"Water Master, do you have any further thoughts on the cleansing of Purgatory?"
Cong Yan's arrival interrupted the conversation between Shui Yuntian and Xiang Wan.
Their previous collaboration brought Wu Tong to this courtyard, which fulfilled their wish. The rest, naturally, needs to be continued.
Shui Yuntian stood up and said to Congyan, "It's too bloody there. Why don't we ask the monks from Nanyue Temple to go with us? We'll need their help to help the souls of the dead."
After listening, Cong Yan looked at Xiang Wan, then at Shui Yuntian, pondered for a moment, and then agreed. However, he was a little puzzled. Shui Yuntian already had someone by his side, so why invite others? Wasn't that redundant?
The question in his eyes was answered by Shui Yuntian's additional words.
"The monk has suffered internal injuries and is probably too busy to spare any attention. We must act quickly and strike before they can react, lest things change."
Shui Yuntian was lying for Xiang Wan, but Xiang Wan didn't intend to explain. What happened next was no longer her concern.
It wasn't that she was indifferent or uninvolved; rather, the key issue had already been resolved, and everything else was trivial, insignificant whether she was there or not.
Congyan left in a hurry. Xiangwan meditated for a while, then got up and walked out of the courtyard.
In fishing, the bait is always big enough to catch a fish of that size. And this bait, apart from Prime Minister Wu Tong, is something no one else has big enough to swallow.
In the Southern Moon Kingdom, officials were either civil or military, with a clear distinction between them. However, Wu Tong was different. He was indeed a civil official at first, but later became a military official because his physique and comprehension changed when he came into contact with martial arts after entering the court.
Throughout history, every ruler of the Southern Moon Kingdom has been a top-tier martial arts master. Precisely because of this, to prevent usurpation, the court prioritized civil officials over military ones. Apart from essential generals responsible for defending the country, most officials were either not highly skilled in martial arts or merely literate. Officials like Wu Tong were extremely rare.
To rise to the position of prime minister, one must either wholeheartedly serve the ruler, eliminate disloyal ministers, or accomplish great deeds that benefit the country and its people. Whether those disloyal ministers truly harbored treasonous intentions is unimportant; what matters is that Wu Tong can find evidence, and the ruler can believe it. This is how the "purgatory" (a metaphor for a state of intense political intrigue) came about.
The Yue family has a shortcut to martial arts cultivation: the stone in the old king's possession. It's a refined stone formed from the martial arts cultivation of the previous king who protected the Southern Moon Kingdom before his death—simply put, it's similar to a monk's relic. While monks leave behind relics proving their cultivation after death, others merely enshrine them as treasures. This refined stone of the Yue family, however, allows cultivation to be passed down. The only drawback is the complex process of absorbing the cultivation of the previous king, and the method is only revealed to the next guardian before death.
Wu Tong, having somehow learned of this matter, took advantage of the current king's trust and, under the guise of protecting the old king, unexpectedly imprisoned Yue Manan through a scheme. He chained his collarbone, preventing the old king from using force, and used this to blackmail him into handing over the essence stone and revealing the method to absorb its energy.
Yue Manan knew that Wu Tong, who desired to advance his cultivation, would not be content with merely being a prime minister. Even though he was tormented daily, he did not reveal a single piece of information. His pillar of support was the current king, his son, whose strength surpassed Wu Tong's. It was precisely because of this that Wu Tong refrained from making any rash moves.
Congyan was raised by Yue Manan since childhood. He had seen the spirit stone but did not know its true purpose. He only knew that if he saw this object, it must be because the old king was telling him that he was still alive and asking him to rescue him. Therefore, he cooperated with Shui Yuntian.
Their plan was simple: Shui Yuntian wanted to personally kill his enemy, while Congyan was responsible for eradicating Wu Tong's forces. If Shui Yuntian died, the entire courtyard would be surrounded by soldiers from the Tianmen Sect and Congyan. Whether they used poison, medicine, or fire, they would not allow anyone to escape.
Shui Yuntian was taking a desperate gamble, but this obviously suicidal act of dragging Xiang Wan into it was quite intriguing.
Wu Tong came here not only because Cong Yan spread the word that Shui Yuntian possessed the essence stone the old king had given to Xiang Wan, but also because this place was the courtyard where Wu Tong lived before he became an official. It had been abandoned for so many years, and when he suddenly heard that someone had moved in, he was moved and wanted to come and see for himself.
Those in high positions of power are unlikely to risk their lives easily, but Wu Tong believed he had few rivals in the Southern Moon Kingdom, and he was accompanied by many skilled warriors. More than ten years had passed since he imprisoned the old king, and his patience was nearly exhausted. He didn't want the precious stone to slip away, even if there was only the slightest chance. Driven by suspicion and confidence, he came.
Once you've come, you can't leave.
If he didn't come, Shui Yuntian and Congyan had other ways to lure him. Xiang Wan didn't pay attention to that anymore. What she was concerned about was whether Wu Tong, who had been escorted back, had any other tricks up his sleeve.
All of this came too easily, making her feel like it wasn't real.
“Monk, war is about to break out. Even if you have become a monk, you cannot stay out of it.”
I see!
The construction of civil defense housing in the east and the opening of waterways in the west indicate that the Southern Moon Kingdom will not be able to remain peaceful forever.
What Xiang Wan knew before was that Prime Minister Wu Tong was secretly contacting Xi Mu and then colluding with Dong Zhou. Once the two countries joined forces and declared war on Nan Yue, Nan Yue would definitely be thrown into chaos, and even the king would have to go to the battlefield.
In the midst of war and chaos, Wu Tong seized the opportunity to assassinate the king. With the Southern Moon Kingdom leaderless, he, as prime minister, would become the supreme ruler of the court. Even if the old king didn't give him the essence stones, he would have already successfully usurped the throne; it would only take some time to quell the rebellion. If not for undue conflict, he preferred to become king without firing a single shot. Who would want to inherit a Southern Moon Kingdom ravaged by war?
Perhaps it was because Shui Yuntian and his group chose the timing precisely enough that Wu Tong, even knowing it was a conspiracy, still wanted to take the gamble.
“Shui Yuntian, if the Southern Moon Kingdom is destroyed, the country will cease to be a country, and the family will cease to be a family. Is that what you want?” Xiang Wan asked rhetorically.
After Wu Tong's long-term planning, it seems unlikely that the Southern Moon Kingdom will be able to easily persuade the two countries to cease hostilities and make peace without cause.
Currently, the most powerful force in the martial arts world is the Tianmen Sect, and there are countless others in the imperial court who haven't been subdued by Wu Tong. Wu Tong's ultimate plan is likely to be to destroy the Nan Yue Kingdom, even at his own cost.
This is the thinking of some extreme individuals: if they can't have it, they'll destroy it completely.
So many living, breathing people have to pay the price for the desires of these people—how cruel!
"From childhood to adulthood, the word 'family' has been meaningless to me; it only brings me unbearable pain. What difference does it make whether it exists or not?"
Shui Yuntian's casual remark contained a bitterness that only he himself could truly understand.
"You save as many people as you have killed in your life. Only by cleansing yourself of the sins of killing can you have the right to fight."
Is this really true?
"A monk does not lie."
"good!"
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