Chapter 597
Chapter 597
Yan Wuqi, the advisor to the Zhu Clan, was playing Go with Shu Baidu. They were not in the Silver Tribute Tower, however, but in a building not far from it. While others loved watching the waves from the Silver Tribute Tower, Shu Baidu had to see the sight every year and had long grown tired of it. Besides, he was old and his nerves were a bit frail, so the sound of the waves felt too loud. Thus, whenever the great tides arrived, Shu Baidu would leave the Silver Tribute Tower for a few days.
Shu Baidu said calmly.
“Once you get old, you can’t stand such loud noises!”
Yan Wuqi said.
“Sir Shu, you have a blood feud with Shen Lang, do you not? Twenty years ago, you allied with the Xue Clan to frame the Count of Jin Yu, bringing ruin upon the Jin Clan. Last time, you showed a secret letter to Su Nan, causing Su Jianting to lead masters from the Western Regions to storm the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate and injure Su Peipei. And this time, you have taken away over three thousand people with the blank bloodline, who are Shen Lang’s lifeline.”
“Master Yan, if you have something to say, just say it.”
“Shen Lang is a man who retaliates for even the slightest grievance. He will surely seek revenge like a madman. In your opinion, Sir Shu, is there anything you’ve definitely overlooked? For example, a secret vault…”
Shu Baidu smiled faintly.
“Ah, I see! You deliberately leaked the location of a secret vault to set a trap, didn’t you? You set a trap hoping Shen Lang, in his extreme state of irrationality, would jump right in?”
Shu Baidu said nothing. The secret vault was indeed real, but most of the gold there had been moved elsewhere. The remaining portion had been melted and spread across the floor, making it impossible to take.
“I hear Shen Lang has already sent men to that secret vault. What will happen then?”
Shu Baidu replied.
“Perhaps a surprising sea of fire will erupt. We should be able to see it from here.”
“Then we shall wait for a good show. For Shen Lang’s underlings to walk into their own doom and leap into a sea of fire. When that happens, Shen Lang might truly spit blood.”
* * *
Hundreds of Hidden Yuan Society warriors entered the secret sewer beneath the Silver Tribute Tower. The sewer under the tower was massive, about three to four meters wide and over two meters high. Although it was ventilated, it was extremely stuffy and reeked of a terrible stench. A considerable amount of stagnant water and countless pieces of floating garbage were there.
“What is this stuff? Why does it smell so rotten? What are we to do with so much garbage piled up in the sewer?”
“If we open the riverbed sluice gates for a few days straight, all of this will be washed away. Now, go and check the iron pillars. Don’t worry about anything else!”
The hundreds of warriors split into several groups and went to investigate the nine iron pillars that were the lifelines of the Silver Tribute Tower. These pillars supported the Hidden Yuan Society’s headquarters, the Silver Tribute Tower, so nothing could be allowed to happen to them. But strangely, the closer they got to the iron pillars, the more they felt a scorching heat.
‘It’s early spring, so it should still be quite cold. Why is it so hot?’
They quickly arrived at the place where several of the underground iron pillars were embedded and were soon completely dumbfounded. White flames were blazing on the iron pillars, which were as thick as a thigh.
‘Is… is this the work of a ghost? Can iron burn? It looks like those thick iron pillars are about to break. What… what kind of sorcery is this?’
It was, of course, thermite. It could produce a high temperature of 2,500 degrees, easily burning through and cutting any steel. The air temperature rose higher and higher, until finally, the white phosphorus inside some wooden barrels that had floated into the sewer could no longer withstand the high temperature and burst into ferocious flames.
*Boom!*
The wooden barrel burned and split apart, and the fish oil inside spilled out. Consecutively,
*Boom, boom, boom, boom.*
A thousand wooden barrels in the sewer exploded violently, and tens of thousands of pounds of fish oil flowed out. Soon, a spark from the iron pillars landed on the fish oil.
*Rumble.*
A sky-piercing flame shot up, and the terrifying force, unable to find an outlet, instantly led to a spectacular explosion. It was as if the final day had come.
* * *
Let’s return to half a *shichen* earlier.
It was true that Gou Duhuan had kowtowed outside the gates of the Marquis of Changping’s estate until his forehead bled, and it was true that Shen Lang had slapped him twice. It was also true that his Black Mirror Division had discovered the whereabouts of a secret Hidden Yuan Society vault, and Shen Lang had dispatched all his elite masters to attack it. In other words, before the explosion at the Hidden Yuan Society’s headquarters, there had already been another explosion elsewhere. In a very ordinary warehouse in the northwest corner of the capital, a sky-piercing flame erupted.
A short while later, several bodies were carried out one after another. Each body was covered with a white cloth, but they were all so blood-soaked that the sight was too gruesome to bear. Even Gou Duhuan was in an extremely wretched state, his entire body covered in burns. This time, Shen Lang had clearly suffered a great loss. He had lost dozens of masters in the massive fire. A short while later, hundreds of city guards appeared at the scene of the fire to maintain order. Many people witnessed cart after cart of blood-soaked bodies being transported to the Marquis of Changping’s estate.
‘Shen Lang has truly suffered a crushing defeat! Another disastrous loss!’
Under these circumstances, the entire capital could bear witness to the defeat Shen Lang had suffered.
‘Just now, all of my, Shen Lang’s, masters attacked a secret Hidden Yuan Society warehouse, fell into a trap, and suffered horrific casualties. Therefore, if any other shocking incident occurs elsewhere, it has nothing to do with me, Shen Lang. I have proof that I was not there, and my masters were not there. And with so many casualties, do not dare pin anything that happens on me. That would be utterly unreasonable! Of course, if the blood-soaked bodies return to the Marquis of Changping’s estate and get up, full of vigor, that is my own affair. In the eyes of the capital’s citizens, they are already dead!’
* * *
Among the powerful figures watching the waves from the Silver Tribute Tower, the headquarters of the Hidden Yuan Society, who was the most nervous? It was undoubtedly Huang Tong, the new elder of the Heavenly Path Society. As the Hidden Yuan Society’s greatest rival, the reason he had received an invitation was likely for the Hidden Yuan Society to intimidate him.
‘Huang Tong, take a good look. Your Heavenly Path Society is a far, far cry from us. Putting everything else aside, just looking at this Silver Tribute Tower is more than enough for you to realize that we possess the tremendous power to conquer the tides of two rivers, is it not?’
Huang Tong had not wanted to attend in the first place, but Shen Lang had insisted that he must. Of course, he didn’t know the specifics of what Shen Lang was plotting, but he knew it was definitely not something good. Here, he was forcing a broad smile, but he was in no mood to watch the waves, and for some unknown reason, his heart was beating faster and faster.
‘Young Master Shen, what on earth are you planning to do? Couldn’t you have let me know in advance when you were going to make your big move?’
Therefore, Huang Tong positioned himself at the entrance to the stairs, keeping a close eye on the situation at all times, ready to be the first to flee if anything happened. If it wouldn’t have looked too unseemly, he would have wanted to hug a pillar. Only then did he feel he might have a little more stability. Of course, no one suspected anything upon seeing Huang Tong’s strange behavior. Because everyone there was an ally, while he alone was an enemy, it was only natural for him to be out of place. But then!
*Rumble.*
Huang Tong instinctively hugged a pillar, preparing to jump down at any moment. Then he noticed a huge flame erupting from an explosion in the northwest corner of the capital. Just from the flame alone, Huang Tong recognized that it was an explosion of fish oil.
“There’s a fire over there! A fire!”
Almost everyone instantly forgot about watching the waves and turned to look at the massive fire in the northwest. The Sixth Prince, Ning Jing, asked.
“What is going on?”
Shu Tingyu replied.
“I do not know.”
Xue Xue said.
“Shen Lang has probably suffered another terrible loss, with numerous warriors dead or injured.”
Zhuo Xiao’an added.
“After making two consecutive mistakes today, Shen Lang might really spit blood.”
A moment later, a warrior rushed up to the top floor and said quietly.
“Young Lord, Shen Lang’s elite warriors have suffered a crushing defeat in our trap. The casualties are so numerous that it will take more than ten carts to transport the bodies.”
Shu Tingyu restrained the urge to laugh out loud and merely gave a faint smile.
‘People really do lose their reason easily when they’re angry. Shen Lang, after losing three thousand seven hundred people, your anger clouded your judgment, and you couldn’t wait to come for revenge. The result was a crushing defeat, with countless casualties too gruesome to behold. Thus, no matter how enraged one is, one must always maintain reason and remain calm.’
* * *
And at that moment, in another building, Shu Baidu, an elder of the Hidden Yuan Society who was playing Go, also saw the flame that shot high into the sky from the northwest. Then, he too received an urgent report from a Hidden Yuan Society warrior. It stated that Shen Lang’s elite warriors had suffered a crushing loss while trying to attack the Hidden Yuan Society’s secret vault, resulting in numerous casualties. Just then, the game of Go he was playing with Yan Wuqi was showing signs of ending.
“I’m getting old, so old. Let’s call this game a draw. It’s getting dark, so I should be heading back.”
The warrior who had delivered the report asked.
“Master, the Young Lord asks when the gathering should end!”
“Tell him to watch for the time it takes one more incense stick to burn. Ending the gathering as the sun casts its last light would leave a more lasting impression, wouldn’t it!”
* * *
At the Silver Tribute Tower, Shu Tingyu announced loudly.
“The wave viewing will continue for the time it takes one more incense stick to burn. Everyone, please be sure to watch the final wave!”
It was indeed the final wave. The tides of the two rivers grew stronger and swelled astonishingly, finally crashing with a deafening roar. The spray created by the collision of the two tides shot higher and higher, eventually reaching a height of forty to fifty feet. The spectacular wave once again crashed onto the coastal road, and the people watching it cheered.
‘What a magnificent sight. Such a thrilling scene!’
Tens of thousands of commoners on the riverbank screamed in alarm and all fled to escape the surging wave. To the people on the top floor of the Silver Tribute Tower, the scene looked incredibly amusing.
‘The sight of the spray about to sweep people away is the best part. What a pity! That it doesn’t actually sweep them away.’
The powerful figures on the top floor secretly wished for the spectacular wave to crash onto the shore and sweep away a few hundred people. That would make for an even more thrilling and magnificent scene, and it would also prevent people of lowly status from risking their lives to come and watch the waves.
“Beat the drums!”
Dozens of large drums sounded simultaneously, and the wave viewing reached its final climax. The spectacular waves crashed more and more perilously, and everyone was completely engrossed. Shu Tingyu included. Today, the Hidden Yuan Society had won two great victories against Shen Lang, and he was feeling incomparably exhilarated. And the beautifully crashing waves before his eyes seemed to be celebrating his victory over Shen Lang today.
‘Those who oppose the Hidden Yuan Society walk only the path of destruction. Shen Lang, you are no different. And this is just the beginning. Shen Lang, over twenty years ago, our Hidden Yuan Society nearly destroyed your Jin Clan. A year ago, our Hidden Yuan Society provoked a war between you and the Su Clan. Now, our Hidden Yuan Society has sounded the trumpet for your demise. We will utterly destroy you, from your spirit to your body! Shen Lang, do you hear these drums? Do you hear the sound of these raging waves? They are all sounding for your destruction. Shen Lang, your end is near!’
But at that moment.
*Rumble.*
A sky-piercing roar erupted, a sound that surpassed even the astonishing crash of the waves. Then, the earth began to shake violently. It was as if a true ground dragon was stirring in the depths of the earth.
The entire ground of the Hidden Yuan Society’s headquarters suddenly heaved upward, and then, the hundred-foot-tall Silver Tribute Tower was torn apart like a toy.