To be honest, after Yun Juan went missing, Ruan Shan had considered many possibilities.
There was dying in battle with no evidence left behind.
There was being captured after failing and subjected to harsh interrogation.
But no matter what, he truly hadn't expected the current situation. What on earth had happened these past few days to create this absurd mix-up that Yun Juan was actually a demon clan spy?
"Don't tell me the Six Bureaus arrested the wrong person?"
Ruan Shan, the Grand Steward of Prince Li's Mansion, felt uncertain and didn't know what to say.
He even somewhat doubted the authenticity of this news.
Because, well, besides Yun Juan, there really was a fake "Most Evil Assassin" out there swindling people, and that guy had killed far more people than Yun Juan, to the point where Yun Juan, the genuine article, seemed like a counterfeit.
According to what the newspaper said, plus the information about the southern district that his subordinates had delivered last night, combining it all together...
'Is the demon clan targeting us?'
Ruan Shan's eyes narrowed to a dangerous arc, feeling somewhat angry and somewhat disgusted.
Like there were cockroaches crawling in his bedroom.
"Could it be they knew Prince Li wanted to make a move, so they struck first? These past days, quite a few of those who died seem to have been our people."
That made sense. After conquering those small southern nations over a decade ago, Great Xia's southern territory had bordered the demon clan frontier.
In the south sat Prince Li, that iron-blooded hawk faction's Great General Pacifying the South.
That Martial Emperor also loved glory and achievement, waging external wars year after year.
With these two factors combined, it wasn't surprising that the demon clan would take precautions and develop some sense of crisis.
Regarding this, Mu Qinglan expressed agreement.
At first, she had thought about framing the demons simply for the crude and brutal reason that they had a grudge. But after carefully thinking for two days about how to frame them, the more Mu Qinglan thought about it, the more she felt her decision was exquisite.
Because the demon clan seemed like a natural scapegoat! Perfect timing for this pot!
On one hand, they couldn't cry injustice, or else they'd be walking into a trap themselves.
On the other hand, these demon clan members were also plotting a major scheme against the royal family. When that matter was exposed, this perfectly-fitted pot covering them wouldn't come off even if you tried scraping it off with a spatula.
"Looking at it this way, the demon clan seems to have plenty of motive to do this kind of thing."
"So I'll just help you do it. You're welcome, no need to thank me."
Mu Qinglan could already imagine the strange expressions on the faces of the demon clan members secretly plotting their conspiracy when they heard this news.
Of course, because she had transmigrated, she knew that the demon clan infiltrating Heyang were focused on their major scheme and had no time for other matters.
But Ruan Shan obviously couldn't know this.
He only knew that regarding this matter, the demon clan's suspicion was really damn huge!
"You want war? Who's afraid of who!"
Ruan Shan thought aggressively, immediately writing a letter and dispatching a messenger pigeon to send this "good news" to Prince Li in the southern border.
To emphasize the demon clan threat, he particularly stressed that demon assassins had killed quite a few of their subordinates. Although they were just minor characters, minor characters were precisely the ones best at controlling low-level pawns.
Without them, in the short term, Prince Li's Mansion's efficiency in getting things done would indeed decrease considerably!
As for the authenticity of the news in the paper? Ruan Shan didn't really doubt it.
Because whether it was the intelligence in his hands or the newspaper, both brought almost completely identical information.
—Last night, that Constable Shen really did appear in the southern district, really did engage in a brief battle, and arrested a black-robed person to bring back.
Could the Six Bureaus possibly be lying?
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! Why would they lie about this kind of thing? Are they bored?"
Ruan Shan laughed coldly with confidence, ordering his subordinates to gather more information about the demon clan.
It was only courtesy to return the favor!
Although the demons might not know they had impersonated his people, a grudge formed was a grudge formed. Not repaying a grudge—that wasn't Prince Li's Mansion's style!
○
Meanwhile, on the other side, our beloved Crown Prince had been feeling extremely complicated lately.
There was no helping it. Too many things happening too intensely, a series of news bombarding his face. The Crown Prince's schedule had been completely disrupted these past days.
'How are the devil clan people still not giving up! Again?!'
'That little girl from Prince Qi's family is really a once-in-a-century magician genius? Damn it, she's so flamboyant, and she really has the ability to back up that flamboyance!'
'Also, has my previous assassination attempt on her been exposed or not!'
Although he hadn't left any loose ends from his previous actions, he still couldn't help worrying.
Because Mu Qinglan's status had risen too quickly.
Daughter of Prince Qi—though that status was also noble, it was ultimately just connections. But being a genius favored by the National Advisor connected to more than just relationships.
There was also her own talent.
Thinking boldly, the National Advisor's Mansion valued her so much, even giving her a method to summon a second-rank divine dragon. Given time, might she not become another second-rank?
Just thinking about possibly having made an enemy of a future second-rank made the Crown Prince feel uncomfortable all over.
Like ants crawling all over his body.
But after the ants crawled for a while, thinking of something, the Crown Prince's brow relaxed again, no longer worried about this matter.
'Wait, why am I even concerned about this now?
'Having the opportunity to reach second-rank in the future is her future business, not now. I might not even live to see that time. Better to think about it after getting through this year's hurdle…'
The Crown Prince thought, freshened up, and cheerfully threw a set of straight punches.
What did these matters have to do with him?
The higher the wind and waves, the more expensive the fish. The more chaotic Heyang was, the better for him, wasn't it?
After switching his mindset, the Crown Prince was almost laughing inside: 'You all fight, fight away, the bloodier the better. And whatever other big news there is, just release it all! I'll only say one word—'
Delightful!
The Crown Prince's good mood lasted for fifteen minutes.
When having breakfast, he suddenly realized he might have celebrated too early!
Because along with breakfast came the morning newspaper for passing time, and it prominently featured a line of text—
[The Most Evil Assassin Finally Captured, Her Identity Actually Is…]
"?"
"Demon clan!??"
○
This morning truly left too many people unable to eat or sleep peacefully.
Eastern district, Azure Moon Tower.
The tower's candles had burned all night. It wasn't until night ended and dawn broke that the customers who had come for drinks and lodging yawned and left, boarding the carriages from various families that came to pick them up.
At the top floor, demon clan Saintess Lou Guanyue was listening to her subordinates report on profits.
Although Azure Moon Tower made money hand over fist daily, as the demon clan's base in Heyang, it had to cover most of the undercover demons' food, clothing, and expenses, and also fund the major scheme's budget—for these matters, relying solely on financial support from within the demon clan was far from enough.
"This month's liquor revenue increased a bit compared to last month. Not bad."
"Maintain this momentum, and in another month, the clan won't fail to reward your years of dedication."
Lou Guanyue closed the account book and spoke indifferently to her subordinate.
"Thank you, my lady!"
The subordinate nodded excitedly, trembling as they withdrew.
After the person left, Lou Guanyue began contemplating the scheme planned for the first month.
"Although there were some minor unexpected incidents, overall it's going smoothly. If nothing happens, we should complete the setup half a month early. Then we just wait to launch." Lou Guanyue lowered her gaze.
"Mm, quite lucky."
She murmured to herself, sipping the precious tea sent from the demon clan heartland.
The demon clan occupied the southwestern territories, rich in special products. Overall, the living conditions of fully or semi-transformed demons were similar to humans, but in certain details, there were always some differences.
Like morning newspapers.
Humans liked to read the paper while eating breakfast and often gathered at breakfast stalls, loudly commenting on current affairs.
But the demon clan, especially carnivorous demons, had no habit of doing other things while eating.
The focus was on concentration.
So Lou Guanyue never read morning papers.
Originally, her subordinates would monitor these and extract important information for timely reporting, but because they'd been busy these days and all her capable confidants had been dispatched, Lou Guanyue really didn't learn in time that a huge black pot had been placed on her head.
Not until the Crown Prince sent someone to ask did she realize with shock:
"We did this?"
The matter was too urgent. Even the Crown Prince's advisor couldn't bother with courtesy, hurriedly saying: "Madam Lou, just tell us the truth, give us a straight answer. This matter has practically driven all of Heyang City crazy with gossip!"
Driven crazy?
Hearing this answer, Lou Guanyue's vision went black.
She had worked so hard to hide for so long and was plotting a major scheme in the shadows, but in the end, she was thrust into the eye of the storm because of this completely baseless matter?
Do you really think we infiltrating demons would do this kind of thankless task? What would we gain?!
What a disaster!
"Madam Lou? Madam Lou!?"
Hearing the Crown Prince's advisor's anxious calls, Lou Guanyue finally came to her senses. Looking at his old face, she said in a deep voice:
"This wasn't done by us!"
"This is slander!"
First of all, regardless of whether this matter was actually done by the demon clan, it "couldn't" be done by the demon clan.
Lou Guanyue didn't know if there were other hidden demon clan forces in Heyang besides her own people, but at this critical juncture, she absolutely couldn't admit it—she couldn't even hesitate.
Moreover, in her view, this was absolutely shameless slander.
A despicable human conspiracy!
Her thoughts raced, and after only about ten seconds of contemplation, she had her talking points ready. She continued:
"Think about it. We're partners with the Crown Prince. If we did this kind of thing, wouldn't we inform him? Besides, I remember that assassin's hit list also included your people, right? Would I send someone to do this? This is absolutely someone's conspiracy!"
"But... this news came from within the Six Bureaus." The Crown Prince's advisor was troubled.
"So what if it came from the Six Bureaus? Last night's incident blew up. If they can't identify the culprit, they'll definitely lose face, so they threw us out as a target."
Lou Guanyue guessed part of the truth and said helplessly:
"After all, we can't jump out and cry injustice."
"I see." The Crown Prince's advisor nodded thoughtfully. Though doubtful inside, his expression remained very serious: "I'm willing to believe Madam Lou and will definitely report your words truthfully to the Crown Prince."
"You may go."
This demon clan saintess waved her hand weakly.
She knew full well the other party wouldn't easily believe her.
After the Crown Prince's people left, Lou Guanyue's face quickly darkened. Who, exactly who was it?!!
She could be certain this matter couldn't possibly have been done by the demon clan. Not only because the demon clan didn't have that capability, but if they really had this ability and leisure time, why would they assassinate these insignificant pawns?
Why not assassinate some important figures?
Killing these people only exposed themselves and deepened Great Xia's wariness of the demons.
One could even say this might be self-directed and staged by Great Xia people! But why would Great Xia people stage this? Factional struggle? Or just boredom?
Knowing the demon clan was innocent, Lou Guanyue guessed part of the truth.
But not much.
Lou Guanyue painfully rubbed her temples. She could foresee just how difficult the coming days would be.
The major scheme's planning would be affected, not to mention certain people within the clan would probably use this to impeach her.
An undeserved calamity!!
Lou Guanyue was furious beyond measure. A huge pot fell from the sky, her emotions hard to control. Angry, she slapped and shattered the chair's armrest with one palm, wood splinters exploding everywhere:
'Damn it, who exactly is it?'
○
Also on this day.
Little Bai, who persisted in diligent training, woke up punctually at the fifth watch as usual.
Because of the incident Mu Qinglan encountered a few days ago, Bai Yuyu hadn't slept well, but thinking that Mu Mu might face danger in the future, she dismissed any thought of sleeping a bit longer and got up on time.
—I said I would protect her!
I can't break my word!
With this thought, Bai Yuyu picked up her jade-cast long staff and headed to the training grounds.
When she left, the sky wasn't yet bright, mostly still dark. Only with a warrior's eyesight could she barely make out a faint fish-belly white in the extreme distance.
"Constable Bai's up early again?"
"Good morning, Constable Bai!"
Scattered constables along the way greeted Bai Yuyu.
Meeting more familiar ones, she could even hear firsthand news from their mouths:
"Bai Bai, have you heard? Constable Shen went out tonight and caught that assassin!"
"Assassin?" Bai Yuyu paused for half a second: "The one from the Jiang family's full moon celebration?"
"Right! Constable Shen is still interrogating. He's locked alone in the dungeon, but I heard there's already some information. Seems like it's related to the demon clan? If you want to know specifics, Bai Bai, you can check the morning paper."
Another constable pursed her lips:
"Those people are incredibly well-informed!"
"Anyway, that's all the news for now. If you want to know more, just check later." The speaking constable pulled her away, hurrying out. After staying up all night, even these warriors would get tired.
Bai Yuyu watched the two leave, thoughtful.
Two days ago when she visited Mu Mu, she asked about this matter, and Mu Mu hadn't said much, only saying to remember to check the morning paper in a couple days.
Bai Yuyu had been completely puzzled.
Now it seemed Mu Mu had predicted this day long ago?
"Captured? Then I don't have to worry about her retaliating against Mu Mu."
She'd been keeping this matter in mind for a long time, from worrying about the assassin's retaliation, to this assassin inexplicably becoming famous, killing more and more, finally being labeled with the title of "Most Evil Assassin" of recent years.
Bai Yuyu had worried before whether this assassin would cause trouble for Mu Qinglan.
After all, Mu Mu had really made her suffer back then.
But now, it seemed she could breathe easy.
Thump!
Bai Yuyu turned and stepped forward, tapping the wooden stake with her staff, neither too light nor too heavy.
Thump!
Another step, another strike.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
After a storm of staff strikes, only a few shallow dents appeared on the wooden stake's surface, as if no force had been exerted at all. But Bai Yuyu gasped twice, planted her staff in the ground, bent over with both hands on her knees, standing there.
"That realm Grandfather mentioned of lifting heavy as if light, lifting light as if heavy, is really difficult."
"To reach that level will probably take some time." Bai Yuyu thought to herself.
After training at the practice grounds for about an hour, Bai Yuyu returned to her small office, picked up a morning paper, and began reading about the news her acquaintance mentioned.
"Senior really caught that person?" Bai Yuyu was curious.
Opening the morning paper, the first thing that caught her eye was several large characters:
[Demon clan xxx…]
So it really was the demon clan? Thinking of Mu Qinglan's mysterious expression, Bai Yuyu felt somewhat doubtful, but didn't say anything. After all, the person involved wasn't far from her—she could just ask when work started later.
But it seemed Heaven noticed this. Just as Bai Yuyu was thinking, Shen Yao suddenly pushed the door open.
Seeing the morning paper in her hands, she said:
"You saw it?"
"Yeah, really the demon clan?"
Shen Yao fell silent for a moment, said something plainly, then turned and left.
Little Bai visibly brightened up, even showing a hint of sudden realization in her eyes.
So that's how it is!
Now it makes sense—after all, it's her!
Bai Yuyu smiled until her eyes curved into crescents, softly humming a little tune. The reason she did this was because—
What Shen Yao had said was:
"Mu Qinglan gave me the person. The explanation is also her explanation."
Then there was nothing to worry about. She would definitely believe Mu Mu!
Even if it's a lie, I'll believe it.