Chapter 2298 - A Scheme Within a Scheme

Lu Qingmei smiled. “This is a risky move. If I lose, I might face insurmountable catastrophe. However, if I succeed, I might well soothe the regret in my heart.”

Su Yi gazed intently at her.

She hasn’t changed. She’s as shrewd and unfathomable as ever.

“What about you? Why did you come to the Severed Heavens Demon Court?” asked Lu Qingmei. “You even brought three murderous old men with you.”

“I came here to kill you, of course," said Su Yi.

Lu Qingmei laughed and shook her head. “You won’t do it. I understand you far too well. The more you hate me, the less willing you’ll be to see others kill me. You want to do it yourself. Only then can you sever the knots in your heart.”

Su Yi didn’t deny it. That was indeed the way he felt. He really did want to kill Lu Qingmei himself.

“If I’m not mistaken, you came here because you guessed that Hua Hongzhen would realize that someone had leaked information,” said Lu Qingmei, a faint hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “And as the one behind all this, I was sure to run into trouble. Thus, you came in person to help me resolve it.”

She paused, then sighed. “Of course, it’s not that you really want to help me, but that you don’t want to owe me a favor.”

Su Yi didn’t deny this, either. That was indeed exactly how he felt. Even if he ran into danger, he wouldn’t sink to asking Lu Qingmei for help.

But Lu Qingmei’s thinking was obviously a bit overly simplistic.

Su Yi said, “If I’m not mistaken, the Severed Heavens Demon Master didn’t figure out who I am on his own, but you didn’t tell him, either. It was the Dipankara Buddha, right?”

Lu Qingmei nodded. “That’s right. I find it rather strange, too. The old bald donkey’s all the way in the Ancient Nirvana Divine Continent. How did he figure it out?”

She paused to mull it over, then said, “Hmm. If it’s as I suspect, it was the situation with the Rahu Yao Ancestor and the battle at Cloudy Heights Temple that did it.”

There was no denying that she was a clever one. Su Yi didn’t even need to explain anything; she’d pieced it together herself!

“Your thinking is still a bit overly simplistic,” said Su Yi. “If the Dipankara Buddha suspected my identity, why tell the Severed Heavens Demon Master, and why risk letting you find out about his plans?”

The pupils of Lu Qingmei’s beautiful eyes constricted. She, too, realized that something wasn’t right here, and the look on her face shifted.

“You understand the Severed Heavens Demon Master’s disposition and conduct. The Dipankara Buddha understands him, too,” said Su Yi. “If I’m not mistaken, the Dipankara Buddha predicted that the Severed Heavens Demon Master would be too afraid to go to Qingwu Divine Court and investigate my identity in person.

“He also must have known that Severed Heavens could contact Hua Hongzhen. If I’m not mistaken, he likely even guessed that Hua Hongzhen wouldn’t take action lightly either, and would instead feign ignorance to try to keep me from leaving the sect until he was ready to strike.”

Lu Qingmei finally seemed to understand. Her beautiful face filled with uncertainty. “Now that I leaked information, you’re not the only one who’s been exposed. I’m sure the Dipankara Buddha will realize that I... was the one who warned you!”

Her brow furrowed in confusion. “But why test me like that? Why shake the grass and alert the serpent when he could just prepare a deathtrap and deal a lethal blow while you were off guard?”

Su Yi said calmly, “And what if someone leaked that plan, too?”

Lu Qingmei stiffened. She instantly understood.

If someone leaked the Dipankara Buddha’s plans, it wouldn’t matter how meticulous his schemes were. It would be hard for him to succeed!

In other words, the Dipankara Buddha’s most recent scheme wasn’t really targeting Su Yi. He was trying to root out anyone who’d leak information!

“Why would that old bald donkey suddenly suspect I’d leak information? Or... has he long since suspected me?” Lu Qingmei was obviously startled, and she struggled to calm down.

“It might have something to do with you, but it's connected to the Rahu Yao Ancestor, too,” said Su Yi. “The battle at Cloudy Heights Temple told the Dipankara Buddha that the Rahu Yao Ancestor was not to be trusted. It also helped him piece together my identity, because I accompanied the Feng Family to the Extreme Lightning Demon Cave still under the guise of Xiao Jian. The whole situation simply didn’t hold up to scrutiny.

“It’s possible that after the demise of Cloudy Heights Temple, the Dipankara Buddha realized he needed to cleanse his allies. Otherwise, with people like the Rahu Yao Ancestor around to leak information, it would be hard for any of his future plans to succeed.”

Su Yi looked at Lu Qingmei. “There’s no doubt about it. His plan succeeded, and you’ve been exposed.”

Lu Qingmei’s expression shifted erratically. She really hadn’t considered the matter so deeply earlier. She’d just assumed that the Dipankara Buddha wanted to borrow the Severed Heavens Demon Master’s hands to kill his enemy.

It was only now that she realized that he was after something else entirely!

“I understand. Even if I hadn’t warned you, you’d have been just fine.” Lu Qingmei let out a self-deprecating laugh. “My ‘help’ was as useless as drawing legs on a serpent. All I’ve done is hurt myself.”

Su Yi shook his head. “No matter how perfect a plan is, there’s always a risk of variables. At the very least, there’s no way the Dipankara Buddha could have known that even though Hua Hongzhen never attacked me, his eldest disciple, Liang Lingxu, was already planning to kill me.”

Su Yi couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of it.

Liang Lingxu’s attempt to target him had likely driven Hua Hongzhen mad with fury.

“But in the end, his plan still succeeded, didn’t it?” Lu Qingmei said through gnashed teeth. The Dipankara Buddha’s schemes had infuriated her.

Most importantly, after this, she’d have to face extremely dire consequences!

A moment later, she realized something, and her eyes lit up. She said tentatively, “Did you come to warn me about the Dipankara Buddha?”

Su Yi said calmly, “No, I just wanted to make them even more suspicious that you still had feelings for me, and that you were a traitor in their ranks.”

“....” Lu Qingmei didn’t know what to say to that.

Su Yi took out a jug of wine and had a sip. “You could consider this a form of retribution. This might not be enough to leave your reputation in shambles, but both your master and your other allies will see you as an enemy going forward.”

Lu Qingmei’s expression shifted erratically, but in the end, she smiled. “No matter what, you came for me today, and you effectively saved my life. It doesn’t matter whether you don’t want to owe me a favor or whether you want to destroy my reputation. I’m still happy.”

Su Yi’s brow furrowed.

Boom!

But then, a heaven-shaking explosion went off in the distance.

Su Yi instantly understood what was going on. “Something has happened. If I’m not mistaken, reinforcements have rushed to the Severed Heavens Demon Master’s aid.”

“You predicted this?” exclaimed Lu Qingmei.

“Zang Wushu and the others revealed themselves to the world at Skybright Mountain. Now, no matter where they go, our enemies’ informants will find them,” said Su Yi. “Furthermore, what happened at Qingwu Divine Court undoubtedly alerted our enemies, and they’ve picked up some of the clues. They were likely already keeping tabs on the Severed Heavens Demon Court, too.

“This is, after all, the Dipankara Buddha’s scheme. He’s naturally watching to see how the situation develops.”

Here, he looked at Lu Qingmei. “You can leave.”

Lu Qingmei fell briefly silent, then said out of nowhere, “If I said I was willing to join forces with you to kill your enemies... would you accept my aid?”

“I’m sure you already know the answer to that,” said Su Yi.

Lu Qingmei’s expression darkened. She took a deep breath, then said, “From my perspective, what happened here today wasn’t a bad thing. You, on the other hand... had best be careful.

“These aren’t ‘fake feelings.’ Rather, I want to make up for my mistakes even if it costs me my life, and I don’t want my child to lose his father!”

With that, she decisively turned and left.

Su Yi silently drank a sip of wine.

My son, huh? Even if Yi Chen really is my son, there’s no way I’ll forgive you!

Su Yi’s heart was staunch and determined. This wasn’t enough to confuse him.

When he first regained his memories in the Human Realm, he made up his mind to kill his biological father, Su Hongli.

He did it, too.

He’d never been at all concerned about others cursing him as a patricide.

He wouldn’t spare Lu Qingmei, either!

Suddenly, Wan Zitian, Zang Wushu, and the Heaven-Swallowing Toad Ancestor shot over from afar. “Brother Fuyou, hurry up and retreat!”

They didn’t explain. They simply led Su Yi into the distance.

Not long after they’d left, a group of terrifying figures rushed in with fierce momentum.

In addition to the Severed Heavens Demon Master, Yu Xun, and Li Shuiyun, there were numerous other terrifying Nine-Tribulation Master Gods!

“No need to give chase,” sighed the Severed Heavens Demon Master.

The others didn’t object. As experts of the same level, all of them knew that the forces they had on hand weren’t enough to destroy Wan Zitian and the others.

Barring sudden, lethal variables, it was all but impossible to kill a Nine-Tribulation Master God.

That had been true long ago, when they’d pursued Yi Daoxuan. Chases often lasted for years, and the longest went on for several thousand years straight!

After all, what peak Undying Realm Expert

didn’t

have a few life-saving cards and escape measures up their sleeves?

“It’s a pity that Su Yi escaped!” someone said with a sigh.

“Nah, it’s fine. If Su Yi were here, who knows what unexpected variables might have arisen?” someone said dismissively.

“Fellow Daoist Yu Xun, what happened here today proves that your senior apprentice sister is a traitor. You’ve got to report to your master as soon as possible!” someone urged.

“Shut your mouth!” snapped Yu Xun. “How could I not realize that already? Do you really think I need you to remind me?”

He looked utterly wretched. Earlier, the Heaven-Swallowing Toad Ancestor, Wan Zitian, and Zang Wushu had suddenly joined forces against him, striking to kill. They’d caught him off guard.

He’d been badly injured in the process, almost dying. That was why mentioning his senior apprentice sister pissed him off so badly.

Hm?

Suddenly, Yu Xun took a talisman out of his sleeves. When he saw the message inside, he was unwittingly stunned.

“Fellow Daoist Yu Xun, what happened?” The Severed Heavens Demon Master couldn’t help but ask.

Yu Xun didn’t hide it. He said directly, “Master sent me a message telling me to return to the sect immediately. She also told me... that my senior apprentice sister is already on her way back.”

The group was stunned.

How could a traitor colluding with Su Yi in secret be so bold as to go back to see her master, Gu Huaxian?