Chapter 1353: Conspiracy

“Sigh, it looks like I’ve frightened you all after all. My sin is great!”

The Confucian shook his head regretfully.

“Forgive us, master!”

The four women hurriedly dropped to their knees and pleaded for mercy.

“What are you doing? Rise! Why would I blame you for my own mistake?”

The Confucian gestured for them to stand, but the women still looked worried and afraid. He sighed. “I was hoping to indulge in one last moment of pleasure before I depart for the afterlife, but alas, it is not meant to be.”

“Oh well. Be on your way. He’s going to arrive any moment now.”

“Thank you, master. Thank you...”

The four beauties hurriedly fled the room as if they had been pardoned from death.

“Fine wine without a beautiful companion is such a lamentable thing!”

The Confucian lifted his wine jar and drank through the mouth, a stream of wine sliding down his neck and making him look even more handsome and uninhibited than he already was. By the time the wine flowed down his throat, a man had already appeared in front of him. A young man.

“Are you the one spying on me just now?”

The young man was, of course, Ye Qing.

“It is I,” The Confucian admitted with a smile before sitting up straight. “No amount of hearsay can beat a true meeting. I am Fang Zhaoyi. A pleasure to meet you, Brother Ye.”

“Fang Zhaoyi?” Ye Qing asked coldly, “What is your relationship with Fang Zhiyong?”

“You truly are impressive, Brother Ye.” Fang Zhaoyi replied smilingly, “He is my adopted father, and I his adopted son.”

Ye Qing wondered out loud, “Have you come to take revenge for Fang Muyun?”

“Yes and no.” Fang Zhaoyi both nodded and shook his head. “To be more accurate, I am ordered to kill you. The one who desires revenge is my adopted father, not me.”

“I understand.” Ye Qing nodded.

Clearly, Fang Zhaoyi and Fang Muyun did not share a true brother’s bond despite being “brothers”. Forget being sad, Fang Muyun’s death might even be a good outcome for him. That was why he said that he hadn’t come to take revenge for Fang Muyun.

“So, you’re the one who plotted the Yin Horse Carriage incident.”

“Indeed.” Fang Zhaoyi nodded in acknowledgement before asking curiously, “But how did you know?”

“According to Pacification Bureau regulations, a person-in-charge must always stay behind at the headquarters no matter how critical a Stranger or Anomaly crisis is. However, Chief Fang and Chief Gu were ordered to bring everyone to investigate the disappearance of White Horse county. This doesn’t fit their public or personal method of operation.”

Ye Qing explained, “Besides that, Chief Fang, Chief Gu, Chu Nianjiu and Lin Yuhuai are all friends of mine. It is hard not to suspect that their disappearance is a conspiracy and trap against me.”

“Excellently deduced. They all say that you are extraordinarily intelligent, and you have more than proved that today!”

Fang Zhaoyi asked, “But if you know that this is a trap and a conspiracy against you, then why did you still set foot into it?”

“Don’t you already know?” Ye Qing countered. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t bother with such a trap to begin with.”

“I’ll admit this though. I wasn’t actually sure if this was a trap until I saw you.”

Yes, Ye Qing suspected something was amiss, but it had remained a suspicion until he saw Fang Zhaoyi.

To give an example, it was akin to being sure about his answer after he checked the test results.

“Haha! You really are a man of passion, Brother Ye! What an interesting man you are!”

Fang Zhaoyi laughed heartily. “If the circumstances were any different, I would gladly enjoy a drink with you.”

Indeed, this was all a conspiracy and a trap targeted against Ye Qing.

By chance, he had obtained a method to summon the Yin Horse Carriage, though he couldn’t control it. Still, it was enough for him to come up with this conspiracy.

By using the Yin Horse Carriage, he sent Fang Xiaoman, Gu Suitang, Chu Nianjiu and Lin Yuhuai—all of them Ye Qing’s friends—to a place of great mysteries and danger.

Knowing Ye Qing’s personality, he was sure that the young man would not abandon them. He would do everything he could to save them.

Knowing Ye Qing’s strength, it was only a matter of time before he found out that the Yin Horse Carriage was behind his friends’ disappearance. Even if the young man failed, he could simply summon the Yin Horse Carriage again.

One way or another, Ye Qing would ride the Yin Horse Carriage into the unknown, mysterious, and dangerous.

Those kinds of places were notorious for their deadliness.

Assuming everything went as planned, Ye Qing would die without needing him to lift a finger, and he would fulfill Fang Zhiyong’s mission for him.

Alas, Ye Qing somehow carved out a way out of the death trap he had set for him and ruined his plan completely.

Actually, that wasn’t right. His plan was mostly ruined, but he hadn’t lost yet.

He still had two backup plans. Well, one, since one of those backup plans was unusable from the looks of it.

His first backup plan was the three Half-Sages he had brought with him and scattered in the area. In his imagination, Ye Qing would be severely injured even if he managed to come back from that unknown place alive. If true, then he could play the oriole.

Unfortunately, Ye Qing’s aura was obviously healthy, strong, and perfect. It was the same for the unfathomable old man standing beside him.

In other words, there was no way he could kill Ye Qing even if the young man had kindly stepped into his ambush. This backup plan was basically a dud.

His second backup plan was Faceless, Wawa, Kungfu Frog[1], and the families of Fang Xiaoman, Gu Suitang, Chu Nianjiu and Lin Yuhuai.

Yes, he had captured all these people and Strangers to threaten Ye Qing.

If Ye Qing could risk his own life for his Pacification Bureau friends, there was no way he would ignore the hostages’ plight.

“We can still have that drink now if you are willing,” Ye Qing replied.

“I would, but I really can’t. It’s already too late.”

Fang Zhaoyi shook his head. “I have captured your three Stranger friends—Faceless, Wawa, and Kungfu Frog. Looking at the time, they’re probably at the capital already.”

“Also, I have captured the families of Fang Xiaoman, Gu Suitang, Chu Nianjiu and Lin Yuhuai. Just the same, they have been escorted to the imperial capital.”

“You even captured their families?”

Ye Qing’s gaze darkened as he locked onto Fang Zhaoyi with his energies.

He expected Fang Zhaoyi to capture Faceless, Wawa, and Kungfu Frog, but they went so far as to capture his friends’ families as well?

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Fang Zhaoyi let out a muffled groan as if he was struck by lightning. The soft bed under him shattered soundlessly into powder.

“They’re members of the Pacification Bureau and imperial officials. Don’t you think it’s beyond the pale to kidnap their families?”

“It’s fine. One cannot make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.”

Although Fang Zhaoyi looked pained and pale, he remained calm and collected.

“Aren’t you worried that I would spread the news of your misdeeds?”

Ye Qing asked curiously, “Fang Zhiyong would be decried by everyone, the imperial court would step in, and the Pacification Bureau would definitely fight you to the bitter end. Aren’t you afraid of the consequences?”

1. AYYYYYYY MENTION! ☜