Chapter 338: Diversion

Mingshen had no idea what his sister was doing to the spell, but he was finally able to summon a precious messenger dove he trained to send out a message and signal. If Hong Nian Niang had her eyes and ears stationed in Luoyang after his disappearance, they would know immediately.

Despite Anji’s best attempts after Song Min’s leave, she could only manage a small hole in the ghost general’s complex weave. Her knowledge of spiritual symbols was lacking, and there simply wasn’t enough material to learn what they meant. Without anyone to consult, Anji could only study the pattern of the spell and make intellectual guesses.

Using whatever little soul power she could summon without destabilising her fragile system, she managed to open a brief window. The spells were more tenacious than she thought, and right after Mingshen fired his signal from a makeshift flare and summoned his bird to send a short message written in his blood on a torn fabric from the bed sheet, the array sealed itself off again.

They have done what they could. Now all they could do was wait.

"Don’t worry," Mingshen reassured. "Someone will come to get us. Sect Leader Hong is quick on her feet. After Pu Jianming’s incident, they will know to send experts."

Anji nodded. Truthfully, she was not worried about who they would send to attempt a rescue. She was more wary about Song Min, who was away. He was not attacking the imperial palace, that was for sure. If he did, the Rainbow Alliance would not be able to send any experts even if they wanted.

Playing chess and go with Song Min often enough, Anji knew the scholarly ghost was a real tactician. He was good enough to give Mingshen a challenge, even if they were both hiding their true skills. There was no way Song Min would take a rare new moon opportunity to launch a reckless attack on a weakened but not fallen wall.

Not to mention, there were several powerful guardians behind that weakened wall.

"Brother Mingshen," Anji frowned. "What do you think a ghost army can do in ten hours when they have no limitations under the cover of night during a new moon? Will he really attack the palace?"

Scoffing, Mingshen rolled his eyes.

"I’ll streak naked for three days and bark at the end of every sentence if he did that. He’s not a stupid enemy. That’s obviously a lie."

Even if Mingshen’s words lacked the usual manners and gentlemanly etiquette he spent a long time cultivating, Anji did not bat an eyelash. People tended to become like that around Song Min. There was simply no room for nicety around him.

"Where would Brother Mingshen attack if you had a ten-hour window and upper hand with a ghost army in this war?"

Mingshen thought about it. Although his present information was very lacking, and Song Min was very secretive, it was not difficult to understand how the ghost general thought. They had rather similar thought patterns, although the final decisions differed greatly, shaped by different values and priorities.

"I hate his guts and what he does," Mingshen admitted. "But he has good brains. If I had the upper hand, I would not squander it out of greed. The Imperial Palace is too risky. To increase my chances of getting to it while playing out time, I would create a diversion and cripple the unity of that defence line, even if I had to sacrifice a few."

According to Anji, the experts in Chang’an now included her shifu. Realistically speaking, Song Min was way too far above Mingshen’s own cultivation level to gauge his true potential.

"What were Pu Jianming and Elder Shen’s cultivation levels again?" he asked.

"Pu Jianming was only an Enlightened Core with no real martial arts background. Elder Shen was probably a Transcendent Core, but also had no true martial arts background. Most of the Mystical Qilin Sect lacked battle prowess despite having higher cultivation levels. Why?"

Even with the new information, it was difficult to judge.

"I’m just wondering what kind of experts are required in order to fight our dear enemy. He does not seem very powerful at first glance, but I cannot estimate his cultivation level. If Pu Jianming died at an Enlightened Core and Elder Shen was severely injured at a Radiant Core, then the experts coming to save us should be at least Transcendent Cores. There are only a few such experts in the vicinity."

Anji nodded. Transcendent Core cultivators were rare. Even Gu Ying was only a Radiant Core. Many Transcendent Core cultivators were major sect leaders, such as Hong Nian Niang. If Gu Ying waned, she could start her own minor martial school as a Radiant Core cultivator too. The majority of those participating in this war were from Refined Cores to Enlightened Cores. It would be a risky plan for the Rainbow Alliance to rescue hostages using experts now.

"Song Min probably knows this. He won’t be able to take on many experts at the same time. However, it would be a different story if he faced them individually or slowly moved them into different places to empty the base."

Anji agreed. Up till this point, she followed his trail of thoughts.

"Realistically speaking, only two people would be able to fight Song Min on par in a one-on-one match," he concluded. "It’s your shifu or our father. Naturally, anyone in the Supreme Core would win against such a powerful entity, but that sort of deity does not exist."

Their father was busy maintaining the frontline battles and distractions while uniting the alliance. He was too far from the capital to be a threat to Song Min. However, Yan Ping was now here in the palace.

"If I were him, the biggest thorn in my side would be a spellmaster with clarivoyance who would be able to fight and defeat me," Mingshen pointed out. "In just ten hours to turn the battle, I will do whatever I can to weaken her so that she can no longer pose a threat to me."

Anji nodded.

"Song Min can’t hurt my shifu," she reasoned. "She came to the palace to help me reinstate the seal and fix the corruption while setting traps. He can’t even get past the first barrier around the capital."

Up until now, they agreed on everything. However, there was one thing Mingshen thought about that would never cross his younger sister’s mind. He was an assassin. And assassins never took the straight path.

"What if he doesn’t have to?" he asked. "I would not confront directly either. Blackmailing and threats work better. Your shifu cannot be bribed, but she’s easy to understand. The fact that she did not come to rescue you immediately meant there was something she could read ahead into the future. She knew he wouldn’t kill us and could continue guarding in confidence."

Shifting several go pieces on the board, Mingshen recreated the scenario as they knew it. Using the white pieces to represent their allies and a single black piece to represent Song Min, he moved the black piece from the capital’s corner to the Rainbow Alliance’s corner.

"The Mystical Qilin Sect had never once fallen. It was the only sect unaffected by the undead ambush. What if he attacked it by exploiting injured people corrupted with possession while she was away as a distraction?"

Moving the white piece that was Yan Ping from the capital to the Rainbow Alliance corner, only two pieces remained.

Anji frowned.

"But we have an absolute array created by the first founder," she defended. "Nobody understands how it works, but it has never broken. Nobody can pass through it unless they have a special access pass."

Mingshen stared at Anji for a long time. His sister still did not understand it.

"Ghosts are not humans, Anji. Just like the brainwashing hairpins, they could possess and hide in people to carry them inside. The barrier might not even work against ghosts because they have no physical bodies."

Suddenly, it clicked in Anji’s head. The horror reflected in her eyes as quickly as the knowledge sank in. Even if her teacher could read the future and this was a ruse, there was no way she could avoid falling into the trap. Should Song Min truly succeed the way her brother predicted, the palace would only have two very shaky pillars left to uphold it.

Before Mingshen could think of a way to console his sister, the room shook as if there were an earthquake.

Something big was happening outside just before dawn, and neither of them knew if it was caused by their enemy or an ally.