Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 289 Careful Planning

Wuzhan brought Zhulang, Yunchu and followed Xu Shi up to the second floor. There was indeed a table on the second floor, but the banquet had not been served yet, only a few cups of tea. In addition to Lie Feng, there were Jiang Yuan, Longquan, Dong Tianzi and Ruogu. When they saw Wuzhan going upstairs, they all looked at him coldly and stood behind Xu Shi.

Zhulang and Yunchu stood on both sides behind him. Zhulang held a long sword, looking straight ahead with no expression on his face. Only Yunchu felt a little nervous when seeing this situation, and kept glancing at the surrounding environment out of the corner of his eye.

Wuzhan sat down slowly and said to Xu Shi who was sitting opposite him, "Does the Imperial Master want to use this herbal tea to replace the wine at the banquet?"

Mayor Xu smiled and said, "This is not Xianyang. It won't be so fast to prepare a decent banquet. Don't be impatient, sir. Drink a few cups of tea first. We'll talk while we wait." As he spoke, he poured a cup of tea himself. A wisp of true energy flowed through his fingers, and he rolled up the teacup and steadily handed it to Wuzhan.

Wuzhan gently took the teacup, but did not drink it directly. He looked at the teacup in his hand and said lightly: "It seems that the conversation is not harmonious. It will be difficult to wait for this banquet."

Xu Shi smiled and said, "Sir, you are really a smart man. You have already guessed what I want to ask."

Wuzhan said, "Isn't it demeaning the Imperial Master when he says this? How could I have guessed the Imperial Master's intentions? Moreover, how could I have known that the Imperial Master would suddenly have such a sudden impulse and wait for me so attentively?"

The smile on Xu Shi's face disappeared. He looked at Wuzhe with a sharp gaze, as if he wanted to see into his bones. He spoke word by word, "Then please explain clearly, sir. How did you escape death in that situation?"

Wuzhe looked at him and said calmly, "Master, aren't you meddling in too much? Do I still need you to care whether I live or die?"

Xu Shi said: "If it happened somewhere else, I would not ask about it, but you triggered the mechanism of the bronze coffin, and after triggering it, you miraculously survived, and the things inside disappeared. You should give some explanation, right?"

Wuzhan said, "So many people here saw it. I had no choice but to trigger the mechanism. As for whether the bronze coffin was empty, let's not talk about it. Do you think I have time to open the bronze coffin that even the national master couldn't open in such a dangerous situation?"

Xu Shi's face darkened and he said, "It seems that you don't want to say it anymore, sir. Since you don't want to say it, I will say it for you."

After a brief pause, "Sir, when you first twisted the disc on the coffin lid, you actually didn't know how to crack it. You were just testing it. It seemed risky, but you knew what you were doing. I've twisted the disc in the same places you twisted before, and there were traces left on it. So you only twisted it to the place I've twisted before and stopped. I have to admire your intelligence. If it weren't for your detailed explanation, if a few details were overlooked, I really wouldn't believe that you could open the bronze coffin. I guess you were sensing the sound vibrations inside at that time, right?"

Seeing Wuzhan looking at him silently, he continued, "Sir, you are sitting on the coffin lid and twisting the disc. If it were someone else, he wouldn't dare to do it even if he had eight guts. But you dare to do it because every time you twist it, you can easily sense the movement of the mechanism inside. You must be well versed in the arrangement of the mechanism. Therefore, you only twisted it three times and knew the internal structure. This method is not only direct, but also wonderful. I didn't think of it. I am ashamed of myself!"

Wuzhan looked at Mayor Xu calmly, who seemed a little excited, as if he was listening to a story, a very quiet listener.

Mayor Xu said: "When Leng Qianren rushed towards the gentleman, the gentleman activated the mechanism, and the black sand spread out in all directions and shot at everyone. This was not subconscious, but intentional. The gentleman was on the coffin lid at that time, which was the safest position. It was not that there was no secret hole on the coffin lid. It was just because the gentleman did not activate it. Seeing the black sand coming, everyone was busy with their own affairs. It was impossible for anyone to notice this detail. When they fled the dangerous area, they saw billowing poisonous smoke exploded, leaving them no time to breathe. This once again shows that the gentleman was safe and sound at that time. Otherwise, how could the mechanism be triggered? Everyone saw the black smoke and ran for their lives, thinking that the gentleman must have died. Under the poisonous smoke, there was no body left, but they would not have thought that although the poisonous smoke exploded, it did not explode at the same time, but exploded one by one. Every time the master activated one side, he stood on the other side. The poisonous smoke was gushing, but there was no poisonous smoke lingering in the center. The poisonous smoke soared more than ten feet high and spread to the surroundings, just covering the sight of everyone. I guess it was at that time that the master opened the bronze coffin to take away the things, and then closed the coffin lid to restore it to its original state. When everyone rushed back, the master had already used Qinggong to leave and went to find the lost disciples. I wonder if there is anything missing in my description? "As if I saw it with my own eyes, the description is detailed.

Even Yunchu felt that Xu Shi's inference was reasonable after listening to it, and Jiang Yuan and others showed expressions of admiration.

Wuzhan smiled and said, "I really admire the imagination of the national teacher. Such a meticulous conception makes even me doubt what I did at that time."

Mayor Xu stared at Wuzhan and asked, "Do you still want to deny it?"

"Deny it? The Imperial Master only told me a story. What evidence do you have to prove that I took the things?"

Lie Feng said angrily: "Junior brother, there is no need to waste time talking to him, just capture them, I don't believe he will not hand them over!" As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere suddenly became tense and it was possible that action could be taken at any time.

Wuzhan picked up the teacup and just put it to his lips, about to drink it, but he heard Yunchu shouting, "Be careful, the tea is poisonous!" She had been worried about this cup of tea, afraid that Wuzhan would accidentally drink it. Now seeing that Wuzhan was about to drink it, if she didn't remind him, it would be too late. How could such an invitation be well-intentioned?

"Puff..." Wuzhan spat out the tea that had just reached his mouth. Xu Shi was the closest to him and did not expect Wuzhan to spit out tea at all. He was not prepared at all and before he could defend himself, the tea almost sprayed onto his face, and a piece of tea leaf even stuck to his forehead. This was the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to him.

Before Xu Shi could get angry, he heard Wuzhan scolding him, "You bold traitor, you have no right to speak here. You scared me and made me look foolish in public. How could the Imperial Master poison my tea like a villain? Let me see how I punish you afterwards." He turned to Xu Shi and said, "I didn't mean to offend you. Please don't blame me, Imperial Master!"

Mayor Xu had tea sprayed all over his face and his eyes were about to burst into flames, but he couldn't get angry. After all, Wuzhan had already apologized. But Mayor Xu knew clearly that Wuzhan must have done it on purpose. In other words, he was showing contempt and offending him, so what could he do about it.

Jiang Yuan and the others saw Xu Shi's embarrassed look, their faces flushed, and they almost laughed out loud. Their original nervous anger was diluted by this sudden change, but everyone knew that this matter would never pass easily. Xu Shi slowly wiped the mist off his face, his face darkened, and he said in a deep voice: "It doesn't matter, this is just tea. I only care whether the gentleman will take the initiative to hand over our things."

Wuzhan said calmly, "The Imperial Master didn't get what he wanted, so he was unwilling to give up and placed his hopes on me. I can understand that, but I'm not as good as the Imperial Master thought. I can't figure out the mechanism inside the coffin just by the sound in such a short time. I just wanted to threaten the Dharma King of the Nitian Sect and prevent him from getting close, so I twisted it randomly a few times. I didn't expect the mechanism to really start. At that time, I was only concerned about escaping, so I didn't have the heart to care about what was in the coffin. Guessing is one thing, and reality is another. I didn't open the bronze coffin, so the Imperial Master asked me for something, which can only disappoint the Imperial Master."

Xu Shi said: "This bronze coffin was found by me and my senior brother after 30 years of searching according to the incomplete records. I am sure that Taiyi's bones must be inside. Otherwise, there would not be such a powerful mechanism to prevent anyone from opening it."

"In order to prevent future generations from robbing tombs, empty tombs are often left to confuse future generations. After tens of thousands of years, those records cannot be fully trusted. How can the national master assert that there must be Taiyi's bones inside?"

"Because the bronze coffin has not decayed for thousands of years, it means that there must be something extraordinary hidden inside. Sir, please don't beat around the bush with me. Just answer whether you will hand it over or not."

Wuzhan said: "If I got something good, why don't I hide so that you can't find me?"

Mayor Xu laughed and said, "This just shows your extraordinary qualities. You got something but you were not surprised. But you can fool others, but you can't fool me, Mayor Xu."

Wuzhan said: "Even if the Imperial Master kills me, I still can't hand it over. Isn't this forcing me?"

Xu Shi said: "Whether it is too much to ask, I will know after I try it."

"How does the Imperial Master want to try?"

Xu Shi glanced at Lie Feng behind him and said, "My senior brother can peek into soul consciousness. As long as you don't refuse, we can know whether you have taken our things."

When Yun Chu heard this, her heart suddenly rose to her throat. If this were true, the other party would know everything.

Wuzhan said: "It is very dangerous to be interfered with by other people's soul consciousness. It can be said that your life is completely controlled by others, and many privacy will be exposed to others. I don't have anything shameful to do, but this contains the secrets that His Majesty gave me. Do you think you have this right?"

Xu Shi said: "Even if His Majesty were here, he would let me do it with confidence, because this is related to his great cause for generations to come."

Wuzhan said: "Since the Imperial Master said so, we have no choice but to return to Xianyang and let His Majesty make the decision."

Xu Shi snorted coldly and said, "The longer the night, the more dreams there are. For the sake of your majesty's great cause, what does it matter if you suffer a little injustice?"

Wuzhan said calmly: "Don't forget, it's not only Xiandaoyuan that is doing things for Your Majesty. Are all the civil and military officials in the court just here to eat? May I ask the National Master, what achievements has Xiandaoyuan made so far? The National Master is making up stories here and putting the blame on me. Is it possible that Xiandaoyuan can no longer hide the truth from Your Majesty? I am a meritorious official who pacified the southern border and wiped out the remnants of the 'Zangding'. You, Xu Shi, are not qualified to go over Your Majesty's head and touch me." Although his tone was calm, there was a kind of condescending majesty and domineering.

Mayor Xu was speechless for a moment. He really couldn't produce enough evidence now, and in the eyes of outsiders, it really seemed like he was trying to frame Wuzhan. Wuzhan was now very successful in the court, and his prestige was rising rapidly. It would not be easy for Mayor Xu to go beyond the emperor's authority and take action against Wuzhan.

Lie Feng laughed and said, "Boy, now that you are here, you have no say. Haha, even if I kill you, who will tell others about it?"

Wuzhan said to Liefeng calmly, "If we talk about fighting, you have more people and may not be your opponent, but if we want to keep our master and disciple, it will not be that easy. Once we return to Xianyang, I will definitely ask for an explanation in the court."

Lie Feng shouted, "Then you can try and see if you can escape from my grasp. To tell you the truth, once you get to the second floor, you have no choice. I have set up a magic circle here. If you don't hand over our things, you won't be able to leave alive."

Wuzhan smiled faintly and said, "Senior, do you think the 'Starlight Formation' can trap me?"

……

(End of this chapter)