"Frankly, before you said that Great Teacher's eyes and ears covered the nine provinces, I only thought it was an exaggeration. It wasn't until today that I realized how truly widespread their ears and eyes are..."
Recalling the events of today, Pei Jiangnan still shivers with fear. He had merely relaxed his vigilance slightly, yet he was surprised to find that Miao Tiannan's spies had taken advantage of the opportunity to infiltrate.
It can be imagined that if Chen Mo had not spoken to remind them to eliminate all the watchers around the four-and-a-half-courtyard house a few days ago, their every move would have been under Miao Tiannan's surveillance. Perhaps even their dreams at night would have been known to him.
This kind of surveillance with no privacy makes Pei Jiangnan's scalp crawl.
"After the incident just now, Miao Tiannan must have guessed our next move..."
Chen Mo stroked his chin and thought seriously.
Pei Jiangnan nodded slightly, but stood his ground firmly, "There is no compromise on the safety of the people in Lin City. Even if they know our moves and make early arrangements, even if Miao Tiannan himself gets involved, I will not back down. We absolutely cannot let them act recklessly within the empire."
Gao Tianlang seemed like he was just there to add salt to the soup, wanting to help but struggling to make sense of the situation. As soon as he heard his idol's eloquent speech, he quickly chimed in, "What Master Pei said is very true. Our office of martial affairs is all about the well-being of the people. I wish to follow Master Pei to Lin City."
Chen Mo sighed helplessly and said, "We must definitely go to Lin City, but we have to be cautious of the people under Miao Tiannan's command."
"What does that mean?"
Pei Jiangnan was puzzled, "What do you mean? Miao Tiannan's underlings are nothing but thieves and scoundrels that can be extinguished with a wave of the hand. At most, he can call upon the forces of the Martial Command Bureau for help, but that still doesn't threaten me unless he himself steps in."
For three hundred years, Pei Jiangnan has accumulated an extremely high reputation within the Martial Command Bureau. Even though the Martial Command Bureau is now fully under Miao Tiannan's control, people within the Bureau still dare not act rashly towards Miao Tiannan, and there is even a possibility of mutiny on the battlefield.
There are many people like Gao Tianlang who are devoted fans of Pei Jiangnan in the Martial Command Bureau.
"Miao Tiannan's men don't have the power to threaten you, and to be honest, due to your reputation, he dare not kill you himself. But others can, and what I just mentioned about his men isn't entirely accurate. It should be about the men under his backers, for example, the 'Spiderweb'."
Pei Jiangnan had also heard some about the Spiderweb incident a few days ago, "I admit that the intelligence capabilities of Spiderweb rank among the top in the entire continent of the nine provinces, but having strong intelligence doesn't necessarily mean they are strong...".
"You are right, but it's not just the Spiderweb organization under their command"
Chen Mo pushed aside the clutter on the table, picked up a teapot from among it, placed it on top, and then added three teacups. Pointing at one of them, he said, "Their influence spreads across the nine provinces. Intelligence gathering is just one aspect, but they also have assassination capabilities and strong attacks..."
"Information is controlled by the Spiderweb, which spreads across the nine provinces, and there is nothing they cannot uncover. This organization excels in intelligence gathering, but overall, its strength is average, with its strongest members reaching around the fifth grade; and this assassination organization, named 'Dark Pavilion,' specializes in dealing with key figures that are difficult to handle for them. The strongest members can reach the third grade, and it is rare for anyone in the nine provinces to escape their assassination attempts."
Gao Tianlang, although only half understanding the two's actions, was shocked upon hearing Chen Mo's words. He had never heard of such a terrifying organization before. With a third-grade strength, they were even doing jobs like assassination.
"Finally, and most formidable of all, the Sky Punishment"
"The Sky Punishment is akin to the Martial Command Bureau of the Tianlong Dynasty, but it differs in that the sole function of Sky Punishment is to kill... to clear away all obstacles for their patrons. Sky Punishment has the fewest members among the three organizations, but its overall strength is the strongest, with members starting from the fourth grade and reaching up to the second grade. If all members of Sky Punishment were gathered together, they could sweep away most powers across the nine provinces."
Chen Mo spoke in a calm tone, yet it left Pei Jiangnan and Gao Tianlang speechless.
After a moment of silence, Pei Jiangnan's lips trembled slightly, "Brother Chen, the forces behind the Great Teacher are so formidable that he could easily control the entire Tianlong Dynasty... no, even the entire Qing State is not beyond his reach."
The Qing State is the weakest among the nine provinces. If there is a force that can dominate most of the nine provinces, then taking over the entire Qing State would be as easy as flipping a coin.
Chen Mo nodded slightly, "If the Great Teacher wants to control the Qing State, it would indeed be easy, but his sights are not limited to just this region. The Sky Punishment is small in numbers but widespread across the nine provinces, controlling important locations. It's likely that they will not be easily deployed here. We need to be more vigilant against the Dark Pavilion."
Yousu, Tianmo Sect
Yun Chunqiu, returning from the Tianlong Dynasty, held Chen Mo's letter as he searched through the corridors of the Tianmo Sect for Liu Wu Xin's whereabouts.
"Damn annoying man, not only did he humiliate me, but he also dared to have me deliver a letter. I'll make sure to see that you're slandered in front of the emperor... If I can get the emperor's approval, I will definitely spare no mercy on you"
Yun Chunqiu searched the great hall but failed to find Liu Wu Xin's figure. Upon inquiring, he learned that the emperor was still asleep, so he raced to the palace without stopping.
As soon as Yun Chunqiu appeared at the door of the palace, Liu Wu Xin's two bodyguards immediately tried to be on their guard. They opened their mouths to ask, but they were stopped by Yun Chunqiu, who lightly waved his sleeves, causing two red silks to fly out and bind them tightly. They had no chance to report anything.
Then, Yun Chunqiu's corners of the mouth curled up slightly, took a deep breath, and pushed open the palace door directly.
The emperor is sleeping, she has no defenses at this moment, and now I can get close to her in secret... Yun Chunqiu was overjoyed in her heart. However, as she pushed open the door of the imperial bedroom, she saw a golden coffin quietly lying in the center of the room, with the coffin lid placed next to it.
As if she had heard the noise outside, a person suddenly sat up from the golden coffin, which was none other than Liu Wu Xin, whom Yun Chunqiu had been thinking of day and night.
At this moment, Liu Wu Xin, flushed and dazed, suddenly sat up from her composure. Upon seeing Yun Chunqiu, she raised her eyebrows in anger and shouted: "Who allowed you to come in? Get out!"
"Hmm..."
Yun Chunqiu didn't expect the emperor to still be asleep. She felt slightly disappointed that her plan had failed, and then she picked up the letter in her hand and said, "Your Majesty, that...that annoying man didn't want to come back with us. He left you a letter."
"Letter?"
Upon hearing about Chen Mo's whereabouts, Liu Wu Xin impatiently leaped out of the golden coffin and snatched the letter from Yun Chunqiu's hand. She began to read it meticulously, her expression shifting continuously, revealing a mix of devotion, concern, and reluctance...
Yun Chunqiu felt a bit jealous and bite her tongue hard, immediately accusing him: "Your Majesty, that man was too provocative. As soon as we met, he grabbed my hand and wouldn't let go. Such a man must be a lustful one... In my opinion..."
Just as Yun Chunqiu was about to make her statement, she suddenly felt the temperature coming from her small hand. Her expression changed slightly as she lightly raised her head and found that Liu Wu Xin had grabbed her hand.
The emperor actually held my hand? Does she... does she understand my feelings now?
Yun Chunqiu's heart was overjoyed as she looked at Liu Wu Xin's slightly dazed expression, feeling incredibly happy. She pursed her lips and immediately puckered up her face to the latter's cheek, saying, "Your Majesty..."
splat
Before she could finish speaking, Liu Wu Xin reached out with her right hand, her fingers curling into claws and pinching Yun Chunqiu's small head.
It seems like it could be done in an instant, and with just one move, Yun Chunqiu's head could be crushed. The pain was so intense that tears were about to roll out of her eyes.
"You said that his hand, has grabbed yours?"
Liu Wu Xin asked with a trace of coldness in her voice.
Yun Chunqiu sensed Liu Wu Xin's anger and dared not hide the truth, "Yes, yes."
Yun Chunqiu's original intention was to make Liu Wu Xin see Chen Mo as a lecherous person in front of her, so that she would have no good feelings for him, and even develop a sense of aversion. However, her goal wasn't achieved, and instead, she was in danger herself.
Yun Chunqiu closed her eyes in terror. Liu Wu Xin's attitude spoke for itself, and she feared she was about to suffer. She had prepared herself for the punishment, but in the next moment, she suddenly felt warmth in her palm.
"This... I'm never going to wash my hands again in this lifetime."
Yun Chunqiu opened her eyes and saw that Liu Wu Xin had placed her cheek on Yun Chunqiu's palm, looking content.
Liu Wu Xin's one hand was tightly squeezing Yun Chunqiu's head, while the other hand held hers. Her cheek was pressed against her palm, her face flushed with a blush, and she smiled in an innocent manner, "The hand of my brother... it has my brother's warmth, my brother's scent..."
