Chapter 138: They'll Find Out
Hearing this, Wu Shang's brow furrowed deeply as he said with puzzlement, "Could it be that there are other factions at court also planning to move against Falling God Peak in secret?"
However, Hu Rui'an shook his head once more, saying, "That possibility is extremely small. Although the various institutions of the court operate independently and their activities sometimes overlap, when it comes to a colossus of the martial world like Falling God Peak, they would absolutely coordinate with each other in advance. There is simply no way they would redundantly expend enormous resources doing the same thing twice."
What Hu Rui'an had said was already quite clear in its implications. It meant that Six Doors and the Hidden Intelligence Bureau were most likely in the same position as the Tianjin Guards, each quietly harboring plans of their own targeting one or more of the four great sects of the martial world. Only the target was absolutely not Falling God Peak.
At this point, Cao Gaoshan thought for a moment, his gaze drifting toward the half jade pendant in Hu Rui'an's hand, and said, "I think working this out is actually quite simple. According to what the White Sand Gang leader said, the Alliance Under Heaven was the one that instructed them to seize the pendant, so this matter is clearly connected to the Alliance Under Heaven. Add to that the fact that the courier was a court operative, and if we investigate which faction at court is planning something against the Alliance Under Heaven, we'd know which faction the courier belonged to."
Hu Rui'an looked at him, but still shook his head, saying, "That approach sounds workable, but the Alliance Under Heaven is the most complex martial world force in all of Great Li, having absorbed a great many sects and factions of every size. Perhaps that courier was embedded in some small sect that later joined the Alliance Under Heaven. Or perhaps the Alliance Under Heaven simply stumbled upon the courier's secret by chance and moved to seize the jade pendant map. There are too many possible explanations, and it would be very difficult to investigate at short notice."
Just at that moment, Li Musheng swept a glance over Hu Rui'an and the others, and suddenly raised an eyebrow and waved a hand, saying, "What are all of you going on about? Does the matter of the jade pendant really call for this much agonizing? And what does any of it have to do with us?"
As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on Hu Rui'an and asked, "Commissioner Hu, why don't you answer me two questions? First, does Falling God Peak need to be exterminated? Second, will the Tianjin Guards' plan for Falling God Peak be called off on account of a single line from some courier?"
Hearing this, Hu Rui'an's brow furrowed, and he was silent for a moment.
In the end, he set down the jade pendant in his hand and gave a gentle nod, saying, "Your Highness speaks correctly. There may be other circumstances behind the courier's matter, but for the Tianjin Guards in our current position, it is something we neither need nor are able to consider."