Chapter 69: Shouchong

Inside the dim meditation room, an old man in a white robe stood out. Though his hair was white at the temples, his back was perfectly straight, and his eyes held a gentle smile.

It was the White Lotus Sect leader, Shouchong!

This old bastard...!

Wang Ping's pupils contracted slightly. He braced himself as if facing a formidable enemy, yet maintained his composure. After all, he was no longer the pitiful undercover mole in the County Yamen.

Has he been waiting here in ambush from the very beginning?

Did he discover my death two lives ago and lay in ambush to catch me in the act, wanting to see exactly how I resurrect?

Thinking of this, Wang Ping felt a chill. Thank goodness. Thank goodness he hadn't resurrected in the identity of a Gold-Bearing Brocade Guard this time, otherwise wouldn't he have spawned right under this old bastard Shouchong's nose? If Shouchong saw through the secrets of the Taiping Sutra because of that, it would be over.

Not to mention he was at his most vulnerable right after resurrecting.

The true strength of this old thing Shouchong left one lost in clouds and fog, impossible to gauge. He had just resurrected, and his Outer Heavenly Demon was on cooldown. If he were ambushed now...

Thinking of this, Wang Ping only felt fortunate.

Alongside that fortune was a deep wariness toward the White Lotus Sect leader before him... However, he had experienced a lot by now, and his face remained perfectly composed.

Fortunately, he misunderstood this time!

He said I resurrected using the power of a divine weapon. He must be attributing the cause to the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag. This is a beautiful misunderstanding.

Strictly speaking, this wasn't entirely wrong. Wang Ping's initial plan was indeed to use the power of the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag to refine his corpse from two lives ago. Then, his true body—the Six Desires Heavenly Demon King—would reside within it and manipulate the corpse, achieving an alternative resurrection and borrowing its identity.

At this thought, Wang Ping grew even calmer.

Outwardly, he simply turned slightly, resting his golden eyes on Shouchong. He paused, then took a step back and bowed.

"...Wang Ping of Front Village greets Senior."

Shouchong immediately raised an eyebrow. His gaze scrutinized Wang Ping, a white lotus seemingly blooming deep within his dark pupils.

"Wang Ping of Front Village?"

His tone carried curiosity as he asked softly, "A divine weapon's spirit assuming a human body, yet identifying more with its human form... this can certainly be considered a marvel of the world."

As expected!

The Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag is a high-grade magical artifact in the Immortal Gate, and within Great Shun, it is a Divine Object. My current incarnation as the Six Desires Heavenly Demon King serves as the primary soul inside the flag, making me the equivalent of an artifact spirit. That's why this old bastard mistook me for a divine weapon's spirit, inadvertently providing me with the perfect cover.

Wang Ping immediately played along. He sighed, "A divine weapon's spirit is, in the end, only an implement in someone else's hands. It isn't the true me. Instead, this human body—every smile, every frown, every action and gesture—is truly me."

"A fine disposition."

Shouchong clapped his hands. "Although there are quite a few divine weapon spirits, those who can borrow a human body like you, Daoist Friend, and be indistinguishable from a real person are exceedingly rare."

With that said, he brought over the table and chairs in the meditation room and sat down first. He even waved affectionately, "Good disciple, have a seat."

Wang Ping wasn't intimidated. He glanced at his own corpse from two lives ago lying in the quiet room, then waved a hand, seamlessly reattaching its severed head to the neck.

He then grabbed it and instantly refined it.

Immediately, his figure rapidly blurred and strode right into the corpse. Before long, the pale, lifeless body regained its flush of life.

Gold-Bearing Brocade Guard Wang Ping, resurrected!

The entire process flowed flawlessly. Only after finishing did Wang Ping stride over to Shouchong, covertly sizing the old man up as he sat down.

This old bastard is meticulous and completely shameless. Even though he called me a weapon's spirit and acted like he fully believed it, he might not actually be convinced. He could just be bluffing... Most importantly, what is he doing camping here for me? There has to be another reason...

Thinking of this, Wang Ping spoke first.

"Senior sought me out. I wonder what the matter is?"

Shouchong didn't answer immediately. Instead, he chuckled softly and picked up a teacup. As he gently rubbed it, he calculated in his mind:

This little fox is meticulous and utterly shameless. I don't know who he learned it from, to remain so calm even after I exposed his true origins.

Could I have been mistaken?

Although he admitted to being a divine weapon's spirit, I asserted it first. It's entirely possible he's just playing along with the excuse to hide his true origins.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew still.

But soon, Shouchong broke the silence. He picked up the teapot, poured Wang Ping a full cup, and smiled. "Good disciple, since you've received the emperor's secret decree, I suppose there are many things I don't need to elaborate on?"

This did not exceed Wang Ping's expectations. After all, Shouchong had sneaked into the meditation room; it was only natural he would find the secret decree on the corpse of Wang Ping's past-past life.

"I do know a thing or two."

Wang Ping nodded and said softly, "The White Lotus Sect and the imperial court have long had a tacit understanding. More accurately, an understanding with the emperor's faction within the court."

"The royalists, essentially."

Shouchong smiled. "If that weren't the case, the Imperial Tribute Hall and the emperor's Brocade Guards wouldn't have come. Those civil officials in the National Academy are not of the same mind as the emperor."

Shouchong suddenly shifted the topic. "Right, do you know the National Academy's plan?"

The question came abruptly, but Wang Ping realized the intent instantly: He's probing my background! Probing to see who the master behind this divine weapon is!

After all, anyone who knew the National Academy's plan had to either be from the National Academy itself, or an extraordinary person from the Immortal Gate standing behind them!

Understanding this, Wang Ping quickly prepared an answer.

"...I know."

Wang Ping spoke softly, his gaze meaningful. The two exchanged a glance and chuckled simultaneously, both realizing the other had seen through their little schemes.

Seeing this, Shouchong stopped beating around the bush. "Good disciple, how strong is that extraordinary person behind you?"

"Very strong. Incredibly strong."

Wang Ping didn't hide it. Recalling the scene of Daoist Nun You's battle earlier, his tone turned grave. "Strong enough that she alone could destroy Longxing County."

"Is that so."

Shouchong showed no discouragement. Instead, he nodded as if expecting it. "That's only normal. Otherwise, the National Academy wouldn't have chosen to obediently follow orders."

Immediately after, he looked at Wang Ping again, a chill appearing in his eyes for the first time. "Since you know the National Academy's plan, my good disciple, explaining it will be much easier. I'll get straight to the point. Do you know why the National Academy chose Longxing County as the sacrificial ground to repair the Longevity Rivaling Heaven Gourd?"

"Please enlighten me, Master." Wang Ping immediately bowed.

Shouchong bared his teeth. "Because the Longevity Rivaling Heaven Gourd isn't a divine weapon of the current dynasty, but was forged by the previous one. Therefore, to repair it, the lifespans of the masses are merely auxiliary materials."

"The true primary material is the providence of the previous dynasty!"

"And Longxing County was the very place where the Grand Ancestor of the previous dynasty raised his army, hence its name. After the previous dynasty fell, this place became the only one left with any of its remaining providence."

Wang Ping's heart jolted slightly at these words:

The providence of the previous dynasty...

The keyword 'providence' instantly made him associate it with a certain reckless action by Magistrate Xu Bingzheng earlier—one that was actually quite unreasonable when scrutinized: the Longxing County Seal!

"Worthy of being my good disciple."

Shouchong raised his cup and smiled. "Correct. If they want to extract the providence of the previous dynasty, they must first find a way to remove the providence of the current dynasty suppressing it."

"That's why that guy Xu Bingzheng used Chen Haoyan to deliberately lose the Longxing County Seal. He didn't even bother tracking it down afterward, and instead took the opportunity to ransack Youren Temple, securing some benefits for himself. He just didn't expect me to intervene, allowing you to swoop in and snatch the prize, my good disciple."

Everything was connected!

Hearing this, the fog in Wang Ping's mind cleared completely. Every event that had occurred in Longxing County so far finally strung together into a single cohesive line.

But a second later, he looked up at Shouchong and asked in a deep voice:

"...Then what about Senior?"

"The National Academy wants to use the previous dynasty's providence to repair the Longevity Rivaling Heaven Gourd. What does the old emperor think about this, and what do you think, Senior?"

"The National Academy's plan is to borrow the previous dynasty's providence here, and return it in full once the deed is done. The old emperor, on the other hand, wants to completely destroy the previous dynasty's providence in this place. After all, two tigers cannot share one mountain, and two masters cannot share one dynasty. To the emperor, the previous dynasty's providence is a fishbone stuck in his throat."

"As for me..."

Shouchong chuckled. "I want it all."

"I want to destroy the providence of the previous dynasty here, and I want to destroy the providence of the current dynasty here too! I won't let the National Academy or the old emperor get the slightest benefit!"

Wang Ping frowned. "The Longxing County Seal has already been destroyed."

"It's not enough!"

Shouchong shook his head. "The people of Longxing County are still here. As long as the people remain, even if the providence is lost, it can regather. But what I want is to uproot this entirely!"

The entire meditation room fell deathly still. The White Lotus Sect leader, who had rebelled for over a decade, set down his teacup. He stood up, every word ringing out like clashing metal. "The National Academy plans to use the Tabai Camp to slaughter the black-headed commoners outside the city, taking all their lifespans, and then use demons to devour the lifespans of the populace inside the city without killing a single person. I want them to eat the bitter fruit of their own making! I will turn all the dead black-headed commoners outside the city into demons, send them into the city to slaughter wantonly, and leave not a single soul alive!"

As his voice faded, Wang Ping fell silent.

A moment later, he said quietly, "So you are actually aiding the authorities in indiscriminately killing the black-headed commoners. The annihilation of Front Village... you probably anticipated it long ago?"

"Correct."

Shouchong turned his head and smiled. "After all, the followers of the White Lotus Sect all hail from the black-headed commoners. If I were to personally slaughter them, morale within the sect would scatter."

Wang Ping shook his head. "You are too extreme."

He had thought the National Academy's move to kill all the black-headed commoners was already brutal enough, but he hadn't expected Shouchong to go even further. Was he complaining that Great Shun was still too urbanized?

"You don't understand."

Facing Wang Ping's questioning, Shouchong shook his head calmly. "The black-headed commoners aren't human to begin with. Dying like this is actually a mercy to them."

"Here we go again," Wang Ping sighed.

"It seems you and the imperial court are cut from the same cloth, not treating the black-headed commoners as humans..."

"Hahaha!"

Before Wang Ping could finish, Shouchong burst into loud laughter, interrupting him. "Good disciple, oh, good disciple, did you think I was expressing a personal opinion just now?"

"I wasn't telling you that I consider the black-headed commoners to be less than human."

"I was telling you that the black-headed commoners are not human."

"This is not a personal view, but a universally acknowledged fact—the black-headed commoners outside the city, without exception, are all lingering phantoms left behind after the fall of the previous dynasty."

"We don't treat the black-headed commoners as humans because they genuinely aren't human!"