Chaotic World Book
Chapter 378 - 370: I’m Letting You

Chapter 378: Chapter 370: I’m Letting You

Lv Shiheng’s expression remained unchanged as he smiled and said, "Head Priestess, you overstate your concern. These days, I have been diligently preparing for battle, training soldiers day and night, and recruiting masters... Unless Maitreya comes in person with a grand army, it’s not going to be easy for Yu Cixiu’s meager forces to break through Xiangyang."

Tang Wanju smiled. "Is that so? The Governor is truly capable."

"I dare not accept such praise," Lv Shiheng said. "If there’s anything Xiangyang is lacking, it’s funds and grain. Could the Head Priestess help by arranging a shipment from Jiangnan... Oh, the roads are blocked. Perhaps from Heluo then? The grain stores there are abundant."

Tang Wanju replied indifferently, "My authority doesn’t extend to Heluo."

Lv Shiheng was taken aback. "Why? I hear that Your Majesty granted you significant powers for your mission southward..."

Tang Wanju said, "That’s because the Yangs of Hongnong no longer heed orders; my power is ineffective over them."

Lv Shiheng feigned a shocked gasp. "The Yang Family of Hongnong has been keeping a low profile for years. Could it be just because Wang Daozhong helped them capture Yang Qianyuan? Is such a trivial matter really worthy of such a response?"

"The specifics are unknown to us both... but this matter at most was merely an intermediary event, and those initiating contact might not necessarily be the Wang Family, but also the Four Symbols Sect." Tang Wanju’s beautiful eyes rotated across Lv Shiheng’s face as she said indifferently, "So, if the Yang Family comes south, and they sandwich us with the Maitreya Sect... or if Vermilion Bird and Xuanwu charge straight into the Governor Mansion, will the Governor still be confident?"

Tang Wanju did not know that Lv Shiheng was colluding with the Maitreya Sect. She had rushed to Xiangyang in haste, worried that Lv Shiheng would side with the alliance of the Wang Family, the Yang Family, and the Four Symbols Sect.

This was because Lv Shiheng was a former official of the Wang Family, and Wang Daoning once personally mentored him in swordsmanship, lifting and recommending him.

On the surface, Lv Shiheng, based in Xiangyang and Langya, had no further contact with the Wang Family after their probing moves trying to test the waters. He acted as a loyal official of Great Xia. But if the momentum of the alliance reached this point, changing his allegiance would be as simple as uttering a single sentence.

This kind of power was a hundred times more headache-inducing than the Maitreya Sect because they would not face the same resistance across the lands as the Maitreya Sect did. For example, Lv Shiheng’s response to the Maitreya Sect compared to facing the Wang and Yang Families was profoundly different.

Before the battle at Tai Lake, Tang Wanju had heard of the Yang Family’s change and had already wanted to rush to Xiangyang. With her there, there was still a chance to sway Lv Shiheng’s leanings, or at least she had to try... So as soon as the war ended, she hurried over, racing against time.

That is why she had reminded Li Si’an and Great Zhou that too frequent pigeon correspondence could easily reveal their position. Her warning was intended for the City Lord—besides him, what other power would qualify to monitor the comings and goings of city pigeons? If Lv Shiheng changed sides, Li Si’an, Great Zhou, and others would be in grave danger.

Regrettably, she only discovered upon arrival that Immortal Palace Garden’s circumstances had changed and Li Si’an was captured; Lv Shiheng’s treachery was apparent.

She was too late... How could she alone repair the cracks appearing everywhere in the sky?

At that moment, Lv Shiheng was saying, "The Northern Army’s advance southward requires crossing the river, which won’t be easy... If the Head Priestess is worried about this, it might be better to contact the Capital. If the Yang Family acts up, strike them from behind and Xiangyang’s peril will resolve itself. I feel the Yang Family lacks such audacity."

Of course, the Yang Family lacked the audacity; they intended to take Xiangyang without expending a single soldier.

Tang Wanju sighed, about to say something, when her expression subtly changed.

Zhao Changhe’s Moon Reflected in Water perception was taught by her. If even Zhao Changhe was often able to sense distant dangers with it, then what of Tang Wanju?

She clearly sensed an increasing number of strong presences inside Immortal Palace Garden. The surrounding rooftops were dominated by those strong personas, with Strong Bow and Crossbow forming a siege around this building.

While Lv Shiheng engaged her in this trivial chat, had he managed to arrange this tight encirclement, waiting for her to walk right into the trap?

Where did he get the audacity to so flagrantly attempt to hunt down the Head Priestess of the Demon Suppression Department in Xiangyang? Not even the Wang Family would dare such a thing. How could he, Lv Shiheng?

Did he believe he could control the entire city, keeping this matter hidden? But the Tang family knew of her visit here. No matter if the Chaotic World Book reported it or not, they couldn’t fool the Tang family. What was he trying to do?

Tang Wanju’s thoughts raced, feigning ignorance about everything. She swallowed back the words she had intended to use to persuade him and sipped her tea leisurely. "Since the Governor has put it that way, it seems I have worried too much. Your words are sensible; I should leave for the Capital at once."

Lv Shiheng smiled, leaning in to refill her cup. "The hour is late; there’s no need to rush through the night like this. The Head Priestess should consider resting in Xiangyang for the night and set out tomorrow morning. You could also send a message; there’s no need to run back and forth yourself."

"If I stay here for another night, by tomorrow morning my head might be hanging on the city gates." As soon as she said the word "head," Tang Wanju suddenly lashed out, reaching straight for Lv Shiheng’s throat!

Lv Shiheng was leaning in to pour tea at the moment, and her strike was swift as lightning. He merely managed to instinctively tilt his head, but his shoulder well was already struck by Tang Wanju, sending a wave of numbness throughout his body.

Lv Shiheng deeply regretted his laxity. He knew full well that this woman was extraordinarily strong and acted with decisive speed, yet her deceptive appearance fooled him every time he faced her. No matter how much he warned himself, his guard was never up as it should be; he should never have closed the distance. It was pitiable that he, ranked forty-eighth on the Human List, was unable to block even one surprise attack from her and was now immobilized by a point strike.

Fortunately, his preparations were complete. As Tang Wanju made her move, it triggered the ambush. The ambushers burst through the walls suddenly, with terrifying slashes of their knives aimed at Tang Wanju’s back.

Tang Wanju was well-prepared. Her body twisted like the dance of a wandering wave as her slender hand brushed past, striking the side of the attacker’s knife.

Both parties staggered slightly with a surprised "Eh." As the blade’s light faded, the bulky figure of Maitreya emerged, his body like a mountain of flesh.

Tang Wanju’s expression was as still as deep water.

She had never expected it to be Maitreya!

How could it be Maitreya?

Tang Wanju took a deep breath and coldly said, "So it’s you, quite unexpected... Governor Lv, would you care to explain?"

"Explain what?" Lv Shiheng, who was immobilized by the point strike, replied even more calmly, "Doesn’t the leader see that he doesn’t care about whether I live or die? He just wants your life. Using me as your bargaining chip is utterly meaningless."

Maitreya, not succeeding in his strike, was in no hurry and chuckled, "Leader Tang, who would have thought we would meet again only a day later?"

Tang Wanju slightly furrowed her brows. Previously at Tai Lake, Maitreya had been injured and fled from her, but she hadn’t expected him to recover so quickly. There seemed to be no sign of yesterday’s injury, rendering yesterday’s victory almost illusory... Was the Dual Cultivation Skill of the Extreme Joy Method truly so miraculous?

She took another deep breath and said icily, "The Buddha thinks he has the upper hand, but did he ever consider that as a leader, venturing deep into enemy territory... Such behavior is not only petty but also turns you into a pawn of others?"

"A pawn?" Maitreya laughed, "It’s simply a matter of pinning the blame for Leader Tang’s death in Xiangyang on my Maitreya Sect. But in truth, if I wanted to take over this city, there are others in the Governor Mansion who’d be in the way, Wang Daoning or Yang Jingxiu... But what of it? I’m not afraid to take the blame for killing you, and the schemes of the Wang and Yang families might not succeed. After killing you, I’ll just join them in their game."

Tang Wanju said, "Could it be that Governor Lv has already fallen under the control of your Maitreya Sect’s Heavenly Girl?"

"You guess?" Maitreya laughed, "Including you... All these Aristocratic Families, so high and mighty, thinking showing their face is more useful than anything else, it’s all a damn sham."

Tang Wanju didn’t respond. There was some truth to his words—she had indeed overestimated her own influence, leading her to come here alone. Of course, it wasn’t entirely because of her influence; it was also due to many considerations from the power and background behind her, but the brainwashing and control of Cultivation Techniques could make all of that irrelevant.

This was a unique advantage Cults like Maitreya Sect and Four Symbols Sect had, causing everyone’s typical thought patterns to enter a blind alley.

Maitreya chuckled, "Leader Tang, in our past encounters, I’ve actually been at a disadvantage. The first time, on the shores of Sword Lake, it was our conflict with the Four Symbols Sect, and your sudden interference made me unwilling to fight you. The second time at your Tang family’s place, Zhao Changhe and Tang Buqi spoiled my big plans; I didn’t have the upper hand and had no desire to fight. In yesterday’s battle on Tai Lake, we were evenly matched, but Tang Buqi seized the opportunity to enter and break my formation. But today..."

He gestured towards the Maitreya Sect disciples surrounding them, "The advantage is mine."

Pointing towards the distant Governor Mansion, "Your left and right hand, even Li Si’an, the financial source of the Secret Investigation Bureau, is now in the hands of my sect’s Heavenly Girl, hanging by a mere word from me. Even his money should belong to my Holy Sect."

After saying all this, he looked Tang Wanju up and down, eyeing her beautiful form with a peculiar smile, "Leader Tang, are you willing to abandon your arms and leave? Give up Xiangyang, Jiangnan, your reputation, your Dao heart. Do you... still want it?"

Tang Wanju knew he was attacking her psychologically.

They had never gotten the better of each other; as long as one’s mind was disturbed, that side would lose. It used to be Maitreya who was disturbed, but this time it seemed to be her turn.

Tang Wanju slowly drew her Spring Water Green Wave Sword, pointing it at Maitreya, her expression calm, "Maybe you don’t realize one thing."

Maitreya smiled, "Please tell, Leader."

"I was evenly matched with you those few times because... I was letting you."

Maitreya’s expression changed slightly, and then he sneered, "Let’s try it then. Let’s see whether you cough to death first or if you gather your strength to kill me."

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PS: There will be an update tonight, but it will be quite late.