196: Shadow Movement

Jun Xiaoyao sat on the sandalwood chair in the Core Hall of Beyond Heaven, his fingertips rotating a black jade ring as his gaze fell upon the floating water mirror before him.

The water mirror was divided into four sections, each reflecting scenes of Duanyun Valley, the banks of the Yangtze River, the Xuanbing Dynasty camp, and the headquarters of The Net.

The candlelight in the hall flickered, casting his silhouette onto the stone wall; it dimmed and brightened, resembling a crouching beast.

"Zhao Gao." He did not even lift his head, his voice calm and rippleless.

A bowing figure immediately stepped out from the shadows; it was Zhao Gao, who managed the daily affairs of The Net. "Young Lord."

"Is there news about the Woman in White in Duanyun Valley?"

Zhao Gao bowed and handed over a secret report. When opened, it revealed a hand-drawn portrait sent back by Little Dragon Girl—the woman in the painting wore white, whiter than snow, and her features bore a thirty percent resemblance to Little Dragon Girl, though there was a faint, elusive hint of evil at the corners of her mouth.

"Little Dragon Girl says that the shadow calls herself 'Lin Chaoying' and uses the Ancient Tomb sect's 'Heavenly Net Move', but the frigid nature of her Internal Energy far exceeds that of an ordinary Grandmaster, suggesting she may have Cultivated some forbidden technique."

Jun Xiaoyao's fingertips paused, the black jade ring tapping against the armrest of the chair with a crisp sound. "Lin Chaoying? Didn't she pass away long ago?"

He looked to the left side of the water mirror. In Duanyun Valley, Little Dragon Girl was confronting the Woman in White. Their Moves shared the same origin, yet one was righteous and the other evil. As their sleeves fluttered, they stirred up leaves that filled the sky, causing Linghu Chong to click his tongue in amazement from the sidelines, forgetting even to drink from the wine gourd in his hand.

"Little Dragon Girl says the opponent doesn't seem to recognize her, only repeatedly asking 'Where is Wang Chongyang?' When her emotions run high, black Qi emanates from her body, and her strength fluctuates wildly, at times reaching Mid-stage Grandmaster, and at others approaching the Heavenly Human Realm," Zhao Gao added. "Marshal of the Unruly has already led men to seal the valley entrance to prevent her from escaping."

Jun Xiaoyao looked to the right side of the water mirror, where the camp of the Xuanbing Dynasty was in chaos.

Zhao Xuan's lieutenant had his arm broken by Yue Fei's catapult and was howling while clutching his wound. After the news of the granary being burned spread, the soldiers began to whisper among themselves. Many tried to sneak toward the riverbank to escape, but Zhao Xuan personally beheaded two of them, which finally stabilized the situation for the moment.

"Zhao Xuan cannot hold on much longer," he said indifferently. "Send out the 'Shadow Group' of The Net to spread rumors in the Xuanbing camp, claiming that Zhao Xuan deliberately concealed the truth about the grain being burned to seize credit, not caring about the lives of his own brothers."

"Yes." Zhao Gao acknowledged, then handed over another dossier. "Additionally, the Jiangnan noble families have sent an envoy wanting to form an alliance with the Young Lord, saying they are willing to offer one-third of their family assets in exchange for Beyond Heaven helping them block the Xuanbing troops."

Jun Xiaoyao sneered, his fingertips sweeping across the water mirror. The manors of the Jiangnan noble families flashed by in the mirror; those pampered Young Masters were huddled around a sand table, their faces full of anxiety.

"Tell them that if they want an alliance, they can have it, but they must hand over all their family assets and send the family heads' legitimate sons to Beyond Heaven as hostages."

Zhao Gao hesitated, "Would that be too harsh? What if they turn and defect to the Xuanbing Dynasty..."

"They wouldn't dare." Jun Xiaoyao interrupted him, his gaze falling on the center of the water mirror. Yue Fei was standing on the embankment, his black armor stained red with blood for the most part, yet he remained as straight as a pine. His long spear pointed to the sky, and the soldiers behind him followed with shouts that shook the clouds.

"Yue Fei can hold the riverbank; whether they beg me or not, the result is the same. But the benefits of Beyond Heaven cannot be taken for free."

At this moment, a powerful aura suddenly erupted in Duanyun Valley within the water mirror. Lin Chaoying's black Qi condensed into a black Dragon, spiraling as it charged toward Little Dragon Girl.

Seeing this, Linghu Chong threw away his wine gourd and drew his sword to engage. The 'Qi-Breaking Move' of the Nine Swords of Dugu struck directly at the seven-inch mark of the black Dragon. Little Dragon Girl seized the opportunity to unleash the 'Jade Maiden Heart Sutra' sword style, and with their swords combined, they actually sliced the black Dragon into two pieces.

"Interesting." Jun Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow. "Linghu Chong's 'winning without Moves' combined with Little Dragon Girl's Jade Maiden Heart Sutra is unexpectedly compatible."

Zhao Gao said, "Little Dragon Girl sent word that Lin Chaoying's forbidden technique seems to have a backlash; she becomes weak for a while after each eruption, and now is the perfect time to capture her."

Jun Xiaoyao shook his head. "No rush." He looked at the Woman in White in the water mirror, who was at times manic and at times dazed. "The forbidden technique on her is very strange; let's observe first. Tell Little Dragon Girl to keep her alive."

As they were speaking, the Xuanbing camp in the water mirror suddenly became agitated. The people of the Shadow Group were indeed formidable; within half an hour, the rumors had spread.

A limping soldier raised his short spear and cried, "My younger brother worked at the granary and was burned to death long ago! Yet Zhao Xuan concealed it and kept us fighting on empty stomachs; he's trying to force us to our deaths!"

These words were like a spark falling into a powder keg. More and more people followed suit, and some even began to storm Zhao Xuan's command tent.

Zhao Xuan was so angry that his eyes turned blood-red. He drew his sword and killed the ringleader of the disturbance, but it failed to stop the chaos.

He looked toward the river; Yue Fei's defensive line remained solid. He turned back to look at Duanyun Valley, where the fire from the grain supplies illuminated half the sky—his retreat was cut off, his path forward was blocked, and he was in a dilemma.

"Young Lord, the morale of the Xuanbing camp has collapsed." A flash of excitement crossed Zhao Gao's eyes. "Should we have Yue Fei take the opportunity to counterattack?"

Jun Xiaoyao looked toward the gradually quieting Duanyun Valley in the water mirror. Lin Chaoying had been subdued by Little Dragon Girl and was curled up on the ground, shivering. After the black Qi receded, it revealed a pale, fragile face. "Wait a little longer," he said softly. "Once Lin Chaoying regains consciousness, perhaps we can ask her for something useful."

A burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall; it was a trusted subordinate of the Marshal of the Unruly. "Young Lord, Little Dragon Girl asks: Lin Chaoying refuses to speak; should we use torture?"

Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertips on the armrest of his chair and pondered for a moment. "Have Linghu Chong try."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, not understanding why a drunkard should be sent to interrogate someone. But no one dared to question Jun Xiaoyao's order, and the message was quickly sent to Duanyun Valley.

Linghu Chong was squatting on the side drinking wine. Upon hearing this, he scratched his head, walked up to Lin Chaoying, and handed her the remaining half jug of wine. "Have a few sips? You might just forget your troubles."

Lin Chaoying looked up, a flash of confusion in her eyes. She actually took the wine jug and tilted her head back to gulp down a few mouthfuls. The wine flowed down the corners of her mouth, making her look somewhat disheveled, but it also washed away some of her hostility. "Who are you?" she murmured. "Wang Chongyang... does he also like to drink, just like you?"

Linghu Chong chuckled. "My name is Linghu Chong, not Wang Chongyang. But I know that if you have something bottled up inside, it's better to let it out."

Little Dragon Girl and the Marshal of the Unruly exchanged glances, both seeing surprise in the other's eyes. They had not expected that Linghu Chong's seemingly carefree nature would be more effective than torture instruments.

A faint smile curled the corners of Jun Xiaoyao's lips in front of the water mirror. What he wanted was never a simple victory, but the secrets hidden behind it—Lin Chaoying's forbidden technique, the trump cards of the Xuanbing Dynasty, the weaknesses of the Jiangnan noble families... these were the resources that Beyond Heaven truly needed.

"Zhao Gao," he suddenly said, "bring the envoy of the Jiangnan noble families in; tell them I agree to the alliance."

Zhao Gao was stunned. "Young Lord, didn't you say you wanted them to hand over their family assets and send hostages?"

"Times change." Jun Xiaoyao looked at the gradually loosening expression of Lin Chaoying in the water mirror. "There are more important things for them to do."

When the envoy of the Jiangnan noble families walked into the Core Hall trembling with fear, he saw such a scene: Jun Xiaoyao sat upright in his chair, and while the water mirror showed flames of war, he remained calm and composed, as if he controlled everything in the world. The envoy felt a chill in his heart, suddenly realizing that the Young Master of Tianwaitian before him was far more elusive and terrifying than the legends suggested.

Jun Xiaoyao's gaze, however, had already passed over the envoy and landed deep within the water mirror—there, Lin Chaoying was slowly opening her mouth, uttering a name regarding the "Chongyang Palace Secret Treasure."