Chapter 1168: Arrangements
Shengshu Cainü.
Apart from her, Zhang Ruochen could not think of a second better candidate.
The key question was: who should deliver the "Blood Clan Secret Scroll" to Central Imperial City and place it in Shengshu Cainü's hands?
This matter was of utmost importance and could not afford any mistakes.
After the council of elders ended, Zhang Ruochen left alone, riding the Three-Headed Serpent King and returning to his cultivation residence as a Divine Son—the Hidden Dragon Hall.
Hidden Dragon Hall was not far from Infant Lord Peak, located in the core area of the Blood God Sect. It was built between six spiritual mountains, constructed with extreme opulence. The paths were paved with jade, various spiritual herbs were planted on the mountains, and over a thousand maids and medicine boys tended to the affairs there.
In the rear garden of Hidden Dragon Hall, Zhang Ruochen sat beneath a waterfall. Before him was a stone table with a sketchbook placed on it.
Holding a bronze brush, he was drawing one portrait after another.
All the people in the sketchbook were potential infiltrators of the Undying Blood Clan. Zhang Ruochen did not know their names or identities, but he had memorized their appearances one by one.
Behind Zhang Ruochen stood two rows of young, beautiful maids, all picturesque beauties dressed in spotless white robes. Becoming a maid in Hidden Dragon Hall was no easy task; one had to go through rigorous selection. Some of these maids were even proud daughters of great families dependent on the Blood God Sect, holding quite noble statuses.
"Whoosh—"
Beneath the waterfall, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth fluctuated slightly. Then, a mass of black mist appeared in midair, condensing into a gaunt figure.
"Who goes there?"
The twelve maids standing behind Zhang Ruochen all drew their war swords, rushing to the front of Zhang Ruochen and launching an attack at the gaunt figure.
However, their attacks had not yet landed on the gaunt figure before being neutralized into nothingness.
Zhang Ruochen put down the bronze brush and said, "All of you, withdraw."
Hearing Zhang Ruochen's voice, all the maids sheathed their war swords and retreated.
The gaunt figure was none other than Zhao Shiqi.
Zhao Shiqi flew down from midair, bowed to Zhang Ruochen, and smiled, "Congratulations, Divine Son, on your upcoming succession to the position of Sect Leader."
"It is still too early to talk about succeeding as Sect Leader. Come here first and help me confirm the names and identities of some people."
Zhang Ruochen tossed the sketchbook to Zhao Shiqi for him to annotate.
Zhao Shiqi had been in the Blood God Sect for nearly two hundred years. There was not a single cultivator above the Half-Saint realm he did not know.
Soon, Zhao Shiqi had marked the names and backgrounds of all the figures in the sketchbook. Among them, there were no fewer than ten Saint realm figures, and the number of Half-Saints was close to a hundred.
Zhao Shiqi was quite shocked and asked, "Are they all infiltrators of the Undying Blood Clan?"
Zhang Ruochen flipped through the sketchbook, examining it as he spoke, "For now, they are only suspects. Whether they are truly Undying Blood Clan members must be confirmed through testing."
If they really could be Undying Blood Clan members, Zhao Shiqi's heart trembled violently, and he was greatly alarmed. He said, "If even half of the cultivators in this sketchbook are Undying Blood Clan infiltrators, once their identities are exposed, the Blood God Sect will surely undergo a massive upheaval."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Zhao Shiqi and said, "These are only a part of them. Some are hidden very deeply, and I might not have even identified them."
Zhao Shiqi was deeply shaken inside. Only now did he realize how dangerous the Blood God Sect had become, gradually being taken over by the Undying Blood Clan.
Zhao Shiqi took out a dossier and handed it to Zhang Ruochen, saying, "The Divine Son asked me to investigate the Palace Lord and two Deputy Palace Lords of the Netherworld Heavenly Palace. The results are here."
Zhang Ruochen unrolled the dossier and carefully read it. Gradually, his brows furrowed.
There was nothing unusual in the dossier.
Moreover, today at the Return Origin Divine Palace, Zhang Ruochen had also observed the Palace Lord and two Deputy Palace Lords of the Netherworld Heavenly Palace and found no clues.
"Could it be that they are not Undying Blood Clan infiltrators at all? How can this be?" Zhang Ruochen was puzzled, feeling that there was more to this.
Since the Blood God Sect Sect Leader was cooperating with the Undying Blood Clan, how could the Netherworld Heavenly Palace, which guarded the Endless Abyss, have nothing to do with them?
Unable to figure out the reason, he had to temporarily set aside dealing with the Netherworld Heavenly Palace.
The conversation between Zhang Ruochen and Zhao Shiqi was shrouded by a layer of spiritual power.
The maids in Hidden Dragon Hall could only see a dark mist enveloping the two of them, unable to hear their conversation or clearly see Zhao Shiqi's figure.
Just then, a slightly older maid hurried in from outside, knelt on one knee outside the dark mist, and said, "Divine Son, Sun Dadi of the Kunzi Heavenly Palace has returned from the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm and is requesting an audience outside the hall."
"He finally made it back. Let him in," Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
Soon, Sun Dadi, Grand Minister of Works, Second Minister of Works, White Li Princess, and Qing Mo walked in from outside. Except for Sun Dadi, the others all wore black bamboo hats, using spiritual power to envelop their bodies to avoid being recognized.
From a distance, Sun Dadi's laughter could be heard: "Boss, you really know how to enjoy yourself. This Hidden Dragon Hall is full of beauties—it's practically a den of pleasure."
Zhang Ruochen looked at them, squinting slightly, and asked, "Where is Murong Yue?"
Sun Dadi said casually, "Her? She has already returned to the Eastern Domain. Apparently, she wants to seize the position of Young Master of the Black Market First Class Hall."
"What a pity. I was hoping she could help me with some things," Zhang Ruochen said, somewhat disappointed.
Murong Yue's assassination skills were extremely superb. If she could come to the Blood God Sect, she could help Zhang Ruochen eliminate all the Undying Blood Clan Half-Saints lurking in the sect, saving Zhang Ruochen a great deal of effort.
"What do you need done? My strength surpasses hers. How about letting me go?"
Sun Dadi was very eager, feeling an itch for action. Since crossing the second quasi-saint tribulation, he had not had a good fight in a while.
"You? You are not suited for this task. Focus on your cultivation and strive to break through to the Saint realm as soon as possible. The world has already fallen into chaos. Without becoming a Saint, you cannot control your own destiny," Zhang Ruochen said.
Sun Dadi's combat power was indeed stronger than Murong Yue's, but when it came to killing, he was far inferior. Sending him to deal with the Undying Blood Clan Half-Saints would only alert the enemy.
Grand Minister of Works chuckled, "Master Uncle, do you think I could handle that task well? The Second Minister and I have already crossed the third quasi-saint tribulation and are about to become Saints."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I have another, more important task for you and the Second Minister of Works."
Second Minister of Works stepped forward, his expression serious, and asked, "We will surely complete whatever task Master Uncle assigns."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I have a friend in Central Imperial City. I need you two to make a trip there and deliver a gift to her personally."
Grand Minister of Works was somewhat dissatisfied and said, "Master Uncle, are you messing with us? This counts as an important task? Anyone could deliver a gift. Why do you need two great experts like us to make the trip personally? Is this friend of yours male or female?"
"Female," Zhang Ruochen said.
Then, Zhang Ruochen secretly transmitted a message, telling them that the friend was Shengshu Cainü.
"I see. Master Uncle, rest assured. We will personally deliver the gift you are sending her into her hands," Second Minister of Works said.
Grand Minister of Works's expression turned strange. He gave a thumbs-up and said, "Master Uncle is truly a romantic figure. This humble monk admires you to no end."
Qing Mo stood nearby, biting her small lips, glaring angrily at Zhang Ruochen, thinking he was philandering and definitely had a lover outside.
Zhang Ruochen recopied the "Blood Clan Secret Scroll" and handed the copy to Second Minister of Works. Of course, the copy did not include the four Blood-Suppressing Talisman imprints.
Sun Dadi led Grand Minister of Works and Second Minister of Works out of Hidden Dragon Hall, heading out of the mountain to escort them out of the Blood God Sect.
"Once the 'Blood Clan Secret Scroll' is made public, the Undying Blood Clan in the Blood God Sect will surely strike immediately. Before that, I must first eliminate most of their forces. Time is running out for me," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Zhang Ruochen felt a pair of eyes staring at him. He turned around and looked at Qing Mo, smiling, "Qing Mo, what's wrong? Have your injuries healed?"
Qing Mo snorted and directly questioned Zhang Ruochen, "You sent two monks to Central Imperial City. Which little vixen are you going to see?"
"Little vixen?"
Zhang Ruochen found it hard to suppress a laugh. If Shengshu Cainü knew someone was calling her a "little vixen," what expression would she have?
"Isn't that the case? You even specially dispatched two monks to deliver a gift to that little vixen. You must really care about her. I'm going to tell the Princess right now that you have a little lover in Central Imperial City," Qing Mo said.
Zhang Ruochen couldn't be bothered to explain. After all, his relationship with Shengshu Cainü could not be exposed. The fewer people who knew, the better. If it got out, it would be very disadvantageous for Shengshu Cainü.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Your Princess is in seclusion, preparing to cross the third quasi-saint tribulation. If you want to tattle, you won't have the chance for now. What level has your cultivation reached?"
"Why are you asking?"
Qing Mo was very displeased, looking at Zhang Ruochen with disdain.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I am in need of capable people right now. I need a few Saint realm experts to help me deal with some formidable opponents."
"Why should I do things for you?" Qing Mo said.
Zhang Ruochen smiled, "You are Princess Yanchen's maid. Princess Yanchen is my wife, so naturally, you are also my maid. In a sense, even if I asked you to warm my bed, it would be perfectly reasonable."
Although Qing Mo had already stepped into the Saint realm and was definitely a great expert, she was indeed Princess Huang Yanchen's maid, with the mentality of a little girl of ten or so. That was why Zhang Ruochen decided to scare her.
Qing Mo was indeed frightened. She involuntarily stepped back three paces, a mass of green flame surging in her palm, and stammered, "I... I'm telling you, I won't... I won't sleep with you... you... you womanizer... Absolutely not."
Zhang Ruochen was also startled. He knew that the flame in Qing Mo's hand was the Immeasurable Sacred Flame. If she actually unleashed it, the entire Hidden Dragon Hall would likely be burned to ashes.
Zhang Ruochen quickly said, "I was just joking. Don't be so nervous. A little girl like you doesn't interest me, the Divine Son. Pick any maid from Hidden Dragon Hall, and her figure is several times better than yours."
Qing Mo's face twisted with anger. She kept grinding her teeth, wanting to hurl the Immeasurable Sacred Flame at him.