Chapter 569: Attacking Ao Shuai

"Do you not intend to speak? Do you want me to torture you?" Xiao Nanfeng demanded.

Killing intent surrounded him as he pointed the divine undying blade at the archer. A wave of tremendous pressure surged forth.

"Please calm down, Martial Aspect Xiao! I'll talk. I'm the second son of the lord of a far-flung city in Dayin. The cultivators who were taking you on are all children of Dayin officials—we're all loyal to Dayin," the archer began.

"Oh?"

"We were all familiar with each other and had had a gathering before the tournament. That was why we ended up working together. All of us wanted to obtain the pagoda of quintessential solarfire and protect the reputation of Dayin cultivators, so we sought to claim first place."

"Don't ramble. Focus on the details," Xiao Nanfeng demanded.

"We knew that you were participating in this tournament, Martial Aspect Xiao, and viewed you as the top-priority target we would have to take down. We each bought relics and came up with stratagems against you."

"I want to know about the princess' whereabouts. What's all this nonsense?"

"It's not nonsense. I don't know where the princess is, nor what your letter is about," the archer replied.

"Do you take me for a fool? You said you were going to tell me about the mastermind—and now you claim complete ignorance of what's going on!"

"I have a clue that might lead to the mastermind. Please allow me to finish, Martial Aspect Xiao," the archer said hastily.

"Oh?"

"I can point to the origin of this Sunfell Bow and Sunstrike Arrows."

"Continue," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Forging these relics is almost impossible due to the scarcity of the required materials, let alone the finished products. We searched all over, but weren't able to find even a hint as to where to procure the required materials. The second day after you registered for Dayin's martial tournament, however, someone deliberately sold it at a steep discount."

"A steep discount?"

"Indeed. That person sold the bow and arrows at an incredibly cheap price, about how much one of the required materials would cost on its own. Martial Aspect Xiao, why do you think they would do so, and to the Dayin armory no less? It was clear that we were searching for these bow and arrows. We wanted to defeat you, so we used our connections to purchase the relics. It's clear that whoever sold them to us is the mastermind—who else would target you at such a critical moment? Perhaps that person is responsible for kidnapping the princess and writing you that letter as well!"

"Whoever it was must have been trying to kill Xiao Nanfeng."

"This was a scheme to entrap Xiao Nanfeng and kill him..."

"If Xiao Nanfeng hadn't been overwhelmingly strong, he really might have perished to the Sunfell Bow, Sunstrike Arrows, and the group of True Yin cultivators..."

The cultivators all around began to murmur to each other.

On the mountain peak not far away, Ao Shuai began to twitch. He couldn't help but tense.

"Master, is that archer going to expose you?" the Martial Aspect of Violetfrost asked in worry.

"It'll be fine. I disguised myself, so no one knows that I'm responsible." Ao Shuai rubbed at his cane and frowned.

"I have an uneasy premonition."

Afar, the archer continued, "Martial Aspect Xiao, I have evidence to verify my claims, and detailed records of the relics' sale and subsequent purchase can be found at the government-run armory. If you want to know the details, feel free to inquire with the officials beyond. Have them look over the accounts and identify the seller."

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Xiao Nanfeng sensed traces of a brewing conspiracy.

Just then, a voice announced, "The prime minister has arrived!"

Zipping over from atop a white cloud were a group of figures led by the prime minister of Dayin, Mo Shanhe.

"We greet the prime minister!" The officials supervising the tournament bowed.

"What's going on? I was handling affairs of state when I suddenly received a spate of reports stating that something had gone amiss with the martial tournament."

"Prime Minister, nothing's wrong with the tournament. Martial Aspect Xiao caused a huge disturbance as a result of the fight that he just undertook. Before this, ..." an official reported.

Within the barrier, Xiao Nanfeng narrowed his eyes, sensing that something was amiss. He was planning to cause a ruckus during the interrogation to force Mo Shanhe to show himself, but Mo Shanhe had arrived far ahead of schedule, and specifically while Xiao Nanfeng was questioning the archer. Had this all been part of another scheme?

"Martial Aspect Xiao, I've just learned of what has happened. I will do my utmost to assist you in unveiling the mastermind who has kidnapped the princess and conspired to kill a Martial Aspect of the Imperial Court," Mo Shanhe pledged.

Xiao Nanfeng frowned. Mo Shanhe and the archer were interacting with each other in far too cooperative a manner.

"Archer, in which armory did you buy these relics?" Mo Shanhe asked.

The archer immediately reported the armory and the approximate time during which he did so.

"Bring the shopkeepers in charge of the armory over, along with their records!" Mo Shanhe instructed.

"Understood!"

A group of Dayin officials hurried off and returned in almost no time at all.

An elder in the lead bowed respectfully. "I greet the prime minister. I run the armory in question. I learned of what was going on from the officials sent to fetch me, and I was the one who purchased the Sunfell Bow."

"Do you remember the seller?" Mo Shanhe asked.

"I suspect that he was wearing a disguise, so even if I were to describe his features, they may not prove useful. However, Prime Minister, I do have a means of tracking him down."

"Oh?"

"At the time of purchase, it was known that Martial Aspect Xiao would be participating in the tournament. That he cultivated the Sky of Ten Suns was public knowledge. Given that information, the appearance of someone selling these relics that countered his technique made me realize that something might well be amiss. To avoid being implicated, I came up with a means of tracking the seller."

"What means?"

"Within my armory was a piece of black jade that sealed an ancient curse. Despite being incredibly valuable in its own right, it pales in comparison to that of the Sunfell Bow. I felt that the transaction would be a huge windfall for me, but that it might come with commensurate danger. As a result, I chose to use that piece of jade as insurance. I prepared tea with that piece of jade immersed in the boiling water, allowing the curse to dissolve within. Then, I ground the black jade into powder and scattered it on the Sunfell Bow, establishing a sympathetic link between the bow and its seller. Activating the curse with spiritual power suffices to track him down."

Afar, Ao Shuai blanched. "This was a trap!"

The spectators glanced askance at each other. That old shopkeeper was clearly a schemer.

"Archer, infuse your spiritual power into the Sunfell Bow immediately. We'll hunt down the culprit right away," Mo Shanhe instructed.

"Understood!" The archer gritted his teeth despite his injuries and began to channel spiritual power into it.

A cloud of black smoke emerged from the Sunfell Bow, which shot toward the tournament barrier like an arrow. The smoke from the curse was sinister; it easily penetrated the barrier and shot toward the peak of a mountain in the distance.

"Over there!" countless spectators cried out.

Atop the fog-wreathed mountain peak were what seemed to be a few cultivators. The cursed arrow dispelled all the fog around it, revealing those who lay within.

The black fog surrounded an elderly cultivator, causing him to groan in pain. The curse seemed to be triggering his internal strength; a burst of energy exploded from him and shattered his disguise. A young man was revealed to the world.

He groaned again, spat out a mouthful of blood and slumped to the ground.

Those around him hastily helped him up.

"Isn't that Ao Shuai?

The son of the Eastern Aspect of the Imperial Court, Ao Shuai? He was the culprit?!"

"So the mastermind behind this entire affair was someone from the Imperial Court?

The cultivators murmured to each other. Some had recognized Ao Shuai immediately, a surprising feat. It was clear that Mo Shanhe had had a few subordinates among the crowd to reveal who Ao Shuai the moment he was revealed.