The new moon hung in the sky, with a crescent moon hook suspended at an angle in the western corner, casting a faint silver light on Ning Yongnian’s tall and upright figure.
Liu, Wei, Xu, and the Buddhist Sect.
The emperor of Da Ning was well aware that he couldn’t possibly take on all four powers simultaneously, but he could let them fight each other while he reaped the benefits.
However, no one was a fool.
So Ning Yongnian needed to create a situation where no one could stay out of it, a situation that would require everyone to participate in the massive storm that would engulf the entire Da Ning.
Currently, with Xu Shixing’s death, the Xu family had already entered the scene.
Next would be Liu, Wei, and the Buddhist Sect……
“Whoosh!”
A small golden dot suddenly appeared on the horizon, accompanied by several urgent eagle cries. A golden-feathered eagle slowly descended onto Ning Yongnian’s left arm, its wings fluttering.
Opening the small iron tube tied to the eagle’s claw, a short letter was retrieved from inside.
Ning Yongnian read it several times, a faint, enigmatic smile spreading across his face.
“It should be quite lively, I really want to see it for myself.”
……
……
Days later.
The news of Xu Shixing, the head of the Xu family and the Minister of Revenue, suddenly disappearing had already spread throughout the capital. The Xu family pretended to be calm on the surface, but in secret, they had sent out many people to search for the truth behind the scenes.
Others might not know, but the broken fate plate in the Xu family ancestral hall indicated that Xu Shixing had already met his demise.
As to who did it, the answer wasn’t as difficult to find as one might think.
When every thread and every clue pointed to the imperial palace, the Xu family still pretended to be unaware, not making any rash moves.
It was unclear whether they were waiting for a clear result or an opportune moment.
Of course, all this had nothing to do with Wei Changtian, who was far away in Shu Province.
Although Wang Er had already sent a letter about this, the Xu family had no connection to him whatsoever. What was more important now was how to deal with the schemes from the Liu family.
“……”
“Grandfather, I’m bothering you again.”
In the dark room, Wei Changtian said with some embarrassment: “The intelligence says that the Liu family might send a second-rank official this time. I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle it.”
“Ha ha ha, no worries!”
Qin Zhengqiu laughed twice, his face flushing: “I’m not doing anything important on Nine Peaks Mountain anyway. Since the Liu family has such killing intentions, let’s just kill them off so they won’t dare to bother you again!”
“I think the same way.”
Wei Changtian rubbed his nose: “Grandfather, if possible, can we bring some high-ranking officials from the Heavenly Net Sect this time?”
“Alright.”
Qin Zhengqiu nodded curtly, then seemed to hesitate, as if he had something to say.
Wei Changtian asked in puzzlement: “Grandfather, what’s wrong?”
“Cough, Changtian, I want to discuss something with you.”
Qin Zhengqiu thought for a moment before speaking seriously: “After the Liu family’s affair is settled, I think you should become the Holy Son of the Heavenly Net Sect.”
“Me?”
Wei Changtian’s face was full of surprise.
“Holy Son?”
The so-called Holy Son or Holy Daughter was actually the successor of a larger religious sect, with a status similar to that of a prince in the imperial palace, although not as emphasized as the bloodline of the emperor.
Although the specific candidate is ultimately decided by the sect’s leader, if one’s own child is too incompetent, the title often falls to other capable disciples within the sect.
Fortunately, Qin Zhengqiu’s children are all relatively promising, so the current Holy Son of the Heavenly Nets Sect is Wei Changtian’s second uncle, Qin Maoqing.
And if there are no unexpected events, after Qin Zhengqiu passes away, he will take over as the sect leader.
“Grandfather, I’m afraid this isn’t suitable…”
Wei Changtian never thought Qin Zhengqiu would suddenly want him to take on this role as Holy Son.
Although it sounds impressive, isn’t this going to make him offend people?
“Ha ha, Changtian, you don’t need to worry.”
As if guessing Wei Changtian’s concerns, Qin Zhengqiu laughed and said: “I’ve already discussed this with Maoqing, and he has no objections.”
“Uh, but…”
Wei Changtian originally wanted to come up with an excuse to refuse, but when he saw Qin Zhengqiu’s expectant expression, he hesitated.
This old man probably thinks he’s going to become immortal soon, so he’s preparing to “bind benefits” in advance…
Although the direction was wrong, Wei Changtian still managed to guess Qin Zhengqiu’s intentions.
To be honest, he didn’t want to get involved in these troublesome matters.
Other sects might be okay, but the Heavenly Nets Sect is the number one “demonic sect” in Da Ning, after all!
Adding to that his already terrible reputation…if he really became the “demonic son”, wouldn’t he be beaten by everyone in the future?
But thinking back, Qin Zhengqiu had indeed helped him a lot…
“Grandfather.”
After a moment of contemplation, Wei Changtian made up his mind.
“If you really think I can take on this responsibility…then I’ll give it a try.”
“……”
“Ha ha ha ha! Good, good, good! Good ah!”
“That’s settled then, cough, settled it is!”
“Cough! Cough cough!”
The loud, joyful laughter echoed in the dark room, showing that Qin Zhengqiu was genuinely overjoyed from the bottom of his heart.
Only those few coughs seemed somewhat painful.
Wei Changtian quickly asked: “Grandfather, are you okay?”
“Cough, I’m fine.”
Qin Zhengqiu smiled and waved his hand: “At my age, my body isn’t as strong as it used to be.”
“Oh…”
Wei Changtian muttered to himself, thinking, could a second-rank warrior still get sick?
“Grandfather, is it because your previous injury hasn’t healed yet?”
“That small injury has long since recovered.”
Qin Zhengqiu shook his head and didn’t continue the topic: “Changtian, since you’ve agreed, I’ll make arrangements after I return.”
“The specific date…will be temporarily set for the 14th of February, the day of Jingzhe.”
“Ah?”
Wei Changtian was taken aback.
Today was already the 26th of January, and there were less than 20 days until Jingzhe.
He originally thought such a big event would take at least a year or two to prepare.
“Grandfather, isn’t this a bit…rushed?”
“It’s a matter that will happen sooner or later; the earlier it’s done, the more at ease I’ll be.” Qin Zhengqiu was quite insistent.
At ease……
It was said as if arranging his funeral.
Wei Changtian was speechless in his heart, but he didn’t dwell on it anymore.
“Okay, then let’s do as Grandpa says……by the way, do I need to prepare anything before that?”
“There’s nothing to prepare, just show up.”
Qin Zhengqiu pondered for a moment and added, “However, there might be some disciples who refuse to obey, so you might need to personally discipline them.”
“Oh, that’s simple.”
Since defeating Xiao Feng, Wei Changtian had been extremely confident in his battles against peers, so he didn’t take this matter to heart.
He nodded to indicate that he understood and was about to ask something else.
But a thought suddenly popped into his mind.
“Grandpa, there’s something that doesn’t seem quite right.”
“What’s not right?”
“It’s just……based on the current situation, I’ll be the Holy Son of the Heavenly Net Sect after the Shocking Thunder Day.”
Wei Changtian looked up, his expression complex.
“And my mother is the Holy Maiden……”
“What about our family relationships……how should we calculate them?”
“Mother? Older sister? Or……”
Qin Zhengqiu: “??”