Chapter 216 — Hooking Souls, Drawing Spirits

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.

Shen Mu said gravely, "Your Grace, my cult has lost two Heavenly Kings, and two seats of Heavenly King stand empty. Your Grace belongs to a great hereditary house and stands outside the sects — there should be no obstacle whatever to your becoming a Guardian Heavenly King of my cult, should there?"

The Duke of Wei gave two dry laughs and looked about him. The twenty experts who had joined hands to kill Sun Nantuo had already risen to their feet. The corner of his eye twitched. "I am the Duke of Wei. I hold office. Where would I find the time to be your Guardian Heavenly King? Why not give me some idle sinecure instead..."

Shen Mu smiled gently. "Rest assured, my Holy Cult is a loose affair. We will trouble Your Grace only when there is a fight to be had; Your Grace need do no more than lend us his name. Not only is the Guardian Heavenly King an idle post — even I, the cult master, am exceedingly idle. Had this affair not come up, I would not have come in person. And if Your Grace is unwilling, we will not press him. Your Grace need only swear an oath not to reveal what he has seen today, and he may leave. The world holds far too many misunderstandings about my Holy Cult; they take us for fiends who kill without blinking. Isn't that so, all of you?" With that he burst out laughing.

Below the platform, the Dark Demon Cultists laughed along with him — but their laughter never reached their eyes, and every face wore the look of men ready to turn and silence witnesses at any moment.

"I am willing!" the Duke of Wei said hastily.

Wei Yong hesitated. "Your Grace..."

"Shut up!"

The Duke of Wei swung his head around and snapped, "You have ruined me! A lifetime's reputation, all of it destroyed in the hands of you little brat. If you had not called out 'Brother Shen,' the two of us could still have walked away whole!"

Wei Yong pursed his lips. "Old Master, he said he would let us go. Why insist on joining the cult? Brother Shen has a kind heart. He is not the sort to be vicious and murderous."

The Duke of Wei blinked. "You really think he is not a vicious, murderous man? If he were not a vicious, murderous man, how could he ever have become the demon cult master of the Dark Demon Cult?"

Shen Mu coughed. "Heavenly King Wei, we generally call ourselves the Heavenly Sage Cult, not the Dark Demon Cult. And I am not a demon cult master, but a sage cult master. Do bear that in mind, Heavenly King Wei."

Wei Yong said excitedly, "Old Master, the title of Heavenly King rings far louder than Duke! Brother Shen, arrange a post for me too!"