Chapter 109
Yu Sui vaguely remembered Yan Xiaochuan mentioning that Mei Liangyu had a good relationship with his master and they interacted frequently. From this perspective, Senior Brother seemed quite popular with elders too.
From Gao Tianhao to Instructor Mu, they all liked him quite a bit.
She just didn't know whether Gao Tianhao had ulterior motives.
Seeing her eat and drink her fill, Mei Liangyu asked: "Do you want Six Harmonies or Three Stars?"
Yu Sui's eyes widened slightly as she shook her head, indicating she wanted neither. Mei Liangyu asked again: "You don't want them?"
"They'd be useless to me." Yu Sui said.
She didn't need mechanism keys to corrupt the Number Mountains.
"I thought you had cipher text you needed to decode." Mei Liangyu picked up the food box and stood, then heard Yu Sui say: "Senior Brother, I'll go to the Saint Hall with you in a bit. After resting for so many days, I'm pretty much recovered."
Mei Liangyu didn't refuse and brought her along.
Outside, the night was deep, and the Saint Hall remained quiet as always.
Saint Chang Gen saw Mei Liangyu bring Yu Sui and proactively asked: "How is your body recovering?"
"All better now." Yu Sui looked at the portrait with a bright smile: "I can jump around again."
Mei Liangyu casually pulled out a chair and sat down: "Don't jump too high."
Yu Sui gave him a sideways glance.
The three master and disciples got along harmoniously in the Saint Hall, though only they themselves knew how many unspeakable secrets each harbored in their hearts.
Yu Sui briefly chatted with Saint Chang Gen about what happened on Mechanism Island, then changed the topic to inquire about the Ghost Way School's "curse" techniques. Master was also unwilling to discuss that night's events in detail and answered almost every question Yu Sui had.
The blank papers on the table were all filled with Yu Sui's densely written curse technique symbols.
Mei Liangyu had grown accustomed to Junior Sister's intense studying habits. While Master taught Junior Sister curse techniques, he curled up in his chair playing with his Wind-Listening Ruler, occasionally looking up at Yu Sui. Seeing her serious and focused appearance, he didn't disturb her.
Yu Sui studied until morning, only leaving the Saint Hall after daybreak to return to the dormitories. She didn't go back to her own room but went to Xue Mushi's place instead.
Xue Mushi had already received advance notice and was waiting for her in his room. When he opened the door and saw Yu Sui still alive, he truly breathed a sigh of relief.
Yu Sui stepped inside and sat down at the table in the main room, opening her Wind-Listening Ruler and handing it over: "This is the cipher text from the secret passage underwater at Xiaoyao Pool. The cipher text has three layers. Going further ahead requires passing through two more doors, with someone stationed at each door to constantly adjust the cipher text positions to ensure passage."
After looking at Yu Sui for a while, Xue Mushi found that her injuries weren't visible from the outside. Her aura and condition seemed fine, apparently fully recovered as she claimed.
"Are you alright?" Xue Mushi sat down across from Yu Sui.
Yu Sui said: "I'm fine."
Xue Mushi added: "There was resonance that night."
"Shows I really almost died." Yu Sui tapped the table with her finger, her expression calm: "Lucky I didn't actually die."
Xue Mushi's gaze wavered. He held back, then couldn't resist asking: "Does Mei Liangyu know?"
Yu Sui looked at him with bright eyes: "Know what?"
Xue Mushi asked directly: "About the Strange Fire."
"He doesn't know." Yu Sui propped her head up with one hand and said gently: "We were in different places at the time."
She stared at Xue Mushi and saw his body visibly relax.
It wasn't easy to trust others. With a secret like Strange Fire, each additional person who knew meant additional danger.
Xue Mushi and Tu Miaoyi were childhood sweethearts with years of friendship, plus Tu Miaoyi had helped him greatly, providing useful information.
Mei Liangyu was different. He exuded dangerous vibes and was unpredictable. Such people were hard for others to trust.
Yu Sui didn't want Xue Mushi to be overly sensitive, so she directly answered no.
Xue Mushi picked up the Wind-Listening Ruler to look at the cipher text Yu Sui had decoded. She had already marked the sequence needed for the cipher text, clear and straightforward.
"Should we go test it first?" he asked.
But Yu Sui crossed her arms and leaned back against the chair, raising her chin slightly: "I'm just showing you. Such complex cipher text can't be discussed outside even after being decoded, so I'm finding some sense of achievement with you."
Xue Mushi: "......"
He sincerely praised: "Very impressive."
"Gu Qian said he missed the fifteenth and needs to act by month's end. Seems there's a time limit." Yu Sui looked back at the Wind-Listening Ruler: "He won't fail this time. Once Gu Qian gets the fragment, the only safe place to keep it is in the dormitories. He won't carry it with him."
"Maybe even the dormitories aren't safe, but initially he'll keep it there temporarily." Xue Mushi pondered: "If we intercept it midway, it's easy to be suspected."
Gu Qian's first suspicion would be Yu Sui's alternate account. Then it would be a fight to the death, and if he told the Communication Courtyard about bypassing mutual inscription to send messages through Wind-Listening Rulers, that would be quite troublesome.
If possible, it would be best to place a fake there to mislead for a while.
Someone knocked on the door. Xue Mushi turned to look, and Yu Sui said: "Wei Ren and Li Jin Shuang."
Only then did Xue Mushi get up to open the door.
Wei Ren and Li Jin Shuang at the door entered one after another, both first looking toward Yu Sui sitting there.
During Yu Sui's recovery, her contact with them hadn't been interrupted. She had also received Li Jin Shuang's reply. As expected, Li Jin Shuang chose to cooperate with her.
As for Wei Ren, he worked hard to prove his usefulness and provided Yu Sui with new ideas.
Wei Ren sat down next to Xue Mushi's seat and pulled out a tome from his wide sleeves, pointing to a certain page: "The Agricultural School has a treasure called 'Dustless Soil.' It can replicate the appearance of anything. After Gu Qian and the others get the Floating Pagoda fragment, we can use Dustless Soil to make a fake for them."
After speaking, he tapped the book page: "The prerequisite is that we first need to go to the Agricultural Knowledge Hall to get the Dustless Soil."
Xue Mushi asked: "Is there a chance?"
Wei Ren leaned back in his chair with a lazy posture: "It's not completely impossible. The Agricultural Knowledge Hall isn't like the Legalist School's Inverted Moon Cave, which is a first-level restricted area. It's a third-level restricted area of the Agricultural School, with only formations and cipher locks, no living guards or patrols."
Xue Mushi asked again: "Can you go in your condition?"
Wei Ren's expression paused as he glanced at him, as if blaming him for bringing up a sensitive topic, then softened his tone: "I can help you avoid the poisonous insects in the Agricultural Knowledge Hall."
Yu Sui lightly pressed her temple with her finger, her expression thoughtful.
Xue Mushi was already convinced, and Li Jin Shuang had no objections. They were just waiting for her to say when to go.
Yu Sui said: "Wait a couple days. Once I finish preparing what I need here, we'll go."
The other three had no objections.
……
After Yu Sui parted with the three, she went out to the Outer City again, contacting Sheng Hao during this time to tell him she was mostly recovered from her injuries. Sheng Hao asked where she was, and Yu Sui said she was in the Outer City. Sheng Hao told her to wait, and he would come find her in the Outer City.
Blackbeard waited at the tavern entrance to welcome her, respectfully leading the way ahead, bringing Yu Sui to an upstairs guest room. On the way, they passed the gambling hall on the tavern's upper floor. Though they couldn't hear the sound of pai gow being shaken inside, they could tell from the moving shadows on the door that there were quite a few people inside.
"Are there this many people here every day?" Yu Sui asked.
Blackbeard turned sideways to answer: "The gambling halls only open at night and close at dawn. But recently the southern part of the city hasn't been peaceful, with several gangs fighting and power shifting. Their gambling halls and commercial buildings have closed, so the customers have nowhere to go. Recently we've made an exception to open during the day too."
The Nangong family's enterprises spread across the six kingdoms. Even Taiyi couldn't escape. Wherever there were people and business opportunities, there was the Qingyang Nangong family.
Whether it was legitimate business or illegitimate business, the Nangong family's influence could be found behind them to some degree.
The Nangong family's ancestors understood a profound truth: the most glorious figures in a dynasty - the ruler and powerful ministers - could be surpassed by controlling the financial lifeline.
Yu Sui withdrew her gaze and walked upstairs, entering the room to take a seat. Behind the screen, the table was already full of cooked food, all dishes Yu Sui had specifically requested.
Blackbeard placed the envelope sent from Qingyang in front of Yu Sui and bowed his head, indicating she should check it.
"Has Father not returned to the imperial capital yet?" Yu Sui picked up the envelope and asked.
"The cleanup in Canhai Province reportedly ran into many problems. His Majesty forbade disturbing the people and nobles in the main cities of Zhongzhou, which gave other remnants places to hide." Blackbeard explained: "General Zhongli Ci led troops to surround the city, preventing entry or exit. The rebel army in Canhai Province has been defeated. Now it's up to the Prince to find all the rebel remnants in the city."
Though Zhongli Ci and Nangong Ming were mortal enemies, in military campaigns related to Qingyang's interests, they sometimes had to cooperate with each other. When these two cooperated, only their enemies would suffer.
Yu Sui felt Nangong Ming was taking unusually long this time. She wondered if Canhai Province's situation was truly troublesome for him, or if he was doing it deliberately.
Blackbeard looked around, then bent down close to Yu Sui and whispered: "I heard the eldest Young Master is also in Canhai Province."
Yu Sui's envelope-opening motion paused, somewhat surprised: "Elder Brother?"
If he was bringing his son for training, that would explain the delay.
Training the eldest son's abilities while observing how the eldest daughter performed in the imperial capital.
Blackbeard also thought the Prince was training eldest Young Master Han Bing's abilities. Since he had chosen to side with the Little Princess, he had to find ways to prevent others from rising up to compete for power.
"Elder Brother has always been obedient to Father since childhood. Even if he dislikes something in his heart, he won't resist." Yu Sui said leisurely, not taking Han Bing seriously at all in her words.
This calm attitude reassured Blackbeard considerably.
Yu Sui truly didn't consider Han Bing an opponent. Even if Han Bing stood against her, she wasn't afraid.
Han Bing's weaknesses were too obvious and fatal, unknown even to Nangong Ming.
Yu Sui opened the envelope. The letter paper was pitch black. She rubbed the edge of the paper with her fingertip, drawing blood, then gently smeared it on the paper surface. Only the Nangong family bloodline power could make the writing on the paper appear.
There was only a golden character "Ming" on the paper. The character rose from the paper and flew to Yu Sui's ear, conveying Nangong Ming's words to her: "Give my regards to your master. Tell him that thanks to his help back then, since our first collaboration was very pleasant, and now that he has taken my heir as his disciple, perhaps we can collaborate a second time."
Yu Sui's eyelid twitched as she listened, shocked in her heart.
When had Nangong Ming actually cooperated with Taiyi's Saint Chang Gen?
The School of Names' message transmission could only be heard by the recipient. Blackbeard placed another letter on the table: "This is for the third Young Master from the Prince."
"He'll be here soon." Yu Sui showed no sign of her inner thoughts, calmly putting her letter paper back: "Is there no news from my mother's side?"
Blackbeard shook his head: "Madam hasn't sent any messages to Taiyi."
Yu Sui propped her cheek with one hand, her fingertip lightly tapping the envelope. Lady Su should have already known about Ji Shuyan's death and that several assassination attempts by the Agricultural School traitor organization against her had failed, yet she showed no reaction whatsoever.
The news from Qingyang only said Lady Su stayed in the manor all day without going out to socialize.
"However... Young Master Gu did send a message to Lady Su." Blackbeard lowered his voice, and when Yu Sui looked over, he told her about Gu Qian's message content: "The letter was sent with Young Master Gu as witness. I only glimpsed part of the content - it was about the Little Princess being assassinated by the Agricultural School."
Blackbeard said: "The general idea was that Young Master Gu wanted Madam to stop and not send any more people to Taiyi."
Yu Sui listened with slight surprise, half-believing: "He's warning Lady Su?"
"Young Master Gu seems to know that the previous assassination attempts against the Little Princess were Madam's doing." Blackbeard speculated: "Perhaps out of concern for the Little Princess - Young Master Gu's expression was very poor at the time."
Yu Sui's peripheral vision swept over him briefly. She leaned back, resting her neck against the chair back as she tilted her head up slightly, saying softly: "Go see if my third brother has arrived."
Blackbeard responded and was about to leave when Yu Sui called him back: "What do you think of Gu Qian?"
He turned back to see Yu Sui in a relaxed posture, one hand supporting her head, not looking at him but at the Wind-Listening Ruler in her hand.
Blackbeard's heart skipped a beat, and he respectfully said: "Young Master Gu has done many things for the Prince during his two years of cultivation at Taiyi and hasn't failed yet."
That was a diplomatically perfect answer.
Yu Sui tapped her Wind-Listening Ruler with her finger. Someone knocked on the door outside. Blackbeard waited for Yu Sui's instruction, and seeing her look up, he let the person outside enter.
The Nangong family practitioner who entered first bowed to Yu Sui, then handed his Wind-Listening Ruler and a letter envelope to Blackbeard.
Yu Sui chuckled softly: "The thing I promised to give you last time - your wife should have received it."
Blackbeard's hand paused slightly as he opened the envelope. After unfolding the letter paper, he saw familiar handwriting. It wasn't until he saw the final number that his pupils dilated slightly.
"Flying Phoenix Bank, gold deposit, two million."
Blackbeard's hand holding the Wind-Listening Ruler trembled slightly. He lit up the surface and saw the Flying Phoenix Bank's inscription and the latest encrypted message. After confirming it matched the number on the letter paper exactly, he looked toward Yu Sui.
Seeing Blackbeard look over with excitement in his eyes, Yu Sui winked her left eye lightly at him: "Your wife should be visiting the bank more frequently from now on. You must remember to think of her often. When husband and wife are separated by great distances, frequent contact is needed to maintain the relationship."
Blackbeard suppressed his inner excitement and respectfully bowed to Yu Sui with cupped hands: "Thank you, Little Princess. That this subordinate can serve the Little Princess is this subordinate's great fortune for three lifetimes. From now on, all matters between Qingyang and Taiyi, this subordinate will strictly oversee for the Little Princess and swear to protect the Little Princess with my life."
Using the heir position to paint rosy pictures for Blackbeard could only work temporarily. To make him stand firmly on her side at all times, she needed to provide tangible benefits that could be seen and touched, and Blackbeard loved these kinds of benefits immensely.
Though he managed the Nangong family's enterprises in Taiyi, the money he collected went to the Nangong family, not to himself.
If he dared embezzle from the Nangong family, Nangong Ming would be the first to kill him.
After Blackbeard withdrew, he couldn't hide his inner excitement, repeatedly looking at his wife's handwriting on the letter paper, his fingers gently caressing it. His gaze fell on the final number, and he smiled so widely his mouth nearly split open.
He instructed the subordinate walking behind him: "Go get everything the Little Princess requested, quickly."