Chapter 384: When Man And Ghost Schemes
Jiang Chongshan was, of course, Ye Qing.
From the moment he extracted everything Hu Fengsan knew about the Chaos Heaven Brigands, the plan to pit the Ghost Tower against them had occurred to him.
To put it simply, he was going to make his pursuers and the Chaos Heaven Brigand fight each other, ideally to the death. He would watch from the sidelines to ensure that everything went to plan.
Of course, it was simpler said than done. To begin with, how could he pit his enemies against one another when they shared no grudge with each other?
So, Ye Qing infiltrated the Chaos Heaven Mountain and assassinated the real Jiang Chongshan while he was alone. Then, he took on his appearance and pretended to be Jiang Chongshan.
As for why he chose Jiang Chongshan, it was because the man was one of the Eight Vajrapanis of Chen Ah Sheng, the Patrolling Vajrapani. He possessed the authority to go wherever he pleased in Chaos Heaven Mountain, and he was unlikely to draw Corpse Childs attention.
When Corpse Child and his troops had ascended the mountain, Ye Qing immediately ordered his men to clash against them. The goal was to create bloodshed and make it so that there was no chance that the two sides could arrive at a peaceful accord. The good thing about pretending to be Jiang Chongshan was that he could order the Chaos Heaven Brigands soldiers around as he pleased. Besides that, Chen Ah Sheng had no reason to question his words.
He was going to trigger the explosive talismans he had buried in the granary and treasury when Chen Ah Sheng and Corpse Child were conversing with each other, but to his utmost delight, their dialogue somehow coincided with one another even though they were talking about completely different things. This allowed him to trigger the talismans after Corpse Child declared his intention to kill Chen Ah Sheng, making it seemed like the sabotage was done by Corpse Child, and pretend to die right before Chen Ah Shengs eyes.
This ensured that Chen Ah Sheng would fly into a rage and attack Corpse Child, and once the fight began, there was no stopping until one side had perished. It didnt matter who lived or died because whoever survived would think that he was already dead and forget about him completely, hence freeing him from his crisis. At the same time, he would be able to eliminate a threat to the people, effectively killing two birds with one stone.
Who are you? Corpse Child asked coldly.
Youre going to die anyway. Whats the point of telling you anything? Ye Qing smirked.
You think you can kill me? Corpse Child scoffed.
You think I cant? You were grievously wounded in your battle against Chen Ah Sheng, and without your corpse fluid, you cannot revive. Forget me, even that weakling over there could kill you, Ye Qing said while pointing at the Heartless Brain.
The Heartless Brain: ... Its the truth, but I still feel insulted.
You told him? Corpse Child turned to look at the Heartless Brain.
The Stranger chuckled deviously. But of course! Your innate magic is a secret to most, but I know exactly how it works. You can use it to kill your enemies and revive yourself. So long as there is a drop of corpse fluid on the battlefield, you are technically unkillable.
That is why the only way to kill you is to take out the corpse fluid first. Once done, you are no different from a tiger who was defanged. You might look scary on the outside, but anyone can finish you off in your current state. Am I right, little Corpse Child?
When did you start colluding with one another? Corpse Child asked after a short silence.
Its nothing. I just dont like entrusting my fate to others is all, Ye Qing said indifferently.
Just as the Heartless Brain said, if he chose to believe Corpse Childs words and set him free, then the Stranger would be completely out of his control. It would be the same as handing Corpse Child his ability to choose and his life. If Corpse Child kept his promise, then he would be safe and sound. But if Corpse Child went back on his promise, then he would regret everything. He had no intention of gambling his life away.
On the other hand, the Heartless Brain was in the same boat as Ye Qing was. He could be lying through his ass, but he was an element he could control. If the worst comes to the worst, then he could simply kill the Heartless Brain and find another way. The same couldnt be said for Corpse Child.
Besides, from the tidbits he heard about Corpse Childs foster father, there was a good chance the guy wouldnt realize that his adopted son was dead until it was too late.
You will regret this! Corpse Child roared his last words knowing that Ye Qing wouldnt change his mind.
Ye Qing clenched his fist harder, and the Stranger finally burned into ash.
While the Heartless Brain wasnt paying attention, Ye Qing turned around and quickly checked the Annon Sutra. He let out a sigh of relief only when he saw that a golden dragon-serpent rune had appeared on its surface. This proved that Corpse Child was well and truly dead.
Well done, lad! I knew that youre a smart man! The Heartless Brain didnt notice what Ye Qing was doing. He was too busy celebrating Corpse Childs death.
The next moment, the Stranger abruptly flew backward and slammed into a cliffside like a broken kite. Right after he let out a gasp of pain, Ye Qing appeared in front of him, grabbed his throat, and slammed him even deeper into the cliffside. Stones rained down from above as the cliff shuddered unsteadily.
L-Lad? What is the meaning of this? I just saved your life! Even if youre going to turn on me, dont you think this is a little too soon? The Heartless Brain cried out in pain and confusion.
It looked like he had suffered quite a huge injury, but in reality Ye Qing had taken care to control his strength. Otherwise, he would be dead already. His body was that feeble.
It still hurt like a bitch though.
Save me? If you hadn't forced me to show myself, I would be free already. But because of you, I may have a bigger, badder enemy I have to watch out for in the future! Ye Qing uttered frigidly.
In fact, his plan only went as far as faking his death and running away. He wasnt planning on ending all of his enemies here because it was unrealistic and risky. Unfortunately, the Heartless Brain saw through Ye Qings scheme and proposed that they worked together to free him from Corpse Childs control. Otherwise, he would expose Ye Qings ploy prematurely and cause his death.
He didnt want to agree to the plan, and he had been looking for an opportunity to end the Heartless Brain while Corpse Child and his troops were battling against Chen Ah Sheng. Unfortunately, Corpse Childs attention never left the Heartless Brain even once throughout the battle. Had he acted, it would ruin everything. Left with no choice, he agreed to the Heartless Brains plan.
That was why the Heartless Brains claim that he had helped him was complete bullshit. It was the other way around, not to mention that it wasnt voluntary. The Heartless Brain should be thankful that he hadnt crushed his throat yet.
Calm down, lad! The Heartless Brain shook his head left and right with a grimace. Hehe, you dont think that Corpse Child is that stupid, do you? Do you think you can escape just by faking your death? Remember, some humans may turn into ghosts after they die. Considering how many people died here, there is no way Corpse Child would let such them go to waste. What do you think will happen when he interrogates a ghost, and he discovers the truth? Your plan was always doomed to fail.
Do you see how I saved your life now?
Ye Qing sneered but said nothing. While he had to admit that the Heartless Brain had a pointthat was one thing he had missed while coming up with this planit was no excuse for the Heartless Brain to threaten him.
