Chapter 1616: The King Yao's Speculation

Could Qingyang, an old woman nearly two hundred years old and tens of thousands of miles from her homeland, truly scheme so wildly against him and the Xirao court merely out of personal likes and dislikes?

It must be at Beijia's instigation, a Beijia conspiracy!

He asked himself, searching his conscience: he had always treated Beijia with the utmost respect, as a superior nation. What reason could they have to cause trouble for him?

Qiu Long paused, then could only reply in a low voice, "Perhaps there's a hidden motive?"

The King of Xirao knew he wouldn't get an answer from Qiu Long, but there were some things he simply couldn't say to anyone else.

"Situ He was killed by Cao Wendao. Bixia and my esteemed supervisor have always wanted to drag Xirao into this mess, making us fight the allied forces on their behalf."

"Princess Ya was harmed by Cao Wendao's demon puppet. A moment of his carelessness cost me my beloved daughter! Qingyang even framed the three-tailed fox demon for the murder!"

"Cao Wendao's demon puppet attacked Qi Yunsheng at Xiaotao Mountain Villa."

"Cao Wendao attacked He Xiao because He Xiao built me the secluded lake villa, supervised the eastward expansion of Tianshui, and obstructed certain people, becoming an eyesore to them!"

"Cao Wendao is from Beijia, and he was sent by Lingxu City!" The King of Xirao's beard and hair trembled slightly, his chest heaving. "Only today do I realize that my, my, my two children both died at the hands of Beijia people! Heh, heh—"

He sneered three times, "What does Beijia take me for?"

As he spoke, he stared fixedly towards Jade Spring Palace, his gaze as chilling as the cold spring within it.

Qiu Long quickly patted his back to calm him. "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Don't let it harm your health. Would you like to summon Supervisor Qingyang to the palace for questioning?"

He quickly offered a question.

When people start to think, their anger tends to subside.

The King of Xirao indeed paused.

But after his moment of thought, he slammed his hand forcefully on the door panel: "Zhao Song just said that Cao Wendao's demon puppet, the Flounder, can burrow underground on rainy nights!"

He emphasized again: "Burrowing underground on rainy nights! Think about it!"

Qiu Long was secretly alarmed. "Y-your Majesty, do you believe General Xue...?"

"Why should the murderer of Xue Zongwu be able to come and go freely, leaving no trace?" the King of Xirao sneered. "Burrowing underground is much faster than riding a horse."

And recall that both of Cao Wendao's demon puppets wreaked havoc at Xiaotao Mountain Villa!

Qiu Long quickly reminded his liege: "Yang Chi confessed that those two demon puppets were taken away by the Black Armored Army long ago."

"Who are the Black Armored Army?" The King of Xirao's gaze was as dark as the night. "How could a powerful, divinely armed force suddenly appear on this plain, unconnected to any other power? Unless—"

"Unless the so-called 'black armor' is just a disguise! Their leader has a hidden reason for not appearing openly, and their subordinates must be highly talented." He asked Qiu Long, "Who does that sound like to you?"

Qiu Long knew his liege wanted him to name the person, so he did:

"Supervisor Qingyang?"

Otherwise, why would every single one of these incidents be connected to Supervisor Qingyang?

"Wait, wait!" The King of Xirao suddenly remembered something else. "That large hole that suddenly appeared in the foundation of the West Forest Temple—do you think it could have been man-made? Could it have been that Flounder? Timing-wise, it was around the time Qingyang arrived in Tianshui City."

Zhao Song's statements tonight were more shocking than the last. When the King of Xirao brought up the temple again, Qiu Long felt his heart couldn't take much more.

"Your Majesty, there's no evidence for that," he quickly reminded his liege. "Even Water Spirit said that the sinkhole beneath the temple could have been formed naturally by lake water seepage."

"But it didn't deny the possibility of human damage, did it?"

With the King of Xirao determined to argue, what more could Qiu Long say? "Water Spirit, Water Spirit did not deny that, indeed."

The King of Xirao was displeased. "Qiu Long, you've gotten old and timid."

Qiu Long gave a wry smile. "Your Majesty's keenness and ambition are as sharp as ever; I, on the other hand, am long past my prime."

The King of Xirao pondered. "I can understand Qingyang's previous schemes, which were all directed against me and the royal court. But why would she collapse the foundation of the West Forest Temple?!"

Couldn't it have been a natural collapse? But Qiu Long knew the King of Xirao wasn't in the mood to hear about "possibilities" right now.

He could only change the subject again. "The Flounder's death was suspicious. Could it be related to He Xiao? If he could even kill a monster that can burrow underground..."

"Zhao Song and He Xiao led hundreds of men to Taoxi to capture Cao Wendao, but were intercepted by Qingyang midway." The King of Xirao walked a few steps further into the room. Qiu Long seized the opportunity to close the door tightly and added more charcoal to the brazier with his other hand.

Earlier, cold drafts had swept into the room, carrying away all the warmth. Now, the King of Xirao's breath formed white mist as he spoke.

But he was in a state of excitement and felt no cold at all. "He probably didn't expect Qingyang to act, but he might have secretly sent men."

There are many ways to transmit messages in this world.

Qiu Long added: "Zhao Song just said that Qingyang immediately started stalling once she appeared, but after the explosion, it was He Xiao who became unhurried."

"Hmm." The King of Xirao stroked his beard. "You're suggesting He Xiao's subordinates could also kill Cao Wendao?"

"Well..." Qiu Long was speechless.

Cao Wendao was a grand demon puppeteer from Lingxu City. According to Yang Chi, he was as formidable as a celestial being. The immense reverence his disciples held for him indicated he truly possessed great skill. Furthermore, He Xiao had recently killed the leader of the Green Guard, demonstrating profound cultivation. The fact that Qingyang had sought out Cao Wendao to kill He Xiao showed her confidence in Cao Wendao's abilities.

Beijia's former Grand Master wouldn't have poor judgment.

Qiu Long could barely believe that He Xiao himself might be capable of killing Cao Wendao, but He Xiao's subordinates?

Uh, would He Xiao's subordinates be more powerful than him? Well, it wasn't impossible either.

Qiu Long could only say, "I underestimated the situation."

"This is merely speculation." The King of Xirao finally felt the cold and walked to the brazier to warm his hands. "If you ask He Xiao, he'll surely claim ignorance."

After all, no one had seen Cao Wendao's opponent.

Qiu Long sensed that the King of Xirao did not wish to delve deeper into He Xiao's role. It was all speculation, all about "possibilities," so why wouldn't his liege pursue the matter with He Xiao?

Of course, he could only grumble silently to himself. Outwardly, he had to say, "Your Majesty is wise."

"What you say is not without reason, but this is a good thing; the stronger He Xiao is, the better." The King of Xirao suddenly smiled, a smile that sent a shiver down Qiu Long's spine, despite being accustomed to serving him. "I have always tolerated Qingyang. Does she think I'm completely helpless against her?"

Qiu Long dared not respond to that.

The King of Xirao also closed his eyes in contemplation. The room became quiet.

After a long while, he spoke again: "Sometimes I wonder, why exactly did He Xiao come to Tianshui City?"

Qiu Long cautiously replied, "He probably dared not refuse to come."

The King of Xirao had sent He Xiao an invitation to his fifty-ninth birthday celebration. If He Xiao hadn't come, it would have been a direct insult to the Overlord of Bling, and the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce would then find it very difficult to operate in the Bling Plain.