[TL Note: Luring the snake out of its hole is a Chinese idiom for exposing a malefactor.]
“Master, it must be those monks! Master, I want to take revenge for Xiao Ming!” Ensnaring Performance said with a ferocious expression.
However, Ao Shun frowned slightly and shook his head. “No. Someone is targeting the beggar, but no one has taken him away in the past twelve years? Only targeting his family? Why?”
“Oh?” Ensnaring Performance felt slightly startled.
“Something is restraining them? Crown Prince?” Lin Shizi frowned.
“However, what does the beggar have to inspire such restraint? Did they not know that he possessed the Dao Devouring Physique before this?” Mu Chenfeng frowned.
Ao Shun shook his head. “If it is not his family, then it should be from outside. Rather, there should be a second faction targeting the beggar. Furthermore, they knew about each other and fought each other in secret. However, they did not let the beggar know about it. They care about the Dao Devouring Physique and fear it will suffer harm. Then, the beggar’s family were casualties of the clash?”
Everyone raised their eyebrows and nodded.
“There is another faction besides the monks? Who is it?” Ensnaring Performance felt slightly startled.
However, Gu Hai shook his head and narrowed his eyes slightly. “No, it is not those monks.”
“Oh?” Everyone looked at Gu Hai, feeling confused.
“Based on how heavily they valued the beggar, the Future Buddha should have had the chance to snatch the beggar away when they first arrived at Heavenly Mao City. He also had the ability to. However, he asked the Qian Heavenly Emperor for help. That proves that the Spirit Mountain Holy Land had no clue to the beggar’s whereabouts, what more monitoring him for twelve years?” Gu Hai said, his voice sinking.
“Oh!” This slightly startled everyone.
“It is likely that at least two factions are monitoring the beggar, aside from the Spirit Mountain Holy Land,” Gu Hai said sullenly.
“There are two other factions?” Everyone looked at the beggar in confusion.
“However, Master, how are we to find them?” Ensnaring Performance asked anxiously.
“To avoid alerting them, we should bring the beggar to Elite Hall first and lure them out,” Gu Hai said.
“Alright.” Everyone nodded.
The beggar looked at everyone, feeling confused. As Ensnaring Performance had taken him in as a disciple, he made sure to remember all this.
Gu Hai’s group carried the four coffins and left the large rubbish dump with the beggar. They flew out of Heavenly Mao City, heading for Elite Hall’s headquarters in Heavenly Chen City.
——
One day after this group left, a black-clad man appeared where the four graves used to be in the rubbish dump. He wore a conical bamboo hat that obscured his face.
“Gu Hai moved the four graves away? Humph! I should have destroyed them long ago. I hope they did not discover anything,” that black-clad man muttered.
After some silence, the black-clad man looked around. When he saw that there was no one around, he quickly left.
However, the black-clad man did not notice a bat hanging upside-down near the thatched hut. When this bat saw the black-clad man leaving, it spread its wings and silently followed him.
——
The phenomenon caused by the “Great Compassion Mantra” in Heavenly Mao City had covered all thirty-three cities, prompting many powerful experts from all over the place to investigate.
Even if the experts did not come, their subordinates and servants came to investigate.
By the time these experts arrived, word of Gu Hai’s exploits in Heavenly Mao City had already spread.
News of Elite Hall defeating the Spirit Mountain Holy Land seemed to have grown wings, quickly reaching all thirty-three cities.
In a courtyard within the thirty-three layers of heaven:
Seven Kills, Gong Tian, Dan Wang, and some others stood outside a small house, bowing respectfully in that direction.
“The imperial lord broke through again?” Gong Tian looked at a person beside him in surprise.
“It’s due to the ‘Great Compassion Mantra’ from the day before yesterday. Unexpectedly, the imperial lord managed to use that to make a breakthrough.”
“Speak softer. The imperial lord’s breakthrough cannot be interrupted,” someone else said coldly.
Everyone kept quiet after that.
A dull sound came from the small house eight hours later. Then, a powerful aura instantly encased the entire courtyard. Everyone there felt chills.
“Have you investigated it yet?” The Azure Emperor’s voice came from the small house.
“Imperial Lord, you broke through?” Seven Kills said with joy on his face.
“Hmm?” the Azure Emperor prompted in a deep voice.
“Oh! We have investigated it already. It’s Gu Hai. He has arrived. He was the one who played the ‘Great Compassion Mantra,’” Seven Kills immediately called out.
“Gu Hai?” The Azure Emperor’s cold voice came from the small house.
“Imperial Lord, Gu Hai is here. This humble one must have revenge for what happened in the Silver Moon Sea. Imperial Lord, please permit this!” Gong Tian said while glaring.
——
In a large palace hall in Heavenly Palace City:
“What? My brother-in-law is here? That strange, howling, ghostly thing from earlier was my brother-in-law’s piece?” Joy immediately appeared on Long Wanyu’s face.
“Yes, Princess. That howling, ghostly sound was the ‘Great Compassion Mantra,’” a maidservant said respectfully.
“How bold! How dare you call my brother-in-law’s piece howling and ghostly? That is solemn and dignified, a nice piece. How dare you talk bad about my brother-in-law?” Long Wanyu immediately glared.
“I…I…I…,” that maidservant stammered with a depressed expression.
Wasn’t the princess the one who called it howling and ghostly? She even said that she would teach the composer of that piece a lesson? I’m innocent!
“Bring her away and punish her with ten strokes of the paddle. Show everyone that anyone who dares to speak badly about my brother-in-law will suffer dire consequences!” Long Wanyu called out.
“Yes!” The other maidservants lowered their heads and dragged that maidservant out.
“Princess, I’m innocent! Princess!” that maidservant protested, struggling.
“How dare you try to argue?! Increase it to twenty strokes! Humph!” Long Wanyu called out.
However, Long Wanyu immediately turned happy again.
“Quickly, bring me to see Baldy Liu Nian. No, to Mo Yike. My brother-in-law is here! Hahaha! Let’s go welcome my brother-in-law!” Long Wanyu laughed excitedly.
“Yes, Princess!”
“Princess, should we bring Purple Subtlety and Longevity?” a subordinate asked softly.
“Just leave them. Let them continue eating!” Long Wanyu immediately called out.
“But…but…they have eaten nearly everything in our residence already. The monthly allowance that His Holy Eminence gives out and our savings are being used to buy food for them. However…we will…we will run out of money soon…,” that subordinate said with a bitter expression.
“Oh? Do we have a lot of money?” Long Wanyu felt slightly startled.
“Princess does not care about money, but Princess’s official residence receives the most money every month. Even the princes do not receive as much as we do. Furthermore, we saved for decades, so we had a lot. However, it is about to run out,” that subordinate said in despair.
Purple Subtlety and Longevity ate too prodigiously.
“Let them keep eating,” Long Wanyu said.
“However…however, we are running out of money!” that subordinate protested with a bitter expression.
“Go to the ministry of revenue and take however much you need,” Long Wanyu immediately said.
“Ah?” that subordinate said in shock.
That is the Qian Nation’s money. Every withdrawal requires His Holy Eminence’s permission first, yet you want me to take however much I need? Are you kidding me?
“What if they refuse?” that subordinate asked weakly.
“Tell them to go look for the old fogey. Say that I said that there’s no more money, and I want them to hand over some,” Long Wanyu replied briskly.
“That…that works?” that subordinate said in confusion.
“Don’t bother me with these minor matters. Hurry up. Arrange for a carriage! Bring me to see Mo Yike!” Long Wanyu said excitedly.
That subordinate wanted to ask more questions. After all, this seemed too strange. Does our princess’s official residence run the ministry of revenue? Will they bother with us?
Before that subordinate could say anything else, someone pulled that subordinate aside. “Are you crazy? Just do whatever the princess wants you to do. You are new and do not know many things. Don’t bother her and ruin her mood. Otherwise, you will be in for it.”
“But…can I get the money?”
“Did a camel kick your head? If the princess asks His Holy Eminence for the Heaven Splitting Ax just to have fun with it, His Holy Eminence might let her have it. What more some money? Do you need to be that careful? No. I dare guarantee that when you go to the ministry of revenue to get the money, they will obediently give it to you without even needing to report to His Holy Eminence.”
“Ah?!”
“The ministry of revenue offended the princess previously. In the end, the princess burned all its account books. Many of the ministry of revenue officials cried as a result. How could they dare to offend the princess again?”
——
The storm in Heavenly Mao City quickly calmed down. After all, this was the Qian Nation’s capital. Countless experts from all over the world gathered here during the lead-up to the Ten Thousand Sages Convention. Large commotions frequently happened.
Many people just looked up what happened, then no longer paid attention to it. However, some people remained exceptionally cautious, sending out various subordinates to check for more information in Heavenly Chen City.
Gu Hai had returned to Elite Hall’s headquarters in Heavenly Chen City.
Nothing happened on the first day. After the second and third days, Gu Hai’s deeds in Heavenly Mao City had spread everywhere.
At the very least, the Heavenly Chen City Lord’s subordinates had reported everything to him.
There was a scroll labeled “Gu Hai’s Ten Cardinal Offenses” in the Heavenly Chen City Lord’s study.
The ink on this scroll had yet to dry. Clearly, the Heavenly Chen City Lord had just written it.
“Is that really true?!” The Heavenly Chen City Lord stared at an official before him.
“Yes, City Lord. Gu Hai shot Bodhisattva Zi Zhu, drove Bodhisattva Jie Dong to insanity, severely injured one thousand arhats, completely embarrassed the Future Buddha, and shot the Heavenly Mao City Lord. However, many people said that Gu Hai gained His Holy Eminence’s appreciation,” that official said respectfully.
Clatter!
The brush in the Heavenly Chen City Lord’s hand fell onto the scroll.
“City Lord, are you still going to submit a complaint about Gu Hai?”
“City Lord, are you still going to send this ‘Gu Hai’s Ten Cardinal Offenses’ to the second crown prince and His Holy Eminence?”
“City Lord, we have already made ten copies of the ‘Gu Hai’s Ten Cardinal Offenses.’ Should we send them out?”
“Send, my ass! Destroy them! Quickly destroy them!” the Heavenly Chen City Lord immediately shouted in a rage.
“Yes!” Everyone nodded.
Fortunately, they have not been sent out yet. If they had been, I might have lost my position.
“Gu Hai!” the Heavenly Chen City Lord roared, feeling depressed.
——
In Elite Hall’s headquarters, Gu Hai studied the vast amounts of information stored there.
As he was reading, Ensnaring Performance suddenly walked over. “Master, the fish has taken the bait!”
“Oh?” Gu Hai put down the report in his hand. Then, he frowned lightly as he looked at Ensnaring Performance.
“Indeed, we managed to lure out the people behind his entire family’s death by using him as bait. I heard them. Although they moved very secretively, even set up a sound isolation barrier, they still exposed themselves. It is a person called Feng Tonglao. He has started laying a ritual array already,” Ensnaring Performance said with a serious expression.
“Feng Tonglao?” Gu Hai narrowed his eyes slightly.
