Death… and me

Wu Qian Qian consented to his orders but her mind was full of questions… Just do it…? According to Chu Yang? What plans does he have?

Tie Bu Tian smiled and said majestically, "Remember that Minister Chu once said before that he will be gentle… Hahaha…" He was thinking about what Chu Yang had said before, "If there's really no way for me to avoid it, I will use a gentler method." Tie Bu Tian could not help but laugh. He was also trying to guess what Chu Yang's plans would be.

Wu Qian Qian became more annoyed as she thought, "How? Be gentle? Is he indirectly hinting at me to be gentler with Chu Yang? Is this prince trying to set me up with Chu Yang? Or perhaps… Has Chu Yang asked Tie Bu Tian to be his matchmaker? What did he mean by 'Minister Chu once said before that he will be gentle'? As she arrived at the final speculation, her face turned red instantly… This was too embarrassing…

As he noticed that Wu Qian Qian's face had turned red, a hint of envy appeared from within Tie Bu Tian's eyes.

However, right after, he teased, "Miss Wu, your face is really red… What are you thinking about?"

"Ah… Uhm… Well…" Wu Qian Qian was caught off-guard and was at a loss for words momentarily.

"Chu Yang… is indeed a rare and honorable man." Tie Bu Tian smiled, "If Miss Wu… perhaps you should show him some love."

Wu Qian Qian became infinitely shy and looked at the ground sheepishly.

In reality, she and Chu Yang never displayed any intentions towards each other, yet somehow, there were many rumors about them being in some sort of love affair!

Chu Yang did not pay any attention to these rumors. Presently, his heart was as hard as a stone and he couldn't care less about these ridiculous rumors. Whatever other people thought was their own business; what did it have to do with him?

On the other hand, Wu Qian Qian was no longer who she was before. During this period of time, she would receive all kinds of looks that appeared to imply these rumors everywhere she went. Initially, she would get embarrassed and sometimes become furious. As time went by, she slowly began to tolerate these looks and gradually got used to them… Soon, these rumors became a little real to her. Eventually, this girl, who was at the age of her peak beauty, was slowly experiencing a change of heart…

Such a change… was especially potent for those who were of her age.

"Oh, the rare elixirs and precious minerals seized by Minister Chu… What is he doing with them?" Once he knew that Chu Yang had his own plans, Tie Bu Tian became significantly more relaxed as he now had time to focus his attention on other matters.

Chu Yang had requested to keep these items and Tie Bu Tian complied readily. It was simply not worth nitpicking over such insignificant things, especially since there were already heaps of these items in the royal palace. Besides, there were things in the royal palace that Chu Yang would never be able to find from the pile of seized items. On the other hand, the royal palace would surely have anything that was contained in the pile of seized items. Therefore, Tie Bu Tian decided to just turn a blind eye as Chu Yang pocketed these things…

However, Tie Bu Tian still remained curious. Why did Chu Yang grab these items? He still hasn't used them even until now. Moreover, he hasn't used them to help Bu Tian Pavilion… He is just one person; does he even need so many elixirs? Ahhh, if he only wants the elixirs, that's still understandable. Perhaps as a precaution for possible injuries? This could be justified by a person's fear of death… But why would he need so many rare minerals?

"I have no clue either. After each seizure, Chu Yang would give orders for all the of them to be stowed away in a preset storage room…" Halfway through her reply, Wu Qian Qian paused suddenly. She realized that… the small storage room that Chu Yang had chosen shared the same wall as his room in Bu Tian Pavilion. Based on Wu Qian Qian's memory, she remembered that the storage room was not actually that big… With their continuous seizures, that storage room should have been filled by now… Yet, how is it that we are still able to fit things in there?

"Well, when I have time, I must definitely have a look." Tie Bu Tian smiled cheerfully. A queer pleasure was hidden behind his smile.

"If Your Highness has no other orders for me, I will take my leave." Wu Qian Qian said. In essence, she was not Tie Bu Tian's subject. Beyond the Heavens Sect was working with Tie Bu Tian and she was merely there to help out… There was no requirement of her to show Tie Bu Tian too much formality…

Of course, Wu Yun Liang had made some pre-calculations. If Wu Qian Qian could become the queen or even the king's mistress in Iron Cloud, then… However, there was no chance that Wu Yun Liang's wishes would come true, judging from the current situation.

"Oh, your father sent you this." Tie Bu Tian pulled out an envelope and handed it to Wu Qian Qian.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Wu Qian Qian received the letter in excitement.

In actual fact, Wu Yun Liang had sent three envelopes; one for Bao Kuang Lei, one for Wu Qian Qian, and the last was written directly to Tie Bu Tian. As expected, besides the two other recipients, no one else knew the content of the letter that Wu Yun Liang had sent to Tie Bu Tian…

As he watched Wu Qian Qian take her leave, Tie Bu Tian's look changed slowly. Eventually, he looked down and let out a sigh. His mind had suddenly drifted towards the topic of 'King of Hell Chu'. He could not help but shake his head and chuckle.

Minister Chu's method was indeed undecipherable by anyone. He had managed to craft layers upon layers of strategies in such a short span of time. Even the simplest things, such as his own origins, had become extremely complicated.

Chu Yang originated from Beyond the Heavens Sect and this fact was not a secret. First and foremost, he was the heir of a powerful family who had fallen into tough times and had to wander around Jiang Hu. Second, he was a descendant of a fallen Iron Cloud general. Third, he had been chosen as a disciple by a solitary martial expert, who apparently had the powers of the tigers and the dragons. Fourth, he was the student of a great scholar. Although he was weak, he was truly a heaven-sent talent. Fifth, he came from one of the families in the Middle Three Heavens and had come down to train…

Besides, there appeared to be witnesses and evidence for each of the facts. If anyone were to investigate his background, these statements could be verified true…

Tie Bu Tian could not understand why Chu Yang had stirred up such confusing rumors…

During this period, Tie Bu Tian understood that Chu Yang's unaccountable disappearances were to strengthen Heavenly Armament Pavilion. In fact, he was looking forward to seeing the future of Heavenly Armament Pavilion as well. Even though he knew that it was solely Chu Yang's power, he believed that when the time called for it, he could count on Heavenly Armament Pavilion to lend a hand.

Tie Bu Tian wanted to make use of Chu Yang to lead Bu Tian Pavilion and fight for Iron Cloud so as to defeat Diwu Qing Rou. On the other hand, Chu Yang naturally wanted to use this fight for the world as a perfect opportunity to strengthen his own power!

This relationship was truly beneficial for both of them!

As for what comes after peace was achieved… Hmmm… In all honesty… Tie Bu Tian was not sure of this distant future either. Hence, he did not spare any effort to think about it…

…

At the same moment, in the prime minister's mansion in Great Zhao Nation…

Diwu Qing Rou sat in his chair as he gazed at the pile of news on his desk. His countenance appeared calm… However, his finger tapped on his chair rhythmically and slowly. There was a long pause between each tap.

The people sitting in front of him did not dare open their mouths and break the silence. This was because they knew that his behavior signified that he was thinking deeply about something.

"King of Hell Chu, hahaha…" Diwu Qing Rou smiled and continued slowly, "This King of Hell Chu… Do we dare to ignore him?"

These words might have seemed like a genuine question, yet it also seemed to be a rhetorical one. No one was successful in grasping what Diwu Qing Rou meant. They simply turned to look at each other, still choosing to be cautious and remained silent.

"This King of Hell Chu has just been instated and yet he has already managed to dig out so many of our own people… Can anyone guess the methods that he has used?" Diwu Qing Rou asked slowly.

"Methods?" Everyone was caught by surprise. The Golden Horse Riders Department had painstakingly planned all of the spies' backgrounds. Undoubtedly, there was not the slightest of flaws in every bit of information. Asking them to think of how they were discovered at that present moment was simply not possible.

"The problem is not us, but that King of Hell Chu." Diwu Qing Rou said in a low voice, "His methods for digging out spies are the total opposite of normal reasoning. For most people, they would think about whether someone is a spy first before finding any possible flaws… That would be much easier."

"As for King of Hell Chu, he instead assessed ordinary or good aspects of the officials instead. In other words, his investigations are focused on checking on upright officials; those who stayed clean and worked diligently… He looked deep into such people and hunted for anomalies." Diwu Qing Rou sighed and continued, "This King of Hell Chu is not simple at all!"