Chapter 29: The Arrow Is on the String, There Is No Turning Back

Dong County, Qingshan County.
The twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month; only five days remain until the Grand River God Festival!

Within the county government office, the four main Foundation Establishment pillars—Qiao Xuan, Wen Renjie, Young Master Kongxu, and Xu Xiao—had all arrived. Xu Xiao was the last to reach the meeting.

As he watched Xu Xiao return alone, the disappointment in Zhang Qingyun’s eyes was impossible to mask. "Is Daoist Jiang still refusing to see anyone?"

Xu Xiao shook his head. "The young acolyte said Daoist Jiang is currently in secluded meditation and will not see any visitors. I could not force my way into the Qingxuan Temple, so I had no choice but to return."

Young Master Kongxu let out a cold laugh upon hearing this. "That Daoist Jiang is a high-ranking master from Penglai; why would he ever concern himself with the likes of us, mere rogue cultivators?"

"Us going to beg him like this only makes us look like we have no sense of propriety. To outsiders, it would look as though we are desperately trying to cling to someone of his stature."

The others did not pay much mind to this snide remark; after all, Young Master Kongxu had returned empty-handed without even catching a glimpse of Jiang Sheng, so some resentment was to be expected.

Wen Renjie’s expression turned grim. "We are to assemble everyone and set out tomorrow, and the day after is the time to strike. With Daoist Jiang currently in seclusion, if he does not appear in two days, our plan will have a gaping hole."

As these words fell, both Qiao Xuan and Xu Xiao’s faces darkened. It was true—everyone acknowledged the immense strength of Jiang Sheng, which made him the most suitable candidate for the primary assault. In the original plan, both Qiao Xuan and Wen Renjie had intended for Jiang Sheng to lead the attack while they provided support from the flanks. After all, rogue cultivators are most protective of their own lives, knowing full well that once dead, even a good reputation is useless.

As for Young Master Kongxu, he had no such intentions. He planned to betray and ambush Jiang Sheng during the siege of the River God to secure his own maximum benefit. To seize the treasures of the Purple Palace, slay a hidden rival like Jiang Sheng, and perhaps even occupy his Daoist temple—that would be three birds with one stone.

Zhang Qing, watching these high-and-mighty Foundation Establishment cultivators—who were treated as honored guests wherever they went in Dong County—felt a subtle sense of irritation. Everyone had their own hidden agendas; with a great battle looming, they were still calculating their own petty interests without a thought for the greater picture. The character of these rogue cultivators was truly beneath contempt.

Xu Xiao, observing her clever friend, couldn't help but sigh inwardly. How could she not know that Zhang Qing was actually treating these rogue cultivators as mere pawns? Yet, among these rogue cultivators who had managed to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, how many were truly fools? They knew perfectly well that a pawn serves no purpose once its utility is exhausted; would they be content to be discarded so easily?

As it stood, everyone was united on the surface, but in reality, each of them held a contingency plan. How much of a chance of victory they truly had against the demon in the river was anyone’s guess. Thinking this, Xu Xiao inexplicably thought of Jiang Sheng in Qingping Mountain. Had the Daoist already foreseen all of this, and that was why he chose not to come, standing entirely outside the chessboard?

Zhang Qing sighed, her beautiful face filled with determination. "Everyone, we have no path of retreat now; the plan must proceed as scheduled."

"On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, I will personally lead the others with my father to East River Town. By then, the others will draw the rogue cultivators' attention, and you only need to choose your moment to strike."

Qiao Xuan, still looking like an old farmer, puffed on his dry tobacco pipe. He remained silent for a long while before saying, "For now, this is the only way."

Wen Renjie laughed with an air of detachment. "In my life, I have slain many powerful enemies, but never a River God. Now that I have this opportunity, I would like to try."

Seeing that the others had agreed, Young Master Kongxu naturally raised no objections. Regardless of whether Jiang Sheng went or not, he intended to defect anyway. Though he would never admit it, he would be more at ease and have a higher chance of success if Jiang Sheng were absent. Therefore, he nodded, putting on a dashing facade. "This young master is not afraid either. It is but a mere demon; surely we, as cultivators, are capable of slaying it?"

Seeing this, Zhang Qing smiled immediately. "You three are truly worthy of being called the famous heroes of Qingzhou! Please rest assured; we will provide half of the promised reward on the twenty-seventh. Regardless of whether we succeed or not, the other half will be paid afterward."

Zhang Qing knew that to make people risk their lives, one must provide compensation, so she offered a heavy promise. Upon hearing this, Qiao Xuan, Wen Renjie, and Young Master Kongxu were naturally overjoyed; getting half the reward in advance was excellent, and if the worst came to the worst, they could always flee on the spot.

By the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, Qingshan County had entered a curfew. Every gate was guarded by reliable soldiers to prevent anyone from leaving, and Qi-Refining cultivators were stationed at each point to ensure no cultivators escaped. The entire city of Qingshan was shrouded in the heavy, ominous gloom that precedes a great battle. Neither the gentry, the wealthy merchants, nor the common folk held any optimism for Zhang Qingyun’s plan to slay the demon.

The matter had become common knowledge before it had even begun, with a grand, public announcement of the intent to kill the River God—how could such a thing succeed? However, the gentry could not stop Zhang Qingyun, for he was not only the County Magistrate but had also gathered a large group of cultivators, holding the actual power in Qingshan County. Therefore, even though everyone was pessimistic, they were powerless to intervene and could only watch as the events unfolded. Many gentry families wept in despair, while the ignorant commoners fearfully hoarded grain. The wealthy merchants didn't even realize they could have profited from this chaos, but who had the heart for business now?

Of course, not everyone was filled with terror. Master Huang Shiren remained quite calm. Far from fearing the impending catastrophe, he was excitedly reporting the news to the River God statue in his study. "My Lord, tomorrow the magistrate will take those rogue cultivators to East River Town."

The River God statue asked, "Are all those rogue cultivators coming?"

Huang Shiren replied, "All except Jiang Sheng. It is said that the magistrate and that female cultivator from the Lanyue Sect went to invite him several times, but Jiang Sheng remained in seclusion and refused to see them."

The River God statue sounded as if this were expected. "I had anticipated this! That Daoist from Penglai is not a fool; he knows this trip is a one-way journey, so why would he intentionally throw his life away?"

Huang Shiren quickly flattered him. "My Lord, you have blessed Qingshan County for decades. The people are all deeply grateful to you. The magistrate wishes to crusade against you, but the gentry and the commoners are all opposed to it."

"It is a pity that the magistrate is acting against the tide, failing to understand the hearts of the people, insisting on striking a stone with an egg."

"Tomorrow, when he discovers that your divine power is not something those mere Qi-Refining or Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators can resist, he will surely regret his actions and weep bitterly."

The River God statue said, "I know your intentions. When I kill those ants, I shall flood the towns of Qingshan County. That way, a magistrate who acts against the will of the people will naturally be deposed, and I shall see to it that you become the next magistrate of Qingshan County."

Huang Shiren’s eyes were filled with surprise. "If I can become the magistrate of Qingshan County, I will surely lead all the gentry and commoners to worship you, My Lord!"

The River God statue fell silent once more, but Huang Shiren’s face was full of anticipation and excitement. "I, too, shall become a magistrate!"

"That daughter of Magistrate Zhang is clever and beautiful, but her temperament is far too arrogant; she has never once looked at me with respect. However, I happen to enjoy such a temperament. Once her father becomes a prisoner tomorrow, I wonder if she will be able to maintain that pride..."

Meanwhile, inside the county office, dozens of rogue Qi-Refining cultivators were drinking at a banquet. Wang Tianfang, Li Hao, Han Li, and Qian Ming—the four Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators—had also arrived. At this moment, the county office gathered the strongest forces in Qingshan County.

This included four Foundation Establishment cultivators: Qiao Xuan, the elder at the late Foundation Establishment stage; the fairy Xu Xiao, Wen Renjie, and Young Master Kongxu at the mid-stage; plus Wang Tianfang and the other three at the early stage. There were also over forty rogue cultivators ranging from the fifth to eighth levels of Qi-Refining.

With such a force assembled, let alone suppressing Qingshan County, even if Zhang Qingyun had lost his mind and wanted to attack other counties, he would have had full confidence in victory.

Zhang Qingyun sat at the head of the table, watching the rogue cultivators eat and drink to their fill. Once they were nearly finished, he spoke in a loud voice. "All of you have come to Qingshan County to join me in this grand endeavor; I am deeply grateful."

"The demon in the Taiping River has ravaged Qingshan County for decades, causing countless deaths. The people of Qingshan have suffered greatly!"

"Today we gather, drinking this cup together, and tomorrow we march to East River Town to slay the demon!"

The rogue cultivators stopped their eating and drinking instantly: Slay the demon tomorrow? Was it not said that they would only strike on the day of the Grand River God Festival? Most of these rogue cultivators had come to Qingshan County with the intention of enjoying free food and drink, planning to collect their payment from the county office on the day of the festival and find an excuse to run. They were not foolish enough to actually fight the demon in the river. But looking at Zhang Qingyun’s tone, the plan had clearly been moved forward. How were they supposed to run now?

Wang Ping, a fifth-level Qi-Refining cultivator, was about to stand up and speak when he saw Young Master Kongxu rise and look at them. "Everyone, I will lead the team personally tomorrow. There is still time, so if anyone has any questions, speak now."

While Wang Ping was still hesitating, he saw an eighth-level Qi-Refining cultivator stand up. Wang Ping recognized him as Fang Xi, also a hero of the martial world. Fang Xi cupped his hands toward Young Master Kongxu. "Young Master Kongxu, I am naturally willing to follow you all to crusade against the demon. However, I still have affairs in the city that have not been settled. Could you allow me to finish my business before returning?"

Young Master Kongxu smiled and nodded, then, in plain view of everyone, he struck! A cold blue sword light from his Bi-Water Dharma Sword flashed, and with a single stroke, he decapitated the defenseless Fang Xi!

As Fang Xi’s corpse fell heavily to the ground, blood splattering the faces of those nearby, they finally realized: they had no path of retreat!

Young Master Kongxu sneered, "Since everyone is here, there is no reason to quit halfway."

"Does anyone else wish to leave? I shall send you on your way!"

All the rogue Qi-Refining cultivators made the wise choice. They had no room to object; Young Master Kongxu, Wen Renjie, Qiao Xuan, and the four early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators—seven Foundation Establishment pillars in total—had them completely surrounded. A group of Qi-Refining cultivators would be slaughtered by even one Foundation Establishment master, let alone seven. Furthermore, though the Fairy Xu Xiao from the Lanyue Sect had not moved, it was clear she would not permit them to leave either.

They had been marked as cannon fodder.