Death… and me

"Look at this! This is clearly Number One's handwriting. King of Hell Chu even sent the note over using our Invisible Falcon!" Diwu Qing Rou said, "If this was someone else, they would have presumed that Number One is safe and nothing is wrong. However, I, Diwu Qing Rou, is the true opponent of King of Hell Chu! King of Hell Chu definitely wouldn't expect me to believe the message on this note!"

"Do you really think I will be fooled by a piece of paper with a few fragmented lines of words? If so, I would have been dead countless times." Diwu Qing Rou continued, "Therefore, King of Hell Chu would not think this way. But why did he still go through all the trouble to send the message here? Without a doubt, he is mocking us!"

Suddenly, the bitterness in Diwu Qing Rou's eyes vanished and was quickly replaced with a new vigour. He had finally encountered a worthy rival!

"This is a challenge for me! A challenge from King of Hell Chu!" Diwu Qing Rou boasted, "He is very sure that I would accept it! In light of this, he has gained the upper hand."

"But Prime Minister, you could just ignore it. Let his plan fail!" Han Bu Chu protested.

All of a sudden, Gao Sheng no longer looked down on Han Bu Chu with the condescending attitude from before. Instead, he looked at Gao Sheng with new-found admiration.

Han Bu Chu was always impulsive. He never questioned issues deep enough. Therefore, Gao Sheng had always looked down on him. Gao Sheng could never fathom why Diwu Qing Rou allowed Han Bu Chu to participate in all these meetings. In Gao Sheng's eyes, Han Bu Chu was not good enough to engage in these high-level meetings. If he was Diwu Qing Rou, he would have kicked this man out a long time ago.

However, Gao Sheng finally understood then. Amongst the three of them, Han Bu Chu was the most impressive of all! If Han Bu Chu had not spoken in such a blatant manner, Gao Sheng would never have noticed it.

Han Bu Chu always presented an opposing view. His opposing view would be something that people could easily think of. Each time Diwu Qing Rou justified Han Bu Chu's opposing views, it created the impression that the prime minister was truly wise!

This was a brilliant tactic!

Han Bu Chu had deliberately lowered himself to bolster Diwu Qing Rou's legendary reputation. He was definitely no fool!

"While I was thinking about how foolish he is, he is also probably mocking my stupidity!"

Sure enough, Diwu Qing Rou replied, "I cannot ignore this because it involves my reputation as well as the interests of all of Great Zhao's people, especially for those working in the ministry!" Diwu Qing Rou continued explaining astutely, "You should realize that Number One can easily offer numerous useful information to King of Hell Chu about us. If Number One doubts us or becomes disappointed in us, what do you think will happen?"

The other three broke into a cold sweat upon hearing this. Han Bu Chu shuddered at the terrifying possibility. He bowed down and said deeply, "The prime minister is truly wise! I am ashamed of my narrow-minded view! The prime minister's teaching was extremely enlightening. I feel like I have just come out into the light. Please pardon my ignorance!"

"Oh my god! You are so smart! You are so talented!"

Gao Sheng echoed Han Bu Chu's praises for Diwu Qing Rou in his heart. If this had occurred in the past, he would have called Han Bu Chu the "Butt kisser!"

However, he finally understood the rationale behind these discussions. Diwu Qing Rou was grooming them and these brainless statements from Han Bu Chu kept the rest on a similar level as Diwu Qing Rou.

"Therefore, I cannot ignore King of Hell Chu's plot!" Diwu Qing Rou continued, "I must rescue Number One although that would mean complying with King of Hell Chu's wishes. I am afraid King of Hell Chu has already set up a trap for our people to walk into. But we have no choice but to walk right into it! This is why King of Hell Chu is so powerful. This is why he could seize the opportunity before anyone realizing it!"

"Furthermore, if we don't rescue Number One, King of Hell Chu would definitely exploit on our inaction to spread the word that I, Diwu Qing Rou, am a cold-blooded person who easily abandons his subordinate who had done so much for him. Once this spreads across the world, there would be immense and irreversible consequences on the population and the officials!"

Diwu Qing Rou appeared calm as he spoke.

"In that case, we must rescue him! But the question is, how do we do it?" Han Bu Chu, the best wingman stood out and asked. He appeared as though he was deep in thought and raised a question that was already on everyone's mind.

This person was truly spectacular!

Gao Sheng was intrigued!

With a simple question, he directed everyone's attention to the same issue and concentrated all brainpower on it. This lightened the burden on Diwu Qing Rou's shoulders and also gave the impression that Diwu Qing Rou had made comprehensive plans about the problem. Even those who were against Han Bu Chu were unknowingly swayed by him.

"Yin King master has already reached Iron Cloud Nation. His main mission is to assassinate King of Hell Chu and subsequently support Number One." Gao Sheng said, "Judging from the current situation, I highly doubt Yin King master would be able to rescue Number One. However, he has a chance to kill King of Hell Chu. I believe we should wait another two more days to hear from Yin King master. In the meantime, regardless of whether the assassination attempt succeeds, we will continue to discuss the rescue of Number One."

Smiling, Gao Sheng continued, "Haste makes waste. If we were to rush into the problem, not only will we be unable to rescue Number One, we will also sustain a great loss. This will bring more harm than good."

Diwu Qing Rou looked at Gao Sheng thoughtfully as he spoke his mind.

These considerations were already on Diwu Qing Rou's mind for a long time. However, he would never say them himself for he would appear too cold-blooded that way. This is a case of a great general suffering in the hands of the enemy. Hence, it could only be said by his strategists.

However, little did he expect young master Gao Sheng to be the first to say these words. He even said it in a youthful and unbridled manner!

"This is a possible solution but it raises several concerns!" Diwu Qing Rou replied, "Number One is suffering at the moment. The longer we wait, the more he has to suffer. How can I bear…"

"Prime minister, we must not rush into the problem. We understand your concern for Number One but this is the least treacherous approach." The wingman spoke again, acting as if he was trying to convince Diwu Qing Rou against an irrational decision.

"Alright then! Send orders for a Command Horse Rider and eight high-level Black Horse Riders to get ready. Once we receive news from Yin King master, they will set off immediately! Do whatever it takes to bring Number One home and kill King of Hell Chu as soon as possible!" Diwu Qing said firmly, "I need two detailed plans to be drafted. If King of Hell Chu dies, what is the course of action? If he doesn't die, what will be our countermeasure?"

The three complied.

"Next, add King of Hell Chu to the list of the 'most dangerous characters in Iron Cloud Nation'. Place him at the same level as Tie Bu Tian and Tie Long Cheng. Insert this on the 'killing list' at Golden Horse Riders Department."

Diwu Qing Rou continued slowly, "We must not allow his power to grow any further. If he grows, I am afraid he will truly become the King of Hell of Great Zhao…"

Diwu Qing Rou seemed calm and relaxed. However, in his mind, he thought to himself, "King of Hell Chu, you might be smarter than most people but there are some things that cannot be overcome with intelligence alone. Your trap might hold off a tiger but I am sending two dragons!"

"Regardless of how smart you are, your foundation in Iron Cloud Nation is still too weak."

The Killing List of the Golden Horse Riders Department? The three strategists were stunned!

Everyone in the Golden Horse Riders Department's Killing List was considered a highly dangerous figure to Diwu Qing Rou. Their names were only removed if they were dead. As long as they were alive, their names would remain there! Regardless of his past, anybody who managed to kill someone on the list would instantly be conferred a title in the royal court or appointed a general of the army. These generous rewards were a great incentive for anyone to take on the challenge!

Every person in the Golden Horse Riders Department eyed those names with great desire!

Tie Bu Tian and Tie Long Cheng's names were already included on the list. It was unbelievable that King of Hell Chu, who had only just revealed his talents, was given the "special honour" from Diwu Qing Rou so soon!

Of course, Chu Yang had no clue that he had become a target of the Golden Horse Riders Department. Little did he know that the bounty for killing him had increased so quickly, to the extent it could bestow upon any ordinary person sufficient wealth and riches for more than a lifetime. This was an extremely great temptation!

Had Chu Yang known about this, he would probably bring his own head to collect the bounty as well.

Lately, Chu Yang had been extremely busy. Not long ago Chu Yang had very luckily obtained a rare fortune after collecting his gambling debt!

Although there were not many rare medicinal herbs in the royal palace, he still managed to obtain some. They might not be one of the nine great mysterious herbs, but they were certainly still difficult to come by.

After the Nine Tribulations Sword had finished absorbing them, the Nine Tribulations Pill had grown to more than half a pill! It was only one-fifth away from completion.

The remaining herbs were drained by Nine Tribulations Sword. It channelled everything into Chu Yang's meridians. Chu Yang was cultivating these herbs at the moment. These herbs were so potent that they were more than sufficient for him to break into the fifth grade Martial Artist.

However, the Nine Tribulations Sword had restricted the advancement of his level, keeping him perpetually at the first grade Martial Artist. Furthermore, it also prevented him from cultivating such potent herbal power. Instead, it simply flooded his meridians with the herbs!

"You wish to advance your level? Sure! Train harder and keep fighting! Only after you have fully understood your grade one Martial Warrior state can you proceed to the second grade!"

Chu Yang was rather annoyed with the restriction imposed on him! If he could break through a few grades at once, he could easily protect himself from any threats. At that rate, anyone who wished to take his life would have to be at least a grade nine Revered Martial Artist or even a King level master!

"How can I fight without power? At my current level, my traps can probably ensnare a few cats… How can I overpower the tigers? Such low-level traps will only enrage the tigers even more!"

Chu Yang was still cultivating the rewards from the royal palace. Once he was done, he would become the Challenger of the Dark Night. He would fight endlessly and be enlightened…

"These are rough times indeed…" Chu Yang sighed deeply to himself but his eyes glimmered!