, had felt the suffocating pressure from the recent flow of information.

"Listen, things have changed, much faster and more dangerous than we anticipated! A huge storm is coming! Before we can carry out our original plan, we must first make sure we survive this storm!"

She gave instructions at an extremely fast pace:

"First, immediately halt all activities! Bai Yu, notify all informants to enter a state of silence. Suspend the transmission of information that is not of life-or-death importance! Your own safety is the highest priority. Protect yourselves!"

"Secondly, Li Yue, Ziguang Palace is on the highest alert! Double the patrols, especially at night! Strictly check all entrances and exits, and immediately alert anyone approaching who is suspicious! If necessary, you are authorized to use extraordinary measures, prioritizing the safety of the inner palace!"

"Third, inspect all supplies in the palace, especially food and water, to ensure that it can last for a period of time even if it is briefly besieged."

"Fourth, and most importantly, keep the information channels absolutely open! Bai Yu, find a way to ensure that there is at least one most secretive line that can still receive crucial information from the outside even if the palace is besieged! Li Yue, your patrol team should also keep an eye out for unusual signals from the palace, such as unusual horns or large-scale troop movements!"

"Fifth," she took a deep breath and looked at the two of them, "we need to prepare for the worst. If... if the situation becomes so critical that it's beyond repair, we need to have an evacuation plan. Li Yue, you are familiar with the palace's layout. Think about it, in case... in case we can't stay in the Ziguang Palace anymore, where might we find a temporary hiding place? Don't go to investigate now, just keep it in mind."

Bai Yu and Li Yue's expressions were extremely solemn. They nodded heavily without the slightest hesitation.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, we understand!" the two replied in unison, and then immediately turned around.

Shang Jiuya walked up to the parchment covered with relationship diagrams and scanned each symbol representing an enemy with a heavy gaze.

The plan to sow discord between Qi Mu and Shi Yi Niang now seemed both important and insignificant. It was important because it might create some chaos within the enemy ranks and perhaps buy them a brief respite.

This is the only card she can play proactively at the moment.

She had to fight. And quickly! Before the storm fully arrived!

"Eleventh Sister... Seventh Mu..." she murmured to herself.

She has done all she could. Now, all that remains is to wait for the storm to come.