Chapter 13: The Grand Conspiracy Behind the Scenes

The fading smile finally slowly returned to its original, unapproachable state.

"Just as Young Master Shangguan said, capturing a traitor by forcing them into a desperate situation to find a way to survive is far faster than waiting until everything is fraught with danger." Amidst the silence, Ye Geyue spoke slowly.

"The Gu Saint using the Gu Duel to test us wasn't solely for that purpose, was it?" An affirmative question came from Shangguan Jun's mouth.

His phoenix eyes curled upward seductively, and his wicked smile gained a few more traces of malice.

"Observing a person through minute details," Ye Geyue said indifferently. "Relying on rumors in the martial world, it is indeed difficult to grasp Young Master Shangguan's temperament and preferences. However, seeing your shared goal with the Saintess, as well as the respect you showed after winning the duel just now, one can see that this cooperation has a ninety percent feasibility."

Cooperation?

Shangguan Jun was clearly somewhat surprised by Ye Geyue's words, yet not a single ripple could be seen within his smile.

There were some things Shangguan Jun was suited to ask proactively, and some things he was not. Jun Liuyi naturally understood that while Shangguan Jun was curious about this so-called cooperation, if certain words came from his mouth, they would lose their value as bargaining chips.

However...

He couldn't ask, but she could!

"Cooperation?" Jun Liuyi frowned and spoke up.

Silence reigned all around. After a long while, Ye Geyue finally spoke: "Even if the traitor is exposed today, can you truly rest easy?"

"Whether or not we can rest easy, this Young Master has already spread rumors in the main hall. Even if I wanted to redesign a trap to lure someone into a pit, it would be difficult to implement now," Shangguan Jun spoke slowly, his lazy tone giving off an air of complete indifference.

"Whether your actions in the hall were intentional or unavoidable—who knows?" Opening the doors, his white robes fluttered in the wind, and Ye Geyue stood with his hands behind his back as his melodious voice drifted over once more: "An honest man does not speak lies before others. This Saint wishes to make friends with you, and also wishes to cooperate with your Spirit Control Sect to catch the true, hidden traitor."

He paused for a long time before continuing: "This is also the reason why I could have clearly neutralized your Fifth Elder's poison, yet feigned inability to do so."

He had long heard of the fame of Shangguan Jun and Jun Liuyi in the martial world, but it had only elicited a smile from him. However, meeting them today, whether in terms of intelligence and strategy or their way of conducting themselves, they perfectly suited his tastes.

He, Ye Geyue, was known to all for his Gu arts, but it was little known that he enjoyed making friends who shared his ideals. Originally, he had only intended to use this opportunity to meet the people of the Spirit Control Sect to seek a win-win situation; he had not expected these two to make him look at them with fresh eyes.

Ye Geyue's words caused Jun Liuyi and Shangguan Jun to exchange a suspicious glance.

"I am well aware that the Spirit Control Sect's intelligence organization is widespread, but there are some things that Gu arts can obtain more timely and accurately than your organization's information." Ye Geyue made a gesture, indicating for the two to move to the adjacent courtyard to drink tea.

Listening to Ye Geyue's words, the confusion in the two's hearts gradually spread.

As soon as the three sat down, a maid brought up some snacks and then withdrew.

Only after the maid had left did Ye Geyue continue the previous topic: "The War Wolf Alliance has been watching hungrily with ill intentions. Ever since I suspected there was contact between a traitor and the War Wolf Alliance, I have secretly placed Gu on the members of the War Wolf Alliance. If I want to extract information, it will be even easier than what you have been inquiring about."

The War Wolf Alliance?!

Jun Liuyi frowned slightly, having a vague feeling that things were very troublesome. If the matter were simple, Ye Geyue would have had no need to join forces with the Spirit Control Sect. Moreover, looking at the current situation, Ye Geyue had also played along with a scheme.

Traitors had appeared on both sides, and yet the two men's methods had reached the same conclusion through different paths!

Whether it was Shangguan Jun or Ye Geyue, they both felt an increased sense of admiration for one another.

"I wonder, what exactly is the Gu Saint referring to?" Shangguan Jun no longer maintained his guard or pretenses and asked.

"The War Wolf Alliance has currently bribed many people within various sects, yet their true intentions are eerily impossible to discern. The only clue is that the Imperial Court is also involved." With a solemn expression, Ye Geyue furrowed his brows: "The person afflicted by my Heart Gu is an elder of the War Wolf Alliance, yet I can only obtain this much information. What do you think?"

Using Gu to control human hearts, yet being unable to obtain more information, only knowing that various sects were being affected—this realization sent a slight chill through the hearts of both Shangguan Jun and Jun Liuyi.

If that were the case, there must be a massive conspiracy hidden behind it.

If this were merely involving the martial world, it would be nothing more than an ambition to dominate the martial arts realm, but the involvement of the Imperial Court made it feel increasingly dangerous upon careful thought.

Since the Strange Gu Alliance was the source, logically, that elder should know quite a lot, yet the information obtained was meager, which only forced one to be more cautious. Such difficulty in probing revealed the depth of the mastermind's mind.

Jun Liuyi's heart trembled. Was the traitor from the Divine Medicine Workshop three years ago also one of them, or was it a coincidence?

"I wonder if the Gu Saint has a countermeasure?" Shangguan Jun looked at Liuyi's dazed expression and cleared his throat to ask.

Shangguan Jun's slightly raised voice caused Jun Liuyi to snap back to her senses. Giving him an apologetic smile, Jun Liuyi once again shifted her attention back to the topic of their discussion.

Hearing Ye Geyue explain everything in its entirety, the expressions of the three were very solemn.

Silence spread once more, but this time, the atmosphere in the air felt even more stifling and restless.

"If even the elders of the Strange Gu Alliance might not know, then exposing the traitor will be of no use. The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light; catching one person cannot guarantee that another traitor won't emerge later. At that time, the unknown dangers will only increase."

Jun Liuyi voiced her own view. Amidst hesitation, she asked tentatively: "If we are to do this, we must pull it out by the roots. If the infiltration is truly this deep, then what we are facing is a war of attrition."

"Therefore, what we must do is allow the traitor to be triumphant. Keeping the known dangers right under our noses is better than being unable to defend ourselves after they have been removed," Ye Geyue mused.

"If there truly is a massive web being woven behind this, it will eventually be connected in a dense pattern." Shangguan Jun let out a low laugh. "Playing along with the scheme is indeed the best strategy."

"But there are many risks in our alliance and cooperation." Jun Liuyi looked at the two and murmured: "Trust is the foundation of cooperation. Even if the Gu Saint is upright and honorable, our respective interests will eventually conflict. In the face of interest conflicts, can we guarantee that this alliance will be indestructible?"

She raised her eyes to look into Ye Geyue's eyes: "Since we intend to play along with the scheme, then the relationship between our two factions must inevitably be handled through conflict. Under such tension, there will surely be casualties on both sides. In such a situation, the Gu Saint must know what is lacking in such an urgent alliance."

Jun Liuyi pointed out the biggest problem standing between them with piercing accuracy.

In searching for the traitor, their goals were consistent. Because they had a common goal, and because the matter behind it was too troublesome, the enemy of their enemy would be their friend. This was why they could sit down and discuss things together at this moment.

But!

Two different sects, each serving their own master and having their own interests—could they truly have a steadfast foundation of trust that was difficult to destroy or provoke?

Hearing this, Ye Geyue smiled readily.