NOVEL WEB Ch. 73
Chapter 73: Conspiracy
Night had fallen deep, and the entire city seemed asleep.
Only the sound of the watchman banging his clapper echoed through the alleys.
In one courtyard within the city, a fire still burned.
Sun Shicai wore all black, his expression as sinister as still water. He muttered to himself, “How did that worthless Lu Chi find out about this?”
In front of him stood two men, heads bowed, scarcely daring to breathe.
The taller of the two spoke cautiously, “Could it be that word was leaked over there?”
Sun Shicai shook his head. “Even if word was leaked over there, that trash Lu Chi shouldn’t have been the first to get it.”
The shorter man asked, “Senior Brother, what do you mean?”
“Someone is using Lu Chi to take me out,” Sun Shicai’s eyes glittered coldly. “We must find the rat hiding behind this!”
He was furious.
He’d always been the one who schemed against others—but now he’d been ambushed and suffered a huge loss.
Originally, he was a secret pawn of Assistant Captain Yu.
No one knew of their relationship. At the critical moment, he could prove a surprise asset.
But now everything was out in the open—his value plummeted.
Sun Shicai was determined to expose whoever had secretly plotted against him and eliminate future threats.
The tall man asked, “Senior Brother, do you know who it is?”
Sun Shicai said, “The fox always reveals its tail.” He changed the subject. “I called you here because there’s another matter I need you to handle.”
The two hurriedly said, “Just say the word, Senior Brother.”
Sun Shicai said, “There’s an apothecary in town called Spring Harmony Hall. Tomorrow, send someone to buy medicine—and kill the person. Then say he died from their medicine. Make a big fuss.”
“Spring Harmony Hall?” The two exchanged glances.
The tall one warned cautiously, “Senior Brother, isn’t Spring Harmony Hall run by Chen Ming’s family…”
Sun Shicai’s eyes narrowed and his gaze turned dangerous. “What, are you scared?”
Their scalps tingled.
Neither dared say a word.
They hurriedly professed loyalty, “With Senior Brother here, who could we fear? We’re just not sure—do you want to scare him, or kill him?”
They didn’t dare act without knowing clearly.
If heavenly beings fought, mortals suffered.
Chen Ming was a seventh-grade martial artist. If Sun Shicai just wanted to warn him and then reconcile, what would happen to them? Chen Ming could retaliate against them, and if Sun Shicai chose Chen over them?
Sun Shicai sneered. “What do you think?”
The shorter one replied, “Are you stupid? If Senior Brother wants to deal with Chen Ming, there’s no way he’d let him live.”
The taller smiled awkwardly. “It was my mistake, Younger Brother was muddled.”
“Enough. You two, go.”
He dismissed them.
After a moment, he said calmly, “Since you’re here, reveal yourself. It’s just me in this room.”
Creak! The door pushed open.
A masked figure in black stepped in, voice cold: “It’s not time yet—why use a secret code to summon me?”
Sun Shicai snorted. “Someone told Zhao Shouchang that I was secretly collaborating with pirates. How did this leak? You owe me an explanation.”
The figure sneered, “You weren’t discreet—someone noticed. What’s that got to do with us?”
Sun Shicai replied neutrally, “Then there’s nothing more to discuss. Go back and tell your boss—our cooperation ends here.”
The figure impatiently said, “Don’t play coy. What compensation do you want?”
He’d long seen through this Six-Doors patrol envoy—insatiably greedy. This act was merely a setup to extract benefit.
Sun Shicai’s expression softened slightly. “I’ve run into a problem, and need your help dealing with someone. Don’t worry—he’s not some formidable expert. Just a seventh-grade martial artist.”
The masked man, hearing “seventh grade,” didn’t care much. He asked directly, “Who?”
“Chen Ming. Lives on Xiushui Street. You should’ve heard of him.”
“Chen Ming? Isn’t he your sect brother?”
The tone of the black-clad man grew a little strange.
From his words, it was clear that he was well-informed about news from Qingfeng City. Even the recently rising Chen Ming was on his radar.
Sun Shicai spoke calmly, “I want him alive. As long as you can capture him, I’ll help you move that last batch of goods.”
“Seems like you and your junior brother have a deep grudge.”
The black-clad man sneered. “When?”
“The sooner the better.”
“Alright.”
As soon as he spoke, the black-clad man flipped over and vanished through the main gate.
Sun Shicai stared at the now-empty hall, thinking over whether he had missed any detail.
He always prepared two plans.
Since he already knew that old man had passed on the sect inheritance to Chen Ming, he naturally would not hold back. However, he wasn’t in a position to make a move against Chen Ming himself.
So he could only have the pirates handle it.
The scheme involving Spring Harmony Hall was a setup to capture Chen Ming’s elder brother.
With a hostage in hand, Chen Ming would have no choice but to comply.
Just thinking of this made Sun Shicai’s heart burn with excitement.
With the sect legacy left by the old man, he would soon be able to break through to sixth grade and step into the ranks of true experts.
Between seventh and sixth grade was only one realm of difference—but a fundamental one.
He, Sun Shicai, was gifted.
Not yet thirty, he was already at the peak of seventh grade. If that old man had handed over the secret teachings earlier, he would have broken through to sixth grade long ago.
...
At dawn, before the sun had risen, Sun Shicai was already up practicing.
He never missed the two hours of stance training in the morning—he was practicing the “Dragon-Tiger Stance” from Huo Chengkun.
Just as he finished, the tall man from last night approached and flattered, “Senior Brother, you’ve already achieved full Qi and blood, yet still practice daily. Your discipline is truly admirable.”
Sun Shicai wiped his sweat with a silk cloth. “Talk business.”
“The person has been arranged. After noon, once he dies, we’ll send the body to Spring Harmony Hall.”
“Good.”
Sun Shicai nodded. Seeing that the man hadn’t left, he asked, “Something else?”
The man rubbed his hands. “Senior Brother, I’ve made no progress in my cultivation for months. I was hoping you could give me some guidance.”
Sun Shicai glanced at him and said, “It’s simple. You switched to ‘Dragon-Tiger Stance’ too early. Your foundation was never solid. The further you go, the harder it gets.”
“Why is that?”
“Senior Brother once said, ‘Iron Horse Stance’ is used to build your foundation. The stronger the foundation, the greater your future achievements. Did you never reach the fourth layer in ‘Iron Horse Stance’?”
The man replied sheepishly, “‘Iron Horse Stance’ is way too slow to train. Senior Brother said I’d need at least another year or two to reach the fourth layer. I couldn’t wait…”
Sun Shicai said blandly, “That’s the price you pay for taking shortcuts.”
The man asked again, “Senior Brother, how far did you get in ‘Iron Horse Stance’?”
“Just reached the fifth layer. Unfortunately, I never completed it.” There was a trace of regret in Sun Shicai’s tone.
“Why not?”
“By then, I was already over twenty. Master said there was no point continuing, and taught me ‘Fierce Tiger Stance’ instead. My cultivation improved rapidly.”
“So does that mean if we complete five layers of ‘Iron Horse Stance’ before twenty, the benefits would be enormous?”
Sun Shicai’s face turned cold. “Who knows? When has Master ever told us these things?”
As they were speaking, someone suddenly came running, panicked.
“Master, something terrible has happened...”
Sun Shicai said impatiently, “What’s with the panic?”
“Someone’s gone to the Governor’s Mansion and accused you of murdering your master—”
“What?!”