The official road connecting the Hu Family Mine and Qingshen Town was crude and dilapidated.
Since the mine was bound to be abandoned, Qingshen Town had no intention of investing much in it.
Xi Zichu strolled along with a maid disguised as a man, whispering and laughing, relaxed and at ease.
At the other end of the official road, a figure stood alone in the middle of the road.
Xi Zichu seemed not surprised at all: "Hu Shaomeng, even though you're not at the mine, you still know everything that happens there, don't you?"
"Cut the crap." Hu Shaomeng, who had been waiting for a long time and was already impatient, said: "What exactly is your purpose?"
"I should ask you, what's your purpose?" Xi Zichu retorted: "Hiring assassins to kill the envoy of the Chongxuan family, you really came up with that idea. Can such a thing be pinned on the Xi family? Would the Chongxuan family believe it?"
"You can eat recklessly, but you can't speak recklessly. Hiring assassins to kill the envoy of the Chongxuan family - wasn't that something those five families did together?"
"Oh, oh." Xi Zichu shook his head with a laugh: "True."
Hu Shaomeng suppressed the agitation in his heart: "So what exactly do you want to do?"
No one knew the truth better than him.
Hiring someone to assassinate Jiang Wang was indeed his doing.
After making contact, Jiang Wang refused the suggestion to immediately shut down the mine. His firm attitude made Hu Shaomeng uneasy. Later, he even slapped the face of the Chongxuan clan member that Hu You had invited.
Hu Shaomeng therefore realized that no matter what he said, it would be counterproductive. Jiang Wang might have sensed something and insisted on not leaving the Hu Family Mine.
One plan failed, and another was born.
Old Li was absolutely trustworthy. His confidant in Jiacheng was originally one of the dark pieces against the Xi family. Now was the perfect time to use him.
The Worldly Pavilion, this misnamed assassin organization, was carefully selected by him. The fact that its headquarters was far away in Cangfeng City was enough to enter his view.
Whether the Worldly Pavilion could kill Jiang Wang didn't matter.
If they could kill him, that would be fine too. The Chongxuan family was far away in the State of Qi, and it would still take some time to send someone to investigate.
What he needed was time - a blank period at the mine after Jiang Wang died.
If they couldn't kill Jiang Wang, making him leave would be the same.
Old Li, who had been hired to commit the assassination, had already been sent abroad by him.
After the assassination attempt, no matter which lead Jiang Wang followed, it wouldn't change the outcome.
If Jiang Wang went to Cangfeng City to confront the Worldly Pavilion, regardless of the outcome, just the time spent going there and back would achieve Hu Shaomeng's goal.
And if he went to investigate Old Li, that would be even more interesting.
Old Li would do everything he could to flee, increasing the difficulty of his pursuit. When he finally caught Old Li, he would "discover" that Old Li was a man of the Xi family, working for them!
This plan was virtually perfect, and as its maker, Hu Shaomeng was quite pleased with himself.
But the only thing he hadn't anticipated was that Jiang Wang captured the assassin on the spot, interrogated him for intelligence, but then didn't go anywhere - he just stayed put at the mine.
No matter which direction Jiang Wang went, he would be led by the nose. But when Jiang Wang stood firm and didn't move, the leash he held became useless.
At this point, Xi Zichu stepped forward to suppress the matter, making those small family heads bear the blame - this was something Hu Shaomeng hadn't expected.
It also made him particularly uneasy.
"What do you want to do?" Hu Shaomeng repeated again.
Xi Zichu stopped playing dumb with him and said flatly: "Whatever you want to do, I want to do the same."
Although he had some premonition after learning that Xi Zichu had suddenly returned to Jiacheng, Hu Shaomeng's face still turned pale: "You know everything?"
Whether it was killing that miner or killing that transcendent cultivator guarding the mine, it was all to cover up secrets. He thought he had done it airtight, but he hadn't expected to be exposed.
"Jiacheng is the Xi family's Jiacheng." Xi Zichu looked at him calmly: "Here, nothing can be hidden from me."
"But Qingshen Town belongs to the Hu family."
"Whatever Qingshen Town belongs to, let's discuss it after the people from the Chongxuan family leave." Xi Zichu changed the topic: "Two parties competing is better than three, don't you think?"
Hu Shaomeng was, after all, a person of significance, and quickly understood the pros and cons. Since the situation was irretrievable, he could only choose the lesser of two evils.
He asked directly: "On Jiang Wang's side, it can't be whatever you say - he will definitely interrogate again. Are you sure those people can be trusted?"
"The lives of their entire families are in my hands. They know very well what to say. Moreover, deep down in their hearts, this is the actual truth. So no matter how they are interrogated, there will be no problems."
Hu Shaomeng's face changed.
He understood very well what this meant.
Memory alteration!
Such a thing was not something a cultivator at the Soaring Dragon realm could achieve.
If it were just facing Xi Zichu himself, with his trump card, he still had a certain confidence to compete. But if the other party could mobilize power of this level, then everything he did was useless.
Driving away the Chongxuan family would also be meaningless.
"Don't be nervous." To avoid further complications, Xi Zichu explained: "I used the Recurring Dream Incense. My master only gave me half a stick, and now it's burned out."
He took out a burned-out remnant of the incense, which had only a faint residue and could no longer have any effect. "You can take it back and check."
Hu Shaomeng took the remnant incense. The mysterious aura had not dissipated - it was indeed the Recurring Dream Incense. He relaxed slightly, but still couldn't let down his guard.
Xi Zichu added: "You also know how precious this thing is. To cover the hole you poked, I had to use it. Since I've paid such a price, the reward must satisfy me."
Hu Shaomeng snorted coldly: "The Hu family could have operated this vein for another thirty years. What I've paid is no less than yours."
"Exactly because I saw you betting so heavily was I willing to gamble with you, Young Master Hu."
Xi Zichu laughed, put his arm around the maid dressed as a man, and strolled away.
There was one thing he hadn't said. That was, sending those small family heads to their deaths wasn't just to cover Hu Shaomeng's hole. Simply covering the hole could be done in other ways. There was no need to use a treasure like the Recurring Dream Incense.
The Xi family had controlled Jiacheng for many years and could suppress these small families with a flip of the hand. The reason they hadn't moved against them before was to reassure the Yang Kingdom court. They didn't want to create the reputation of seizing territory. And they lacked a justifiable reason.
But if the Chongxuan family killed these people, that would be different. These families brought their own destruction - they couldn't blame it on the Xi family.
He also wasn't worried that Hu Shaomeng would cause any more trouble. As long as he was given a little hope, a gambler who had already invested so much would not cut his losses and leave.
The more you invest, the harder it is to let go.
He and Hu Shaomeng both understood clearly: making the Chongxuan family leave was their common goal.
When two people could fill their stomachs, if a behemoth like the Chongxuan family squeezed in, everyone would go hungry.