Chapter 125: The Truth Revealed

The moonlight was exceptionally beautiful tonight. It was golden and gentle; the crescent moon was neither blindingly bright nor did it diminish the brilliance of the stars, as both complemented each other perfectly.

Just like many things in life, one should not seek to monopolize power, talent, or wealth. Fat Mantis clearly understood this principle, which was why he walked so lightly through the tall grass.

This was a secluded hillside five miles away from Xie Family Post. If anyone were to see him here, they would inevitably be shocked, for he ought to have been at the Hidden Sword Villa, preparing for his upcoming succession ceremony.

However, he was already the Master of the Villa now. He no longer needed to attend to every trivial matter personally as he had when he was merely a steward. Now, as long as he gave the order, the hall masters, incense masters, and disciples would handle the preparations. He only needed to wait calmly for the day of his succession, much like the wedding ceremony of Chen Guangxi and the Third Miss—it was merely a formality, as the preceding grand election was what truly mattered.

Of course, this moment was also quite important—at least to him.

Suddenly, there was a slight rustle in the grass, like the sound of wind brushing through leaves. Anyone with experience would recognize it as the sound of a night-walker using light-body techniques. Who would come to this place of controversy so late at night? Hadn't the conflicts of this place already ended before nightfall?

The newcomer was indeed a man dressed in black, masked with a black cloth. His frame was thin and somewhat frail, but his eyes shone with a piercing intensity in the darkness.

Fat Mantis smiled as he always did, his expression warm and amiable. Seeing the man in black toss him a jar of fine wine, his smile became even warmer.

"How is it? Did it go smoothly?" the man in black asked.

Fat Mantis took a drink before replying, "What do you think?"

The man in black stared at him for a long moment. "If you can drink this victory wine, it seems you have already succeeded."

Fat Mantis asked, "And on your side?"

"Everything is also well," the man in black replied.

Fat Mantis seemed slightly uneasy. "How well?"

The man in black laughed. "Jin Mailang was surrounded and killed by experts from the 'Verdict of Life and Death' at the Hidden Sword Inn last night. His reputation has dropped below 1900 points, automatically demoting him to a Protector of the Famous Sword Villa. The election for the Famous Sword Villa will officially begin at nine tomorrow morning."

Fat Mantis blinked and smiled. "Then you must be well-prepared as well?"

The man in black took back the wine jar and laughed, "Indeed, so I may as well have a celebratory drink myself."

The alcohol was cold, but as it hit his stomach, it felt as if a fire had been ignited. Wine was always a catalyst for excitement, especially when people were in high spirits. Fat Mantis was clearly excited; anyone who successfully executed such a plan would be. "I doubt Jin Mailang would ever dream that you are the true new Master of the Villa."

The man in black chuckled. "And what about Qi Shiqi? He was foolish enough to support your appointment as the new Master. He is not only laughable, but a pathetic wretch."

Fat Mantis roared with laughter. "The two of them are arrogant and self-righteous. They never imagined that by joining forces, we could easily topple them without even lifting a finger."

"They certainly never imagined that we were the ones who were actually friends," the man in black said, laughing as he pulled off his black mask, revealing his true face.

The moonlight suddenly felt cold. No one could have imagined that this man was none other than Baili Feng, the Senior Disciple of the Famous Sword Villa. At this moment, the truth finally came to light: all the conspiracies, plots, and schemes had been orchestrated by Fat Mantis and Baili Feng.

Zhang He had ultimately failed to uncover the more profound details. To successfully execute such an immense plan, one had to be intimately familiar with the long-standing history of both villas. In other words, it was either someone from the Famous Sword Villa causing trouble or someone from the Hidden Sword Villa playing a double game. Although the plan was ingenious, it was not without flaws. Despite most of Zhang He’s deductions being correct, he had overlooked a few points.

The first was the negotiation at Tianxiang Tower. Even if Jin Mailang possessed deep internal energy, it would have been impossible for him to paralyze half of Fat Mantis’s body with a single flick of a chopstick across the table. Fat Mantis was a fourth-tier expert, and Jin Mailang was merely a standout among fourth-tier experts; the gap could not have been that wide. Thus, Fat Mantis’s acting had not been particularly clever, but given the atmosphere at the time, it was understandable that Zhang He had overlooked it.

The second flaw was the bridal procession that day. As the scout responsible for clearing suspicious individuals along the route, Baili Feng had set off before the procession. Therefore, for the Third Miss to be abducted and then for the kidnappers to reach the front of the procession, it would have been impossible without Baili Feng providing cover or clearing the way. The plan to cut off heads could never have been realized otherwise.

The third, which perhaps even Zhang He could not have imagined, was that he had been dragged into this turmoil the very first day he entered Yuezhou, upon witnessing the bodies of the Hidden Sword Villa disciples. Fat Mantis and Baili Feng had hired people to manufacture those tragedies. The frequent attacks on the Hidden Sword Villa within a week were meant to continuously increase the psychological pressure on Qi Shiqi, making him sense an impending war. Similarly, similar events occurred at the Famous Sword Villa, causing Jin Mailang to feel the same. Finally, by using the heads of those in the bridal procession as a fuse, both leaders were pushed beyond their limits, leading to a decisive battle.

Yet, when two tigers fight, one is bound to be injured. No matter whether Jin Mailang or Qi Shiqi failed, the successor would be Baili Feng or Fat Mantis. Even if it had been Jin Mailang who lost the battle last night, the one eventually assassinated at the inn or the villa would have simply been swapped for Qi Shiqi.

Therefore, the conflict between the Hidden Sword Villa and the Famous Sword Villa over Xie Family Post would always ultimately benefit the two of them. Only them, no one else. They would eventually ascend to their positions in glory, amidst cheers and accolades.

This series of conspiracies and plans was so exquisite that it seemed flawless and unbreakable.

Baili Feng took another drink and laughed, "I am curious, how did you know that Yan Jiu and the Fourth Miss were traitors?"

Fat Mantis’s face lost its smile. This was a past he was most reluctant to mention, for he had once been a bandit in the Seven Strongholds of the Wei River, and had participated in the robbery of the Xinzhou Number One Security Bureau. At the time, he hadn't even reached the first tier; he was just a level 25 nobody. When "He Riji Zailai," a fourth-tier expert, came to kill them, he had no strength to fight back and was slain three times in a row. Death back then was not like it was now; the conditions were harsh, and for a player, losing a level was like losing a piece of their own flesh—the pain was suffocating.

Perhaps He Riji Zailai, Yan Jiu, and the Fourth Miss would never recognize him as that insignificant nobody, but he had forever etched these three enemies in his heart. He had sworn then that he would have his revenge.

Now, he had achieved it. Yan Jiu and the Fourth Miss had been played like puppets in his hands, eventually expelled from their sect and demoted from the fourth tier back to the third. The humiliation he had suffered back then had been repaid tenfold. Yet, not being able to finish them off with his own hands left him with a lingering regret.

Seeing his dark expression, Baili Feng quickly changed the subject. "Then, how did you know that Shao Gong was a traitor to the Hidden Sword Villa?"

Fat Mantis smiled again. "He had already colluded with Jin Mailang, and besides, he was the only one who could have."

"Why?"

Fat Mantis sneered. "Qi Shiqi always gave him minor tasks, and he thought very highly of himself. As time went on, he naturally grew resentful. I had people secretly tail him a few times and discovered he had met several times with the Third Miss of your villa. Since the Third Miss was Jin Mailang's most loyal subordinate, I knew then that he had a problem."

Baili Feng realized, "No wonder when Jin Mailang arrived at Xie Family Post, he arranged for me and Ximen Jian to kill Hunsha Qi and Yiwang Fuweng with such accurate intelligence on our route. So it was provided by Shao Gong. Heh, he thought he could secure his succession, but he was actually helping us."

Fat Mantis laughed. "There is much they never imagined. They never imagined that we had already secretly contacted the 'Verdict of Life and Death' and reached an agreement: as long as we each successfully succeeded, they would receive one-fifth of the territory."

Baili Feng was smiling, but his eyes held no warmth. "How will you handle the issue of Xie Family Post later? You are the Master of a Villa now."

Fat Mantis laughed. "You will be too, sooner or later. Once you are elected Master of the Villa, we can negotiate openly. Two-fifths will go to the Famous Sword Villa, two-fifths to the Hidden Sword Villa, and one-fifth to the 'Verdict of Life and Death'."

Baili Feng asked with a sinister smile, "Are you not afraid that your disciples will be dissatisfied with giving one-fifth to the 'Verdict of Life and Death'?"

Fat Mantis’s smile deepened. "Since I dared to concede that fifth, I certainly have a way to eliminate any side effects."

Baili Feng’s eyes finally lit up with genuine amusement. "That is why I like working with people like you. You understand one truth better than Jin Mailang and Qi Shiqi: if you eat alone, you won't get fat. If you have a share of the meat, I will certainly have one too."

Fat Mantis laughed. "If I have meat to eat, you will certainly never have to drink the soup."

Baili Feng chuckled. "Those who only care about eating the meat themselves often find that, in the end, they don't even get to gnaw on the bones."

Fat Mantis blinked and smiled. "So, we are friends?"

Baili Feng laughed, "Of course, friends. I hope we always will be."

At this, both of them burst into laughter, unbridled and loud.

After a long while, when they had laughed their fill, Baili Feng said, "This is no place to linger. You should return to your Hidden Sword Villa quickly. It would be unfortunate if someone were to see you."

"At this hour, it is absolutely impossible for any relevant parties to be here," Fat Mantis said, bowing with a smile. "But I shall take my leave. I look forward to hearing your good news soon."

"Rest assured, you will hear it soon enough," Baili Feng said, returning the bow with a smile.

With that, both men used their light-body techniques and vanished into the moonlight like night hawks.

But was it truly impossible for any relevant parties to be here?

What is there in this world that is absolute?

Deep in the grass, another figure in black, who had been lying in wait for a long time, stood up quietly, staring in the direction the two had departed.

The mask concealed his true face, but his eyes shone brightly in the night. If one were to observe closely, they would see that his eyes were filled with a profound depth—a depth that hid both rage and the intent to kill.