The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 281 - 93: Stirring Up Trouble in Qian Gong Fort

Chapter 281: Chapter 93: Stirring Up Trouble in Qian Gong Fort

The Esoteric Sect might be welcomed into Northern Zhou by Feng Tianming, which for Qing Yu, had its pros and cons.

The good part was that such a big event was like throwing a huge rock into a calm lake. The massive waves generated would completely cover up the previous ripples created by the murder of the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Li Renjie, leaving no one interested in that matter anymore.

The bad part was that his original intention to deliberately provoke a head-on war between the Sixth Prince and Prince had been disrupted by the affairs of the Esoteric Sect.

All the misfortunes that had previously befallen the Sixth Prince were orchestrated by Qing Yu himself. His purpose was to force the Sixth Prince to use real swords and spears, to confront Prince, and even Feng Tianming openly.

It would also allow the Azure Dragon Association to come into the view of the Sixth Prince, taking the opportunity to cooperate and further infiltrate the Sixth Prince’s forces with an internal traitor, a Pharmacist.

Regrettably, the first objective ended without disease, but fortunately, the second could still be carried out as planned.

Overall, the current situation did not pose too much harm to Qing Yu. That is if he hadn’t received this piece of intelligence...

"People from Qiangong Castle, do they think they can be treacherous just because they rely on the Esoteric Sect?" Qing Yu casually threw the secret report he had just received onto the table. His voice was undisturbed, and it was unclear whether he was angry or something else.

The Pharmacist who brought the secret report dared not speculate and simply lowered his head, not daring to respond.

Qing Yu’s so-called cooperation with the Sixth Prince to eliminate Jianghu forces in Northern Zhou was actually just a ruse. The Jianghu forces in Northern Zhou amounted to a mere few in the Divine Origin Realm, would he really need the help of the Sixth Prince?

The real task was to use the ruse of eliminating Jianghu forces to covertly subdue the middle and lower tier families. In Northern Zhou, it was the families that were the major players.

Over the past days, through threats or direct manipulation, Qing Yu had already taken control of more than thirty middle and smaller families.

Qiangong Castle was a mid-sized family located in the Northern, close to the grasslands. With the surname Gong predominating and numbering over a thousand, hence it was called Qiangong Castle.

Due to its proximity to the Northern Grasslands, it was often attacked by the Golden Wolf Han Court of the grassland, so it formed a fortified castle as the family’s dwelling place.

Qiangong Castle had previously been attacked, nearly having its fortress breached. It was the people from the Azure Dragon Association who killed the Golden Wolf Han Court’s raiding generals and resolved the crisis of Qiangong Castle. And as a price, Qiangong Castle would heed the Azure Dragon Association’s commands, with unwavering loyalty.

However, this loyalty didn’t even last a month before it became questionable. The hand of the Esoteric Sect reached so far it was nearly touching the grasslands.

Had it not been for the Pharmacist using the Sixth Prince’s intelligence network to find out the news, Qing Yu might not have known that Qiangong Castle had turned into snitches.

"Dragon Chief, should we send someone to kill Gong Ying, or force him to take the Ghost Control Pill?" the Pharmacist suggested quietly.

"No need, using the Ghost Control Pill ultimately has too many flaws, best use it sparingly."

The user of the Ghost Control Pill was merely a puppet, not a drug to be frequently used. As for the Three Corpses Brain God Pill, once a user reached the Divine Origin Realm, it would no longer be effective. After all, the beginning of the Divine Origin Realm involves refining the brain, and using True Qi to kill the corpse worm in the brain is effortlessly simple.

"The Azure Dragon Association has lain dormant for months, some seemed to have forgotten how formidable the Azure Dragon Association is. Let Qiangong Castle be that chicken that warns the monkeys, to keep them in line."

In just a few words, Qing Yu determined the fate of Qiangong Castle. According to the customs of the Azure Dragon Association, action must be taken within seven days. Qiangong Castle thus had only seven days left.

But in reality, not even three days remained.

Two days later, the members of the Azure Dragon Association had already arrived outside Qiangong Castle, quietly awaiting the fall of night.

Within Qiangong Castle, a grand banquet was being held, with the key figures of the castle all present, clinking cups and indulging in merriment.

"Master Kong Hai, I toast to you," said Fortress Master Gong Ying of Qiangong Castle, lifting his cup to a monk with a fair complexion, who appeared delicate.

"Amitabha, this humble monk shall drink tea in place of wine, I thank you for your kind hospitality, Lord Gong," Kong Hai also raised his tea cup, exchanging a distant toast with Gong Ying at the head of the table.

"Nonsense, I am the one who should be thankful to you, Master, for removing the threat to Qiangong Castle. Cheers!"

Both sides exchanged smiles and drained their cups in one gulp.

"Come now, everyone, please don’t be shy. Enjoy the feast to your hearts’ content!" Gong Ying called out after finishing his drink.

Having said that, Gong Ying excused himself and stealthily proceeded to the back hall, where a middle-aged man was pacing back and forth, his eyebrows furrowed with worry.

"Second brother, stop pacing around needlessly. Ease your mind; with the masters here, our Qiangong Castle will surely remain unscathed," Gong Ying said as he entered the back hall and saw his own brother, Gong Qing, wearing a look of concern, which inadvertently made him feel uneasy too.

Gong Qing stopped pacing and said with worry in his voice, "How can I ease my mind? You are well aware of the notoriety of the Azure Dragon Association. Although Qiangong Castle has two warriors of the Divine Origin Realm, how many of those have fallen at the hands of the Azure Dragon Association? You say you’ve allied with the Esoteric Sect, and that’s your choice, but why must you betray the Azure Dragon Association?"

"Hmph, betray," Gong Ying scoffed coldly, "I never planned to swear fealty, so there can be no betrayal. The Azure Dragon Association doesn’t even have a single warrior of the Divine Origin Realm; what gives them the right to demand our loyalty? If it weren’t for taking advantage of our weakness, they would have no right to make us bow.

"Those Divine Origin warriors killed by the Azure Dragon Association, weren’t they all overwhelmed by numbers? Others may fear them, but Qiangong Castle doesn’t. If they dare come, it’s not certain who will be the one besieging whom," Gong Ying declared fiercely, showing no fear of the Azure Dragon Association’s current infamy. As a man accustomed to the constant threats from the Golden Wolf Han Court in the Northern Land, Gong Ying possessed a certain ferocity of spirit.

Gong Qing, however, saw through the brash exterior of Gong Ying to the fearful nature underneath. If he truly were unafraid, why would he need the Esoteric Sect to stay?

If the Azure Dragon Association feared being overwhelmed, how then was a leader from the Golden Wolf Han Court slain amidst his own troops? The Azure Dragon Association could kill that leader from the Golden Wolf Han Court; they could kill Gong Ying.

In the end, it was just a matter of Gong Ying perceiving the strength of the Azure Dragon Association as weaker than that of the Esoteric Sect. Comparing the two, Gong Ying had chosen to side with what he deemed the stronger force.

His perception wasn’t wrong; indeed, the Esoteric Sect was not something the Azure Dragon Association could aspire to at this time; they simply lacked the power to directly confront the Esoteric Sect.

However, Gong Ying had overlooked one fact: the Esoteric Sect is the Esoteric Sect, and Qiangong Castle is Qiangong Castle; failure to contend with the Esoteric Sect did not mean Qiangong Castle was untouchable. Moreover, the Esoteric Sect was not as strong in the Central Plains as he imagined.

At the very least, they would not dare to expose their true strength for the sake of a Qiangong Castle. If the true power of the Esoteric Sect were to emerge, the Great Zen Temple wouldn’t mind letting this former vanquished opponent taste defeat once more.

Or perhaps, the high-ranking monks of the Great Zen Temple need not act, letting Shi Jue, a younger generation, to range far and wide, seeking the traces of the Esoteric Sect, was precisely to force them to show their hands.

If Gong Ying could bring the Esoteric Sect into the open, the Great Zen Temple would be grateful to him for a lifetime.

Moreover, soon Gong Ying would have the opportunity to find out whether he truly feared the Azure Dragon Association or not.